The Dark Side

I've officially succumbed to peer pressure...at the age of 50 no less. I now have a Facebook account. Yep...I've joined the dark side.

Let's just say that so far my Facebook experience has been a lot of fun. I've reconnected with people from college and from Little Rock as well as connected with friends in Paris and friends I've made through TLA. I've even connected with former students and friends of my kids. All of those links were initiated by the kids...not by me. Bottom line is that Facebook really isn't only for college students.

I've learned how to manage my Wall and I've written on friends' walls. I've posted pictures, tagged some and commented on others. I know what "Pieces of Flair" is, and I have given and received some. I've written notes including that wonderful "25 Random Things about Me" and I've added comments to friends' Random Things. I've joined groups, linked to pages, and proclaimed that Chicago and Arkansas are among my favorite places. I've updated my status daily. I've even become a virtual tree-hugger by contributing to the "(Lil) Green Patch." All of this since only last Saturday! Amazing!! I will admit that I've asked for help in private messages with a friend, but I'm getting the hang of this thing. And I already have 41 friends! Of course my total pales in comparison with the hundreds of friends most college students have, but it's a start.

One thing is certain - Facebook is addictive. I'm so glad I can't get to it at school because even when I plan to just sneak a peek to see what's going on, I find myself totally losing track of time. People post so many interesting things about themselves.

So...if you're a Facebook person, look me up and add me as your friend. Send me some Flair and comment on my 25 Random Things. I'll post something on your Wall!

Inauguration 2009

Chris and I attended President Clinton's inauguration in 1993. I get a little misty each time Inauguration Day rolls around because I remember how it felt to be there and to experience all of the ceremony. It's almost like riding a great roller coaster and wanting to ride it again and again. Once you've been there it's just not acceptable not to be there again. A small group from school got to go this year; I can't wait to hear their stories.

We attended the same church that President Clinton attended in Little Rock. Both Chris's quintet and the church choir were invited to participate in events during the inauguration. The choir sang for a church service the night before the inauguration, and the quintet played for the church service on inauguration morning. We still have the invitations and letters and other items we received. One picture I regret not taking was of the bomb-sniffing dog with his nose buried in the tuba bell at about 5 AM that very cold January morning.

One of the highlights was the church service the night before the inauguration. We shared the stage with Bill Moyers, President Jimmy Carter, Barbara Jordan, and Ken Medema. I even got Moyers' autograph on my program. President Carter's speech was wonderful. He was so down to earth and humble. The choir was seated on the platform, so we could see all of the dignitaries in the audience. I think I remember Vernon Jordan being there.

When the Inauguration began yesterday, I couldn't wait to watch it. I justified turning it on in the library because we didn't have any classes scheduled so I could watch it without interrupting anyone. Due to poor cable reception in some classrooms, three groups of students joined my little watch party. They were so very quiet and attentive through the swearing in and the speech. One of my favorite non-Presidential moments was the performance by Itzak Perlman and Yo-Yo Ma. WOW! I love "Simple Gifts," and the John Williams arrangement was wonderful. Chris and I watched it again last night.

There were some in the building and some family members who were not interested at all in watching the Inauguration. I know that there are people that I know who are not pleased with the new administration, but I don't understand how some can't appreciate the history involved in this or any inauguration. Our responsibility is to pray for the President and support him whether or not we agree with him. Not agreeing with the President's policies doesn't take anything away from the ceremony and peaceful transfer of power that we as Americans celebrate every four years or so. It's one of those things that makes me especially proud to be an American.

2009???

Oh my...more than two months since my last post. Where has the time gone? Here's the Reader's Digest version of life with the Kornegays since November:


Thanksgiving - All of us traveled to Texarkana for the Stow Family Thanksgiving celebration at my sister's house. There were 17 of us but we had enough food for about 30 people. Ethan had a great time playing with all of Karen's boys' toys because the other boys weren't there to play with him. Jamie's boys were in Florida with their other grandfather, and Samantha's boys went home for naps pretty soon after lunch. Chris, Natalie, and I went to El Dorado Thanksgiving night to spend time with BooBoo, but Nick and Angela headed back to Paris before going to Angela's mom's.


Christmas - We had a great Christmas! Nat got home from school on the 13th, we got out of school on the 19th (Ethan's birthday), and Nick and his family got here on that night and stayed until Christmas Day. It was wonderful. We had the Stow Family Christmas in Texarkana on the 20th, and then all six of us went to El Do to see BooBoo for a couple of days. We cooked a feast in El Do - chicken and dressing and all the fixings - and BooBoo thought that batch of dressing was about the best we've made. We went to church in Paris on Christmas Eve which has been a tradition with me and with our family for as long as I can remember. It just helps put the holiday into perspective. Christmas morning was so much more fun with Ethan here. Watching his face light up as he opened his presents was very special. Here he is surveying all the gifts along with a picture of all the kids from the SFC.





Natalie spent some time in Houston/Baytown/Plano with Brandon and his family during the holidays. They got their registry started and went to a cousin's wedding. They're doing a great job getting things together for the wedding and their life together. I'm really proud of them.

I spent New Year's Eve and NYD painting our bedroom. In fact, the only thing I asked Chris to give me for Christmas was for him to move the furniture so that I could paint. Several years ago I was in a green phase so I painted the bedroom green to go with a really pretty green and white quilt I found for our bed. Fast forward two or three bedspreads and quilts later to a new king size bed and headboard and beautiful blue and brown bedding. I think you can see where I'm going. The green just wasn't working for me any more. Much to Natalie's chagrin, we now have a beautiful...drum roll, please...beige bedroom! (Natalie is my child who has a BLACK wall in her bedroom. Beige is way too boring for her.) It's really a beautiful color and I couldn't be happier with it. The next thing on my list is painting the bathroom cabinet which I would love to do this weekend. We'll see...


Be sure to check out Shelfari. My shelf is in the widget on the left. Paula is over the moon with it...it's her new obsession. It really is pretty fun to see who is out there reading the books I'm reading or seeing what my friends are reading. It's a great place to get ideas. Jennifer, you should be able to get lots of ideas for books for you and books to read to Ava.


I'm hoping for this blog to become more reflective and less rehash of what we're up to. Don't look for great prose...just some more thoughtful posts. Glad you stopped by!