Chacos day one

Last night, we went out for frozen yogurt and I decided I wanted to walk around an outdoor mall. Nick and I went in a hiking shop and found some Chacos and Nick suggested we go ahead and do it. So, I bought some gorgeous green Yampa Chacos. Today was day one with them. And, to be honest, they kind of hurt my feet. The woman last night suggested giving them two weeks. Work through the break in and keep on, keeping on. Wish me luck!

The recent move

In April, my boyfriend of nearly a year proposed to me and I quit my job as managing editor of a twice-weekly newspaper and a once-weekly newspaper outside of Knoxville, Tenn. and moved to Huntsville, Ala. It has been a whirlwind of a spring and I am finally finding my feet under me and am working to get settled in this eclectic town of super smart people. As I was settling in, I realized by quitting my job I had lost my health insurance and had to cancel a yearly women's well-check. I am now insured and started my hunt to find a women's center for my check-up. I was hoping to find a place similar to the Lisa Ross Birth and Women's Center in Knoxville. I was discouraged to find that there isn't one nearby (and I have yet to find one in state). I was further discouraged to learn there are limited women's health options in the state. A midwife cannot attend a home birth in this state, and if she does, she can find herself in serious legal trouble, including fines and jail time if she is found guilty. JAIL TIME! Isn't that bizarre? Back home, I was hearing more and more women say they wanted to birth outside of a traditional hospital and it never occurred to me that it would be near impossible in other states. However, that is the case here. Upon discovering this, I put myself into contact with the Alabama Birth Coalition and the Alabama Midwives Alliance in an effort to find midwife women's care. I am not pregnant, but I do feel it is important to spend plenty of time figuring out what my options are. There has been much lobbying the past few years to bring midwives back into women's care in this state. In both of my emails this morning, I have offered my social networking prowess to help them out, as that was one of my primary duties at the News-Herald and The Daily Times. It discourages me that there are so many restrictions on women's health. I don't want to say "Well, this is how it always has been in the south" because I don't feel that's the case. I've done quite a bit of reading on how the state ended up here and honestly, from my research, it seems to be a response to the civil rights movement. Before that, most of the midwives (and women seeking the care) were African Americans. I am discouraged, but I am sure I will find something. Anyone who is interested in learning more about midwives in Alabama should check out the book, "Listen to Me Good: The Life Story of an Alabama Midwife" by Margaret Charles Smith and Linda Janet Holmes. I'm hoping to find the movie about Margaret Charles Smith, called Miss Margaret. She caught thousands of babies before she was forced out of the midwifery practice in Alabama.