Author Archives: Laura Beth

02.28.16
by

Commentary #16: “The Roots of ‘America’s Best Idea'”

yellowstone-national-park

Yellowstone National Park. Image Credit: nationalparks.org

“Keep close to Nature’s heart … and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.”

~John Muir

In the beginning of February, I stumbled upon this article on CNN.com:

I didn’t know that the National Park Service was turning 100 in 2016, so that grabbed my attention immediately.

I love that CNN is launching a year-long series to celebrate. I can’t wait to see what they publish.

This first kick-off article focuses on Yellowstone National Park, the first federal park to be created, in 1872.

Its anniversary, the 144th this year, is March 1st.

The National Park Service was established on August 25, 1916, by way of the Organic Act. Back then, it protected the existing 14 national parks, 21 monuments, two reservations, and “those yet to be established.”

While reading this article, I recognized John Muir’s name immediately. I remembering researching him and the Sierra Club in high school. I took Visual Arts in my junior and senior years, and I had to have a focus, or an overall theme, for my final presentation at the end of my senior year. I was drawn (no pun intended) to flowers, nature, and landscapes, so I made environmentalism my overall theme. I remember being fascinated by Muir and his work to help conserve our land, dreaming of the day that I would get to experience the lands that he worked to protect.

Sadly, Muir died two years before the National Park Service was created. He died on Christmas Eve 1914, at age 76, of pneumonia.

However, his legacy lives on.

He helped establish Yosemite National Park in 1890, and has been lauded as an inspiration to both Scotland and the U.S.

His name, in the U.S., is on a 211-mile hiking trail in the Sierra Nevada, a national monument, a beach, a glacier, a college, a camp, and a mountain.

In Scotland, his name is on a 130-mile long distance route. In 2013, the first ever John Muir Day was celebrated in the country, to mark the 175th anniversary of the conservationist’s birth.

Reading this article, it’s chock full of history that you just don’t see in the history textbooks today. Personally, this article has inspired me to dig deeper. I want to learn as much as I can about the National Park Service, Hetch Hetchy Valley, artist George Caitlin, Stephen Mather, and the National Geographic Society.

It also makes wanna get away. Between reading this article and recently chronicling My Bucket List, I want to go West as soon as possible!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

02.24.16
by

Getting Personal #19: My Bucket List

6358505699688845531579553235_bucket-list

Image Credit: theodysseyonline.com

This post was inspired by a blog that I’m loving right now:

28 and Counting …

While browsing through her posts a few weeks ago, I found this gem:

My Bucket List

She inspired me to write down my list, all in one place.

I also liked the way she categorized her list, so, here goes …

Travel Experiences

Go on a cruise as an adult.

Cruise

Image Credit: expedia.com

I’ve been fortunate to have gone on two cruises already, but the last time, I was 9-years-old. Yup. It’s beyond time to experience one as an adult. There are so many amazing places! And a cruise ship is just awesome – It has everything in one place!

Al and I have talked about going on one in the next year or so, so I think we need to pay another visit to Jody at AAA – She helped us plan our awesome honeymoon!

—

Visit as many of America’s national parks as possible.

download (1)

Image Credit: worldtravellist.com

This has always been a life-long dream. I’ve been fortunate to see several of the states so far, but I haven’t had the chance to see the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone, and others, not yet.

I did a Google search of America’s national parks recently, researching for an upcoming blog post, and I wanted to pack up and head West!

—

Experience Cedar Point.

thrillrides_windseeker_JAS_7320 (1)

Image Credit: cedarpoint.com

This obsession / quest started years ago. I love roller coasters! Cedar Point currently has 16 of them, and 72 rides total! I think I’ll need to stay close to the park in Sandusky, Ohio, for more than one day!

—

Set foot in every U.S. state.

the-united-states-of-america-map

Image Credit: geology.com

By my count, I have set foot in approximately 17 states so far, plus one Canadian province (British Columbia, 1998).

“Setting foot in” doesn’t count layovers in airports, though (Texas, that means you). I also like scarletpen’s idea of visiting every Canadian province!

—

Go to Costa Rica.

Costa Rica

Image Credit: travel.nationalgeographic.com

I remember writing stories as a child about adventures in the rainforest. Costa Rica is one of those places that I have dreamed of.

—

Go on an Alaskan cruise.

Alaska Cruise

Image Credit: princess.com

I was so jealous when my cousin Missy got to go on an Alaskan cruise with her parents and our grandparents when she was 11. Since then, I’ve always wanted to go!

—

Kayak in a bioluminescent bay.

6_Nature_Bio_Bay

Image Credit: puertoricotourdesk.com

I learned about this experience just a few years ago, when one of my PEO sisters recounted her travels to Puerto Rico. I enjoy kayaking, and the photos I’ve seen are just breathtaking.

—

Spend a week at a Disney Resort.

download (2)

Image Credit: disneyworld.disney.go.com

I’ve been to Disney World multiple times, but I’ve never stayed at any of the Disney Resorts. After seeing some of them on our honeymoon whilst traveling between Hollywood Studios and Epcot, Al and I decided that’s what we want to do, the next time we head to Orlando. The trouble is, which resort to pick?

—

Go to Disneyland.

Disneyland

Image Credit: disneycentre.com

I’ve been to California three times in my life, but I haven’t experienced Anaheim yet! I can’t wait to experience Disneyland, and California Adventure.

—

Go to Key West, Florida.

Key West

Image Credit: keywest.com

Florida has been the state that I’ve visited the most times. I think I can easily count over 100 times, since I was a baby. The perks of having both sets of grandparents live down there! Key West has been a dream of mine for a long time. My parents have visited several times, and I was envious of their pictures from a few years ago. See my friend Megan’s recap of her recent Floridian adventure!

—

Go to at least one amusement park in another country.

Disneyland Paris

Image Credit: thesun.co.uk

The closest I’ve gotten to this goal was seeing Disneyland Paris in 2008, and that was only their equivalent of Downtown Disney. The tickets were so expensive!

—

Zip line (in as many places as possible!).

Zipline Maui

Image Credit: zipline.com

Since I love roller coasters, zip-lining has been one of the top things that I’ve wanted to do. My mom has even beaten me to it! She got to zipline FIVE TIMES across a river in Canada!

—

Go white water rafting.

White Water

Image Credit: blueheronwhitewater.com

I wasn’t able to go on the white water rafting trips to Tennessee in high school, but I wish I had! I would love to experience this in a natural setting.

However, closer to home, there is a place in Charlotte, North Carolina called the U.S. National Whitewater Center.

Their official description on Google: “Recreation grounds with whitewater rafting, canoeing, kayaking, rappelling, rock climbing & more.”

Yes, please!

—

Re-visit several places.

Image Credit: visitphilly.com
Image Credit: hersheyentertainment.com
Image Credit: local10.com
Image Credit: tripadvisor.com

I could go on, and on, and on … But I definitely want to re-visit:

  1. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  2. Hershey Park
  3. Chicago, Illinois
  4. Washington, D.C.
  5. Miami, Florida
  6. Los Angeles, California

And more! This particular list will continue to grow, I have no doubt. I look forward to writing many more Adventure Time posts!

Personal Development

Finish editing my three NaNoWriMo novels (2012, 2013, and 2014).

NaNoWriMo

Image Credit: nanowrimo.org

Curious about what I’ve written, so far?

Well, guess what, you’re in luck!

I did a series of blog posts, called Writing Wednesdays, that attempted to capture these three novels. There are 25 posts!

Granted, I have a long way to go with these three. The longest one, the 2014 one, currently stands at 16,000 words and some change. I want to get each of these to at least 50,000 words (the goal for NaNoWriMo) before considering publication.

—

Self-publish those three novels.

Self-Publishing

Image Credit: go-publish-yourself.com

Again, I need to finish those three, and then edit them.

However, I’m looking at you, Amazon, when the time is right.

—

Knock NaNoWriMo 2016 out of the park.

NaNoWriMo 2016

Image Credit: metrokelan.com

I already have a big idea percolating, and it’s something completely different from my first three novels. I’ve vetted it by a few VIPs of mine, and all seem to be very intrigued. Bring it on!

—

(Finally) Finish my paralegal studies degree.

Paralegal

Image Credit: paralegal.eku.edu

I’m SO CLOSE. I’m taking Family Law right now, online, which is going great.

The only classes I have left are Legal Research (Summer 2016), Legal Writing, and Trial Prep & Discovery.

My hope is to earn the degree some time in 2017!

—

Become certified with the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC).

AAPC

Image Credit: aapc.com

I have been interested in becoming a Certified Professional Coder (CPC) since 2013. However, I’ve done quite a bit of research over the years, and my manager has given me some great advice. I look forward to pursuing this in the next couple of years. At a minimum, I would like to be a CPC before we start having children!

—

Chronicle my experiences from July 2006 – July 2010.

My Story

Image Credit: sdplotts.wordpress.com

I’ve shared part of my story already, through this post: Book Review #8: Tornado Warning: A Memoir of Teen Dating Violence and its Effect on a Woman’s Life.

However, I was recently given some great advice by a good friend, Mike H., who wrote this via Facebook message: “Write that book. Even if you don’t publish it, it can be cathartic or therapeutic.”

He’s exactly right.

And I plan to do that. I already know how I want to write it.

And, eventually, I’d like to share it on the blog, as well.

Lifestyle

Find a house!

House

Image Credit: hookedonhouses.net

What a journey we’ve been on in the last year, Al and I .

We are FINALLY seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, however, and we will be getting a home of our own in 2016!

—

Learn new recipes.

Recipes

Image Credit: joyfulbelly.com

I enjoy cooking, so I’m on a mission to learn new recipes!

If you have any favorites, please, share!!

Make a Difference

Volunteer with Faith Works Coalition.

Faith Works

Image Credit: faithworkscoalition.org

This is something new. Our associate pastor has been involved before, and we are in the planning stages of getting our church involved. It’s exciting!

—

Make a blood drive happen at Tidewater Comicon.

TCC.jpg

Image Credit: tidewatercomicon.com

It may not happen this year, since the 2016 event is May 21-22 (Less than three months away!), however, it’s exciting to think about. Similar conventions in Florida have reported success, and we’d love for it to happen in Virginia Beach!

Final Thoughts

This list will continue to grow and change. However, for now, I’m very excited that I have most of my ultimate goals here, in one space.

I will be reviewing this list often, holding myself accountable!

I look forward to publishing future blog posts with accomplishments!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

02.13.16
by

Commentary #15: “The Best Explanation of Marriage”

 

1 Corinthians

Image Credit: pinterest.com

I wanted to share this graphic with you first. This passage has always been one of my favorites, and it was read at our wedding in November.

But, that’s not the main message I want to share in this post.

Take a look at this:

Image Credit: CatholicLink Español on Twitter

Image Credit: CatholicLink Español on Twitter

My friend Katie shared this infographic on Facebook recently.

What’s interesting, though, is when Katie originally shared this, the graphic had everything you see, except for the CatholicLink logo/symbol on the bottom. It makes sense, since it is a Bible verse, but still, it was an interesting observation to note.

As many of you know, I am a Christian. I was raised in the United Methodist Church. I have read the whole Bible. In the words of a Jeremy Camp song, I walk by faith.

This graphic struck me, hence why I wanted to write about it.

I wanted to break down this infographic and really dive deep.

“A man” – Maturity

I’m interpreting this as a man has matured from a boy when he decides to get married. That makes sense to me. The age of consent to get married varies by state though. Some states allow parties to marry when they’re 15 or 16!

“Leaves” – Transition

Transition is a big part of marriage, but it’s a big part of life, too. For me, I have transitioned several times. I left home for the first time in 2007, to attend college. I transitioned again in 2011, when I came back home after college graduation. In 2013, I left home again to move into my first apartment. In 2014, I moved back home, again, to save money, in anticipation of eventually buying a house. And then, in 2015, I transitioned into marriage with Al. Sometime in 2016, we will transition again – together – into our own home!

I used to believe that a person, whether man or woman, should experience at least some of these transitions before getting married.

That wasn’t the case with Al – He’s only moved once in his entire life, and he never went away to college. The biggest transition, that I think he went through, was a few years ago, when he didn’t have a job for six months. But, we’re married now (Tomorrow is our 3-month anniversary), and it’s amazing!

He’s shown me so many things through his experiences, like going to community college. It’s cheaper, and you get a great education, too!

“Father and mother” – Model of a complete family

This part, I disagree with. I get that this comes from the Bible – One of the oldest books, ever.

But, in today’s world, a “complete family” is not just a mom and dad anymore.

It can be two dads. It can be two moms. It can be grandparents, or other relatives. It can be either a mom or a dad. It can be a mom and stepdad, and vice-versa.

“Attached” – A new family

I’m not sure if “a new family” is the right/best way to interpret the word “attached.” With marriage, the idea is that you’re creating a new family, yes. And that the parties involved are creating a new chapter, together.

But the word “attached” is a bit strong, to me. I still have a strong attachment to my parents, I believe I always will. That’s mainly because I am an only child. It’s important to keep close ties with your family, unless you have solid reasons/beliefs to not to.

“His wife” – Complement

This interpretation confused me, at first, until I realized that I was thinking of the wrong word. My first thought was “compliment.”

Complement – Refers to something that completes or goes well with something.

I agree with “goes well with something.”

I don’t agree with “completes.”

The reason I say that is Al doesn’t “complete” me. I am my own person. I am Laura Beth. I wasn’t incomplete before I met Al. I was recovering from an extensive abusive relationship, and Al helped make me whole again, but he himself didn’t do that for me. He helped me heal, over time. He listened. He comforted me. He understood the journey I was on.

He wasn’t my missing piece. He’s a beautiful, wonderful addition to my life. I’m so happy that we fell in love, dated, got engaged, and are now married. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with him!

“They become” – A process of learning, friendship and trust

I like this one. To make a marriage, relationship, or friendship work, you have to put in the effort to learn about each other, be friendly, and trust each other.

For Al and I, we started out as friends. I didn’t know him from Adam, so to speak. Before we exchanged phone numbers and became Facebook friends, I had said hi to him maybe twice in their house between 2009 and 2010.

When I watched Inglorious Basterds with Al and Nick the night before I went back to Longwood in August 2010, I sat between them on the couch in their backyard garage. I remember thinking to myself, “I will be content if we are friends forever.”

I trusted Al from the very beginning. I felt like I could tell him anything, and I still feel that way now, all these years later. That’s one thing that will never change.

“One flesh” – Deep intimacy between two people

I get that intimacy and sex is a big part of marriage. And that’s wonderful. I don’t and won’t judge you.

But, it isn’t everything. And I’m glad this graphic shows that. It’s a significant part, but you have to have trust, friendship, and more.

Justin, a regular reader and friend, offered his two cents about this to me in a Facebook message:

“As someone not of religion, I can tell you this Laura Beth: Marriage is a grand adventure. It’s like finding a companion in an RPG, the healer to your fighter, the Sword user to your Bow and Arrow. It’s meeting someone who will fill that empty spot in your passenger seat where groceries once was. It’s finding someone who you want to annoy, or be annoyed by, for life. Someone who you love spending time with, but also can appreciate the time you spend apart, for absence does make the heart grow fonder. It’s finding someone who you may get really angry at but you’ll still hold the umbrella under them on a rainy day, and most of all it’s finding someone who you can say is THE ONE …”

I love his analogies. It’s hard for me to say anything better than this.

I’m so glad Al and I found each other. I was reflecting on the journey I’ve been on in the car yesterday. I feel so fortunate. I am blessed. My faith has guided me through my life, even when it has wavered.

It is true – Everything happens for a reason.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

01.23.16
by

Hot Topic #12: Planned Parenthood

This photo was taken in December 2013. Faye Wattleton is the first African-American and youngest president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Image Credit: advocatesaz.org

This photo was taken in December 2013. Faye Wattleton was the first African-American and youngest president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
Image Credit: advocatesaz.org

This has been brewing inside my head, inside my whole body, for a while now.

As you read this, please know that I’m trying to be as factual and objective as possible here. I have put hours upon hours of research into this post. I hope you find this informative.

Your comments are appreciated!

First and foremost, I encourage everyone who reads this to educate themselves about Planned Parenthood (PP, or PPFA) straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.

This is the international organization’s website: Planned Parenthood.

Before starting to write this post, I took a lot of time to review their site. Doing this helped a lot, learning exactly what they do, and how they work every single day to help people in need. And, being naturally curious, I immediately wanted to explore deeper into their history and their work.

I enjoy history and research, so I wanted to share a bit of a historical look into PP first thing.

PP began as a birth control clinic in Brooklyn, New York. It was established by Margaret Sanger, her sister Ethel Byrne, and Fania Mindell in October 1916.

From there, the Brooklyn clinic became the American Birth Control League, and then the name officially changed to the PPFA in 1942.

The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) began in 1952.

PP has certainly experienced its share of protests, violence, and other attacks.

On the same day as the Colorado Springs PP shooting, U.S. News and World Report published a well-informed and researched Q&A on PP and its experiences with violence:

Not all articles or interviews related to PP are negative, however.

While reading one of the more recent issues of Glamour magazine on the plane ride to my honeymoon, I discovered it was their annual “Women Of The Year” issue. They featured what turned out to be an excellent profile of Cecile Richards, the current president of the PPFA.

I say that because I originally intended to gloss over her profile, but I’m glad I didn’t. I learned so much about her and her rise to her current position. She’s been president of the PPFA since 2006.

Re-reading that profile for this post was refreshing. Re-reading it solidified my belief in Richards’ leadership, as well as my own position/opinion on PP.

As with many of my Commentary posts, I attempt to thoroughly research the subject at hand, reading as much as I can to solidly form my own opinions, and then share my knowledge with you, my readers.

I started writing this post shortly after the November 27, 2015 attack on a Colorado Springs, Colorado PP clinic. I wanted to feature some coverage of that event here.

My intent in my research was to use a variety of sources and news outlets.

In addition to the coverage of the Colorado Springs clinic attack, I wanted to go deeper and look for other recent information/coverage about PP. I was most interested in researching the controversy that has brewed throughout 2015 over supposed undercover videos, along with the calls to eliminate federal funding for PP.

Please note: Several of these links are opinions or editorials, but I included them due to their overall value.

I hope you found these links to be informative.

My position/opinion is that PP should, basically, be left alone. The clinics should remain open. They shouldn’t be attacked. They do much more public service than I think many people realize, but the square focus has been on abortion for some time now. I wish people would take the time to understand that PP does perform abortions, but they also provide birth control, and also work very hard to educate people about reproductive health.

However, I realize that abortion has been a hot topic for decades in both the United States and around the world. There have been calls for changes, but unfortunately, the controversy will likely never end. Everyone is absolutely entitled to their own opinions and positions, but I wish innocent people didn’t have to be injured, or killed.

I have extensively researched both the pro-life and pro-choice movements, and tried to understand and educate myself on the history of abortion in both the United States and around the world.

Personally, I believe that a woman has a right to choose. This is especially true if the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest, or if the pregnancy is endangering the mother’s health in any way.

I’m glad that abortion is legal in the United States, along with a handful of other countries in this world.

Many women around the world simply do not have this freedom.

Abortion_Laws.svg

Image Credit: Wikipedia

The map above was captioned as follows:
  • International status of abortion law
  • UN 2013 report on abortion law
Legend (The colors wouldn’t copy over):
  • Blue – Legal on request.
  • Green – Illegal with exceptions for maternal life, mental health, health, rape, fetal defects, and/or socioeconomic factors.
  • Yellow – Illegal with exceptions for maternal life, mental health, health, rape, and/or fetal defects.
  • Brown – Illegal with exceptions for maternal life, mental health, health, and/or rape.
  • Orange – Illegal with exceptions for maternal life, mental health, and/or health.
  • Red – Illegal with no exceptions.
  • Dark Grey/Black – Varies.
  • Light Grey – No information.

Thanks for reading.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

01.22.16
by

Book Review #9: “The Fault In Our Stars”

The_Fault_in_Our_Stars

Image Credit: Wikipedia

“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

Oh my goodness. This book.

I fell in love with John Green and his books since I read Looking for Alaska, as part of my Young Adult Literature course, during my very last semester at Longwood.

It’s interesting how I finally got around to reading this book. Originally, I heard about the book around the same time that the movie based on the book hit theaters. I’m one of those people who prefers to read the books before seeing the movies based on the books.

Believe me, I read the book first, it just took me a while.

The book was first published in January 2012.

The movie was released in June 2014.

I bought a copy of the book, well-loved from a local book shop (Book Owl in Portsmouth, Virginia) before my wedding in November 2015.

I took it with me on our honeymoon, but didn’t touch it.

I finally put my hands on it toward the end of December, and I finally finished it one unseasonably warm and sunny Sunday, while watching Al fly his dji Phantom quadcopter around Portsmouth City Park.

Reaching the end of Green’s books, I’ve always gotten a new perspective. It’s hard to explain how his writing affects me, but every book has left an impression on me. I hope to own all of his books someday.

I wasn’t so sure about The Fault in Our Stars (TFIOS), at least at first. The hype over the movie left me a bit empty, slightly depressed. I knew it was a very sad subject. Many of my friends who had the read the book and seen the movie had said it was a definite tear-jerker. It was romantic and tragic.

I wasn’t sure if I would even like this book. And that broke my heart a bit, knowing how much Green’s books have impacted me for the last five years.

But, I forged ahead, and dove in anyway.

I came out of this book with a renewed appreciation for life.

Surprisingly, I didn’t shed a single tear. There were many times where tears welled up, but I also laughed. A lot!

Green’s writing immediately takes hold of you, grabs your shirt, and pulls you next to the characters and keeps you in their world. The entire time. It’s absolutely magical.

Green writes books that make you want to stay up all night long like you did when you were a kid, under your fort of sheets and blankets in bed, reading by flashlight.

My only complaint is the ending was very abrupt, and unexpected. It’s jarring. For me, it felt like I had decelerated from 60 miles per hour down to 0 within a few seconds.

I actually flipped to the next page, in complete disbelief that the book had ended.

But, regardless, it was a beautiful ending.

It may be a book designed for “young adults,” but it certainly renewed my 27-year-old spirit.

I think everyone should read this book.

4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

01.21.16
by

Commentary #14: “2016 Reading Challenge”


Challenge accepted!

I found this on Facebook a couple days ago. I’m really motivated to do this!

Here’s what I’m thinking for accomplishing this list:

A book published this year: This Is Where It Ends, Marieke Nijkamp

A book you can finish in a day: The Language of Silence, Tiffany Truitt

A book you’ve been meaning to read: Go Set A Watchman, Harper Lee

A book recommended by your local librarian or bookseller: Black Rabbit Hall, Eve Chase

A book you should have read in school: Gone With The Wind, Margaret Mitchell

A book chosen for you by your spouse, partner, sibling, child, or BFF: The Red Tent, Anita Diamant (Recommended by my BFF Melissa)

A book published before you were born: The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick

A book that was banned at some point: Tropic of Cancer, Henry Miller

A book you previously abandoned: The Vacationers, Emma Straub

A book you own but have never read: New Boy, Julian Houston

A book that intimidates you: The Casual Vacancy, J.K. Rowling

A book you’ve already read at least once: The Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins

Be prepared for many Book Review posts this year!

I’m probably a little too excited to be making time to read again, but, to paraphrase one of these books, I don’t give a damn. Reading is a true escape for me.

Are you doing a challenge like this?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

01.10.16
by

Adventure Time: Florida Edition (Round 2 – Honeymoon!)

Image Credit: quotesgram.com

Image Credit: quotesgram.com

We decided where we wanted to go on our honeymoon in June. We knew that we needed to go see Jody, a travel agent at the AAA center in Suffolk, per my mom’s recommendation.

We thought we wanted a week at Disney World.

What we ended up doing was so much better!

When we met with Jody, we told her we were thinking of Orlando and Disney World for the week before Thanksgiving. She listened, thought about it, and then said,

“Have you heard of our Harry Potter Experience package?”

… Say what now?

When we left to get Mexican food on that June Saturday morning, we had signed up for three days at Universal with park-to-park passes, spending the whole week at Universal’s Cabana Bay Resort, breakfast vouchers at Three Broomsticks and The Leaky Cauldron, and a session at Shutterbuttons Studio. Wow!

Believe me, we certainly were excited for our wedding, but we couldn’t wait for our honeymoon!

Day 1 – Sunday, November 15th

Waiting for our flight! So excited!

Waiting for our flight! So excited!

After our wedding, we stayed overnight at the Hampton Inn near the Norfolk airport. We flew Southwest, thanks to my parents for snagging an awesome deal! It was a direct flight from Norfolk to Orlando, so we landed around 2:00 p.m. Our travel package instructed us to go to the Universal Orlando store. There, we received our shuttle information and our special “We’re Celebrating Our Honeymoon!” buttons. I received a series of texts indicating where our shuttle would be and what time.

Sure enough, this fancy black shuttle came to pick us up right on schedule. The driver took our bags and we settled in. It was about a 20-minute drive from the airport to Cabana Bay, our home for the week.

Cabana Bay Beach Resort is one of Universal’s newest resorts. It looks like a classic resort from the 1950s! Imagine a lot of neon and bright colors. It was massive – Five wings of rooms, two pools, a bowling alley, an arcade, a full-service diner, and more!

We spent most of Sunday exploring the resort, which felt like it went on and on. It was so awesome!

One of the two pools.

One of the two pools.

The front of the resort, all lit up.

The front of the resort, all lit up.

They had these classic cars permanently parked outside the resort.

They had these classic cars permanently parked outside the resort.

This was a cool cook in the lobby.

This was a cool clock in the lobby.

Day 2 – Monday, November 16th

We used our Disney World Hopper passes on Monday and Friday.

We decided to hit up the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom!

All of Disney World had their Christmas decorations up! This was just beyond the entrance to the Magic Kingdom.

All of Disney World had their Christmas decorations up! This was just beyond the entrance to the Magic Kingdom.

The Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse.

The Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse.

Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor.

Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor.

Animal Kingdom Christmas Tree. Every park had a huge tree, and they were all different!

The Animal Kingdom Christmas Tree. Every park had a huge tree, and they were all different!

The Tree of Life.

The Tree of Life.

Beautiful macaws and parrots!

Beautiful macaws and parrots!

Monkeys!

Monkeys!

One of the staff holding a gorgeous great horned owl before the "Birds of Wonder" show.

One of the staff holding a gorgeous great horned owl before the “Birds of Wonder” show.

Expedition Everest! We were in the front row! It was an awesome ride.

Expedition Everest! We were in the front row! It was an awesome ride.

Day 3 – Tuesday, November 17th

Day 1 at Universal!

As part of our package, we were able to enter the park an hour early!

The entrance to Universal CityWalk.

The entrance to Universal CityWalk. CityWalk has shops, restaurants, a movie theater, and even mini-golf!

Hogsmeade!

Hogsmeade!

If you haven’t been to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, it is totally worth it. I felt like I was on the set the entire time. The sheer amount of time and effort that was put into researching these worlds – Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley – was evident. Everything looked perfect. There were several people that were visiting from the U.K., and they were impressed!

The Hogwarts Express!

The Hogwarts Express!

On Tuesday, we had breakfast at Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. Delicious! I tried the pumpkin juice there - Not bad!

We had our first of two breakfasts at Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. Delicious! I tried the pumpkin juice there – Not bad!

The entrance to Three Broomsticks.

The entrance to Three Broomsticks.

I rode the Dragon Challenge roller coaster - Front row, and with only one other guy on the train, and he was in the very back!

I rode the Dragon Challenge roller coaster – Front row, and with only one other guy on the train, and he was in the very back!

Hogwarts! This had the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride - So cool!

Hogwarts! This had the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride – So cool!

We rode the Hogwarts Express into Kings Cross station. The Hogwarts Express connects the two parks! After leaving Kings Cross, we set foot in London in Universal Studios. Amazing!

Diagon Alley. It was truly magical!

Diagon Alley. It was truly magical!

Candid shot!

Candid shot!

Welcome to Springfield, U.S.A.!

Welcome to Springfield, U.S.A.!

After exploring Universal, we went back to the resort and enjoyed the Galaxy Bowl bowling alley!

After exploring Universal, we went back to the resort and enjoyed the Galaxy Bowl bowling alley!

Day 4 – Wednesday, November 18th

Day 2 at Universal!

Breakfast at The Leaky Cauldron!

Breakfast at The Leaky Cauldron!

Superman!

Superman! This was in the gift shop after riding Terminator 2 3D: Battle Across Time.

Kings Cross Station!

Kings Cross Station!

We experienced Butterbeer! It was amazing! The frozen kind was perfect because it was warm and humid!

We experienced Butterbeer! It was amazing! The frozen kind was perfect because it was warm and humid!

The day before, we tried to eat dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp at CityWalk, but the line was insane! We decided to make a reservation for Wednesday night, which was perfect.

We timed the reservation for after the Universal’s Cinematic Spectacular: 100 Years of Movie Memories show in Universal Studios. It was a unique experience – It took place on the lagoon, and they used waterfall screens of amazing movie moments, with amazing music, fireworks, and narration by Morgan Freeman!

Back at Bubba Gump Shrimp, they took us early. It was packed, but we enjoyed a delicious meal! Our waitress was fantastic, and the manager stopped by to wish us well during our stay. All the staff quiz the tables with Forrest Gump trivia at some point during the meal, and between Al and I, we got all the questions right!

Day 5 – Thursday, November 19th

Last day at Universal. We took this day to explore Islands of Adventure!

You can enter Jurassic Park through Hogsmeade! It’s so awesome.

Welcome to Jurassic Park!

Welcome to Jurassic Park!

We rode the Jurassic Park River Adventure as soon as it opened. It was wild – We were the only two on the raft!

After exploring all of Jurassic Park, we made our way to Toon Lagoon! We strategically wore our swimsuits underneath our clothes, because we hit the three big water rides back-to-back-to-back. Unfortunately, that idea backfired – We were still damp a couple hours later!

We loved all the funny comics!

We loved all the funny comics!

Marvel Superhero Island and The Adventures of Spider-Man!

Marvel Superhero Island and The Adventures of Spider-Man!

Dr. Doom!

Dr. Doom!

In the afternoon, we made our way back to Diagon Alley for our Shutterbuttons studio session. It was awesome! We got to star in our own moving portraits, with robes and all! We love the DVD we received!

For dinner, we went to The Cowfish restaurant at CityWalk. It sounds bizarre at first – A sushi burger bar?!

It was amazing!

We both got bento boxes - Sushi and a burger slider in the middle! So good!

We both got bento boxes – Sushi and a burger slider in the middle! So good!

One of the best experiences that we had was a gift from our dear friend Key – She bought us tickets to Blue Man Group! The venue was right outside Universal. It was so fun!

Selfie before the show! We couldn't take pictures or video, but it was an amazing show!

Selfie before the show! We couldn’t take pictures or video, but it was an amazing show!

If you haven’t seen Blue Man Group, you are missing out! It’s totally worth your money. It’s an amazing experience!!

Day 6 – Friday, November 20th

Last full day in Orlando. Womp womp!

But, we thoroughly enjoyed Day 2 at Disney World!

After breakfast at the resort’s diner, we took a taxi to Disney’s Hollywood Studios!

First on the list was Star Tours, obviously. It was awesome! We got even more excited for Star Wars: The Force Awakens at this point – Check out my movie review!

We did The Great Movie Ride as well.

First in line for MuppetVision 3D!

First in line for MuppetVision 3D!

Pixar Studios! This place was nuts. We wanted to do Toy Story Midway Mania!, but it was over an hour wait!

Pixar Place! This place was nuts. We wanted to do Toy Story Midway Mania!, but it was over an hour wait! I guess we just have to come back again …

Instead of waiting for a Disney bus to head to Epcot, we took a boat ride! It was such a cool experience. We got to see several of the Disney resorts, and then we were dropped off at Epcot!

The amazing model railroad in Germany!

The amazing model railroad in Germany!

We ate lunch in China – Delicious!

Obligatory.

Obligatory. Spaceship Earth!

We also rode the monorail back to the Magic Kingdom!

We had an absolutely wonderful time!!

Day 7 – Saturday, November 21st

The shuttle picked us up and took us to the Orlando airport.

Like our flight down, we had a direct flight back to Norfolk.

We came back home to sunny weather, but 54 degrees!

My wonderful parents picked us up and took us home.

If you take away any tips, I highly recommend leaving for a week-long trip on Sunday and coming back on Saturday. We needed that Saturday and Sunday to rest up and get ready for the following week!

We had an amazing week together that kicked off our married life.

I can’t wait to go back!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

01.02.16
by

Getting Personal #18: Best. Day. Ever.

I hesitated to use the word “perfect.” I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate.

But, during our thank-you speech at our wedding reception, I couldn’t think of any other word that was better.

November 14th was truly a perfect day.

Disclaimer: All photos in this post, unless otherwise stated, were taken by Amanda MacDiarmid, or her second shooter, Cathy. Amanda owns and operates Stellar Exposures.

All credit goes to them.

We started the day early – My parents and I arrived at the church at 6:45 a.m. Hair and makeup quickly followed, and our ceremony started at 11:00 a.m. sharp.

My dress was in a tree!

My dress was hanging in a tree!

One of my all-time favorites.

One of my all-time favorites.

Amanda is so creative!

Amanda is so creative!

Getting dressed!

Getting dressed!

Our save-the-date postcard and our invitation.

Our save-the-date postcard and our invitation.

Our program on the brick steps leading to the sanctuary.

Our wedding program on the brick steps leading to the sanctuary.

Amanda and her second shooter, Cathy, were absolutely FABULOUS!

Our ceremony was held at the church that I have been attending since I was four-years-old. Aldersgate United Methodist Church holds a special place in my heart. We were so fortunate that our former associate pastor, Eric Song, came down from Winchester to marry us!

The sanctuary.

The sanctuary.

Beautiful shot.

Beautiful shot.

He played his guitar during the groomsmen entrance, and I could hear it as I was waiting to enter the sanctuary.

Dea Atkinson, a long-time church friend, played a lively variety of music on the piano. She is amazing!

Pastor Eric Song playing his guitar during the groomsmen entrance.

Pastor Eric Song playing his guitar during the groomsmen entrance.

Walking down the aisle with Mom and Dad.

Walking down the aisle with Mom and Dad.

Al seeing me for the first time :)

Al seeing me for the first time 🙂

Married!!

Married!!

One of my favorites :)

One of my favorites 🙂

The ceremony had a lot of laughter, and a few tears. Eric did an amazing job! It was a whirlwind – It was over in just 25 minutes! But it was amazing. I felt completely surrounded by love and peace.

One of my favorite parts of the ceremony was the love letters that Al and I wrote to each other. Eric asked us to write a letter to each other, but neither of us could see it. We both ended up writing about our first date on September 4, 2010. It was awesome!

About 100 people came to our wedding, which was perfect.

I married into a HUGE family. Being an only child, it’s so awesome! We were so grateful that most of our family members were able to join us for our special day.

Mom and Dad.

Karen (Momma) and Jim (Daddy).

My family. L to R: Uncle Richard, Auntie Marn, Mom, LB, Dad, Cousin Ryan, and Uncle Butch.

My family!
L to R: Uncle Richard (Mom’s brother), Auntie Marn (Dad’s sister), Karen (Mom), LB, Jim (Dad), Cousin Ryan, and Uncle Butch (Dad’s brother-in-law).

Al's immediate family! L to R: Bruce (Dad), Debbie (Mom), Al, and Nick (Brother and brother-in-law)

Al’s immediate family!
L to R: Bruce (Dad), Debbie (Mom), Al, and Nick (Brother and brother-in-law).

91-year-old Grandma Helena came!! L to R: Al, Grandma, Nick

This was spectacular – 91-year-old Grandma Helena came!!
L to R: Al, Grandma, Nick

Pastor Eric and his wife, Heather!

Pastor Eric and his wife, Heather!

Beautiful and handsome.

Beautiful, and handsome.

Wholesale Flower Market, Inc., in Chesapeake, did our arrangements. They wrapped my bouquet with one of my grandmother's handkerchiefs and attached one of her gorgeous brooches.

Wholesale Flower Market, Inc., in Chesapeake, did our arrangements – They were absolutely gorgeous. They wrapped my bouquet with one of my grandmother’s handkerchiefs and attached one of her gorgeous brooches. Grandma Grace, who passed away in July 2013, was definitely with us in spirit.

Aunt Pam and Uncle Bill.

Aunt Pam and Uncle Bill.

L to R: Cousin Kellie, LB, Al, Aunt Rosalind, and Uncle John.

L to R: Cousin Kellie, LB, Al, Aunt Rosalind, and Uncle John.

L to R: Nick, LB, Al, Mia (future niece), and Savy (future sister-in-law).

L to R: Nick, LB, Al, Mia (future niece), and Savy (future sister-in-law).

L to R: Uncle Ken, Aunt Karen, LB, Al, Aunt Brenda, and Uncle Joe.

L to R: Uncle Ken, Aunt Karen, LB, Al, Brenda, and Uncle Joe.

Uncle Dan and Aunt Jeanne.

Uncle Dan and Aunt Jeanne.

Uncle Bill and Aunt Susan.

Uncle Bill and Aunt Susan.

Cousins Micah and Ashley.

Cousins Micah and Ashley.

The whole family!

The whole family!

The proud parents.

The proud parents.

The wedding party! Y'all rock! L to R: Liz, Katie, Stephanie, Melissa, LB, Al, Bruce, Nick, Joe, and Mike.

The wedding party! Y’all rock!
L to R: Liz, Katie, Stephanie, Melissa, LB, Al, Bruce, Nick, Joe, and Mike.

Stylin'!

Stylin’!

The girls!

The ladies!

No one planned the coordinating black and red shoes!

No one planned the coordinating black and red shoes!

Mom and Dad :)

Mom and Dad 🙂

The men!

The men!

Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling stained glass piece.

Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling stained glass piece.

After the ceremony, Charlie from Orange Peel Transportation came to pick up the wedding party and shuttle us to our reception at Cedar Point Country Club in Suffolk, about 15 minutes from the church. It was a brisk day, but sunny and crystal clear!

Our gorgeous cake, made with love by Tracy Grandon.

Our gorgeous cake, made with love by Tracy Grandon.

One of the three amazing art pieces that our future sister-in-law Savy made for us! Check out SavyArt for more!

One of the three amazing art pieces that our future sister-in-law, Savy, made for us! Check out SavyArt for more!

Our first dance. We danced to "Who I Am With You" by Chris Young.

Our first dance. We danced to “Who I Am With You” by Chris Young.

Father-daughter dance. Dad and I danced to "Carolina In My Mind" by James Taylor. This was a surprise for my mom as well - Dad played this song when he proposed to Mom!

Father-daughter dance.
Daddy and I danced to “Carolina In My Mind” by James Taylor. This was a surprise for my mom as well – Dad played this song when he proposed to Mom!

Mother-son dance. Al and Mom danced to "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts.

Mother-son dance.
Al and Mom danced to “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts.

Aunt Karen said a beautiful blessing over the food.

Aunt Karen said a beautiful blessing over the food.

Our fabulous DJ, Matt! He's with Music Makes You Happy Entertainment. He was stellar!

Our fabulous DJ, Matt! He’s with Music Makes You Happy Entertainment. He was stellar!

Al and I love movies, so he edited images of famous movie couples for our tables!

Al and I love movies, so he edited images of famous movie couples for our tables!

Beautiful! I love this photo of us :) Here's to more adventures! L to R: Drew, Katie, LB, Al, Heaven, and Justin.

Beautiful! I love this photo of us 🙂 Here’s to more adventures!
L to R: Drew, Katie, LB, Al, Heaven, and Justin.

The beautiful maid of honor, Melissa, making her speech.

The beautiful maid of honor, Melissa, making her toast.

The best man, Bruce, a.k.a. Dad, giving his speech.

The dapper best man, Bruce, a.k.a. Dad, giving his toast.

The father of the bride, Jim, giving his speech.

The handsome father of the bride, Jim, giving his thank-you speech and toast.

After eating and toasts, we DANCED!

View More: http://stellarexposures.pass.us/vwedding

Let’s boogie!

Connie!

If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands!

Mom and Dad!

Mom and Dad!

Chris and Donald.

Chris and Donald.

Olivia and Christine!

Olivia and Christine!

Brad Daniels with Ebb & Flow Films!!

Brad Daniels, our fantastic videographer, with Ebb & Flow Films!!

Tearing up the dance floor.

Tearing up the dance floor.

Standing, L to R: Nick, Crystal, and Savy. Sitting: Mia. Crystal was our bomb.com wedding planner! Check out Cherry Blossom Planning Factory!

Dancing, L to R: Nick, Crystal, and Savy. Sitting: Mia.
Crystal was our bomb.com (glitter bomb, of course!) wedding planner! Check out Cherry Blossom Planning Factory!

Dance, dance, dance!

Dance, dance, dance!

Around 3:30 p.m., Amanda and Cathy came to Al and I, and asked us for 15 minutes to go outside for some portraits. I needed it then – I was so hot! The brisk air was so refreshing!

Amazing.

Amazing.

It was a little windy, but it felt awesome!!

It was a little windy, but it felt awesome!!

I forgot that we were on a golf course!

I forgot that we were on a golf course!

Beautiful. That light!

Beautiful. That light!

November 14th was perfect. The pictures that Amanda and Cathy took, they number in the thousands. I’m incredibly grateful for each and every one. Thank you, Amanda and Cathy, for capturing our special day so beautifully!!

A HUGE thank you goes out to our families, first and foremost. Thank you for supporting our love since 2010. Thank you for being amazing every day!

To our friends, thank you for your love and support. It means the world to us. Thank you to those who hosted bridal showers, offered help of all kinds, were a phone call away when I wanted to pull my hair out, and much, much more. We were so happy that so many of you were able to come celebrate with us!

Thank you to our fantastic vendors!!

Ceremony Site: Aldersgate United Methodist Church

Reception Site & Caterer: Cedar Point Country Club

Linens: Waterford Event Rentals

Videographer: Ebb & Flow Films

Photographer: Stellar Exposures

DJ: Music Makes You Happy Entertainment

Flowers: Wholesale Flower Market, INC.

Hair & Bridal Party Make-Up: Mystique Salon & Day Spa

Transportation: Orange Peel

Wedding Ninjas: Cherry Blossom Planning Factory

Happy New Year, friends.

Here’s to 2016!

Dancing and singing to "Don't Stop Believin" - The last song of the night.

Dancing and singing to “Don’t Stop Believin'” – The last song of the event!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

12.31.15
by

Adventure Time: Hampton Roads, VA Edition (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Weekend)

Image Credit: mffanrodders.wordpress.com

Image Credit: mffanrodders.wordpress.com

The weekend before Christmas, Al and I hosted our group of friends for the first time! We had so much fun.

The main reason we got together: Star Wars: The Force Awakens!!

Everyone was so excited!

On Friday afternoon, I was able to leave work early, around 3:30 p.m. I was making spaghetti for everyone for dinner. Drew was waiting for me outside the house since he was able to work an earlier shift. He brought all of his stuff inside as I finished the last-minute cleaning and prepping.

Al arrived home from work as I started warming up the noodles and sauce, and baking the garlic bread. He brought home the ingredients for Sunday breakfast, along with a bunch of assorted sodas. He and Drew chattered away about Marvel and Star Wars. The house smelled amazing!

Justin kept me updated on their travels via text, since Heaven was driving. The two of them and Katie arrived almost simultaneously. Dinner was ready, and it turned out great!

After dinner, we relaxed and enjoyed our first true Secret Santa gift exchange. My maid of honor, Melissa, took our six names and assigned three sets of pairs via Facebook messages after Thanksgiving. We were all brimming with anticipation!

Our pile of gifts!

Our pile of gifts!

Justin gave Al a Funko Pop! Star Wars First Order Snowtrooper!

Justin gave Al a Funko Pop! Star Wars: First Order Snowtrooper!

Drew gave Justin a Jack Skellington stocking cap!

Drew gave Justin a Jack Skellington stocking cap!

Heaven gave Laura Beth two things: A book about blogging and writing, and a journal!

Heaven gave Laura Beth two things: A book about blogging and writing, and a journal!

Katie gave Heaven two things: An owl necklace and earrings set, and a owl wall hanger with hooks!

Katie gave Heaven two things: An owl necklace and earrings set, and a owl wall hanger with hooks!

Then, unfortunately, both sets of my camera batteries died! So, Al took over the photos with his phone.

Laura Beth had a special Wolverine commission done for Drew! Check out "SavyArt" on Facebook for more information! Photo Credit: Al Vardaro

Laura Beth had a special Wolverine commission made for Drew! Check out SavyArt for more information! Savy happens to be my future sister-in-law, and she is epic!!
Photo Credit: Al Vardaro

Al bought Katie a Steelers stocking cap! Photo Credit: Al Vardaro

Al bought Katie a Steelers stocking cap!
Photo Credit: Al Vardaro

To end the night, we played Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards: Duel at Mt. Skullzfyre! Drew was the newbie, and it was awesome!!

On Saturday morning, Al left early to get O’doodle Doo’s donuts! Yum!!

We watched so many Player Piano videos! Sonya is amazing!!

After breakfast, for the first time, we split into guys and girls. The girls were on a mission: Going to LUSH in MacArthur Mall in Norfolk. It was amazing!

Heaven brought half of her makeup to the house, so she gave Katie and myself amazing makeovers!

Heaven doing LB's makeup :) Photo Credit: Justin Clatterbuck

Heaven doing LB’s makeup 🙂
Photo Credit: Justin Clatterbuck

The finished product at Gianna's! Katie went with an 80s look, and I went for a more natural look. Heaven, you're hired! Photo Credit: Justin Clatterbuck

The finished product at Gianna’s! Katie went with an ’80s look, and I went for a more natural look. Heaven, you’re hired!
Photo Credit: Justin Clatterbuck

We visited Gianna’s for lunch. I tried their subs for the first time – Delicious!

Then … It was time for STAR WARS!!!!!!

I took the pledge online to keep my social media accounts free of any spoilers for at least one week after the movie premiered.

Since it’s been approximately 13 days now, I feel it’s now safe to divulge my thoughts.

HOLY SHIT, THIS MOVIE WAS FUCKING AWESOME!!!!!!!!!

I never saw any of the previous movies in theaters, not even the prequels. So this was my first time seeing a Star Wars movie on the big screen.

And holy moly, worth it, it was!

I love the direction they are going.

Rey is awesome.

Poe is kick-ass.

Finn is my favorite 🙂

BB-8 captured my heart from the first trailer well over a year ago.

I squealed when Han Solo, Chewie, and now-General Leia appeared on-screen.

A few observations:

  • Jakku is indeed a graveyard in hell. Most deserts are!
  • The visual effects are absolutely fucking stunning. So much eye candy!
  • The scenery is top-notch. I want to go to every single place where they filmed. I hope TFA gets nominated at the Oscars for visual effects and cinematography!
  • The humor was fantastic! One of my favorite scenes in the whole movie was where Poe and Finn escaping in the TIE Fighter!
  • I totally did not see Han Solo’s terrible demise coming! I teared up!
  • I was so excited when R2-D2 came out of low power mode!
  • I forgot how annoying C-3PO can be! Especially his voice, it grates my nerves a bit.
  • Initially, I didn’t like how they waited to feature Luke Skywalker at the very end, for the last couple of minutes, without any lines! However, now having seen the movie three times (Thursday the 17th, Saturday the 19th, and Tuesday the 22nd), I understand why they did it. It makes me so ready for Episode VIII. Memorial Day Weekend 2017!
  • All the theories about Rey being Luke’s daughter: I can picture that, but I’m not a 100 percent believer, just yet.

For dinner, we headed to JONES’ Restaurant in Portsmouth. Some of the best Southern food around! Justin and Heaven had never experienced it until now. The chicken is worth the 15-minute wait!!

Our waitress, Diane, was the best! She saw all of us in our varying Star Wars shirts and walking up to our table, she says, “Are y’all coming from or going to?”

Drew brought his awesome s’mores maker again! Al and I bought the ingredients, including special s’mores-style marshmallows that were square! How cool is that?!

To cap off the night, we played a nice round of Munchkin 🙂

On Sunday morning, Al and I made breakfast. Okay … Al made most of it! Scrambled eggs, amazing Smithfield cherrywood bacon (!!), and we tested our new Keurig Carafe. I was in charge of the toast and overall distribution.

Lesson learned – Buy more bacon next time! Yummy!!

Before everyone headed home in the afternoon, we played a fantastic game of Cards Against Humanity! So much fun 🙂

As I finish this post, it’s the afternoon of New Year’s Eve. Wow, 2015 has been one of the fastest years yet!

I want to say thank you to all of you, my readers. I started blogging (again) almost two years ago. Because of you, readers, I have grown in so many ways with this writing adventure and endeavor. Thank you!

I never imagined that this little blog of mine would be read across the country, much less around the world. Wow. I look at my WordPress Stats page often, and I’m so tickled when I see a reader from another country. Thank you!

I look forward to writing a lot more in 2016!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season so far.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

12.05.15
by

Commentary #13: “20 Ways Being Left-Handed Impacts Your Health”

Image Credit: wefollowpics.com

Image Credit: wefollowpics.com

“There are so many artists that are dyslexic or learning disabled, it’s just phenomenal. There’s also an unbelievably high proportion of artists who are left-handed, and a high correlation between left-handedness and learning disabilities.” ~Chuck Close

In one of my more recent Commentary posts, I mentioned how I peruse CNN almost every day. Well, I stumbled upon another nugget for you!

I give you: 20 Ways Being Left-Handed Impacts Your Health

Some of you may not know that I’m left-handed. And I’m damn proud of it!

Here’s my take on the 20 things. Enjoy!

It’s not just genetics

For years, I thought it was genetic and/or hereditary. My dad is left-handed, and I have his eyes and his hair. A few other family members, on my dad’s side, are left-handed. So that’s where my thinking laid, for a long time. And apparently, left-handedness does tend to run in families!

It’s linked to stress in pregnancy

Oh dear. This is gonna be fun in a few years!

In all seriousness though, reading the summaries of the studies in the article was interesting, and a little frightening. I was diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) earlier this year. I see a lot of yoga, coloring, reading, and writing when I get pregnant!

It’s more common in twins

This was interesting. I am not a twin, but my mom’s mom had twins that died at birth. When I first met Al, I quickly learned that twins are far more common in his family – His dad has an older brother and sister who are fraternal twins. In addition, there is a line of twins on his dad’s side, but there’s a twist: They historically skip every other generation. Since it occurred in his dad’s generation, and then skipped Al’s generation, it’s thought that I may have them one day. It was so weird to hear that though – I always had this notion of having twins, even as a young child. So strange! But, only time will tell 🙂

It doesn’t make you “right-brained”

Huh. This was a doozy. The study of the brain – The left brain and right brain – has fascinated me for several years. We all use the entirety of our brains, all for different functions, but seeing the percentages in the article raised my eyebrows.

It may cause you to think differently

I had to read this section twice, but I understood it. I tend to be drawn toward things on my left side. I’m not sure how “good” those things are. I think of it in a scientific sense: Since I am left-handed, it makes sense that I would naturally be drawn to or pay more attention to things on my left, rather than my right.

It can affect school performance

I knew it!! Just in a different way, haha. My biggest struggle throughout my schooling has been math. However, the inference to mild learning disabilities is spot-on, for me. I was born at 25 weeks. I had massive early intervention, with all sorts of therapy – Speech, physical, occupational. You name it, I was in it. Also, I was essentially held back for a year in elementary school, and it was exactly what my brain and body needed. I believe it contributed to my maturity and early connection with adults.

It’s linked to a risk of mental health problems

Interesting. As I mentioned earlier, I was recently diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder (GAD). I wish that this article had links to the cited studies. But, I agree with the links to ADHD and some mood disorders – Those fit my history.

It does offer an advantage in sports

For me, sports are unique. I throw with my left. But in terms of stances (batting, putting, etc.) or kicking, I stand to the right, or I use my right foot. But the article inferred something that makes perfect sense – When facing a left-hander, left-handers have an advantage, because it’s basically mirror imagery!

It may make for better fighters

Ha! Laura Beth, world champion boxer. Yeah, right! Although, I do like the idea of developing a strong left hook.

It doesn’t make you more creative

Interesting. I like the idea of “divergent thinking.” But, I also agree with examining the overall creative achievements of a person. Some people, no matter what hand they use, are just incredibly gifted and talented.

It doesn’t mean you’re artsy

Makes sense. Al is far more “artsier” that me, and he’s right-handed. And by “artsier,” I mean that he studied graphic design and animation. He’s a far better photographer and videographer. He has that eye for detail. He’s a whiz with Photoshop and InDesign.

On the other hand (no pun intended), we agree that I’m a stronger writer and editor. I grew up playing and performing music (piano, viola, and some voice), and I studied the visual arts in high school, enjoying pastels and a little bit of drawing.

It’s linked to a higher risk of breast cancer

Hmmmmm. According to the article, the highest risk is after menopause. Still – I’m gonna keep an eye on things.

It doesn’t affect your general health

With the exception of inflammatory bowel disease, of course. Yuck. Lucky for me, that hasn’t happened, so far!

It’s linked to some sleep problems

So, kicking my mom when I had a bad dream and slept in her bed wasn’t on purpose! It’s scientifically proven, Mom!

It doesn’t impact longevity

“Zero effect on lifespan,” says the author. Whew!

It may up the risk of PTSD

Interesting. I’m definitely not a horror movie fan, at all. I can’t watch certain shows anymore, like ones that I used to love years ago (CSI, Criminal Minds, etc.) I’m a visual person, so I’m easily scared if I can picture a graphic image. Even hearing someone recount a scene from a movie or TV show can make me jump or shiver. It’s strange, but true.

It doesn’t make you a bigger drinker

Left-handedness has nothing to do with alcohol consumption. I’m not a big drinker, by any means. I enjoy a Corona with lime on occasion and there are days where I need a glass of wine (or two), but I’m not going nuts every single night or hitting up the bars or clubs every weekend. Not me!

It might mean you earn less money

I was initially taken aback by this observation, but after re-reading it, it’s interesting to ponder. The research cited shows a significant difference in the gap between left-handed and right-handed women workers. Hmmmmm.

Overall, handedness doesn’t really matter

I agree with the statement that ” … the differences between righties and lefties are really rather subtle, and of much greater scientific interest than any kind of practical use …” Reading all these summaries of research and studies has certainly peaked my curiosity. I was also curious to see that research is planned for more right-handers and their brains, since so much focus has been placed on lefties and those who are mixed-handed or ambidextrous.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂