Adoption Help!

Dear People Who Read My Blog,

Two sweet friends of mine have been in the process of adopting a baby for several months now. If you or anyone you know has gone through the adoption process, you know how ridiculously expensive it is. They thought they still had 12-18 months to raise the rest of the money, but found out THIS WEEK that they were matched with an itty bitty baby boy. They have ONE WEEK to raise the rest of the money ($11,300) so they can bring their son home.

You should probably read their story HERE.

Or here:

http://aseriesofseasons.blogspot.com/

Pleeeeeeease consider donating a little bit of money to help them. God has moved in a truly miraculous way. What an awesome opportunity to be a part of a miracle.

Okay, the link one more time in case you missed it: http://aseriesofseasons.blogspot.com/.

Yes, all of those words link to the same blog. I really want you to go.

Things I Am Currently Obsessed With...And You Should Be Too

Whichever stage of my life you know me from, you probably can name one thing I was obsessed with. Some say obsessions are not healthy. I say-- not having obsessions are unhealthy. So here we go.

Black Beans

I could eat black beans every day.

You could put black beans with the grossest food on earth, and I would eat it.

I used to think black beans looked disgusting. Then I tried them. I hate when my mom is right.

Knitting

I learned to knit in college and have had a love/hate relationship with it since. I can only knit things in straight lines. Mainly scarves and head-band-ear-muffs. I have recently undertaken an adventure to knit a blanket. I'm still not totally confident on the blanket, so I guess it will just have to be a little blanket...for a little one...

Teen Mom

I know. I know. Reality TV.

But in all seriousness, it is a fantastic show about the real consequences of teenage unprotected sex. I have a little a lot of experience with abstinence/sex education programs. Over the years, I've probably spoken to thousands of kids about the dangers of sex before marriage. While I absolutely believe abstinence is the BEST way to protect your heart and your body from certain pain, I also understand that abstinence-only programs don't work. Now I will admit--there is no thrill like shouting the names of STDs and "frothy!" at kids. But Teen Mom shows the long-term consequences of having a baby in high school. If you put aside the somewhat-fabricated drama, Teen Mom realistically portrays two things: how hard it is to raise a baby as a teenager and how hard it is to deal with the heartache after a breakup. Of the eight couples on Teen Mom/Teen Mom 2, only ONE of them are still together. And that is the couple that gave their baby up for adoption.

Teen pregnancy has dropped 9% since Teen Mom began airing.

Wait until you're married, folks.

My sister-in-law's fudge

For real. It is delicious.

Last year I ate 3-4 pieces a day. This year, I saw her make the fudge and have limited my rations to 1 a day. I'm not 19 anymore.

Peppermint Mocha Creamer

Coffee is not coffee without peppermint mocha creamer. Apparently this is a "Christmas drink," but if you can buy it in the store year-round, I am allowed to drink it year-round. And I do. Now coffee just tasted weird without it.

My husband

Seriously. He's the best.

He's such a hard worker and so patient. He's hilarious.

And he tolerates all my obsessions.

I love him.


Those are the latest. This, of course, is on top of all the other obsessions, which still include: Friends, Mountain Dew, popcorn chicken, O'Charleys, and my wiener dog.

Blog Neglect

Sorry about the blog neglect.

All my most recent ideas have been shot down. I had a pretty awesome blog a-brewin about red flags that my BFF's and I collected in college, but decided it just wasn't blog appropriate. Sure, you would have gained all kinds of information that might have saved you from certain heartache in future relationships, but public sharing of the flags might cause future heartache for all of us too. Because I'm not really sure who reads my blog. But here are the flags, just so you know they do exist:

If you want to know the story behind each flag, you'll just have to ask me in person. If you are the person responsible for the flag, I hope you have a terrible week.

In other news, Itchy came down with a case of the spots again. He's the most allergic dog I've ever met. When he has an allergic reaction to something, he breaks out in hives which look like little cow-licks all over his body.

He didn't seem too bothered by them. Also, he loves benadryl.

Christmas is an insane time at school. I alternate between really fun days and really, really terrible days. Then there are days when it snows during school and someone spends 30 minutes watching the snow instead of paying attention.

Oh, that was me.

Anderson County set the bar high last year with 11 snow days the week before and the week after Christmas break. Rutherford County, it's your serve.



Okay. Blog again when I have an idea that is not vetoed by everyone I know. Ethics-shmethics.