Confessions of a Misplaced Southern Belle

Not so misplaced anymore!

Archives for January 2016

Thirty Years

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Thirty years ago, I was a in eighth grade at Dry Prong Jr. HIgh. As it happened, I was home sick on a cold January day. Mom told me to lie down on the couch with my book. (something by John Jakes I think) The television was on and it was airing the live broadcast of the Space Shuttle Challenger lift-off. Mom went off to do something and I went back to my book. The announcers counted down, the lift-off happened and I glanced at the television. A minute later, I heard the announcers say that something was wrong. I yelled for Mom, she came in and we watched as bits and pieces of shuttle floated back to earth. This was WAY before the internet and we didn’t have twenty-four hour news in Dry Prong yet, so we stayed glued to NBC. Mom went to the kitchen to call dad and tell him and we continued to watch to get any news that we could. It was such an awful feeling knowing that you just watched seven people die on live television. The image of those solid rocket boosters going in opposite directions and debris floating in the clear blue sky, is something that sticks with you and for every launch after that, I would always wait for Mission Control to give the command “Go at throttle up” and breathe a sigh of relief once that moment passed.  I can’t believe that it’s been 30 years, but I can remember like it was yesterday. I don’t think I will ever forget President Reagan’s touching tribute to the astronauts and his eloquence at trying to put into words what many felt. I still get chills and a lump in my throat when I listen to it. Every one of these astronauts, as well as the ones who came before, and the ones who came after are heroes and should be remembered.

Francis R. Scobee – Mission Commander
Michael J. Smith – Pilot
Ellison S. Onizuka – Mission Specialist 1
Judith A. Resnik – Mission Specialist 2
Ronald E. McNair – Mission Specialist 3
Christa McAuliffe – Payload Specialist 1, Teacher in space
Gregory B. Jarvis – Payload Specialist 2

One Little Word

flourish
verb (used without object)
1.to be in a vigorous state; thrive
2.to be in its or in one’s prime; be at the height of fame, excellence,influence, etc.
3.to be successful; prosper.
4.to grow luxuriantly, or thrive in growth,
Over on Ali Edwards’ site, she is hosting a year long project called One Little Word. The premise is to choose a word that you hope will define your year.  This year, I chose the word FLOURISH.  It’s a weird looking word, but this word popped in my head and stuck there.  This year is truly a new beginning for me. We are official empty nesters because Amanda had graduated college. moved into a new apartment in Jacksonville and is a producer at a local television station.  While she was in college, it seemed that I could pretend that she was living at home, even though in reality, she hasn’t lived full time at home in well over a 18 months.  My big goal this year is to vastly improve my photography. I have some specific goals towards that end that I will be sharing soon.  I also want to get back to writing on this blog on a more regular basis. For nearly eight years, I was a regular blogger and I have found that I miss the writing and the interaction that bloggers had.  I know that in the last four to five years, people are moving more toward Instagram, Twitter, etc, but I think there is always a place for good content.  I know that I still read blogs, so surely there are some old school people like me who still do.    I’m not good at resolutions, but I do have goals for the year that I hope to introduce over the next week, so stay tuned!  If you had to choose a word for the year, what would it be?  Leave your word in the comments!  I hope everyone has a wonderful 2016!