Monthly Archives: February 2008

Meet Me in Martinique…

Posted on February 6, 2008 by Heather Dugan
Posted in Uncategorized

We’re late, and I’m sorry. It’s all my fault… The contest started last week, somewhere between the latest birthday and my last PC crash (more on that in a moment…). But if we hurry, there’s still a chance…!

Meet Me in Martinique [ 2:41 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Last month, twenty-five travel bloggers were invited to post an ‘adventure” on the French Government Tourist Bureau website. The hook? All-expense paid “trips for two” to lovely Martinique for both the winning blogger and one very lucky contest voter!

Shawn at BuzzParadise sent me an enticing Martinique gift package (as if I needed any further convincing that I need to be in Martinique!) as well as weekly updates as his colleagues built the contest site. Being relatively new to blogNEWging but your basic travel junkie, I sent in my posts on Puerto Vallarta…

“A Photo Hike Through Puerto Vallarta” (with MP3 download)

“A Favorite Day in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco (with MP3 download)

Then, my kids got sick (one at a time), lots of other unavoidable (“blah blah blah”; I’m editing out the boring stuff) time-consumption happened, and then another… dare-I-say the “final”(?) PC crash occurred. I’m sure that health club on-lookers assume I’ve simply raised the bar on my cardio this past month or so. They may even have admired my manic energy levels on the elliptical machine on those evenings following a day of nasty computer battles. Basically, those work-outs have been the sanity saver. I’ve run faster, climbed harder, and lifted more weight (I’m hearing “The Six-Million-Dollar Man” sound effects as I type this) in an effort to forestall the inevitable. But, it’s over for me and the PC…

After this last crash, I concluded that my PC had accumulated enough infraction points to require permanent suspension and effectively revoked its license to frustrate and wreak havoc. And I’m thinking the hard drive will make a great foot rest as I get to know my new iMac…

My audio and voice-over friends have long suggested that a Mac is more compatible with my particular web uses. I have a lot to learn but am feeling that at least my computer is working with me and not poking and nudging me like some obnoxious sibling (not in reference to any of my own sisters who were perfectly lovely; going for the family vote now…).

On the plus side, all that aggravation boosted my work-outs to where I think I could handle the physical exertions of a beach vacation rather well. And there’s still time (for both of us)…! This is the direct link to vote for my story. Enter your name and e-mail to vote for me (and as your own contest entry). It’s a bit of a long-shot at this point; the contest leaders were nearing 300 votes the other day when I first looked. I had none, but my loyal Matt is convinced I’ll have a “surge”. Gotta love that kid…

More to come…

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On Her Own Road to “Amazing”: Hannah at 13

Posted on February 1, 2008 by Heather Dugan
Posted in Uncategorized

I could easily trip over the milestones set within this past week. First, my oldest boy Zach turned 16, and then, on Tuesday, my daughter Hannah became an official teen-ager. She’s been an unofficial one, off and on, for the past few months. Anyone blessed with a daughter her age needs no explanation of the constant surprises arising when child and woman live so closely together within the same skin…

On Her Own Road to "Amazing": Hannah at 13 [ 4:18 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Hannah sparkles in most lighting and is not an easy one to describe. Centrally located between two brothers, she learned increasing degrees of self-reliance from an early age. She was the quickest at learning to tie her shoes and to ride a two-wheel bicycle, and she gained “crossing the street” privileges at a younger age than her brothers.

She runs fast in races and on soccer fields, with a gazelle-like grace that is a wonder to watch. I’ve saved every note she’s written to me for the smile factor, whether tearful apology, pointed critique, or adoring words from my favorite girl. She films, sings, writes and is my “go to” girl for computer graphics. She encourages me to cook and likes my clothes well enough to even wear some of them…

The middle child position is not easy. Hannah has read up on it and shared the most pertinent details… And of course, her birthday week only proved her point(s). Her older brother had his sixteenth birthday first. Then her little brother upstaged everything by getting sick, hovering in his illness like a yellow jacket in August and delaying her “birthday dinner” for a few days. Her great-grandma had to be evacuated from her care center after a ceiling collapse (“adventures” are not always age-appropriate), requiring even more of her mom’s time… Would it help Hannah to know that she bumped Zach’s third birthday party by deciding to join us in this world just as I put the finishing touches on his birthday cake? Probably not…

I somehow thought that being the only girl would neutralize the middle child deal. That’s probably the “oldest child” in me speaking. I don’t fully get it, I know. But, I love what being a middle child has done for Hannah. She’s motivated. Organized (double points for achieving that as one of my offspring). Incredibly creative. Funny…

I look at Hannah and see “amazing”. Every time. She’s several steps ahead of where I stood at her age, both in ability and in confidence. And I think she’s bypassing the so-called “awkward stage”: that miserable zip code I resided in for much of my early teen years…

I’m sure there are times she feels that her capabilities are taken for granted, and at times, they probably are. She simply makes it look so easy.

She flowed so freely from building whimsical sand castles to dinner dress elegance during our beach vacation together last September. Glorious memories…

Eager child one moment, maturing young woman the next… I want her to know that parts of that tender girl are worth keeping forever. -That concentrated maturity is overrated, and that growing up doesn’t mean you quit jumping up and down when something sparks your heart. I hope her great-grandchildren will someday see the same sparkle in her eyes that I do and recognize the sweet core of Hannah, sacredly kept and carried within for a lifetime.

Matt was finally well enough for us to travel out for Hannah’s birthday dinner last night. We hadn’t ignored her actual birthday night, but it was nice to finally go out to dinner with a healthy family. Matt’s appetite was fully returned.

But sadly, Zach, whose presence normally ensures no left-overs in the home, wasn’t so hungry. In fact, he didn’t feel very good at all (Kids never get sick at the same time).

Hannah handled it with lady-like grace. We asked that our dinners be boxed up for carry-out. Singing waiters still brought Hannah a candlelit dessert but in a styrofoam container for easy transport. And we drove home…

Matt, Hannah, and I ended up picnicking by candlelight on a big sheet in the family room while Zach rested upstairs… Lily lay at the edge, sniffing and hoping for someone to drop a crumb.

If it’s not one brother, it’s the other, huh Hannah?

But she’s thirteen, my favorite girl, and well on her way to “amazing”…


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