Kids with Cameras

I just watch a documentary called Born into Brothels. It was very sad but somewhat inspiring. A photographer named Zana Briski went into the Red light districts of Calcutta Indian. Originally she was studying the women but eventually fell in love with their kids. She stated a photography class where she gave each kid a camera where they could photograph their lives. She also worked to get some of these kids into schools which was very difficult because their parents were criminals. She wanted to do what she could to keep them from following the footsteps of their parents. Most of the girls born in the brothels usually become prostitutes. The kids did a really GREAT job with their photographs. http://www.kids-with-cameras.org/kidsgallery/ She and others have now started this same type of project in other areas around the world. I was relieved to see that several years later some of the kids are still in the boarding schools looking forward to a brighter future. I was also sadden that some dropped out or were taken out by their parents only to go back to a future with out hope. I would recommend watching this movie but make sure you have some klenex.

Time Flies and Dreams Come Alive

You close your eyes and go to sleep
you already dream of a day when we will meet
but who knows how time will fly
when one day...

With eyes so dark you lift your face
to see a smile upon my face

With joy so deep
You wonder how time can fly
That you opened your eyes
to see your dream come alive

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RITA PITA!!!!!

May it be the best yet!!!

Fingerprints

Well yesterday, we went and got our fingerprints at the jail. It is a pretty neat system. They do not use ink but a computer. I will now mail them to the GBI to have them read and make sure we are not criminals. We drove to appling to get them done and to have a local background check also. The local office where we have to get a letter from the police department saying that we have no local crimes. The office was closed so we get to go back to Appling to do this and both of us has to be present. You can only request your own so I can't going looking into other people's business not even my husband. I guess that is good to know that I am at least secure there. After all this is said and done we will eventually have to go to Atlanta to get fingerprinted by the FBI, but all this work is worth it because it means that one day I will be a mother.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all my favorite bloggers. I hope that your holidays were great!

Dear Birth Mother

I wrote this poem when we knew that we were going to adopt but didn't know where. It is written for the birth mother.

Greatest Gift Of Love



What Joy-What Sorrow happened on that day
When the Gift of Love is bestowed

The Joy you give as you hand over your child
The Greatest Gift of Love you gave us that day

The sorrow that comes with such a sacrifice is hard to ease
on that day you gave your child to me

The day you decided to give this precious child
more than what you could provide

The gift you have given me is
The Greatest Gift of Love

My prayer for you is that your sorrow will one day return to Joy
because of the Greatest Gift of Love that you gave to me

You will always be a part of that Joy
when I reflect upon that precious day

I will remember the sacrifice it took
and will lift you up to the one who
Gave us all the
Greatest Gift of Love

Sonogram

The child we will adopt is already in the womb and will probally be born sometime soon with in the next couple of months, that's CRAZY! It's our first sonogram! :) I found this on several other blogs from people adopting from China. I do pray for my child often just as any mother who is expecting except would. I also pray for her biological mother and family.

Sardines

OK. The aquarium was nice but very much over crowded. We waited in line with prepaid tickets for an hour while those who did not have prepaid tickets waited about 25 minutes. I felt like I was in a can of Sardines. Every line was a mass of people. It is not something I would advise doing until some of the newness wears off. Mike was a little stressed with the crowd but I had him beat. I had somewhat of an anxiety attack so he went and bought me a little bottle of wine which helped calmed my nerves. I took a few pictures but we were not allowed to use flash in most place so they are not that good. I only had my small camera so I could not adjust the settings. That anxiety attack was not so bad as the one at the mall. I had to leave the building. There were people everywhere and I am usually great with navigation issues but felt like I was going in circles and there was no way out so the first exit I saw I left. Our trip was very nice. We left Augusta around 5 on Friday went out to eat at "Up A Creek", it was pretty good. On Saturday, we walked Lennox Mall, went to Phillips Plaza which is about the size of Augusta Mall. All the shops in the two places were very high dollar stores, all of your name brand places. But at Phillips plaza is were we saw KING KONG, what an awesome movie. We then later ate dinner at a very nice restaurant. The people next to us were a lot of fun they were somewhat of an older couple and the lady's sister. They were enjoying life, and we were enjoying it with them. The next day is when we took Marta to the aquarium, we waited an hour to go about 15 miles down the street. We missed the first train, and waited about 30 minutes on the next one only to go to the very next station to get off because that train was going to be serviced where we again waited for another 30 minutes on the train that was "right behind it" We walked centennial Park and went to the CNN building. The ride home was much better. We rode marta to Lennox mall and then walked back to Phillips Plaza to see the movie "memoirs of a geisha" That was also a very good movie. It when along with our lunch of sushi and Chinese food. Today we stopped at the Carter Center, and took a look at history. It was pretty cool.



OK I am going to post my first poem, it is not about adoption but its is one I wrote just before our decision to adopt and is dedicated to all the girls that I have worked with and they know who they are. It is called "Mother of None, Many Daughters"

I am a mother of none
but yet I have many daughters.

We talk-We laugh-We cry and play
and they tell me about their day.

but when the day is done
they go home to their mothers
and I to a childless home.

I love these daughters of mine
there door is always opened to my heart

I'm happy to be there
to share their lives and
would not have it any other way

Even tough one day they move on about their lives
they will never completely go away
They are a treasure in my heart

One day I'll be a mother to a child of my own and
forever will be grateful for
there lessons they have taught me

For God has put them there and used them to make me
into the best mother that I can be.

For these daughters
have brought Joy in my childless days.

Update

I know that my friends must think that I never blog or when is she going to blog. I have thought about it but never seen to take the time to sit. As most of you know that Mike and I have been considering adoption. Well we have started the process. We have turned in our application and begun our "Home Study". That's just the beginning. For our home study we have to write an autobiography. This is probably the hardest part for me because I am not a big fan of writing. We will also have to have a physical, be fingerprinted locally and by the FBI. After the entire process is over there will be NO SECRETs about us. I am very excited despite all of the paper work.

Rita wants me to blog some of my poems I've been writing. As I said before I am not a great writer. Maybe one day I'll share them with you.

Christmas is almost hear a time of Holiday Cheer. I look forward to spending time with my family. Just think hopefully this time next year I will have a new addition to the family. I am going to attach some pictures of my family including one of a baby boy that we considered adopting. He is my brother-in-laws step daughter's son. She decided that it would be too difficult to let us adopt him because we were family and she would see and here him call us "mommy" and "daddy". He is cute. Hopefully we will still be able to impact his life in some way.

Tomorrow is our (Mine and Mike's) 16th anniversary. That puts us together for 19 years because we dated for 3 years. We will be heading to Atlanta for some time together. We will go out to eat somewhere nice and then we are going to the new Georgia Aquarium. I'm excited about that. I'll post pictures of that on a later date.

TTFN(ta ta for now as Tigger would say)

Adoption

Today Mike and I went to an informational meeting on international adoption. It all sounds very exciting but it also sounds very scary. We have talked about going to China to adopt a little girl. After you go through a mountain of paperwork and then get your referral for a child you eventually travel to a foreign country. About 1-2 days after your arrival you get your child. The scary thought is being a first time parent in a foreign county for 2 weeks. I know that once you get there you probably do not think about any of that and you just think about your new child and enjoying your time there.

Friends Make Good Things Even Better

This weekend I went to the renaissance Faire with my friends Robin, Rita, Elizabeth and baby Romand. I always enjoy going to the Faire but it is so much better with friends. We drove up on Friday night to Charlotte N.C. and what a trip it was. By the time we got there we were tired and silly. The next morning we got up got dressed (in costume) and went to the Faire. We were there 7 hours and it only seemed like a few. It was a beautiful day. We walked around, ate, and watched a few shows. The belly dancers were great. The weather was perfect. Things continued to get better. The trip home was fun. We talked about everything and then played word games on the return trip. We laugh a lot. They always say "Laughter is the best medicine." That was all we needed. There were no need for alcohol because we laughed ourselves drunk. Fun things are always better with friends. I do believe life is about relationships. Investing in people is a good way to ensure a happy life. I am very thankful for my friends.

Sorry Dottie, Wish you were here. We will have a girls night when you return.

San Francisco

October 22-27 we took a vacation to San Francisco California. It was a really great time. Thank God the flights were not miserable like the last time. The first full day of fun was going to Napa Valley doing wine tasting. What fun that was. We stopped to eat and I had the best portabella mushroom burger I have ever sank my teeth into. After eating we decided to ditch our plan due to non stop traffic and went to an off street and try the vineyards there. We went to Mumm Vineyard where they make champagne and they had an Ansel Adams photo exhibit. It was awesome.
The next day was spent cheering the Oakland Raiders to victory.
Day 3 we packed up and headed to our hotel at Fisherman's Warf. On the way we stopped off at Cafe gratitude a raw vegan restaurant. The food was really good and so was the atmosphere. The food was great. Mike said his soup tasted like grass. However he did enjoy the place and even said that if I could prepare food like that he could possible eat this way. The flavors were good. The vegan cheesecake was the best. All of the food had name like "I am joyful" "I am cheerful" and when they served it to you they would say "you are joyful" after eating you felt good. Later that day we went to fisherman's warf and then to Japan town.
Day 4 was more time at fisherman's warf and China town where I love to shop. They have all kinds of cool things. Later that day we took a boat tour out to Golden Gate Bridge and around alcatraz
Day 5 was spent in airports and getting home so that I could go to work the next day.

Girls Night

Last night, I went over to a friends house for "Girls Night". What great fun it was. It is defiantly something that I would do again. It was a night of fun and laughter. It was like being a kid again. We had dinner, cheap wine, a chick flick, and chocolate cake. It was really fun just being with friends, leaving the guy behind and watching a movie without the manly comments on how cheesy the movie is. Thanks Robin and Rita!

Change

Is change always a good thing? Why are there certain stipulations that we must dress a certain way or act a certain way in order to pursue certain jobs, other activities or even Christ. Why does the church say that you have to dress a certain way in order to be a good Christian. What makes a good Christian? His Clothes or His Heart? I understand and believe that change happens when we become followers of Christ but I believe it is in His timing not ours or someone else. Sometimes Christ may ask us to change our dress because it reflects our hearts but I believe the heart must come first. He may also ask us to change other things in our lives. There are times when I want to go back to my old way of thinking and say "you have got to act, dress and think this way in order to be a good Christian" because it is easier. There is another problem with that is that I truly believe that those who think that way have not examined their hearts the way they should. If they did they would realize that Jesus loves us just the way we are. He doesn't care about how we dress. He just wants us to follow after him and find a life of freedom and fulfillment in him. They would also realize that they are the ones who may need the changing. There are some awesome lovers of Christ out there and they do not all dress in suits and ties or nice dress casual and I think that is awesome. They are out there reaching others that these people are not going to reach because they dress a certain way.

People

O.K. Rita I'm posting

It's been crazy over the last few weeks. Lots of kids at school, not enough sleep etc.

I am so grateful to God for changes in my life. I look back to when I got out of high school and remember who I thought I would become. I also knew what type of people who would be in my life. I am so glad I was wrong. I used to judge people because they didn't act, think or look like me. Boy was I wrong. When we started going to the Vineyard many moons ago, I realized that people who didn't act, think or look like me were really cool. I assumed by the way they look that there was no way that they could be Christians. Again I was wrong. Some of these people are some of the coolest people I know. They love God and they love those around them. After going to the Vineyard for a while we then went downtown to help plant the vineyard there and that was a very rewarding time in my life. I continued to meet people who I would not have chosen in the past to hang out with. I believe that these people probally love God and are more spiritual than the ones I would have chosen. I have learned many things from these people. I have learn true community. I have learned to be me reguardless of how I feel. If I feel like crap then I am free to tell them and not hind behind a fake smile. I am free to live life. I am free to love God with all I have have.

Up and Running

Well, I have gotten through the first week of school. I am very tired and a little stressed. I am feeling a little overwhelmed. I have a total of 12 students one with a wheelchair and requires lifting. The kids are really great and I believe that it is going to be a great year if I can just get past the getting going phase.

Searching for Lost Treasure

Today I went to the lake with Ira and Danielle. We had lots of fun except for the biting fish. The geese were lots of fun especially watching Danielle chase them and all of us feeding and honking at them. They squeak when they are content and hiss at you when they are mad. Well today we were doing flips in the water and my favorite sunglasses fell off and I couldn't find them. We spent 20 minutes looking for them. It was very difficult because even tough the water was faily clear it is hard to see when you are almost over your head and your feet are stirring up the dirt.
While looking we found sticks, a cell phone and eventually my glasses. We were curious to know if someone got mad and tossed the phone in the lake or if they just forgot they had it on their person and walked in the water. I always enjoy hanging out with the girls. They will keep you young.

Nothing Accomplished

Do you ever watch time go by and get nothing accomplished. I would have to say that I am the biggest procrastinator in the world. I have 2 months off in the summer and only a few goals around the house but somehow never manage to get around to it. I now only have 2 full days remaining of my summer vacation and still haven't cleaned out the closets, cleaned up the junk room etc. Sometimes I get on my own nerves and get frustrated with myself. I just don't know how to get started. I just wander in circles going from room to room or task to task. Mike tells me just organize myself and do one thing at a time but I DO NOT Know how to do that either. He and other organized people just don't understand that my brain just doesn't work that way regardless of how hard I try. Now it's time to focus and get onto the task of school. I know the first day my teacher assistant will ask me if I have been taking my ADD supplements because I will have a ton of work to do and will manage to do circles around my classroom for the first 2 hours accomplish nothing.

It's About That Time

It is about that time to return to work. I have to go to work on July 28th and the students return on August 3rd. I am not ready to return. I will be happy to see my students but I need a vacation. Summer was just too short and it is VERY WRONG to return to school in July. I have been very busy. I started off the summer shooting a wedding at the beach and it was lots of fun. I then had Thyroid surgery. While recovering from that I went to a conference for Assistive Technology(work related stuff). Upon returning I washed my clothes and then went on a vacation with Mike. We went to Gulfport Mississippi and then took a day trip to New Orleans. It was relaxing. After that I went to Miami on a mission trip (mentioned in previous blog) and now I have been enjoying the rest of my summer. I have hung out with some of the girls in the youth group, been shopping and that's about it. I am mentally not ready to return. I know once I get into the swing of things it will be ok and I'll enjoy it again. Pictured above is my team (Team Jamaica) from Mission Miami '05 and the sunshine yellow house we painted. They were a great team.

Mission Miami '05

Wow! I just go back from Miami with 12 of our youth. It was a long week. We served all over Miami through various agencies. I enjoyed the hard work but the most challenging thing for me was to drive everyday through the city. I drove 12+ hours to get there and then had to drive every day. It is not like it is around here if you miss your turn you just go to the next exit. Every exit was a new interchange another major expressway. Needless to say I got lost several times but somehow managed to find my way again. I had one of my youth on my team (Tim Barret) to become the navigator because there is no way you can read a map and drive in Miami traffic at the same time. It's kind of like our spiritual walk. We have a navigator in Christ with out him we will get lost in this adventure we call life, but it we turn to him and follow his way we will be found. There was one day that I was so tired, had a head ache, and could not think straight, I even got lost on the route that we traveled everyday and I knew the way. everything began to look the same. That day I was falling asleep standing up. Todd the director prayed for me that night for energy and the next day I felt so refreshed despite the little sleep we were getting every day. The verse in the Bible where it says "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" became very real to me because I could not have done it any other way. I told Alan our youth minister that I DID NOT want to drive in traffic. He didn't even know that we were going to have to do so every day.
I am excited about the fire that was started in our youth. The theme of the camp was Catalyst. I think it did just that, it stirred up in them a desire to serve others and they are looking to see what type of things we can do to serve here in Augusta.