Reece Fleming and Randy Pausch

This morning Yvan and I were listening to the radio as we always do when we get ready for work in the morning. We heard two heartbreaking stories this morning as we started our day.

REECE FLEMING

The first story was about Reece Fleming a young boy who had been diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 4. His one wish in life was to marry his sweetheart Elleanor Pursglove. He had asked her to marry him a few times and she finally said yes.

Reece lived the next 4 years of his life battling the disease and in May the doctors told his parents there was nothing more they could do for him and that he had weeks to live.

So, his parents along with Elleanor's parents planned a wedding ceremony for them. Reece got his wish and the two were married in a (pretend) ceremony where they exchanged rings and vows and even had a little marriage certificate.

Reece told his mom that he could go now and the next day, July 5, 2008, at 8 years old, he passed away with his parents by his side.

RANDY PAUSCH

The second story was about Randy Pausch. I am sure many of you have heard of Randy Pausch and his "Last Lecture" video that has been viewed by millions around the world. You might even have seen him give his lecture on "The Oprah Show" this past year.

Randy passed away today at the age of 47 from Pancreatic cancer.

If you haven't seen "The Last Lecture" then you should..I have posted it below...this is the condensed version from the Oprah Show - you can see the full hour and 15 min version on-line...but you will get the jist of his message.



While I didn't know Reece or Randy their stories inspire me. These two amazing individuals remind me what life is about....the people you love!

Peace be with you

Cute Videos

Oh alright already! I can't stay away...well as it turns out my Grandma D is now nicely settled at home with my Auntie B who flew into town and who is taking good care of her so I have the week off :)..but not from work and so I sit at my computer and can't stay away!

My friend sent me this cute video



and this one too



Now if two guys can foster a lion and he still remembers them a year later after being the head of his pride...and a dog can feed kittens, and a cheetah can mother a monkey...well I think I have a pretty good chance of being a good..no...a great mom too...

I hope when we bring our wee one home "it will just be what I do" - mother instinctively...something in my heart tells me I will!

Cue me crying - sniff!

On-line Book Club

Yes, I know I said I wasn't going to blog for a couple of weeks but I had to post this.

I stumbled across a blog a couple of months ago thru one of my message boards. Someone had posted Julie's blog and told us to read her post "Thoughts at 6 Months Waiting". I could definitely relate to the post.

I have been faithfully reading her blog ever since. Julie recently suggested an on-line book club which will predominantly read a variety of books from kid's books to cook books with *Edit - Adoption and Ethiopia as the common theme.

The book club is called Eyes on Books and I just wanted to share this with anyone else who might interested in reading along as well.

So go on - visit the site and see what you think!

Later

Rana

Appendicitis

I can't believe a week has gone by since I lasted posted. Where have I been you ask? (or maybe you didn't)

I have been running back and forth to the hospital since last Wednesday. You see my sweet, little, 84 soon-to-be-85-in-a-month Grandma D had an appendicitis attack. It started last Monday night but we were sure that she just the flu or food poisoning...this was deduced by my Grandma and me after recounting what she had been feeling all day. Never in our wildest imaginations did we think she would have a bad appendix.

Anyways, she continued to feel ill and on Wednesday my uncle took her to the doctor. They did a cat scan and wham-o!!! Appendicitis and they thought it had already ruptured. So, now they want to do surgery...like...right now! So, I drove like a maniac to pick her up and take her to the hospital where they prepped her for surgery.

This little lady has never had surgery...not once! She has never gone under the knife one single time in her 85 years. She had 6 kids all by natural childbirth methods...so she was a little nervous to say the least. But being the trooper she is she told the doctors "let's get on with this so we can get it over with"...they did all the tests and her heart and chest and overall health is amazing for a lady her age. Then they zipped her away leaving me standing looking after her all teary eyed (I didn't want to cry in front of her). We waited with bated breath for an hour and half and the doctor came and said she did fine...they had to make an incision rather than laproscopically take it out but she was fine!

She plays shuffle board every night...still lives on her own and goes shopping every day!

She didn't even complain the next day about feeling icky from the anesthesia...I totally would have whined for a week ;)....she was in the hospital until Sunday...when she got to come home and put her feet up on her own couch. My mom and my aunties are coming in to stay with her for a few weeks and she is tickled pink!

I have to say the thought of losing my Grandma made me overcome with emotion...I know it is inevitable...we all have to go sometime...I am just glad that time wasn't now!

I will be taking a break from the blog for 2 weeks...this week to help care for my Grandma D and next week I am on holidays! Yahoo!

I will be checking blogs to see if anyone gets any referrals (Ricki, Rhonda and Sandi) and will post again when I am back from holidays!

Much love,

Rana

In the Magic Zone

Well, today we entered the magic zone of referral land. We are now in the 8-15 month range for a referral. As I have said before we are thinking more on the 15 month side of things, and that is why I liked this photo - the big arrow reminds me that we are still going up, that away, keep on truckin', move it along, no stopping, keep your eye on the prize,...you get my drift.

It seems unreal to me that it has been 8 months already. When I am standing here looking at the number 8 and the next months to come it feels as though it will take 8 years to happen. But when I look back over the last 8 months, it feels more like 8 minutes has gone by.

I feel like Rocky Balboa trying to get to the top of the steps but know it is going to take patience and perseverance. I seriously can't wait to do my "Rocky Dance" when we get to the top!!!!!

Sweet New Ride and Star Babies

About a month ago I was perusing my regular blog sites when I came across Sebrina's blog about the Star Babies she makes. They were just so cute and I couldn't resist....so I ordered 2!

When they arrived in the mail I was not disappointed...they are so beautiful and you can tell they have been made with care and love. They were cute enough for Yvan to say "wow, those are really cute" and he does not often use the word cute ;)

Thanks Sebrina!!!!!

So, here is a photo of Suki checking out the new babies!! Sam was a little scared and wouldn't sit with them. I can't wait for our baby to be able to play with them.

On Wednesday, Yvan phoned me and told me to look out the front window...and what to my wandering eye do I see....Yvan riding past the house on a beautiful retro bike with a basket on the front! "Surprise" he said into the phone...I squeaked in delight and promptly started to cry...he had gone and gotten me a new bike without me even knowing....we had looked at them the week before but we had decided to wait on it. This is a such a special gift because he took the time to plan it and surprise me! I love my husband so much!!

My Sweet New Ride!!!

I can even take the Star Babies with me for a bike ride....don't worry we will get a real safety approved bike seat for the wee one...we won't put him or her in the basket :)



This bike is so much fun and it is so nice to ride...I love that you are sitting upright and not leaning over!

We took the bike out for its first ride last night and it was so awesome. I could have ridden forever...and the best part is the seat is nice and cushy and wide that I didn't get a sore bum :)

I love my sweet new ride but I love Yvan more!!!!

Way to Cute!

As many of you know we recently added a new member to our family. Little Grissom came to live with us almost 2 months ago.

The first weekend we had him was a disaster. The girl we adopted him from said that he was crate and house trained. She also adamantly insisted that he never barked and never chewed on anything.

Well....apparently none of those things were true!!! He peed all over the house, would not go in his crate - no way, no how - he barked at all the noises and passing people and dogs he saw from our living room window. I have to admit that he has the funniest bark for such a little dog...it is so low and deep. Then he ate a pair of my shoes and my new spring purse (I had searched for the perfect spring purse for months). I was not a happy pet owner to say the least. Yvan is way more tolerant than me...well actually he is head-over-heels in love with our new puppy - and insisted that things would get better.

And slowly they have....Grissom hadn't peed in the house for almost two weeks now. Until Wednesday night that is -he peed over by his food dish and we think it was because the bowls were empty, he was hungry and so he peed to show us that he was mad. At least, that is how I justify his actions.

Our little dude, Leroy, has been a little depressed to say the least since the new addition. He has always been THE animal of the house (he rules the cats) and so to share attention has not been his favourite thing. He is slowly warming up to Grissom though and they love to go on walks together. Leroy still doesn't like it when Grissom plays with his toys and follows him very closely when he has a chew stick.

I bring both dogs with me to work (my husband owns a business and I work with him) and I have one doggie bed under my desk and one under a chair. It was a very hard adjustment at first for Leroy when we started bringing Grissom to work because it has been his domain...no cats, nothing, so he did not take kindly to having Grissom here.

However, this morning Gerard was in my office and noticed this -

This is a first!!!! Leroy let Grissom lay on his bed with him and they are both slumbering away peacefully. Normally Leroy would turn into devil dog (something to be seen) and Griss slinks away.

Griss loves Leroy with all his little puppy heart and learns by leroy's example - Thank GAWD! since Leroy is a really good dog if Griss learns from him that is o.k. by us.

So, today is one small step for doggie kind, one GIANT leap for the bond between Leroy and Grissom.

Way to Cute!!!!

IT

I realize that I have been avoiding talking about IT here lately. By IT I mean our adoption of course!

When our dossier went to Ethiopia in November we were on a "high". We had jumped the huge hurtle that had been looming over us all summer long as we worked on our home study and dossier. We had poured our blood, sweat and tears into getting all the paper work filled out, police checks completed, doctors exams done etc. etc. We were buzzing from head to toe with anticipation of getting a referral for our new child.

Then we started ordering the books that everyone from adoption friends to our agency had recommended and commenced reading said books promptly upon their arrival. We dived into looking for baby furniture and then quickly jumped back out of those waters when we realized we couldn't really purchase those items until we knew what age our soon-to-be child would be.

Slowly, I ventured into the baby sections of department stores as this had been a place to be avoided at all costs while we were trying to conceive. I even bought a few things here and there.

At about month 4 I started to panic...it was gradual at first. All I could talk about was adoption, all I could think about was our unknown child...was he or she born yet...what were they going thru, what were their parents going thru. I started to get anxious and a heavy knot in my stomach began to grow. I was paralyzed - I couldn't focus at work instead I spent my time perusing different web sites, message boards, and blogs. When I went home from work I would spend countless hours on the computer visiting all the above mentioned places all over again. I can certainly tell you that not much happened in the 15 minutes since I had last been to these places.

My need to know and have control was winning! My heart, my soul and my resolve to be strong thru this process were ever-so-slowly losing the battle. I was overcome with grief, sadness, and anger. The whole "this just isn't fair" started to enter into mind and I am not one who believes that life is fair 'cause it isn't. Maybe that is defeatist but I don't think so...life isn't fair...everyone has struggles, we learn, grow and become stronger from them.

At around month 6, I started to get little signs that I needed to STOP and reassess. When I got the invitation to do the "40 Days of Change" I leaped at it...I knew it was what I needed. I once heard a comedian say " why do people complain that life is short, it is the longest thing we do" true it really is the longest thing we will ever do - live I mean - for some it is shorter than others...but I think what people mean is that time goes by so quickly which in turns makes life FEEL short...as a kid an hour seemed to take forever...now an hour can seem like 5 minutes.

Anyways, I knew that I needed to bring myself down from the clouds of dreaming of our future child and plant myself back into the here and now. To put energy back into everyday life - the day will come when we get a referral and I don't want to have planned IT in my head..I want IT to unfold naturally as it should and be a surprise!

That being said I am a realist and I do still think about our adoption a lot but now there are - wait for it - times when I don't think about IT!!! GASP! I know - shocking right...once there was even a whole weekend that I didn't think about our new wee one once. I must add though it was the weekend we ran in the Sask Marathon so my obsession went from wee one to eating, sleeping and hydrating properly and just making it to the finish line.

I might come off as being indifferent but I can assure I am not! I have never wanted something so much in my whole life...why would it consume me like it did if I was indifferent. I just know what I need to keep myself whole while we wait for our referral. Especially in light of the fact that we might, just might, have to wait upwards of 15 months to see the beautiful face of our new family member. I know I don't have the energy to obsess for another 7 1/2 months - I will be a wreck if I continue down the same path. (Right, now talk to me again closer to the 15 month mark and my tune will likely have changed and as a woman that is my right ;)

So, for now I have in my mind that we will see a referral closer to the 15 month side of things and I am calm. I am functioning, I am laughing, I am enjoying life and I am willing to wait for the love of our future child.

In the meantime I will continue to write and even if I don't talk about adoption all the time I hope people will continue to read.

Much love!

Tips For Living A Better Life

A friend of mine emailed me this list of "Tips for Living A Better Life". I really liked it and thought every single item was relevant and do-able.

I thought I would pass it on :)

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.
3. Buy a DVR and tape your late night shows and get more sleep.
4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today.'
5. Live with the 3 E's — Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
6. Play more games and read more books than you did in 2007.
7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, tai chi, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.
8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.
9. Dream more while you are awake.
10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
11. Drink green tea and plenty of water.. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.
12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.
14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy flowing.
18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
26. Forgive everyone for everything.
27. What other people think of you is none of your business.
28. GOD heals almost everything.
29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
30. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
31. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
33. The best is yet to come.
34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
35. Do the right thing!
36. Call your friends often. (Or email them to death!!!) Hey I'm thinking of ya!
37. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.
38. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
39. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. 40. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the
ride.