the week that was...

our feet prepared to climb and adventure along the edge of the earth, our path mapped out by the grids in stone. as we set forth and made our way into isolation together, we frolicked with puff the magic dragon and marveled at the power of the ocean. we got to hold hands and laugh, and we watched our friend smile widely at the secrets we shared.

i danced with my dude on tall rocks, stood behind a waterfall and felt the cooling mist as the rushing sounds soothed and calmed my brain. the trees called out to us as we hiked nearly seven miles, enjoying the color and splendor of the mountain. somehow nature always seems intent on giving me what i need, even when i think i don't deserve it.

we embraced new friends and blogged for fovc, in honor of a special little boy that is coming home soon. we spread the word far and wide (as well as asking friends to forward on!), and donated once again to our favorite grassroots organization. sometimes it seems as though we have nothing more to give, yet it felt good to stretch and dig deep, sharing with others who are truly without. thank you to our friends who tweeted and facebooked the word with us! yes, i know i used that as a verb... meh.

we had some serious conversations. we had some tears and sorrow. we danced in the middle of the garage, ate dinner at midnight, and talked for hours. i look at my face in photos and through all the heartbreak we've been through, i do believe i'm still laughing more than i'm crying, and i have the telltale laugh lines to prove it. so there. i guess it's true, everything is gonna be alright.

READ, SHARE, LOVE... CALL TO ACTION!

Hi friends,

This is Shonda from Godwilladd. Nicole has kindly let me take over her blog to tell you about an awesome Baby Shower like none other.  A couple of my friends have teamed up and we're trying to raise funds for an organization called FOVC.  They help provide aid and hope to the immediate areas where our kiddos are from, an area that has been hit hard by this horrible famine.

Shameless plug:  Will you hop on over to my shower?  I promise I won't make you smell mystery diapers and  no I won't let you wrap toilet paper around my abdomen.

For $13 FOVC can feed one starving child for one month.  So far, this shower has raised $710.  If you're amazing at math like myself, you know that 54 kids who didn't have food today, will have food tomorrow and for the next month because of the generosity of a select few.  Wow!  Can we make it 100 kids?  Will you please help me spread the word? 

Why? 

Of all the great charities out there, why have I chose to rally behind FOVC?  A few simple reasons:

1) There are a lot of other great charities that are working to fight this famine, and I (despite my cynicism of big organizations) have supported them.  But FOVC is the only NGO working directly in the areas my boys are from, and where their first families still live.  Even if I liked nothing else about FOVC, this one simple fact would make me want to support them.  Thankfully, there are lots of other things I like about them:

2) They are a very small grassroots organization and very conservative with their money.  All their workers are volunteers, and they do all their traveling on their own dime, which means all the money we give goes directly to feeding the kids and helping their community fight poverty with long-term goals in mind.

3) I have a close friend who has done aid work with them in Ethiopia (and is on her way back in a few weeks), knows many personal details about how they operate and spend their money.  She's a Dave Ramsey fiscal conservative like myself, and she fully endorses them.  They have an independent bookkeeper who verifies that over 96% of the funds go directly to Ethiopia.

4) Directly from the president of FOVC:  "We have an amazing team of volunteers! Our board members and officers (if I do say so myself) are doing outstanding work! We spend a lot of time and effort educating ourselves on best practices of economic development (it's what my husband does!) and strive to implement every program using best practices. This means we empower, not enable. Every effort we undertake is aimed at offering long-term sustainability, success...and HOPE

Have I convinced you they're great?

Click here and support them:

And then (this part is optional), click here and tell MB how excited you are about his arrival into our family.


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the week that was...

i baked. and baked. and baked.

we celebrated the birth of miss kiya with friends and family who came to visit. there was laughter and fun in the sun, and splashing in the pool. there were movies and running and jumping and stealing shoes from brother. there was 1am popcorn and late night pie rushing. best of all, there was a proclamation of "i feel special" from the girl that sometimes thinks she's anything but special.

we celebrated the birth of one of my favorite nieces. we made our way to sauvie island and raced across hot sand that burned our feet. we made our way to the water and played water tag and swam the afternoon away. we jumped waves sent our way by huge barges, and enjoyed good food, more cupcakes and digging in the sand.

we enjoyed a visit from grandparents and a delicious meal out together as a family. we tried new foods and delighted in being served dinner while the kitchen at home stood in disarray. stunt gp battles were revisited and grandpa upped the ante by threatening to practice while cay went to daycare!

lazy susan turned orange amid the afternoon sunshine, and shelves of blue marched into the gray kitchen cabinets. we rejoiced as the oak vanished before our eyes, and silently wondered why we hadn't started this sooner. and then my back complained. and screamed. and i knew at once why we hadn't started this sooner. and i promised my back i'd take it slow and not rush the finish. and so needless to say, the kitchen still sits in a state of disarray while i listen to my aching back.

one month on the waiting list...

happy birthday, sweet girl...

the week that was...

 

we were tired of living in a house. so we packed our gear, and food for picky eaters, sumptuous treats for company, and we battled horrendous traffic to get out of town. we drove through the secret roads, our car tossing up dust to anyone that dare follow us down twisty paths, and made our way to the cabin on the lake.

we kicked off our shoes and walked down to the dock, rode in pirate ships, tamed sharks, and glided through the water like royalty in a throne of gold. we knit scarves for penguin, took midnight boat rides to gaze at stars, held magic gatherings and busted fresh with "the sprinkler". a holy cow led the d&d crew to honest abe, who wanted nothing more than love and cuddles, revealing that even the most wildest fantasies can reflect our very perfect realities.

we walked among our giant friends, listening to their secrets as we followed abe up and down steep slopes and marveled at the bright colors that popped out to greet us in the most unassuming of spaces. we danced and sang, and laughed and kissed, we swam and ate great food, explored and engaged in conversation with ease.

we watched our energetic young boy tumble into the lake, fully clothed and unprepared for the fright of his life. he was lifted right out, scooped up and held close, as the water and fear dripped away in the arms of safety and comfort. he was wrapped in warmth and love and dry clothes, held tight and reminded of rules.

we loved the cabin, until it was time to go. so we said our goodbyes, and gave great big hugs, we said thank you and we'll be back soon, piled into the car, and went home to live in a house. 

thank you to our dear friend chuck, for the weekend of relaxation and fun. getting to know you better was time well spent!

FOVC and "FEED HOPE"

normally i've been doing a "friday faves" list on fridays, but i'm changing it up today. as you read this, the worst drought in 60 years is ravaging somalia, and thousands of people have already died and are fleeing or have fled for refugee camps in kenya. experts are calling it the worst humanitarian crisis in years. so what can we do? we, as in you and me; the ones living with a roof over our heads, clean water, and food in our bellies. there are many relief organizations helping provide aide to the areas and people affected.

let me share with you about FOVC (parts of this borrowed from my amazing friend Tamara B!). FOVC is also another great organization that is getting relief to surrounding areas affected by the drought and lack of food. FOVC is doing a huge campaign to raise funds to feed those in and around shanto (southern ethiopia near durame and soddo) who will otherwise get no emergency help. their goal is big but doable. you can read more about that campaign on their site http://www.fovc.org/feed-hope-relief.html. FOVC is huge on not just giving hand outs. this relief project is due to the desperate emergency created by the drought/famine. this will be short term help (4 months) and then back to normal developmental stuff where they enable people to feed their families by learning valuable crop, textile and other skills.

there is often a call for help from many organizations all over the world. if you’re in a position to help, whether it is $5 or $500, whether you can physically help with your talent and skills, or simply raise awareness, for issues at home or abroad, taking the time to do so often has a greater impact than we can imagine. to give you some motivation, i'll share with you what we're doing. we recently got a bonus at work, and our intention was to put it in our adoption fund. our adoption fund can wait. people are dying today; they cannot wait. we just mailed off a check to FOVC today. any amount helps, and if you can help in any way, big or small, please do so either by visiting the FOVC website above, or you can contact me privately and i can give you an address to mail a check. if you can spread awareness to your friends and family, you have my complete gratitude!

don't look now...

but there goes "peace and justice man" to the rescue!

 

the week that was...

a starfish came to visit, and moved about the pool with grace... or something close to it.

the locs are in! twists for now, but working their way to genuine awesomeness. i've only had one problem thus far, and that is they make my son look two years older.

the girl played dress up and liked what she saw... conversation flowed easily between us as we passed the afternoon hours discussing teenage trials and tribulations. i certainly don't miss my own teenage years, though i have vowed to never forget them, lest i lose touch with teenage reality and watch my children close up and shy away from the openness we currently enjoy.

the oldest boy completed an online survey, earning himself $10 from the oregon department of transportation. he took this task very seriously. as i expected he would. and that's why i wasn't worried about his first driving lesson. one down, many to go.

delightful beverages were consumed, accompanied by witty conversation, card games with borrowed money, and support given and received between some of the best of friends.

we traveled to some of the tallest trees, and pranced across several bridges... some were strong and sturdy, wearing their finest colors with flair. others were fragile yet lovely, offering support in exchange for delicate footsteps and respect of natural beauty. we danced, and kissed, and vowed to focus on the present so as not to become consumed by the future and what could be one day. the sun came out and basked us in glory, a guitarist played a song to our dancing, and holding hands seemed the most intimate of details.

i've often thought i was born into the wrong period in history, imagining my life as simpler while hard working, and yet i can say with certainty that 1894 is not my time either.

molten chocolate lava cake spontaneously appeared, not once, but twice! this homemade treat is fast becoming my dude's signature dessert... i accept it with homemade whipped cream, with or without strawberries. that's just how kind i am.