Adoption!

Okay...here is what I promised you! It happened while I was checking in on Facebook & saw a post that my friend Jacy had placed http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/387943_adopt15.html?source=rss

I immediately was intrigued & viewed the post...while reading it I was overwhelmed with emotion...&...tears began to flow! Why you may ask?!? Because in my opinion adoption is one of the greatest gifts parents can give a child!

Here is a little story:

A baby was conceived in late January / early February of 74' to a woman who was about 17 years old! She was not married to the father & wasn't even sure of who he was! She also had another child at home who was just a little over a year old! Weighing all of her options...keep the baby, aborting the baby (Roe vs Wade had been in practice for about a year) or placing the baby up for adopting...she chose adoption feeling it was the right thing to do for the situation at hand! And, then on October 3, 1974...a baby was born in Sheridan, MI...a beautiful little girl...&...a few hours later the papers were signed & the baby was to be taken to D.A. Blodgett & placed for adoption!

At the same time a husband & wife in Hudsonville, Mi were looking to adopt a little girl having already adopted a boy almost 5 years earlier...they had been on a waiting list since their son had been about 2 when they finally received a call! They were told that they had a little girl who just arrived & wanted to know if they'd like to come & see her! And, they did! After talking it over it was decided this baby was the one & they proceeded to fill out the required paperwork! They had to wait 4 weeks before bringing her home but could visit in the meantime!

During this 4 week wait as the family prepared to bring the baby home the unthinkable happened. The husband received noticed that he was to be laid-off from his job! This was not good considering they still had to finish paying the adoption fees! What to do, what to do?!? The wife being from a rather large family, she was one of ten, called her sisters to cry about the situation at hand! They told her to pray about it & everything would be fine! The family all prayed! It wasn't too long after that...one of the other family members stopped by to see his sister...as he walked through the door he handed her $500...the money needed to finalize the adoption! He said "We are family & we don't turn away the chance at adding another baby to the fold...so use this & pay it back when you can." Hugs & tears followed!

Then sometime in mid to late November...a little girl all bundled up in winter garb was brought home to the warm house filled with love in the small town of Hudsonville, Mi! Plenty of family came by to see the new arrival & congratulate to parents once again!

And, that my friends is a miracle!

So no matter what people say about adoption it offers people who could otherwise not be parent the chance to bless other children with the love that they deserve! Other kids may choose to make fun of children who have been adopted...believe me on this...&...guess what...they can turn to them & say...your parent just had you...but my parents...CHOSE ME!Let me know what you think?!?

Sorry!

I know that I promised to tell you what the other thing my friend reminded me of & what a big affect that action in itself has played on my life...but...just like everything else...life happens! I got busier than expect & haven't had the time to give the story its just due! But I promise I will get on it asap...please be patient!

Mysterious

Growing up I always heard the quote "God works in mysterious ways"... & ... "He places certain people in your life for a reason"! I can honestly say that both of those phrases could not be truer! Recently when I was least expecting it God showed these truths to me once again in two seperate occassions!

The first one being I was just having an all around bad day, a poor, poor pitiful Michele day & was just not in a very good place! But, while fooling around on Facebook I reconnect with a long lost dear friend of mine who knew all about me...quirks included! I had the chat logged on while I was updating things & just like magic she started a conversation with me & we were chatting like we never missed a day! It was one of those no matter where I am in the world...I am still me & my friends are still my friends feeling! It made me give thanks to God for bringing her back into my life at the right time...He knew when that would be all along even if I did not!

The second situation was also via a Facebook encounter...during the recent campign process I posted on a few of the canidates discussion boards & while doing this made myself avaiable to anyone who wished to chat about our mutual canidate of choice! Through this I met 2 amazing people...how nice for me! And, even more amazingly is the one individuals Christan beliefs, values, out going personality & humours nature...makes me feel welcome! And, while reading something she posted the other day for another of her friends made me thank God for even more things...Thanx, Jacy!

Stay tuned to tommorows post for that story!

In closing, I want to remind you that people in your lives will come & go daily...it is in this time that you need to decided where they belong...some people are sent for friendship & others are not! God gives us only those people in our lives that can be used to lift us up...that is where the decision lies!

Let me know what you think?!?

Confessions Of A Blogaholic...

I have a confession to make...so lets do this as painlessly as possible...I am a closet Blogaholic...I love to read Blogs, Blogs & more Blogs...

Short blogs, long blogs, funny blogs, serious blogs...ridiculous blog & outrageous blogs!

I LOVE BLOGS!!!

It is becoming an obsession...not a bad one...I hope...but apparently an obsession none the less!

How did this start you might ask...or...whose to blame?!? See this is where it get tricky, because apparently there is no method to my madness...I started reading a blog when a friend added the link to her Facebook page...actually at the time she had 2 of them...a blog nibblet of sorts...then another friend suggested to me that her sister also had a blog...now we are up to a snackette of sorts...then during the election John McCain's middle daughter (eldest daughter of his & Cindy's) Meghan blogged about the campaign while on the trail with her dad...now I have a small course of sorts...then it happened...I found myself reading the comments on the aforementioned blogs & going to read the blogs of those posting comments....&...I am sure you can see how the cycle continues from there!

Then when that was not enough (Yes, I am very needy apparently) I found out you can hit the forward button & wha-la like magic...another blog appears for my viewing pleasure! The other day I literally spent over 10 hours on Blog Spot.com reading blogs...Umm, yeah that is TEN hours!

And, I can tell you I enjoyed every last minute of it! Although, I only follow 4 blogs religiously...I find almost all the blogs I read interesting, genuine & amazing in their own ways! So, I will leave you with a list of the 4 that I check in on daily...with baited breath mind you for my first nibblet of the day & quick overview of why they are my favorites:

http://the-swimming-cow.blogspot.com/

(aka: The Swimming Cow)
This is written by Ms. Molica~ someone I have known for years but after reading her blog got to know & understand her in a totally different way! She is very outspoken & more open minded then people think I would related to...but I love everything about this blog...from the boldness of it, to the shock value...to the sweet human aspect!

http://iwanttowritesgooder.blogspot.com/

(aka: The Crapper)

Another infamous blog by the beloved Ms. Molica & it is just what writers or writer wanna be's need...she is taking her time to give ya some the basics so you can also learn to write "gooder"

http://www.suziewrites.blogspot.com/

(aka: the sacred page)

This incredible blog is written by the sister of a dear friend of mine Jules. Apparently this blog has been an on going diary of the newly married Suzie for quite a while...it takes you back years & keeps you up to the minute! It also has a flair for the Christians as allot of her blogettes are bible based or related in some ways!

http://www.mccainblogette.com/
The name says it all...this is the blog that chronicled the 2008 presidential campaign of John McCain & his amazing family...it give you a rare look at the campaign trail with the right amount of love! It brings the man alive not as a presidential candidate but as a husband, father & friend! I was happy to see the election come to a close but sorry that Meghan has since went on hiatus for undetermined amount of time!

There is a glimpse at what I am reading...so tell me what you are reading?!? And, do you have any suggestions as to other blogs I may enjoy becoming a faithful follower of?!?
Let me know!?!

Yahtzee

I love this game! I have re found it after all these years on Pogo & I am loving me some Yahtzee! I don't know if it is the game as much as it is the memories that I get while playing it! My grandma Mildred Knight, my dad's mom, loved her some Yahtzee as well & from the time that I could sit at the table & roll the dice I was her little Yahtzee playing buddy! Grandma also had a life long friend named Gladys Ripley whom us kids affectionately called Aunt Gladys (I am sure you all have a few of them yourselves) & when her & her husband, Uncle Lloyd, were there for a visit...we had Yahtzee Tournaments while the men fished! I am not talking a game or two...I am talking all day & night...just breaking for cooking & eating meals...dishes & the occasional snacks! Other than that it was play, baby, play! And, now that I think back on it Yahtzee was more than a game...it was actually a learning experience cuz Grandma told me when I was about 3 that I had to learn to count for myself if I wanted to continue to play! Which I learned & quite quickly I might add...because when I entered Kindergarten at that age of 4 thanks to a persistent mother...I was only in the big "K" for about a month & they moved me right along...cuz, I was doing all the other kid's Math work! SCORE! Anyhow, now I have the game online...&...I am loving it!

YAHTZEE!

Brown's Country Store & Restaurant

Today's blogs finds us in Benton, AR a relatively large town outside of Little Rock! And, why the stop in Benton you may ask?!? Hows about to indulge in my husbands favorite past time...eating!

BROWN'S COUNTRY STORE & RESTAURANT:

Opened in the summer of 1973 & has been going strong ever since! The buffet is over 100' long & offers a variety of down home southern treats! With all of their food being made homemade & expertly prepared nobody can ever complain about the excellent quality! They also have a desert bar which is to die for! If you leave Brown's hungry it is your own fault!

Brown's also has an amazing country store which host a variety of hand crafted items, homemade foods & candies! It is a perfect place to shop for the person who thinks they have it all!

If you are interested in learning more about Brown's you can visit the following website:

http://www.brownscountryrestaurant.com/

Christmas Cards!

Once again it appears that the holiday season is fastly approaching us...ugh! It is not the I don't love the holidays...it just seems that they occur earlier & earlier every year! Apparently the adage "Time Flies" really applies more the older that you get!

That brings me to the conundrum at hand...let me know what you think! For years I have been doing the whole Christmas card mailing thing...basically to my life long friends, close family members & of course last but not least the in-laws! But this year I really don't know if I want to put my time, effort & money into doing something that seems to just be taken for granted!

So, my question is this: Is it tacky to send people E-Christmas Cards? I mean most everything else is done via the net these days! But how tacky and/or impersonal would I appear if this was my chosen delivery for Christmas cards this season?!? I guess if I was ever questioned on the subject I could always say that I was doing it for the environment...less waste & all that jazz?!?

Let me know what you think?!?

Zicam...

I am not one to really go all gung-ho about something unless it is absolutely amazing & those people that know me well know that it takes a helluva allot to impress me but I have been so impressed by an "over the counter" cold & flu medication that I wanted to share it with the masses! Since cold & flu season are unfortunately upon us & in full force what better time than the present to tell you all about my new found medical miracle...

Zicam!

There's a lot of products out there which claim to help you get rid of your cold faster, but this is the only product that truly works. My husband & I have been using the Oral Spray version & we swear by it! Since we travel & are among the masses on a daily basis you never can tell what you are going to come into contact with! We now recommend this product to everyone we come across with a cold. If you feel the symptoms coming...use it right away!

If you are interested but still a skeptic...you can check out their website for the product line & information! They also offer a printable money saving coupon...what could be better?!?

If you decided to try it...come back & let me know what you think!

Vote!

No matter who you choose to vote for voting is one

the most influential ways to make your

choice known! Whether you are Demoncrat,

Republican or even Independent...your vote does

matter & it does count! So, if you care about your country

& the people who will be at the helm

for the next 4 years...if you care what happens in America!

Then you need to...

VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE!

YoVille

Okay, it has been made quite apparent...I HAVE NO LIFE! I may be a little late realizing this myself but it became quite apparent to me the other day when I literally got sucked into a virtual world called YoVille!It is another fabulous application brought to us by our friends at Facebook! And, since I have joined I have gone completely nuts! Since most of my Facebook friends are not YoVillians...I have resorted to becoming "friends" with total strangers in cyberland so I could create a large enough crew to make the "big money"...

For those of you still confused about YoVille...basically it is a VIRTUAL LIFE...I have an apartment which I can run over to YoDepot to purchase things to decorate it with! I have a job at the Widget Factory...lol! YoVille also has a Dinner, Casino, Night Club, Furniture Store & Flower Shop...so far! I mean my YoVillian has nicer digs than me...and hell yeah I am jealous of her! Anyhow, if you need another life...YoVille is the place to be...lol!