Monday, May 29, 2006

Don't Box Me In

I am a wife
and a mother
and a teenage girl
riding in the car
with the windows rolled down
Music blaring
people staring
Not really caring
what others think
Don't box me in...









I am the friend
I am the enemy
The most dependable one
The forgetful one
The organize for hundreds
but lose my keys
can I borrow an egg please
Cause I haven't bought groceries one
Don't box me in...

I am a sister
I am a daughter
I'm not unlike you
My closets aren't empty
Of skeletons and such
But I try to move forward
Without staring in
the rearview mirror
Don't box me in...

I am all these things and more
Music lover
Injustice hater
Ms. Got it all together
Ms. Procrastinator
I could go on
But maybe later...

Don't box me in....

Sunday, May 28, 2006

The Prayer of a Four Year Old?

Daniel's prayer tonight sounded much like that of a forty year old instead of a four year old. I could not believe it:

"Dear God, please forgive us where we've failed you. The food was great tonight and I had a lot of fun today. God, I'm sorry your son died. I know it made you sad. And God, I know he must have hurt alot and you hurt alot and I wish I could have told him to just come down from there God...to just crawl down and put the bad people up there, God. Anyway, I love you and thank you for my blessings. Amen."

I have no words.

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Life on May 27

Good Things:

~~walking three very hilly miles when I didn't feel like it and the sun was beating down on us

~~Daniel's giggle as he exclaimed "I wanna do it again, Mommy!" after swimming on his own with no floaties

~~Falling asleep on my husband's shoulder when I returned from the pool

~~Another DVD of Gilmore Girls arriving in the mail from Netflix


Not-So-Good Things:

~~Poison i-vey-ee-yay-ee-yay on my legs

That's about it.... :-)

Friday, May 26, 2006

The Crimson Moon

Tonight was one of the most enjoyable evenings we've experienced as a family in quite some time. On a mission for a different dining option, we hit the road for the short drive up to Dahlonega, GA and discovered a quaint downtown dotted with eclectic restaurants, couples out for an evening stroll and.....the Crimson Moon. Keith had found it online and suggested we give this neat little cafe/coffee house tucked on a side street a try.

We walked in to a small front dining area filled with tables and old couches and decorated with a mixture of stained glass, white tubular "Christmas" lights and one-word sayings such as "Laugh," "Dream," and "Sing" painted on the wall. Anyone who knows me well knows that I felt completely at home in this place and took to it instantly. At the front of the room was a small corner stage upon which live music was being performed. A couple guys, guitars in hand, played a relaxing blend of self-composed songs and even my four year old sat captivated by his surroundings. The food was great and the house specialty mango iced tea alone will be cause for my return.

Afterwards, we walked the quiet streets and commented on just how safe we felt. It was quite Mayberry if you ask me and we enjoyed every minute of our time there.

Crimson Moon, I have a feeling you and I will get to know each other pretty well.

Life on May 26


Good Things:

~~one of my daylilies bloomed today! Bright orange...what a nice surprise.

~~Lunch with my hubby-- a nice break in the day

~~The way my friend Kim says "helloooo" when she sees it's me calling


Not-So-Good Things:


~~Light-colored laundry

~~Dark-colored laundry

~~Any-colored laundry

Thursday, May 25, 2006

My Favorite Things


The sun peeking over the horizon
The smell of freshly cut grass
And onions sautéing in a pan
The crisp scent of freshly cleaned clothes
(that I don’t have to put away)

My child’s innocent laughter
And his unending curiosity
The flicker of a candle
reflecting on the glassy surface
of a warm soothing bath
A new tub of butter
and brand new pens

That cold mountain creek
with it’s moss covered rocks
and the music the water makes
as it slithers down stream
A full tank of gas
Black and white pictures
Green apples in a bowl
Ice cold chocolate milk

Holding my husband’s hand
And the smell of my son’s sweet baby breath
As he kisses me good morning…

These are just a few of my favorite things.


Tuesday, May 23, 2006

There's a Special Place

I've traveled near
I've traveled far
Around the globe and back
But there's a very special trip
For which I do not pack

I journey right outside my door
Into the grass so green
Where shadows from the shady trees
Create places where I am not seen

As I survey the growth of lilies
Planted just this spring
And enjoy the sounds of friendly birds
And the wonder nature brings

There'll be no stamp on my passport
For my journey here, you see
But when it comes to "getting away"
Home is a good place to be...

Saturday, May 20, 2006

A Boy's Prayer--May 20

Daniel's prayer tonight:

"Thank you God for all my blessings and forgive me when I'm bad and please, please God let me be a grown up quickly....very quickly God so I can use contact stuff and hold a big knife like my Daddy does at dinner. Amen."

Friday, May 19, 2006

Adoption Blog--part 1

Since we are starting the adoption process again, I thought I'd jot down some daily thoughts and feelings about what it's like. I did not do this, at least consistently, when we adopted Daniel and I wish I had. The biggest struggle this go round has been deciding which route to take--international or domestic, toddler or infant, boy or girl... Many of my friends have told me that I wouldn't get to choose gender or age normally so not to worry about it--but I do. Adopting Daniel at age 2 had its own set of challenges ("just add water and you have Insta-Tantrum!") but I did not go through the sleepless nights, colic, bottles, formula and the responsibility of a human being that cannot transport itself from point A to point B.

Yes, I'm a parent. Yes, my maternal instinct is in tact and in full use...but it would be a whole different ballgame with an infant and, truthfully, it's a little scary. Something in me doesn't want to be branded a "first time Mommy" as I bumble with how to care for a baby--because I've already climbed talk-back mountain (no relation to brokeback), tantrum hill, and a variety of other landscape features dealing with the ups and downs of toddlerhood. Shouldn't I at least get a T-shirt or something that says "yes, I look like I don't know what I'm doing but ask me how to fix a broken Wiggles guitar"? My learning curve would go right back to start--am I ready for that?

I'm all for "letting God decide" which is the child were are meant to bring into our home; however, we do have to make some decisions that would chart that particular course. If we go the domestic route and use one agency, they only place newborns from unwed mothers in Alabama. If we take another path, then we get into the foster care/state system and I think we've both decided we couldn't risk the child being with us and then taken away. Then there's international. We will not do Russia again...not right now with the adoption law changes and increased waiting times... China would probably be at least a year but probably longer and I don't know much about other countries like Guatemala, Korea, etc.

As for gender, Daniel has stated, quite emphatically mind you, that he wants a "bruh-der." We have explained that we might be getting a brother or a sister to which he replies, "ok, we'll get a brother AND a sister." (whoa, there partner....) That is one decision that we will leave in God's hands if we go the newborn route. We're open to either and I'm sure Daniel would be a tormenting (er, I mean great) big brother no matter what gender we are blessed with.

Today, I am mailing in our application for a home study along with the first payment (half of the $1200 fee). Thankfully, we have the money to get through this stage and will continue fundraising as we go along. It may be a long journey--or it could be shorter than we think.

For those of you who went through the last process with us, you basically know what to expect. For others, put on your seat belts and hold on...it could be a bumpy ride. :-)

Here we go......................

Thursday, May 18, 2006

How in the World?

Did I get so busy over the past five days that I haven't even blogged once? I even set up a new blog for our friends traveling to Russia to adopt and forgot to make an entry myself.

I wouldn't stress so much about it except that I have been surprised when people I do not know come up to me and tell me that they enjoy reading my blog. Wow! Thank you very much to anyone who stumbles across my tiny slice of internet real estate and dares to come back again. I'm very flattered.

OK-- it's recap time:
*I DID walk those seven miles with my friend Kim...7.2 in fact! I must admit I was feeling it the last mile but, miraculously, the next time I wasn't sore at all. woohoo!! We continue to walk 2 or 3 miles here and there but plan to do the seven again next Saturday and each available one after that.

*American Idol...poor Elliott. I know he needed to go but he was the NICEST contestant they've ever had on there. And, when he starts crying and thanking his Mom--I just want to hug him. LOL I think Taylor should definitely win and I WILL be voting! (yes, I am a nerd.)

*Daniel's surgery on his tongue (he bit his tongue one night at dinner severed a saliva duct and had to have it repaired) --it went really well and he is back to 150% as always.

*Busy, busy, busy...tings have really been hectic of late and I'm doing well just to remember where my keys are (which, for anyone who knows me, is nothing new...ha)

*Promise to blog something each day. I enjoy doing it and it's exciting to know that other folks may be enjoying it, too.

More later...

Bodiford Out!

(ooh, that was bad-- I promise, no more cheesy American Idol references ever again.) :-)

Saturday, May 13, 2006

For the Record--Part Deaux

OK...OK...so I DO like my friend Kim. We walked 3 miles and I felt really good when we got home. Tomorrow we're supposed to walk seven...SEVEN miles at the Greenway. The last time I walked seven miles was when I played tennis in college which was...let's see...a very, very longgggggggggggg time ago.

It will be a Mother's day gift to myself. Power of positive thinking. Right? Right.............Yep. Positive thinking.....pos-i-tive...seven miles.....well, I'm positive I'll be pooped afterwards!

For the Record...

I just want to say that I do not like my neighbor Kim. At least not right now when it's 6:58 on a SATURDAY morning, both of my fellas are tucked snuggly into our bed...the bed that I just had to drag myself out of to put on my walking shoes so Kim and I can go walking in our hilly neighborhood. OK, so it's not San Francisco--but it's close. I do not like her. I do not like her. I do not like her. Oops--it's 7:00am. Gotta go.

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Life on May 11



Good Things:

~~ Fresh fruit instead of fries at Three Dollar Cafe

~~ Sitting in my home office with the window open and the wind gusting through the trees

~~ The way my husband looked in his new red shirt

Not-So-Good Things:

~~ My 4-year old pushing my buttons like he has a "how-to" manual

~~ A garage full of unsold yard sale stuff

~~ How does a family of three produce that many dirty towels in one week's time?

The End of the World is Near...

Chris Daughtry getting voted off American Idol? What is happening? It's a travesty of pop culture justice!

Monday, May 08, 2006

Catching Up

How did I let four days go by without blogging? Well, here are a few reasons:

*yard sale/adoption fundraiser on Friday
*Relay for Life event in Newnan Friday night
*Yard sale again Saturday morning (met $$ goal--yea!)
*House hunting with bro and sis-in-law
*Church Sunday--a great message on envy--yikes
*A visit to the bookstore and lunch at Chuck E. Cheese to
celebrate our "Gotcha" Day with Daniel! (May 6)
*Trip to the outlet store for some Spring clothes
*Laundry, laundry, laundry (oh! and more laundry)

Busy weekend, indeed!

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Life on May 4

Good Things:

~~The unbelievable generosity of friends like the Clarkes in Corvallis, Oregon

~~Having a friend to encourage me to get out and walk when I don't feel like it

~~Sense of accomplishment at the top of the hill from "h-e-double-hockey-stick"

~~Keith is coming home from a business trip today!


Not-So-Good Things:

~~My calves exploding into flames in the middle of the hill that I walked this morning

~~A garage full of stuff to price for yard sale

~~Putting gas into a Ford Expedition at $2.97/gallon

Monday, May 01, 2006

Redemption

His grace extends to me
Covering my inequities
With forgiveness
Tempering my swell of self-doubt
And insecurity
With unconditional love
His arms held open
for me
An undeserved, but welcome, embrace
I am in awe
Utterly unworthy

Yet eternally loved