Loving Haiti

Update!

2012-02-07T18:17:00.000-08:00

The money has been sent. The solar panels will be purchased shortly! The orphanage, school, sewing center and church will have power! Praise GOD!

Also, Denny will be able to go to Haiti next month! He will be going with his friend Kevin Boss, and Kevin's friend, Tim Shaw. The three musketeers are pretty excited :-)

Tim

Kev and his beautiful wife Bree(she's not going)

Pastor Francois and Denny

My dad is leaving in 12 days for his 7-week stay in Haiti. He will be blogging while he is there, so stay tuned!

My mom(she's not going) and my dad

Finally, our website is ALLLLLMOST ready. Our friend, Geoff Dalgas is generously donating his time to help it get up and running. It should be ready by next week!

Thanks for all of your support. We can't wait to see what the Lord does this year through Loving Haiti.

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:

to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,

with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings."
Isaiah 58: 6-12

Thanks for bringing smiles to these kids' faces :-)

Hooray!!!

2012-01-27T19:16:00.001-08:00

We reached our goal of $9,200.00!!! Thank you to EVERYONE who has generously donated. Thank you also for sharing our website with your family and friends. We are blown away by how quickly the money has been raised and we thank God for every dollar donated.

If you were planning on donating but haven't yet, you STILL can. There always seem to be unexpected costs for projects like this. Especially in a 3rd world country! (i.e. there are some cables Francois needs to buy that will run the electricity from the solar panels to each of the four buildings on his property). Francois will know more about the costs for the cables next week.

Also, my dad is still raising funds through Loving Haiti for his 7 week stay with Francois. He is raising funds to give rice, beans and oil to the widows of the community. Also, to help with any projects or costs he comes across during his stay. (See his post below!)

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

"Praise God from whom ALL blessing flow!"

A letter from my dad!

2012-01-24T15:34:00.000-08:00

If you haven't already heard, my dad is going to Haiti for 50 days!!! Here is a letter he wrote to his family and friends. Enjoy!

Haiti – Re-LENT-Less for the Kingdom of God

Adj. 1) Unyieldingly, Stern or Harsh. 2) Persistent. Webster’s II New Riverside Dictionary (Revised Edition).

Beginning Sunday February 19^th through Tuesday April 10^th, I will be on a Pilgrimage to the country of Haiti, specifically in the northern city of Pignon. There I will be in service to François Romelus and his wife Madame François, who work and oversee their Community Compound consisting of a Church; a school of 250+ students; a Women’s Vocational Training Sewing Center; and an Orphanage of 40+ children.

My connection to François and Madame is through my daughter and son-in-law Abby and Denny Bain, who have started Loving Haiti, a non-profit support organization under the parent organization Andando. For more information please go to: www.lovinghaiti.org.

This Pilgrimage consists of 50 days in Haiti, which will add include the 40 day Christian tradition of Lent. Lent originally was a period of preparation for those to be baptized at Easter. Lent has evolved into a time of penitence and self-examination, and as well, it is reflective of Christ’s wilderness experiences - fasting and resisting temptation prior to His public ministry.

As my Pastor Pete Kelley has said, “Our Lenten journey is one of repentance - that is, changing directions from self-serving patterns and a myopic focus toward the other-focused way of life of following Jesus. We follow Jesus in laying down ourselves for others and trust that the power that raised Jesus from the dead is enough to guide us in repentance and renewal. The intervention of God’s gracious Spirit makes life-long changes become possible.”

For me personally this Lent Season, I have been called to Haiti that I might come to better know and love God, by coming to know and love the Haitian people. Here, I will continue my life-long journey to be led and empowered by God’s Spirit, in changing my self-serving myopic-focus toward the others-focused way of following Christ. It is also here where I desire, as the scriptures say in Phil 3:10-11, to “… know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to His death; In order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

Jesus was relentless in His walk to do His Father’s will, and in His walk He was led and empowered by the Holy Spirit to secure the Kingdom of God and an inheritance for us of eternal life – life forever in perfect union with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit - on behalf of every nation, tribe, people and tongue.

I personally invite you to join me on this Pilgrimage to Haiti through the following activities:

1) Prayer and Fasting – Of anything that's between you and God that might be keeping Him from fulfilling His Purposes, Principles, and Priorities of His Kingdom in you.

2) Reading and Meditating – The Temptation of Jesus; Matt. 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; & Luke 4:1-13.

3) Giving - “and this not as we expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.” 2 Cor. 8:5. And look for ways to “cheerfully” give to the needs of others less fortunate, 2 Cor. 9:7.

A calendar will shortly follow outlining specific activities in which you can relentlessly participate with me during this pilgrimage. Think of it as a Guide for Lent.

Currently, François and Madame’s Community Compound (Church, Schools, & Orphanage Facilities) in Haiti is supported by gifts from friends and family members organized by my daughter and son-in-law Abby and Denny Bain, through the aforementioned ministries of Loving Haiti and Andando.

Their two pressing needs are fund$ to purchase 1) solar panels and a converter to support their electrical needs [the old generator just died] and 2) for beans, rice and oil to support the widows and needy of the church. Currently, the cost of solar panels and converter is $ 9,200, of which $5,000 has been already donated. Whatever is donated for the widows and needy will be used to establish an ongoing beans, rice and oil account to be used for purchasing these items by François and myself while in Haiti.

If you are willing to give you can make a tax-deductable donation by:

1. Going to www.andando.org

2. Click on the tab ‘Donate’ on top of the page.

3. Click on ‘JustGive’ (not PayPal).

4. Fill in the needed information (Under ‘Designate My Donation’ make sure to write “Loving Haiti”.

5. Smile J You’ve just done something awesome!

6. Optional – Please email my daughter Abby Bain (Abby@LovingHaiti.org) to let her know the amount you have donated because it takes a few days to hear back from JustGive on donations. Sending Abby an email allows us to stay up-to-date on current donations.

Or, address your check to Andando or Doxology (my local church), designating in the memo section – Loving Haiti. Send it to Doxology, P.O. Box 2605, Corvallis, OR. 97339. Thank you for journeying with us on behalf of all those your donation will affect.

I will be Re-lent-less-ly Looking, Listening, Learning, Leveraging and following the Leading of God’s Spirit as He works to fulfill His Purposes, Principles, and Priorities of His Kingdom within François’ Community Compound.

Specifically, I hope to be working on the installation and start-up of the solar panels and converter. Also, I will be assessing and mapping the community needs and matching them to opportunity deeds, by understanding who they are, where they are, and what they believe God has called them to do and become (Change/Project Management). In addition, I will be evaluating how their structures, processes and relationships embody and enact out God’s purposes, principles and priorities.

Please hold a place for me in your prayers and thank you for your support and care toward Francois, Madame and their Community Compound. May God bless you and the Haitian people J.

Re-LENT-less-ly,

Mark R. Bell

Please Help!!!

2012-01-17T13:33:00.000-08:00

Immediate Need!!!

We’ve recently found out that the generator at the orphanage BROKE! What does this mean? NO electricity! No lights on once the sun goes down, no power to run anything electrical, no water to bathe with(comes from an electric pump), no water to wash clothes, no power to run the sewing machines in the sewing center, no power to run the church projector, speakers, etc. NO POWER.

Not only is this a huge hassle in a third world country but it’s also unsafe and scary for all those kiddos!!!

Instead of helping Francois get a new generator we are trying to help him get solar panels instead. I mean seriously, the sun is always shining in Haiti! We had the pleasure of seeing the benefits of solar panels last March when we went to Haiti. There was a huge orphanage down the road that was entirely run by solar panels. And we remember thinking how cool that would be if Francois could have them one day.

Well, the time has come. Francois’ generator broke and now is the time to go for the solar panels. Renewable energy baby!

As most of you may know, solar panels are pretty expensive. Because of this and the immediate need all those living at the orphanage have, Denny and I are forgoing our trip in March to give the money we would have spent on our plane tickets, to a help him buy new solar panels instead. It’s really important to us (and to Francois) that they have electricity.

A new generator would cost $7,000 (and then of course the gas to run it each month)

Solar panels (renewable, non-polluting, and versatile) to run the entire orphanage, school, sewing center and church would cost around $9,200

We’re shooting for solar panels!!! I think we can do it J

In a short period of time we have already raised $3,000!!!

We need about $6200 more.Which is a lot, I know. But I think we can do it!!!

Can I ask you to consider giving?!

Can you consider what it’s like for those kiddos once the sun goes down? No lights in their bedrooms. No water to clean clothes. No clean water to bathe in. For the girls in the sewing school that can’t use their sewing machines to make clothes and make money for their families?

Can you help us bless an amazing group of people in Haiti just trying to survive every day?

Can you bless your brothers and sisters in Christ?

If you are willing, please make a tax deductible donation through Andando.

1. Go to www.andando.org

2. Click on the tab ‘Donate’ on the top of the page.

3. Click on 'JustGive' (not 'paypal')

4. Fill in the needed information (Under ‘Designate My Donation’ make sure and write “HAITI-Solar Panels”

5. Smile J You’ve just done something awesome!

6. Make sure and e-mail me (Abby @ LovingHaiti dot org) and let me know that you donated(and how much) It takes a few days for us to hear back from JustGive on donations that's why it's super helpful if you e-mail us to let us know you donated. Then we stay up to date on how much money has been donated!

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Thank you for journeying with us.

Thank you on behalf of all those your donation will affect.

New Logo and "Thank You"

2012-01-04T08:04:00.000-08:00

Thank you SO much to everyone who made a special Christmas Haiti donation. We won't know the final amount donated until middle of January. We are really excited to see how the money will be able to bless Francois and his orphanage. Thank you for reading this blog, thank you for passing it along, and thank you for giving!

In other news, we have a new logo for Loving Haiti!!! Thank you to the talented Jesse Beam for creating it.

We're still working on the website which we can't wait to publish.

Also, Denny and I will be going to Haiti in the end of March! Can't wait!!!

Thanks again, you guys!!!

Haiti Christmas Giving

2011-11-06T15:49:00.000-08:00

It's NOVEMBER! Which means it's almost December, which means it's almost Christmas!

While most of us are thinking about what toys to buy our kids, what clothes to buy our spouses, what electronics, video games or type of smart phones we want, there are people all over the world thinking about how in the world they will put food on the table, how they will be able to buy life-saving medicine for their sick kids or whether or not the water they are about to drink carries cholera.

What if we turned our WANTS into someone else's NEEDS.

What if this Christmas, you used some(if not all!)of that money you were going to spend, money you actually have-not money you are planning to put on your credit card, and put it towards something a little more life changing?

Like clean water?

Food?

An education?

A sewing machine that will enable a group of girls to make clothes that they can then sell and use their profits to support their families?

What if, instead of buying that new pair of shoes for your relative, you made a donation in their name and bought a new pair of shoes for a child that has none. For a child that walks around in poop and pee and trash all day?

This Christmas season I'd like to challenge you to look pasts your wants and look towards how you can meet someone else's needs.

Below you will find a list of needs and costs associated for the children, workers, students, teachers and church that Francois and his wife Madam, run in Pignon, Haiti. If you would be willing, consider giving to these awesome people.

(Francois did not ask me to do this. I know his needs are great but I feel hopeful and confident that together, we could lighten the load and carry his burden.) I'd love for him and for all of the kids to be blessed beyond belief this Christmas!

100% of the funds received go directly to Haiti.

1. Gas for the pump for the well water(used to cook, clean, wash clothes): $200/Month

2. Filtered drinking water: $130/Month

2. Food: $1500/Month to feed ALL the orphanage children(including lunch for most all of the school kids(250-300)which for many, is the only meal they will eat that day).

3. One can of propane to power the propane cooking stove(instead of charcoal): $85/Month

4. Diesel: to run the generator and to fuel the truck that drives over the mountain to get food $200/Month

5. Cost to employ all the Haitian workers(6) that live on the property: $350/Month

6. 1 sewing machine for the sewing center: $250 (They could use 4!).

7. Money to employ ALL of the school teachers(9 teachers and 1 director): $700/Month

8. New sheet metal and materials to fix the roof of the church which is a common meeting place for many of those living in Pignon(and to employ haitians to do the work): $5,000.

9. Deworming medicine(enough to deworm all the staff and kids): $75

10. Burn Cream Medicine(Children often get burns. It'd be nice for him to have a stash of medicine): $75

If you'd like to give(any amount!) but are wondering how, here are a few options:

*If you'd like to make your donation tax deductible you can give through JustGive on Andando's website. Go to Andando.org then click on 'Donate' then click on 'JustGive' then fill out the spaces provided! Just remember to type "Haiti" in box where it asks you where you want to 'Designate your donation'. If you're crazy and want to bring Christmas to Haiti every month instead of just December, you could click the box that says 'Make this a monthly recurring donation.'

*If you don't care about a tax deductible donation you can give through PayPal on the right side of this blog!

If you decide to give, please make sure and e-mail me to tell me how much you've donated and if you want it to go towards anything specific! If you gave a gift in the name of someone else make sure to include your address and the person's name so that we can mail you a "gift card" to give to that person for Christmas :-)

Please share this blog with anyone you know who might be interested in giving this Christmas season to some pretty awesome people over in Haiti :-)

We love you guys. Thank you for the support, love, generosity and faithfulness.

On behalf of Francois, Madam, and all the kids and workers on his property, THANK YOU!

-If you have ANY questions please feel free to contact me: AbbyLBain at Hotmail dot com

***Merrrrrrrrrrrrrrry Christmas***

Haiti: Last Day

2011-10-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

(Right before walking into the tiny airplane. The building behind me is the airport.

Wow, I totally thought I had 100 more photos from our last morning, but apparently not. Maybe the're just super clear mental pictures I took :-)

We woke up at 4 a.m. to leave by 4:30 for a 3-hour drive down the mountain to the airport. When we walked out of our room it was pitch dark and 6 or 7 of the little boys(whom we had said "bye" to the night before) were waiting at the bottom of the stairs for us. SO SWEET. They grabbed our luggage and packed the truck. We hugged them again and tried getting into the truck but Francois insisted we have a warm breakfast before we left. We told him we were fine but we didnt' know there was a hot breakfast waiting for us inside the kitchen!

We knew we were pushing time since it was already 4:40 and that was 10 minutes past our departure time but we went inside and ate breakfast with Francois and his wife. How sweet of them to send us off with warm food in our bellies.

It was still pitch dark when we jumped in the truck to leave and those sweet boys ran us all the way down the driveway, opened the gate for us to get out and waved goodbye.

We ended up not leaving until 5:30-ish but Francois booked it and we made a 3 hour drive in 2 hours and arrived JUST in time.

I cried and cried and cried saying goodbye to Francois.

What an AMAZING trip we had.

When we first arrived in Haiti, Francois told us,

"You are in Haiti now. Haiti is your school and you are it's students."

I'd say that was the best week of school we've ever had ;-)

Can't wait to go back and take more classes!

Haiti Day 7

2011-10-26T19:33:00.000-07:00

Our last full day in Haiti. While we were excited to go home and see our family and friends and tell them all about our new friends in Haiti, we were also super sad and emotional knowing this would be our last day in Haiti for who knows how long....

Francois wakes up between 2-4 a.m. EVERY MORNING. It's his time to spend with the Lord, reading the Bible, praying, and preparing for his sermons. (No wonder why when we woke up at 8 a.m. the first day he looked at us funny :-) Those lazy Americans.... just kidding!

The following days, when we DID get up around 6 or 7 (3 or 4 a.m Oregon time), Francois was often found checking his e-mail, sweeping the grounds, or getting the kids ready for school.

He is so cute.

We often waited at the bottom of the hill for the kids on their way to school to hand out breakfast snacks we had brought from Oregon. The kids didn't have school our last day(can't remember why) so we got to cuddle with the sweet little ones...

Our AMAZING cook. AMAZING!!! I think she mirrors Francois with the early awake times because our breakfasts were ready EARLY everyday. She was one of Francois' first kids in his orphanage. Now she's all grown up! She still lives at the home and takes over Francois' wife's cooking and sewing center jobs when Madam is out of town.

Love these boys...

Such a big deal. The 4 Littles got to eat breakfast with us. They were so excited, although I think we were even more excited! They had great tables manners and whispered the entire time :-) Francois was so sweet to let us spend some quality time with these four sweet girls.

Madam's sewing center runs from 8-2 everyday. They begin their day singing praise songs and praying...it is so beautiful. You can hear them from almost anywhere on the property.

Denny went to town with Francois to check out the water treatment plant where Francois buys his water.

Bagged water.

I got to pass out little sticker workbook things for the box of stuff my friend Caylan and her mom had sent. The kids LOVED this activity.

Love her snuggles...

Weekly washing of the clothes. Takes ALL day. And the women have to sit by the clothes the entire day to ensure noone steals them(because Francois wall around his property isn't finished-due to lack of funds)

Dark, dirty, smoky room where the cook, cooks the food. There are no windows because they don't want people to steal the food.

Inside view of the kitchen.

*Update: Since returning from Haiti and sharing the needs of Francois' orphanage, someone bought Francois a PROPANE stove to use, in place of the charcoal. AMAZING. (Smoke from charcoal is one of the leading causes of death in children in 3rd world countries).

A sweet guy showing us the necklaces he makes to try and make a living.

Francois and one of his oldest girls in the orphanage.

Right before dinner the UN surprised Francois and came to drop off food. It was pretty awesome to see this truck driving up...

Francois friend who is an amazing artist.

Kids with the UN soldiers

They brought break and cheese

The first day we arrived in Haiti we told Francois we wanted to give him money to plan a big party for all the kids, workers, and some of his elders from his church. It was SO much fun. We told Francois to get food and drinks the kids and workers usually don't get. He choose CHICKEN, rice, beans, and SODA ;-)

Denny made a slideshow of pictures we had taken during the week of the kids. They LOVED it and laughed so much!

Sweet, sweet, sweet young men.

Before we ate Francois had Denny and I stand up. Then different people stood up and thanked us or prayed for us. I, of course cried the entire time. These people were thanking us but all I wanted to do was to thank THEM! They were so amazing, so hospitable, so Spirit filled.

Grub time.

Elders.

The widow. I swear she's barely 4 ft tall. She's amazing. Everyone else(minus the church elders)got cups of soda but she got the entire coca cola bottle. One handing it too. I think it weighed more than her.

Some of Francois' oldest kids.

We passed out some more toys and stuff that Caylan and her mom sent. The workers loved their lipstick, lotion, and other girls things!

A video of everyone walking in for the party...

Praying/Praising before the party began

After the party we went to one last church service. Madam is in the middle leading the women.

We gave our last kisses and hugs to everyone before we went to bed, knowing we wouldn't see any of the kids again for a long time.

Our flight left early the next morning....on Day 8. I will post Day 8 soon, hopefully tomorrow!

Haiti Day 6

2011-10-24T07:18:00.000-07:00

The Widow doing her morning sweep ;-)

We visited all the classrooms on Day 6. This teacher was outstanding and fun to listen to.

The school is another part of Francois' ministry. He runs the school on his property, pays for all the teachers, lets most of the kids come for free, AND provides lunch for ALL of the students, when money allows.

Denny loved watching the similarities between these students and his!

Snack! When they get donated food the school kids get a snack. All of them put the snacks away in their backpacks...we think they were saving the food for when they got home, since most of them only eat once a day (the lunch Francois provides).

Naughty Naughty. Drawing while the teacher was talking!

The Littles. Oh my gosh the were SO cute. Practicing writing their ABCs.

This is the preschool. On the other side of the wall is the "Kinder/1st" class.

Preschool/Kinder building

Denny setting up shop to make more slides of Hymns and bible verses for the new church projector

A box of toys and goodies was sent by our friends back in Oregon for the kids and we just happened to be there to open it and hand everything out. Tons of fun stuff, including these cute mats :-)

Bowls outside of door to the "kitchen" where most of the rice and beans are made for a the orphanage and school kids

Swing set. Look closely, there's one swing way up there!

Lunch Break

Denny typing away. Francois was pretty amazed at how quickly Denny could type and put a slideshow together!

The girls seeing their mats for the first time! So happy.

Buddies

Lunch time

We headed to the market when the kids went back to school after lunch.

Ahhhhhh :-)

After school we piled in the truck and went down to Bill and Jennifer's home to play with the kids from their home. Boys played soccer. Girls did what girls do.

The little girls were SO excited they got to sit with us in the truck!

A fun day was had by all!

Haiti Orphanage Update!!!

2011-08-30T13:53:00.000-07:00

Haiti Orphanage Update!

Happy Summer! I know, I know, I need to finish blogging days 6, 7, and 8 from our trip! Life happened and we got busy. I will work on finishing those up soon, but until then here is a little update of the awesome things that have happened this summer.

1. People have been giving monthly donations! It has not only been awesome to see our friends and family giving to a cause we believe in so deeply, BUT the orphanage has benefited tremendously. Monthly donated funds are now available to Francois to help with food, clean water, gasoline, and money to employ a few Haitian women to help with cooking, cleaning, washing, etc.

2. We bought a URL! LovingHaiti.Org and are working on creating an official website for the orphanage/school/sewing center.

3. We are now functioning under the umbrella of a non-profit called Andando!Originally we were thinking of becoming our individual, independent nonprofit but we got the great opportunity instead, to work with an already existing organization called, Andando. Andando is an awesome non-profit we respect and admire and they have allowed us to join their organization as a Haiti branch. This means we get mentored by people who have been in the nonprofit industry for a long time and have great wisdom. This also means people can donate to our orphanage and it can count as a tax write off. We are so blessed to be able to work under and with Andando. Once our website gets up and running you will find a link to it on Andando’s website. For accountability purposes we are hoping to form a board group for Loving Haiti both here and in Haiti. Either Denny himself, or both Denny and I will try and head to Haiti later this year to help form the Haiti board group and stay with those awesome kiddos again! Andando specializes in alleviating poverty through micro development, an area we are very interested in learning more about.

4. Francois’ orphanage is in the process of becoming an officially recognized orphanage under the Haitian government, which will enable people to adopt from the orphanage as well as open up possible funding/giving from groups such as the UN.

5. The kids are all great. None of them have been sick with Cholera or any other serious sicknesses, praise God! The only bummer is that one of the boys “broke his head” a few months ago. And, because of you, Francois had money so he could actually take him to the hospital and get appropriate care for the little boy. How awesome, your generosity directly affecting those in serious need.

6. Denny and I are still pursuing adopting two little girls from Francois’ orphanage.It’s a long and frustrating process. In March, Haiti signed the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. The Hague Convention is an international agreement between participating countries with the goals of protecting the best interests of children in intercountry adoption, and preventing the exploitation and trafficking of children. Haiti is also discussing potential changes in their adoption laws. All of this is good stuff. The only issue is that it took the US 14 years to become a Hague Country after we signed the treaty. And the US had just about every resource at it’s disposal and hadn’t just suffered a major earthquake. For a country like Haiti, implementing Hague may take a LONG time. While Hague is implemented into a country usually all adoptions cease, which means a huge number of orphans would continue to be orphans until adoptions open up again, which may take years. While Hague is overall is a great thing, we are hoping we can adopt the girls before adoptions possibly shut down… L As Francois says, “God knows, sista Abby. God knows.”

We want to thank everyone who has been giving, reading and journeying along with us.

We are receiving 1/3 of the monthly funds we are trying to raise for Francois. While we are so grateful for this money, we would still love to fulfill our goal. Please consider giving to Loving Haiti. Remember you can give as a tax write off now that we are a non-profit.

Also, We would love to be able to send Francois a big check next week for the month of September because he needs extra money this month to buy the material to make all the kids’ school uniforms, school shoes, and pay tuition for a few of his kids that made it into secondary school!! PLEASE consider giving this month!!!

And please pray for Francois’ wife, Madam. She is traveling to the Dominican Republic in September to get eye cataract surgery on both of her eyes. Her work is invaluable at the orphanage and she really needs good vision to continue teaching at her sewing center.

Ways to give:

1. The best way to give is through JustGive on Andando’s website. JustGive is kind of like giving through paypal except they send you a tax deduction statement at the end of the year and even allow for automatic monthly deductions. Just remember to write HAITI in the appropriate line so that Andando knows which money is going to our organization. Every month we get a list of everyone who gave and how much they donated. Go to Andando’s website and then click on the tab “Donate” up top and then click on the “Just Give” option.

2. PayPal on THIS website. (Does not count as a tax write off)

3. Personal check to myself. (Does not count as tax write off J )

If you are choosing to give we REALLY encourage you to give though JustGive. It’s way easier to keep track of funds and JustGive takes less of a percentage than PayPal.

We wire the donated money to Francois on the 7^th of every month!

If you’ve made it through this blogpost, thank you so much for reading. Thanks for giving and thanks for caring.

Remember Operation Christmas Child? Those shoes boxes really do get sent out all around the world! Although a bit late, they arrived!

Shedlin. Such a sweet, sweet, boy. His head is much better now!

Nothing like some sugar-filled cereal from the U.S.

Madam's sewing center! They held a convention in late June to sell the goods they make this year.

Haiti Day #5

2011-05-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

We woke up Wednesday morning to all the kids dressed in their super cute school uniforms. Normally they have school Monday-Friday but this week was different because of the presidential elections.

Wearing his new shoes!

Treating the boys who had impetigo before they walked to class.

ADORABLE. I kind wish our kids wore these :-)

Walking the littlest girls to class.

Preschool

After we dropped the kids off at school we ate breakfast with Francois, Madam and the American man down the street, Bill. (He was dropping off one of his girls at Madam's sewing clinic. She only had one leg because of the earthquake.) Bill then drove us down the road to the feeding clinic that his wife runs.

This is Jennifer. She's awesome and really good at what she does. Bill and Jennifer run a boys home and a girls home for Haitian kids but Jennifer also runs a feeding clinic and a formula clinic. Every Wednesday people come from miles away to see if they qualify for free rice/beans/fish for their kids, or for free formula. Bill and Jennifer are funded by a bunch of different people/organizations in the States but still, they only have enough formula for 20 kids to be on the formula plan. And 50 kids for the food plan. So the babies on the plan are usually extremely malnourished or came to her extremely malnourished and are surviving because of the formula. The 50 kids that are a bit older and don't need formula can qualify for rice/beans/fish. There is a lot of misunderstanding about breastfeeding and what to feed infants in Haiti, so Jennifer also educates the moms as much as possible.

The kids get weighed each time they come and get their stats recorded. If they aren't gaining weight Jennifer tries to figure out why. Unfortunately some caregivers take the food and don't give it to their malnourished children or they might try and sell the formula to make money. If Jennifer is suspicious that something isn't right she will try and make house calls with a Haitian pastor that also helps at the feeding clinic to make sure the goods are getting into the right mouths.

I was given the job of weighing each kid. Denny handed out food!

Rice and Beans

"Line" of people waiting with lots of crying babies :-(

This mom was SO happy to get the tiny Colombia shoes for her baby

Skillz

Jennifer was showing me how this sweet boy had rickets and would probably never walk correctly because of his skeletal deformities. Jennifer took a tropical diseases course before she moved to Haiti that has helped her tremendously. She is not a nurse but is very informed and educated when it comes to specific diseases in Haiti. She has saved many lives in Haiti. I was super inspired by what she does and encouraged that you don't have to have a medical degree to save lives :-)

Twins!

Waiting...

I LOVED weighing and holding the babies. A lot of them peed on the scale and on me! As Jennifer reminded me, at least urine is sterile :-)

Twin babies. 1 1/2 years old weighing in at 14 pds. The feeding clinic saved their lives.

SO SO SO SO SO adorable.

This baby's mama was having trouble breastfeeding so I got to hold her while Jennifer tried to help the mom figure out what was wrong.

Smoked Fish

A group of widows waiting outside the gate for any leftover food.

This is "Kenny." We don't know his exact name but this is the name Jennifer calls him. Kenny broke my heart. I was holding back tears during the entire feeding clinic weighing tiny sick baby after tiny sick baby until I laid eyes on Kenny and started bawling. Kenny is 6 years old and weighs 30 pds (Same weight as my 2 year old). As you can see his hair is thin and orange due to protein deficiency and he is suffering from starvation. We couldn't get sweet Kenny to make any facial expressions, let alone smile.

This was Kenny's first time at the clinic. His aunt brought him. There are a lot of details about Kenny's story, but in short, his father died and for some unknown reason his mom abandoned him. Kenny was living with his uncle at the time he came to the clinic.

The first thought I had when seeing Kenny walk up with a well nourished woman is that he might be a child slave. And from what we now understand, he was. He was being denied schooling, starved, and beaten by his uncle. There was an emptiness we saw in Kenny that we have never seen in any other human being. A crushed soul. I was so heartbroken I left the clinic, bawling. After about 5 minutes I recomposed myself and made it back in time to say goodbye to sweet Kenny as he rode away on a tiny donkey.

Jennifer offered to take Kenny in to live at her boys home but Kenny's aunt couldn't let him without permission from the uncle. Jennifer eventually spoke with the uncle but because he confirmed that the mom is still alive Jennifer and Bill are hesitant to take Kenny in, knowing his mom could come back and try and take him. (After communicating with Jennifer tonight, it sounds like Kenny know lives with the aunt in a better situation than when he was with the uncle. He is coming back to the feeding clinic every week and Jennifer is keeping a close eye on him while hoping to get him into school in the Fall.)

PLEASE pray for this sweet boy. It was gut wrenching experience to look into his swollen, lifeless eyes and imagine the things he was going through and the battle he had to fight just to live. I can't look at a picture of Kenny without crying. My heart is still breaking for him and for all the other kids in similar situations.

I am so thankful for the work Bill and Jennifer are doing in Haiti. Literally saving lives, like Kenny's.

Back at Francois'! Day 1 of handing out de-worming intestinal medicine. To my surprise some of the kiddos spit out the chewable tablets after they left the room. But luckily some of the honest kids ran in telling us what happened and from then on we had to watch the kids one by one chew and swallow the pills and then take and swallow a big drink of water.

Treating impetigo.

Treating ringworm.

So cute!

The one time we took the kids out of the compound was to play soccer at the local soccer field. This was a bad idea. We could barely keep track of them and some of them would run off with people we didn't know and we had no idea what was going on. The girls weren't really allowed to play so we just ran around the edge of the field doing funny movements, instead!

Denny claims he owned them.

After the game I had the kids race back and forth. The kids loved racing.

Sidelines

After we got home, Madam had set up her room full of stuff she had made. We told her the day before that we wanted to buy some stuff for our friends and family but we didn't know she would set up an entire store :-) It was so cute and she was so proud of her amazing work. She's holding the purses we got for Betsy and Bella.

This is only half of the stuff! The other side had tablecloths, clothes, placemats, dresses, aprons, and more!

We finished the afternoon playing tag with the kids. While Francois and two workers laughed and laughed at us!

Haiti Day #4

2011-05-08T21:44:00.000-07:00

"7 a.m. waking up in the morning, Gotta be fresh gotta go downstairs, Gotta have my bowl gotta have cereal..."

(This song has been playing way too much in my house lately.)

7 a.m and ready for the day. After 5 minutes of playing with the kids and workers I ran back upstairs to change into a dress. Not one of the girls wore shorts. They all wore skirts or dresses. We had mashed potatoes with an awesome onion sauce for breakfast. Along with fresh pineapple, bananas, coffee and tea.

The kids love their "Papi."

Fetching water while getting her hair done!

Lovely widow wakes up every morning and sweeps the rocks outside her door and then organizes them.

Back up the hill to get her hair done!

Eating breakfast while waiting to get her hair done

I wish my girls could have witnessed the fact that NONE of these girls screamed or cried while getting their hair braided

Love him.

The workers clean the grounds early in the morning and then help the kids get dressed and ready for the day. After that they do a variety of chores from washing clothes to making the beds.

Grumpy faces waiting in line :-)

Madam's sewing school starts around 8 a.m. and goes until about 2 p.m. They start their morning singing beautiful and loud praise songs.

They work hard all year making things for an expo that happens in June.

Awesome old school Singer machines in great condition. They also make the uniforms for the school kids.

Gorgeous lady.

After breakfast Francois drove us around in his truck to show us some other parts of town we hadn't seen yet, including this small landing strip just a few miles away from Francois' home. We will probably fly to Port au Price and then take a tiny plane here, instead of doing the 3+ hour drive next time.

I guess you could call it the airport?

We decided to do a little face painting when we got home. I wasn't expecting it but the boys were so eager to paint their faces as well, mainly battle/war designs :-) It was so funny. Boys will be boys.

More painting!

Table in the middle of bedrooms where the kids eat lunch. A group of our friends that went to Haiti in November painted a lot of the walls in the orphanage. What a huge difference a little color makes!

Children's Home

This water tanks holds all of the water for the town. It also happens to be on Francois property. The water actually goes through a bit of a filtering process but unfortunately Francois can't use it because the cistern he made cracked during the earthquake.

One of the boys' rooms

View from the orphanage window

They eat pigeons in Haiti.

Pigeon House

Showing off his new kicks. He saved them for school the following day.

The kids weren't allowed to walk up the stairs into our room but a few times we heard tiny footsteps outside our door :-) Denny showing a few of the girls pictures on our computer!

Proud new owner of a $store princess necklace picked out, paid for , and given by Betsy :-)

The princesses in the middle were interchangeable. Awesome. She enjoyed the necklace for a mere 5 minutes until one of the older girls stole it from her.

So sweet.

Francois sitting on the cracked cistern looking over part of the property he owns that he wants to build a home on as well as build a cement fence(wall) for safety, instead of the current cactus fence.

Darling. Really, that's his name. Darling doesn't live in the orphanage but spends a lot of time there since he dad passed away. Francois is a great mentor for him. Darling spoke beautiful english and Denny was able to teach him how to use powerpoint and how to set up the projector. Darling caught on very quickly and was proud of all he learned. He also plays the keyboard for the church,

(mind my nastiness in this picture.) Darling took us to his one bedroom home where 6 of his family members live. Including his sweet Grandma who gave me lots of kisses.

Denny playing soccer on the 'field'

Giving

2011-04-28T20:27:00.000-07:00

Thank you so, so, so, so, so much to everyone who gave financially last month to support the orphanage in Haiti. We had huge smiles on our faces every time we received a check in the mail or a notification that someone donated through paypal. Every amount donated, whether a little or a lot was appreciated. EVERYTHING. Please remember 100% of what we receive from everyone is going straight to the orphanage in Haiti. We really do feel blessed to be able to fund-raise money for such an amazing orphanage.

On top of all the money that was given towards supporting the kids in the orphanage someone donated $750.00 specifically to buy the propane stove. AMAZING. So awesome to check that off the list!

May is right around the corner and we will be sending the next check out on Monday, May 9th. (We are sending the monthly check out the 2nd Monday of every month)

Please, please, please consider donating some of your next paycheck to helping provide clean water, food, schooling and clean clothes for the kids in the orphanage. Like I said earlier, every amount donated, no matter how small, HELPS!

If you want more specifics about who we're giving to and why we're giving you can check out my blog post from last month.

Again, thank you for journeying along with us.

You are making some people in Haiti VERY happy :-)

*You can donate via the paypal tab on the right side of the blog or you can send me a check.

We love you guys.

Haiti Day # 3

2011-04-26T20:42:00.000-07:00

We woke up at about 7:30 on day 3 and didn't come out of our room until almost 8. We were super exhausted. I think the time change and the lack of sleep finally caught up with us. I think 8 a.m. Haitian time is like noon U.S. time because I'm pretty sure every other person within a mile was awake, fed, dressed and working by the time we came out of our room. As soon as we walked out Francois greeted us and we went directly into the dining room to eat breakfast (soup)! We quickly decided we would always be out of our room by 7 a.m. 8 made us feel lazy.

After breakfast the American couple down the street came over and we got to meet them, ask them tons of questions and begin a relationship with them. I don't know why, but it made us feel even more comfortable knowing that this couple lived right down the street. They have a great relationship with Francois and credit much of their "success" in Haiti to his help, wisdom, and friendship.

Before lunch, Francois took us on a walk around the town.

We were excited to leave the compound and get to see how other Haitians lived nearby. The pic above is of a canal. They are digging a new canal to catch the rainwater so it doesn't flood the city. Unfortunately, many houses were literally cut in half to make way for the canal(with no reimbursement).

One of the only "paved" roads in the town.

The water runs from this mountain into the town during the rainy season. They are building something like a community center behind the brick wall.

We felt weird taking a bunch of pictures in the town. There were people everywhere, motorcycles driving by quickly, and we felt weird pulling out our camera to take photos.

It seemed like everyone loved Francois. Every street we turned on people came up to talk to him, hug him, etc.

We even visited the local hospital but there were huge signs saying not to take any pictures. Most people can't afford to go to the hospitals in Haiti. This hospital in particular didn't have a great rep.

As soon as we got back we had lunch (popcorn and pancakes)with Madam and Francois. We ended up sitting with him for about 2 hours in the dining room. He shared his heart on adoption, ways to help his ministry, how the Lord is working in his life, and even stressed something my own dad has stressed to me since I was little kid: "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No, no'."

He also encouraged us to look to God only and no one else in following His will/plan for our lives. He reminded us that Jesus, and Jesus alone should be our example of how to live. He shared stories with us about the earthquake, his family history, and more.

It was a very special time for us all.

Afterward, we gave him a 50lb bag of medicine we had brought with us from money people donated. He now has an entire medicine cabinet full of life saving medications. Fever reducers, anti-diarrhea, re-hydration packets, naturopathic medicine, vitamins, first aid stuff, and more! How incredible for him to have almost every medicine he could need so easily accessible.

Finally, we were able to hang out with the kids for the afternoon/evening. They had been waiting patiently all day.

A friend of mine from high school donated some shoes from Columbia. They were perfect because of how well they were made and that they were closed-toed. The kids were so exited to get a new pair of shoes and held on to them all day. We found out later, they were saving them as their "school shoes." The next morning they were all wearing them to school.

Trying hers on

"These look pretty good on me!"

While the kids got their new shoes we passed out some paper and markers for each kid to draw something that we could take back home and show our friends and family.

Almost every boy drew a car or a bus!

The little girls were easily distracted and only colored for a minute or two.

Color time

Probably winding up for a ninja or break dance move

He spent the MOST time out of everyone on his drawing. Very detailed and very intricate.

Sweet, sweet girls.

These ladies washed all the clothes for the orphanage and kept the compound neat and orderly. They loved having their pictures taken. The one in the red was always smiling, waving, and laughing (at us?).

Older girls teaching the youngers clapping games

This was SO cute to watch.

Playing a game where the kids hid behind me and Denny tried to grab them. We didn't really understand it but they had a GREAT time.

We had dinner around 5(rice and beans) followed by more great conversation with Francois.

We went to the evening prayer service around 7.

There was no real agenda.

Anyone who wanted to pray stood up and prayed.

Or, if someone wanted to sing praises, they would stand up and start a praise song, A-Capella style.

It was beautiful, passionate and Spirit led.

I had three girls on my lap sleeping. I loved it.

Day #2

2011-04-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

We slept surprisingly well the first night and came out of our room around 7 a.m. The kids were waiting outside for us and we were so excited to see them in the bright daylight. We played for a handful of minutes before we ate breakfast with Francois and Madam. We had no idea what to expect food-wise. It was really delicious: pineapple, mango, bananas, egg and rice dish, bread, coffee and tea!

I LOVE him. He looked so handsome for church and sang loudly and beautifully during the service

All the kids had on their "Sunday Best." VERY cute.

Someone fell asleep pretty quickly :-)

And another followed shortly!

Pastor Francois was so excited about using the projector.

We quickly realized that although we wrote the hymns in a powerpoint, we didn't know when to click on the next slide because we couldn't follow very well what they were singing :-) So the American guy, Bill, was luckily at church and able to do the slides for the hymns.

The church.

Oldest and youngest at Francois' orphanage

After the service we handed out fruit leathers and the kids LOVED them, then threw the trash on the ground, of course, because trash cans are nowhere to be found in Haiti.

Soccer time. Denny claims he "dominated" but I'm not so sure. The goals were two rocks placed a few feet apart. The "field" was this dirt patch about 50 feet long.

Half time. The boy on Denny's lap was hysterical. He had more energy than any kid on the compound, would break dance randomly, and acted like he ran the place.

This sweet boy is the oldest boy in the home. Notice he tied his silly band from Day#1 onto a string for a necklace. Niiiice. Being the oldest boy, he was often working around the property, standing guard, or helping the little ones.

You can't really tell in the picture but this boy had really bad impetigo all over his body. He was so sweet and followed us everywhere, all the time, everyday.

Nice one, babe.

This sweet girl was extremely proud of her freshly painted nails

This sweet boy rarely spoke but always had a smile on his face and watched us quietly from afar

I painted the girls nails while Denny played soccer. I brought 10 different colors but the majority wanted sparkly pink. I should have known.

I put my Oprah magazine underneath their nails when I painted them. The magazine was an unexpected hit with the kids. They looked at every page SO closely and then the boys came and some of them tried reading the English. I also heard them going through it and trying to find black people...there were only a few. Come on OPRAH! There was an ad for Disneyworld or some amusement park in it and every kid stopped and stared at that page for quite a long time.

Denny let them paint his nails. They were giggling the entire time :-)

Sharing food

Francois showing the girls the cloth diapers

Afternoon Sunday School. Francois runs an afternoon Sunday school outside that all his orphanage kids attend, as well as the kids from the american couple's orphanage AND some kids from the town.

Francois was SO good with the kids. One girl got in trouble and he made her sit in his chair up in front. I tried not to laugh but it was pretty funny.

Madam Francois in the top of the picture. She led the kids in worship. Praying.

Recognize this song :-)

Praying :-)

Why not end the day with a little hair braiding? :-)

Day#2 was fantastic. We bonded with the kids pretty quickly and we had a great time playing with them, going to church, hearing Francois preach, walking around the orphanage, etc.

Haiti Day 1

2011-04-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

I'd love to explain Day 1 a bit more in-depth but I've barely had time to pee lately, let alone download photos :-) Hopefully you'll get a good idea from pictures and captions. Who likes blog posts with a ton of words anyway?!

Started the trip pretty tired. Went to bed at 1 a.m. and left for the airport at 5:30 a.m.

We took 5 suitcases: 3 full of medicine/shoes/toys and 2 carry-ons for ourselves.

We flew Portland to Chicago and then Chicago to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This was me at midnight in Florida after flying all day. Our flight to Haiti didn't leave until 6 a.m. but we didn't want to waste money at a hotel for just a few hours so we tried to sleep at the airport. Yeah, right. I was so anxious about everything there was no way I would sleep. Especially since we met some med students in the airport who were going to be on our flight to Haiti and they were warning us about how bad it might be because of the elections the following day, etc. Of course I immediately checked all the Haiti blogs I read and they had all posted about being worried about what would happen that day and the days following the election. Lots of missionary groups and groups of people were flying out of Haiti because of what could happen at the same time that we were flying in. I was a bit nervous to say the least.

Our flight was scheduled to leave at 6 but didn't leave until about 7. I guess they were trying to prepare us for the fact that everyone is late for everything in Haiti :-) They also didn't check our bags or send us through any type of security. Scary? The plane was pretty small and most people have never heard of the airline we flew on, IBC. There was church group from Illinois on the flight(orange shirts), 2 med students, 2 journalists and us.

So pretty!!! I wasn't too fond of flying in a tiny plane that had to stop at a magical island to refuel half way through. Say what?!!!! Denny and I were in the very back and it was super loud so we decided to try and sleep instead of scream at eachother!

24 hours since we'd left Oregon. I managed to sleep about 45 min. What a blessing. I would have been a mess if this hadn't happened.

Cute Denny. He was taking pictures the entire time. He had to sit forward most of the flight because this loud vent was blowing air like crazy onto the bag of his head.

Flying into Haiti. SO PRETTY

Coming in from the EAST side of the island.

Air Traffic Control

We walked off the plane and into the tiny, confusing, 2-room airport. It was so loud and hot inside and we didn't understand anything. Thank goodness for the med students and the church group who had been to Haiti before. They helped us navigate the craziness and then we waited about 10 minutes until Pastor Francois showed up. I started tearing when I saw him. I was so relieved he showed up, I was so happy to meet him, I was tired, anxious, excited, etc. Too many emotions. Might as well cry :-)

He told us to hold tightly onto our bags because people would try and take them as we walked through the mass of people outside of the airport to the car. He sat in the back of the truck with the bags as we drove off (His son drove!)so people wouldn't steal our stuff. We had no idea what were were doing or where we were heading.

We drove just a mile or two from the airport to his daughter's house to drop off our bags so that we could grab some lunch and run some errands without worrying about them. Because of the elections happening the next day and all the craziness in Cap Hatien Denny and I just wanted to get out of Cap and go straight to the orphanage. But we didn't. And in hindsight, I'm glad we got to experience Cap for a few hours.

There were UN trucks everywhere! Go CHILE!

Francois really wanted to take us out to lunch before we ran errands and then drove 3.5 hours to the orphanage. We told him we were fine and didn't need anything but he really wanted to take us somewhere special. There are only a few restaurants in Cap Hatien that he felt comfortable taking us to because he knew they cooked with clean water and that other Americans go there often. The first tiny little one was closed so he drove up a mountain to a really cute hotel/restaurant. We kept telling him we didn't need anything nice but he insisted. Honestly, I was kinda glad because they had flushing toilets(My bowels were going crazy that day) and a beautiful view of Cap Hatien AND we got to breathe and relax for a 30 minutes. From the time we landed in Haiti until we arrived at this restaurant we were pretty stressed out and anxious. This was a perfect time to regroup, breathe, and connect with Francois and his son before heading back into crazy Cap and then driving to the orphanage.

View facing South-ish

Yes please.

Denny was pretty excited to get a Coke :-)

Denny ordered fried fish and french fries. I ordered french fries. We heard you're pretty safe with food if you order something fried. Definitely didn't help my bowels. Again, thanks goodness we had flushing toilets here.

After lunch we headed back down the hill into the city to run errands....basically pick up food and water for the week. Francois does mostly all of his shopping in Cap Haitain. He drives here every weekend.

These ladies kept looking at me and smiling/laughing. Who knew what they were saying. I was in awe of how quickly they braided each others hair. They offered to braid mine but we didn't have time.

We got out of the truck here and waited in the beautiful hot sun while Francois, his son and his wife got things from different people/places.

Madam Francois. She met us here. I LOVE her. She ended up sitting in the bed of the truck to protect all the goods. A 62 year old grandma riding in the back of the truck?! She's a rock star. Denny would have offered but he was too scared. She was awesome.

Sweet boy.

After a few hours of running errands and praying I wouldn't have to go diarrhea we headed back to Francois' daughter's home to grab our bags and then headed out to Francois' orphanage, under 40 miles away but took 3.5 hours. The pic above is the tiny bit of paved road leaving southwest from Cap Hatian. Denny and I were about to fall asleep until the paved road ended and we started heading into the mountains.

Cool Citadel.

***The 3.5 hour drive was almost unbearable emotionally. It was/is truly indescribable and we were either crying or holding back tears the entire drive. Our chests were tight and we honestly couldn't say a word to each other.

We were NOT expecting to see malnourished babies on the side of the road with orange hair and big bellies standing on a heap of trash.

We were NOT expecting to see women walking with 50 lb bags of coal on their heads for miles with no shoes.

We were NOT expecting to see little kids holding machetes.

We were NOT expecting to see little kids taking care of their even littler siblings.

We were NOT expecting to see people bathing in the dirty river water.

We were NOT expecting to see 2 and 3 year olds carrying jugs of water for miles.

We were NOT expecting to see women with their tiny children on the hillside making coal.

We were NOT expecting to drive through two rivers in Francois' truck.

We were NOT expecting to have to pull our shirts over our mouths because the pollution burned our throats so badly.

(It took us a few days to shake the suppressive heaviness we experienced during this drive. While it's not something we expected. We are SO grateful to have seen the countryside and this part of Haiti. It was truly life changing.)

We were also NOT expecting Francois and his wife to play awesomely loud worship music the entire drive and for them to sing praises together the entire drive. Madam was raising her hands and singing beautifully to her Father in Heaven. It was beautiful, amazing, and perfect.

We pulled up to the orphanage around dinner time so we didn't have much time to play with the kids before we ate and then it was dark and we all went to bed.

The kids literally ran up to the truck as we pulled in and started unloading the back, carrying our bags to our room, etc. They were all dressed in matching "I am a Child of God" t-shirts. There hair was perfectly braided and they were beautiful. We handed out silly bands and soccer balls. They LOVED them. They showed us their home and we watched them show off their own individual skills, running, swinging, soccer, clapping, dancing. They were so joyful.

We also got to meet the little sisters we are trying to adopt. Denny and I were in awe of their beauty, personalities, and how much they look like Betsy and Bella. Literally, they are just chocolate versions of B and B. They don't know we are adopting them, so it was a hard balance for us not to favor them and hang out with them when there were so many other kids that we wanted to give attention to as well. I wish I could write more about the girls and our experiences with them personally but we're being really cautious with the information we do and do not share over the internet. Maybe after the adoption is final we will be able to share more :-)

Kids making funny faces. They thought we were taking a video so they were acting funny and making weird faces.

These sweet girls taught me awesome clapping games. You know, like "Miss mary mac, mac, mac all dressed in black, black, black with silver buttons, buttons, buttons all down her back, back, back." Member? Except their versions were way more intense and I had no clue what they were saying.

I look especially pasty, gross, and old in this picture. Just remember I hadn't slept in 2 days and I was next to a precious, dark, beauty.

Denny always had at least 2 kids on his lap at all times. Sometimes up to 5 or 6. These kids have a lot of mother figures in their lives but very few father figures. Aside from Denny being awesome, I think they loved having a male around.

So cute!

We ended the night with yummy dinner with Francois and Madam. At the end of dinner we gave him the projector we brought with us that our church donated and he was beyond excited. Denny offered to write up some power point slides of hymns and verses for the service the following day and Francois ran to his room to get his hymn books, bible, and computer. I think he was surprised at how quickly Denny could put together a few slides. Francois went to bed with a huge smile on his face...his congregation was going to be so excited at church the next day. They had prayed faithfully for 3-4 years for a projector. We were blessed to be the ones to deliver it.

We headed to bed around 9 p.m. A few of the little boys had put buckets of warm water (They boiled water and then mixed it with cold water)in our bathroom for us to bathe with. It was so sweet of them. We were worried we might not be able to sleep after all we had seen and experienced that day but luckily we fell asleep pretty quickly. The generator turned off pretty quickly after we went to bed but Francois had given us a lantern and we brought some flashlights so it was no problem. We jumped in bed, tucked the mosquito net around us and finally slept after not sleeping for a few days :-) We were so happy to finally be in Haiti, to finally meet Francois, and to finally meet "our girls."

We had finally made it. Just one year ago I was laying in bed, sick, wondering if I'd ever feel better, if the Lord would allow us to adopt, and if Denny and I would be able to work on our marriage instead of working on making me feel better for the past 5 years....not knowing that YES, I would finally feel better, and not just that, Denny and I would be in HAITI, together, staying with an amazingly encouraging couple and meeting two sisters that we would be trying to adopt.

Amazing.

Better than we ever imagined.

Praise God.

Haiti Trip

2011-04-05T13:29:00.000-07:00

Denny and I got back from Haiti almost 2 weeks ago. We had an AMAZING experience. I've been trying to blog about it since our return but I can't seem to find the words to accurately describe everything we saw, felt, loved, and learned. As pastor Francois reminded us while we were there, "Haiti is your school. You are the students."

Here we go...a life changing trip into a few words :-)

To start off, Denny and I felt emotions we never knew existed while in Haiti. That's probably why I'm having such a hard time processing it and putting it into words in a single blog post. We felt so much sorrow and pain at some of the things we saw and the stories we heard and then other times we felt so much joy, encouragement, and strength. We journaled often, cried often, laughed often and prayed often! We were super blessed to stay with an amazing Godly couple that always made us feel at peace in a country where peace is hard to find. And to top it all off, we got to meet the two lovely ladies we're trying to adopt. They are amazing!

Denny and I flew into the second biggest city in Haiti, Cap Hatian (the day before the presidential elections), and went to a small town, about a 3 1/2/ hour(during the dry season) drive from "Cap". We stayed with a Hatian pastor and his wife who run an orphanage, school, sewing center and church, all on an approximatley 2 acre piece of land.

Pastor Francois and Madam

Pastor Francois and his wife, Madam, began their ministry in 1988 and now have about 250 kids in the school they run as well as 40 kids in the orphanage. Madam runs the sewing clinic of approximately 10 girls. Both Francois and Madam grew up in the small town they now reside in and feel called to minister there. They have already surpassed their life expectancy in Haiti...and have been blessed with safety and good health. As Francois says, "I will retire when I get to Heaven." Until then, they faithfully serve the people around them at ages 62 and 63.

We stayed for 6 full days. It took 2 days to get there and 2 days to get home.

A good number of people gave us money to take to Haiti to spend as we fell led. With this money we were able to provide an entire medicine cabinet($500 worth!), 26 new bed mattresses, food/water, de-worming medicine, shoes, and more! A doctor here in Corvallis donated specific medicine for me to be able to use on the kids and it was a huge blessing. Many of the kids suffer with impetigo(skin staph infection) and ringworm.

Aside from the delicious meals, playing with the kids, getting to understand the Hatian culture, going to awesome church services, and meeting practical needs, we were able to help at a feeding clinic down the road, run by an American couple that live in Pignon. (They are sponsored by a church in the U.S. and run a feeding clinic as well as a girls and boys home.) The mamas walk miles (some with no shoes) with their malnourished babies in hopes of getting free formula, rice, beans, and fish. I was given the awesome job of weighing each baby and Denny handed out the goods. After hearing each family's story after story after story and holding the sick babies, I left the clinic in tears at seeing first hand what I had read about so many times or had seen so many times on t.v;, sick kids, sick parents, struggling moms, extremely malnourished families, etc. On the other hand, there were many kids there, that because of the feeding program, are now healthy and flourishing. The American couple were a huge blessing to us and answered many questions we had regarding Hatian culture/what's normal, what's not/and practical ways to help Francois and his orphanage.

While Denny and I were completely open to moving to Haiti to help Francois and his wife run the orphanage we felt led in a different direction. Specifically, we feel passionate about trying to raise financial support back here in the States for great work they are already doing there.

So where to begin....?

This passage out of Isaiah 61 has come up multiple times in me and Denny's lives since 2008- whether someone specifically told us to read it or it was "randomly" prayed over us and what the Lord has in store in regards to His plans for our lives. It hasn't been until NOW that it has made sense :-)

The Year of the LORD’s Favor

¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,^[a] ² to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, ³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. ⁴ They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.⁵ Strangers will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards. ⁶ And you will be called priests of the LORD, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast. ⁷ Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours. ⁸ “For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them.⁹ Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the LORD has blessed.” ¹⁰ I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. ¹¹ For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.

Long story short Denny and I came home from Haiti feeling like this chapter, Isaiah 61, is The Year of the LORD's Favor for Francois and for his orphanage and that we are given the exciting and unique opportunity to help bring or deliver that favor, specifically in terms of finances.

Francois has never been fully sponsored by a church in the United States. The American couple down the road are fully sponsored by a number of different churches and people in the U.S. We were able to see first hand the difference between a sponsored orphanage, and one that isn't. The couple thinks Francois has one of the best Hatian run orphanages they've ever seen, yet he manages with so little. If he were to have funds coming in monthly, it would make a world of a difference to him knowing that he would have enough money to feed his kids for the month, or send them to school, or whatever other needs he comes across.

A bit surprisingly, things in Haiti cost A LOT. We asked him to come up with an estimate of how much money he would need per kid in the orphanage per month and he came up with about $75 per child per month. This would cover food, school, clothes, medicine, electricity, water and even pay for the workers who help the kids get ready in the morning, wash the clothes, etc. It may seem like a lot, but because Francois doesn't want his kids to bathe in the dirty river water or wash their clothes in the dirty water or drink the dirty water, Francois has to pay extra to ensure he gets clean water. For example, most Haitians walk as far as they need to the nearest well to pump their water and then walk all the way home. This is very hard physically and very unsafe for his kids to do, so to protect them, he pays more to get the water himself from a water purification plant. The cost for clean water does not allow Francois to bathe or wash clothes as much as he'd like to.

There are exactly 40 kids living in the orphanage - and one widow :-). Our dream is to get each "kid" sponsored so that Francois would be freed from the anxiety of whether or not his kids will get more than one meal a day, whether or not his kids can get medical care, etc. Our goal the first week of every month is to send a check to Francois of whatever money people give us to give to him. Ideally, it would be awesome to have people pledged monthly until the end of 2011 to give each month but we know that might not be the case for everyone. So anyway, IF you want and feel called to give, please do! Eventually we might be able to have people send directly to our home church Doxology which is a non-profit and then have Dox cut the check, but until then we have a separate account specifically for Haiti Money!

Here are some giving options if you're interested:

1. Pledge a certain amount to give monthly through this December(9 months) so that Francois knows a specific amount will be coming to him the remainder of the year. Write the check to me or Denny as soon as you can the first week of each month and we will send the final check to him all at once so he doesn't have to make several longs trips to get his mail.

2. Give when you can! We'll apply it towards the most immediate need at the time in the orphanage. Still, write the check to me or Denny.

3. Give towards a certain project:

a. They need to finish the cement wall fence so that people don't "steal" or "poison" or "do bad things" to the kids. Cost(a few thousand, don't have the exact price yet).

b. They also could REALLY use propane stove to cook with instead of their current, charcoal stove (respiratory infections are the leading cause of death of young children worldwide. Cost($750). UPDATE***** SOMEONE BOUGHT THIS!!!!!!******

c. Solar Panels: We are working on estimating how many he'd need to run his compound. Solar panels are an EXCELLENT idea in Haiti. SUN. SUN. SUN. SUN. The American couple down the road run their entire compound off of solar panels.

*I know sending checks may feel a bit old school. Sorry. I'm working on getting a paypal tab on this blog to make giving easier. Until then...*

We really feel confident that the role of "fundraising" for Francois and for his ministries is exactly where God intends us to be right now. We felt and were completely open to moving to Haiti but we feel like the best use of our skills and connections is to simply bring awareness and raise money for the good work Francois and his wife are already doing!

Thank you again for the support we and Francois have already received from you all. What a blessing!!!!

If you do feel inclined to give, please e-mail me or call me! If you choose to give monthly, I am going to send the money to him the second week of every month so I'm asking people if they could please send the money for that month the first week.

AbbyLBain at hotmail dot com

THANK YOU!!!!!!

Party on the last day with money people gave us before we left. Rice, beans, chicken and soda!

Party Food

The UN came the day before we left and dropped off some bread and cheese.

Pastor Francois and Denny

Madam Francois and her beautiful creations.

Mama and Baby at the awesome feeding clinic. AND a new pair of Columbia shoes that we were able to hand out.

Classroom for the little ones.

Walking to school in the uniforms Madam made.

Francois showing the older girls in the orphanage how to use the cloth diapers we gave him. He LOVED them and would love more(if any of you have extras) because the kids often wet the bed at night.

Sticker Fun :-)

We were able to provide some basic medical care. This boy had ringworm :(

The projector donated by our church and one of our friends. They were super excited about this. The love that they can actually put the words up to songs since they don't have hymn books or bibles for everyone. They watched a movie on it one of the nights we were there also!

Just landed into Cap. Traffic Control building? :-)

Flying into Haiti. BEAUFITUL!

Trying to sleep in the Florida airport. Our flight left at 6 a.m. to Haiti

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Denny put together an awesome, but lengthy slideshow. So if you're interested in hearing more about the trip or seeing more pictures please contact me. We'd love to share.

Help Haiti

2011-02-13T08:23:00.000-08:00

Kids we'll be hanging with. So cute!

Hey Guys! Most of you probably already know, but Denny and I get to travel to Haiti for a week this coming March.

This will be our first trip to Haiti. Hopefully many more will follow!!!

We're staying at a home (orphanage) that our friends connected with last May. The home is run by an elderly pastor and his wife in the city of Pignon. There are about 40 kids living at the home as well as many neighboring street kids in great need.

Pastor and his wife!

Denny and I have already purchased our plane tickets but we would love to be able to bring some much needed items with us, such as medicine and shoes. Once we're down there we'd like to try and stock the pantry with rice and beans as well as purchase some new mattresses for the kids.

Many of you have asked how you can help. Thank you. We are in the process of getting shoes donated(hooray!) but we'd love to be able to take a suitcase full of medicine with us. Once we're down there we'd like to help stimulate Haiti's economy by purchasing food and mattresses for the home.

If you'd like to help, we would accept any amount of donation! Seriously, even 5 bucks can help.

Think you might be able to help?! Please e-mail me: AbbyLBain at Hotmail dot com or call me if you know my number!

Check out the orphanage we're going to: Foundation Children's Home of Haiti

(The orphanage is in the process of getting it's name changed. So you'll notice the website is still under a bit of construction)

Thanks for the support!

Can't wait to see how our community here can help support their community!

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one." Mother Theresa

Tears

2010-11-18T14:31:00.000-08:00

A lot of tears were shed today. Tears of joy, pain, grief, sadness, fear, and hope.

Tears at the home where are girls are currently living and tears at their hopefully, one-day, new home :-)

If you haven't been following the news lately, Haiti is an extremely unstable place to be in right now with the cholera outbreak and the election of a new president in a week or so.

The political situations and cholera conditions are so bad in some of the cities and towns that Americans are being escorted out by the UN either to stay in the Dominican Republic or to get to the DR and then fly back to the states.

My heart keeps breaking over and over and over again for Haiti and for the girls we are trying to adopt.

We are thanking God constantly for their safety and for their health. And for the wonderful couple taking care of them, in their old age.

While most people are thinking of retiring or living the good life when they are 50 or 60, this couple is giving their all to take care of these kids. Bending over backwards to provide the best life they can for these children.

As the pastor said, "We would rather die with these kids then leave them for our own comfort and safety."

With a heavy heart this morning regarding all the turmoil in Haiti, I received possibly one of the best phone calls of my entire life.

Remember how I said most Americans are LEAVING Haiti right now? Well 15 of our friends are there, right now, working at the orphanage where the girls live. (They feel called to be there unless God intervenes and they feel they need to get out of there.) One of my friends called to tell me some EXCELLENT news regarding papers that needed to be signed (that previously was a "1 in a million" type of situation, unless God intervened). Well He intervened in a huge way today and they got to witness and capture a story that brought me to tears and made my stomach turn. I am writing this blog post through blurry eyes, but I couldn't wait to share the excitement.

I would love to share more about the exact situation that took place but feel best to leave it how it is right now. Maybe one day down the road I'll be able to give more details.

The almost impossible became possible today. And how amazing that one of my closest friends got to witness it!

We are one HUGE step closer to adopting these girls.

Those "one in a million" or "pretty much impossible" situations are nothing to our Father.

Please pray for the safety of all the people at the orphanage. Pray they get wisdom on when to return back to the States. Pray they complete the work God has called them to. And pray they can safely get the medical supplies they need to help the children. Pray for strength and endurance for the couple running the home.

And thank God with me, for all he has done and is continuing to do.

"Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow."

Thinking Out Loud/Adoption

2010-10-25T19:51:00.001-07:00

What do we do about all the orphans in the world? And the widows?

I can't get this question out of my head or my heart.

Or this verse: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

Or the images I see over and over again that break my heart.

Or the fact that almost a billion people on the planet don't have access to clean, safe drinking water.

Or the stories I read. Especially on this blog or from this book.

I can't stop thinking about how God is not only calling His Church to step up, but specifically, how he might be leading my family. (Which we currently feel is via adoption).

3 years ago one of my new friends and I sat down for coffee to get to know each other better. It just happened that we were both very passionate about the orphan crisis and ended up sharing our hearts for hours!

That same friend gave me a book for my birthday a few years later called, Fields of the Fatherless. It's written by the founder of Children's Hope Chest, Tom Davis.

I'm pretty sure I read the book in one day.

Here's an except from the book:

"If you searched the Bible from front to back, you'd find many issues close to God's heart. But you'd also notice three groups of people coming up again and again. They appear so many times, in fact, you have to conclude that God mentions them purposely to make sure they are at the top of our priority list. Allow me to introduce to you those God continually draws our attention to. They are the orphans, widows, and aliens(strangers). What these people have in common is their desperate need of provision and protection. They are weak, the under-privileged, and the needy among us...He(God) actually defines Who He is by His promises to them. Consider His promise to provide:

"A father of the fatherless, a defender of the widows,

Is God in his holy habitation.

God sets the solitary in families;

He brings out those who are bound into prosperity." Psalm 68:5-6.

(Excerpt from Fields of the Fatherless, by C. Thomas Davis)

The book goes on to talk about what it looks like to take care of the orphans, widows, and aliens (strangers).

Is it helping the single mom next door? Foster care? Being a mom or a dad to the kids that don't have one? Adopting? Starting an orphanage? Mentoring? Working at a food bank? Sponsoring a child?Offering free childcare to those in need?

The same friend I met with for coffee three years ago and her husband recently adopted a beautiful baby boy this year and I was blessed to come alongside her during her journey and for my eyes and heart to be opened to the reality of millions of kids living all around the world in terrible conditions and without parents.

When I think back on the trips Denny and I have been on to build homes in Mexico, the best memories and pictures I have are of us playing with the kids or of me holding the tiny babies and not wanting to let go. We love kids. We love our kids. And if we ask ourselves what we would do if our kids were suddenly orphaned, I would hope with all my heart that they wouldn't be separated and that they would become a part of a family, that they would be set in a family, or as the Bible says, "God sets the solitary in families."

Denny and I have been asking ourselves, and God, for years what it would/should look like in our lives to take care of the orphans, widows, and strangers. Giving money? Opening up a home? Foster Care? Adoption? Mentoring? Running an orphanage?

Most recently we have begun the journey of trying to adopt two little girls from Haiti. While there are a lot of things going against it happening(because of Haitian law on adoptions), we are hopeful and excited. We have a peace that surpasses all understanding and great hope that we are moving in the right direction.

We are not naive that this will be easy. For us, or for the girls we are trying to adopt. But that's another blog post!

Oh yeah, and our girls are really excited about the possibility of having two new sisters :-)

They are already talking about where they will sleep(bunk beds, of course!) and what toys they want to share with them! So fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. One of our neighbors/sweet friends brought this over after we told her we are beginning the process to adopt.

* Champagne + 2 Haitian flags + Family Cupcakes. SO CUTE. Look closely: the letters match the initials of our first names and the colors of cupcakes and frosting match our skin color. Light, Medium and Dark. Isn't that cute?!*

MamaBaby Haiti

2010-10-22T14:13:00.001-07:00

Did you know that every minute a woman dies in pregnancy and childbirth?

Did you know that pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death and disability for women in developing countries?

Did you know that almost all of these deaths could be prevented?

Check out this awesome non-profit organization, "dedicated to improving the health and well-being of mothers and babies."

They are days away from opening up their midwifery and naturopathic center in Haiti. A Perfect blend in my opinion :-)

Their vision? "Our vision is to staff and maintain a free standing birth center in Haiti that will serve as a safe and clean place for women to come for free quality health care from midwives and naturopathic doctors. We will provide prenatal, birth, postpartum, and pediatric care, as well as education and other life saving services. Our birth center will have necessary medical supplies, running water, and a generator for power. We will provide care 24/7." mamahaitibaby.com

Doesn't it sound awesome?!

And guess what? My naturopathic doctor up in McMinville, Dr. Jessica Black, is one of the NDs that will be working on and off at the birth center!

Not only can you make donations to help them fulfill their vision, but they also have some pretty cool opportunities to volunteer. Especially if you're a midwife.

I definitely plan on checking out their center if Denny and I are able to head to Haiti next year.

Seriously, check out their website: MamaBabyHaiti

And think about how you could help.

sources: mothersdayeveryday.org

mamababyhaiti.org

who.org

everymothercounts.org

Haiti and Adoption

2010-10-20T09:01:00.000-07:00

We are trying to adopt two little sisters from Haiti.

I will write more about how this came about in another post, since I only have a second to write.

The big hurdle we're trying to jump is getting an agency here in the United States to take on our case.

Depending on how a certain conversation goes today between some important people, an agency might actually take on our case!!!

I am jittery right now because I'm so excited at the prospect of finally getting this show on the road.

We pray that the Holy Spirit gives wisdom to these two men regarding which direction to move and what steps to take.

We pray for God's best. And we trust in His perfect timing.

And of course, we hope this agency decides to help us adopt these girls :-)

"God knows, Sista Abby. God knows"

Loving our Kids on Purpose

2010-10-14T15:06:00.000-07:00

Have you read this book?!

Loving our Kids on Purpose: Making a Heart-to-Heart Connection. Author: Danny Silk

Danny Silk is the Family Life pastor at Bethel Church in Redding, California.

It was highly recommended to me by one of my best friends and seems to be like Love and Logic, but with a biblical foundation.

I'm pretty stoked. Honestly, I'm not too into parenting books but this book seems pretty awesome.

My friends and I are going through it chapter by chapter for the next five weeks. Five chapters, five weeks.

So far I'm digging chapter 1.

Here are a few excerpts from the first chapter:

"As parents, our goal is really to introduce our children to relationship with God by doing our best to relate to them like God does. More specifically, God has entrusted us with the task of recognizing the unique qualities in our children that connect to His calling on their lives and helping them to develop those things on purpose. We are stewards of that way. It is part of our job to help draw this way to the surface of our children's lives. We are to help them become familiar with it so that they learn to direct themselves in that course all the days of their lives, in partnership with the Holy Spirit."

"...and if we don't teach our children how to walk in and handle freedom, they wont know what to do with it."

I'm looking forward to discussing chapter 1 tonight :-)

This and That

2010-10-12T18:03:00.001-07:00

What's on my mind?!

I had a great time with my pregnant sissy...I'm sure excited to be an auntie to baby Mia in a few months.

Flying without kids is crazy easy. Especially on Frontier where they have personal televisions and free cookies. Yes, FREE cookies. HGTV, a nice drink, and warm cookies? Pretty awesome.

My back hurts like crazy. Plane seating? Stress? It's definitely out of whack and I'm going to hit up a chiropractor this week or next. I can't really walk, sleep, or do anything comfortably. Ugh. Dear Insurance, please cover it.

I had about 15 small gumballs last night and couldn't sleep I was so hyper.

My cell phone is so ghetto it doesn't even have a camera on it. At least it doesn't have an antenna.

I've driven to McMinville or Portland 10 times in less than 1 month.

Bella pooped in her pants at my Naturopathic appointment today. I had no extra clothes so she went without undies or pants while I finished up my appt. She also climbed on me and laid parallel on me while the doctor tried to realign my spine. She's so sweet.

I teared up just thinking of meeting/holding my friends new baby.

Do you get the World Vision Gift Catalog? It's awesome. You can give really cool Christmas gifts to those in need all around the world. Goats? Chickens? Ducks? Cows? Safety for an abused girl? Wells? School Tuition? Business loans? Sure. They have it all.

I love the community we live in and the community of friends we have, but I also love the sunshine that accompanies cities like Bend or Denver. Ugh.

Our kitchen is an original 1939 kitchen and in need of a desperate remodel. Thinking of pairing IKEA's inexpensive goods with Denny's hard work. Might turn out pretty nice.

I want to live on a farm.

I also would love to be a naturopathic doctor.

Haven't been able to work out at ANY gym since my last gym post. This chelation stuff is super hard on my body and I don't have an ounce of energy left.

Anxious to see what happens after Haiti elects a new president.

Time to make some more of these muffins:

Organic whole wheat pumpkin muffins with dark chocolate chips and sweetened with agave and brown sugar. Yum!!!!

Get these two to bed:

To fondly remember Denny's summer look:

And to gear up for:

While possibly getting a back rub :-)

My Prego Sissy

2010-10-09T14:24:00.001-07:00

Me and my cute prego sister at the airport! (Lame camera phone pic). I'm in Colorado right now, sans kids and hubby, having fun getting her baby room ready and heading to her baby shower in a few hours. SO FUN! I love Colorado. I love the sunshine. I love my sister and her new baby!

**Update: Steve Madden gave me a 50 credit to their website because they no longer make my boots. Whatever. Better than nothing?!**

Half The Sky

2010-10-04T20:24:00.001-07:00

Have you read this book?

I started it back in June and still haven't finished it.

I don't even have words to describe it.

It has opened my eyes and my heart to a world of women deeply suffering. Something I knew VERY little about.

Some days I can only read a page or two, other days maybe an entire chapter.

Some days I read it and then literally can't function the rest of the day.

It's painfully hard to stomach and brings me to tears over and over again.

Consider reading it. And then consider how you can fight on behalf of these women.

Half The Sky.

My Ethnic Hair Chronicles

2010-09-30T20:25:00.000-07:00

Remember when I decided to stop chemically straightening my hair?

After 19-ish years of chemicals I made the big switch last year. Decided to finally embrace my ethnic side.

Most normal people would cut off the old chemically treated hair but I wasn't about to have short hair. Been there. Done that. Not doing that again.

So the past 12 months I've had a weird mixture of hair textures: From 1/8 naturally curly 7/8 chemically straight to now... 5/8 naturally curly and 3/8 straight!

I'm getting there!!! Hooooooray!

Good hair days are still far and few between but I'm finally seeing the perseverence pay off.

Let's see the before and current pictures: ("after" probably won't be for another year!)

Sick. I had to take them. I knew I looked like a wet dog but pushed through. I took these in March- Directly after washing it:

Whatever.

Fast forward to today: 6 months later. 12 months into my ethnic hair journey:

It's still CRAZY and you can still see some of the straight hair but I'm starting to dig it.

I'm kind of toying with the idea of putting in some fun highlights. My sister's hair is curly and looks so cute highlighted.

Maybe a professional stylist to shape it?!

I wish more black people lived in Corvallis. :-)

5 Questions

2010-09-28T14:58:00.000-07:00

One of the Young Life leaders here in Corvallis made a little handbook thingy for married couples to do once a week to help improve marital communication, pray for each other, get on the same page, etc.

A handbook just to talk?!

(Seriously though, between our busy daily schedules, putting the girls to bed AND all the new shows starting up, who really makes time at the end of the night to talk deeply?)

He gave Denny a copy at school the other week and we gave it a shot last Sunday.

It was AWESOME.

WOW! What we thought would be a quick little question and answer time turned into an incredible time with each other and with the Lord. It was like going to a counseling session but without the counselor. And it was free!

I don't remember the 5 questions off the top of my head but they go something like this:

1. What brought you joy this week?

2. What was tough for you this week?

3. How can I pray for you this week?

4. What is one specific thing I can do to support you this week?

5. Do you have any sins to confess, unresolved conflicts, etc?

6. PRAY with each other and for each other.

Seems simple, right?!

What we thought would take us 20 minutes ended up taking almost 3 hours.

Seriously, if you are really being honest and open with each other it can be a bit painful yet incredibly healing.

Denny and I have had a saying since we got married that we sometimes forget, "WAT" (We're A Team!)

Marriage is not about living separate lives, but about living in Christ together, as a team.

God. Denny. Me.

"WAT"

Dear Steve Madden,

2010-09-26T18:41:00.001-07:00

Within 2 weeks of buying these boots one of them ripped. I bought them from a store 2 hours away. Can you please send me a new pair?

Thanks,

Abby

*Sent them an e-mail with above pics and they wrote back saying they "sincerely apologize" and they are working on the situation. Awesome?! I hope to see a new boot in the mail soon! I used all my birthday money last year to get them!*

Gym Memberships

2010-09-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

I was a member at Timberhill Athletic Club for 15 years.

Now that I think about it, T.A.C supplied me with some pretty solid memories:

Seeing who could bench more in middle school. Me or Brandon

Running next to my dad on the treadmills

Working out with the cute older boys after school during the off season

Going on the ellipticals with my mom on the weekend

Hot tubbing with cute boys

Meeting Tiffany at 6 a.m. before A block during high school

Working out with different personal trainers

Trying yoga for the first time

Meeting Jasmine there before 1st Period during middle school

Watching Denny play basketball

Taking the bus all the way to Hoover from Cheldelin after school to walk to Timberhill and hang out

Walking on the treadmill 3 days before going into labor with Betsy

Going at 6 a.m.

Going at 8 p.m.

Taking my girls to the playroom multiple occasions but having them consistently get sick after each visit

Canceling my membership, buying a treadmill, selling the treadmill and getting a membership again.

Canceling my membership again and doing Bikram Yoga instead.

Quitting Bikram due to doctor's concern with it being too hard on my body right now.

Trying out Snap Fitness for a free week, just a block away from my house but totally not liking it.

The treadmill I should have never sold.

Currently: No Bikram Yoga Membership

No Timberhill Athletic Club Membership

No Treadmill

This summer: Was up to running 7 miles outside but my body kind of crashed after getting migraine after migraine each time I ran.

Athletic Ability: Still iffy because of the chelation and exhausted adrenals

Doctors Orders: Walking. BORING. But better than not walking at all.

Desires: RUN HARD! LIFT HARD! FEEL HEALTHY!

Now what?: I love running and lifting at home so a gym membership isn't really necessary EXCEPT during the Fall, Winter, and Spring when it's cold and rainy and my allergies go crazy.

Options:

Bikram? Can't.

T.A.C.? Too expensive.

Snap Fitness? Too small with very little equipment.

P90x? Thought about it but way too intense for my body right now.

Crossfit? Too intense for my body right now.

WOW Fitness? Possibly. Although they have always rivaled with T.A.C. it might be the best (and only feasible) option. Got a free 1-month membership in the mail so I'm thinking I'll give it a whirl- even if I'm only walking on the treadmill to begin with, it will get me moving and out of the cold and wet weather(minus the current 10-day forecast!).

I know you don't NEED a gym to be able to work out but I like the idea of staying dry, taking fun classes, and the alone time that comes with it.

Dear Samantha,

You worked at WOW. What's your opinion? Good bang for your buck? Would you ever put Lucas in the childcare room?

Dear Ruby,

I wish we could be running partners.

Dear Jenna and Heather and Ruby,

Are you going to be working out at Timberhill again this Fall?!

Dear Jaimie,

Do you like WOW?

Dear Corvallis,

Thank you for such a great 10-day forecast.

Blood Cleanser Drink

2010-09-23T07:39:00.000-07:00

Some people have been asking what that "Poop colored hippy drink is" that I'm seen with, so I thought I'd share it. My naturopath suggested it after my very first appointment with her as a natural blood cleanser and iron builder. It took me a while to get accustomed to the taste but now I kinda like it. My girls do too!

Ingredients:

1 bunch parsley(Betsy picked the parsley from our garden-so fun!)

2-3 cups filtered water

molasses (1-2 Tbs because of my low iron)

organic lemon juice concentrate ( to taste)

pure maple agave syrup or agave syrup (to taste)

I use my KitchenAid because I don't have a blender but one day I'm hoping to get on of these!

Ta-da! My "poop colored hippy drink" that I sip throughout the day!

Chelation

2010-09-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

"Chelation therapy is the administration of chelating agents to remove heavy metals from the body"

If you don't already know, I was recently tested for heavy metal toxicity. It seemed that no matter what I was taking/doing, I just wasn't feeling better. After reviewing an in-depth stool test to find no positive bacteria in my gut, the naturopoath became suspicious of high heavy metal levels in my blood and I partook in a 6-hour urine test. It revealed that while the normal level for mercury is between 0-4. the mercury level in my body was 54.

Although we didn't know exactly how I got the mercury build up (vaccinations, water, fillings) we decided that getting my 8 amalgam (50% mercury) fillings out was a great idea.

I went to a dentist that specializes in holistic dentistry with an emphasis on mercury removal and he removed all 8 fillings over two separate 4-hour appointments.

Then came the next step, chelation. (Kee-ley-shun)

The chelating agents are generally administered orally, via an IV, or through injections.

My naturopath prefers chelating via injections because of multiple reasons, but mainly, he can use less of the amount of the chelating agent but make it just as effective by injecting it right into the subcutaneous layer around certain organs, such as the kidneys.

My therapy plan will consist of 10 to 20 treatments (10 small injections each appointment). Most likely we will retest my heavy metals levels after 10 treatments and then go from there. I'm trying to get 2 treatments done a week but it's turning into being more like 1 (traveling to McMinville gets tricky with two little ones!).

(A mental image of what I look like during the treatment. They are injecting the goods into my tummy)

I completed my first treatment last Friday and within 2 minutes started sweating, feeling a bit light headed and had a terrible short term memory. Now, 3 days later, I feel pretty weird. Super tired, weak muscles and my digestion feels off.

They warned me that my symptoms may get worse before they get better. Thankfully, that hasn't been the case. I feel weird, but not terrible.

I am so thankful that my naturopathic clinic tested me for heavy metals and that I am on the journey to total health!

Who would have thought?!

*Long story short: I met a woman here in Corvallis that gives seminars and presentations on dental amalgam fillings and how they can affect one's health. She was training for the Olympics when her body shut down. Years later, they linked it to her amalgam dental work and now that her mouth is mercury free she is much better. I am excited to sit down with her, share stories, and bring awareness to help others in our shoes!*

Le Creuset

2010-09-19T16:00:00.000-07:00

Who would have ever thought I would agonize about what type of cookware to buy?

After becoming more aware about potential toxins in my own home (along with how my body reacts to heavy metals) I have decided to get rid of my Circulon non-stick cookware because of the terrible chemicals in it to make it "non-stick." And the sad thing, is that usually I'd sell it on Craigslist or give it to Goodwill but I don't want anyone to be exposed to those toxins.

After what I consider a good amount of research, I have decided to go with good ol' cast iron. You know, like the type our grandmas used.

I debated between stainless steel and cast iron but went with cast iron!

Next, came deciding the brand. My mom has enameled cast iron from Le Crueset that has lasted for over 30 years. "Well worth the money," she says.

I searched Amazon.com, Ebay, Williams-Sonoma, and more. But found out via Google that there is a Le Creuset outlet in Woodburn. Hoooray!

I got: 5.5 qt. Round French Oven

11 3/4 Skillet

2 1/2 qt. Sauce Pan

Williams-Sonoma: $530

Le Creuset Outlet: $279

Now I just have to learn how to "season" them, as I've heard that's what you do with cast iron :-)

I am not writing this to instill fear in anyone, or to say my way or the highway, simply just awareness to check what you're cooking with and evaluate if you could make any changes.

Hopefully I've made a cookware change in the right direction!

Ruby, maybe you can come help me "season" them!

Bipolar Blog

2010-09-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

This blog is totally bipolar.

Private. Public. Private. Public. Make up your mind already!

Maybe it's the fact that I've been kidless for the past 3 days and have actually been able to go pee without someone sitting on my lap, that I have decided to write again!

I have so many freaking passions, desires, thoughts, feelings, experiences, etc. Either my husband, friends and family grow weary listening to them all or I actually journal them via the world wide web.

Cool and humbling story in walking and listening to the Holy Spirit: I am learning how to hear the still soft voice of the Holy Spirit. Recently, a friend texted me about a job she thought would fit me well, so naturally, I got super excited and applied. It was a bilingual health promoter in Latino churches. Perfect fit. 20-25 hours, good pay, utilizing my gifts and talents, etc. I Stayed up many hours completing the application/resume, contacting my references, and asking God if this is something I should pursue.

A few days later (application not yet turned in) Denny and I were driving in the car and I told him I wasn't going to turn the application in. I felt like it would be more work than I could handle with health stuff, being a mom, a wife, etc. That I just get, "So excited about things!"And that if I did get the job, it'd be hard to turn it down. Denny agreed and said, "Whatever you do I support you. I just want you to make a decision now, instead of going all the way through the process and then saying no."Boy does he know me well :-)

As soon as we stepped in the door and I checked my e-mail, one of my references e-mailed me encouraging me that this would be a great fit, that she would highly recommend me, etc.

Naturally I thought, maybe this is a sign from the Lord! Haha! I reconsidered and Denny started laughing.

The day of the DEADLINE for the application I spoke with many of my friends who all agreed, it would be a great fit for me and to just turn the application in and see what happens.

So I did. I turned in the application and prayed that if this wasn't God's will that I wouldn't even get an interview.

Almost immediately I got an e-mail for an interview and I thought, "This must be God's will."

Well, unfortunately I wasn't listening to the still soft voice of the Spirit reminding me about my family, my health, and my desire to be still and spend time in his Word. Something only I could know. I tried to decipher if it was fear or if it was the wisdom of the Spirit.

In perfect Abby style, I waited until 48 hours before the interview to be still, listen and search out this tug on my soul towards not interviewing for the job. As my dad said, "That's just how you function Abby! It's not bad, you just seem do do your best thinking last minute!" Thanks, Dad.

Thankfully, I have amazing parents who sat down and discussed my heart, feelings and thoughts about why I was uneasy about interviewing. Was I fearful or was this something more? After 2 hours of discussion, my parent's speaking the TRUTH in love to me, and prayer, it was clear. I did not have the peace the Holy Spirit brings when thinking about going through with the interview.

With a little self reflection and the Truth speaking through my parents it was pretty obvious that although the job may have fit me perfectly, it was not God's BEST. I am confident he would have allowed me to pursue, get the job and then realize It wasn't the right fit. But instead, I stilled my soul, sought spiritual counsel, and heeded the the tug of the Spirit guiding me a different direction.

Life seems like it'd be a lot easier if we just prayed, "God, if this is your will, then...." But I'm learning that's not exactly how God works. He gave us HIS Spirit to help us discern from right and wrong, to be in communion with Him, to be in relationship with Him.

We have a loving Father who gives us freedom to choose. I could have chosen to take the job (assuming I got it), but with His guidance I was quietly shown where my time and energy should be spent now, on my family, on healing, and on spending time in his Word.

In 24 years of walking with Christ I am just now starting to learn the importance of walking with the Holy Spirit and the peace that accompanies me when I am in His perfect will, regardlessof the circumstance.

There is a season for everything.

My season now is raising my children, loving my husband, healing, and being in His Word.

I pray for discernment with the other passions I have to know how the Spirit leads me and whether or not to do them.

Thanks for listening/reading.

One last thing: After sharing with my parents the feeling and desire I have to really dive into God's Word my dad shared this verse:

"My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don't lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body." Proverbs 4:20-22

Seems fitting for where I'm at :-)

Once Again...

2009-11-09T12:37:00.000-08:00

I am debating between whether or not I should go back to school/work/not work, etc.

My ideas are:

Masters Degree in Nutrition:
Why?: I LOVE anything that has to do with nutrition, always have. I love helping people eat more healthy, choose better foods, etc. Nutrition was one of my favorite and most memorable classes in College. I passionately feel that a lot of the current health problems most of us face are a result of poor nutrition. I obviously still have a lot to learn in this subject and my advice would be way more legit if I actually got a degree in this area.

Goal: Start my own Nutrition Consulting Business

Pros: Allow me to choose what hours I want to work
Help people feel better
Change people's lives
Get to socially interact
Educate...I've always wanted to be an educator

Cons: Probably 3 more years of full time school
Might become too obsessed with food?

Master of Arts in Teaching: High School Health
Why?: I love high school. Seriously, I'm 7 years out and I still love going to CV to visit Denny, interact with students, etc. Other than being a "mom" the first career I ever wanted was to be a teacher. I love educating people and I feel comfortable teaching. I think high school students desperately need some solid role models and I've witnessed the amazing ways God has used Denny teaching HS kids. Why Health? I love pretty much anything that has to do with Health. In fact, if it weren't for my HS health teacher I would not have gone to college with the intent of studying health.

Pros: I could get my degree on-line and part time from my alma mater, WOU.
Get to interact with a variety of people all day
Teach a variety of classes from, Personal Health to Anatomy and Physiology.
I would have the option of substitute teaching while my kids are young, same schedule as my kids when they're in school, summers off,
GET TO WORK CLOSELY WITH DENNY :-)
Betsy and Bella can be my aids when they're at CV!
I'd get to use my espanol...

Cons: I'm totally disorganized and the thought of making lesson plans kills me
It might overwhelm me...not sure, though.

Master of Science in Health Education: Community College Teacher/Lower Level College Professor
Why?: I also love College. I had some pretty awesome professors at WOU who taught classes like Nutrition, Personal Health, etc, and they only had to get their Masters Degree to teach those. I understand to teach higher level courses you pretty much have to have your PhD but that could always happen down the road, if necessary.

Pros: The degree (if still available at WOU) would only take about 1-2 years to complete depending on how quickly I'd want to finish
I'd get to study nothing but health for 45 credits
Dealing with students who mostly WANT to be in their classes
The schedule would be super flexible
Maybe I could even teach aerobics :-)

Cons: No clue how hard it is to get a job at a community college
Not as much interaction with students compared to teaching in a high school

Associates in Nursing (LBCC)/Bachelor's of Science in Nursing(Monmouth OHSU)/Accelerated 15 month Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (Portland OHSU)
Why?: In short: I love helping people, learning about the body, medicine, etc.

Pros: Schedule. Could be awesome if I got a 3-11 shift since I love staying up late
Getting to help people LIVE
Could be a Community Health Nurse, Hospital Nurse, Family Practice Nurse, Hospice Nurse, Home Nurse, etc.
Get to treat people and educate them

Cons: There are a lot of things about the medical field I highly dislike and I might find myself getting frustrated at the standard procedures, choice of medications given, PAPER WORK, politics of it all.
Again, weird to be in the medical field when I, myself, believe so much in Naturopathic medicine
The actual education to become a nurse (clinicals, weird hours, etc.), might be way too much for my body.

Naturopathic Doctor: haha...unfortunately WAY too much schooling and $$$

There are still a few other ideas rolling around in my head but these 4 rank highest.

Basically here are a few last thoughts:

*We could really use some additional income
*I want to first and foremost be an incredible mother and wife; I want to be there for my girls and husband when they get home from school, be able to attend for the most part all of their endeavors whether it be soccer games, piano recitals, plays, etc.
*The additional income I would bring to the family would free Denny up to not have to find work on the weekends or during the summer.
*I want to use the gifts God has given me for His Kingdom
*I want to be where God wants me to be :-)
*I don't want to officially work until my girls are in school but wouldn't mind being in school up until then

Now, I always appreciate and love hearing from my friends and family what careers they think would fit me well. Any ideas, opinions, thoughts?!

Modern Family

2009-11-08T13:48:00.000-08:00

Before Kids: Satellite cable television, watched our "nightly shows," even applied for The Amazing Race-sadly, didn't even get an interview

After Kids: 10$ cable that covers channel 2-11 (ABC, NBC, CBS, OPB, FOX, CW)

Denny and I probably watch about two hours of cable t.v. a week. I'm not sure why we even have cable, I guess it's just $10 bucks...

There is just NO time to really watch TV when you have two little ones, homework, grading, etc.

If we can catch one show a week (The Office, and usually through HULU) we are pretty excited.

UNTIL we discovered a few more awesome shows:

1. Modern Family: Oh my goodness. Have you seen this show? It is absolutely hilarious. Denny and I pretty much cried through the first episode we were laughing so hard.

2: Parks and Rec: We tried this show out last year and thought it was pretty lame. We rediscovered it this year and decided it was pretty funny thanks to the awesome Indian guy...I don't even know what his name is but there is something about the way he talks...

3. Community: Again, we like it thanks to the Asian Spanish Teacher.

4. Ellen: I never seem to like girl comedians but Ellen always makes me laugh.

5. Glee: Makes me miss high school, kinda.

Where did all these funny actors come from all of the sudden? And when did tv writers catch on to good humor? Maybe I'm just stuck in the land of Toddler Humor and forget how adults interact?

While I was bedridden with my 10 day flu bug I happened to watch a ton of TV that I'd normally not choose to watch...

1.The Oprah Show: I can't quite pin point it but I'm disking her show more and more. But, I'd still love to fulfill my life-long dream of getting a makeover on her show. And actually, her kareoke show last week so super fun. Maybe it's just how much people worship HER that upsets me.

2. Dr. Oz. He is SOOOOO cute. He reminds me of my OB, Doctor Rampton. The only thing that bothered me was the episode when he told everyone to get a flu shot...that doesn't seem to line up with his practice. I've considered writing into him a few times...you know with all my weird thyroid stuff-I'd love to be on his show.

3. The Doctors: Oh my gosh. I am surprised this show is lasting on the air.

4. Kathy Lee and Hoda @10 a.m.: It's pretty much tailored to stay-at-home moms. Kathy Lee always interrupts Hoda but it's definitely entertaining. Last week they had Hulk Hogan on the show. He was talking about how he's turned his life around, is a Christian, etc.

5. KGW News Channel 8. 7 @7. Normally I can't stand the news...BUT my favorite news anchor, "Steph" is back from maternity leave from 7:00-7:30 p.m. She's awesome.

Okay, now I can move on to grading Denny's papers :-) I can't imagine what I'd write about if we had Satellite T.V. again, The Real World (Is that even on still?), Run's House (LOVED THAT SHOW), HGTV, Baby Story, Birth Day....

Country Livin'

2009-11-03T17:11:00.001-08:00

For some reason I BADLY want to live in the country. I want property, animals, southern sun, my neighbors not looking into my front window constantly, peace, quiet, etc. Life on the 1/3 acre Bain Family Farm has given me a tiny glimpse into a world I want to know more about.

Unlike the old days when I looked up baby stuff, I now use Craigs List strictly for finding property.

Yesterday Denny and I went and looked at a property about 1 mile from our house. Right next to Bald Hill. 2 acres of undeveloped land with incredible exposure to the East, West, and South. Perfect sun exposure for those of us who get the S.A.D. here in CornValley. Unfortunately I got a weird vibe from it...AND it costs way too much.

Denny often reminds me of all the hard work it takes to maintain a farm but I'm ready for the challenge. I admire my friends who grew up on farms and learned the definition of hard work. They also have gone on to become excellent housewives- Cooking, Gardening, Landscaping, Sewing, etc. Now I totally understand you can do all of this without living on a farm, but again, there is just something about it.

One of my girlfriends (who had NO idea about my desire to live in a farm) told me she had a dream that we were having a party in our house that was on a ton of property up on top of a big hill...prophetic?

I think Denny knows if we ever do get our farm I will definitely be more inclined to homeschool, of which Denny is certainly opposed.

On the other hand I loved growing up "close to everything." I could ride my bike practically anywhere from my house, walk to school, etc. After school, in between games, after dances, MY parent's house was the place to be. I'm sure most of it was because my parent's were awesome, but we also lived in an awesome location, close to school, fast food, Shari's :-), etc.

I want Betsy's and Bella's friends to want to come to our house...I want to make cookies for them and drive them around and make them dinner and host sleepovers and be a part of their lives. I want our house to be the same "hub" my parent's was (and still is).

Ah...what a dilemma. Realistically, NOT a dilemma since I'm sure we won't be moving anytime soon. But still, fun to think about.

Maybe we'll just move every few years :-)

"Can you just act like a mom for a minute?"

2009-11-03T16:31:00.000-08:00

I got hit hard with a weird flu bug and all I could say to Denny last night was, "I just need you to act like a mom! Can you PLEASE rub my back?"

When he started massaging my back I said, "No babe! All you need to do is rub it!"

"You mean you don't need a massage?"

"No babe, just a rub!"

It was pretty cute. He rubbed my back and gave me chocolate.

Gosh it's weird when you become a mom yourself and don't have a mom/woman/girlfriend in your house to rub your back when you don't feel well.

Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class

2009-10-29T14:06:00.000-07:00

Speaking of balance...

I have converted to the wonderful world of being a "Yogi." Which not only includes me literally having to balance, but has helped bring balance in many other ways :-)

After a year of trying to get me and Denny to try Bikram's Yoga, my sister-in-law, Esther, finallywon us over. We tried our first class 3 months ago and now we are completely hooked. (So hooked that Denny, the master of hitting his snooze button 4 times, went to the 6. a.m. class today before school).

What is Birkam's Yoga?:
It's a 90 minute (hot) yoga class consisting of 24 postures and 2 breathing exercises. The class starts with a breathing exercise followed by the standing poses . The second 45 minutes consist of sitting poses followed by one breathing exercise. You bring your yoga mat, a towel (or two, or three!) and a water bottle. There is one teacher in the class. Every Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class(yes, there are advanced classes, as if this isn't hard enough!) consists of the same dialog and the same poses. You can walk into any Bikram's Yoga Studio and every class will be the exact same. From the beginning "Welcome to Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class..." to the end "Namaste."

Who is Bikram?: I hear he's a really wealthy guy who lives in L.A. and has tons of nice cars... BUT his history is pretty interesting from what I remember...he was born in Calcutta,he began practicing yoga at age 4, he was a weight lifter, got hurt, was told he could never walk again, went to his yoga guru-who developed a specific series of stretches and poses that would work every organ, muscle and joint in the entire body. Ends up these postures could be done more effeciently when cranking the heat up, so that's where the heat element comes from, as well the idea of sweating out your toxins.

My reservations about trying Bikram's Yoga included:

*Being in a HOT (98-105 degree) room
*....with stinky people who never wear deoderant
*"Stretching" for 90 minutes
*I preferred running (even though it hurt my joints tremendously)
*I doubted that you could truly get a "workout" doing yoga
*As many "normal" yoga classes as I tried, I always left feeling more sore
*Yeah right, how in the world can I commit 90 minutes a day to Yoga when I can't even get 2 minutes to myself
*Not being able to socialize while working out
*The weird "side" of yoga, ....seriously...what in the world does, "Namaste" mean anyways?

I COULD NOT BELIEVE HOW MUCH I LOVED MY FIRST CLASS.

After my first class I could not stop saying, "Why didn't I try this earlier!?" and "Denny, I'm dropping our Timberhill Membership immediately so we can do yoga instead."

Although it DID smell and it was BLAZING hot and I could barely see with how much sweat was running into my eyes, the energy I had that day was unlike any day I'd had in a LONG time. And, the best of all, my joints didn't hurt! For the first time in years my body didn't ache after working out.

Now instead of a weird list (although, some stuff is still weird) I can proudly say:

*I long to be in a hot room for 90 minutes
*I absolutely love that I can look forward to 90 minutes of quiet in my day
*I rarely notice the smell
*Bikram's Yoga is HARD!
*My body has felt the best it has in years
*I am now "regular" if you catch my drift
*Since starting B.Y. I have lowered my medication from 100mcg to 25-50mcg
*I love being in the 'real world" surrounded by people who challenge my beliefs and with whom I can share Christ (Before and after class, of course. Remember, it's 90 minutes of only the teacher talking.)
*I love being able to practice next to Denny, when we are able to make the same class
*Even though it is very time consuming, it is SO worth it. Denny and I manage 3-4 times a week. I have built in times and days where I know one of the grandparents can watch them.

In 3 months, Denny has lost 10 pounds and is eating healthier than I've ever seen him eat.
Although I haven't lost any weight, I feel lighter, healthier, leaner, and stronger.

In addition to the obvious physical changes, Denny and I are so much calmer. Maybe it's because we're in the thick of things right now with two little ones who need us 24/7 and the sole fact of being quiet for 90 minutes has had a tremendous effect. Although I LOVE to socialize I'm learning the importance of being still. So hard.

One more observation, although the dialoge is pretty much exactly the same every class, the seasoned teachers veer off during the 20 seconds of rest between poses and this is where the "weird" part of Yoga can take place. Some teachers talk about how much they love thier dogs, biking, recycling, football, gardens, etc, Other teachers talk about about weird self help books they've been reading or, well, you know, stuff like that. Essentially depending upon what teacher you have that day and the mood they are in will determine the stuff/advice that you have to decide to take it or leave it.

My mom said she's going to try it soon and I have a feeling she'll love it.

Wanna come? :-)

Balance

2009-10-27T12:52:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I took way too long of a hiatus from this blog because now there are like 100 little ideas running through my mind that I want to blog about.

I'm considering buying a little hand held recorder so that I can at least get my thoughts onto something before my brain explodes.

Denny thinks it's so weird that my mind rarely settles...then he remembers that I'm talking to Little Ones every day with very little adult conversation. When he walks through the door it pretty much takes all my strength to supress bombarding him with my full day of thoughts.

Oh, how I love rich conversation. It's my emotional orgasm. That's what Denny and I call it.

Yes. Girls love them.

Anyhow, lately I can't seem to shake the idea of "balance" from my brain.

Balance. Balance. Balance.

What in the world does it mean to be balanced? What would it look like in my life. How would being balanced effect my health, kids, marriage, friendships, etc?

Would being more in balance mean being more in tune with the Spirit? Would being balanced be another area to look at when thinking of abundant life?

My sister was here a few weeks ago and I was telling her the many things I want to be in life, but how I've currently been thinking about being a high school health teacher or college health professor (that's an entirely different blog). Both Rae and Denny laughed a bit when I said high school teacher because they said I would have a really hard time leaving my "work" at work and not taking it home to my family, and vice verca. "It's just who you are!" they both, said. "You put so much of yourself into whatever you're passionate about that it kind of takes over your whole life."

I got a little defensive..."Yeah right, I'd be an awesome high school teacher." Of course when I actually thought about what they said it made sense to me. When I get really excited about something I just put so much into it and have a hard time balancing whatever else is in my life.

It makes complete sense to me that if I'm this "type" of person my kids should be getting ME, not a high school or a hospital, or whatever!

However, maybe if I could learn balance, then I wouldn't feel so trapped with all of my desires. Does that make sense?

Not only do I think balance is important, but I WANT to be balanced. I NEED balance.

I think Denny and I were so out-of-balance/busy for so many years that we needed to make some changes.

Saving a few nights a week for our immediate family: Family Balance
Making sure Denny and I have planned date nights, alone time, prayer time: Marriage Balance
Spending Bella's naptime purposefully with Betsy: Betsy Balance
Spending Betsy's naptime purposefully with Bella: Bella Balance
Making sure we have a day a week to fully clean the house: House Balance
Going to Yoga 3-4 times a week: Physical Health Balance
Eating healthy but enjoying dessert: Nutritional Balance
Watching just a few shows a week : TV Balance

I am simply trying to be aware of where I'm "out of balance." To be mindful in all situations. To realize that balance to me is different than to Denny.

Holy Spirit, please show me where I am out of balance. What is causing me to sing off tune with You.

I want to be in tune/balance with the Spirit who gives peace and discernment and joy.

I don't want to miss out on the abundant life great things you've prepared for me in advance...

Bella's Birth

2009-05-17T14:49:00.000-07:00

Baby #2's due date was July 3rd, 2008. When I was 37 1/2 weeks Denny left to the East Coast on a trip with some high school kids. Upon leaving I was instructed to not do ANYTHING that could possibly bring about labor. No walking, hiking, cleaning, etc.

I made it through a long week doing nothing and Denny got home on a Monday evening. I was in my 39th week of pregnancy. Thrilled that I could finally allow myself to relax and go into labor I started getting a little anxious about the reality that labor day was approaching :-) During that week we made tons of downtown fountain trips with Betsy, cleaned our house, went to the zoo, AND bought a new car (we wanted a car with A.C.).

Unfortunately Betsy got really bad pink eye from our zoo trip and the doctor said she needed a few days to heal before she could be around a new born baby. In the Lord's perfect timing I didn't go into labor...even though I wanted to :-)

Sunday rolls around and I am entering into my 40th week. We wake up around 7 a.m. expecting to hear little footsteps running into our room but they don't come. 7:30 passes, 8 passes, 9 passes, and finally we wake Betsy up at 10:30 a.m. just to make sure she's okay. See seemed a little lethargic so we decided to skip DOX and stay home. Good thing- because in between changing Betsy's diaper she had diarrhea all over the floor, meanwhile not being able to see out of one eye. She falls asleep again around noon and takes almost a 5 hour nap. Poor girl was so sick.

So instead of the normal long walks or other means of initiating labor we decide to just relax and nurse her back to health...trusting in God's perfect timing.

My diet was disgusting this day: I had Cheeze-its for breakfast. Denny went to Burger King for lunch and I ate a BK Burger, then for dinner I had chocolate and Cheeze-its with cream cheese. This should have been a sign that labor was going to begin. I never/rarely eat stuff like that.

We stay inside eating crappy food all day while Betsy sleeps off her sickness. During her nap I boss Denny around telling him to clean every nook and cranny of our house. I even made him clean the windows outside. This should have been another sign :-)

Then we surf the T.V. finding nothing but lame Sunday afternoon shows and reruns while my Braxton Hicks contractions continue throughout the day.
Betsy wakes up around 5 p.m. Thankfully she's able to eat a bit and her diarrhea has stopped.

We all go to bed early that night.

For the first time in probably 3 months I SLEPT STRAIGHT THROUGH the entire night. Not once waking up to go potty or out of discomfort.

I wake up at 7 and go potty. I have a really heavy feeling in my bottom and my vagina that doesn't go away once I pee- It actually gets heavier. I get back into bed and lay down. Betsy and Denny are still sleeping. For a split second I think I'm really constipated...but wait, this is kind of what I felt with Betsy but WAY more intense for my first contraction...hum..

Betsy runs into our room a few minutes after I lay down and she is like her old self again. Talking, laughing, wanting to play, hungry and able to see out of her eye! Praise the Lord.

All of the sudden I have to go poo. So I go to the bathroom and it hits me. I'm in labor!!! After a big bowel movement I go tell Denny I think I'm in labor and that he should get Betsy dressed.

Less than 2 minutes later I go to brush my teeth and have to bend over from just my 3rd contraction of labor. Oh no, i thought, I am either way more of a wuss this time or i'm farther along than I think. After brushing my teeth I sit down to read Betsy a book while Denny loads the car and I can't even read out loud because my contractions get stronger and stronger.

By 8 o'clock we are out the door...none of us had eaten breakfast, none of us looked nice. Still rubbing sleep out of our eyes :-) I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who even stopped to brush my teeth.

We head to Dr. Rampton's office. He's wasn't in the office that day but I insisted/begged/pleaded that he check me instead of the other OB at his office that I'm not too fond of. So being the sweet man he is, he drove into town just to check me. I was 5 cm dilated and he told me to go to the hospital, this was going to be a fast labor.

Heck yes, I was thinking. I'd only had like 5 contractions and I was already 5 cm.

Suuuuuuu-weet!

So we drop Betsy off at my parent's house which is right by the hospital so that she can have breakfast, etc.

I head to the hospital. Right went I get to my room a bossy nurse tells me I have Strep B and need to get an IV for antibiotics.

"Oh no," I said, "you MUST have the wrong person, my doctor never told me I had it.

"Aren't you Abby Bain? It says right here you have it."

So there I was, totally surprised that I had Step B in the first place and then choosing whether or not I wanted to even take the antibiotics since antibiotics and my body often don't mix well.

"I would rather wait for my doctor to help me make this decision." I said.

"Well it will be too late by then...blah blah blah." She said.

So, in fear of my baby catching the strep B virus (which would be totally awful) I went ahead and got the IV to start the antibiotics, although I asked (insisted) that I be able to walk around as much as I want.

My friend Caylan arrives and me and Denny and her hang out, pray, listen to Reggae music, and are a little confused that my contractions are not growing in intensity.

Doctor R. arrived around noon thinking I'd be ready to push and surprised to see us all laughing and hanging out. Perplexed at the situation he decided to check my dilation. I was only 6 cm. Hummmmmmmmmm....

So he asked to break my water and I said sure. It had been basically 3 hours and no dilation. It was a fun 3 hours though. Just hanging out in the room, jammin' guessing the sex and size of the baby.

Let me back up just a sec, BEFORE we even checked into our hospital room, news had spread that I was in labor and sweet Ryan Henthorne and Nate Dodson were already at the hospital waiting for us :-) We told them it might be awhile so I think they left to get breakfast somewhere and then headed back.

I also forgot to add that Jenna, the trusty text-messager, was in the hallway giving minutely updates :-) I had no idea she was there and then went to walk around a bit and she was sitting in the hall, looking very professional, eager to tell people what was happening. I loved it!

Rampton broke my water around noon or 1, (I truly don't remember) and within 10 minutes my contractions got super intense, but not overwhelming. Amanda (my doula who was with me at Betsy's Birth) arrived right when my contractions got intense.

Unlike Betsy's birth experience when I wanted someone touching me, I did NOT want anyone to touch me. I even remember swatting Denny's hand away from me. Good thing he had his trusy Mountain Dew to make him feel better!

I had back labor with Betsy and "normal" labor with Bella...and I'm pretty sure I would prefer back labor. Bella's "normal" labor was way more intense and towards the end I even remember telling myself I would never do a natural birth again. Haha!

That lady standing in the background started her shift right when things started picking up for me. She was SO sweet and I later found out she trained as a doula MANY years ago, then became and RN. She was also a very strong Christian. We could tell there was something different about her! I was so pleased to have her.

After my water broke I labored standing up, then kneeling on the ground, then sitting on the birth ball.

And like my first labor, I was unable to make it to the toilet once again and peed on the floor. (Only this time Amanda tried holding a towel under me to at least catch it)

My goal for this birth was to wait until I had the urge to push instead of just pushing as soon as I was 10 cm. So I didn't want Rampton to check me, I just wanted to start pushing when I felt it.

About 30 minutes before I started pushing Bella out my high pitched noises turned to long grooooooans...and unlike Betsy's birth....I couldn't catch my breath in between contractions.

After Rampton telling me a few times he thought I was ready to push I kept saying, "no" I just feel "pressure."

I told Rampton that WHEN I decided to push I wanted to be kneeling, hands and knees, anything but my back.

AS I was groaning on the birth ball Rampton checks me and i'm 10 cm. It was so weird now that I think about it because somehow he slipped his fingers in without me really noticing...weird.

I was 10 cm. He told me to push if I wanted to.

Then all of the sudden I couldn't stop doing this weird new noise I never thought a human could make and without asking, Rampton and Denny physically picked me up off the birthing ball and put me on the bed. Then I start pushing.

My back was to everyone and I was on my knees facing the back of the bed. I gave a few pushes but they didn't seem to do anything so Rampton suggested me flipping over on my back. "ON MY BACK?---noooooo!" I screamed in my head. And my trusty doulas chimed in saying "She doesn't want to be on her back."

But my sweet Doctor said, "Abby, the way your pelvis is and the way the baby is I think you will find a lot more relief and success if you push on you side-or back,"

I said, "No."

Then he said, "Can you just try ONE push on your side?"

Since I adore this doctor I agreed to TRY it just for him and to my surprise he was totally right.

2 pushes later and Isabella Joy Bain had arrived. She was a huge baby 7 lbs 14 oz.

I tore a little bit due to Bella's broad shoulders. But it was nothing compared to how much I tore with Betsy.

A girl?! A big baby?! Pale skin?! Blue eyes?!

Did this girl really come out of me?

She looks nothing like me, Denny or Betsy.

Denny and I were so happily surprised by her arrival. What a true JOY!

It was a totally different birth experience than with Betsy, but it was equally as powerful and emotional.

I was so happy to have her in my arms.

We couldn't believe we had TWO GIRLS!!!

*Oh yes, i forgot to mention. My sister flew in from Colorado just like she had for Betsy's birth, but again, she missed it by a few hours :-(

**Also, Denny threw up that night after everyone had left. It was an intense day for him...not seeing me in so much discomfort but not being able to touch me like he did during Betsy's birth.

Hours of labor:
Betsy: 19
Bella: 8

Hours of "painful" labor:
Betsy: 1
Bella: 1

Hours of pushing:
Betsy: 1.5
Bella: 10 minutes

Aftermath:
Betsy: Episiotomy and bad tearing
Bella: 1 small tear

Water breaking on it's own:
Betsy: No
Bella: No

Bowel Movements during labor:
Betsy:10-ish
Bella: 1

Type of labor:
Betsy: Back
Bella: Front

Weight difference:
Betsy: 6lb 5oz
Bella: 7lb 14oz

Day born:
Betsy: Monday afternoon 5 days early
Bella: Monday afternoon 4 days early

Homeschool? Christian School? Public? Un-school (j/k).

2009-05-14T14:17:00.001-07:00

School: I am a product of the public school system. My husband reminds me over and over again whenever I bring up my ideas on school for Betsy and Bella. Yes, I went to Public School but times are a changin'. (Not to say that Christian schools are any "better.")

But I wasn't just a product of the PSS I also had parents who set certain rules, expected certain things of me. (ie: only Christian music in the morning before school, family devotions at night, Sunday prayer nights, only a few hours of T.V. a week, didn't celebrate Halloween, etc.) I also had two older siblings to set good examples for me.

Now I understand there is a a lot of factors that go into how someone "turns-out" but I can't help but think that school is one of the greatest influences. I mean really, they are in it for 12 years-or more.

I always loved school. Mainly for social reasons. In middle school I told my mom I wanted to go to a Christian School so she let me preview a few schools and I almost went to Santiam Chrisitan until I felt something in me (God) pull me back into the PSS. I've always loved diversity, but I had always wanted more of a "Christian" education.

I chose to go to Christian college, Seattle Pacific University. Unfortunately the education was exactly what i was looking for but I couldn't stand the atmosphere, the "bubble" the fakeness. And back to the PSS I went.

Each kid is also different. Some kids like being home-schooled, some don't.

Betsy has completed almost 4 months of preschool in the PSS.

1)Betsy LOVES being with other kids.
2)Betsy is learning so much while she's at school.
3)Betsy has grown a lot socially. She plays MUCH better with other kids now.
4)I love the 3 hr. break.

What troubles me is whether or not I should put her in a Christian Preschool next year, home school her, or put her back at C.V.

There is NOTHING wrong with her current preschool. In fact, she loves it. But I keep thinking to myself when she comes home singing a new song or telling me what she's learned, "What IF she came home instead reciting Bible Verses or telling me what she learned about Jesus?"

The Bible says, "Train your child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.: Proverbs 22:6

Would putting Betsy in a Christian School help her to be trained in "the way she should go?"

It also says to be "In the world but not of the world."

She is like a little sponge during these early years so should I spend these years building a strong Biblical base for her until I put her "In the world" PSS :-)

I have a feeling that Betsy will be a leader one day...and I want her to lead in the right things and in the right way.

So what I'm thinking as of now is:

1) Betsy needs/wants to be social, no doubt, but I would prefer her "education" to be Biblically based, especially during these formative years.

2)I would home school but my husband along with many others thinks that might not be the best thing for both me and Betsy :-)

3) I've been looking into a few different Christian preschools but they are EXPENSIVE!

Any ideas? I have been mulling over this topic for the past few months and haven't felt completely lead in either direction.

There are so many different ways to do it.

Betsy's Birth Story

2009-05-12T20:55:00.001-07:00

I'm getting nostalgic or something. Maybe it's all my friends who are pregnant and having babies or the fact that my babies are growing up but I realized that I don't think I have Betsy's OR Bella's birth stories written and I really want to write them so I don't forget :-) Tonight I'll write Betsy's.

Betsy's (we didn't know if we were having a girl or a boy) due date was on Saturday, September 23rd, 2006.

The Wednesday before Betsy was born I had an OB appointment and Dr. R. reminded me that he was leaving Sunday, September 24th to Romania for 2 weeks so I pretty much needed to go into labor soon to ensure his presence. I was freaking out a bit because I did not want the other OB doctor at his practice. PRAYING I'd go into labor while he was still in the States.

I was only 1 cm dilated but 90% effaced the week before my due date. And I had been having Braxton Hicks contractions for over 6 weeks.

Saturday, the 16th I started feeling crampy contractions that were accompanied by bowel movements. Sweet. I also felt like I could finally breathe, like I wasn't even pregnant. We went to a wedding Saturday afternoon and I had to leave early because I kept feeling like I was going to have diarrhea. We played cards with my parents that evening getting excited about the fact that my body had been feeling differently the past few days and that this might be our last time playing cards before the baby arrived.

Sunday rolled around and we went to DOX in the morning. As we left I remember saying, "I think today is the day!" I had trouble sitting through the service because my contractions were so intense.

Sunday Night Denny and I went to Denny's parent's house for dinner and I ATE SO MUCH FOOD (which was unlike the rest of my pregnancy). I had to stop to breathe in between bites because of my contractions-but they didn't feel much differently than the BH I had been experienced for weeks, they just lasted longer.

That night I did dishes with Lynn and she told me that she went into labor with one of her kids after doing the dishes one night. We joked around that it might happen for me. That night we went home and watched Amazing Race on T.V., only I couldn't watch it because I had so much energy. I told Denny I wanted to go on a run or go to Reser Stadium to run stairs. He said I couldn't, so instead I ran up and down the stairs in my house and then did jumping jacks. I decided to pack my hospital bag, joking that maybe if I finally packed it I'd go into labor.

We went to bed around 10 p.m. and I did some nipple stimulation (suggested by my doctor- I had been doing it for a few weeks) and my tummy got so hard I couldn't breathe. Denny fell asleep but every time I was about to fall asleep I'd have another contraction.

Sooooooo I decided to time them, just for kicks and I soon realized they were coming every 10 minutes. Weird. I had stopped my nipple stimulation but they still kept coming. So I went downstairs around 11 p.m. and watched some T.V. to see if it was all in my head or if they really kept coming. They kept coming. I didn't want to psyche myself out so I told myself it wasn't labor and went back in bed around 11:30 or midnight. Only this time I couldn't fall asleep.

So I got up, went downstairs and started cleaning like crazy. Mopping, sweeping, etc. The contractions kept coming like clockwork every 10 minutes. But I still couldn't convince myself it was labor. I actually thought I might just be really constipated since it was super low and in my back.

From midnight to 4:30 a.m. I watched old episodes of Fresh Prince, infomercials and cleaned my house. At 4:30 I texted my mom that I might be in labor OR I was really constipated. She called me back and couldn't really remember what labor felt like but that maybe it really was labor. I called my sister at 5 my time, 6 a.m. her time (Colorado) and told her I thought this might be it. Finally, at 6 a.m. I woke up Denny and told him I'm either really constipated or in labor. I told him that a few times I couldn't finish my sentences during contractions. So Denny called his school secretary (Jessica VandenBos' mom) and told her he wouldn't be in because I might be in labor-although he never truly thought I was).

The doctor met us at 7 a.m. and checked me and said I was 3-4 cm and the baby was going to come today. As he pulled his fingers out from checking me the inevitable bloody show followed which made Denny pale in the face. The doctor said I could go to the hospital or labor and home and go to the hospital when things felt stronger. I opted to go home. Denny and I called a bunch of people and we were in shock. We were going to meet our baby, find out the sex, become a family!!! I called my sister and she answered while teaching her 2nd grade class. She booked the first ticket she could get to Oregon. A sub came in to relieve her and she hopped on a plane a few hours later.

Around 11 a.m. I was so tired from not sleeping that I sat on the coach and fell asleep on top of Denny. It was so sweet. I was so tired and so exhausted and so nervous. After I got my rest we headed to Chevron to get some Gatorade and I remember being nervous I'd have to get out of the car to cope with the contractions but luckily they didn't ever come while I was sitting down.

I started poooping a ton, like every 20 minutes. We called Amanda, our doula. She came over and hung out on the couch while I labored. It was so laid back. Praise music in the background, Denny touching me, Amanda verbally encouraging me.

Around 12-noon I felt like things were dying down so we decided to go on a walk around the block. When we got home from our walk things really started picking up again and after a huge bowel movement I started shaking like crazy so Amanda suggested we head to the hospital. Thankfully her intuition was right. I was 9 cm dilated when I arrived and totally able to get through each contraction, not believing how easy it was. My doctor kept asking to break my water but I kept declining. I wanted things to happen "naturally." Unfortunately, I kept laboring, contractions getting worse but my water still wasn't breaking so finally I gave in and he broke it. It took him 3 times to break my water. After he broke my water I started pushing, I started standing up, then kneeling, and I even peed on the floor one time :-) It was still pretty much pain free.

Then I got on the bed and REALLY started pushing. I felt the pain. 1 hour and 1 episiotomy later Betsy Lynn Bain arrived at 6 pounds 5 ounces. @ 4:58 p.m.

I literally thought I was high-on some type of drug. I was in a lot of pain while I was pushing but it was like I didn't feel it all, like I was watching myself. It was craaaaazy cool, because my "high" lasted a few hours after having Betsy.

I was able to breastfeed immediately and things came very naturally for me. I was so elated to be a mom, my dream come true.

So officially labor started at 10 p.m. on the 17th. I had Betsy at 4:58 p.m. on the 18th. It only "hurt" for about 1 hour.

It was the best experience in my entire life, spiritually, physically, emotionally. I met God in a whole new way that day.

Oh yeah, and my sister arrived to the hospital from Colorado that night around 1 a.m. :-) She missed the birth but she still made it for Betsy's first hours of life.

"We take the good days from God-why not also the bad days?"

2009-04-29T14:32:00.000-07:00

How ironic/weird/divine that in my journey of reading the Bible straight through I started and finished the book of Job today!

(I have always read Job in the NKJ or NIV version but this time I grabbed my mom's Message Bible-loved it.)

When Job's wife told him to curse God, Job replied, "We take the good days from God-why not also the bad days?"

Amen! Preach it my suffering brotha! Thanks for the reminder.

Obviously I was super encouraged finishing up the book of Job, reading, "God blessed Job's later life EVEN MORE than his earlier life."

Again, AMEN! I felt like giving Job a high-five and saying. "Way to hang in there!"

I wish that every story of suffering ended like Job's story. But in the bigger picture-I guess it does...our true "later life" is Heaven. The best blessing of all.

God spoke to Job from "...the eye of the storm." In his despair, God was there. He was there all along.

Sometimes I just wish God would write me a letter. You know, like..."Abby your current suffering/situation/struggle will end on such and such day - Hang in there. Love, God."

But who am I to think I should know everything. I'm not God. I'm pretty sure what He needs me to know is written in His Word. Maybe I should stop asking why and meditate on what he has already said.

He knows what he's doing. He is in control in what seems like an out-of-control world.

He gets it, even when we don't.

Can I get an Amen?!!!

*One more thing. I went to the laundromat today because our dryer is lame-o and because we had 6 loads of laundry stacked in heaps on my kitchen floor.

Have you ever been to a laundromat? This was my first time and I LOVED IT.

I was surrounded by about six, 70-80 year olds. They were so funny. It took one guy a solid 5 minutes to take his laundry from the washer to the dryer but he looked like he felt so accomplished when he finally finished the task. One lady told me that Wednesday is not her usual laundry day but she just has so much to do tomorrow so she had to make due with today. She told me about one of the men who annoys her because he whistles all the time. "Usually his wife tells him to stop." She told me. "But she's not here today." Then she proceeded to try and figure out where his wife was for the next 5 minutes.

I overheard another man baffled over the fact that his dryer just wasn't working correctly...it wasn't hot enough. Even when the lady said sometimes dryers can produce varying levels of heat in the same cycle. He needed a different one.

While I was trying to get my 2 garbage bags full of clothes and 4 full laundry hampers to my car a sweet man insisted that I use a cart to push everything out and even held the door open for me...right before an old lady called dibs on my cart after I returned it.

IT WAS SO FUNNNNNNNNNNY. What an experience. I was expecting to battle between the machines with tons of college kids but I was pleasantly surprised by a totally different crowd.

2009-04-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

I feel defeated. I am emotionally, physically and spiritually exhausted.

I am writing this just before I take my daughter to her 4th doctors appointment in 3 weeks (ear infection) while my other daughter I'm sure is feeling neglected due to my incapacity to physically play with her because of my on going health problems of which I can't get further figured out until Thursday. This list goes on an on although it could be much worse.

I am probably feeling exactly how the devil wants me to feel.

But it's my choice to cling onto the promises that the Lord has made. To trust in Him even when things don't make sense. To believe that He won't give me more than I can handle...even when I feel like I'm in over my head. To fight this battle knowing that He who is in me is greater than he who is against me. To resist the devil in His name and to affirm my trust in Him. To find joy in all circumstances.

2009-04-22T15:19:00.001-07:00

Ross Dress For Less: Did I get bigger or did Ross start selling TINY clothes?

I probably AM bigger but I still think something else happened over the last few years at Ross Dress for Less. The Juniors Section is full of itty bitty clothes. The misses section is still a little to mom-ish for me. I guess I'll just shop accessories.

Iced Americanos/Black Coffee: I've been downing coffee lately for two reasons:

1) Energy
2) Move "things" along

I hate that I need coffee to get through my days. Maybe it's just this month or something?!

Sleeping: Betsy's been sleeping in the play room the last few nights. We have been letting Bella cry in her crib until 7 a.m. It seems to be working :-)

Swimsuits: You won't find me in one this summer. My husband said if I buy a 1-piece he'll cut it up.

Running: I managed to run two times this weekend. IT FELT GREAT! Then my body totally crashed. I am still paying for it.

Motor Vehicle: I might/want to/possibly/one day soon be entering into the minivan world. You guys, they are SO PRACTICAL!!! Or a small SUV but they can be spendy and I'd have to make sure it had a third row of seating. Our sedan is so small we can't even have the headrests in. Advice: Always try your car seats out in the car before you buy it.

Hip-Hop: Has anyone heard that new song...something about "Boom...boom....boom." It's catchy.

Tooooooooo early.

2009-04-19T21:14:00.000-07:00

We do NOT know what to do.

Betsy and Bella both wake up around 6 a.m., daily! AND Betsy is truly not tired until about 10 p.m.

On a really excellent day they wake up at 7. But that is few and far between.

Currently both girls sleep in the same room. Betsy's old room is their playroom. Their bedroom has no toys, it's calm, quiet, and cozy.

Nightly routine: Bella hits the sack around 7 p.m.
Betsy hits the sack around 8-8:30 p.m but takes a while to fall asleep.
Bella wakes up around 5 a.m. to eat, then goes back to sleep.
Betsy and Bella wake up around 6-6:30.

We've tried:

Putting Bella down later, but her biological clock has made her sleepy around 6-7 since she was born.

Putting Betsy down later, but that's not fun because then Denny and I don't have alone time.

Setting Betsy's alarm to 7 a.m. but she NATURALLY wakes up early. I am not joking. Sometimes she gets to sleep with me when Denny is gone and she starts stirring around 5:30 a.m. and is truly awake by 6:30.

Skipping Bella's 5 a.m. feeding but then she cries so loudly she wakes up Betsy.

Making Betsy's night-time routine longer so that she'll calm down more easily.

We've thought about:

Putting a pack in play in our room for a week and letting Bella sleep in it and CRY through her 5 a.m. feeding so she gets used to not eating that early. Then put her back in her room with Betsy.

Putting them back in separate rooms.

Skipping Betsy's nap so that she'll sleep more at night.

This would totally not be an issue if either Denny or I were morning people but anything before 8 a.m. is nauseating.

But I guess there is NOTHING better to wake up to then my baby girls :-)

Here's a cute song Denny heard the other day on the radio! It made me cry.

Speaking of crying (which I seem to do often for some reason), I found myself crying at my friends Baby Blessing the other day. It was a mix of being so happy for her to be pregnant, sitting next to my other friend who was also pregnant, seeing all the new life the Lord blesses people with, how blessed I feel with my two children AND the reality that I won't have a baby belly bump again...

Pollen. Grass Seed. Gluten. Oregon. Whatever.

2009-04-17T11:52:00.000-07:00

My husband doesn't know this but I'm seriously considering moving away from the Willamette Valley. Bend, Denver, Costa Rica, Spain, wherever. Anywhere but the Grass Seed Capitol of the World. I didn't notice HOW bad my allergies are until I went to Arizona and felt awesome, then came home and felt not awesome.

I have always had allergies, but two things have changed:

1)They have gotten worse as I age (except for pregnancy when they were non-existent!)
2)They last longer and longer, not just during the spring- more like all year.

I see my naturopath in 2 weeks. Since my body is super sensitive I'm going to ask to get a referral to see an allergist. Not just outdoor allergies but indoor allergies AND food allergies.

Speaking of food allergies. Who wants to go gluten free and sugar free for 21 days with me?

Gluten is in A LOT of foods we eat an a lot of people have some type of intolerance to it, but just don't realize it until they get it out of their system for a while. I have super weird tummy problems so I figure I'll take Gluten out first and see how I feel. And we all know sugar isn't good for you either!

You in? It's always easier to do this when there is accountability!!!

I'm thinking Monday is a good day to start.

Working Out...

2009-04-15T14:54:00.000-07:00

My friend Samantha came over today and we always seem to talk about working out, since we both love to. She lives a few blocks away and we talk about how fun it would be to go on runs together. Luckily her body is healing itself really well and she is already back and running only 6 weeks postpartum.

You know what? I haven't worked out in 3 years, basically.

And I am soooooo frustrated.

Having been an athlete for most of my life, working out has been a huge part of my day. Whether it's once a day or twice a day, I have pretty much worked out 6-7 days a week since I was little. It keeps me sane.

Even when I stopped playing organized sports I went to the gym daily...first thing in the morning. Back then, I couldn't imagine there ever being a time where I would be unable to work out. While some people used coffee to wake themselves up, I used working out.

I was training to run the Portland Marathon when I got pregnant with Betsy. And although most people said, "Oh Abby, you can still work out when you're pregnant!", I was so sick or had so many other pregnancy related problems that the most I could do was go walking.

Basically it goes like this:
2 bad pregnancies +
1 bad postpartum +
undiagnosed thyroid problem
=
very little working out.

Now that we're getting the thyroid under control and i'm done having babies I'm hoping to FINALLY start running again.

One doctor after another keeps telling me to "wait three months". But it's been 3 years.

Two different doctors told me to do Yoga or Pilates but I have tried and it is NOT THE SAME AS RUNNING. Does anyone else feel the same way?

(I do realize many people have it way worse than I do with body issues preventing them from working out, even walking. I am fully aware. I am grateful for my health and body.)

The days I am able to get a run in, I am reminded of how awesome it feels; not only physically, but emotionally. Working out does wonders on the mind. When I'm feeling slightly depressed, down, frustrated, whatever, all I need is a simple run to feel renewed.

I went to Ross a few months ago and bought some new work out tops and shorts. They are just staring at me from my dresser drawer. Begging me to put them on.

I have had a membership to the gym for the last 15 years of my life but now that i'm finally marriead and paying the bill on my own, I keep thinking I should drop it. But then a little voice in my head says, "Don't do it...you'll be able to go there soon!"

I wish the Lord would just write me a note telling me the exact day I'll be able to work out again. It'd make things a lot easier.

On the other hand I have learned A LOT about myself over the last 3 years.

*I've realized that at certain times during my life I may have been addicted to working out.

*I've learned that there are other things more important in life then working out.

*I've realized the many other benefits aside from just physically.

*I've drank more cups of coffee than I'd like.

*Once I AM able to work out (Lord willing), it will be crucial that I find a healthy medium in how often, how long, and how hard I work out. I have been spending SO MUCH MORE time in God's Word these past 3 years beacuse I'm unable to go to the gym and I want time with God and reading God's Word to still take first place in my life.

Do you work out?

How often?

Do you run or do something else?

Do you like to work out with other people?

If you don't work out, what do you do to release all the stress of the day?

When I am able to start running again I'm thinking of starting a running group in the mornings. I've never been into running with people, but I did with Ruby a bit when she lived here and it was actually pretty fun. There are some great paths by my house!!! You in?

Arizona/Sex Quiz

2009-04-13T15:07:00.001-07:00

I'm allergic to Corvallis or my home or my kids. I'm not sure which one(s) but within 12 hours of being here I started getting achy with tender lymph nodes. It's either stress of being home, something in my home, awesome Corvallis allergies.

Anyhow...

I got into Arizona on Thursday evening and flew home Sunday afternoon.

Super relaxing and refreshing.

My sister and I had delicious meals with my grandparents, my grandpa made us his signature cocktails, we went to Barnes and Noble for 3 hours, had coffee, stayed up late, slept in, read, watched a few ridiculous T.V. shows (like the Premier of New Jersey Housewives) went on a bike ride, etc.

Wanna know what's weird? We were there for two whole days. Friday it was mid 70's and sunny. Saturday it rained all day, even into Sunday morning. I brought the storm. Apparently it hadn't rained down there for 51 days.

We ended it with a nice Easter service at my grandparents church!

On the other hand, I did have some pretty out-of-it moments also...like forgetting where I parked at the airport and having to call a security guy drive me around the lot to help me find my car, packing toiletries that were bigger than 3 ounces and getting pulled aside to get my bag checked, forgetting where my boarding ticket was, etc. Whatever. I made it there AND home safely :-)

"MEN ON THE AVERAGE HAVE 33 SEXUAL THOUGHTS A DAY"

I just finished reading a really good book by the Christian psychologist, Dr. Kevin Leman, about the 7 things your man probably wont tell you but you need to know! Unsurprisingly one of the chapters was about sex. It covered the purpose of sex, how differently men and women view it, how important it is in a marriage, etc.

Here's a quiz from the chapter.

What do researchers tell us about when men prefer to have sex?
A. And day, any time
B. At the beginning of the day
C. At the end of the day
D. All day

What do researchers tell us about when women prefer to have sex?
A. Any day, any time
B. Early morning, before hair and makeup are done or could be messed up
C. After a romantic dinner
D. After the kids are tucked in bed
E. When the kids aren't home

I'll post the answers tomorrow. Feel free to answer :-)

It also said this:

10 Ways to know when the honeymoon is over

#10 A quickie before dinner is a drink.

#9 You sit next to the fire to keep warm.

#8 He's worn the same underwear three days in a row and the same shirt four days.

#7 Your head hits the pillow and you say, "Sex." His head hits the pillow and he says, "Sex." Now that you've had sex, you go to sleep.

#6 The average duration of a kiss is 1/10 of a second or less.

#5 The last flower you saw in person was at your uncles funeral.

#4 You watched him read the entire sports page at breakfast.

#3 He notices you cut and colored your hair 16 weeks later.

#2 You now sleep the entire night.

#1 He no longer dances for you when he gets out of the shower.

In closing, he states, "Having a great sex life is an exhilirating experience; it can bond a husband and wife like cement until there is nothing they won't do for each other."

As with all books, not everything may apply, but this book seemed pretty right on. I'll write more about the book when I have time!

Kid-less Vacation?

2009-04-08T14:01:00.000-07:00

I'm going to Arizona with my sister tomorrow (Thursday) until Sunday.

BY MYSELF!

It's my b-day present from Denny. It will also be my first trip alone since having kiddos. I'm not gonna know what to do with myself!

I debated taking one, or both of the girls but that would kind of defeat the whole purpose of the trip, time to relax and hang out with my sis and grandparents in the AZ sun.

My day will start with getting my hair done in Salem and then diddling around until my plane leaves at 5 p.m. from PDX.

I even went to the library to check out some books for the plane flight.

The last 12+ plane flights I've had a child on my lap, or in my belly, or both. This is gonna be so weird.

To further alleviate any stress I'm only taking a carry-on.

Seriously, could it get any easier?

I'm even doing the park and ride thing at the airport so no having to call people to pick me up or take me.

I am totally exhausted so this trip came at a great time...

Except for the fact that Betsy and Bella BOTH have ear infections. Poor little ladies. I have such a hard time leaving them when they're sick.

Speaking of doing vacations alone, how about we plan an annual kid-less/husband-less trip. You in?! Arizona, Mexico, Hawaii :-)

Pregnant?

2009-04-05T20:31:00.000-07:00

*Although the doctors said it's pretty much impossible for me to get pregnant...I was 3 days late and found myself excited at the thought that MAYBE I was pregnant.

Even though I had two icky pregnancies and one super bad postpartum period I STILL love being pregnant and the ability to grow new life, deliver a baby, raise a tiny human.

I started my period.

This is about the time with Betsy, when she was 9 months old, that I wanted to get pregnant again. Now Bella is 9 months old and that motherly feeling/desire/instinct is kicking in.

Honestly, I am a bit sad/mourning that my childbearing period is over. I am also excited at the prospect of adoption.

THANKFULLY I got to hold two little sweeties today, Lucas and Adelaide. Two beautiful tiny humans.

Denny STOLE Adelaide from me at Church during worship and started tearing up. I'm pretty sure he didn't know I saw him tearing up. I'm not sure why he did, either. . Maybe at the beautiful miracle of new life, of her tiny, beautiful body, that our girls are growing up, of the fact that we'll probably never have a little one again THAT new and small. Who knows. But it was so sweet to see him. He didn't want to let her go.

I LOVE THAT MY FRIENDS ARE HAVING BABIES!!!

I don't know if my desire to stop having them will ever fade.

*In other news, Betsy has been A.W.E.S.O.M.E. lately. Awesome! You might laugh but I got a book by Dr. Leman called, "How to change your kid's behavior in 5 days." (or something like that). I don't like everything he has to say but the one thing I did take from it was this:

Say what you want your kid to do/complete ONE TIME.
Turn around.
Do something else.

If your child doesn't do it, the consequence follows shortly after, when lets say Betsy wants to watch a show, or play with her dollhouse, or whatever, I say NO. She then looks at my like I'm crazy and then I tell her she didn't do earlier what I asked.

It's working!!!

I don't waste my time telling her what to do over and over and over again.

I also don't say "Betsy if you don't put that away you wont get to go outside." I also don't say "If you do this than you'll get that."

I just tell her what she needs to do. That's it. She either does it or not.

The consequence comes later. She doesn't know what they are.

Does it make sense to you?

*I've been wanting a bike and bike trailer lately but we haven't had the dinero. But guess what? Lynn is letting me borrow her bike and my neighbor is letting me borrow their trailer (they got it for their dog and never use it). Denny and I took the girls out today by Bald Hill and it was SOOOOOOOO FUN! Betsy even fell asleep.

P.S. Do they have to wear helmets in the trailer?

2009-04-01T20:50:00.000-07:00

I have been having a hard time being a mom, lately.

The other day at the gym an older dad I hadn't seen in a long time asked me how it was to be a mom.

I said, "Tiring, but fun!"

He said, "Yes, I remember those day. When they are little it can seem like the hours can drag and drag and drag and as soon as they get school-age time flies by too quickly. I remember feeling that same way!"

Firstly, It was encouraging to hear someone with grown kids not just say the usual, "Time flies. Enjoy every minute of it." But he added how he remembered how sometimes the hours just didn't go by quickly enough.

I am in THAT spot where I catch myself wanting to fast forward a few years till "I can sleep through the night, my kids are in school, etc."

And I hate feeling that way.

Motherhood IS HARD. Having wanted to be a mom since I was little as well as babysitting/nannying my whole life, I felt so ready to be a mom. Piece. Of. Cake.

And the truth is, it WAS easy (relatively) with just one kid. But as soon as #2 got added into the mix (as well as health problems and an extremely energetic older child) I find myself exhausted, wondering how I'll ever get through it. Wishing I could just skip ahead a bit. Even having anxiety when I wake up in the morning wondering how the day will go. Feeling totally inadequate to be a mom.

Being a mom has not only humbled me in more ways than one but it has made me grow in ways I never imagined. I have absolutely no doubt that being a mom is not only my responsibility but being a stay at home mom is what the Lord has called me to do. I mean seriously, think of all the things that have come along or I've sought out in order to NOT be a full time mom but never worked out- nursing school, graduate school, school district job, etc. Those things make me feel accomplished-they give me self esteem. Being a mom often leaves me feeling drained, stressed out, totally spent.

Last week one day I was almost to tears with how discouraged, run down, and frustrated I was with Betsy. I was in the car by myself (which is rare in itself) so I seized the free minutes to call my girlfriend who isn't a mom yet but will be soon. She is also an elementary school teacher. I honestly think the Lord was speaking directly through her because she helped me realize that although I may think I'd be a better,and more well rounded mom doing something else on the side, I NEED TO BE WITH MY KIDS. Especially, with Betsy. She is one tough cookie-smart, passionate, energetic, strong willed, etc. SHE stresses me out and makes me feel like I don't know how to parent.

These first few years (before they start school) are incredibly important in developing the type of kids I want to have. If I was to work part-time...who knows what would happen. I would always look back. The Lord has blessed me with what I have always wanted, to be a mom. It's just a lot harder than I ever imagined. I might always regret working but I will never regret being at home full time with my kids. I am convinced it is the most important and hardest job on earth! To raise God's children into what he's created them to be.

My friend says she has strong-willed kids in her school who's parents work full time and they are the type of kids that go down hill with every year that goes by. She said Betsy is the type of kid that, although she may not act like she needs me, SHE NEEDS ME. She needs a consistent, loving, compassionate, forgiving, and patient mother to lead her in the ways that are right and true. She needs me. Even if I feel like she doesn't.

I guess I thought I would have kids that would just cuddle, be respectful, sleep in and always want to be with their mommy. Boy did Betsy slash that perception. It's like I'm trying to get her to like me. But that's not my job. My job is to be her parent, not her best friend.

I pray that I develop the closest (yet, healthy) type of relationship with both Betsy and Bella that is possible. I hope that we will love being together just as much as I loved being with my mom.

Although I feel stuck in a discouraging, hard and exhausting rut that seems endless I keep reminding myself, "This too, shall pass."

There is a season for everything. This is just a hard one :-)

P.S. Betsy ran and hugged me today when I picked her up from preschool. First time ever. She normally sees me, runs the other way, and takes forever for me to get her into the car. I was so happy I almost cried. THEN she asked to play with me at Denny's track meet and finished the day with wanting me to put her to bed. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! I can't believe how nice it is to have a kid reciprocate the love I have for her. Thank you Jesus for a glimpse of what I hope awaits me in the future.

Also, Thank you Jesus for Betsy Lynn. You created her to be exactly how she is. Please give me wisdom on how to raise her :-) I love her dearly.

Poor. Rich. Starving. Overindulging.

2009-03-30T16:04:00.000-07:00

Random thought # 1: In my journey through the Old Testament I have been plagued with the same thought, over and over and over again. The same God of the New Testament., the same God that I love and serve today wiped out entire nations, including children-over and over and over again. He had people stone other people. Ahhhhh!

It is so uncomfortable to think of God having that side to him, isn't it?

I am not saying I don’t believe it’s the same God, I just haven’t spent much time thinking about it until I started the OT. Does anyone understand what I mean? I’m not sure I can articulate it well enough but MAN, God is an emotional being. And because he is a just God I can’t second guess his character or his actions because in the end, he is God, I am not. He is perfect. I am not. If he IS LOVE then everything he does is out of Love. You catching me?)

Random thought #2: I’ve also been thinking a lot about life. How fleeting it is. How it can change in an instant.

I feel out of place as a believer sometimes. How am I living safely in a home with, food, water and more than enough stuff when there are children starving to death every minute.?

How can I have several outfits when there are kids without a single item of clothing?

How can I even complain for a second about the size of my house, car, whatever, when there are people sleeping in heaps of trash?

I am having a terribly hard time spending money on anything other than what’s necessary because I can’t stop thinking about what my duty is as a believer in Christ. To care for the poor, widows, aliens and hungry. (And I KNOW there are other ways to care for them, I just talking monetary, this time)

While some times I may catch myself judging others for how much they have, spend, buy, whatever, I cannot stop reflecting on my own life. What has God called ME to do? What has God called us, His children-His hands and feet to do?

If it were reversed and the U.S. was now starving, suffering with AIDS, etc, etc, what would I think about those countries that truly have it all? Wouldn’t I be screaming at the top of my lungs “Wake up and HELP US! WE ARE DYING!”

When is it okay to spend money on yourself? Is it ever ok?
There are very Godly people ( Like the old Testament Kings) that the Lord, himself, blessed with amazing material possessions.

I don't remember God every saying it's wrong to have things.

Is the issue more related to what Paul said, “I can do with a lot, I can do with little.” Is that the issue? If God took away every material thing I had would I still be okay?

But STILL, there are people dying left and right of preventable diseases and problems that CAN be helped with something as simple as money.
Sometimes I wonder if I should sell my house to live in an apartment so that I can give to the poor, other times I want a bigger house to open up to teen moms that need a place to stay, other times I simply want a bigger house, other times I am completely content with where I live, what I have, etc.

Sometimes I look at what I have an feel like I have so much. I feel guilty, then I look at people who have more than I have and then I justify what i have by how much they have. Other people should NOT justify what I do and don't spend my money on. God should.

Perhaps a greater issue is being obedient to what the Lord tells me to do and being sensitive to His Spirit. Perhaps the Lord wanted to bless me with everything I have. Maybe he did. But if he wants me to give, move, save, spend, then I want to know and to act on his leading.

This probably makes no to little sense as I am running off of only 4 hours of sleep but It’s been on my mind a lot.

I can read the Bible over and over and over again concerning what it says about how you can’t serve both God and Money, and to give, etc. but I’m really struggling with how we as believers, specifically believers living in the U.S. with more than enough stuff, should be spending our money. What are we saying to non-believers who just need one bite of food when we are over indulging ourselves with food and then spending all sorts of money to try and lose weight when there are people who can’t even gain weight-who have no food.

Although we live in a prosperous country and although I DO feel called to be in Corvallis. HOW SHOULD I BE LIVING? HOW SHOULD I BE SPENDING?

2009-03-30T10:56:00.000-07:00

I had a post written...but decided it'd fit better in a personal journal than on the World Wide Web.

I will post again shortly :-)