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College Move-In Day Year Two
It’s difficult to describe the feeling of having the child you’ve raised for 18 years suddenly go away to college. Last August all four of us traveled to Illinois and moved Arielle into her dorm. There was excitement, trepidation, and lots of sadness as I realized that a way of life that I had known for so long was coming to an end. A real end. I stayed in Champaign for a week to give myself an adjustment period and to make sure Arielle was safe and happy. Looking back it was a very good thing I had MYSTIC, a great editor (thank you, Emma Dryden!) and a publishing date to…
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Push Across America!
Let me introduce you to an incredible young man! Ryan Chalmers is a wheelchair athlete at the University of Illinois. I’m very partial to the University of Illinois because my beautiful daughter, Arielle, goes there and is also a member of the team. Ryan is pushing across America using his racing wheelchair. He began yesterday in Los Angeles and will finish in New York. Check him out here on Good Morning America: Click on the picture to see the interview. Teachers this is a great opportunity to talk to your class about disabilities and the importance of determination and hard work. Hey, why not follow Ryan on his journey? Here’s the…
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Why the University of Illinois?
I have had several people ask me why Arielle went to the University of Illinois. Wouldn’t I rather have her close? Of course! USF, Florida State, or the University of Florida would’ve been nice. We toured all their beautiful campuses. But none of those universities have a wheelchair track and field team. The University of Illinois is the most accessible college in the United States and now has twelve Track and Field athletes competing in the Paralympic Games in London. Arielle made the decision to leave her home state and all her friends to pursue wheelchair track. It was a difficult decision. Illinois is far from Florida and gets very cold in the winter! We are very…
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College Move-in Day!
I’m not really here. I’m on a blog vacation until September… So much has happened in the last seven days that I just had to share some photos. The University of Illinois is an amazing place! Eric and I wondered why we never chose to have the college after high school experience. What were we thinking? Kai decided he was going to skip high school and head right to college. Arielle was excited, overwhelmed, and ready for her new journey. It began with a packed van. We thought our minivan days were over. We we wrong. An organized mom would have thought to put all those bags in one big plastic bin. Not me. By the way,…
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Epic Fail Cake… the Sequel
Ten months ago, I attempted to make a cake I had seen on the Martha Stewart website. It didn’t go so well. It begins innocently.I see something pretty and say to myself, I can do that. The problem is… I really can’t. Epic Fall Fail Cake turned out to be one of my most popular posts and worst cakes – until now. The Very Beginning I’m addicted to a TV show on HBO called The Newsroom. Eric and I enjoy Aaron Sorkin’s writing and the acting on the show is brilliant. I’d love to be on the set and watch how the actors practice the rhythm of the dialogue. It’s quick and oh so much fun…
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Life Lessons from Sandra Bullock
Introducing my beautiful daughter, Arielle Rausin. One actress I’ve always admired for not only her versatility but her spunk is Sandra Bullock. I’ve grown up watching her movies, and whenever its chick flick night with mom, she’s our go to girl. Over the years I learned a lot from her films. Miss Congeniality taught me to never enter a beauty pageant unless I’m ready to accept a bomb triggering tiara. The Proposal taught me that if you deem someone your fake fiancée in order to avoid deportation, you will, in fact, fall in love with him. The Blind Side taught me that if you welcome a large, homeless boy into your…
