Count Your Blessings

Do you want to feel really grateful for the life you lead - problems and all? Go volunteer at a Soup Kitchen! So many of the philanthropic efforts that my family does are far removed from the people who are actually affected. We sort cans out behind the Food Bank, or we write a check or buy a raffle ticket. Also, our lives are so homogenized. We are generally around people who have similar social and economic situations as we do.

This is especially true where we live in Texas. We are part of a large subdivision that my husband likes to call "the bubble". It is a great place to raise kids because it is very safe and close-knit.... but it is a little bit like "Leave it to Beaver"-Land. Not alot of diversity.

So anywhooo.... on Good Friday the kids had the day off of school and for the second time this school year, we took the Girl Scouts to prepare and serve the food at the Soup Kitchen at the Austin Baptist Chapel. They ladled food into containers, set up and later washed the serving trays, took tickets, etc.

I sat at the door with my new friend Juan Jose (pictured). We made sure that when people came in they only got one ticket - lots of people try for two. We also helped the handicapped get their trays, greeted guests and said good-bye as they left.

Juan had a message as they left. The message on this day was "Those who lead a right life will have a bright future". One guy was pretty witty when he said, "Well, I guess I don't need my shades then."

Both times we have helped out we have seen the usual druggies and homeless people... but there are also clean-cut people who come in with their hard-hats or their employment badges on. They are hard working and take pride in their appearance, but just can't make a decent living. There have also been a few children - that is really heartbreaking. One little boy and his mother came in at the end of the time frame and most of the food had run out. On his tray was apple juice, a frzen (plain) yogurt cup and soup. He and his mom looked physically put together, but emotionally exhausted.

They ate in silence, heads down. I tell you, my heart breaks every time I think of it.

There was also a 10 month old baby named Omara. What a cutie!!!! I got to hold him while his Grandma (she looked about 30) ate her lunch.

It is sad to my soul to be there. But it gives me some consolation to know that I helped out in some little way, even if all it was was looking someone in the eye, shaking their hand and smiling.

It may be the only meal they get all day. It also may be the only smile they get all day.

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My Pal Juan Jose. He and I were dining room greeters----->

I Need a Vacation after my Vacation!

We just returned a few days ago from our cruise in the Caribbean. We went on the Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas and it was a very cool ship. There was an ice skating rink with an amazing ice show, good food, a fun Promenade gathering area/internal street thing, a casino, bingo, pool fun, etc. Our family loves to cruise and about every other year our parents join us. This year Bo's parents flew down from the Seattle area and my parents came from Oregon. It is great to be able to drive 3 hours and leave right from Texas (saves money on airfare too!)

A few days before the cruise my husband's recurring eye problem cropped up. Last summer he had a sliver in his eye and it has never permanently healed. Well, this time was the worst ever. He was in a horrendous amount of pain and could not see or stand any light. Not only did he have the problem with the wound on the surface of his eye, but he also had a major viral infection that caused pressure behind the eye and threatened his long and short term vision. Needless to say, it was very difficult and very scary.

We went to see a specialist on Friday and she put him on all kinds of meds and drops and she also did a procedure whereby they "debrade" the surface of the eye (yeah - OUCH). Then she put a contact bandaid on it.

All of this basically meant that there was no way Bo would be able to get on a cruise ship on Sunday morning. Our parents, me, the kids, Bo.... we were all very worried and also very sad that the vacation would have to be cancelled (and of course we had no vacation insurance). It's alot of money (although I do think cruising is great bang for the buck) and there were so many of us (9 total).

We went back to the doctor on Saturday (she came into the office on her own time). She said the contact had to stay on until Monday but that Bo could fly out after that assuming it continued to heal and he was careful. So we made the decision to go on the trip and have Bo fly to Cozumel (our first port) on Tuesday.

It was hard to leave on Sunday with Bo in bed and all of us loading up for a Caribbean vacation... it felt wrong and yet what to do? We had Tuesday to look forward to.

On Monday Bo got clearance to go and then we heard from our ship Captain that the itinerary was being changed and we would be going another day at sea, then to Honduras and then back to Cozumel. So Bo wasn't going to be able to meet us on Tuesday. Everyone was sad - it was heartbreaking. I cried and my Mom came to my stateroom and gave me a big hug. It doesn't matter that I am 40 years old, that hug still felt good. Bo's parents and my parents were also very sad. There was a shadow all that day.

Then on Wednesday Bo decided to fly to Cozumel and on Thursday morning he finally hooked up with the ship! It was so great to have him back with us and everyone was thrilled that he was doing well and that everything worked out.

So, Bo's vacation was very short, but very sweet. At the time it felt like the end of the world... but it all worked out. Following are some pictures from our trip.


The Kids at one of the formal nights



Roatan, Honduras was beautiful!


Marie conquers the rock wall. I did, too. They don't call me SpiderMOM at Girl Scout camp for nothing!


Marshall digs a hole to China


Anne with her new pals from the teen club onboard


Please note that we do not know the guy in the wet suit, shown below. My daughter took this picture of a stranger. I am providing the picture purely as a benefit to you, my faithful blog readers..... a little eye candy for free:)

Dresses for Ethiopia

Hi there - it's the negligent blogger here. My 15 year old was telling me that I hadn't blogged for awhile and I said "Well, I've been really busy!". She then told me that my sister was blogging up a storm and she has more than twice as many kids as I do and is obviously SUPER busy..... so I guess I have no (valid) excuse.

I thought I would show you the dresses that I sewed for my little sister Nicole. She is in the process of adopting a baby girl from Ethiopia and set a goal to take 100 hand-made dresses to the orphanage. People told Nicole that perhaps she should set a more reasonable goal or make an easier dress. But my sister is determined! She set her mind to reach her goal and now she is nearly there. You can always get an adoption or dress update on her blog The Coy Pond (linked at the beginning of my blog)

I made these 10 dresses and mailed them to Nicole as a surprise - she was thrilled!

Busy, Busy, Busy!!!!

Wow, what a weekend! Friday was Marshall's birthday party and it was very special because he was born on 2/29/2000 - Leap Day. So this is only the second time that he has had an actual "day". We had a very special family dinner on Thursday night - steak with lots of sauces (A-1, Heinz 57, etc.), and mashed potatoes and gravy - his favorite meal. Then we did our tradition of going around the table and everyone saying what they like/appreciate about Marshall. Everyone was very sweet and Marshall glowed at the compliments. Then we opened the family presents and cards from afar.

The next day we had a classroom celebration and then that afternoon seven little boys decended on the house and we headed to a Lazer Tag arena. It is a 10,000 square foot, multi-level facility. We all played, including Bo and I It was a workout! Three 20-minute sessions - so much fun!!

The next morning the girls and I and some other girls in their troop went down into Austin for this Health Spa event for girl scouts. They made homemade beauty treatments, vegan food (yucky), did Yoga, took a nature walk and make sachet bath salts. It was fun and interesting and Anne said afterward, "that was really granola - even for me!". It was very granola, which is actually refreshing in Texas! I felt like I was back in Oregon.... I should have dug out my Birckenstocks:)

Marshall had soccer and soccer pictures and then it was time for the Mike and Yvonne's baby shower, which Bo and I hosted with another couple, Rick and Kellie. Luckily Kellie offered to have the shower at her newly renovated/remodeled house. It was a wonderful event! A couples shower with dinner and drinks for 35 people, very classy. I made blue martinis (Babytinis 'cause their having a boy) and we served a lasagna dinner. Because Mike and Yvonne are 40+, we had to razz them a little bit about the later in life pregnancy (which they have wanted for a long time)...... in one of the pictures above, Yvonne models the stroller that we gave her. It has a joke senior citizens walker attached to the back. They recieved many wonderful gifts and good wishes and we all promised to come out of the retirement home to see their child's high school graduation:)

Now I am busy getting ready. Ready for company and ready for vaction. I am super excited - my Mom and Dad are coming to visit tommorrow! It doesn't matter how old I get, I still always look forward to spending time with my parents. I truly am so lucky to be their kid and enjoy hanging out with them. The in-laws are coming a few days later and then we are heading on a Spring Break cruise all together - I can't wait!