World Down Syndrome Day

Today is World Down Syndrome Day.

I have a cousin, Miranda, who was born with Down Syndrome. As a little kid, I remember being afraid of her. She was different and I just didn't understand. But as I grew up, I started to understand how beautiful those differences were. She is so loving and kind. She sees the best in me and in everyone, and that is so refreshing. That extra chromosome holds some magic in it, I tell ya.

My friend Kate and her family are working to adopt two beautiful little girls from Ukraine. These girls, and others like them, will be sent to a mental institution on their fourth or fifth birthday and will spend the remainder of their short lives bedridden, deprived of love and most needs. It is heartbreaking that their society rejects these gifts- if only they knew of the magic.

Please, if you can, think about donating a dollar or more to the adoption fun to bring little Bethany and Rebekah home. Every single dollar counts. It costs more than $30,000 to save these girls and show them a life of love and happiness- but when you think of the alternative, money doesn't seem so important. However, it is a necessity. Just think- $10 is a fast food meal for two. $20 is a new DVD. Will you consider forgoing these little luxuries to help bring these girls home? If you are interested in learning more or donating to their adoption fund, click the button below. All donations are tax-deductible.

Remember, we all have something to give. If you can't donate, please pray for these girls. Just think of the magic.

compassion.

I haven't written in so long, but I feel compelled to write tonight.

Reading Kelly's Korner and Angie Smith's latest blog post opened up a part of my heart tonight. As I read about Kelly's journey to El Salvador with Compassion, I felt a tug. It led me to Compassions website, where I was immediately greeted with faces of young children, children whose lives are steeped in poverty thousands of miles away. I knew that I would be chosing a child to sponsor tonight.

But how, how do you choose when there are so many in need?

I want to sponsor them all. In fact, I want to bring all of them and their families home with me and love them and teach them about Jesus and feed them and let them know that I care.

But the truth is, I'm just one person. And as it turns out, I'm a pretty selfish one at that. As I read about the conditions of some of these countries, I wept. I haven't cried so hard in months, years maybe. These were shameless, heavy tears. Here I am in my centrally air-conditioned apartment, with a career and a new car and more clothes than I could know what to do with. And here were these children, living in mud huts, some with no shoes and no schooling and no parents. And you know what? They smile. They love. They play as wars are going on around them, as gangs raid their villages, as they survive on just one meal a day.

How can I complain about anything, ever, when this is going on right here in the very world I am living in?

Today, I made a difference. And though I'm not changing the world, there is one thing I know. I'm changing a life. I'm giving a little boy in Ethiopia the chance to have medical care, to go to school, to know the Lord. He will probably never meet me. But he will feel my love through letters and prayers. He will know that there is someone in this world who cares about him and wants to help him succeed. To help him change his life. I am both crying and dizzy with anticipation knowing that he will be told that he has a sponsor. I pray that I can do the job well.

And now, meet Kalkidan. He is five years old and, as I said, he is living in Ethiopia. He lives with his parents and two siblings. I'll know much more about him when I receive my sponsorship packet in a few weeks, but here is what I do know now.

In his home, Kalkidan helps by carrying water, helping in the kitchen and running errands. His father is sometimes employed as a seller in the market and his mother maintains the home.

Kalkidan is not presently attending school. Singing, telling stories and playing with marbles are his favorite activities. I already know what will be included in his first package! He also attends church activities regularly.

I also know that he is the most precious little boy I have ever seen. I wish I could bring him home with me, listen to his songs and stories, and tell him that I love him.

If you feel compelled to sponsor a child, donate to Compassion, or just see what it is all about, please visit their site. I already know that it is so, so much more than giving $38 a month. So much more.

5 days, oh man.

I'm still here. The summer has been crazy busy and I haven't given myself a lot of time to sit and write. Everything is good though- just preparing for my first year in my own classroom! Are any teachers following me? If so, let me know so that I can make sure to check your blog often as school gets close to starting up. I love reading teaching blogs, and belonging to message boards. (If you know of any really good ones, let me know!)

I'm moving to Houston in five days. Wowwww. It's unbelievable. Back in February/March when I first considered making this big move, I'm not sure how much I believed that I would actually get the job, let alone go through with it. But I did. And I am. And I'm teaching 7th grade science- exactly what I wanted! I went through a month or so this summer where I was really torn, questioning what the heck I had gotten myself into. Not the move so much as the teaching. How can I be responsible for my own classroom? Am I sure I'm cut out for this? And am I going to be any good? But then I got back into reading message boards and thinking up lessons and mentally preparing for the first days of school and buying supplies for my classroom... and now I am just so excited to get everything sorted and start teaching!

And while I'm really nervous to move 2000 miles away from home, it's going to be such an adventure. It's a big, brave world out there- time to start conquering it! :P

It's a Geo kinda day.

Well, it's rainy. But I'll brave the rain for a good Geocache. Ever been? If not, click the link and see what it's all about. It's a lot of fun, good exercise, and you can bring the kids along on many of them. My friend Bri is coming down today so she'll be coming along. It's a lot more fun, I think, when you have someone with you. And if you're already a 'Cacher, leave me a comment! I'd love to hear about it. I'm pretty new to it all, but my dad has found over 2000!

Also, have you gone to check out the great giveaways at Tip Junkie today? If not, go and see what their giving away today for the big birthday bash!

Dentist, eek!

I'm off to the dentist in a half hour. Did I mention that I hate going to the dentist? I don't know why... I just don't like it. I would rather go to the, for lack of better term, vagina doctor than to go to the dentist. Is that weird? I just don't like people poking around my mouth with a sharp metal object!

The good news is, I'm going to get my hair cut afterwards! Yay! Picture to come.

Also, if you aren't already participating in Tip Junkie's birthday bash, click here to go and enter! There are some awesome giveaways today.



Also, I ♥ Faces is giving away an awesome All-in-One Printer valued at 299.99. Check it out and enter to win!

Splash Splish.

Tip Junkie's birthday bash is going on all week long, so head over and check it out! There are lots of great things being given away today.

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Swimming yesterday with Ben was a blast. Hailey isn't allowed to swim until she's 6 months old, so not until next summer. Here are a fun pictures from our day:

I Heart Faces.

I'm no professional photographer- I've just started to become interested in taking pictures and taking them more seriously. There are people that I follow that take such AMAZING pictures- I can't wait to get better! Hopefully, by the time I have kids of my own, I'll be an expert. :P This week I've decided to participate in I ♥ Faces kids contest. I don't expect to win, but I do expect to have fun, make some friends, and be inspired. This week's theme is sephia toned. So, here is Haileyboo looking cute as a button. (Although, buttons aren't really that cute, are they?) Okay, looking cuter than a button!
Head on over to their blog if you would like to join in the fun!

Splish Splash.

Hey y'all, I'll be spending the day swimming with these two:





Oh, and



Head on over and join in!

Team Eric.

The day at the lake was wonderful. The 4 hour drive Saturday morning to turn around and do it again this morning- not the most fun I've ever had, but worth it. The next time we go down, we'll leave Friday morning and have an extra day, so that will be better. I have pictures to share, which I'll do when I get them uploaded.

On a much sadder note, True Blood starts tonight and I have no HBO! This is horrible! I'm going to have to find a virus-free website that I can watch it on until I move to Houston and get HBO back. Eek! I can't wait to see where the series goes this season. I've ready all of the Sookie Stackhouse books with the exception of the last one (still need to get my hands on it!) and loved it. I love True Blood too, regardless of the different in storylines. I view them as two different mediums and love 'em both in their own way. I can't wait to see whose foot was sticking out of Andy's car at the end of Season One. Will it follow the plot of the books? Will it be Lettie Mae, Lafayette, Miss Janette? I can't wait to see! Those who have seen the episode, without giving too much away- how was it?!

Hope you enjoyed this completely fluff post! :P Have a great week all!

The Spohrs are Mutiplying.

I recently came across this blog and began reading about little Maddie. What a beautiful little girl. Maddie was born prematurely, but thrived. Just one look at the main page shows you lots of pictures of a face full of sunshine and love. A gift to the world! On April 7, Madeline came down with a respiratory infection and was very suddenly taken to Heaven.

If you wish, visit the blog and get to know little Maddie. And if you feel so inclined, go here and vote for the blog as the Most Inspiring. And I believe just a few minutes reading about Madeline will leave you inspired. You can vote once a day!

My Earthly Paradise.

I'm off to my mini-utopia this weekend. Ahh, the lake. Floating on a boat, eating grapes and peaches, flying along on a Waverunner, spending time with my family, playing board games at night, sitting around a fire, eating big breakfasts, walking through the woods, gliding through the water, bobbing on a raft.



My family is so blessed to own a house in this beautiful place. We go 2 weekends a month in the summer, usually, and it never gets old. I mean, would you get bored looking at this?




Note: None of these pictures are mine, but they are all of the lake I'm going to. I don't have any pictures of the lake on my computer. I'll come back with plenty, though!

Remember Them Wednesday

I thought this would be something nice to start. If people show enough interest in it, I'll add Mr. Linky to it.

Remember Them Wednesday is a chance to write about someone in your life who you have lost. Maybe they passed away and are now with Jesus. Maybe circumstances tore the two of you apart and you are no longer in one another's lives. Maybe you just want to write about someone who is still in your life, but who deserves to be commemorated and remembered- remembering the sweet newborn that your toddler used to be, for example.

There really are no rules. Just write what's on your heart so that we may remember them with you. Leave a comment if you are participating so that I know there is interest and so that I can add a Mr. Linky. Tell your friends so that they have a chance to remember.

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Today, I want to remember a friend and co-worker from high school. His name was Maalcolm, and he was awesome. We worked at a toy store- and you have to be a certain kind of person to last very long in a toy store. Kids screaming, frustrated parents, pre-teens with no chaperones... it can get a little overwhelming. Maalcolm took it all in stride, always happy, smiling, kind. We never spent time together outside of work, but when we worked together it was like we were old pals. We teased one another like teenagers tend to do, but it was always good-natured.

I always think of Maalcolm when I see one of those little rubber bouncy balls- bigger than the kind you play Jacks with, but not of the playground variety. He had a collection of them at the registers, ready and waiting to keep his hands busy when business was slow.

Bounce. Bounce.

Maalcolm was going places. He was in a culinary program and was an excellent cook. (In fact, there is even a scholarship fund for the culinary arts set up in his name.) He was appalled and shocked when I told him, no, I had never had collard greens.

"What?! Never?"

Bounce. Bounce.

"No, never. I don't even know what they are, really."

"I'll bring some in for your sometime. I can't believe this girl has never had collard greens!"

Bounce.

I never did try collard greens. Maalcolm was stabbed in 2007 coming off of a bus after a shift late one night. It was an attempted robbery, one that cost a 17 year old his life.

Today, I remember Maalcolm. I remember his life, his smile, and his charm. I remember the man that he could have been, if he would have been given the chance. I remember the kindness he showed people.

Please, remember Maalcolm with me.

And if you feel inclined to write a Remember Them Wednesday post of your own, comment to me so that I remember your loved ones with you.

One other thing...

UPDATE: I have resolved Question #2. Still looking for answers to the other questions, though! (:

Okay, I'm completely dense. And contrary to the title, I have two questions.

1. Do you see the edit tools on my gadgets to the right? They show up for me even when I log out. If you see them, do you know how to remove them? I assume they came with the layout, but I'm not sure which part of the code to delete.

2. How in the world do you follow people now? Ever since they started the new method of "following", where you log in or put in your name, I've been unable to follow people, even when linking my blog. It says that I am following them, but they don't show up on my Dashboard.

Help!

OK, one more. Can anyone direct me to a good label cloud widget? The ones I have found in Google are downright confusing!

How curious.

I want to start off asking for prayers for Jessica Phillip's friends and family today. Jessica and a friend were in a car accident yesterday, and Jessica died as a result. This is the third friend my 17-year-old sister has lost due to a car accident. Wow. I guess I'm lucky, in a sense, that I haven't lost a close friend as she has. Please pray for her, and everyone else who knew and loved Jessica. This is a hard time for all- life always feels a bit surreal when someone dies so suddenly. I pray for their strength during this time, and I pray especially that they feel God's presence and allow Him to comfort them. Too often I hear from people how they lose a loved one, and along with it, lose God. But to me...

Without God, what is there?

I do not judge those for the way they grieve. I don't blame them for their struggles, with themselves or with the Lord. I simply pray that they find their way back. Please, pray with me.

I was going to go a different direction with this, but you know how it feels when you start typing and the words just come straight out of your fingertips, as if your mind has nothing at all to do with it. I guess I'm just questioning the way I deal with emotions. I was not raised to be extremely emotional, let-it-all-out, nor was I raised to keep them inside. I guess I'm my father's daughter in that I shut down when extreme emotions hit- he does the same. But today, he was reduced to tears (something that is hard for any daughter to see- dad's rarely cry!) And me? Stone. Okay, exaggeration. I feel sad for everyone who is feeling hurt and missing Jessica right now. Maybe I just don't know how to show that. I guess I'm sort of a wall, the go-to for people because I keep my "brave face". But it's not bravery... it almost feels like the opposite. Like I'm too afraid to let people see me upset, crying. Broken.

When Olivia died, I cried. But it took awhile. I remember feeling shock, feeling like I should be crying, that I should be screaming out to God and asking why? Why her? Instead, I shut out the world and took to my bed. Pushed away friends while acting like things were fine.

I wonder if they have emotion-rehab where I can learn not to turn to stone when a situation demands me to feel one way or another. I have no problem getting angry and frustrated and annoyed. I know how to be happy. But grief? Sadness? A whole different ball game, my friends.

And once again, this post has rambled on and probably makes no sense whatsoever. The point is- please, please pray for Jessica. Pray for her family, her friends, classmates, everyone who knew her. Pray especially for the friend who was also in the car and survived. Just, pray.

Benjamin

I thought I would give a big update on Ben. My 18-month-old nephew has grown like a little weed dandelion. Wait, dandelions are weeds, aren't they? Hmm. Well, I think they're pretty.

See? (Not my picture)

Okay, so Benjamin. At 18 months, he's walking and talking like he's been doing it for years. Some of his words are "mama, dad, ball, what, why" and, mostly notably, "hot". Everything is hot. It started with the stove, and moved onto whatever it his little heart desires. And he doesn't say it in a normal pitch- it's always an urgent little whisper. So darn cute.

He's gotten used to his little sister, "Hay-hay", as he calls her. He does get very jealous of her, though. When he comes to our house and everyone is doting over Hailey, he pouts and crosses his little arm, and just looks like the most pitiful thing in the world. Poor thing. But he does love her, which is evident in the kisses he bestows upon her with no encouraging.

He is just a generally sweet child. He has his full-blown temper tantrums moments, but he's mostly just a really cool kid.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, some picture I took last weekend.

With his little friend, Will.

This one below is one of my favorites- it got a little messed up in resizing, though.