Finish Line Joys!

So here we are. The last day, the last blog and the last joys of the 2010. I don't know about you, but I'm glad to be crossing this finish line (I might be waddling slowly, but I'm finishing, dang it!). In honor of finishing, I thought I'd include some joys that involve completion.

 91) I have had a major jewelry problem for the past several years, in that I have had too much jewelry to fit in any box that I could find. I don't wear very much jewelry, but I like to get and buy it, so that leads me to needing adequate display/storage, especially for my necklaces. A few months ago, I created the boards on the left out of a cheap pack of bulletin squares w/ stick-ups, scrapbook pages and ribbon for backing and cute thumb tacks. The total for the project came to about $10 and I was very proud of it. Until they all fell off the wall a few weeks later. Not one to be easily daunted, I tried again with a real bulletin board covered with scrapbook pages and ribbon screwed into the wall, with cute thumb tacks to hang the necklaces on. And I am once again proud of it!

 92) About 3 years ago we took the door off the closet in our bedroom, thinking we'd hang a curtain up to give us more space. So for the past 3 years, the closet door has been off the hinges in the space we thought we'd save. Well, today, we finally got the curtain rods up and the curtain hung. Space saved!!

 93) Oh, this is nothing much, just a little bag packed to take to the hospital when we go there to have our baby!!

94) Speaking of our baby, I promised you a sneak peak of Blueberry's room. Well, here's the before, when it was our spare guest room and general dumping ground for random stuff; John and my best friend, Neelka, painting it, and what it actually looks like today. I know, we are so ready for this baby! Don't worry, we'll get the furniture redispersed to where it belongs after the floors are finished tomorrow, and I'll show you the whole nursery when it's really complete.

95) Until then, here's another peek. This is the crib set and memory board my mom made out of the fabric I shipped her (see pile on left). She's amazing! I'm so excited for Blueberry to have this one of a kind nursery made with love by family. (Mom wants you to know the blue pillows are blueberries, not to be confused with blue for boy.)

96) When I was at the grocery store today with half of the other residents of my zipcode, the lady behind the deli counter asked how close I was. I told her I had one week to go and asked if she wanted to guess what I was having. She said she should know after 6 kids of her own and guessed girl. Then she asked me to bring "her" in to meet her next week. I've never seen this lady before in my life, but I think we gave each other a little bit of joy in the midst of a hectic shopping day!

97) It's almost 8pm here. That's 2 hours after the NYE party that we're supposed to be at started. And my wonderful husband is patiently waiting for me to finish this blog so we can go. He will be almost as happy as I am that this self-imposed deadline has been met!

98-99) I started this month of joys with my nephew Solomon, having no idea that he'd be my closing joys as well. He's been in the hospital for the past two weeks fighting numerous symptoms caused by a viscous infection. My brother and sister-in-law, and the rest of us, have been overwhelmed with the outpouring of support, prayers and love for this little guy. They want to make sure the staff at the hospital doesn't go unrecognized for all their loving work, so here is our little hero with Drs Chang and Mather. You can just see how much joy they have in this now healthy patient. 

100) Solomon is home! He is out of the hospital. He is done! This is truly glad tidings of great joy to be spread across the land!

And now, so am I. Happy New Year to all of you!

Joy Bombardment

10 days left and 55 more Joys. Buckle your seatbelts. Here we go!

45) I found this cartoon to go along with my blog about cartoon bears and toilet paper:

46) Gifts to be given to a sibling group of 3 currently in foster care. There is joy certainly in giving, but this giving was made possible because a friend of mine got her dream job working for the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute. 

47) Remember Joy 26? (hint, it was a trip to IKEA with a new friend) While we were having lunch in the cafeteria, this little bird paid us a visit. Normally, an animal fluttering around where one eats (inside) is not a good thing, but this little one was quite delightful (though it didn't sit still long enough for a good picture).

48) Cookie Brownie Bars. Must have been invented by a pregnant woman. 

49) My husband doing what he loves, working on his Jeep.

50) We went to visit our first foster baby, Baby F. She is 10 1/2 months old, and is doing so well!! She's speed crawling, pulling up, has two bottom teeth, can high-five and has the sweetest, sunniest personality. She came to me right away and warmed up to John in about 5 seconds. She's currently with her older cousin (coincidentally named Joy?) while her mommy, E, is struggling to get her act together.

51) This weekend has been a tough one for my family in Oklahoma. On Friday night, my 3-yr-old nephew Solomon, was admitted to the hospital because he was having difficulty breathing and a rash, among other symptoms. Since then, they have diagnosed him with Toxic Shock Syndrome due to the spread of a strep or staph infection into his blood. For the past few days, he has been on a ventilator and heavy sedation to help him breathe and sleep. Why is this a joy? I have loved seeing the online and IRL community come around my family in their time of need. I can't be there in person, but knowing they are well taken care of and have people all over the world praying for them gives me joy. (You can be sure of another joy reported when he goes home all better!)

52) This picture represents answered prayers (No and Yes). I have to be vague about the specifics for now, but I'll try to explain. We had an idea about the way something should be. We prayed about it. A few months later (last week), the situation where that thing could be presented itself. I jumped on it. It seemed rightish, but needed more prayer. Within only two days, a better Yes appeared and we all felt peace about the No regarding my idea. God supplied the answer to a need for three of our friends and I know He will for us, too!

Loving Solo

I told you guys that September is a time for me to remember and celebrate. Today, I'm remembering three years ago and celebrating my hero's birthday.

The details are foggy, but I remember getting a call from someone (my sister, Martha?) to let me know that our newest nephew, Solomon Jordan, had arrived. Along with the other details conveyed when telling about a newborn, there was some very unexpected news. Solomon has Trisomy 21, otherwise known as Down Syndrome.

Every child that enters the world changes it in some way. September 13, 2007 changed our family in a very special way. Solomon led us into the world of Down Syndrome, and every day he leads people to a love and awareness of this world.

Never one to put too much stock in statistics, there is one I use liberally, and a Google search shows that others in medical journals and news articles use it as well.

90% of parents who receive a pre-natal diagnosis of Down Syndrome choose to abort their unborn babies.

Parents and families of those who choose to give birth to and raise these amazing people are faced with the battle to educate the medical community and society about the needs and contributions of those in the DS spectrum. Many have voiced an urgent concern that the more pre-natal testing becomes prevalent, this trend of abortion will continue and grow, resulting in a smaller population with which to justify medical testing and developments of new treatments to improve the quality of life for those who are born.

Abortion breaks my heart, but this particular genetic genocide, comes so close to home. For me, I find it more fruitful to help in the education and awareness process, to try to address the demand (society's fear, ignorance) for these abortions, rather than to merely fight supply (laws, practitioners, clinics). The main way I do this is in supporting the organizations who take such good care of my nephew; namely the American Heart Association, the Down Syndrome Association of Tulsa and the Little Light House.

I've written about and linked to the Little Light House before, so you might remember that it is a non-profit school in Tulsa, OK for special-needs kids. They operate solely on donations, receive no federal funding, and is really a one-of-a-kind place for hundreds of families in Oklahoma. Solomon went on the waiting list to enter almost as soon as he was born and started classes there last fall.

It is nearly impossible to put into words the difference this school has made for Solo and our family. The families are not charged a dime for the education that is worth around $25-30,000 a year, but we are encouraged and motivated to help raise money to keep the school going.

So here is a birthday request on Solo's behalf. Would you consider donating $3, $13, $33 or more to his fundraiser? On Sept 25, he'll be participating in the Little Light House's Mini-Laps. Each child at this amazing school will make one lap around a mini-track with a huge crowd of supporters looking on, cheering every step. I didn't get to go last year and won't make it this year either, (which I'm super bummed about) but I've been told there are not many dry eyes in the crowd as each child, their teachers and families come around the track.

This year, I'm going to cheer with my bank account. Will you join me? As of this posting, he's reached 45% of his goal of $5,000. If enough people can make small (or large) donations, we can get him there on his birthday!

And just in case you didn't get a chance to watch this video yet, please watch it and share it, then go to the link and show Solo some love!



PS- for those of my creative-type friends, if you feel like donating one of your creations so I can do a give-away for Anna's Joy blog readers who donate to the Mini-Laps, let me know via e-mail! Thanks!

Mocha Love

Here's a funny story. Well it was funny to me and this is my blog. So there.

Mocha loves John more than just about anything. Definitely more than anyone else, but she proved last night that he is her favorite thing ever, too.

Before we feed her, we have her "down" at the entrance to the kitchen. That way, she's not all up in the food as we're getting it ready. She has to wait until told, "Mocha, come." Sometimes we'll tease her and just say "Mocha," but she still has to wait for the "come" command.

(reenactment)

Last night, I had her waiting there and got the food in her bowl, and then had a pregnancy moment (or probably just an Anna moment) and forgot about her. I was looking in the fridge for my own dinner to appear when I looked over and saw her waiting.

Just as I told her "come," the door (downstairs) opened and John came home from work.

I wish I could've captured how tortured and torn this poor dog was. Almost equidistant from her was her dinner, which she had been patiently waiting for (since breakfast), and her master, around whom her world spins. What to do, what to do?

She chose John. Sortof.

She ran about half-way down the stairs as I was laughingly explaining to John what was happening. I guess her expression told him everything so he was laughing too, so he took his time taking off his shoes and getting up the stairs. Meanwhile, she ran up and down to that half-way point, making sure the food was still there, then going to check on him.

When he finally made it up and was greeted properly, she allowed herself to come eat.

I, on the other hand, just kept looking in the fridge for my dinner. Clearly, I have my priorities straight!

Happy Friday!

Oh, would you be a hero to some special needs kids and go vote for them if you haven't already? My nephew's school is in the running for $500,000 from Kohl's, but the contest ends tonight at midnight (CST). They are providing him with a $30,000 education for absolutely nothing and run completely on donations. Winning this money would make a world of difference. See the September Love post for more info. Here's the link http://apps.facebook.com/kohlscares/. 

September Love

I love September!

It's mine and my nephew, Solomon's, birth month. The tourists go home.* The weather should cool down. And the new season of my favorite shows start!

This year, September is also going be my 30 Days of Blogging month. We're doing alot of fun things this month, and I'm not working anymore so I have no excuses!

Oh, and John got me a Cannon Rebel T2i for our anniversary, so as I learn how to use it, I'll share my best or favorite pictures with you.

For, now, I'll get this month kicked off right with an awesome video my brother made for Solomon.




Here's the link if you want to be a part of Solo's team and sponsor him for the Mini Laps event taking place Sept 25. He changes the life of everyone he meets, so now's our chance to help change his. Another absolutely free way to help him and the Little Light House, where he goes to school, is to vote for them in the Kohl's Cares contest on Facebook. They are the only school in Oklahoma in the running for $500,000 and only 9 slots away from the top 20! Would you be willing to spend about 2 minutes clicking some links to give them your vote? Then, go here: http://apps.facebook.com/kohlscares/ Would you also be willing to share this link with your friends? It takes so little to make such a huge difference. Thanks in advance!

What's your favorite thing about September?

(* of course, I love it when the tourists are here to visit me, but everyone else just clogs up the city :))

Three birthday wishes

I'll be honest (aren't I always?), birthdays are not my love language.

A few years ago I tried to stop celebrating my birthday. It did not go over well. I ended up offending more people than I thought possible. My desire to ignore my birthday didn't stem from not wanting to age. That's inevitable and -for me- very desirable as I seek the wisdom associated with age. I just didn't think that I did anything the day I was born to warrant a celebration. My mom did all the work.

My loved ones protested saying my birthday was a chance to celebrate me and all the great things I mean to this world. My argument was, if my birthday is about me, why can't we honor me by not celebrating it? I've done things worth celebrating other days, like graduating from college or joining the military. I don't mind a cake and cards to congratulate me on the anniversaries of those events. Sigh. Like I said, this was an ineffective pursuit and I gave up.

Anyway, now I have an idea to harness birthday-loving-people-everywhere's desire to celebrate and my desire to do something worth celebrating.

I give you three great causes to send some money to. This way, you and I both make a difference!

1) Solomon Jordan Siegel - He's my nephew and turns 2 on Sunday (now there's something to celebrate!). He was born with Down Syndrome, and has been through a lot in his life. He is amazing. This year, he's attending a special school called The Little Light House. The school will invest $26,000 into his education this year and not charge his parents a dime. They can do this only through fundraising ferociously and partnering with people and organizations who care. You can find out more about him and donate as much as you want on his page here.

2) Philippines trip/Camp Sonshine - I'm going to the Philippines with my church from Oct 25-Nov 7. We're going to be working with the Anascos (ORU grads) and the camp for street kids they run called Camp Sonshine (yes, related to the one in Maryland). My team of 12 (plus a baby) needs to raise $27,600 total by Oct 1. This amount goes towards our plane tickets and expenses, then the rest goes to putting on the camp for 150 to 200 kids. If you want to 'go' with us, you can contribute here and choose any of our names to put in the 'For' line.

3) charity:water - a simply amazing community of people who want to provide clean drinking water to everyone on the planet. I started a campaign to help and the webpage is http://mycharitywater.org/annasbirthday. You'd be amazed how much a little can do.