At The Stadium *** Georgia 45 Georgia Southern 21

Well, folks, here he is, UGA VII. Isn't he just the cutest? I hear he fell asleep at the game, as it was somewhat of a snoozer...we won 45-21...and it was blazing hot. That I can attest to, as we were right outside the stadium doing our thing!

We were set up early, but it did not take long to get busy. The game was sold out, and the reports were that there were 15,000 people just hanging around partying and/or trying to get tickets.

I have a fantastic staff, so I was able to take off with my camera for some photo ops. First stop was the pre-game pep rally called the "Dawg Walk"

OK, look carefully at the video. You will see our mascot, "Hairy Dawg" AND quarterback sensation Matthew Stafford (#7) in the crowd.

For years I wondered why they were playing "Glory, Glory Hallelujah". Finally I wised up and realized it was "Glory, Glory To Old Georgia". Have I ever mentioned here that I am an adopted daughter of the South????

Please forgive my herky-jerky on that video. See the guy at the top of the stairs with the red shirt and white hat on? I was standing one step below him, and Blondie was in front of me jumping up and down so I got plenty of back-of-the-head-shot of her

I made the decision to get back to my drink tent by forging this crowd. It was not the best decision I've ever made. It took me about 20 minutes to get across this bridge!!! And then I got railroaded and missed the stairs. So I just stayed where I was for awhile and took more photos.

My intention was to go DOWN these stairs. But after forging the bridge, I stayed up here till the crowd thinned out.

There's my tent! So close, yet so far away!!!

This guy is taking this little bitty baby (maybe 2 months old?) to where I have just been....ugh! Not a good idea IMO....

Finally things are thinning out, the game is ready to begin, people are scrambling to get inside the stadium...

It's another football Saturday @ Georgia!

I'll close with this cute little baby picture of our new bulldog...not sure when it was taken. His pedigree name is "Loran's Best".

He is the son of UGA VI, and he now weighs 56.5 pounds. Holy Smokes! He's gonna be a (another) damn good dawg!

Haitian Surprise!

I woke up to these this morning----what a way to start your day!

Doesn't my baby girl look so sweet? As I have blogged here on several occasions she is a pistol in disguise. Even her 15 year old brother observed that on our Christmas trip :)

Check out W in the background up against the pillar.

Much thanks to L in Colorado for taking these pictures. It's been a long time, and I almost started bawling when I saw those faces today. It makes me realize how much I bind up my heart, trying to protect myself during this wait.

Pictures of the new "O" the kids have moved to. I admit I feel better about the move after some friends talked some sense into me (thanks) and also it helps to see these pictures. L and her agency group went down there to help them move...no small task! They were delayed due to Faye, but they made it there, got the job done, and made it back!

Now, here comes Gustav.

It's expected to hit the SW peninsula today, which is where we are now, so please, if you are the praying kind, pray for the safety of the people in the path of this storm. I confess, I was relieved when I saw this picture in the bunch. You know your life has changed when you get excited about a generator!

I Am Purple

I borrowed the crayon quiz from K in Oklahoma. I hope to have some things to post about soon, but for now I'm working hard, and of course, WAITING! So for now, I will just post fun little silly quizzes! If you take the quiz, please post your results in the comment section. Thanks!

The Princess and the Frog

I know it's another 15 months before this comes out, but I get so weary of seeing only "white" Disney Princesses...as lovely as they are.

Odds and Ends

This past week, and the next few, will be devoted to work, school and football. Which for me mostly goes back to WORK. LG started school two weeks ago. University of Georgia starts tomorrow. We go from a few thousand people on campus all summer long to over 40,000 pretty much in the blink of an eye, and we are there to serve. For me, it's pretty much managed (hopefully) chaos. So I have been working hard to get to that point. These are the days of 60 hour + work weeks, long, physical days, little time off. Once we get the university students launched, we start the college football season, which is bigger than religion here, and that's saying alot in the Bible Belt. Alot of expectations with Georgia projected as the #1 team in the nation.

Will it keep my mind off adoption? No. My mind is always there, or in Haiti in general. Files continue to move at an uneven pace. Some very quickly, and after being STUCK in IBESR for so many months, and hunkering down for the long haul, I have to admit the speed (relative to interational adoption) at which things have progressed since then has caught me flat-footed. I'm glad, don't get me wrong! I can work with speed! I'm just trying to catch up in real life!

M is moving part of the O to another location, outside of PAP. In fact, several hours away. I can't help but be concerned about my girls moving again. I know it is best for the organization overall, but we seem to be close to the end of process, and I hate all this added disruption, in addition to the disruption they are sure to experience coming here. They have already experienced so much of that in such a short period of time. I wish they were staying with M in PAP till the process is over. I have to trust that she is doing her best, and I do. But I just hate it for the girls. Haitians are strong. They learn very early in life that they do what they have to do. At least that is what I see in my kids. They are survivors. But I have also seen their fears, the emotions they don't understand, and their survival skills. It is mostly just plain heartbreaking to see these things in a young child to be perfectly honest. And I want to protect them. These are my children. The best I can do is stay on top of my end of the deal (paperwork and money, two of my least favorite subjects) and pray. Pray for their protection, pray for M, and pray that govt. officials will get the job done.

Yes, it would be easier to be cynical about that last statement, but I am just not going to go there.

No News Because I Have No News

I have not posted any adoption news lately because I don't have any to post right now. We are in the final stage of adoption that the Haitian government requires, and have been there a little over two weeks. Since adoption time frames in Haiti change on a regular basis, I can only go by the time frame (which could change at any time) of my friends just ahead of me. The last group that exited MOI took an average of about 15 or 16 weeks. The Canadians in that group have their children home, and the Americans are still waiting on the Embassy to process their visas for their children. It seems safe to say at this point that the visa process, American style, is adding (optimally) at least 2-3 months to the process. Some O's take longer, but our director works incredibly hard at keeping it all moving. Theoretically we could have a homecoming before Christmas, and just as easily---not. I am hoping and praying for the first option.

Giveaway

I posted this on Camp Osceola last week, but I wanted to give this really fabulous designer as much exposure as possible, so I am posting here as well. She is featuring a givaway of some of her (awesomely inspired!) products, and a few lucky souls are going to win. So if you want to put yourself in the running, click here, and see how to do it!

Day One

I'm on vacation this week. I can't even begin to explain to you how completely awesome that is! Originally I planned on flying to California to visit friends and family, especially my oldest son in San Francisco. The progress in my adoption forced me to change my plans, as we are getting ready to go into the busy busy school year at work as well as at home...in fact, LG goes back tomorrow, he is in the 10th grade this year! I have things to do around here, and money to save...so San Francisco will have to wait.

Anyway, before I embarked on any big project, I felt like I had to get some creativity out of my system...so this is pretty much what I accomplished on day one....

I had a string of shells I got in Hawaii many years ago and wanted to use them. They were too lightweight, even with the tiger-eye and crystal, so I had 5 of the metal flower beads left over from another project, and they gave the bracelet the weight it needed.

The wire was too thick to go thru the shells so I could not add them to my earrings.

Nothing complicated about this ensemble. Good with jeans and a t-shirt or tank top. I did have to double crimp the ends, as you can see here. Heavier stones can become unstrung if they are not secure. Also, I was able to use a heavier clasp.

I had a weight problem with these hand painted clay beads too. That's why I put the charm on the end of it.

I'm on the black/white bandwagon that has been in full swing for the last year or so. These ended up being my favorite. The hearts were on sale at Hobby Lobby for $0.50! I got the last package. The black Czech glass beads were $1.00.

Today I have to get serious about deep cleaning my house. You know how much I love that! So I'm done beading for a few days. Although I have visions of what I want to do next running thru my head....

Living In The Mystery

I have been only been reading Beth Moore for a few months. I stumbled across one of her books at Sam's club, and I have been hooked ever since. I had the opportunity to attend a simulcast conference/study this week-end; to say it was awesome would be a gross understatement. But right now, I am at a loss for words for once. Let me say this group of church ladies (70,000 nationwide as well as Canada and Mexico City) is not the stereotype you remember from your childhood, or even the old SNL re-runs, which my sisters and I still roll on the floor laughing at.

Spirituality is a huge thing in my life, and for me that translates into Christianity. That has not always been the case. I had some HUGE wounds around this area which are now scars. I spent many years rejecting God in my life, and had a very limited understanding of Jesus Christ. One thing I understand now that much of it is a mystery and it's OK. Many things in our lives are a mystery. Love can be a mystery. My own inner workings are a mystery, although goodness knows I spend a great deal of time trying to figure myself out. Men are a mystery! (I know, they say that about us) I imagine it's that way by design. Paul says in Corinthians I that we have the understanding of children. The church I grew up in was VERY legalistic, so mystery was not discussed that I remember. Still, I am grateful for the foundation that my formative religion provided for me when I realized I wanted and needed God. That was a big first step. For many many years prior to that I was quite doubtful of His existence.

I am not at all ashamed of Christianity but I do not talk about it constantly or openly. I would feel like a huge hypocrit. However, if you get to know me, you will find out soon enough it is part of me. I would never force my belief system on anyone, especially after all I have been thru in this area. There is a time to witness, and the rest of the time I just need to live my life to the best of my ability. I have lots of areas of growth and love to concentrate on in my own life. Huge areas. Monumental areas. But I do want to say that for anyone that is interested, I recommend Bible study guides by Beth Moore, whether it is live, simulcast, or a class at a church. She is extremely passionate about her work, and her passion will translate to a blessing for you if you work it. You can check out her website here, and her blog, here.

I attended this event and really did not know what to expect. I brought some heavy burdens and confusion with me. I have analyzed this stuff to death and I have done my best to turn it over, but I keep taking it back. (I am aware that this shows a huge lack of trust on my part!) Without getting too weird here, let me just say I found a real willingness to hand this crap over for once and for all to the One that can take it. I left feeling lighter, but with this feeling like I wanted to protect my heart. I just wanted to keep it all inside me for awhile. I did not want to analyze any of it, I just wanted to experience this feeling. There must have been some kind of purge going on. I ran two errands and I was suddenly overtaken by complete and utter exhaustion. Exhaustion that lives deep down in the marrow of your bones. All of a sudden I could hardly move. I feel like I barely made it home! I took a 5 hour nap (!!!) on a Saturday afternoon and needed every minute of it. When I woke up it was almost dark and I could not remember for a good long minute what day it was, I had been so far down under. Like anesthesia.

Maybe I am finally ready to let go of this burden. But I am not going to analyze any of it right now. I'm just saying. For today, I'm just going to live in the mystery. And enjoy it.

Great Expectations

The news hit the papers this morning, and it's official. Georgia is rated #1 in the coaches poll this year. This has never happened before, not even the year that the Bulldogs won the National Championship. Laura, if you are reading this, sorry honey. Clemson is #9!

the day Uga decided to take a bite out of Auburn!