Goodbye 2008............Hello 2009!!!!!!!

What I have learned in 2008

1.  dark denim always looks best

2.  when your tooth gets even the slightest tinge of pain go straight to the dentist...don't wait!!

3.  when you turn 35 the idea of having children will completely take over your thoughts

4.  quality vs. quantity

5.  that a baby from Ethiopia that I have never met nor seen will eventually be apart of my family

6.  you can be friends with awesome women that don't live in your town or even in your state

7.  that you can change careers every year if you want

8.  purses. self-tanning, and makeup always make me happy!!  

9.  walking my dog is good for her and me

10.  having dance party with your animals and husband in your bonus room is the best time!!!

11.  Edward awaits me in Forks  (for those of you who love Twilight you understand)....

12.  to be a better listener

13.  I need very very few material items - less is way more!!!

14.  I am truly happy and blessed to be alive, healthy, and in a wonderful loving marriage!!!

Goals for 2009

1.  BABY......that is all that needs to be said!!

2.  officially become Catholic

3.  sell my freakin house!!!!!!!!!!!  this year it will happen!!!

4.  no worrying about what people think of me....I have this pretty much accomplished but a brush up never hurts...

5.  be sweeter to my mom....

Christmas at my brother's house

Yes I had tuna and cheese for dinner....not a big fan of turkey.  I know gross right :)  I did have the famous jam cake at Brad's grandmother's our last stop of the night - no pics of this....sorry!  Fun day!  What do you bet next year's Christmas is very different...hopefully with a new addition to the family.

Many Christmas's for the Reeses!!

First stop 

Christmas Eve at the in laws!

Christmas morning at my house!

Delta Christmas Party!

We went to Brad's work party last weekend!  Being in the gym industry...... everyone is in such incredible shape which is so inspiring. I think we all cheated a bit though :)

Party with the ET babies!!

Last night B and I went to Tracy's for a Christmas party!  

We were in absolute heaven with all of these Ethiopian children!!  I am always soo in awe of the beauty of these babies.

Thank you Tracy for inviting us even though we have not yet started the process.  We had such a wonderful time and met so many awesome families.  Everyone was so thoughtful and kind to us - giving us advice and answering our questions!!  

Before we went to the party we went to the Walk

though Bethlehem at Woodmont Christian...it was a fantastic way to see how it was when Jesus was born.  They did an incredible job...very authentic!!

We then were at Walgreens (we go at least 3x per

weekend) and a cute family was doing a scavenger hunt and we became apart of it.  They had to give someone chocolate and then sing us a Christmas Carole...

Here are pics of our weekend - 

Pics of our "girls" they are really in the Christmas spirit!!

Pic of the 

Carolers!

Tracy Levi and ME!!  Is he precious or what??

This little angel just got home 3 weeks ago!  Amazing!

  Baby Elijah - gorgeous!!

To the best husband in the world! Happy Birthday!

Today Brad turns 39!!  Happy Bday REESER!!

I fall more in love with you every single day!  You are my best friend, my true love!

You light up a room with your HUGE laugh and sparkling

baby blue eyes!  You are sweet, kind, honest, funny, thoughtful, 

hilarious, scared of spiders, full of life, athletic, out-going, extremely HOT, handsome, loving, adorable, hard-working, Catholic...God loving, educated, family oriented...and most importantly you are my husband!!  :)  Thank you for picking me as your wife!!

I love you so much!  My life began when I met you!  Today I celebrate you and your day!

The girls and I love you sooo much!

These are a few of my fav pics of Brad.  

Cousin Mike!

                                                           One of my bff's Zan at her wedding!

                                                             Brad and his MEME!!

                                                              

                                                             His mom Jackie - !!

A change will do you good!!!

Well - this year I started out selling homes like a mad woman and it is ending with extreme baby fever!  Who would have ever thought that would happen to me.

Mid April I had a falling out with a group of friends.  As my husband says sometimes it is time to move on - remember the time you had with them - the fun times, the laughter, the memories but.... just because you have history with people does not mean you have anything in common with them and definitely does not mean that they are healthy for you to be around.  

This is actually the third "set" of friends that I have lost in the past 4-5 years.  

It was a sad time but little did I know God had other plans for me, my life, and making new friends. Wow did he ever!!

So skip ahead to July 4th - the day that I discovered adoption - in the most indirect way - my life had changed.  For the better - forever!!  

Even though we have pushed the pause button on the adoption - my life is forever changed.

I have always been self-centered - being that for so many years it was just me and a dog and cat.  Then I met Brad and we became couple centered.  Spending our time with each other enjoying our lives together.  Not really thinking of life outside of our world.

Once God put adoption on our hearts such a huge change has taken place over the last 6 months.  

I started the RCIA program at St. Henry's Church.  I knew that I would become Catholic at some point but I did not know it would be this year.  What an awesome experience it has been for me.  Meeting such loving kind helpful God loving people of all ages and all races!  It has just been incredible.  I look forward to Tuesdays every single week. I love learning about Jesus and the faith of Catholic people.

I have started volunteering at the Hope Clinic.  It is a teen counseling center.  I have always felt such a connection to teenage girls.  It is a wonderful spiritual place!   

My mother and I helped a Nashville single mother with 3 daughters with Christmas.  We went a bit over board shopping for them...imagine that being that we both love to shop:).  It was so much fun.  I would much rather buy someone else a gift than receive a gift.  Again a HUGE change in my life.  

Brad and I delivered food last week for Thanksgiving fro Meals on Wheels.  It was also a great experience.  The sweet little ladies were so grateful and thankful.  Little did they know we were the thankful ones.

After watching the Advent Christmas video - I have tried hard to give gifts that give back. I would say half of the presents that I have purchased so far give back to some type of charity. Now that warms my heart.  

I have also started to recycle and reuse.  I never really thought about it before.  Again VERY self-centered.  I now recycle all shopping bags - plastic and paper.  I have always given to Goodwill but this year I have done so even more.  I have 2 hugs bags downstairs right now ready to go.  I give all of my magazines to friends instead of throwing them away.  I reuse boxes and gift bags.  I try to use as little water as possible.  Take shorter showers. Turn the ac up and the heat down.  I am trying to do my part.  Small changes make a big difference.  

I have also tried to be a better listener.  I can learn so much more if I close my mouth and open my ears.  This one can be hard for me being that I am a BIG talker!!  

I read 2 amazing books this year - the outstanding "There is No Me Without You" and the inspirational "Eat Pray Love".  Both were excellent!!!  If you have not read them - go to your local library and get them both!  

I love the changes that have taken place this year.  I love my life. I love my new supportive, uplifting positive influential friends. I love the thought of being an adoptive parent.  

Onto meeting new friends....April and I have become closer than ever, so have Zan and I, Beth, Susan N., and Nicole.  I have met some wonderful new people in RCIA as I mentioned before.  Holli A. and Christy B (the sisters that I adore) have been wonderful friends to me....always asking about the adoption.   All of my blog friends that have commented on my blog, answered my questions, and helped me along the way.  So positive and encouraging.  

God has opened doors and helped to make me a better person.  I look forward to see what the future holds!  

Here's Where We Are....

So many things have happened in the past 4 weeks so for those of you following us here you go :)

Here are some of the good things... 

My mom was in town a few weeks ago and she gave us her blessing and a sweet pink hooded towel.  YEAH - family on board..... check.

My husband's business transaction went through!!  So that is a huge load off of him.  YEAH!! So we are down to one business.  

I babysat for my neighbor's adorable little girl - she is 9 months old and just a precious angel!! I sang to her - read a book, fed her and then she slept for the rest of the afternoon.  That is the first time I have babysat a "baby" in many many years!  WOW do I have a lot to learn!!

A sweet gym friend of mine gave me a black plush dog w/ a pink bow from FAO Swartz....so nice of her!!

I have been going through RCIA (becoming Catholic).  My husband is Catholic and my brother and his wife and children in the past couple of years have all become Catholic.  I decided I wanted a new focus and desperately needed new friends and what a great place to meet people like myself.  It has been such a positive experience.  I look forward to every Tuesday night meeting and have met some incredible inspirational people and life long friends!!  

Baby fever has hit me like a ton of bricks!!  I never knew how this would affect me but it has.  It is all I think about.....I keep telling B.... 

"Ty you must get me a baby...I must have a baby Ty!!!!"   

....as quoted from Raising Arizona!!!!

We celebrated our 3 year anniversary!!!  It was so great - we watched our wedding video and ate popcorn!  It was a perfect night!!

An awesome friend of mine also from the gym who works in the child care center has been so positive about the adoption.  Always asking me how things are going - watching every video with me and looking at new families that are home.  The other day I shared the ADVENT CONSPIRACY video with her and she immediately said.....ok in lieu of any gifts I receive this year from parents I want to donate all of the money to charities.  So she and I wrote up a letter and printed a few paragraphs describing 2 charities that touched her heart.  She has already in the past few days had many parents asking what they can do.  Isn't that wonderful!!

And now for the not so good....

Well..... as everyone knows the economy is in severe trouble which hits home with us.  So because of this we are being extremely cautious and are extremely nervous about starting the adoption process.  

I had said that we would start the process once we received blessings from our families and once the business has sold.  Yes, both of those things have now happened but we are not able to start yet.  So the adoption is going to be on hold until things start looking up.  I am confident that we will adopt but only time will tell when we will actually start.  

I want to thank everyone that we have met during this process and thank everyone for the blessings and kindness that we have received.  

Party and other stuff!

This weekend - we went to Memphis for my husband's cousins 40th party.  We had a blast!!  

Before we left I prayed for God to give me signs

that we are on the right path.  

God can be funny sometimes.....

SIGN #1

First we went into a baby store looking at beddi

ng.  We have a girl name that we really like that has stood out to us for along time.  This was not a store that I had on my list to visit - we were just driving past and stopped in - so right when

 we walked in there on one of the baby bed's was an adorable pink and brown blanket with the name we love in huge letters across it!!!  PS Pink and Brown are my favorite colors - they were the colors of my wedding!!  LOVE that combo!

OK so maybe it was not a sign being that it is a semi popular girl name.

Sign #2

Next we went to another store that was on my 

list - and I found another bedding sets that I loved!!  The name of the set just happened 

to be the SAME name that we love!!  OK - 2 for 2!!

Sign #3

We then go to eat before the party at our fav dining PEI WEI we pronounce it pee wee....

I never get fortune cookies but B always does....he opened mine and it said..."The Wish Most Dear to Your Heart Will Come True"..

Sign #4

Saturday morning we woke up and went downstairs for

our  FREE breakfast - B got a Memphis newspaper

....and look what he found in it!!

I love my husband!!!!

This and that

Yesterday I had the best lunch with a new friend!  She just brought her daughter home from Korea...

H is exactly what I need in my life.  Positive, fun, spiritual, sweet, kind...thank you H for talking me through my my fears and for praying for B and I!!  

Through this adoption experience it is simply amazing how many wonderful people and families that I have met!  

Thank you to all of our awesome supportive friends.  Thank you for believing in us and praying for us.  

PS - you all that have adopted in Nashville - who did you use to look over your referrals and medical info?? 

Look what I got!!

Well I have been given the greatest FIRST gift!!  My dear friend and fellow diva "B" gave the baby  "THIS LITTLE PIGGY WENT TO PRADA".  It is hysterical!!  Nursery rhymes set with all of the cool things that I love!!  Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, Nobu - all of the HIP brands and places!!  It is perfect!  B and I worked together in the beauty industry for years.  We are the closest of friends and I adore her!!  Thank you B!!

I also have been dying for the COCO doll from Blabla - so yesterday I bought her!!  Isn't she sooo cute!!  Watch out there is a new ET princess in town!!

TAGGED!!

Well - I have been seeing these "tags" on blogs that I follow and it looks like it has happened to me.

I have been tagged by Melissa and now I must list 7 interesting/weird facts about myself.  

1.  I am extremely chatty and can pretty much carry on a conversation with anyone BUT I really hate parties and small talk...I get very nervous around a lot of  people and would much rather talk with a few people about real things then talk with 50 about nothing. 

2.  I don't drink any alcohol - yep not even wine!!  Would rather eat my calories than drink them.  Not to mention hang overs.

3.  I have exercised 4-6 times a week for about 15 years - I lift weights 2x  a week and do some type of cardio either running, spinning, elliptical, or the "beast" aka the HUGE stairmaster.  I am a health nut!!  Drink my water daily, eat my fruits and veggies, floss....I LOVE living a healthy lifestyle!!  It is my way of life!!

4.  I am a vampire - I do not like being in the sun!!  I wear SPF 30 every single day on my face and when I run I slather SPF 60 all over!!  I love a cloudy day - I love to sweat but not when I just spent 45 minutes getting ready.  But the funny thing is.....I am an expert self-tanner!!  I use the spray type and the daily lotion.  I love the look of a tan just one out of a bottle!!

5.  I am probably the worst dancer you have ever seen!!  Picture Elaine from Seinfeld....that's me!!  OH yeah and I can't touch my toes - tight hamstrings from years of running!!!!

6.  I am thrifty - I keep the heat off as looong as I can, keep the ac to a minimum, shop on EBAY, turn off all lights and electrical items when not needed...I LOVE to have money and would rather put it in the bank then spend it on items I don't need.  Yeah I am a bit extreme!!

7.  I am a dork - I wear earplugs nightly #1 b/c I like to sleep in complete quiet and #2 b/c my hubs snores so freakin loud!!!  And yes I know that will have to stop when the baby gets here:)!

Ok blog friends - here you go u r tagged!!!   I usually really don't like these type of things...but it turned out to be kind of fun.

1. Liz

2. Chantelle

3. Julie 

4. Megan

5. Tracy M

6. Tracy A

7. Leah

I don't know how to hi lite links so sorry this is all I can do?!?!  

Picky Eater!!

Saturday I had my first taste of Ethiopian food and low and behold I liked it!!  

A little background for you....food and I don't get along so well.  I don't like any type of meat at all..no pork or beef or chicken or basically any type of bird.  I really don't like tofu either....so let's just say I have a very small diet.  I eat tons of seafood - shrimp tuna etc. I have never eaten fast food - well I think I did in hs but that was forever ago!!  SOOOO for me to find something new to add to my diet is awesome!!

My friend Z took me to an ET restaurant for lunch.  The owner suggested we try the vegetarian plate with a chicken dish as well.  We had 5-6 vegey sides that were all so fresh and yummy!!  Squash, turnip greens, chick peas...not really sure what the other were but I ate them all!!!  And I was not extremely full which I love!!!  Now I have to talk B into trying it - can you believe it my hubs is more picky than I am!  

Bring on the questions and comments....

Since we have made the announcement we have had sooooooo MANY questions and comments and I have felt that I have had to be  defensive about what we are doing.  I will try to answer and comment on the ones that I feel deem a response.

1.  Why Ethiopia??  Why not China, Guatemala, domestic adoption etc??

For us the timeline, the qualifications needed, and the way we were drawn to this country fit what wanted.  Not to mention the absolute peace that we feel in our hearts when we discuss Africa.  

2.  Why not have a "child of your own"...this one still bothers me...and blows me away when people ask me this...it is an extremely personal question -  but I will do my best to answer it....

Again for us having a biological child is not something that we want to explore right now. Adopting from Ethiopia is in our heart  - we have researched, spoken with MANY other adoptive parents, had the absolute pleasure to meet many Ethiopian children, spoken with our priest, spent thousands of hours on the internet reading about Africa, read adoption books....we have done our homework and this is what we are doing.   BTW - she will be our child she will just be from Ethiopia.

3.  Do you not want to have a baby that looks like you and B?  We do not need to have a child that looks like us to feel at peace.  

4.  Do you not worry about the future of the child and how she will deal with "being different"?  Hmmmm different how?  

By this do you mean color of her skin?  She will be raised in a loving family with 2 parents that love her and that love each other.  The USA is made up of people with every color of skin.  My family alone is  blessed to have people from Italy and Ireland.  She will be raised to feel confident about herself and to be independent.   She be educated about her birth country and to feel pride  that she came from Africa.

5.  When will you get her?  Well, depending on when we choose to start the process - it should take around 15 or so months - hopefully shorter :)!!  

There are other goofy comments/questions that have been made that do not warrant an answer - to those people I just laugh and smile and tell them to read - educate themselves on certain things before they throw their opinions in.

Look what we bought!!

I have been wanting to buy these GAP Inspi(red) t shirts forever and this weekends I think B and I needed a boost so I bought one for him - the cool new design for guys - short sleeve red and I got this one!!  LOVE it!!  

Half of the money from these t shirts go to the Global Fund which uses 100% of the money to finance health and community support programs in Africa.  (Yes I stole this exact line from the GAP website:) )

Keep us in your thoughts today - 

I TOLD MY FAMILY!!!

Well - yesterday I told my mother!!  

I had just received an email from a friend of mine with photos of her new niece and nephew that are currently being adopted (domestic) and are black - they are sooooo adorable!!!. So I called my mom to ask about her about it being that I did not know.  Somewhere in that conversation I got the courage to tell her.

I said - mom I have some news to tell you...."we are adopting a baby"!!  She got excited and starting saying "oh that is wonderful"....so I just went with that and kept talking.

Me - "And the baby is going to be from Africa - Ethiopia to be exact"....

Mom - "Ok ok ok..." in an excited sort of shocked voice....

I just kept going afraid to leave a quiet moment or to take a breathe...."we will go to Africa to get her...she will be an infant....around 3-12 months old...most likely 6 or so months...I have researched this for months....B and I are sooo excited....this is the biggest secret that I have ever kept...it will take about 15 months..."

Questions from her then started - I was prepared...."no China takes X amount of time, Mexico....well I really have not heard of children being adopted from there??....Guatemala is not currently open...no I really never thought of domestic...it really was never anything we considered....no I have not told my brother...."

She sounded happy -  said she would love the child with any skin color even "purple"...

GREAT - wow this went better than expected!!

I was on a roll - I called my brother a few hours later and told him as well!!  

At first he  said - "yeah right - you are kidding...." but then he realized I was serious ...and he too seemed happy for us.  Saying "congrats" - "you know your niece has a little boy on her soccer team that is from Africa"....excellent!!  

I then received a call from my mom - I think it had sort of sunk in at this point...some of the race questions came up..."the concern" for B and I...."I want you to be really sure"...."people are prejudice"...."I am going to be really honest with you through out this process"....

My explanation (channeling Liz and Chantelle)....

"Yes, we are sure"

"We are not asking for permission - just your support and blessing"

" I understand your concern - take the time you need..."

"While I appreciate your honesty....think before you say something that could effect the future...."

I then talked to my dad - he really only asked why we didn't want to have any "children of our own" -  I said " at this point in my life this is what we are doing and what I am suppose to do" ...he asked how long it takes....I told him about 15 months (hopefully shorter)....he said well he has some time to get used to it and maybe we can sit down and I can tell him my thoughts...."great I would love to"....

SO - in summary - it went OK??!?!?!?!  Not as bad as I thought but not as well as I would have wanted....but it is done.....deep breathe!!  The weight has been lifted!!  

Signs sign Everywhere signs!!!

Well....another "oh my" moment today!  

While having lunch today with my hubs (after a closing YEAH!!)...we ran into a girl that I know from the gym that he went to college with.

She sells countertops so we were discussing how to build our businesses etc.  

Brad mentioned to her that he saw her (or her twin) at the golf course the other day.

She said oh that was probably my sister.  You know they just adopted a baby girl from South Korea!!

A huge smile started to appear on my face as I looked over at B.  He was smiling ear to ear!!  

We of course them told her that we too were adopting!!  

I LOVE it - what a forward thinking city that we live in!  Just incredible!  Everywhere I turn - people are adopting!!  What a wonderful gift!  Gorgeous day - perfect weather!  God is GOOD!!

OMG!!

So today I thought MAY be the day I tell my mother??  She and her dear friend were in town to go to JC for weight loss - (Jenny Craig)...we were meeting my brother to eat lunch after.

I had already run this morning and had heard the awesome song by OAR "Shattered" - you must find it and listen to it NOW!!!  I LOVE IT.... it always makes me in a great mood and I thought OK when I see them today I am telling them.  

SO..... I pulled up to Whole Foods - jumped out of my car .....and OMG out of the corner of my eye I saw Tracy ...of the baby Levi from ET (that I have never meet but exchanged a few emails with) Tracy that lives here in Nash.  I walked right up to them in the parking lot and said "Hi I'm Mindy"....we have chatted a couple of times via email.  I am adopting from ET too....I recognize you guys from your blog.  And she was awesome....I met her 2 sons - of course that I knew from her blog as well!!  Levi is adorable!!  PS - his video is the FIRST video or blog or anything that I had seen from ET!!  That video set everything in motion....that video is the reason that we are where we are!!!!!!  So it was incredible!!  We talked for a sec...and then she asked me where I was in the process....I told her that we are almost ready to send in our paperwork but that I had not told my family yet.  And that I was meeting them inside for lunch. As I walked away telling her how thrilled I was to meet her (I think I said so.... Tracy if I did not it was because I was in AWE of the baby:)...I told her that it is just amazing how on this journey I keep getting so many different awesome signs that I am on the right path!!  Just amazing!!!  I mean what are the chances of running into them at WFs ....Nashville is a city of over a million!!

So inside it was a great lunch but the whole time I was quiet...which is NOT normal..I could not do it.  AGAIN I chickened out....I said nothing!!  There was plenty of opportune time but I didn't do it.  Couldn't pull the trigger!

My brother left and mom and Brenda and I went to the mall. 

They were asking me as they always do about weight loss and if they lifted weights would their skin tighten back up...(which the answer is NO)....only surgery will do that sorry.  

I then flippantly replied that is why no babies are coming out of my body..hehe - couldn't deal with that.  

My mom then says - "well you can just get you a Chinese baby...that is what our neighbors have done" (ps we are from the south..."get you a baby" is a normal saying (NOT))

I said nothing but thought wow - is she leading me or what???  What an easy way to tell her....but again I said nothing!!!  Not a freaking word!!  

Inside the store - I asked her - "who are these neighbors that have adopted from China?"

She told me and then followed it with.... "Oh Mindy they are sooo cute!!"

Again a great time to tell her....it was just she and I walking around a store...but guess what I said NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!

What is my deal?  What am I scared of? Well....I will tell you what....the reaction....that's what....the questioning of my judgement...the "skin color" questions....the "do you know what you are getting yourself into Mindy reaction.  I am just not ready to deal with it...not yet.

Stalking at Walmart

For those of you following our story sorry for not posting in weeks!

So yesterday we were at Wally World....ps my hubs hates it there and he feels like he has to shower immediately when he leaves.

We were walking towards the "Propel" isle when I spotted an ET couple with a little boy about 4 and a BABY GIRL in a carrier - so app. 8-10 months old!!!  

(If you had asked me to pick out a person from Ethiopia 6 months ago there would have been absolutelly no way I could have done this.) I started hitting b in the butt as hard as I could trying not to be noticed.  I basically screamed in his ear OMG look look there is an ET couple with a little girl!!!!!!  LOOK LOOK!!  SO he turns around and we see her - GORGEOUS!!!  Mocha skin, huge brown eyes, little pony tails...and she looked right at us.  So we followed them up and down several isles trying to remain inconspicuous.  The mom had high cheek bones and the husband has a chiseled jaw...an unbelievable looking couple! I was dying!!  Either I have not ever paid attention in my life (probably the case) or I have lived under a freakin rock...bc these people look like models!!

So I wanted soooo bad to talk to them to say something - we watched them get in line a few lines down from us....but were way to chicken to say a peep.  I would never want to offend anyone - "hey we are adopting an ET baby...just like yours..."  Yeah that would go over real well!!  We are dorks...so we said nothing did nothing.....just looked/stalked for a few minutes...looking all giddy and crazy at the old Walmart!!

All night and today we kept thinking about this awesome family living here in Nashville...and there beautiful kids!  I can't wait - we can't wait!!!!

Contemplating Life?!

I have always been one to think about the meaning of life.  Why are we here?  What is my purpose? What am I SUPPOSE to be doing?  Is this all there is?  

Since I was in college (over 10 years ago) - I have wondered these things.  Questioned these thoughts - prayed about them - talked to others about them - read books - listened to music looking for a sign of some sort - a voice.  The only voice as you all know if you have read my blog is the "shower" voice I heard a couple of months ago.  Other than that nothing - it seems that the answer is within myself somewhere.  Somewhere deep in there.

I was a teacher for 5 or so years. Then in the beauty industry for about 6 and now in real estate.  Well none of those really answered those questions.  They are all just jobs to me.  No real change except learning how to make a living and trying to be successful.  

So I keep searching - asking my questions in my head.  

I am so envious of those people out there that LOVE their jobs.  Enjoy the day to day.  Feel passion towards their employment.  How wonderful that would be.  I have of course had days here and there that have been fulfilling. Helping a student learn to read their first book, helping someone buy there first home, teaching someone how to take care of sun spots or deal with acne.  But I always come back to my questions....

What more can I do?  How can I make a difference?  

I am very lucky and very blessed with my life.  I am healthy, have an awesome husband and marriage, my parents are both alive and well.

I have tried in the past few months to be better with the environment.  I only use a water bottle that I can wash in the dishwasher instead of going through huge styrofoam cups or regular bottles.  I am now using organic household cleaners. I have been taking unused home goods and old clothes to Goodwill instead of just pitching them in the trash.  I am waaayyy cautious of turning off unused lights in my house and trying to conserve water as well - not only for bill purposes but trying to help do my small part.  

So for me I will continue on my search to peacefulness...and remind myself that I am one of the very lucky ones here!!

WOW what an incredible weekend!!

So Brad and I went to Gatlinburg Friday to stay in my brother's chalet that he recently bought.

WHAT a sight that was!! There was a car show there and let's just say it was NOT our cup of tea - to each his own. People sitting on the side of the road in folding chairs ...watching traffic I do not understand. The traffic was horrible and we could not find a decent half way healthy place to eat. I am not a fan of funnel cakes, fast food, or fried twinkies. Not a Starbucks - Sushi - or a veggie restaurant anywhere... I am a city chic - even though I am originally from a tiny town!!! So we went back to the chalet where we hung out in the jacuzzi - listened to nature and watched the stars. Now that was peaceful.

So Saturday morning we hopped back in our car and decided we had seen enough and we headed to Knoxville for the real reason we were even going out of town - the Ethiopain party.

We met Julie and her hubs Josh and Tracy and their incredible bundles of JOY for lunch - and it was unbelievable!! These babies were simply beautiful! I was speechless for a few minutes - I could not believe my blog friends had come to life!!

We all chatted and talked about adoption - family - the babies. It was such a blast!

I never have seen an Ethiopian child in person - so this was just wonderful - I also have really never seen my hubs hold or be around really small children. Our nieces and nephews are older so he never really held them as infants or toddlers. When I saw him cuddling Abel and Maya - it was precious!! At first he held Abel - and poor Abel looked uncomfortable... but then B got the hang of it. SOOOO CUTE!!

So at the restaurant - I had my camera ready to go - but the freakin batteries were dead. So no pics of that at all.

Then I had been dying to see Obligato - Julie's store so she graciously took Brad and I there. I was in love this store was the bomb diggity!! All of my fav brands!! Michael Stars, C&C California, Ella Moss - all of the comfy cottons that I adore!! Brad played with the adorable Maya the entire time!! When we got back in the car B said - Maya is awesome - her eyes are soo twinkiy!! He loves her and they soooo bonded!!

We then followed J and J and Maya to the party (after we got batteries for my cam). At this point I felt as if I had known Julie for YEARS and I instantly wanted her to move to Nash.

Back to the party - it was awesome - kids running around everywhere - again all of these blog faces that I had been staring at all of these months were coming to life. Gorgeous ET children and their loving families. They all welcomed us in and we all talked about where we were in the adoption process. There were about 5 little ET girls there - ranging from Maya to about 3 years old. All straight from the runways - little supermodels in process!!

We had out first taste of injera - and we saw what our lives will be like in the future!!

Bad news on the camera front - I got about 7 shots and then the shutter of my camera stopped opening! I was really bummed about this!! But I will post the ones I have.

Thank you to J and J - Tracy and the Hernandez family for making Brad and I feel sooo incredible welcome! FFL - friends for LIFE!!!!

Awesome new friend!!

I had lunch yesterday with Chantelle - an absolute sweetheart who adopted her daughter Bianca from Guatemala and is waiting for her Ethiopian daughter. We had an incredible time chatting about adoption - the worries the excitement - everything!

We clicked immediately - we are both open people with a love of fashion:)!! She was sooo easy to talk - I did not want to leave and show property. Check out her blog - BIG LOVE BLOG! I love making new friends!!

We are leaving in the am for Gatlinburg - my brother bought a chalet there and we are going to stay there for the weekend. The BIG news is that while we are there we are going to drive to Knoxville and meet up with some ET parents and children!! OMG - sooo excited - what should I wear??? I can't wait to see B's face with a bunch of kids running around...he gets nervous with tons of chidren!!

BOOOOO HISSSSS

Well my showing at my home just got cancelled!!!

Possible because it is raining.....??? maybe they will reschedule??

Good day!!

Well we have an interested party in our home!! YEAH!!!!

Also - Brad received some good news on his business selling as well!! YEAH!

Fingers crossed - maybe a great weekend!!

Plus I had a closing yesterday and received another contract on another listing....looks like the market s really picking up!!

So sad!

Yesterday I spoke with the agency that we will most likely use and I was telling them that we were in a holding pattern bc of the sale of our home and my husband's company.

She told me that it was a good idea to wait until our house sells and we are in our new home bc we will not be able to do our home study until then.

We had already decided that no matter what happened with these 2 issues - we were going to make an announcement at Christmas time and start the whole process. It looks like that will not be the case.

Good news....got my new passport yesterday!!

Please let this house sell soon!!!

Shout Out!!

I wanted to tell my 2 new blog friends a huge thank you!!

First Chantelle- wow do we have so many things in common. Not only are we originally from close to the same area :) but our thoughts are so on target with one another. I can see a budding friendship especially with our obsession with ET!!

Then there is my dear new blog friend Liz! Thank you thank you thank you - for all of your great info on ET adoption! Your openness and honesty is much appreciated. Thank you for taking time out of your day to answer all of my crazy questions!! It was a pleasure talking with you!

I wish these 2 ladies lived closer to me so we could have lunch or coffee. What terrific people are out there so ready to discuss adoption!

I am off to the dentist for 2 crowns....ouch!

Cloudy Monday

Well the obsession continues...I have found more blogs to follow/stalk.

I really don't have anything to post - still waiting to sell my house - we have reduced it again so possible that will make a difference. Our business is still in the process of being sold. Sure wish one would sell.

I do have a closing next week so that is great!!

A new scare for me on adopting.
I read on a blog or site or somewhere that there is not a way to know for sure(if a child is younger than 1 year) if the child has Hepatitis (I believe B or C)...I think A is the one you get for food. According to this specific site - it said that children under 1 will be tested for Hep B or C but that there is no way to know if they are positive for this or not.

Would love to know anyones thoughts or knowledge on this. Has anyone ever heard of a child coming home from Ethiopia with Hep b or c?

Coincidences to Adoption???? I think NOT!!

Since this has all happened to us and the AHA moments...I have had several coincidences that remind me that I am on the right path.

I would say one of the first is the story of the Lost Boys Olympic runner - Lopez Lomong. What an inspirational story that I have repeated to so many co-workers and friends over the past 4-5 months. Being a runner - my ears always perk up when hearing anything about running. He is an amazing athlete with a huge heart! That was probably the first time I really had a conscious thought of Africa that really made such an impact.

I had 2 this week from the same person - my sister in law. While working out with her and our trainer - she tells me that her sister is traveling with her husband (a gynecologist) and their 2 children to Kenya. I was like...really....wow? Trying not to sound too crazy.. I couldn't believe it. How amazing! Again remember no one knows of this adoption except for my husband and our neighbor! NOBODY! So I dove right in - asking her a thousand questions. Why are they going? When?
They are staying for a month while her husband helps to deliver babies and assist in any other way he can. Amazing.
Then after our workout was finished....she and I were in the ladies locker room and we were talking to our mother in law (yes we all work out together)...we were talking about attitude and staying positive - complaining - etc. I told them both that when

I turned 35 I told my own mother that I had decided from that day forward to only surround myself with positive people that support and love me..no more negativity or "gossipy" friends.
My sister in law then said..."oh you should visit this website that a client of mine just shared with me".....
Sure what is it?? thinkhappystuff.com
What a great idea....so simply. Just have happy thoughts!

I left the gym and of course totally forgot the about it.
A few days passed and I had to text my sister in law about something else and she sent me a response and then the website again (without me asking). I thought oh yeah - I need to look at this.

So again I forgot.

While at work yesterday - suddenly it came in my mind....so I went to the site.
While scrolling down - viewing t shirts, mugs, and the cute store....I went on the who we are page and the non-profits page. Well low and behold...there was the product developer with all of her adopted children! And links to all of the non-profits she supports!!! "African Leadership" - "Blood Water Mission" and the Steven Curtis Chapman organization to assist parents with the financial part of adopting. OK!! WOW!! Was I suppose to read this site or what?!? I immediately emailed the developer and shared with her how incredible her site is!!

What's the Hold Up????

Well - I think that even though I have all my docs in order .....I am still so nervous about actually sending in the application.

There are 2 BIG reasons that I haven't ....

1. We are trying to sell our house and I would really prefer to have this done before bringing a baby in our lives. We live about 45 minutes away from the "city" - we built a lovely home but it takes us about 45 minutes to get to work....therefore we are on the market.

2. We are also trying to sell one of my hubs businesses...and WOW is this an undertaking!

Those 2 reasons financially would make things easier as well....

And I guess the other reason is just plan nerves!! I don't make decisions easily and even though I think I am ready for this....am I really???

Rough day on the job!

Pic of my beauty Frye!!

Well my closing went great! All of my worrying for nothing - as usual. I came home early and collapsed on the couch with the babies - Bambi, Lucy and Frye....my little hairy angels. They are great sleepers.

And now for the rest of our story....and the other AHA moment!!!

I sit here watching this cursor flash back at me.....could this be silent Thursday for me? Or it is bc I slept about 3 hours thinking on my real estate closing?

Maybe I am mentally preparing myself for sleepless nights and late night feedings?
Keeping in mind that absolutely NONE of my family or friends (except for Apes) knows of any of this adoption....wow what a tough secret to keep. So I really only talk to Brad about this.

I made an appointment with our priest the sweetest most holiest man that I know - that also married Brad and I - Father Mike. I thought that perhaps he could give us some insight and possible calm a few my fears. More than fears..let's call them terrors!!

Brad and I met there at the church. Brad has never been one to really open up - I mean #1 he's a guy and #2 he just doesn't.

But when we stepped foot into Father Mike's office - Brad just started chatting up a storm. I sat back quietly listening to him. He was telling him that he had always heard that this is how it happens(the whole motherhood thing)....just one day you wake up and boom you are ready. He continued telling him that it was not the Ethiopian part - really just the parenting part that made him nervous. How we have both been so into completing ourselves and being our selfish selves for SOOOO long that he worried about this.

How we have such a strong marriage that he does not want to ruin that. How his friends that have kids complain a lot - how it changes marriage even good ones.

Just to hear him say that we have a good marriage is awesome - again he really does not talk about this sort of stuff. I know we are tight and have an awesome marriage but man it is a comforting feeling to hear that from the man you adore!!

So Father Mike began by telling us that it makes him incredible happy to know how well we are doing. He did our pre-marital counseling and those were some LONG days!!

He told us that it is such a generous gift that we are offering a child and that he thinks we would be great parents. Imagining with us the child at age 25 sitting next to us hearing this story - our story. OK that is powerful!! He also told us that it would change our marriage and that we would experience a different kind of love for each other and for the child.

I of course started to cry...telling him the "shower story" asking him if it was really GOD telling me this. He assured me that God speaks to people in many different ways and this was my way. I told him that this had never happened before. Bawling and sniffing....Brad then said - when she told me this story Father Mike - "well you just don't really question something like this"....and Father Mike said- Brad you are right - you just don't.

YEAH!!!!! The moment I had been waiting for - the AHA for my hubs!!! YEAH!!!!!!!

And so that was it - Brad knew now in his heart as well that this was not going away - not a phase that I was going through - that this was a journey that we were going to take together.

So funny - Father Mike asked about the timeline for Ethiopian and when we would really be getting our baby....Brad goes - man that makes me nervous and get goosebumps!!

I assured them both that we had most likely over a year - so plenty of time to prepare:)!!

OK more on how we got to this place....

After emailing at least 40 other families..thank you all for answering ALL my questions!:)....

Brad never really said much about any of this - like I said before he just let me go on doing my thing. Listening to me ramble on about blogs and babies and Ethiopia.

I got books from the library read them all, called references, read more blogs, called more agencies. One agency stood out to me - they answered all of my questions - very quickly answered all emails (which I LOVE).

I then started to go down the list of "what to do" - paperwork that is. I started to mark off as much of this in advance as I could being that it is a slow time in real estate right now - I had some time to do this.

I got a new drivers license, ss card, met with our priest (for his blessing), mailed off my passport info. Sent in a pre-application letter.

I didn't want to be over-whelmed with paperwork so I wanted to get a head start on all of this. All the while still talking incessantly with my husband about this and what he was thinking.

There were a couple of Aha moments for me.....but again I really never felt he was completely on board.

ONE HUGE "AHA" MOMENT!!!

So while showering (best place to do some good old thinking) I prayed....I said in my head "God is this what I am suppose to be....and before I could get the word "doing" out of my thoughts...God said to me "YES THIS IS WHAT YOU ARE SUPPOSE TO BE DOING"....I had my eyes closed washing my hair and I immediately opened my eyes and was in SHOCK!! What just happened - was that really GOD speaking to me - telling me that this is what I suppose to be doing?? OK - so you really don't question GOD - so I just finished showering and knew that this was exactly what I was suppose to be doing! This was it - no more questioning!! I must tell Brad what just happened but how do you tell your husband or anyone that you just had a conversation with GOD??

2 days passed and this kept going over and over in my head....I am not very religious. I am one that prays every now and then but really only when something bad is happening to me (I know not very good)....

So on a Friday (the day of my 35th birthday party)...I decided while B and I were eating lunch I would tell him about what happened to me. We were at our fav restaurant and talking about adoption. I told him - "if you are not on board and really questioning this please let me know - so that I can put the brakes on (like I could do this) but I wanted to give him that option. He said "I am trying to figure this out...Mindy you really never wanted to have kids....and I just want to make sure that you know what you are doing"....I started to feel the tears coming....he continued.."I just don't know if I can do this".

Well when you ask someone for the truth sometimes the truth hurts!!!

So through tears I told him the "shower" story....I thought well he is either going to think I have lost my mind or he will understand. He just stared at me - not really saying anything. I think he was in absolute shock. His wife just told him that she heard a voice in the freakin shower!!!

SO I left it at that....my birthday came and went....and I just pressed on.

GO USA!!!

This is my friend T and my mom - back in the day T was in the Olympics for skiing!

I LOVE the Olympics!! I have been following Dara Torres's career for years! She's is my idol! Every time I run- I channel her energy - trying to make it one more mile. AT 35 running is getting harder and harder!! I always think - OK Dara is 41 and KICKING some serious butt so keep moving Mindy!!

Day One of Our Blog!!

Today is the first day of our blog!! I have been thinking about doing one since I discovered that this was the path that we were going down. Here's how it happened....

On the Fourth of July - Brad and I were going to have dinner at the "Club" with my in laws. He was watching golf before we left and there were a few Asian girls playing(forgive me I am clueless on Golf and can't remember their names). He was schooling me telling me how great they were playing and that they were so focused. I said (out of the blue)...wow wouldn't it be nice to have a child that could support us through golf. HEHE...joke joke....we should adopt a baby from China. All joking...they would be able to make us "some cash"....again all jokes.

Not thinking a thing about it - we went to dinner. I love my in laws and we sat having nice conversation - chatting looking at how beautiful the golf course was etc. I noticed a bunch of kids playing - they were being really noisy and not listening at all to their parents - several were jumping and tearing up the greens - my mother in law was about to have a fit about it - again I am clueless and really didn't notice that they were messing up the grass. I turned around in my chair an d saw the sweetest little Asian girl - playing by herself - being so good listening to everything her mom was saying. I said to Brad - "see there's our little girl - being an angel." On the drive home I said to him - all extremely innocent chit chat - we should adopt a baby from China - I asked him - I wonder what it would be like - I wonder how much it is?? All of those questions...neither of us had a clue.

When we got home - I went up to my office and did a yahoo search about China adoption - after a few minutes I yelled down to Brad and told him it was about $25,000! I could not believe it....then after reading more and more....and more....I found out that the waiting list for Chinese children is 4 years and sometimes longer. This whole time Brad is watching tv and not really paying a bit of attention to what I am saying. I continued to search - agencies - I found several on Ethiopia adoption. I started seeing how unbelievable gorgeous these sweet children were. About 3 hours later - finally I went to bed.

The next day - we had a meeting with our financial planner. I remembered getting a Christmas card from him - with his wife and 2 children on it - one being a beautiful Asian little girl. 1:00 could not come quick enough - I had a ton of questions for Tom and could not wait to talk to him, He told Brad and I that they only had to wait for about a year and a half for their child and it was a huge blessing in their lives.

So that began our search...(MY OBSESSION)....

I then remembered that my friend and neighbor April had told me that her friend Kristy (We Love Our Lucy) - was adopting from Ethiopia. Not wanting ANYONE to know what was going on - I told her that there was a lady at the gym wanting to know about adoption. About a day or so into this....Apes (April) said to me - are you thinking about adoption?? Not being a good liar I said YES! But really it was just me - Brad was not on board with this at all. He is a great husband and soooo supportive that he just lets me go on my crazy ideas. Never judging or being negative EVER!!

So now that my full blown obsession was in over drive....I had adoption applications coming through the mail, reading as many blogs as I could (working somewhere in between)....looking at all of the possibilities. Researching each country and their options. I loved the idea of China but I don't think that I could wait 4 years ......

So I relatively quickly narrowed my search on Ethiopia. It just seemed to fit - that was it - my decision was made...(now I just had to convince my husband;).