Snips and Snaps

There is either too much or not enough here for a real blog post so I am just going to type whatever comes to mind...

You have to click on the link to Tami's blog and watch the video showing her sweet little Maddie hearing for the first time! I got chills just typing that sentence! Warning though, this is one of those special moments that will melt your heart and possibly your mascara. Maddie is the absolute cutest thing! I spent the better part of January following the story of her adoption from Ukraine on this blog and love keeping up with her family now on this one.

So you may be wondering what or who has me hooked on all these sweet, but at times gut wrenching, blogs about adoption I keep talking about? That would be my friend Julie! Despite all the crazy delays at American Airlines right now, Julie should be coming home tonight with her daughter Halle Grace! YEAH! I'm so excited that they are finally going to be HOME! What a privilege it has been to share their journey to find this sweet little girl. Julie is a friend from ACU, Southlake Blvd Church, and most recently Farm Fest. Julie is just so spirit filled. Her heart and life clearly reflect the love and grace of our heavenly Father. This adoption has been an amazing journey. Join me in thanking God for bringing this precious little girl home to her forever family TONIGHT!

Nothing can really top those last two, so I won't try. But here are some of the crazy tid-bits of brain lint that I thought I'd toss out there anyway...

Eldorado, Texas
If you missed the story about what is going outside of Eldorado (pronounced the way the locals do, it rhymes with tornado) this week, here is a link that will explain it. For several years Rob and I have heard people from my hometown of San Angelo and West Texas in general talk about the Jeff's/FLDS compound. There were aerial shots of this city that sprung up out of nowhere in the local news and widely circulated in e-mails. Everyone thought something bad was going on behind those tall guarded fences, but no one could prove it. It's one of those deals where you know it will be a big national news story someday, so when it is, it's not too big of a shock.

BUT if you watch the stories on TV about this, you will see shots of an old fort where they are now housing the children removed from the ranch in Eldorado. That's my beloved Old Fort Concho, in my hometown of San Angelo! I grew up going to pancake breakfasts in the summer at that Fort. It's where my 4th grade class spent a day going to school like pioneer children did. I spent many a Christmas shopping Christmas at Old Fort Concho with my Mom. Fort Concho is where I got my first "make your knees weak" kiss during a summer Fiesta Del Concho/Fort Street dance. You will also see the convention center where they have been holding news conferences and housing even more of the 400 children. That convention center and I go way back too! It's where I went to three proms, two Tri-Hi-Y formals, and helped put together a great Project Graduation. It is where I was introduced as a Fiesta del Concho Ambassador while in college. Rob and I had our engagement pictures taken across the street from that convention center and spent our first night as husband and wife in the hotel next door. I don't know what this story has done to the rest of the nation, but it has made me extremely homesick for my hometown. More on this to come.

Speaking of things you know will someday be in the national news, on Oprah or made into a Lifetime movie... I distinctly remember two years ago this last week sitting in my garage on the phone with a PTA friend. I was outside because I did not want Kolby to hear what we were saying. We were talking about the death of a teacher from Kolby's school that had occurred the day before. It had been ruled a suicide but there were LOUD grumbles and well founded suspicions that that was not the case. Things just did not seem to add up. We were talking about all the reasons why we just could not believe this woman had killed herself. "If it ever comes out that she did not do this to herself it could be some big national story like you see on Dateline... and you and I will remember this talk," we said. Well, it did. And, we do. (see former posts here, here, here, and here) Sadly the wheels of justice turn very slowly in our little part of the world. I pray for this woman's family every night and can't imagine how hard this is for them! Another friend of mine does a GREAT job of keeping us all up to date on what is going on with this case. You can find her blog here.

I think we are the last family in America not to be caught up in American Idol, The Office, and/or Lost. I feel down right Un-American. Seriously. When do you people find the time to watch all these shows?

I. do. not. like. blogger. word. verification. It makes me feel like I have special needs. Am I the only one who can not read those stretched out crazy letters? Several times I have tried to comment on different blogs but after one or two failed attempts to decipher "the code" and type it back in correctly, I have given up! I may quit commenting on blogs with active word verification altogether because it is such a pain! (Not that anyone really needs my comments... I'm just saying!) And... Is word verification really necessary on private (as in "invited readers only") blogs? No offense meant to those who have wv, just something to ponder...

And to Rachel Ray...who I happen to be sorta watching right now... Why in the world do you spell out the acronym E-V-O-O (extra virgin olive oil) every time you say it!? It bugs me to the point that I stop listening to you. Just say evoo. (sounds like a cross between emu and voo-do) We all know what it stands for and those who don't can google it. Isn't the point of coming up with an acronym in the first place so you don't have to say it every time? What if instead of saying the word "laser" everyone spelled out L-A-S-E-R and frequently followed with the explanation that it means Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation? The point of having the "laser" acronym would be lost and Physics classes would last a lot longer. Evoo. One word, two syllables, and you're "good to go!"
(OK. Maybe I need a cup of coffee? Thanks for letting me get that out! : )

And lastly... (Almost scared of where this one may go, aren't you?)
Maybe it's time for someone I know to read more than blogs, Better Homes and Gardens, Southern Living and the gazillion school notes that flood her house every month. If you had a friend that has not read anything on the New York Times best sellers list since "Tuesdays with Maury," who is not into Oprah's Book Club, and whose stomach churns at the sight of a Joel Osteen book, what would you suggest she read? Just your top two "makes me want to be a better person" or "could not put it down and still think about it long after I finished it" page turners please. I don't want to overwhelm her!

Happy Friday!