West Virginia Expat

Reminiscing

2011-11-21T12:46:00.003-05:00

One of the things I love about being back in West Virginia is my husband and I can visit all those special places couples have. The place we met, the place we married, the place we went to that time when we did that thing . . . Special places that we never had time to visit when we were living 500 miles away and spending every second we visited driving to see family.

Athens, West Virginia, will always have a special place in my heart. Not only is it the home of my alma mater, Concord University, but it's also the place I met my husband. We had our first apartment together in Princeton after we got married. Then a few months later moved back to campus in the "married apartments", because I was still a student at Concord and the rent was dirt cheap!

Over the 16 years we lived in Georgia, I often asked if we could drive to Athens as we passed the exit off I-77 on our way home to Georgia. What could be more convenient? Well, you know men. What's the point of going a few miles out of our way and losing an hour or two just to stroll down memory lane? I can think of two times we actually took the exit and visited our old stomping grounds. They were hurried trips to quickly drive through the campus and get back on the interstate for the 8 hour drive back to Georgia.

This weekend the weather was nice. I had been in the house ALL WEEK LONG. I was a bit stir crazy. I asked my husband if he felt like going for a ride somewhere. I suggested a few places, but he chose the place he knew I wouldn't say no to -- Athens!

It's not even quite an hour from Beckley, so the drive was quick. As soon as we pulled off the exit, the memories started flooding back. Driving into Athens, we talked about how we used to walk to the Deli-Mart. There is a cemetery in town that Gary and I walked to sometimes. It's just a pretty, peaceful area.

Some things have changed. They have a CVS, but the post office is still there where we had our first post office box as husband and wife --- awww! Gino's is still there. Gary's best friend worked there during college and late night pizzas were awesome! Now I have to take a Zantac when I eat pizza after 4 p.m. Thanks, old age.

We saw the old apartment where I lived and the old apartment where Gary lived. We saw the place we met. It used to be the Sweet Shop, a little restaurant right across from campus with the BEST hot fudge cake I have ever had. Now it's just an empty building.

The campus itself was beautiful, as usual. It's aptly nicknamed "The Campus Beautiful". There were a couple of new buildings. The place where our apartment was is now a parking lot. Kind of sad, but I commuted to Concord for a semester and I can tell you, they needed the parking spaces! The campus was deserted, since Thanksgiving is this week, but it was kind of nice to have it all to ourselves. We walked around a bit and tried to get into the Arts Center, where both Gary and I took so many of our classes and Gary had his Senior Art Show. It was locked, of course. We saw our old college dorms. They were just the same.

After we drove around Athens, we drove to Princeton and saw our first apartment. We drove to Mercer Mall too. It was such a fun visit and it was nice to have just an hour's drive back home after a day spent reliving our beginning!

One thing I regret is not taking a camera. What was I thinking? But we'll be back soon. Probably in the spring when the campus looks particularly beautiful! In a few months, I'll be ready to drive down memory lane again.

Catching up on the last 2 years

2011-10-18T13:44:00.002-04:00

It has been forever since I've blogged on here. I've thought about just scrapping it, but when you like to write, you write. Since I already have a platform, might as well use it.

I started this West Virginia Expat blog because I was a WV native living out of state and I wanted a way to keep myself identified as a West Virginian. I wanted to write about issues specific to West Virginia. I also wanted a place where former (and even current) West Virginians could read about things about their home state and maybe make friends with other WV Expats.

But life gets away from you sometimes. Homeschooling a middle schooler is quite different from homeschooling an elementary schooler. I got busier. I was less able to focus on writing about life as a WV Expat and more involved in living that life. Then something C-R-A-Z-Y happened. We moved back to West Virginia.

The opportunity was completely unexpected and not at all sought after. I have mentioned on this blog before that we seriously tried to move back to WV one time in our 16 years in Georgia. My husband actively sought out job opportunities, drove to WV for interviews, and was offered a position. It took us about a day to figure out that position wasn't right for the family. It was a heartbreaking decision. Seriously.

After turning down that position, we stopped trying. We decided to just enjoy life where we were. We liked Georgia, after all. We were really happy there and we coped fine with the details of living 500 miles away from family. We even said to each other that the only way we'd move back to West Virginia was if something just fell into our laps.

Two years later, almost to the day, we received a call about a position in my home county. The call was unsolicited. We weren't looking to move. He wasn't looking for a new position. He had a good job in Georgia. We owned our own home. We were satisfied.

But calls like that don't happen every day. We talked about it and decided we would just let it play out and see what happened. Three weeks later we loaded up a moving van and headed to the hills. We have been back in West Virginia since November of 2009 and sometimes I still can't believe it. Often I still can't believe it.

Two years ago I was living in Georgia, homeschooling a 6th grader. Now I am living in West Virginia and my 8th grader just started back to public school in August. Needless to say, I've got some time on my hands.

My intention is to use this blog for its original purpose. I am no longer a Georgia resident, but I do still feel like a WV Expat. You can't spend the majority of your adult life in another state without feeling a bit changed.

The grass is always greener on the other side, so I will tell you that this move has not been without its sacrifices, its heartaches, and its regrets. I'm going to try to expand on those in greater detail, as time allows.

We moved back to West Virginia just in time for one of its worst winters in years. Last winter was no picnic either for someone who has spent 16 years in the Deep South. We're working on the end of October and I'm making plans to settle in for another blast of cold weather, so I imagine I will have some time to put into this blog.

We're back in West Virginia. We are figuring on staying here. And I'll be writing about everything all of that entails. Some of it's good, some of it's bad, some of it's ugly, but some of it is really beautiful.

More to come.

Our summer trip to WV

2009-08-29T15:29:00.002-04:00

Our two week vacation to WV this summer was fun, but a little sad too.

First off, it was the first time I have visited home since my grandma's funeral. I know this will sound strange, but my grandma wasn't part of my daily life. So, while I've mourned and missed her, I haven't had to fill a void she left, because I didn't see her every day. I felt the void on the trip to WV, though. There was no need to go over to her house and visit. No phone calls to make to see if she wanted to eat at the Chinese restaurant with us or go to Tracy's (a country store we visit). I could really feel her absence.

Another sad thing is my husband couldn't make the trip with us. His company had a huge open house for their reps the week after we left. There was no way he could take the time to visit family. While my son and I were having a great time, my husband was working extra hours and stressing about everything that had to get done. I felt guilty about that and it didn't feel like a family vacation, with 1/3 of my family missing.

On the upside, we had a family reunion. That was fun. We went to see Seussical the Musical at Theatre West Virginia at Grandview State Park. That was really great. Next year we have to go see Honey in the Rock and the Hatfields & McCoys.

We also spent some time at Little Beaver State Park. I hadn't been there for years and it was fun to go with my mom and Evan and back again with Evan and three of my nephews. My mom actually went on the swings with Evan and that was fun to watch. She's such a kid at heart! Evan and my nephews went fishing. It was a beautiful, cool evening. I sometimes forget how beautiful WV can be on those summer evenings.

We had a birthday cookout for my mom at my sister's house in Ronceverte. I love Greenbrier County. It's just fantastic there. My sister has a great house with land and a terrific view. We had a great time.

I had a nice visit with my mother-in-law. I tried to find a place for Evan to fish there, but when it comes to Nicholas County, I am out of my element. That's why we definitely need Dad around to show us the good spots!

All in all, it was a good trip. I'm already making plans for next summer that include camping and a visit to the West Virginia State Fair.

We haven't been to the Fair for years and I thought it would be nice to go there with my family. My sister works for the Fair administrative office from June until the Fair is over and my niece, nephew, and this year even my brother-in-law got in on the action working at different little kiosks during the Fair. It's such a huge part of their lives and it would be fun to be in on that just a bit. There's no way I'm working there, though!

That's how we spent our vacation in West Virginia. It was a great time of family and fun!

I love my almost 12 year old boy!

2009-07-27T13:14:00.002-04:00

Like most moms, I have enjoyed EVERY single stage of my son's life. Baby days? Loved them! Terrible twos? Weren't so terrible! Preschool age? Fantastic? And on and on and on.

Now my son will soon be 12 (GASP!) and it's a shock to my system, thinking that I will teaching a middle schooler this fall.

But I adore my middle schooler and one of the advantages of having an almost 12 year old is he is very intelligent, capable, and willing to take something I dread and turn it into something I'm looking forward to.

We leave for WV on Thursday. My husband isn't making the trip with us. I haven't been looking forward to the drive or the 2 week visit without him.

This morning, Evan asked me what time we were leaving on Thursday and where we were going to stop along the way. Those questions caused some anxiety, so I turned it all over to him.

He is busy planning our trip right now. He's been to WV and back at least 2 times every year for the past 12 years, so he knows the good places to stop for gas and the restaurants where we like to eat.

My stipulations:

1. I'm not leaving the house any earlier than 9:45 a.m. That way we'll get to spend some time with hubby before we go. I won't feel rushed and crazy. And, hopefully, we'll miss crazy morning rush hour traffic.

2. I'm not driving the easiest, fastest way to get out of GA. In the past month we have driven up 75 North towards Tennessee about a million times and I'm sick of the road. I am driving north on 41 and hoping for the best. Hee hee.

3. I have to stop and get peaches for my mother and my mother-in-law. If any other family member sees this post and wants peaches, you better call me before I leave on Thursday.

4. If I want to stop at a convenience store for a raisin ugly, I will. If I see a sign for a Civil War cemetery, I'm going to stop and look. It's not a race. I'm not a Nascar driver. I'm going to drive like a little old lady on a Sunday afternoon! So grin and bear it! Actually, my son will have no problem with this. If my husband was with us, it would be a different story.

So it's mostly in Evan's hands now and his enthusiasm for planning our journey is contagious! The drive up to WV can be tedious and annoying, but Evan and I are both determined to make it F-U-N!

See you soon, Mountain State!

Nerves

2009-07-13T13:06:00.004-04:00

In a couple of weeks I am heading up to West Virginia for a family reunion and to spend some time with my family and my mother-in-law.

It'll just be me and my son driving up. My husband has used several vacation days for my son's All star state tournament and upcoming world series. Plus he has some big doings at work coming up in August and can't get away.

He suggested I wait until late September and we can all go up together, because he knows how much I dislike driving to WV by myself. It's a tempting offer, but I don't want to miss the family reunion and I want to spend some time with my mom before she starts back to work at the end of August (she's a kindergarten teacher's aide for Raleigh County).

I've made the trip numerous times over the last 16 years without hubby, so you'd think I would be used to it. Based on experience, however, here's what the next two weeks before I head up to WV will involve:

1. I will be a bundle of nerves and they will overwhelm whatever excitement I may feel about visiting family.

2. I will say "Maybe I just won't go" about six hundred times.

3. I will cook and cook and cook, unable to forget the fact that my hubby will be eating mostly fast food for the 2 weeks I will be away from home. I'll consider freezing meals, but won't end up doing it.

4. I will make a list of "honey do" things I'd like for hubby to work on while I am gone and a couple of days before my departure will tell him just "forget it, relax, enjoy yourself. I'll be on vacation, you shouldn't be doing this stuff!"

5. I'll think about just meeting my parents halfway and letting my son go with them, so I can come back home and keep my hubby company.

6. I'll clean the house and it will be cleaner than it is on a day-to-day basis around here. I'll wish I could spend some time in my house with it this clean.

7. I'll get everything packed up, be on my way out the door, and the nerves will get so bad I'll have gastrointestinal issues for the whole drive to WV.

After I arrive in WV, I'll have a blast. The days will pass much too quickly and in no time I'll be making the return trip, wishing I could stay in WV just a bit longer.

In an effort to assuage my nerves, here are some things I am looking forward to when I go to WV:

1. Visiting the Amish Barn! Buying new cross-stitch projects.

2. Walking with my mom at the walking track that is now on the football field of her old high school. I'm hoping my mom can help resuscitate my slowly dying exercise program!

3. Seeing my assorted relatives and spending time with them.

4. Going to Lake Stephens!

5. Going to Bluestone!

6. Spending a beautiful Saturday at a family reunion!

7. Actually seeing my mother on her birthday for the first time in YEARS!

Wow! It's working. I'm starting to get excited about going. I'll have to revisit this list a few times in the next couple of weeks!

July 4th

2009-07-08T14:50:00.004-04:00

I didn't post on the 4th because we spent part of the day in Ringgold, GA with my son playing his first game in the state tournament. That tournament ended last night and the Acworth Warriors placed 2nd! I was so proud of the team.

I didn't cook out on the 4th because we weren't sure how many games our team would play that day, but we did participate in what I think is the best part of Independence Day ---- The FIREWORKS!

We went to see the city of Woodstock's fireworks. Acworth's fireworks are fine too, I'm sure, but we started watching Woodstock's fireworks when we lived there years ago and it's become a tradition when we're in town for the 4th. So off we went to stake out our spot at the Lowe's parking lot.

We left at 7:30 p.m. to get a good spot. Plenty early enough, we thought, but we were surprised to see how many people were already staked out for the festivities. We drove by the liquor store and saw about 20 people setting up chairs. I thought that was a dumb place to set up, but after we got stuck for about an hour in the quagmire of the Lowe's parking lot after the fireworks were over, we realized the genius of the liquor store location.

On top of that, there is a very relevant, hip, and happening church right across from Lowe's in the old K-mart building. (I miss K-mart!) That church was having a big party in the parking lot, waving people in to park, serving food, boasting on the loudspeakers about their bathroom access, and playing music really, really loudly.

We had to listen to their music all evening. U2, Bruce Springsteen, Nat King Cole, and other music I didn't even recognize were the soundtrack to my family's fireworks outing. Thanks, rock and roll church. You almost ruined my night. Even during firework time, they blasted their tunes to show how cool and "non-religious" they are. It made me envy the happy people at the liquor store.

Still it was a good night. The fireworks display was awesome. Even the wait to get out of the parking lot didn't spoil the night.

When I was growing up, fireworks and the 4th of July went hand in hand. We would load up in the van and go to Hills Department store. I remember my dad putting me on top of the van so I could see better. Maybe that actually happened. Maybe not. Regardless it was always one of my favorite times.
Hills isn't there anymore. Sad, because it wasn't only a part of my life on the 4th. It was a big part of my childhood, with the popcorn and the Coke freezes, and the countless Barbie dolls I saw and wanted. The time I got lost and some random guy took me to the customer service counter so they could page my mom and my sister made fun of me for being scared. Buying my Holly Hobbie mug for the express purpose of drinking hot chocolate. The time when I was a teenager and my mom, my sister, and I were in line waiting for popcorn and we heard a bullet come through the front of the window and we ran back into the store, but my sister just fell on the ground too afraid to move. I'm not sure it was actually a bullet. I think it was a rock that a car had kicked up and it had hit the window. Still watching my super cool teenaged sister on the ground in fear was kind of payback for her making fun of me when I was only about 7 and lost in Hills.

Yep. Good memories.

I hope those are the kinds of memories my son is holding onto when we drive down to see the fireworks in Woodstock. Even if he remembers the slight annoyance of the loud music, his big memory will be of anticipation, playing catch in the parking lot while waiting for dusk, and the awesome display of fireworks that capped off a great Independence Day.

I'll tell him the story about his Aunt Sherri being scared of the rock that hit the window at Hills too. That memory should live on.

Sweet Victory

2009-07-07T12:44:00.003-04:00

It's not surprising that one of the dads on my son's All Star team is a Georgia Bulldog fan --- we are in Bulldog country, after all. Still it says something about him --- he's a jerk, for instance --- that he decides to wear a specific shirt to last night's game.

We have WV stickers on our van and on our car. Most people who know us well know that we are from WV. This guy is an observant fellow, so I know he knew we are from WV. The red shirt he wore last night had "BEAT WVU" on the front of it. On the back it continued, "and the couch burning hillbillies they brought with them."

It is, of course, a shirt from the 2006 Sugar Bowl that WVU played against Georgia. The game where WVU BEAT UGA 38 to 35.

Now I don't claim to be the most brilliant person in the world, but I am smart enough to not wear a shirt bragging about a victory that NEVER HAPPENED.

I was gracious last night for the sake of our boys' team unity, but, with regards to that UGA lovin' dad and in the words of my late father-in-law, I know who he is and I know what he is.

On the upside our kids won last night 8 to 3 and are playing in the Georgia Dizzy Dean State B Tournament tonight! My husband, son, and I came home and celebrated the victory by burning a couch in the back yard.

Not really.

Thanks to my sister for sending me this West Virginia video to remind me that where I come from is a pretty swell place and being able to claim West Virginia as my home state is worth the occasional ribbing from sore losers.

My West Virginia Boy

2009-06-19T11:51:00.002-04:00

Okay. He's not a boy. He's a man. The man I married 17 years ago this September.

I don't live in WV anymore, but anyone who was born and raised in WV knows it stays in your blood. That's why I'm glad I married a West Virginia Boy. I think God knew I wouldn't have been happy with anybody else.

Things I love about my WV Boy:

1. He can work 40+ hours a week in a white collar job, but still fix anything around my house. He fixed my washer last night and my dryer a few weeks ago. It's great to have someone so handy. I have friends whose husbands are not. That gets expensive.

2. He loves to camp and fish with my son. It's surprising how few kids get to do that nowadays! And he helps coach my son's baseball team every season without complaint, though often it means going straight from the office to stand on the field for another 3 hours!

3. His blood runs blue and old gold, so I know I can never make him angrier than he gets when WVU is losing a football game.

4. He loves WV as much as I do and therefore understands me.

5. WV men make great dads and I know my son will also be a great dad because of the example his father is setting.

Happy Father's Day to my WV Boy!

Hiatus

2009-04-28T13:10:00.002-04:00

Life is getting kind of hectic with the school year finishing up, recreation baseball ending, and All Star baseball starting. I'm going to take a break for a while from blogging. I'll continue to check on blogs I enjoy reading.

I plan to be back when time is once again on my side.

Enjoy your life!

What I loathe about the Internet

2009-04-24T16:21:00.002-04:00

There was a time years ago when people kept their thoughts to themselves. If they thought something bad about someone, they thought it privately. At most they might have shared it with a husband or a friend, but it stopped there.

These days people can say whatever they want and unlimited numbers of people can read about it. There seem to be no consequences for bad behavior.

I'm not sure that's progress.

I enjoy reading other people's blogs. I tend to stick to the ones that talk about being a mom, homeschooling, cooking, and staying home. I enjoy reading about how other people handle struggles I face. I like to read what people think about topics in the news or issues that affect a group that I am in.

What I don't like is reading mean spirited banter from people. I don't like people who use the anonymity of the internet to misbehave or attack other people.

If you are rude or a jerk in real life, it really does come through on your blog, or your facebook, or your tweets.

I suppose the good thing about it is, you can just click away from that page or that item that is offensive.

What I'm afraid will happen eventually, though, is that all this freedom of saying whatever you think about other people, without thought of the consequences, is going to spill over in real life. I think it's already started to.

A good rule I like to follow is, if I wouldn't say it directly to the person I am talking about, I shouldn't put it on the internet.

Talking about yourself, your life, is one thing. Attacking other people or parading your prejudices on your blog is something else. Those kinds of blogs are the ones I try to avoid.

Just makes life more peaceful.

North Georgia

2009-04-06T14:45:00.002-04:00

One of my family's favorite places to go is Blue Ridge and McCaysville, Georgia. We spent the day there yesterday and had a great time!

We started going there several years back for the fishing and maybe for the fried pies at Mercier Orchards (plus Mercier has a fantastically clean restroom --- very important to me when traveling away from home --- just in case you want to know!).

We always drive through Blue Ridge and McCaysville and go to Horseshoe Bend Park. My son and husband go fishing. Yesterday, I actually cast a line in the water a couple of times. None of us caught anything, but we did spend some time watching a guy wade out into the Toccoa River first flyfishing and then using a rod and reel. He caught about three fish. My son was a bit jealous. :)

The park has a baseball field too and my son threw some pitches before we headed over to Mercier to grab some pies, apple cider, and a toy flintlock gun for my son. Boys love guns, don't they?

On our way back home, we started to drive through Fort Mountain State Park. We have never been there before and wanted to check it out. We found out it was about 16 miles off the highway, though, so we'll have to save that for another time. It was just getting too late!

I still haven't planned out that camping trip yet. I guess I need to get started with that. Gee, I wonder why I'm dragging my feet?

Oh, I remember, something about sleeping in a TENT!

A funny thing happened down in Georgia . . .

2009-03-23T14:01:00.002-04:00

. . . we became a family.

The last week of July/first week of August will mark 16 years for us living in Georgia. The varying dates are because my husband moved down the week before I did because I had to finish my internship in Bluefield.

I try to remember what those young people were thinking way back then. I was 22 and my husband was 24. We had only been married about 10 months. I can hardly remember those people. So much has happened and changed us since then.

I do know we felt limited by options in WV and I do know we saw moving to Georgia as a grand adventure. Not to say we took the decision lightly. We went back and forth about it for MONTHS! We listed pros and cons. We discussed our options. We made ourselves sick talking about it.

And then we jumped.

I had a deal with my husband. I told him I would stay in Georgia for five years and then I wanted to move back to WV.

Truthfully, I wanted to move back to WV after the first month. And I didn't even want to give Georgia a shot.

In fact (and I'll be quite honest here), I wasn't sure our marriage would survive our move to Georgia. We had a hard few years. Yeah, years. It wasn't always talked about, but it was always in the background. I wanted to give up and move back to WV. He thought we should stay and make it work here.

The best piece of advice my mother ever gave me when I called her (you should have seen the long distance phone bills!) and cried and cried about wanting to move back home was this: Your place is with your husband. Your home is with him now.

Yesterday, sitting on the front porch, I thought about all of that. I thought about the years living as a WV Expat in another state. I thought about how much I missed by not living in WV with family. My husband loves WV as much as I do, so it's something we've discussed before.

But what I was watching from my front porch made me realize I wouldn't change a thing. My husband was down in the yard with my son and 5 of my son's friends from the neighborhood. They were playing touch football. It a was beautiful day. It was an even more beautiful moment.

We've had so many experiences here. We've built a life here. I would have never believed it 16 years ago, but Georgia really is our home. I'll always love WV, of course. It's our heritage; it's where our family is. But Georgia is our home.

It's quite a revelation to me that home is where your history is. That's why it was so hard to leave WV. My childhood was there and that was the only history I had.

Now that my husband and I are going on 17 years of marriage, my history is somewhere else.

There are some bittersweet elements to that, but I choose to focus on the sweet.

Camping

2009-03-20T13:37:00.003-04:00

Now that the weather is warmer, my family and I will spend some time at our favorite place nearby: Red Top Mountain State Park.

It's surrounded by Lake Allatoona and it's a perfect spot to fish, hike, play in the water, or just sit by the lake and soak up the surroundings.

My husband and I stayed in a cabin there the second year we lived in GA. Back then we lived about 45 minutes away from the park. Now we're about 15 minutes away, making it easier to just drive over and spend a couple of hours on the spur of the moment.

This year we are considering going camping there.

In a tent.

My husband and son love to go camping. Usually, they go camping off the Elk River in Webster Springs, WV. That's a spot my husband and his family have been camping at since he was a little boy. It's a beautiful, untouched spot and it's my husband's first choice for any camping excursion.

Hubby and son haven't been there since the summer before my father-in-law passed away. My husband isn't sure when they'll go back there. That place is tied up with memories of his dad and those memories are hard for him to face right now. I'm sure they'll go back there eventually, but maybe not this summer.

I've been to the place where they camp on Elk River, but have only spent a few hours there. The accommodations are primitive. For example, the toilet consists of a hole dug by my father in law with a bottomless bucket and an old toilet seat on top.

Now, I like primitive as a decorating concept, but not as a way of life. So I have not spent the night at Elk. And probably never will. I'll live that joy to the men in my life.

Last summer we camped off the Greenbrier River in Ronceverte. This style of camping was more for me. We stayed at property right by the river owned by my sister-in-law and her husband. They've had the place for years and have equipped it with a building that has running water, with a toilet, shower, and sink. There is also a refrigerator, a stove, and a dryer.

There are no sleeping quarters in that building, but they have their RV parked right beside it. The RV is where we slept while we camped for a few nights.

The RV has a few very comfortable beds, plus the RV has air conditioning if the heat gets to be too much during the day. Honestly, I didn't need the air so much because I'm used to Georgia heat now and sitting under a tree on the hottest WV day feels kind of like heaven to me. Our little pug appreciated the RV, though, and we'd put him in his crate and let him nap when he got tired of running around outside.

So that's my idea of camping, folks. Showers, running water, refrigerators, electricity, and a nice, soft bed.

Kind of like being home.

This year, I stuck my foot in my big, fat mouth by suggesting we go camping a little closer to home when spring came. We are planning to camp in Ronceverte again this summer, but (because of me) we are also planning to camp at Red Top.

In a tent.

Granted, it won't be as primitive as the accommodations on Elk River, but it'll be a whole new way of living for me.

We're only staying a maximum of two nights.

And, if it gets to be too much for me, I'm driving the 15 minutes back to my house and leaving the boys in the tent!

I guess that's another luxury of camping so close to home!

WV news

2009-03-15T14:33:00.002-04:00

West Virginia got hit a couple of times in the media recently. One hit involved a study that placed the state dead last among the happiest states in the country. Another hit came when a West Virginia legislator from Lincoln County, Jeff Eldridge, introduced legislation to ban the sell of Barbies in WV.

My mom tipped me off that our hometown newspaper wrote a good editorial in rebuttal to the stupid assertion that West Virginians are the unhappiest people in the U.S.

I did an independent study recently and determined that studies like the one showing WV is the unhappiest state in the U.S. are a waste of time.

Some people in Lincoln County think that Jeff Eldridge is wasting time by introducing the bill to ban Barbie. According to a quote from the Lincoln Online Journal, he's just interested in making sure girls know there's more to life than a pretty face.

“It isn’t just Barbie,” he said this week. “It is the idea that all a girl has to do to succeed is look pretty. I wanted to emphasize the need for education to succeed in life.”

It looks like he's getting more than he bargained for, what with Jay Leno using the opportunity to make fun of WV and David Letterman wanting him on his show.

The Lincoln Online Journal reports Eldridge won't be going on David Letterman, but I wish he would.

I've thought a lot about this story and I'd like to know what the argument is. Are those giving him such a hard time saying there is no negative impact by allowing our young daughters to emulate Barbie? Of course there is. Young girls suffer from self esteem problems now more than ever. Unfortunately, it's just the tip of the iceberg.

I played with Barbies growing up, but I was surrounded by strong women who looked nothing like the stereotype. Plus, I wasn't bombarded with the perfect body from every magazine cover and television show. I didn't see the waifs all over the movie screen or dancing in videos like young girls see today. And not every woman in my life was obsessed with diet and looks. They had other things to do like live their life.

All of these things have an impact on young girls. Dove built an entire campaign around the problem.

I think Eldridge was making an honest attempt to address the issue. Maybe he could have found a better proposal. Maybe he should have suggested a mentoring program for young WV girls so they could be exposed to real women contributing and making a difference. Maybe he could have helped start a sports program aimed at getting young girls active and keeping them healthy. Maybe going after Barbie wasn't the best thing, but he took a shot.

What bothers me most about this story isn't the fact that Eldridge introduced the legislation, but that the mainstream media used it as another way to take potshots at West Virginia.

Other states have their shares of legislation that seems a little odd or unimportant. A while back a GA lawmaker introduced legislation to make it illegal not to serve sweetened iced tea in a restaurant that is already serving iced tea. (I actually supported that legislation. Unsweetened tea? What's the point?)

WV is an easy target for people and that really makes me angry. Leno went too far. He didn't just take aim at the lawmaker, he took aim at the whole state.

His exact words: "Last week, a West Virginia lawmaker named Jeff Eldridge introduced a bill that would ban the state of West Virginia from selling Barbie dolls. They want to make it illegal to sell Barbie dolls in West Virginia cause they say the dolls give girls unreal expectations. See, apparently in West Virginia, dolls that have all of their teeth are not considered realistic."

That's taking a hit at every West Virginian and promoting a stereotype that hurts the state in more ways than one. Proud West Virginians don't want to be belittled. Teens in the state don't want to be made fun of. This pervasive idea that the state is filled with toothless hillbillies hurts people and can prevent much needed industry from coming into the state.

But what can you expect when the state's own governor takes potshots at his constituents?

Mr. Eldridge, go ahead and rethink the Barbie ban. Seems like people in your area aren't interested. Replace it instead with something more useful.

Ban the transmission of Jay Leno's Tonight Show from coming into the state's TV stations.

Now there's some useful legislation.

** Thanks, A., for the heads up!

What to do with all those WV postcards

2009-03-04T13:51:00.003-05:00

I love to buy postcards when I am in WV. I don't send them to people. I put them on my fridge.

So, after many years living away from the Mountain State, my fridge is cluttered with various postcards showing the New River Gorge Bridge, a pretty mountain road in the fall, or some other site that reminds me of my home state when I am opening the freezer to grab the ice cream.

Oh, I mean reaching for the cut up fruit/yogurt/salad. I'm on a diet. Forget that ice cream stuff.

Anyway, Shannon has a good idea of what to do with all those postcards! She suggests framing them as a great reminder of a place that means a lot to you.

I'm going to frame all of mine and hang them in the living room. At least then they'll stop falling off the freezer door every time I reach for the Turtle Tracks.

Oh, I mean the refrigerator door whenever I reach for the fruit, or yogurt, or salad.

Hee hee.

Newsweek article about WV

2009-03-03T18:32:00.003-05:00

My sister sent me the link to an article from Newsweek:

The article mentions several things I have talked about on this blog including the Diane Sawyer report on Central Appalachia and the governor's Come Home to WV program, which the husband of the Evil Twin's Wife works on. Guess I should just call him the Evil Twin, huh, ETW?

From the article:

The larger initiative includes temporarily revamping the state slogan (out: "Wild and Wonderful"; in: "Open for Business!"), plowing money into state universities and pushing through tax breaks to encourage in-state filmmaking.

That sounds like old info, doesn't it? Tell me, ETW, that they are NOT going back to the "Open for Business" stuff!

Maybe they just tacked on new information about the Diane Sawyer piece onto an older article.

It's always a bit disheartening to me to hear how other people perceive WV. It's such a beautiful state, with so many wonderful people!

I do have a problem with Manchin (who I am not a fan of) running down people in Pocahontas County with their Road Kill Cook-Off towards the end of the article. Just because we want people to see the beauty in WV doesn't mean we have to change everything about the state to match some white washed version of the rest of America.

Nor does it mean you have to run down your fellow West Virginians, Governor Manchin, who are probably also registered voters.

Just something to think about.

Thanks, Sis, for the article!

Update: I just read Buzzardbilly's take on the article. She's right on the money, as usual.

Georgia snow

2009-03-02T21:18:00.003-05:00

You don't often see the words "Georgia" and "snow" together.

Yesterday we had some snow flurries in our area. Nothing stuck to the ground. There were some icy patches this morning, but not enough to call off school in our county.

The county where my husband works did have more snow. There was a light dusting of snow on the ground when my husband got to work this morning. They called off school in that county and a few others too.

We had just gotten groceries a few days ago, so I had plenty of food in the house when our flurries hit. My husband did run out on Sunday afternoon to pick up a Sunday paper and he said everybody was buying up all the bread and milk in our local Publix.

It made me remember way back in March of 1993 when my husband and I were living in Athens, West Virginia. Hubby was working full time at the local movie theater. I was in my senior year of college and working at the campus candy store (MY FAVORITE JOB EVER!).

It was Friday night (as I remember) and my husband and I were in Lewisburg visiting my sister. We were leaving to go back home. We knew snow was expected, but were clueless about how much. We headed towards Alderson to take the "back way" to Athens, but had to stop because those country roads were solid sheets of ice.

We took the long way instead, going on I-64 from Lewisburg headed to Athens. We weren't on that road long before we realized we were in trouble. My husband could hardly see. The interstate was eerily empty. We pulled off an exit to call my parents' house. Those were the days without cell phones! My parents were at my sister's in Lewisburg, but my brother was home and I told him to expect us in a little bit. We knew there was no way we could make it back to Athens that night.

We had a few harrowing moments, with the car doing a perfect circle on the snowy road, but we finally made it to Sophia and to my parents' house. My mom and dad had quite the drive back to Sophia too when they returned the next day! My dad got stuck on the interstate. My mom accepted a ride from somebody to call for a tow truck. They let her know the interstate was closed. Mom said "You can't close it, my husband's out there!"

Somebody rescued my dad and he and my mom made it back to the house. We were pounded with snow and stuck in that house for several days. My dad walked through tons of snow to get bread, milk, and eggs from the closest convenience store, which wasn't close at all or very convenient for that matter!

We survived the Storm of the Century! That very experience may be one of the reasons I panic slightly when the cupboards are bare, even on the sunniest of days. These days I like to have the following in abundance around here: bread, milk, eggs, butter, tea bags, and TOILET PAPER. I keep all the staples like flour, oil, salt, and yeast in abundance too. And sugar. Don't forget the sugar!

I think with those items we could live quite happily if something unexpectedly kept us from making it to the store.

After a few days, though, I would start missing meat. I might have to send the guys out into the woods behind our house to shoot a squirrel or two. It's been a long time since I've had squirrel gravy.

There's two more words you don't expect to see together. "Squirrel" and "gravy."

I think for the next grocery shopping trip, we'll stock up on chicken and ground beef for the freezer.

Just in case.

Update

2009-02-25T23:22:00.004-05:00

Here's an update from ABC News about the services being offered to the children who were highlighted on Diane Sawyer's recent report.

The update also mentions the Christian Appalachian Project. I'm still reading up on their website. It does look like they do good work.

Proud Auntie

2009-02-19T15:19:00.003-05:00

These are my nephews playing last weekend at the WV Church of God competition. My 12 year old nephew is on the right and won first place in the Strings Plucked Instrumental category. His 19 year old brother is on the left.

We have quite a few talented musicians in our family. The list does not include me, but my brother, sister, brother-in-law, dad, aunt, and all 4 nephews play instruments. My son too is doing great with his guitar lessons! He loves jamming with his cousins when we are visiting WV!

Here we go

2009-02-16T18:15:00.004-05:00

I watched A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains, the 20/20 "investigation" a couple of times. I'm going to try to just hit on a few points that made impressions.

I'm not sure of the newsworthiness of this story. There is nothing Diane Sawyer reported on with regards to Central Appalachia that could not be said about other parts of the United States. I wonder if this was some kind of "soul searching" mission for her. She's from Kentucky, although I'm almost certain her Kentucky upbringing was a little different than the upbringing of those she highlighted in her special.

She tries to tie it in awkwardly with the economic stimulus package, but knowing that she did 2 years of research for this broadcast makes you realize that is just an attempt to make it relevant.

Sawyer does bring out some statistics based on the last census. Of the 2.2 million people living in Central Appalachia, about 1/2 a million live in poverty. It is one of the poorest regions in the nation, she states. She says men and women in this area die younger than other Americans. She also mentions that in Central Appalachia there is a documented epidemic of drug addiction, cancer, toothlessness, alcoholism, and depression.

Yeah, toothlessness. Right up there with drug addiction and cancer. In fact, she says Central Appalachia is #1 in the country for toothlessness.

Sawyer seems obsessed with teeth. She points out the tooth problems of the former drug addict, Angel, who is 30 and the mother of three little girls. Angel is on welfare and she and her boyfriend walk 8 miles one way to attend a mandated GED class every day. Angel and her family are living with her mother. Twelve people live in that house. One of Angel's daughters makes her mom pinky promise every night that she won't leave her. The little girl is so worried about her mom leaving that it is heartbreaking.

But Diane Sawyer takes the time to talk about Angel's teeth. I'm thinking teeth might be the least of Angel's concerns at the moment.

Okay. I get it. Pop is bad. Mountain Dew is of the devil. The poor Pepsi company is focused on more than the makers of Oxycontin. Come on, Diane. The problem isn't that they're drinking Mountain Dew. The problem is that they don't brush their teeth or have access to dental care. You can't tell me that city dwellers who suck down Starbucks several times a day wouldn't have the same problem if they didn't have money for veneers or teeth whitening.

She even mentions "Mountain Dew Mouth" in her promo on ABC's The View.

It just seems like a stupid thing to focus on and it seems to miss the point. Focus on the lack of sound nutrition education. Talk more about the need for good dental hygiene. Lay off the Mountain Dew. All of that seemed like a red herring to me.

Sawyer also focuses on a young high school football player, Shawn, who lives in his truck to get away from his toxic family. When I watched his story, I was really rooting for him to get out. Not to get out of Appalachia, but to get away from his family. His mother seems well meaning, but his stepfather is portrayed as an alcoholic. The stepbrother ends up having relations with his 15 year old half-sister. I think getting away from the family is a good idea.

The boy gets a college scholarship, but ends up dropping out. He leaves college because he is overwhelmed, according to Sawyer. Shawn says "I found out I couldn't pay for the college. Had to come home."

I didn't understand this. Sawyer points out that, while Shawn is getting a scholarship, he can't afford the things other kids can afford like "supplies, food, and fun." It makes me wonder why he wasn't able to get some sort of loan to help him through. When I attended college, I received grants, but the majority of my education was paid for with student loans . That's not desirable (my husband and I are, in fact, determined to help our son avoid student loans), but accruing student loans is better than the alternative of no college education.

Shawn's story seems to highlight the lack of information and the lack of support he was offered by his high school and college. I'm wondering if Shawn had some type of counselor to help him through the process. I'm wondering why he wasn't informed about his choices with regards to funding for his education.

I'm a homeschooler and a proponent of homeschooling because I think there is a major breakdown in the public education system. I'll try not to go off on this subject which is near and dear to my heart, but it doesn't surprise me that Shawn struggled with the classes at college. Many students today (whether from central Appalachia or not) have the same issues because public school does not prepare them for the work involved. The work done in today's high schools and the work expected at a college level are miles apart, in my opinion.

I'll refrain from going off on that particular tangent.

It's obvious Shawn had different expectations of school. When Sawyer says he can't afford supplies, food, and fun it just made me wonder why he is going to college. Fun was not in the curriculum at my college. The fact is I didn't have a car on campus. I walked several miles to get to a convenience store if I needed something. I didn't have an endless supply of food in my dorm room. I ate at the cafeteria that my room and board paid for. You can make it through college and sometimes you have to sacrifice. But the sacrifice is worth it. I wish Shawn had someone to tell him that. It's obvious his broken family unit wasn't going to help him with that, so I would have hoped someone at his high school or college (or even Diane Sawyer herself) could have filled the void.

Sawyer focused some on the coal mines too. She never quite conveys what living with coal mining is like. Maybe you can't tell it; you gotta live it. Still I wish she would have given these hard working guys more credit.

She talks about an 18 year old coal miner who is trying to provide for his wife and baby and makes it sound like this kid is on the road to nowhere. No doubt it's a hard life he's chosen, but would working at McDonald's or at a department store be more worthy?

She talks to a group of miners, asking them questions about what it's like to be in the mines. "How dangerous is it?" Stupid question, but typical. She asks about black lung. She says in her voice over that mine officials are just off to the side while she is speaking to the coal miners and that the miners seem to be looking at the mine officials before answering her questions. She's implying, of course, that the miners can't talk freely. Of course they can't. You're speaking to them at work. Those guys standing nearby are their bosses. Does she just say whatever she wants about ABC News?

What Sawyer doesn't say is that coal mining is a valuable industry in Central Appalachia. You can't spend time talking about how horrible it is that people in the area are selling Oxycontin for $120 a pill or how many welfare recipients there are and then turn around and bemoan the one industry in the area that consistently gives people jobs.

I have my issues with the coal industry too. My father worked for a coal company that made him a boss right before they laid all the bosses off. Good times. He was hurt in the mines too, as was my grandfather. My father-in-law lost his leg in the mines. My husband's uncle was killed in the mines. Can things be done to make the conditions better? Yes. And, I may be naive, but I truly believe that is happening. I have no problem with people or agencies staying on top of the coal industry to be sure safety is their number one concern. Coal is necessary. People who mine coal are necessary. You can't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

There has been progress in recent years. The cases of black lung disease are down. I interviewed Dr. Donald R asmussen, one of the forerunners of study in the black lung area, when I was in college. There will never be a time when black lung disease is eradicated. There will never be a time when mines are 100 percent safe to work in. It's just not going to happen.

Rather than dumping on one of the few industries to offer jobs in that area, how about mentioning that it is one of the few industries in that area? I don't recall Sawyer tapping into that. Someone (who is not credited) mentions that education is valued in the area, but the prevalent mentality is your options are working fast food or in a box store, so why not just skip college and start earning money? She does mention more about what the area needs in the taping of the View. She talks about the stimulus plan.

"You're looking at a huge stimulus package and maybe some jobs for people who don't have college educations. . ." Sawyer says. "What if some of these people could be helped with these jobs? What would it do? What if those jobs that go overseas could come back?"

Again, that's her quote from her appearance on The View and that's the highlight of the story. It didn't make it as part of the 20/20 broadcast. Then she started talking about "Mountain Dew Mouth" again. Okay.

Wouldn't it be wonderful, though, if this economic stimulus package would focus more on jobs and less on everything else? Obama is so concerned about Abraham Lincoln. How about looking to FDR and try to come up with an even Newer Deal? You have the benefit of seeing the problems with the New Deal. Use that history to make it better. Any type of hand up for that area has to offer something effective that will put people to work. Good jobs would solve a lot of problems.

One of the bright spots of the program was hearing from Dee Davis, president of the Center for Rural Strategies. He had the best quote.

"When the banking industry melts down, it's like, 'oh, no, we have a structural problem.' When folks in Appalachia or the inner cities are poor, it's their fault. Why don't they pull themselves up by their boot straps?"

There was value in the report Sawyer put together, but it wasn't honoring in anyway. These people don't want the judgments of others who don't understand the life showered on them. They want what anyone wants. Opportunities and respect.

Of course, this piece was supposed to be about poverty and its effect on kids.

What is more helpful is when those raised in Appalachia choose to highlight the good, along with the struggles. Beckley, West Virginia native Morgan Spurlock did an excellent job with that for his show 30 Days. The third season's first episode was Working in a Coal Mine.

My husband and I watched that show with pride. It showed the hard work. It showed the tough choices. It even showed the lack of opportunity, but it did so in a way that made us proud to be from a West Virginia coal mining background.

Whatever else you say about those living in Appalachia, they're proud.

One of the coal miners Sawyer spoke with reminded me a lot of my father-in-law. Sawyer asks him what he hopes his kids will be one day.

"I don't know," he says. "Anything but a coal miner."

That's what my father-in-law said about his 7 children. He worked in the coal mines. He gave a lot for his job. He dropped out of school in the seventh grade and, while he understood the opportunity that coal would bring his family, he also knew he wanted something better for his kids.

All but one of his 7 children graduated from college. None of them have ever worked in the coal mines.

And every single one of them still have their own teeth.

I'm going to have to brace myself

2009-02-11T15:14:00.002-05:00

I'm a West Virginia girl and I now live in Georgia, so the Appalachian region is definitely near and dear to my heart. I love all things a little bit "country". I can't help myself. I try to be the college educated, sophisticated, suburbanite wife and mom, but I can't quite carry it. I sometimes feel like I should be on a mountain washing clothes on a washboard and cooking on a wood stove. I can't help it. Mountain music makes my heart soar. It's who I am.

That's why the way the mass media portrays people from West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and even Georgia gets on my nerves. I swan! These people just don't get it!

So I'm cringing while I'm wondering what Friday night's 20/20 will bring, as Diane Sawyer reports on A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains.

I have my TiVo set to record it, so I will definitely be watching it. I plan to report back on how I feel about it. Diane Sawyer was raised in Kentucky, so I'm hoping it won't be the usual condescending look that is typical of a high powered news organization covering the poverty of those living in the Appalachians.

I'm not trying to bury my head in the sand here. I know there are people who are in need of some type of hand up. I know there are education issues, employment issues, drug issues, poverty issues related to that area. But those issues extend to every single area of these United States. It's not limited to the Appalachian region.

What bothers me is that many of these stories tend to overlook the proud history of those born and bred in these areas. They completely discount it, assuming that the only life worth living is the one that is surrounded by malls, restaurants, and all the other trappings of modern living.

I am touchy about this. We visited a church nearby and I refused to go back to it because they have an outreach program to the "poor deprived children" of West Virginia. I hope those kids benefit from what they are receiving and I assume the church has the best of intentions. So often, though, the result of these charity programs or newscasts is teaching the children and people of these proud and historic communities to be ashamed of their heritage. That helps no one and does a great disservice to the hardworking people who built families and lives in those majestic mountains.

Maybe the best solution is to have people who grew up in these areas give back where it is needed.

Sorry for the "no outsiders" mentality. I suppose I have to work on that.

Anyway, I'll be watching on Friday night and plan to report back.

West Virginia homeschoolers

2009-02-08T23:19:00.003-05:00

This article about homeschooling in my home county of Raleigh County in West Virginia might be of interest to some of you WV homeschoolers.

I think it's funny that the lady from REACH they are talking to starts off one of her quotes with "That's the beauty of homeschooling..." When my son and I are doing schoolwork and we do something that he wouldn't be able to do if he was at a public school, I say "That's the beauty of homeschooling."

I say that quite a bit.

I have never homeschooled in WV, but my sister has been homeschooling in Raleigh County for about 13 years or so. Her oldest son (maybe proud Auntie has mentioned this before) received a full scholarship to Concord University based on the work he did at home, his ACT score, and an essay he wrote competing for the scholarship.

I can't remember who my sister met when my nephew was receiving the scholarship, but whoever it was (a dean of some sort, maybe?) told her that Concord is a very "homeschool friendly" university and that his own children were homeschooled.

I was pretty impressed with that because Concord is not only my alma mater, it's also where I met my husband! Of course that was back in the days when it was just old humble Concord College. ;)

Oh, and I'll also add my nephew took 6 classes last semester and made 5 A's and 1 B!

I think he takes his academic excellence from his Auntie Tina.

Okay. Maybe not.

Just Be There

2009-02-08T21:37:00.002-05:00

My oldest sister sang "Just Be There" at my grandmother's funeral. It's a beautiful song that she also sang at her son's homeschool graduation ceremony in June. I found the song online. Follow the link and listen to it when you get the chance.

My grandma loved the song and my sister did an amazing job singing it. I can't believe she made it through the whole song without dissolving into tears, but God really helped her through it.

I'm going to write some more about my trip back home later this week. At some point I intend to stop blogging about my grandmother passing away. I'm not at that point yet. Bear with me.

She's gone

2009-02-01T13:03:00.006-05:00

I had hardly finished my post Friday night when my sister called and said "She's gone."

Now comes the time when life goes on without her.

It's easy to mourn, isn't it? Easy to feel sad about losing someone. It's easy to miss her.

I couldn't sleep Friday night. I couldn't watch TV. Nothing seemed to settle my mind. I read the Bible for a while, remembering a night when I had picked up the Bible to read to her, just a few weeks ago.

She was unsettled that night. Most of the family was with my aunt at a hospital in Charlottesville, VA. My grandma just couldn't rest. She was up and down, worried about my aunt, worried about her own health, struggling with her physical pain. Nothing seemed to comfort her.

I saw her Bible on her nightstand and asked if she wanted me to read some to her. She said I could if I wanted to.

I didn't do a great job. I couldn't find anything to comfort her. I tried Psalms, but nothing seemed to be soothing. I knew it was just my ignorance, but I just couldn't find the right passage. Still I read some, hoping just the familiarity of the King James version would help her.

I really don't know if it did. I guess I was naive to think it would be some magic pill that would take away her pain and worry. I just read a few verses and put it down. She said it helped, but I think she just said that to make me feel better. I remember feeling sad that I couldn't take her misery away from her.

So Friday night was my turn to feel unsettled and a little miserable. I was sad that she died in that hospital. Sad that I didn't see her, couldn't kiss her one last time. I was worried about my family, my parents and siblings. I was thinking about making another trip to WV, another trip to that cemetery, another funeral to get through.

I looked up some scripture online. I picked up my husband's Bible and read. I couldn't find the right passage and it reminded me of that night I had failed her, so I put it down and picked up a book I had been reading all week, The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom.

I read about Corrie, but thought about my grandma. I hoped someone remembered to tell her I loved her, but realized that didn't really matter. I thought about my conversation with my sister.

"She's gone," she said.

"Did you get to see her?" I asked.

"Yeah, but I think she was gone before I got here."

"How did she look?"

"I don't know. She looked okay."

Why did I want to know how she looked? It hadn't even occurred to me to ask, really. It just came out. As I read The Hiding Place I wondered why that had mattered to me at that moment. I wondered why God couldn't help me feel settled about it. I knew she was in heaven. Why was it so hard to accept that she was rejoicing and peaceful and happy?

I was at the place in the book where Corrie finds out Betsie has died. She's standing in the window, hardly able to believe it's her sister the nurses are carrying away. She walks because she doesn't know what to do. She wants to go to the washroom window where she knows the nurses will carry Betsie, but she's afraid. She doesn't want to see her beautiful sister dead on that floor in a row with other discarded people.

"Corrie!"
I turned around to see Mien running after me. "Corrie, I've looked for you everywhere! Oh, Corrie, come!"
She seized my arm and drew me toward the back of the hospital.
When I saw where she was headed I wrenched my arm free. "I know Mien. I know already."
She didn't seem to hear. She seized me again, led me to the washroom window, and pushed me in ahead of her. In the reeking room stood a nurse. I drew back in alarm, but Mien was behind me.
"This is the sister," Mien said to the nurse.
I turned my head to the side -- I would not look at the bodies that lined the far wall. Mien put an arm around my shoulder and drew me across the room till we were standing above that heartbreaking row.
"Corrie! Do you see her!"
I raised my eyes to Betsie's face. Lord Jesus -- what have You done! Oh, Lord, what are You saying! What are You giving me!
For there lay Betsie, her eyes closed as if in sleep, her face full and young. The care lines, the grief lines, the deep hollows of hunger and disease were simply gone. In front of me was the Betsie of Haarlem, happy and at peace. Stronger! Freer! This was the Betsie of heaven, bursting with joy and health. Even her hair was graciously in place as if an angel had ministered to her.

Reading those words that I have read dozens of times in the last 20 years finally gave me some peace. I may not see the miracle that Corrie saw when she looked at her sister. When I see my grandma at the funeral, she may still look thin and the ravages of her disease may still be visible on her face.

But that earthly body is not what she is any longer. She's released and she's free. It doesn't really matter if she heard me say I love you. It doesn't really matter if she thought she was coming home. Those last few hours, minutes, seconds of her life only matter to those she left behind. We are the ones struggling with the memories, with the decisions that were made, with the sadness and impossibility of these last few months and specifically these last 4 or 5 weeks.

My grandmother is fully alive now. She's reunited with her family. She's with the husband she's been separated from for over 30 years. She's with the daughter who went ahead of her.

She's with the Savior who made it all possible, with the gracious and good God who ordained it all.

And she's settled and she's resting and she's at peace.

My Grandmother

2009-01-30T22:26:00.000-05:00

I love hearing my grandmother talk about her life. It's fascinating to me and she has an interesting personality. The subject matter and the storyteller make for great conversation.

She just turned 89 in December, which means that she was 51 when I was born. That was back before "50 was the new 40", so she always looked like an old lady to me. I love it when she takes her pictures out so I can see what she looked like when she was younger. Because I've only known her as an older woman, it's wild to see her as a young girl. It's even more interesting, I think, to see her as a young wife and mother. To see her easy smile, and the way she obviously loved my grandfather, and how proud she was of her kids --- that's what I enjoy the most.

Here she is with my grandpa and my dad, probably more than 60 years ago. I love to look at her beautiful face!

She was the wife of a coal miner and that life wasn't easy. She spent her days taking care of her family. She made ends meet for herself, her husband, and their three kids. My dad says she can squeeze a buffalo nickle until it poops. I believe it. She's a "waste not, want not" type of woman and I love that about her. She is the epitome of matriarch to me and I mean that in a positive way.

She's lived without my grandpa for a very long time. He died when he was 63, more than 30 years ago. She still talks about him with reverence. There was never any question she would marry again. She's told me many times there was no other man she would marry after having been married to the best man for so many years.

My grandma loves her family. She would do anything for us. I have no doubt about that.

Tonight she is surrounded by family in a hospital in Charleston and is not expected to live through the night.

She's had a rough few months, due to pancreatic cancer. Surgery on Monday was supposed to make things easier on her, but it didn't work out. Just like when her daughter passed away a few weeks ago, my family was praying for something different.

Just six days ago, I talked to my grandma. I told her I was praying for her. I told her I loved her. Tonight I asked my sisters to make sure they whispered "Tina loves you" to her. I know she knows. I just want her to hear it one more time. For me, mostly.

My grandma believes in Jesus. She is saved by grace, through faith. She is on her way to heaven. I pray that her husband, her daughter, her parents, her brother, and her sister are there to welcome her with open arms. I'm clinging to that promise hard tonight because my heart is really breaking.

As my grandma always says, if you are a praying person, pray for me. Pray for my family. We are the ones in need of it. My grandma is about to be rejoicing.

Thank you for letting me have her in my life for so long. Welcome her home, Father, and let her know we'll see her soon!

I really did used to live in WV

2009-01-15T16:13:00.000-05:00

But you would never know it these days because it's 32 degrees outside and I want to cry.

My mom and sister who work for public school systems in Raleigh County and Greenbrier County, respectively, were both off work today because of snow, ice, and actual cold weather. I just checked Weather.com and the temp for where my mom lives is 13 degrees. Now that is cold.

I'm becoming a southern wuss. Last week when we were in WV we went to my sister's house to eat dinner and it was snowing and the roads were getting bad when we left. I came over with my dad instead of driving because it started snowing in the afternoon and I don't drive in the white stuff anymore. My father taught me to drive on slick roads when I was 17, but 20 years makes the details a bit fuzzy.

These days I don't like to drive in the rain. When my son and I were headed back to Georgia on Saturday, we stopped to spend the night in Tennessee because it was raining and getting dark. What a soft life I lead!

Driving back from my sister's house last week was my son's first experience of being in the car (well, a four wheel drive truck, actually) on roads covered with snow and ice. My dad did fishtail at one point, but other than that we were fine.

I guess it's all relative. When my family comes to Georgia in the summer, they talk about how hard it is to breathe with the humidity. The first time my niece came to visit years ago, she was shocked because we don't get the cool down from the mountain breezes at night here. We walked outside to go to the grocery store at around 9 p.m. and she said "It's still hot."

The heat, the humidity, I'm used to that now. I can even sit in the bleachers in 98 degree weather in the sticky heat and blazing sun of a July afternoon and watch my son play baseball, without a great deal of complaining.

What I can't do is drive in the snow or walk through my parents' drafty house on top of that big ol' hill in Midway in the dead of winter without saying brrrrrr.

Bundle up West Virginians! The high tomorrow for my hometown is a chilly 13 degrees. Down here our high will be about 20 degrees warmer, but you can bet I'll have my heat cranked up and will be thinking of you!

Feeling blue

2009-01-13T13:23:00.000-05:00

I got home on Sunday afternoon. My wonderful husband had cleaned my house. All I've done the past couple of days is laundry and schooling my son. I haven't even cooked.

I'm feeling a little sad about everything. It's natural to feel sad about my aunt. I regret not having much of a relationship with her the past 15 years or so. I am sad that my grandma is ill and things are not looking up for her. I'm sad that my parents (especially my dad) have to deal with some very difficult decisions and some sleepless nights as my dad spends the majority of his time with my grandma.

I'm just generally blue. It's easy to be away from family when things are going smoothly, but when things are kinda rough, it's hard to be in no position to help whatsoever.

I already talk to my son about trying to stay close to us when he is making life decisions about where to work and raise a family. Once you make that decision to build a life somewhere else, it's hard to unravel it. I hate to think of him having to write a Georgia Expat blog one day to cope with his feelings about being away from family. :)

I know everything will work out. I'm happy to be home in GA, happy to be back to my life. It's just the worry and sadness that are getting to me. Honestly, the worry and sadness would be with me even if I lived in WV closer to family.

There's some things that you can't get away from --- even when you are 500 miles away.

I've been away

2009-01-12T17:55:00.001-05:00

My family might have been a bit weird, but my dad, his two sisters, and all their related kin got together at my grandma's every single Christmas as I was growing up. We spent Christmas Eves together and got together on Christmas Day. We spent Thanksgivings together and a lot of other holidays.

We were a close bunch.

It never exactly changed. To this day Christmas Eve finds us at my grandma's house eating and opening a few gifts. Christmas Days have changed. As the kids have gotten married, we tend to go to the in-laws for Christmas Day. But Christmas Eve remains remarkably the same.

This Christmas we had planned to stay home in Georgia. Last Christmas my father-in-law passed away on Dec. 27th. It was a hard Christmas last year, so we wanted to spend a quiet Christmas at home. But plans change. My aunt was diagnosed with cancer in early December and my dad told me it might be her last Christmas. I knew we had to make the trip back home.

We spent a week at Christmas in WV with family. I spent most of my time staying with my grandma (who is 89 and also in ill health) while other family members traveled back and forth to Charlottesville, VA to be with my aunt. She was in the hospital for a few days before traveling back home and dying in hospice care on Jan. 3rd. Her funeral was last Tuesday and my son and I spent last week with family while we all said our goodbyes to my aunt.

She was an amazing woman. She was the Deputy Commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Labor at the time of her death. She was always very work oriented, being promoted to a leadership position at every job she ever had in a short period of time. She was focused and committed. She was a hard worker and many people will remember her as someone who didn't suffer fools gladly.

But she was something else too. Underneath the fire, she was very caring. She would give anything to help a family member or friend. She was too generous for her own good and never really understood how much she was loved.

On a cold, rainy day last Tuesday in Beckley, WV, around 200 people gathered to bid my aunt farewell. Many of those mourners made the trek to the little cemetary in Sophia to say goodbye as she was buried. Family, friends, and co-workers all shared some time to talk about what a great person my aunt was.

Her death was unexpected. We thought something could be done to buy her more time. I think she deserved a better ending, but, as Christians, we leave all of that in the hands of our Lord. I know she's in a happier, pain-free place. That knowledge makes her death easier to take, but in no way makes it easy.

Bye, Fran. I love you.

Hi, I'm Tina and I will invade your personal space

2008-12-12T22:23:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been in a situation where you're meeting up with friends or even acquaintances and someone hugs you hello? Well, I am that person. I'm a hugger and I'm sorry that I inappropriately touch you.

Sometimes I just can't help myself.

I am always aware of it, but sometimes not until after I hug. For instance, my son had a birthday party a few weeks ago at the local roller rink. The kid loves to rollerblade. It was an exciting day for us. We had been planning it for a while. My son had been talking about it ENDLESSLY. I was so thrilled for him and for his friends to have a great time together. Along with roller skating/blading, they got to play 2 games of laser tag! A dream come true for 11 year old boys, frankly.

I guess it was just the excitement, although I inappropriately hug people all the time. Anyway, I ended up hugging 2 moms and, even though they hugged me back, I could tell they didn't expect a hug at the roller rink. BTW, they were friends of mine. One lady lives in our neighborhood, so her son and my son are frequent playmates. The other lady used to go to church with us. I'm saying that I wasn't hugging complete strangers. That makes it better, I suppose.

Actually, my inability to control my enthusiasm doesn't just apply to hugs. This week my son and I were out running errands and stopped at Sonic for lunch. Sitting in the van, waiting for our food, we both noticed an SUV parked in Blockbuster's parking lot directly opposite. On the front of the SUV was one of those silver, decorative plates with WV on it. Even though we often see WV plates or stickers or even flags, the excitement of it never wears off. I still wanted to track the driver down and swap WV stories. Then I remembered the looks on the faces of those I have hugged and realized that might be going too far.

Self-control. I'm happy to meet you.

Home to West Virginia

2008-12-05T14:44:00.000-05:00

My friend Amy has a really good post about coming home after a visit to WV. She talks about how hard it is to leave family and the familiarity of our home state after a great visit. It's such a wonderful state. We WV Expats certainly know how hard it is to leave.

She mentions this website Home to West Virginia in her post. It's a good idea. Maybe it will help some people return to WV.

Drawing on the experience that my husband and I had, with deciding to go back and realizing it wasn't possible for us, I can tell you there are many things to consider when trying to get back to WV.

The housing market is so bad right now. We own our home. Well, really the bank does, but we pay the mortgage. :) One of the reasons moving wasn't possible for us was we didn't want to get stuck paying a mortgage in GA while living in a rental (or with family) in WV. Amy has written about her experiences with that.

We live in an older neighborhood. Our house was built in 1986. When new subdivisions are popping up all around you, with builders enticing buyers to buy new homes, selling your older home is even more difficult. Granted, the popping has stopped as of late, but within a two mile radius of our home, there are 2 new subdivisions with new homes no one is buying. Within our subdivision, the number of homes that have for sale or rent signs on them is significant. The odds of finding a buyer for our home were definitely against us.

Of course, we hear from some in WV that the real estate market is not as bad as elsewhere. My brother-in-law just bought a house and sold his home in a remarkably short time. A matter of a month or two, I believe. His problem was finding a home to buy. His agent told him there is a shortage of supply. I tend to think it might depend on where you live in WV, but I'm not there, so I can't really say.

Another issue we encountered when thinking about a return to WV was the low pay that my husband was offered for his job in WV last year. I was a little surprised by it, because in my experience of WV the cost of living there and living in GA is not much different. The WV food tax is actually higher. WV pays 3%, we pay 2%. Taxes on other items in WV are the same as GA at 6%. The gas tax in WV is a bit higher. I know my family in WV pays more for gas than we do in GA (except if GA is having a shortage caused by a hurricane). Some of the extra cost might be because of access, but taxes play a big part in it.

Housing costs are not that different either. My husband was offered a job at WVU, so we looked at homes in and around Morgantown. I was kind of shocked at the prices. Modest homes were more than what we paid for our 3 bedroom/2 bath home in 2002. We found some other homes that were more reasonable, but the travel distance from Morgantown was significant. It just didn't make sense for us.

Is it possible for companies in WV to pay a living wage?

In early 1993, my husband had been out of college for almost two years. We had just moved from an apartment in Princeton, WV to campus housing in Athens, WV (where I was still attending Concord College). We left the apartment in favor of cheaper campus housing because it was impossible to keep up with the expenses living on my husband's salary and my small income working part-time on campus. My husband was in the Army Reserves and working at a local movie theater. He was assistant manager, but he was still only making minimum wage, which was at that time $4.25.

To this day, my husband and I still talk about this next part. He asked for a raise. He deserved it. He was, after all, assistant manager, managing a group of employees. At times he was running the theater alone. His boss checked with the head honchos and gave him the good news. "You're going to be so excited about this. I got you a raise. You're going up to $4.30."

I wish that story was a joke. The pay raise certainly felt like a punch line.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. There had been many straws. Straws like looking for a job in his field and never finding one. Straws like realizing someone was going to have to die and he'd have to take their job for him to get a chance at a career. Straws like realizing that when he finally does get a chance at responsibility and advancement, the big bonus was a five cent an hour raise.

We had friends in Georgia and one friend helped my husband find a job as a Graphic Designer (that's what his degree is in) making twice as much as he was making in WV. It seemed like a no-brainer, but we struggled with that decision. We knew leaving WV was life-changing. We knew it was something that would be hard to reverse. Still we left. Our goal was to make a life for ourselves and we didn't feel like we could do that with the limited opportunities we faced in WV.

As I said, that was 1993. Maybe things have changed in WV, but we certainly didn't see evidence of that change during my husband's job searching last year. To be fair, we have brothers and sisters living and working and making it in WV. Maybe it was the idea of my husband and I wanting to live on just his income, with me continuing to be a stay at home mom that made our WV dream hard to come true. I have a sister who stays home, but the other sister and my six sisters-in-law all work. Are they just following the way of the nation, do they just want to work, or is it a necessity?

Interesting question, but I have no idea what the answer is.

I hope the Home to WV campaign works out. I hope Joe Manchin (who was just re-elected to the dismay of my mother) will figure out the right formula to keep young people home. I hate to think of the hard choices my nieces and nephews face if they want to stay in WV.

Frankly, it's too late for my husband and I. This last chance at returning to WV changed something about us. It was already starting to change after 15 years, but I think the disappointment of rejecting the WVU job offer sealed the deal.

We've become those people I used to wonder about when I was growing up. You remember, the long lost relatives? They come in from different parts of the country for the holidays. They're always thrilled to be there. Always happy to be in WV. You are always glad to see them. But they always return to their adopted homes and leave the state once again.

I wondered what it was like for them to travel so far and leave. Now I know, because we are the ones who pack up, head to the mountain state, enjoy our family and our time there. Then we pack it all up again and head back home for GA.

It used to be much harder to do. The first few years, leaving WV after a visit meant I cried in the car until we got a few miles into Virginia. These days that doesn't happen. I do what many others have done before me. I enjoy my family and the beauty of my home state and then I look forward to coming home to GA.

It's not really the life I thought I would have, but it's a life I love. And maybe we have the best of both worlds. We get to enjoy WV as a holiday and that's always exciting. It is our escape. The times we have there all center around fun and family.

That makes WV very special to us, even though it's no longer our home.

World at War, it's a video game. Really.

2008-11-29T21:37:00.000-05:00

One really cool thing about technology is it can bring people together. Via X-Box, my son can play his favorite video games with his cousins in West Virginia and they can spend the whole time talking thanks to the magical Internet. It's really kind of cool and makes video game time family time too.

Technology is not always great, however.

My son uses my cell phone to text message his cousin to see if he wants to play World at War with him. He sends a real simple message with guy language. It reads "World at War?"

Obviously he has mistyped the phone number at least twice because just a few minutes ago an angry lady called my cell phone.

"Who is this?" She asked my son, who answered my cell phone. He saw the 304 area code and figured it was family.

My son just looked at me blankly and I heard the lady repeat again "Who is this?"

I grabbed the phone and the lady asked "Why do you keep texting my husband? What is this World at War stuff anyway?"

I tried to explain, but Angry Lady interrupted.

"Stop texting this phone right now."

"Ma'am," I said, with a southern drawl to make it sound more friendly. "World at War is a video game and my son was just trying to text his cousin to see if he wanted to play. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

Then I hung up because I can only take so much verbal abuse.

Still one minute later, she texts my phone with a "Stop texting this phone right now!" message.

Okay, Angry Lady. Message received. It won't happen again.

Take Away Lesson #1: Don't jump to conclusions. Next time you get a message that states "World at War?" it might be a friendly invitation to play a game, not a command to start a world-wide military campaign.

Take Away Lesson #2: If you respond to a message from a Georgia phone number, it might be a fellow West Virginian you're talking to, so cut us some slack, okay?

Accidents happen, even in this technologically advanced world.

Keeping kids in touch with their West Virginia heritage

2008-11-25T15:25:00.001-05:00

My husband and I have lived in Georgia for 15 years, so our 11 year old son was born here. We love our chosen home state and are proud of our Georgia Boy. However, just like other native West Virginians who have left the state, we have a delicate balance to strike. While we want our son to be proud of being from Georgia, we also want him to be proud of his West Virginia heritage.

To my son, West Virginia is associated with family and our family has had its share of coal miners. My father worked in the mines, as did my grandfather. My husband's father lost his leg while working in the mines and my husband's uncle survived fighting in World War II, but lost his life in a West Virginia coal mine.

A lot of brave West Virginians have done the same. Risking your life while scraping out a living for your family is something that not everyone could understand. I think that mentality passed down for generations is what makes West Virginians such a tight group. It's hard to explain to outsiders, but West Virginians seem to understand.

Something that has helped us show our son what growing up in West Virginia was like is the movie October Sky. He's watched it for years and can quote many parts of the movie by heart. The movie helps him --- a 21st century kid, growing up in a major metropolitan area --- understand a way of life that is difficult to explain to those who haven't lived it.

While we were in West Virginia last October, my son and I went on a long drive with my dad. When I was growing up, long rides in the car were a regular occurrence. We'd drive to old coal camps, like the one where my father was born or the one where he grew up, or one where my grandfather worked. Being in the car with my dad was a chance to learn about my family's history. So, last October, my son got to experience some of that.

I can't even exactly remember what our intended destination was, but we passed a sign for Coalwood and my son begged to go there. I guess I knew what he was expecting. He was expecting it to look like it did in the movie. It doesn't look like that, of course, but it was still very interesting to visit. My son definitely wasn't disappointed.

My son was happy to take this picture of the sign at the lane in Coalwood named for Homer Hickam, one of his "West Virginia heroes."

During that same visit, we celebrated my son's 1oth birthday at Grandview State Park with our West Virginia family. My son wanted his cake to reflect his heritage! He refers to his 10th birthday as his "West Virginia Birthday."

I bought this hat for my son at the store in the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine. It's a reminder to him of the proud history of coal mining in our family.

Coalwood hosts an October Sky Festival every year. We plan to make it to one in the future. It's another way to keep our Georgia Boy in touch with his West Virginia roots.

How to deal with the holiday travel blues

2008-11-11T21:58:00.000-05:00

Since I have been dealing with this (some years better than others) for fifteen years, I guess I've discovered some ways that make it work for us. I'll break them up into the two scenarios we Mountaineers may face for the holidays.

Scenario #1: Going back to WV for the holidays

You've decided to spend the holidays "back home" and it's an exciting prospect. You might be facing some daunting challenges, though, like how is Santa going to get all those toys up there without the kids seeing?

In the age of Internet shopping, this problem has become much more fixable. A great idea would be to ship the packages to the home you will be staying at in WV. You can always wrap them once you get to WV. I don't, however, recommend having the Internet store wrap them for you. That's always been disappointing, in my opinion.

If you're shopping on the Internet anyway, the shipping charges won't be any different to have the packages shipped to WV. If you were planning to buy it in the store, the ease of not having to lug it to WV may make paying a little shipping worth the price. Remember, though, a lot of Internet shopping sites offer free (or drastically reduced) shipping charges during the holidays to lure in those Christmas dollars. And how great is it to miss the crowds in the stores?

Back in the days before Internet shopping became so commonplace, I have sent money up to my little elf (a.k.a. Mom) to grab some things for me, so I wouldn't have to "carry" them to WV. She never even charged me for the trouble!

You can also do something I don't really recommend, but something that we have resorted to in the past. Wait until you get to WV and do some of your Christmas shopping. This has involved doing some shopping the day before Christmas Eve or actually on Christmas Eve. That's not ideal, admittedly, but we have gotten some good deals waiting until the last minute. And we didn't risk the chance that our little guy would see his presents before Christmas!

Another challenge you may face when traveling back to WV for the holidays is dividing your time between family members. This is hard and can cause hurt feelings for not only family members, but for spouses too. Make sure you make decisions about how much time you will spend and where BEFORE you travel. Don't add to the stress by hammering out the details at the last minute. Also be firm about your decisions. You can't be everywhere, so make sure you make the best choices and stick with them. Do the best you can. Remember it won't be perfect because nothing ever is.

The only major travel hurdle my husband and I face with regards to this is our families live about an hour apart from each other. We simply stay with one set of family for the first part of the holiday and the other set of family for the second part of the holiday. Again, this is not ideal. Both of our families have get-togethers on Christmas Eve. We've had to make hard choices, but we try not to let the things we miss get in the way of enjoying our holiday. Doesn't always work, but we try.

There is one thing about visiting parents at Christmas that is kind of nice. It's easiest to see all the siblings during the holidays. My husband has 4 sisters and 2 brothers. I have 2 sisters and 2 brothers. But they all end up at our parents' houses or (in my case) grandparent's house during the BIG EVENT of Christmas. With summer traveling, on the other hand, it's much more unlikely to get all those people together, so we have to go back and forth more. That's a post for another season, however.

Maybe the greatest challenge we face traveling to WV for the holidays is what to do with our furry little friend. This can be tricky. If you don't mind boarding your pet, count that money in when you're saving up for the holidays. Be sure to book in advance. The vets' offices or kennels get packed early, so make sure you plan for that well in advance of the week of travel. And keep your pet's shots up to date. We neglected to do this when we boarded our dog so we could travel to NC for a family wedding. So, along with the $100 or so to board him for 4 days, we also had to pay another $150 for a vet office visit and vaccinations! Be smarter than we were!

Maybe you're like us and your family tolerates your furry family member. Remember to be considerate! Keep the dog well exercised, so he's too tired to get into a lot of trouble. And bring your doggy gate from home, just in case you need to block your pet off from a certain area. We don't often chain our Pug up outside when we're home, but we always take the chain when we travel to WV. There might be times when our family appreciates the dog being out of their house!

An 8 hour drive to WV isn't always as much fun as you might think. For the last several years, we have broken it up into a mini-vacation by spending the night at the halfway point.

We're lucky with this because the halfway point for us is the exit off of I-40 for Pigeon Forge and Gaitlinburg, Tennessee. We have a Best Western that is pet friendly that we stop at and spend the night. My son gets to swim in the heated pool and hubby and I get to relax for a few hours, either preparing for the fun ahead or recuperating from the fun, depending on if we stop on our way up to WV or on our way back home.

I have even programmed the number to that Best Western into my cell phone. There have been times when we weren't planning on stopping, but left so late that we were too tired to go on for the night.

You might not be able to stop at a great place like that as your halfway point, but you probably have some place where you can just relax and enjoy the amenities of even a mid-priced Best Western! It's a little vacation within a vacation that my family often enjoys.

Scenario #2: Staying home and missing the family fun in WV

The best advice when this is the case is to make the most of it and ENJOY!

Enjoy not having to travel and having a much more relaxing holiday. Enjoy carrying out your own family traditions and making sweet family memories! Enjoy the money you will save by not traveling and use that money instead to do something fun with spouse and kids.

We have a special candlelight dinner on Christmas Eve and let our son open one present from us. We play games together and always, always, always watch the marathon of A Christmas Story that runs on TV.

We make sure to drive around and look at the Christmas lights in our neighborhood and surrounding ones. We also put a lot of extra effort into decorating inside and outside the house because we'll be home more to enjoy it! And on Christmas Day, after all the fun and excitement, we go to the movies!

The first year we went to the movies on Christmas night was when Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was playing in the theaters. For Christmas that year, my son got a Harry Potter costume and he wore it to the theater. We went to the late show and it was very cold that night and I remember we were all freezing as we walked back to the car! It's a great memory for us!

Another bit of advice is to mail your Christmas packages early. Get all of that extended family shopping out of the way, so you can enjoy your holiday at home without the stress and worry of getting things in the mail.

I'm big on gift cards! Love to receive them and love, love, love to give them. We draw names in my husband's family, so I buy gift cards for the ones whose names we've drawn and mail them all, along with a present or gift card for my in-laws, to my mother-in-law's house. That way the recipients can open their gifts from us when all the other family members open their gifts on Christmas Eve.

On my side of the family, we buy for all the nieces and nephews. I like to incorporate the help of my little elf again and send up a check made out to my mom and also some money holder cards that I've already filled out. She cashes the check (because older kids love to get cash for Christmas!) and puts the money in the envelopes and hands them out on Christmas Eve. Easy for me and not too difficult for my little elf!

It's true that Christmas for WV Expats may not be filled with the ease that our West Virginia relatives, who don't have to travel to be with family, enjoy. Still, it can be a wonderful Christmas, whether enjoying the Mountaineer state or carrying those Mountaineer traditions on in our new homeplace!

Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine

2008-11-08T15:34:00.000-05:00

I grew up in the Beckley area and remember going to New River Park, where the exhibition coal mine is located, often when I was growing up. We'd go swimming in the pool, have picnics, swing and play. We had quite a few school picnics there.

I might have gone into the mine when I was younger, but I don't remember it. My first memory of going into the mine itself was my first year of college at Beckley College (now called Mountain State University).

As an aside, how annoying is it when a place you used to go to school changes its name? Beckley College is now Mountain State University. Concord College is now Concord University. Sometimes progress really bugs me!

Anyway, a couple of friends and I decided to go into the Haunted Mine that they were having during the Halloween season. It was late at night and a perfect West Virginia October evening. It was nice and cool outside and even colder down in the mine itself!

We got on a coal cart and I remember I was on the very back facing backwards. The mine was, of course, dark and decorated for Halloween. The guide was telling spooky stories about the mine and once in a while a ghost or monster would jump out of the darkness! I remember screaming and actually kicking out at the ghouls as they came my way!

That is one of my best memories of the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine.

This summer they unveiled the renovations they have done to the Beckley ECH and my mom and I made a brief stop there in between shopping stops around town. I didn't spend as much time in it as I wanted, but I did end up buying some things from the gift shop.

I was very impressed with the changes in the museum/gift shop and the addition of all the buildings that were brought from coal camps around Southern West Virginia. My mom has toured some of the homes. They are decorated in all their splendor for the holidays. I hope to make it there to seem them soon.

I'm really proud of Beckley for bringing this important history to life. With attractions like the Exhibition Coal Mine and the very impressive Youth Museum of Southern West Virginia, it's no wonder more and more people are making time to visit the Mountain State!

Help build this site!

2008-11-08T14:37:00.000-05:00

If you write or keep up with a West Virginia blog or are a WV Expat who has a blog, leave me the link! I'd love to have more blogs to link to that are related to West Virginia.

WV Expat

2008-11-08T13:49:00.000-05:00

I'm creating this blog to use as a sounding board for my thoughts and feelings about my home state of West Virginia.

I was born and raised in Raleigh County, West Virginia. I graduated from Independence High School in Coal City, West Virginia, and graduated from Concord College (now Concord University) in Athens, West Virginia.

Fifteen years ago my husband (who graduated from Richwood High School in Richwood, West Virginia, and also Concord College) and I left West Virginia. It wasn't because we didn't love the state. It was because we couldn't make a living there.

We've attempted once to return home. My husband was offered a job at West Virginia University in the fall of 2007. We would have loved to move to the Morgantown area, but the pay he was offered was over 30% less than what he was currently making in the metro Atlanta area.

That was the hardest decision we have ever had to make.

The truth is thousands of West Virginians have had to make that same decision. In my neighborhood in Acworth, GA, there are currently 4 families who have all moved from West Virginia to seek better financial opportunities.

You can't drive around the metro Atlanta area without seeing WV stickers on cars or WV flags hanging on front porches. We are transplanted West Virginians, but we are still proud to be Mountaineers.

This blog will focus on news of West Virginia, the history that makes the state so proud, and the issues the state faces.

Feel free to comment with your own West Virginia story. Expats tell me what part of the state you are from and what you love about it. Also tell me why you had to leave.

I hope this blog will be a way for displaced West Virginians to connect and share news from home.

Montani Semper Liberi!