15 Minutes of Fame

Yep, that's me. And no, I didn't get paid a penny for my 15 minutes of fame.

About 3 years ago I was asked by my employer if I would mind having my picture taken for a recruiting campaign. I said okay - assuming that no one would ever see the resulting photos. Honestly, who would be interested in a photo used to recruit female police officers? Well, I still don't think anyone is actually interested, but I can tell you that anyone living in Birmingham has seen my face plastered on a billboard on the side of the interstate or on the internet. The billboard has been up since December but a friend just let me know today that my picture is also being used on a job hunting website. I copied the ad so one day my kids will actually believe I was a kick-butt police officer (and if any of my former cop friends are reading this - stop laughing!)

A Magical Place

Our front yard is a magical place. Yes, it's small and it's off limits to the little boys unless someone is outside watching them. But when we all head out to play, our modest front yard transforms into pure heaven. Our little patch of grass is often used to play football, baseball, kickball (our favorite summertime after dinner activity), soccer, frisbee, badminton (we do have 2 Asian kids, you know!), croquet, Bocce, and a number of made-up games that the kids almost kill themselves playing. I hope when the kids grow up they have as many wonderful memories of our front yard escapades as I do.

* I should note that the photos above were taken before JD's fractured patella!