Thursday, July 31, 2008

Remember the Mayo Jar

I'm sure some of you have seen this in an email forward at one point. I remember getting it a couple of years ago, but a friend just sent it to me again last week and for some reason this time it just seemed to hit a chord with me (and Tim to0), so thought I would share it all with you. I'm now referred to as one of Tim's golfballs. hehe

The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle,when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golfballs. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous 'yes.'
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job,your house and your car.
The sand is everything else---the small stuff . 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents.Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical check-ups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golfballs first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what thecoffee represented. The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.' The coffee just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Marriage Certificates & Target

Guess what came in the mail today? A big check? Nope...I wish. Our marriage certificates from Jamaica that we ordered 3 months ago. No - that is not a typo - 3 months. R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S. We have been calling and calling and calling to get copies and if we were lucky to get someone to pick up we would hear excuses like "it's being sent to the printer" or "our shipping machine is broke" or "no worries - you will get them". When we ordered them we were told 4 weeks...well that turned into 3 months. We were tired of waiting for our copies to come in, so we ended up sending in our original marriage certificate with our dossier, which I didn't want to do. But, I'm SO glad we did - because look how much longer we would have waited. Ok, just had to vent on that.

And ok...I just have to ask this question. Is it possible to go into Target and buy ONLY what you went in to buy for? I don't think I have ever...and I mean ever gone in and came out with only what I originally intended to buy. Why is that?!?! I went in for dog food, toilet paper and napkins. While I did buy all of these things, I also came out with a gift bag (it was only $1 and it was cute - so I HAD to buy it), also came out with a shirt (it was on sale and again cute - so HAD to buy it), oh and I picked up some shower gel, some handsoap, paper plates, and a toy for Addy. I think next time I will make it my mission to go in and stick to the list. Although I don't have high expectations for that one. :)

Monday, July 21, 2008

Unofficially #20...

Thanks for the suggestions on the books everyone. This week I am getting ready for our rummage sale that we are having this weekend. I'm doing one with my sister in-law and I'm hoping to make some extra moolah. I went through my closet tonight and I never realized how much clothes I have (some with tags still on - ssshhh don't tell Tim). So, felt good just to get it all out of the closet! And my parents dropped off a bunch of stuff for us to sell too - so thanks Mom & Dad!

We received word that our dossier is now being sent to Ethiopia early this week. Whoop whoop! And also...in doing some blog stalking... I believe we are #20 on the boys list already. Moving 2 spots in 2 weeks is pretty darn good I'd say. However...those are not official #'s, but I'm pretty confident. I was so happy to meet some new people online this weekend that are RIGHT by us on the list. So, it will be fun to get to know them and go through the journey together because most likely we will be traveling together to get our babies! How exciting!

Ok...off to bed now. Nitey nite!
~Dawn

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Looking for some books...

Ok...looking for some suggestions from anyone out there. I'd like to get some good books on transracial adoption and also some books on Ethiopia and it's culture. Please let me know which books you've found useful.

Thanks!

~Dawn

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

1 week and waiting...

Well....it's been 1 week on the list now and it feels great to be where we are. Lots of people are asking us now when we will get another update on #'s. We won't get another call from our agency until September (UGH!!). They used to do monthly calls and they have just changed things and are going to do calls every other month. So, we have awhile to wait and we most likely won't move much anyway because courts in Ethiopia close for the months of August & September. So...there should be a little movement, but not much. However, we can do lots of blog stalking and try and see what movement is looking like with other people and you can kinda guage where you should be at.

Here are a few pics from this past week and what we've been up to...


My friend Jenna & I at a work party


My friend Sandy & I at a work party


Ava (my niece) & Levi (my brother in-law)


Tammie & new baby in the belly (sister in-law), Ana (niece) and me
Our new nephew Ethyn - he's so sweet
Ava enjoying her cake!

Monday, July 7, 2008

WE GOT OUR FIRST NUMBERS!!!!!!

Got the call we've been waiting for today!! We are very happy with our first set of #'s!!

We are.........(drum roll please)........#22 for a boy and #24 for a girl!!

So....while we were in Mexico, our friend that was with us woke up on Thursday and said "I had a dream last night that your # was 22." I said, "well that would be nice, but I don't think it will be that low." WHO WOULD HAVE KNOWN!!! Thanks Casey!!

I hope those referrals keep coming!! There have been so many lately!