Did you know they were adopted?

Our daughter will be in good company....




I got this from the adoption rumor website that I stalk. Someone also added a more complete list:

Entertainers
Halle Berry -- actress
Shari Belafonte-Harper -- actress
Ingrid Bergman -- actress
Richard Burton -- actor
Charlotte Church -- singer
Nat King Cole -- singer
Ella Fitzgerald -- singer
Melissa Gilbert -- actress
Sara Gilbert -- actress
Deborah Harry -- singer
Faith Hill -- singer
Eartha Kitt -- singer
John Lennon -- musician
Art Linkletter -- comedian
Ray Liotta -- actor
Sarah McLachlan -- singer
Marilyn Monroe -- actress
Priscilla Presley -- actress
Buffy Sainte-Marie -- musician
Shania Twain -- singer

Writers
Edward Albee
Louisa May Alcott
Maya Angelou
Charles Dickens
Langston Hughes
James Michener
Edgar Allen Poe
Leo Tolstoy

Athletes
Surya Bonaly -- figure skater
Peter and Kitty Carruthers -- figure skaters
Scott Hamilton -- figure skater
Greg Louganis -- diver
Dan O'Brien -- decathlete
Jim Palmer -- baseball player

Political leaders
Alexander the Great
Senator Robert Byrd
President William Clinton
President Gerald Ford
President Herbert Hoover
Representative Jim Lightfoot
Nelson Mandela -- former president of South Africa
Senator Paull H. Shin
Anthony Williams -- mayor of Washington, D.C.

First ladies
Nancy Reagan
Eleanor Roosevelt

Business leaders
Larry Ellison -- chairman and CEO of Oracle Corporation
Steve Jobs -- cofounder of Apple Computer
Tom Monaghan -- founder and CEO of Domino's Pizza
Dave Thomas -- founder of Wendy's International

Philosophers
Aristotle
Jean Jacques Rousseau

Others
John J. Audubon -- naturalist
Les Brown -- motivational speaker
George Washington Carver -- inventor
Lynnette Cole -- Miss USA 2000
Crazy Horse -- Lakota chief
Faith Daniels -- news anchor
Jesse Jackson -- political activist
Charlotte Anne Lopez -- Miss Teen USA 1993
Malcolm X -- civil rights leader
Moses -- Hebrew prophet
Wilson Riles -- educator
"Dr. Ruth" Westheimer -- sex therapist and radio personality

Rocking (Ralking) and Tulips

What is ralking, you ask??? Well...it is the interesting combination of running and walking and it is what Jeff and I have been doing this week. Before today, we ran 2 miles straight followed by walking 2 miles back. Today we ran 2 miles, walked 1.5, ran 1 more then walked another half...total of 5 miles. Ralk on!

On another note, it is one of my favorite times of the year. No matter how grumpy I am (and you can tell how bad it's been by my last couple of posts), when I see the blooms of my favorite flower, I can't help but appreciate how beautiful some things are in this world. And now they are everywhere. I know I have to enjoy them now because in a few weeks they will be gone. Too bad tulips don't bloom year-round...maybe I wouldn't get so grumpy.

Tragedy

To continue on the sad note, I have to recount something that happened this week. Friday, Mom, Dad and I were travelling on I-459 from Weight Watchers to have lunch at Roly Poly on 280. Mom and Dad were in their car a little ways behind me and I noticed traffic slowing up ahead. It was about 10 till 11am. I saw the back of a FedEx truck on the side of the road closest to the median/guardrail and knew there had been an accident. No police or emergency vehicles were there yet so I knew it had just happened. As I got closer, I saw the passenger side of the car in front of the FedEx truck and knew that it was a bad, bad accident. The car was completely squished and there was no room left for people...the inerds of the car had taken over. Like the idiot that I can sometimes be, I looked in my rearview and side mirrors as I passed the car and saw a body on the pavement...obviously the person had been killed. I saw enough to know that it was a man and that there was absolutely no chance that he was still alive. I started shaking and freaking out...it was the most disturbing sight that I think I have ever seen. My mind started going everywhere...thinking that this was someone's husband or father or son and his family would soon know and be devastated. I called Jeff and couldn't get him on the phone...I talked to Mom and Dad who were behind me coming up on the accident and told them not to look...of course Dad looked anyway and saw at least 2 more bodies still in the car. I called Brandee who was meeting us at the Roly Poly and freaked out to her. It was such a horrible tragedy...and we found out later in the day that 4 teenagers were killed in that accident, 2 of them sisters. 3 families were torn apart that day when they lost their loved ones...young people with their whole lives ahead of them. So horrible that it happened and so much more real since we saw it. I can only hope that they didn't feel pain and that their families have healing every day that passes.

http://www.abc3340.com/news/stories/0308/505781.html

Jumble post...(warning: this is sappy and sad)

Hi! Lots has been happening lately. Lots of funny stuff that I think, "Geesh, I should blog about that." but then I end up not...just not feeling up to blogging too much this week. Jeff and I did take a nice trip to Memphis during my spring break...here are the pictures:

Memphis Trip March 15-18

and

Memphis Trip Day 2 (Graceland)

It was nice to have a few days away and to see Elvis' house which I deem an excuse to not renovate a house which desperately needs to chuck the green carpet and wood paneling.

Anyway...I have been in a strange place lately. Some things have been going well and some, well...not so great. Since this is a blog about our adoption then I will say again that waiting to become a mom absolutely sucks. Starting this process over 2 years ago with probably another 2 to go makes it suck even more. I could have had 4-5 babies in this time and, trust me, I have watched more than 4 or 5 of my friends, co-workers, etc. have their own babies and have dealt with my selfish emotions regarding those situations.

5 years ago this week, I was pregnant...that is where my mind is today. I can't believe it has been 5 whole years. I was feeling strange things going on with my body, my mind was reeling with joy and Jeff and I were planning all the great things we would do with our child...and thinking about if it was a boy or girl, what he or she would look like...my cheeks, his eyes, a combination of all of our features that would make the most precious, loved child ever. We just had a little while of that happiness before finding out that we were losing our baby...then a week of supplementing my hormones in a last ditch effort to save the baby, crying more tears than anyone should and asking God why me, why us, why now, why OUR baby...then all hope taken away...more drugs this time to speed up the miscarriage instead. 3 weeks of waiting for my baby to leave my body...the worst 3 weeks of my life. It happened on April 17th. Trust me, I lost more than my baby that day. I haven't been the same person since and I often wonder how I could get that hope and joy back. We all have experiences in life that phase us more than we wish...that are life altering in good and bad ways...that make us search our souls for who we really are and what direction we are going in. This was one of those for me. Lots of couples lose babies and then go on with their lives, putting it behind them and moving on. Most of the time they go on to have more pregnancies and have families eventually. Not me, not us.

Most of the time I live without thinking of that experience. The adoption has become our way of building our family. The ONLY way that we will become a mom and dad...our only chance. I will love that child so much, no less than if she/he was born of my body. My mistake is assuming that the pain of our original loss will ever go away. Even 5 years later I ache deep inside of me for that baby that left my body on April 17th. Some times I am still empty when I remember that time and knowing that, if things had been different, we would now have a 4 year old running around our house. I would be a mom...all I have ever wanted to be. For now, I am going to embrace my sadness...revel in it for a little while. I am good at pity parties ;). Next week will be better.

Why we are adopting (a ha ha moment)

Jeff and I did this thing in an arcade that is supposed to take your featurs and show you what your child is supposed to look like. I accidentally hit the button for blonde and this is what we got....a blonde 5 year old with a mullet. How much does anyone want to bet that our child would not look like this platinum, pale faced chica? She is definitely not our daughter...ha ha. At least it gave us a good laugh.

We're legal

Jeff and I have now been waiting 21 months since our paperwork was logged in in China. Are we even half way to our baby yet? No one knows. All we can do is be patient, be positive and pray that if she has already been born that she is healthy, safe and thriving somewhere until we can find our way to her (or him). Happy 21 month LID-versary to us!!

Spring Break

What do old people do when they are in school and have spring break? Well...the hard-core ones just breathe a little easier and go to work. The ones who are boring and don't work (like me) plan to sleep in, clean out a closet and read ahead. The ones who are maxed out on their vacation (like Jason) come to Birmingham to visit their fams. So while B'ham and Moody are definitely not Cancun (yes I heard you), thanks for visiting Jason. Sorry you missed out on drunken partying, girls flashing their hoo-has and dudes streaking on the beach...maybe next year.

I concede

So usually I am the smart one who is always right...hee hee. But after much banter, I do concede this ONE time. Dad and I had a "discussion" about the word condensate...I swore it wasn't a word and he swore it was. So he googled it and found....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condensate

It is a word...but I still insist that it's only a word that chemists should use. So there .... I concede with only one "but". Savor this moment 'cause it's not likely to come again ;).

Picnic in the park

Today is a beautiful day in the 'ham...sunny and in the mid 70s. We are just being spoiled before the snow on Tuesday....ick. Anyway...Jeff and I went to the gym and then decided to take Subway to the park and have a picnic. So here are some pictures of us ... Jeff's feets on the grass and us with the sun in our eyes.

Hope everyone enjoyed the gorgeous day!

Me vs. the Michelin Man

I refer to my clinical uniform as my "marshmallow outfit" and I had to wear it for the first time on Friday. I couldn't help but miss the striking similarity between me in my uniform and a certain character who advertises tires...

VS.

Stop...

Check out the stop sign that was downtown where Brandee, Dad and I had lunch today. Thanks for pointing it out Bran. It gave me flashbacks of parachute pants and fast side to side dancing...

The Journey

Do you ever notice that we spend so much of our lives thinking about all the things that we want to accomplish or the individual successes and failures we have already had? I have been thinking about this a lot lately. I think about making my goal weight, graduating from college, getting married, and on and on but I don't think so much about all it took me to get to those life changing experiences in my life, the people who "rode the ride" with me and the feelings that accompany each experience. Each of my successes (and failures) has had a preceding journey made up of days and years of laughter, tears, struggle and baby steps toward the finale. I don't want to think so much anymore about finishing nursing school, becoming a mommy, losing my 20-some pounds, celebrating my 10th anniversary with Jeff...I want to think about all the days that will lead me to those landmarks...the journey of my life. When I really reflect on my life, the joys lie in those journeys...the day Jeff and I decided to adopt and all the dreams we have shared since about our daughter, all of the growing that I experienced during my life at each stage - childhood, college, independent days, meeting Jeff, making commitments, every week during my weight loss when I successfully gained control of my health and life, the people who make a difference in my life every day just by calling and saying, "Hi. I'm thinking about you.". Such precious moments I miss out on when I lose touch with my own personal journey by just focusing on the finale. Of course, the bad times are just as much a part of my journey and I remember those, learn from them and grow...savor my life's lessons, gain humility, cry my tears and move on. I am hungry for the journey...I want to eat it up and make it part of me. It will make me a better, happier person...every second, every minute, every day.

Bye bye baby cuddling

In an attempt to gain some kind of semblance of normalcy to my life, I have made yet another change. I have said sayonara to the baby cuddling. I am sad to leave it behind but I just can't possibly manage multiple no sleep days anymore...I can't give nursing school what it needs while I am nodding off and feeling like puking. I sent my notice yesterday but still have 6 shifts to make it through before I can see what life is like through normal, rested eyes. Next Wednesday night will be my last shift. I will miss the wee ones desperately but will be glad to get some of myself back....and of course, as Dad says, I will have more Dad time. ;)

who am i?

I am:

a woman

a student

a sister

a daughter

a wife

a mommy-to-be

a friend

a poet

a person with a past

a person with a future

imperfect

full of flaws

full of the power to claim my flaws

passionate

lonely at times

searching for fulfillment

desperate to be happy

proud of my family

unsure of myself

discovering something new

rediscovering something old

a dreamer

in love with my husband

me

all I know how to be.

Why you should vote...

Year of the Rat

Happy Chinese New Year! Today marks the start of the Year of the Rat...doesn't sound so nice, does it? I found a website that says the following:

"A Rat Year is a time of hard work, activity, and renewal. This is a good year to begin a new job, get married, launch a product or make a fresh start. Ventures begun now may not yield fast returns, but opportunities will come for people who are well prepared and resourceful. The best way for you to succeed is to be patient, let things develop slowly, and make the most of every opening you can find. People born in an Earth Rat are said to be logical realists, shrewd, charming, ambitious, and inventive."

Every time we celebrate the Chinese New Year I say that this might be the year that our baby is born. So I will say it again as we leave the Year of the Pig behind and welcome in the rat...this might be the year that our baby girl enters the world. I pray that next year I won't be saying the same thing. Happy Chinese New Year everyone!!

Crazy Hair

I got my ID in school today. I have to wear this when I do clinicals which start on Feb. 28th. I knew we were having pictures done and I brought make up since I was going straight from a 12 hour shift at the hospital but do you think the photographer man could've told me that my hair was all over the place. Nooooo....of course not.

The best part of the Super Bowl...

is, of course, the ads. I only watched the last few minutes of the game and, yes, it was a little exciting. At least the parts that I understood. It can't really compete with the commercials though (isn't that sad?). So here is the one that Jeff and I deem as our favorite:




And one that I can particularly relate to:

One way they torture nursing students...

By making us wear these stinkin' UGLY shoes.

My band...again

The Last Goodnight is releasing their next video. It came out on Myspace today and here it is...Stay Beautiful. Kurtis is still a hottie. Click on the box.

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