Two Years of Blogging

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Today marks two years since writing my first blog post.  I had no idea what I was doing (and still really don't), but I can say that this has been an extremely therapeutic way to heal, to remember and share with other's that you are not alone.  In the past two years, I have shared so much with my friends and (gasp!) strangers on this blog, but in the end, the support I have been given and have been able to give back has far outweighed the negative feedback or annoying spam comments.  Since that first blog post, I have shared so, so much in this space...

Remembering Shyla on my first Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day in 2009.

Why Dragonflies are so special to me.

Shyla's birth story.

The idea of Shyla's Stocking and then some of the amazing acts that were placed inside.

Our first Christmas with out her.

Our journey beginning with the March of Dimes, the newspaper article written about our family, and the March for Babies with our family the ambassadors in Shyla's name.

Oklahoma City and Shyla's pregnancy.

Reminders of her...

The announcement that we were pregnant again and asking for prayers for our Rainbow.

The Pregnancy and Infant Loss Training Event we organized for "first responders".

Shyla's first birthday and celebration of life.

Our Miracle Rainbow...when the Dr was wrong...

When something else was wrong...our boy's heart wasn't working like it should.

Jakin's ultimate healing and birth.

The service to remember and honor Jakin's life.

Our 2nd Christmas without Shyla and first without Jakin.

Our adoption announcement.

Jakin's Due Date.

The Amazing Women of Faith Event I had the privilege of attending.

Shyla's 2nd birthday.

I also shared some funny experiences...like this post...(well, it wasn't so funny to me...)

I feel like I have ran an emotional triathlon the past two years and I am so glad I have had this platform to get out most of my feelings and connect with other loss moms.  You all have given me SO much support and I thank God for you!

Empowered to Connect

On Friday, Ben and I drove just outside of Nashville, to Brentwood, TN to the Empowered to Connect Conference that was sponsored by Show Hope.  

There was SO SO SO much information given at this conference that I will have to pass much of it along in (many) separate posts, but here are just some of the highlights of the weekend!

*Dr. Karyn Purvis.  This woman is amazing.  Her research and presentations are a perfect balance of science, faith and action.  If you are an adoptive family, I highly recommend purchasing her book, The Connected Child.  Ben was so impressed, he wanted to purchase the video resource library.

* Getting to spend some time with our friends (in real life) Jason and LeeAnne.  They are adopting from China and we got to spend time together at the conference and at a few meals.  It's really encouraging to know another local family on this journey!

* We packed lunches for Friday and ate on the way to Financial Peace Plaza.  Dave Ramsey's home office is also in Brentwood and even though we knew he was out of town promoting his new book, we had to go by the office and check out the bookstore and studios and say hi to Martha, the guest services manager.  Martha was so kind to us and shared stories about Dave and gave us cookies and tea.

Where Dave would have been sitting if he was in the studio.

* We had Coldstone Creamery for dessert on Friday night.  This was a treat, because we usually don't splurge on eating dessert out and Ben has been lactose intolerant all of his adult life until about 3 months ago.

*We met Bri and Eric from Sweet Carolina Grace!  It was so great to actually meet another adoption blogger and talk about adoption, our bio boys and blogging.  

It was truely amazing to be around so many like-minded people and to see all the adoption t-shirts and lots of babies!  Most of the conference talked about children from hard places and for foster/adoptive parents, but Ben and I intend to use some of the techniques and parenting ideas with Ethan.  We want to be connected parents and we want long-lasting, meaningful relationships with our kids and really enjoyed the way Dr. Purvis  linked the biology of the brain and behavior.  It made so much sense!

I hope to post much more about the conference and pass along all the little nuggets shared by Dr. Purvis and the adoptive parents that shared their stories, but now, its definitely time to get some rest!

Bring Hope Home

I'm at it again :-)

Yup, I started another blog.  I began to feel a little guilty about talking so much on this blog about the adoption and fundraisers.  You all area wonderful commentors and readers and I don't want to bombard you with fundraisers when that is not the reason you came here.  If you found me through a loss blog, the last thing I want to do is to seem like I am taking advantage of your being here.  I will be posting more about the progress of the adoption on another blog and the fundraisers and such.  We are so excited and so blessed to be welcoming another child into our family and please feel free to follow our journey over there as well. 

I will still post some here about the adoption journey or at least direct you over there when major progress is made. 

So...if you so choose, head on over to Bring Hope Home and leave me some love letting me know you've been there.  The blog is still a work in progress, but I don't plan on spending much time on blog design...SO SO SO much more to do!!!

So far, So good!

I did it!  I did a complete month of Project 365!  I'm kind of proud that I took a photo a day for an entire month!  If you want to check out my 365 blog, click here!

Also, another one of my goals for the New Year was to read the Bible in 90 days.  So far, I'm doing good and am a day ahead!  I'm really loving the feeling I get from reading everyday.  I sure hope I can keep it up!  Just 60 days to go...1/3 done!

Don't forget to check this blog once a day for the next 14 days as 14 amazing women share what love really means to them!  I'm so excited to read all the posts!!!

A belated Thank You!

I just have been overwhelmed with the love I have recieved over the past couple of weeks.   You all are awesom, I just wanted to let you know that! 
I have been blown away to be nominated for three blog awards!

The beautiful *M* at A Miracle 4 Us gave me for the I <3 This Blog Award!

And KK's Mom gave me the Cherry on Top award!

And then Amanda and Jamie nominated me for the Stylish Blogger Award!



If I missed anything and you have nominated me as well, a big Thank You to you too!

The conditions of these awards are pretty similar...I am suppposed to share a few things about myself then pass along the awards to a certain number of bloggers I have recently discovered.  In all honesty, I have a hard time keeping up with everyone I "follow" now so I have been trying not to add too many new blogs right now.  Between working, keeping up with the house, the adoption and my Project 365, my plate is pretty full!

So instead of nominating newly discovered bloggers, I'm going to cheat...but first, let me share some random facts about myself...

*I am a Stampin' Up! Independent Demonstrator and signed up with them to make cards, but over the past 5 years I have really turned more to scrapbooking and have a terrible time getting cards of any kind out in a timely manner.

*I hate ants...you might remember why...

*My favorite cake is red velvet.

*I don't know how to really swim and I wont get in the lake with out a life jacket on and I wont go into the deep side of a pool.  I know.  Lame, right?  Ethan is a much better swimmer than I.

*My hubby and I love Dave Ramse.y and striving for Financial Peace.

*I am a licensed social worker.

*I started working when I was sixteen and have only had about three months in my life since when I did not have a job.  I've worked as everything from a pharmacy tech, to a jewelry sales associate, to a personal trainer, to a theatre assistant tech director, to a house keeper, to the site-supervisor of an afterschool program.  Plus a few more thrown in there.

*I would love more than almost anything to stay at home with the kids for a couple of years when we bring our daughter home from Korea to homeschool and be a SAHM or even a WAHM.

*I have the bedroom suite that my Grandmother bought when my granparents got married 61 years ago.  She got a job at a dry cleaners and save for a long time to purchase the 3 peice set and it cost her $200.


OK, so here's the part I'm cheating on.  If any of you haven't recieved one of these rewards and are following some great blogs that need some encouragement, send and email to the address on the sidebar and I will come back and edit this post to nominate you for the award you request so you can send it on to another blogger!

Thanks again you sweet ladies!!!

Love, Joy, Laugh 365

OK, I did it for 7 days straight, so I guess I can make the announcement that I am attempting to do Project 365 and take one photo everyday for a year!  I love photography and I used to be a such a photo bug, but over the past couple of years I have gotten really bad for not touching my camera for weeks and then taking a bunch of pics on one day. 

I really want to get to know my camera better and I thought this would be a great way to do that AND chronicle our year.  If you are interested in seeing the photos and getting a daily glimpse into our lives you can do so my heading over to Love, Joy, Laugh 365.

I may not upload everyday...but I will take a photo everyday and upload a couple times a week.

Also, if you or someone you know is doing their own Project 365, pretty please leave a comment so I can link to their project! 

Blogs and Kisses

I just wanted to let everyone know I have started two other blogs.  I know...I'm a bloggy addict.  Seriously.  I could read blogs all day.  Too bad I can't get paid doing that, right?

My first new blog I started after finding a recipe for making my own laundry soap.  I tried it.  I loved it.  So then I started researching recipes for other cleaners and such.  We are on the road to being out of consumer debt (everything but the house) in April and I could not be happier!  We have been on Dave Ramsey's financial peace plan for a while and can't wait for the day that we can call into his radio show and scream at the top of our lungs "WE'RE DEBT FREE!!!"  I started this blog mainly for me to keep track of my "recipes", frugal tips and ideas.  Hop on over to Nothing But Love to check out those recipes and frugal tips.  But keep in mind, I haven't been doing much over there, and for some reason I can't create a link like I can in this blog, so you see the whole, long, web address when I try to link something...hmmmm....I will keep working on that.

My other new blog is a crafty one.  I love repurposing things, creating things, scrapbooking and paper crafting and when I found the wealth on information on all of these subjects in blogs online I started my own to chronicle my attempts, successes and even crafty failures.  Again, I just started and just have like three posts, but if you are interested, head on over to Creative Joy Crafts.  (Warning: there are going to be lots of baby crafts.  I have lots of friends having babies and I have found it is much easier for me to make gifts than to wonder around the baby department looking for them.)  The first crafty blog I ran across was Joy's Hope.  I found her first, because I found the story of her Joy Emma and how she is also a baby loss mama.  She is a wonderfully creative lady who has since been blessed with three little girls and always finds creative ways to remember her Joy.

I am finding so much enjoyment in looking through different kinds of blogs.  Baby loss blogs help me on my grief.  Creative blogs spur my creativity and give me ideas and inspirations.  Frugality blogs help me find new ways to save my family money and be creative with our income.  SO...I think I will be looking into a bloggy make-over for one of my blogs and I think I know where I will be going for that.  If you haven't heard, Franchesca (from  Handprints from Heavenand Abiding Hope Collages) has started Small Bird Studio and offers beautiful and affordable blog make overs.  The proceeds go to help her fund the Hope Collages.  So if you are in need of a makeover, go see her!

If you all know of any blogs I need to read, email me!