Illegitimate Kids: How would you react?

We are destined to respect and love our family for who they are... but does that include the family that was not conceived in the traditional manner? How should a family react to the idea of another child that was not known until they were older? All of these questions came to me when faced with this same topic. Naturally I love my family... the good, the bad, the rude, the ugly, and as of recently the unknown. So I must start from the beginning... I have a cousin whom is now 13 and I just met this past weekend. He was a child of an uncle whom we (the fam) only found out about after my uncle passed away. This was hard especially for his daughter who felt she knew him so well and that he would have told her about something as serious as a sibling. So as a result, my older cousin, my uncle's first child does not recognize her brother as a sibling and has done nothing to reach out to him. Time has gone by and 10 years later my family has been able to convince my cousin's mother to allow him to come and visit us in the states (he lives in England), and so he came to visit the Georgia fam and I became excited because I love meeting new family members...but then it dawned on me... How does he feel? What does he know? Is my cousin right in her want to ignore his existence? All of these questions came to me and I had to get answers. I have come to my own conclusion after meeting and loving his want to know more and excitement to meet me as well and his eyes light up when you tell him stories about his dad because he was only 3 when he passed away which is also the age I was when my dad passed. At that moment I realized that even though my cousin is somewhat justified in her anger and denial. She should not take it out on her brother because at the end of the day that IS her brother and he did not ask for this craziness. This is my opinion and just one of many... so I decided to ask you all...How would you react? as a cousin, a sibling, a family member, the mistress/other woman, the wife...how would you react to finding out about an illegitimate child? and is your reaction correct? Is it okay to ignore and deny him his family? Are we wrong for embracing and wanting to get to know him and vice versa? The ultimate question...what would you do if you were the wife and your husband had another child out of wedlock?

Food for thought!

♥ Audj

Jeffersons Status... Not just yet

We are destined… to live comfortably.
I’ve done a lot of moving in my lifetime and frankly, I’m sick of it. I’m fascinated by people who grew up in small towns or whose families have lived in the same house for over 20 years. Maybe one day that will be us. Sadly, that won’t be anytime soon though.
I’ve been trying to find somewhere to move for more than 3 months. I’ve established that I am incredibly picky, have high standards and expectations, and have a lot of requirements and deal breakers. I mean why must it be so hard to find a 2 bedroom, over 1000sq ft, with large closets, no brown kitchen cabinets, washer/dryer, walking distance to the metro, close proximity to the District, and within a reasonable price range?
I know I’m kind of hard to please, but for the exorbitant prices and cost of living in the DMV, I should feel like a queen in my castle not a project princess. We have 8 days to notify the leasing office if we plan to move… or renew our lease. At this rate, I can’t take the stress so looks like we may just be rearranging some furniture and reorganizing some storage bins.

Ready for a Baby Bump?

We are destined to be a family… on our own time. The wedding is over, one of the first questions everyone asks, “when are you having a baby?” For some people there is no hesitation and they’re ready to get it popping. For the Dixon girls, that was definitely not the case. Being the planners that we are, there were a number of things we had to consider before jumping behind a stroller.

Our minds naturally begin to race and the thoughts are...house, school, timing, finances, and more. The general consensus of our family and friends are "you will never be ready" and "you'll never have the money because kids are just expensive", but for us it’s more than that. Husbands coming from different backgrounds play a big part in the picture. How are we gonna raise our kids? Will we use corporal punishment or time out? Who will be the disciplinarian? and most importantly how will we keep our relationship alive and well and bring in a child who will most definitely rule our lives for the first 3 years...

Below is a list of some of the things that we’ve considered. They may or may not be at the top of or on your list of priorities at all, but just something to think about.

• Career- Are you and your spouse in a position that you’re comfortable with? Do you get maternity/paternity leave? Does your job involve travel?
• Family- What will be the level of involvement of your immediate family? When will you visit them or they visit you?
• Support system- Do you have friends or family nearby or a phone call away?
• Finances- Are you currently living paycheck to paycheck? Where will the money for the incessant expenses come from for this additional family member?
• Location, Location, Location- Where will you live? Do you have enough space? What’s the proximity of child care to your home and job? What are the schools and daycares like in your area?
• Religion and values- Do you agree on what religion to raise your child under? Do you share values and beliefs about breastfeeding, discipline, education?

Pregnancy and Parenthood are natural and sometimes just seen as something that just happens in the course of life. This is very true but in our quest to be greatly successful, PARENTHOOD is one of the things that us Dixon girls include in our successes. There are a lot of habits bad and good, traditions that we may not agree with and regardless of our past and history we are destined to be active and positive reinforcements for our future children! We promise to love our families unconditionally and break the pattern of dysfunction from our past and turn it into love and purpose!

Summertime Fun Favorites

We are destined to make the best of EVERY season. I absolutely LOVE summer and all things related. The sun, beach/pool, clothes, food, travel, and time with friends and family make me grin from ear to ear. Below are some of my favorites (some new, some old) associated with each of the aforementioned things.
The Sun
For the naturally pale faced like me and Audj, a little tanning oil goes a long way. Banana Boat works really well. Gives me a bronzed glow while the low spf keeps me from burning or turning red. For those of you trying to dodge the sun as my hubby does, Coppertone Sunscreen Sprays Spf 30-50 are perfect- non greasy, easy application, and maintain your natural sexy chocolate complexion.

Clothes
Everyone has those few items that they can’t wait to rock once Memorial Day arrives, whether it be white linen pants, a flowy summer dress, or super cute sandals. I have tank tops in every color and look forward to finding new ways to mix and match them with whatever kind of shorts are in style that year. Old Navy, DSW, and endless.com are my go-to shopping places.

Food
I had this incredible dessert that a coworker made about a month ago. I liked it so much I made it the following weekend. The recipe is this simple:
Mix 1 box of Angel Food cake mix with 1 can of crushed pineapple. (Don’t follow the directions on the box, other than the indicated temperature and time for baking). When finished baking(knife comes out clean) allow to cool. In a large aluminum pan or truffle bowl, layer chunks of angel food cake(break apart with your hands), cool whip, and whatever berries you like(blueberries, strawberries, raspberries are all in season and super cheap). It’s light, healthy, and soooo yummy! *The pic below is the closest I could find to give you an idea.

Friends and Family Time
Best parts of summer are the unending festivals, parades, and outdoor concerts. I personally can’t wait for my major excursion of the summer-Caribana in Canada with my family!

Below are some sites that feature events in your city:
Atlanta
http://www.accessatlanta.com/
http://atlantacitypaper.com/
Washington, D.C.
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/
http://www.washingtonian.com/index.html
Miami
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/calendar/
New York
http://newyork.timeout.com/

What are your summer favorites? You have a hookup up on the festivals? Clothes? Concerts? Let us know!

<3

Wendy

The Herron's + 1 Year = We Made It!!

We are destined 2 have a .....Happy Anniversary!! My wonderful hubby and I celebrated our anniversary! We just recently crossed our 1 year anniversary this past weekend and we had a blast. We decided to lay low and just enjoy our quality time with one another. We have been traveling up a storm the entire year and on weekends we never just relax and spend quality time with one another... so that’s what we did. It was a great time just laughing and spending time with my best friend. We always try to outdo each other in the gift department, and this year really showed how well we know one another. This time we ended up getting each other pretty much the same (surprise) gift with our own personal twist. Your 1st year anniversary is considered the PAPER anniversary so I decided to give the beau a scrapbook that depicted all of our loving moments during our first year as a married couple. He gave me the one thing I have wanted since forever...display cases to show off our great wedding day accessories and he topped it off with a beautiful black/white canvas painting of us that goes perfectly with our living room decor. Pics below...

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my gift to him :) a scrapbook of pictures taken our first year as a married couple!





he absolutely <3 d it!!





these are just a few snapshots so you guys get the drift ...

...of how awesome gift givers we are j/k! But i hope u like!

His gift to me ***

^I left to hang with friends and when I came home I walked into this lovely surprise!!^

We also got each other watches that we were both in search of for a while!! (Disregard the crazy hair)

To sum it all up we had a wonderful 1st year and I cannot wait to see what God has in store for us in our beautiful future!

<3 Audj

Throw A Summer Bash

We are destined 2 have summertime fun this year! I found this link and I thought with the 4th coming up this weekend everyone would be trying to find the perfect party themes to enjoy the holiday weekend with. Don't be blah...be creative and enjoy a safe holiday weekend with a lot of fun, friends, and family. ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS!!!

http://ideas.thenest.com/dinner-recipes/entertaining/slideshows/throw-a-summer-bash.aspx

<3 Audj

Positivity is My Key to Success

We are destined to live a happy and fulfilling life. Recently it has dawned on me that I find myself subconsciously slipping into a negative unhappy life. My current career path is one that I love but my job and work environment has really put a damper on my career path. I love doing what I am doing, but not with the people I am currently doing it with. I will not give in then. I have chosen to take a stand and fight for my happiness. I refuse to live 40 hours a week in a depression. It is an interesting factor because I just realized that daily when I speak to my friends they will ask “How was your day?” or “How are you doing?” and my response will be either “present and accounted for” or “maintaining” and I do not want to just be maintaining. Life is definitely too short to just exist. So today is the day that I am destined 2 take back my life for my enjoyment. I am currently on a hunt for another better opportunity, and I will be exploring my independent endeavors. I have put my happiness on hold for far too long. I am also using my skills for the betterment of my community. I am standing up and using my skills of endurance that brought me this far in life, and that will continue to take me to the next level of success and happiness that God has promised me. I will continue to fight the good fight for ME!