Ladybug shoes (and other musings)

This continues to be a busy time for me (good, because the wait is going by fast for me right now!) I can't believe I'm almost six months into this wait already...

Today after church, Steve and I went over to the mall to walk around and burn off the huge lunch we had just eaten. Because it was during a Broncos home game, there was no one out anywhere. Denver becomes like a ghost town on Sundays like this - LOL. So at the mall, we stepped into a little gift shop - where low and behold - I found some knockoff Crocs (made in China my friends!) which were cheaper and featured my favorite insect - The Ladybug! Okay - so they ARE a bit much, but I think they will look cute with jeans, and for walking the dogs - or just putzing around the house or yard. Do you love 'em? :)

Let's see...in other news...I met Bill Clinton this week! Now I'm sure not everyone would consider this a cool thing - but I did - and that's all that matters. He gave a speech at a local economic development luncheon and the hospital had a vendor booth which I volunteered to work, so I got to hear the keynote speech for free - and afterward had the chance to meet him, and have him sign a copy of his new book "Giving". He looks a lot older, skinnier, and grayer than he did during the presidential years, but he is still the same, charismatic, amazing speaker that he was then. Anyway - it was a cool moment for me.

On Wednesday I was lucky enough to hear another keynote speech - this time by Geoffrey Canada - the incredibly wise man who established the Harlem Children's Zone in NY, and specifically The Promise Academy. You may have seen him on Oprah. To see a great story about him and what he is doing in Harlem, click HERE. Needless to say, I left this week at work feeling incredibly inspired and motivated, which was NEEDED after the long hours we've all put in over the past several weeks.

Finally - one more pic - of the sweet little bamboo plant I purchased today to help decorate the incredibly small, dull cubicle I will be moving into on Thursday. I decided - if nothing else - I need to make it "my own" - hopefully the bamboo will help!


By the way - I took both photos on this entry with Steve's iPhone - pretty amazing quality, huh?

meme day...

Kris, you inspired me - so here's some more questions/answers...

1. What holiday is your birthday closest to?
Cinco de Mayo - pass the margaritas please!
2. Favorite fruit?
Raspberries
3. Are you allergic to anything?
Fresh ginger makes me barf - literally!
4. Is there someone/something you want?
Yes - a referral for my daughter, a beach house, and to not have to work for a few years!
5. When was the last time you went swimming?
Saturday at aqua class - YAY!
6. Have you ever lived outside the U.S?
Nope
7. What's your favorite kind of drink?
Sweet Tea baby - ROCKS!
8. Do you have any strange pets?
Both dogs (Luna Schnauzer and Killer Yorkie) are a bit wacky...in their own ways
9. What is your dream car?
Silver VW Beetle convertible (if I lived in a less extreme climate)
10. Have you ever bungee jumped?
No thank you!
11. Would you shave off your eyebrows if GoofyAuctions.com paid you $100?
It would need to be a LOT more than $100...($50,000 would probably be enough!)
12. What sound are you listening to right now?
A "Family Guy" rerun - (I love Stewie!)
13. What's your favorite song at the moment?
Colby Caillat "Bubbly"
14. What was the last movie you watched?
At the theater? Nanny Diaries
15. When was the last time you went on a trip?
Our Mountain Cabin trip in June. Ah....to be back there...seems so long ago...
16. What's the first thing you notice about the opposite sex?
Smile/laugh
17. Do you have a nickname?
Jules
18. Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity?
Usually Marissa Tomei (for looks) or Janeane Garafolo (for attitude!) LOL.
19. Are you comfortable with your height?
Yep - completely average 5'5"
20. If you could get anything pierced what would that be?
Other than my ears? I avoid inflicting pain on myself, thanks.
21. Do you speak any other language other than English?
I know a little German and a little Japanese
22. Do you watch MTV?
Occasionally
23. What's something that really annoys you?
Drunks behaving badly
24. Do you drive when you go on long trips?
I'd rather not...I'm impatient about "getting there"
25. Do you have a celebrity crush?
...still George Clooney (since 1992 when he was on "Sisters" - loved that show!)

...and on that note, I'm going to bed...sweet dreams everybody... :)

Princess Lia!

NO...not that Leia...MY little Princess Lia...

I have received some fun bibs over the past few weeks. Unfortunately, my life has been so consumed with work lately, that I haven't had time to take pictures and post them yet...so here they are:


THANKS - Laurie for the Lia -Ladybug bib (what a great surprise!), Angela, my August bib exchange pal for the super cute "Princess" bib, and my dear Secret Pal for the adorable pink'n'green polka dot Lia bibs...so, so cute! Sorry it's taken this long to get my "official" thank you's out...you guys ROCK! :)

ODE TO THE iPHONE...
In other news, Steve got an iPhone this weekend and DANG - it is cool! I am not really a "gadget gal" but this is one gadget that I am super jealous of. Forget Blackberries and Treos - this sucker is awesome...and I guess the reason I like it is because it is SO easy to use. Up until now I've really thought that keeping it simple with my cellphone was the best policy. I didn't need a camera, or an MP3 player, or internet connection attached to my phone. The iPhone has quite possibly changed my mind...I have to wait until December when my current phone contract is up...but I may just take the leap on this one!

In the news...

Click HERE for an excellent article about the new hospital. It made me cry when I read it. I guess all the hard work of the past weeks (months, years...) has been worth it! The Governor and city Mayor gave very nice, heartfelt speeches at last night's VIP Grand Opening Party. We're all exhausted, but recovering today!

It's True...

It's true - today makes 5 months logged in for Lia!

Other random events of the weekend...after our Friday night tradition of Mexican food, Steve and I decided to head across the street to one of the larger Asian markets in the area. We were checking out the various items when I saw a woman with blond hair (believe me, she stood out in the crowd!) and we locked eyes. Omigod, it was my old hairdresser. Guys may not understand the weirdness that comes along with this story - but all you gals know - when you find a hairdresser you like, who can do your cut and color like no other - it is like finding a needle in a haystack. You hold onto that person, follow them if they change salons, gossip with them every couple of months during your appointment, etc.

So here's the backstory to my situation... I had been going to this same hairstylist for three years. I followed her to two different salons, drove all the way across town to have her do my highlights, etc. Last November, after I had applied to CCAI for a singles spot, (but was waiting to hear if I would be accepted), I mentioned to her that I had applied to adopt a baby from China - expecting her to be excited for me. Instead, she said "WHY? Why do you want an orphan baby? Have a baby of your own. Find a nice guy and get pregnant. You don't want no Chinese baby. You want your OWN baby!" (she is Eastern European and sometimes her English comes out broken...) I believe I mumbled something about "she WILL be my own baby" and picked up a magazine to read and blew her off. Needless to say, that was my last appointment with her. She's called my voicemail dozens of times, asking about why she hasn't seen me lately. I never took her calls. I moved on to a new hairstylist (one that actually IS excited for me). Plus, I live in Denver, it's a big city, so the chances of ever seeing her ever again were slim.

So imagine my surprise (and the irony) of running into her - at the Asian market of all places - on Friday night? We were literally the only two caucasion women there. We locked eyes for a few seconds - just long enough for me to register who she was and why she was staring at me. My heart started racing. She opened her mouth to speak to me...and I turned my head, and walked away talking to Steve as if I hadn't seen her. For a second, I had that 6th grade "Mean Girls" feeling. That I was giving her the cold shoulder and she seriously had no idea why. But then I remembered how adamant she was about trying to talk me out of adoption dream. Should I have engaged in fake "nice talk" with her - or was it appropriate to blow her off and go hide in the back corner of the store until she left? I probably should've been the bigger person and let go of my anger towards her and been polite. But to be honest, I just didn't feel like it.

In other news, I updated Lia's Squishes site with about 40 more entries - I'm past the 100th squish mark now, which means I will be able to have a secondary, smaller blanket or throw made as well. They are all so very cool. Thanks to everyone who has contributed! I've gotten some other really cute stuff the past couple of weeks and will update with more photos later in the week.

Random!

So I have chatted on here before about my car. My beloved, 2000 Subaru Legacy Wagon (same car as in the photo, except mine is a different color).

So Tuesday evening, as I pulled up to my house after work, and opened the driver's door to get out, I heard something fall to the ground with a "clink" and roll under my car. My first thought is always that I dropped my cellphone, but this didn't sound like a phone. So I get out and look under the car and I see a large bolt.

Clearly, this bolt had previously led a life holding some piece of my car together, and had decided to make a run for it and a new life for itself...but not so fast mysterious bolt! I picked it up, and took it into the house. I had Steve look at it and he wasn't sure where it was supposed to go either. I tried the power windows and locks, everything seemed to work fine. I drove the car to work yesterday morning and it was running fine. At lunch, I took our department's summer intern to lunch. After lunch, I had had some leftovers which I was going to place in the backseat for the drive back to the office...went over to open the back door and son-of-a-gun...the back door fell off! So obviously, my little runaway bolt had been holding the back door on it's hinge! YIKES! Luckily I caught it before the entire door dropped on my sandal-clad foot...and I was able to shove the door into place for the drive home...eeek...that totally freaked me out! Needless to say, my intern got a good kick out of it!

All's well that ends well though...last night Steve was able to reattach the door and replace the bolt - so we (my Subaru and I) are back in business. But how weird is THAT? Just had to share.

Going with the Flow

At church on Sunday, the topic of this week's sermon was "Recovering from Struggle Addiction". The premise being that many, many (perhaps almost ALL?) of us, get into patterns of believing that we must struggle in order to "earn" anything good in our lives - or we falsely believe that God expects us to "suffer" in order to appreciate the gifts of his graciousness...

The theme of this week's talk was to re-evaluate those beliefs, and instead BELIEVE that all things are possible, and that we are deserving of all the wonderful things God gives us, and we can be grateful and lead a less stressful and drama-filled life by putting our trust in those beliefs and in fact, living our lives as if all of our dreams have already come true. The five steps of this process were outlined as:

1. Anchor in Spirit (know that God is the basis for all that exists)
2. Enter the "flow" of Life (instead if constantly battling "upstream")
3. Embrace a Blessing (express gratitude for every moment in life)
4. Nurture your Vision (anything you can envision is possible!)
5. Give "effortless effort" toward achieving your dreams (no need to "force" things)

Don't worry - I'm not going to "go all religious" on you guys...but I am going to try to embrace these ideas and use them as I can to help balance my life and focus my energy over the coming months (and years!) as I wait to be united with my sweet baby Lia. I think these basics translate across "religious" lines, to have meaning for people from all backgrounds and walks of life. Whether you believe in God, Allah, Buddha, Spirit, or any other higher being, I think these same principles apply. Just my opinion...and so it is!