Category: The Queen

Perspective in Dairy Queen

She gets in her own world, ya know. She & her wild-haired beautiful self.

Listening.

Watching.

Immersing herself in others’ conversations.

All while enjoying her drink of choice—often a milkshake or root beer float (because of the ice cream, both are easy for her to swallow without getting choked, so we let her hold the cup and drink at her own pace).

She looks so grown when she does this. Well, she is grown. But rarely does she get to do “grown” things. And when she does, I relish it.

So does she.

This particular time we were in Dairy Queen (her version of Ruth’s Chris), and to the left of her there were two “kids”, probably in their early twenties, who were onboarding for employment there. One, a pretty blonde girl whose eyes smiled when she looked at you, the other, a strapping fella with a chiseled jaw and wearing a quarter zip (if you know you know).

While I fed her itty. bitty. miniscule bites of her sandwich, and while she chomped and chawed (Appalachian for “chewed good”), she’d glance over to watch the interview process between the two and the manager. The only time she looked my way was when she was ready for another bite, & she’d look down on the tray, point, and shake her head “yes.”

Meanwhile, Dad, Mom & I chatted about onion rings, old farm property, and Mom’s new ‘do that made her “look like money”, (per my words).

…with frequent comments about how Britni was so engrossed with what was going on just 10 feet from us.

Britni didn’t care. Her Momaw’s, Popaw’s, and my conversation held little interest for her–she was eating a fish sammich & watching the hunk of a fella fill out an application. On paper. With a pen.

My brother called as we ate. He gave us his ETA (he was on his way in for a visit), asked if he needed to stop and get something to eat before arriving (he did), and Mom let him know we’d be heading to the store to get his Pepsi.

All the while, Britni chewed.

And drank.

And listened (though not to us).

At one point, Mom was worried her hands were getting cold holding that milkshake. I assured her that Britni would let us know if they were. I then went into the whole “if she held it with a napkin, she probably wouldn’t be able to tell where it is in space, and holding it as it is helps her control it” (I’ve no idea how to word that—therapists, help me out).

Our little baskets were empty, fries eaten, wads of paper lay strewn between the two tables, and we were ready to leave.

But we didn’t.

The two next to us had begun watching a video on a tablet as part of their onboarding. We heard “welcome to the team”…”brand vibe”…”the customer’s truth”…a lot of terms I was very familiar with from when I was a small business marketing counselor. Honestly, I found myself leaning in a bit, too.

The video was peppered with some comic relief apparently, because we could hear them chuckle as they watched. Confirmation came when Britni joined right in. Straw in mouth. Head slightly bent. And a hearty “heh heh heh!” bellowed past her milkshake-covered lips.

So, we lingered.

Britni’s joy bubbled over and slipped right into us. By this time, she’d thrown her legs over Mom’s lap, made herself comfortable, and just enjoyed the experience.

We did, too.

I used to tell Britni not to stare.

I thought I was protecting other people.
Protecting her.
Trying to make her fit into a world that moves too fast and notices too little.

But I don’t do that now.

Because Britni doesn’t just look at people…
she experiences them.

Their laughter becomes hers.
Their moments become hers.

And yesterday, sitting there in Dairy Queen,
watching her laugh along with strangers like she belonged right there with them…

I realized something that hit me square in the chest—

She doesn’t need to look away.

The rest of us need to look more.

#perspective #sincerelyteresa #thequeensworld

Goodbye Comfort Zone

As some of you already know, I recently became unemployed for the first time since 2011, so Robbie and I have begun content creating.  (He’s more part of the content, and I, the creator.)

In May 2024, we became Rob & Teresa in Appalachia.

I’m not a pro at it.  Heck, I’m not even great at it yet—especially the videography part.  Interestingly, I lack in the promo part, too.  This is odd, because for the past 4 years, this is what I’ve done—either teaching marketing or doing it; however, I’ve never done it for myself.

Honestly, it feels odd.

But if I want our endeavor to grow, I’m gonna hafta.

Wow, This Takes Time

Content creation can be monetized (I’m hoping that ours will supplement my staying at home and being available for Britni 100% of the time), but for it to start earning money, we need subscribers, followers, likes, comments, watch hours, etc.  For instance, on YouTube, we need 1,000 subscribers and 4000 valid public watch hours in the last 12 months.  Yes, that’s a lot.  But not impossible.

Content creation takes time.  First, you have to get the video (which, for us, happens after weeks of planning to get to the place where the videos are shot—we have to coordinate Britni’s care with my parents and Baxter’s stay at the resort).  I get home with at least a few hours of raw (unedited) content.  This is when the real work starts.

Did you know that on average, editing takes about 1 to 1.5 hours per minute of video.  My most recent fifteen-minute video on Cool Cruisin’ Nights took about 30 hours to edit.  Now, the more I do it, the better and quicker I’ll get, but even professionals would have taken about 15 to 22 hours to edit it.  I worked during the early hours of the morning before Britni woke up, and a couple times had some creativity left in me at night after she went to bed to eke out a few more edits.  Video editing requires—for me, at least—an unbroken stream of thought.  Big chunks.  Four or five hour stretches.  I’m more of a “morning & earlier in the day” creative person anyway.

None of this is said with resentment or disdain.  I love doing this.  I’m just sharing what the editing part involves. Mad props to those content creators who are making a living from it—you are definitely earning it! Other places I can monetize are my blog and through my Amazon Associate store.  When you order from an Amazon link I post, I earn a small commission on eligible purchases.

Doing What I Love

In 2019, I finally earned my BS in Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations, Persuasion, and Advocacy from ODU (go, Monarchs!)  I’m tapping into that degree now…. using what I went to school for…and looking at every avenue for potential income supplements.

When I love something, I want to share it with everyone–I get passionate about it.  Whether it’s

Cooking

Great shopping finds

Fishing

Gardening

Advocating for individuals who have exceptional needs

Music

Cars

Appalachia

Our beloved West Virginia

Our amazing Queen Britni…

And doing it—sharing & promoting—takes a bit more fancy footwork for us than your average folk.  Besides Robbie & me, my Mom & Dad are Britni’s only caregivers, and they live an hour away.  Britni doesn’t travel well without them with us, so when we make our short trips, she stays with them.  For a two-night getaway, we must first ensure they’re available to care for her, then make sure there’s availability for Baxter to stay at Goin’ to the Dogs Pet Resort, then check for accommodations at our destination.  As newbies, our outgo is more than our income because we have to spend money to get the content, from which we’ll eventually see a return (you see how I’m thinking positively?).

Makes Me Nervous!

Put $ out to bring $ in? This is way outside of my comfort zone.

But I’m 53.

It’s time.

Plus, the higher the risk, the greater the reward.

And since I’m already out of that comfort zone, I figured I’d go ahead and ask.

Would you like to show your support, and do it at zero cost to you?  All it takes is a click or two.  A tap on a screen.  Perhaps a comment and a thumbs up (I’m not forcing a “like”, but those are much preferred over the ol’ thumbs down).  And shares.  When you share, it helps us reach people we never would otherwise.

Here’s How

Helping with our YouTube channel is easy.  Subscribe, like, comment…and when you set notifications to all, you’ll get an email letting you know when we posted another video.  (You can see how to do it here.)  The time watched, too, is counted, which goes toward our being eligible for the YouTube Partner Program. Like I said, 4000 watch hours and 1000 subscribers in 12 months is a lot, but it’s not impossible.

Facebook—like the page, like and comment on posts, share on your page.  Instagram—leave us a comment, hit that heart.

Just engage.

When you do, it shows these platforms we’re relevant, and they’ll keep pushing our content out there for more people to see.  Your engagement doesn’t happen in a silo…it creates a ripple effect.  And it is much appreciated.  Not only does it help us, we love hearing from you!  We love learning what others’ likes and opinions are just as much as we love sharing ours.

If you’re trying to get your business, or your content out there for the masses, feel free to share this information with your audience.  Let them know how important these small, quick, and free actions are to you.  Things that are too simple often seem like they don’t matter.

But they do.

And for each of you who has read through to this part, and subscribed, liked, shared, and/or commented, we are eternally grateful.

Robbie, Britni, and I thank you!