Friday, March 6, 2009

Vacation Pictures

My one and only follower, Leslie, requested vacation pictures so here they are. All I can say is I am glad the weather has warmed up a bit! I'm really getting tired of Ohio!
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The Girls are Gone

Well, my nieces Brylie and Kahlen have officially left for their new home in North Carolina. I have very mixed emotions. On one hand it will be very good for my brother and sister in-law to have the opportunity to be the sole caregivers for their children. They have had a lot of "assistance" from both of their families for the past 4 years and they will now be able to grow together as a family on their own. My brother is finally getting to do something he wants to do. Hopefully, once he completes school it will lead to opportunities that will allow him to support his family, be independent and have pride in something he has created. Then, there is my selfish side. I truly feel like those girls are my flesh and blood. I was lucky enough to be there when both of them were born. I love them both as if they were my own. They are more like Collin's sisters than his cousins. I hope that the three of them will have a relationship like the one my brother and I have. I am also sad that they will not see each other on an almost daily basis. It was so fun watching them play and interact with one another. Poor Collin has lost all of his playmates! Mallory from across the street is gone, now Brylie and Kahlen. Looks like we will be actively looking for new playmates so sweet little Collin doesn't turn into a spoiled little brat!! I took lots of pictures of their last hurrah but will have to post them later. I have had some technical difficulties in the photography department lately. The LCD screen on my brand new digital SLR cracked rendering it essentially useless so I had to go back to my old slow camera. Now the computer won't accept the memory card from the old camera and I can't find the cord. So...no pictures for a while. I shipped my camera off today for repair. I am hoping it won't cost an arm and a leg to fix, especially since I just paid it off!!
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Guatoberfest Cruise 2009

My soapbox about the Advent Conspiracy

I came across this video on another blog. I have to admit I only looked at it for entertainment value. I assumed with a title like that, it had to be some wacko conspiracy theory and who doesn't need a good laugh. Suprisingly enough it really touched me and made me think. It didn't grab my interest because of it's religious value, because that's not really my thing. I am not the type of person that flaunts religion or believes in pushing your beliefs onto others. It touched me because of it's human value and because it shows me how quickly I forget.

When we were in Guatemala it was truly a life changing experience for a myriad of reasons, only one of which was bringing home a baby! We saw poverty that we could never imagine in this country. I remember thinking when I was there that despite all of the stress of the situation, I was more at peace than I had ever felt in my life. Among other things, there was no pressure to have more...there was nothing to have. People just lived their lives. Families worked together, lived together in cramped housing-if they had a roof over their heads at all-and they were happy! We were forced to enjoy eachother without our "creature comforts" and I loved it. I now remember hoping that once we got home, I would never lose that idea that we don't really need much at all. I realized our society makes us think we need more but we really don't. And after watching the video it makes me realize that I have failed miserably.


I had made up my mind that in order to honor my new found attitude and our sons heritage, we would sponsor a Guatemalan family every year so that they could have food and heat and their children could go to school-things we take for granted on a daily basis. For some reason I can never seem to find the money to do that- BUT- I can find the money to buy coffee every day, sometimes several times a day, Collin will see a room full of gifts on Christmas morning, I can go out to eat, I can do whatever I want for the most part. My priorities have gone right back to where they were before I experienced Guatemala and it makes me sad. That is the reason that I am posting the video in a permenant spot on the blog, so that I am constantly reminded, not only during Christmas but all year to give PRESENCE to my friends and family not PRESENTS and to give back to something that I feel very strongly about. I don't write this to push Guatemalan charity or any charity but to encourage anyone reading this to slow down and take a look at your life and see what means the most to you and see where it takes you.

Advent Conspiracy