a year in review...

in so many ways i feel that this year has flown by and yet in other ways i feel that we've lived several years all just inside 2010. we're heading into the new decade...that one just hit me the other day. yes, duh, but wow...



this past new year we knew that we'd be embarking on a new beginning. we had accepted the position in pa and jj was preparing to start the long process of working up here and traveling home to nc on weekends. after six months of the balancing act that was running a business, being a stay at home mom, putting the house on the market to sell, and preparing for a move it was a nice breather to travel for the summer.



thank you dc, raleigh, orlando, sarasota, st. augustine, charlotte, and pittsburgh for putting up with us this summer. our transitions here have been abundant and we're all really sick of our apartment/town home but we have hope that when we are all really settled in our new home that this will too start to feel like "home".



our adoption is well under way. we've hurdled two significant steps. our home study here in pittsburgh is complete and we are filed with immigration. we are in a wait and watch period while paperwork is processed, validated, etc. and the next step will be to receive our referral. we will know soon who we will be adopting and within a few months we will be able to go visit him.



this has been a year of losses and gains, transitions and routines, and all in all - change. we certainly threw the deck up in the air and decided to see where our hand would fall. it's now cold outside, there is snow on the ground, and we really want a garage! come spring we hope to watch our new little world come to life outside our warm and happy home.



in the mean time, let's say ciao 2010 - and bonjour 2011!

more dolls!

UPDATE on this post - after this image was posted yesterday on facebook 65 of these dolls were allocated for delivery to st. joseph's children in port au prince, haiti. they will be there january 11. i'm so excited!

100 more dolls are ready for haiti! please let me know if you are planning a trip to haiti. i would love to send some with you for your trip. hundreds of thousands of children in haiti lack the most basic necessities in life. i'm hoping that placing a doll in the hands of a child with nothing will provide a portal for a new world with the opportunity to play and imagine. please help me if you can!

in a time of happiness and thanks...

i'm drawn to thinking of those who will not be celebrating with family this holiday season. i wanted to take a moment to express my thanks for many years of love and kindness shown to me by both of my grandmothers. pansy delia nelson and greta/gretchen helen haefeli, known by all as midge. known to me as granny good witch. they were my last two living grandparents who departed this year. delia, my mom's mom, was an english lady. she loved my grandfather deeply. she lived many years without him, and i hope they are happy together again. we lost grandma nelson over easter weekend. midge, my dad's mom, was an incredible skier and trailblazer in the industry. she was also a kick-ass old lady who liked to slumber party with me and watch horror movies like silence of the lambs. she taught me how to drink coffee and kick up my clog heels at the white horse inn during visits to her little farm house. we lost her in october. i hope that i can carry their legacy with in my soul and that when we are together again they have saved me a good seat at the table.

i love you both.



for georgie aldrich, you were a beautiful and vibrant young man taken too early. perhaps you are meant to shine brightly from above to light the path. may georgie's family find peace and strength in this time of loss.




for eva markvoort, the words you've left for all to learn from are truly inspiring. your legacy is seared in my mind. your sacrifice is devastating, however your spirit rages on forever. your attitude and your zest for life are amazing and reading your story has changed me. i hope that you have your own wings now and that you are never breathless again.

please read about her:

www.65redroses.livejournal.com
http://www.65redroses.com/?p=760
http://www.c21media.net//news/detail.asp?area=1&article=58349

it is very exciting to see that her documentary, a part of hot docs, will be airing in the states in the spring of 2011. be on the look out for it. it hit oprah's list. it should be getting lots of attention soon.





thank you for your contribution in my life and the lives of many others. you are missed but you will never be forgotten. for those who lost their lives and succumbed to their battles this year, may you all be at peace.

fa la la la la la la la la.....

our kids are enjoying our little fake tree this year. we'll have the amazing smell of a real one again next year. we decided to get into the holiday spirit by going to the holiday light show. after two hours in the car, we got a glimpse of holiday wonderment...

with our documents submitted for the adoption, a new house in the works, and a winter wonderland outside our windows we wish with warmth and thankfulness in our hearts for all of our friends and family to have a very merry christmas and a happy holiday season!

a holiday hello from our adoption and home study agencies

we would like to extend a special thank you for all of the encouragement we've been given from our friends and family and total strangers through out this process! we are very happy to announce that all of our documentation is on it's way to the agency and immigration. the next part of the process is the referral stage. we will let everyone know when we receive it and of course, post a photo of him. we are very much looking forward to seeing him soon. Hopefully february or march! ;-)

thank you to lilly, claire, Laura, Jana, & suzy for your professional help and support in getting us to this point. we're very happy to work with you all going forward.

holiday hello's from children of all nations (our adoption agency) and families united (our home study agency):

i'm a big fan of the "save the ta ta's" movement. whether i keep my boobs because of avon, susan g. komen, duke, mcgee women's hospital, or georgetown's advancing medical techniques i think that they're all wonderful and appreciate deeply that they are blazing pathways toward a cure. to find a cure we have to raise awareness.

my friend cathy did the 3 day this year. i know it was a wonderful experience for her.



i joined the army of women a few years ago. it's a fantastic organization! check into it at: www.armyofwomen.org



now there's a movement to stop domestic violence. it looks pretty cool!





http://www.avonfoundation.org/af-news-1.html#1

swell dolls...

two swell dolls for two swell kids!