fundraising! now with pictures!

check out my new fancy button!!

if you would like to put this button on your blog (or where ever) to help support our cause and spread the word, we would be most appreciative and love you like chocolate chip cookies

here’s the code in case anyone (besides Katery who is so incredibly sweet to have done this already *smooch*) wants to use it:

<a href=”http://emilythehopeless.wordpress.com/shameless-donation-request/”><img src=”http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3514/3703198474_b97c57b30d_o.png” alt=”" border=”0″ /></a>

or this code:

<a href=”http://emilythehopeless.wordpress.com/shameless-donation-request/”><img src=”http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u192/emumly/download.png” border=”0″ alt=”" /></a

<a href=”

http://emilythehopeless.wordpress.com/shameless-donation-request/”><img src=”http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3514/3703198474_b97c57b30d_o.png” alt=”" border=”0″ /></a>

just  copy & paste, thanks!

UPDATED! here are some pictures of the wristbands! $5 each! please support us

birthdays!

happy birthday to my mom! and to brodie! he’s 9 today!

letter to birth parents

yes, i’m aware that i’m ahead of schedule considering that our homestudy won’t start until october. however, if you know anything about me, you know that i like to be prepared. it’s the old school girl scout in me or something (actually more like a defense mechanism). anyway.. i started writing it. actually, i started a whole new blog just for our profile. it’s no where near done in any way, shape or form.. but it’s getting the gears turning. i’m not ready to share it with the world just yet since it’s just the first draft.. however, i would like input and feedback from those in the know. so, if you have any good insight into the world of birth parent letters and have any interest in reading what i have so far.. email me or leave a comment and i’ll send it to you. i need help, i’m sure it’s way too long and messy since i just threw it together for a starting point. thanks in advance

***

we have MORE growth.. the green beans and pumpkins are showing now too! YAY!

***

i feel a sense of, what’s this?.. EXCITEMENT after writing the first draft of our bp letter. can i just say how incredibly grateful i am that we are moving closer to adoption and so very far away from IVF? yes, i realize it’s not a walk in the park.. but seriously, the grass IS actually greener on this side.

***

oh and.. our Celebrate Adoption! wristbands have been shipped! anyone who wants to buy one for the low donation price of $5, email me or leave a comment! thanks!

we have growth!

holycrap! i just looked outside and thought i was hallucinating!! the broccoli, radishes and lettuce are all growing! so fast!! i thought it would take much longer to see anything happening! i’m such a proud mamma today!
it’s oddly reminiscent of IVF and our embryo growth.. except we want to eat the results, not parent them.

garden and the 4th

i truly cannot believe that it’s been a year since our trip here and when we got logan.. so so so much has changed. first thing, we LIVE here now.. lots of people have died, darby died, we went through two IVFs and a FET, firmly decided on adoption.. and logan didn’t die. although lately i’ve been wanting to strangle him.. he’s been a huge jerk about food. he’s always been a little hot & cold with food in his actual dish.. anything else he’s all over. but it’s been getting worse here since there are two other dogs with two other bowls of different kinds of food and it’s all so very exciting that he’s been holding out trying to make us give him their food.. or stealing it himself.. but not eating any of his own food. he’s driving me nuts. i’m playing hardball with him and not giving up. it’s gotten to the point where i now have to literally lock him in the bathroom (so he’s not distracted and so the other dogs don’t eat his food) with his dish and give him about 10 minutes.. if he doesn’t eat, it goes in the garbage. he won’t starve to death.. he will learn. he did eat this morning. but ugh.. man it’s annoying. he’s obviously hungry and perfectly healthy.. he’s just convinced the other food is waaay better.

anyway.. i hate when i don’t post daily because i forget stuff i wanted to write.. so now this will just be a recap of events.. which is boring. oh well.

we started the garden!! something i’ve been looking forward to for months!

the beginning..

i was so incredibly covered in dirt!

done.. lots planted.. pumpkins, tomatoes, red peppers, banana peppers, habenero peppers, green beans, marigolds (apparently good at keeping away mosquitoes?), cantaloupe, um.. other stuff..

me in a silly hat.. and my buddah watching over the garden!

so far nothing has died.. my expectations are not high.. should be interesting.

***

ah and the fourth-of-let’s-blow-shit-up-cause-that’s-what-america-loves-to-do july.. we went to river street.. along with about ten thousand million of our closest friends.. ugh. way too many people.

***

other stuff happened.. but that’s all i’m going to post about since there are too many pictures and this is already long..

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u-g-l-y

* i got my GA license!! after all my worrying it was super easy.. the eye test in this state is waaaay easier than any other state i’ve lived (MA, CT, PA) so i had no trouble. my picture however.. took all the fun out of the event. it’s quite possibly the worst picture in the history of license pictures. it doesn’t look like me, i look crooked, deformed, high and grotesque. it’s so bad i paper clipped a piece of paper to cover my face. it’s that bad.

* have i mentioned the mosquitoes? i must smell like awesome to them because i’m COVERED in bites. i hate them.

* we got a foam & pillow-top mattress cover last night.. and oh.my.god what a difference it makes. the mattress is super hard and we both hate that.. we tried to live with it, but finally my back was just hurting too much. target had a good priced, really nice one.. so last night we got it and enjoyed the squishy goodness. ahhhh! this is the first morning i haven’t felt like total shit.

* i got the application for our homestudy agency! so between now and october we have to save money, get the house ready and fill out the application! scary and super exciting!!

* i’m meeting another local blogger friend tonight! yayay!!

* we have been on a few bike rides.. definitely something i really enjoy.. the scenery is super nice!

* i’m posting pictures of the house.. password protected so i don’t have to look at them taking up the whole page.. plus that way i can make them bigger. you all know the password.. if not, email me.

“first” fun weekend

technically our 3rd weekend in savannah.. but our first actually fun weekend.. not dominated by moving boxes and unpacking! lots to report:

friday: made exciting discovery & countdown!.. to celebrate we went out on the town.. tried out a falafel deli recommended by my new blog friend. it was much different than our last favorite place, but very good and the owner was super nice. then we drove around downtown a bit… parked and walked down to the river.. through all the tourists! it was like we were instantly on vacation! so weird!!

picture of the river.. blurry because my camera SUCKS!

saturday: decided to start our adoption fundraising project! hooray! went to see transformers 2.. got really annoyed at how the media was making such a big deal out of the apparently racist robots, while completely ignoring how fucking sexist the movie was. every chick, and yes chick, in the movie was pulled directly out of a girls gone wild shoot.. whatever, i’m not going on a rant here.. it just really irritated me. and the “racist” robots.. if i hadn’t read anything about that i wouldn’t have even thought twice about them.. they were in the movie for like two seconds and seemed more hick-like than anything if i had to put a label on them.. which is the point.. there is NO need for one.. they were just goofy. go watch a wayans brothers movie if you want to see racist stereotyping. .. ugh. anyway.. after the movie we did… YARD WORK. which for us is very weird since we haven’t ever had to do it. naturally, i took a picture of steve.. hehe

the yard needs a lot of help.. raking, deweeding, planting flowers in the front.. etc.. it’s fun.. but it’s also very hot and i look like i have chicken pox because i have so many mosquito bites! we also started riding our bikes around the neighborhood.. it’s perfect here.. flat, quiet, no cars. it’s been really nice to get out!

sunday: BEACH! we got up, went to the dreaded walmart to buy beach towels.. because well, they’re cheap and we didn’t have any.. then drove to tybee island. we went there last year on our trip here.. but we didn’t stay long. this time we went early, got a great parking spot.. walked around the shops, got shaved ice and hit the beach. we walked along the water eating our shaved ice and noticing how many people were staring at me.. then we laid down for a while.. then into the water. now.. i grew up with vacations to cape cod and the jersey shore where the beaches are rocky, seaweedy, and FREEEEEZING cold water.. tybee is unlike any beach i’ve ever been to. i had no idea how nice a beach could really be! the sand is super soft, no seaweed or anything gross to step on.. and the water.. ohmygod.. so.freaking.warm. i didn’t think i’d get more than a toe in.. but i ended up totally in the water. if i had had water shoes i would have gone in further. i get freaked out not being able to see where i’m stepping. a few pictures:

on the way.. it was so nice to see open space! the trees here overwhelm you..

steve’s legs.. it was reeeeeeally hot..

us.. best i could do, it’s hard to take pictures of yourself when you can barely open your eyes!

my back.. part of the reason i get funny looks.. and my flat butt..

more of the reason i get funny looks.. i still can’t believe i went out in public like this considering the way i feel about my body.

is it weird that this picture makes me want to go back … RIGHT NOW.. with water shoes of course..

on the way home steve got us some boiled peanuts.. i’ve been talking about them since last year.. i was super excited to get them! so gross, slimy, mushy.. ick.. and weird at first.. but then soooo addicting!

after the beach i completely passed out watching baseball.. ahhhh… then we went for another bike ride last night.

i literally can’t stop talking about how much i loved the water.. and how surprised i am that i went in at all! must go back soon!!!

fundraising!

shameless self-promotion!!

as i noted a few months ago, we are going to have lance-armstrong-type wristbands made to sell as a fundraiser for our adoption. we have decided to start selling them now, since we have a plan!! the wristbands come in a rainbow-marble-ish color of pink, blue and yellow.. and they say “Celebrate Adoption!” with cute little pictures of teeny feet and another of a stork. they come in small, medium and large.. we will be selling them for $5 or whatever donation anyone feels like giving us. (i will make a note on our shameless donation request page as well.)

let me know if you want to buy one! leave a comment, or if you feel more comfortable email me at emumlyATgmailDOTcom. any and all contributions are very much appreciated!

* the blogosphere was extremely generous in helping us save for treatments, i still thank you all for your support.. and not just the financial type. the encouragements, hugs and empathy has been priceless.. thank you all, even the lurkers.

this is a great post about michael jackson.. go read it. personally, i’m a pretty big fan.. his music is deeply ingrained in my childhood.. his life was awesome and tragic. his music makes me dance.. and i’m a really, really bad dancer.