Joan Ellen Cornell

Yesterday, we took the dogs to the dog park and I brought Porter with in the sling. He loved it! He just chilled in there and slept the whole time. I think it made him feel like he was back in my belly again :) I can't wait to take him more places in there!

So i'm having SO MUCH FUN with the Ultimate Blog Party of 2011. SO MUCH. I have been reading through tons of blogs and have found quite a few that i've added to my reader and plan on following. You see, I have a lot of time during the middle of the night while I'm pumping and it makes the time go faster having stuff to read :) And i'm hoping to make some new friends! I've already found a few bloggers from Colorado, which is awesome! Before UBP I only knew of one other blogger from here...so shoot yeah!

After reading more blogs, I realized that I want to start taking part in more link-up thingy's. Like Flashback Fridays, and Week in Cell Phone Pics. Hey, maybe i'll even try to start my own link-up! So that's my goal...starting Monday things are gonna be a-changin' around here a little bit :) Hopefully...

And another pic just in case you haven't seen enough today :0)

TIME TO PARTY!!

Janice and Susan, over at 5 Minutes for Mom, have hosted this "Blog Party" for 5 years now, and this year I have decided to take part! Mostly because I want the opportunity to meet some other bloggers (so please comment here if you like my blog! I'de love to know who's reading and have the chance to visit your blog and get to know you!)...but there's also some pretty awesome prizes involved too!

I'm Joan.

I have an amazing son named Porter Lowan

He's the reason I started blogging in the first place. For a long time before him, I always thought I would be interested in blogging, but could never find a good blogging topic. When I found out I was pregnant with him, I realized it was the perfect chance to start a blog, FINALLY! I did it with the intentions of being able to keep family who lived far from me in the loop, but quickly realized it was so much more than that. Since I've started, I've made some awesome friends and gotten to be a part of their lives through their blogs.

Starting from the beginning-

I'm from Illinois (the suburbs of Chicago). I was raised there and lived there for most of my life. After I graduated high school, I went to community college near home for a year (with my best friend at the time) and after that, went to Northern Michigan University in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I studied Electronic Journalism and minored in English. I LOVED IT THERE. It was a beautiful beautiful place. Lake Superior is an amazing, huge, cold, fun lake to live near. Not to mention all of the lakes, rivers and "mountains" nearby.

After I graduated from NMU, I stayed there for another year trying to figure out where I was going to go from there. I ended up choosing Colorado. I moved out here by myself, and knew ONE person who lived here. So I ended up staying on his couch for a month until I found a job and then my own place to live.

Then about a year later, I met Jeremy. We moved in together within a few months, and have lived together since. Then last summer we found out we were pregnant with Porter...and the rest is history :)

A little about me:

- I love to write. I don't do it nearly enough, but I def enjoy doing it.

- I LOVE LOVE LOVE to read. I have to be careful though, because once I start a book, I get NOTHING done until it is finished. I've even read 3 books in the month that Porter's been born. How you ask? During the hours and hours I spend pumping. That's how.

- I have two pugs named Lola and Lucy. They are the best dogs EVER.

- I am addicted to my computer. Like, literally.

- I like to take pictures, but i'm not that great at it.

- Music is a big part of my life. Almost every kind of music. I went to about 120 shows in the first year I lived in Colorado (a big reason I moved out here). That's been lacking since I got pregnant and was tired all of the time. But i'm hoping that once Porter gets a little older he will be able to go with us. I am really looking forward to taking him to Red Rocks this summer :)

(Check out- Yonder Mountain String Band. The String Cheese Incident. Railroad Earth. Juno What?!?. Florence and the Machine. Boombox. Bassnecter. Umphrey's McGee. Yamn.)

- I worry. A lot. And now that i'm a mom, I worry even more. SHOOT.

- I want to live somewhere warm year round, soon. I always said I liked the seasons, and don't get me wrong, I still do. I just don't need them like I thought I did. Haha.

- I like watching movies, but not more than once usually. There are a couple that I can watch over and over (any Adam Sandler movie) but not too many...

- I love flip flops. Probably why I want to live somewhere warm year round. So I can wear them everyday FOREVER.

- I'm pretty dang crafty. I love making things. But I don't know how to sew with a sewing machine. Something I need to learn one of these days...I'de love to be able to make stuff for Porter...and for me!

- I really appreciate alone time. A LOT.

- I like nighttime, but I also love the morning. Doesn't work out that well, haha. I love getting up early and getting everything done so I have the rest of the day to do whatever I want. Sleeping in has never been a big deal to me.

Alright, well that's it for now I think :) Hope you enjoy my blog!!