No title.......

As I sit here at my computer desk to type a post I can't think of a title. The sound of my fingers striking the keys is making a soft echo in this empty room that used to be filled with warm objects to bounce sound off of. Not anymore. The house is a wreck. We're well into the throws of packing and still have a long way to go in the next three weeks. I will miss my little station here. This is where so much has happened to me. This chair! I found blogs a few years ago from here. Found an adoption agency, filled out countless pieces of paperwork and made friends from this very spot. I've had every emotion possible from sitting here and it's almost time to say goodbye. I will have a new way of writing since my office will be on the third floor loft. Yes, I am actually getting a laptop just to cruise the net and blog! This way I'm not tied down to my desk anymore! I can do fb right from the living room!! And you thought I was on here a lot now!!!

I have so much to be excited about with this next move. I like change. And our family will have tons of new routines to figure out, new schedules, new traditions and certainly many new memories.

These are my random thoughts today! I still pray to Jesus to use me somehow to get back to Africa/Ethiopia. To find a path for me. I know that I am meant to do more. I don't see the big picture. Maybe he wants to wait for the move before revealing it to me! :) Anyway, I welcome it with open arms! By the way, NO I did not change my hair again... it's an old picture!!!

Product Review - Acai Berry

First of all, is this music fun or what!! It makes you want to jump around!!! Love it.

I wanted to drop a few pounds and read that some celebrity (who recently was accused of lip syncing in Australia) lost like 26 pounds after taking this. I thought, "why not"?

My fingers couldn't type fast enough to get my "free trial bottle"!!

It came, I took, I think I gained five pounds! To be fair, I only gave it two weeks to try, if that. I'm an instant gratification type of gal. So, looks like to drop a few I'm going to have to get back to my jumprope routine! It really kicks butt and when I was going strong at it and alternating w/running I got up to 45 minutes of straight jumping (along w/the rest of the workout). It's the only routine I've ever been able to stick to without getting bored and it's easy! And the results are great. I've been doing it on and off for almost ten years. I think the main reason it works is because it's geared to body shape/type. Me, I'm a spoon shape!

The routine is focused on weight lose with muscle gain. If you're like me and you bulk up muscle too easy then this is a great routine for you. Old gym stuff would actually grow my bum. I already have a bubble but. I don't want it bigger even if it's rock solid! SMALLER and firm, yes, it works. If anyone is interested in it, let me know and I'll post about it! AND the best part is that when I do it, I don't change my eating habits per se. I end up eating less and more healthy just because the results are seen pretty quick and it's very motivating to feel like you look good. Suddenly those fries turn into not a "must have", but a "hell no, I'm not going back in that direction. It feels TOO good to have a flat tummy"! UPDATE: Here is the book! It looks stupid, but trust me!!!!

I give the acai berry one glass of cheap wine (not a good rating)...

Yes, update w/new spelling - We're outta here...

Ok, I know I run hot and cold with blog posts. This time I have a very valid excuse for being away! We are moving!! (and three of us - the semi-unemployed ones are sick).

We put the house on the market half expecting it to take forever to get traffic let alone offers. Not so much. Within the past month this place has been HOT, HOT, HOT! We've entertained several offers and we finally came to a wonderful agreement with the folks who were the first ones to see it soon after it went on!

So, then we were crunched. We didn't want to look for the next house until we at least had an offer here. It didn't make sense, right? We weren't expecting the timeline to take shape the way it did. The past two weeks we've been vollying with offers on our home and knew that we had start an obsessive search of our next house! We've seen it all!!! Trust me!

Why are we moving? MP currently travels (plane) almost 50% of the time. When he is home, the office is over an hour away to and from!! :0 Not good with a family of four.

The idea was to shave at least 30 minutes from his commute. WE FOUND OUR NEXT HOUSE!!  We're really excited!! It's a bit larger and it has a pool!!! Something that became very important to me after Cancun. I need to glide!! :)  We have some work to do after we move DECEMBER 14TH!!! And while the kitchen will be re-done completely (at a later date), we will do some things right away to give it some pizzaz.

You won't be seeing much of me here, but I'm always on facebook! I ordered an astronomical amount of moving boxes that should be here soon. Once they come, I'm off!! I am an awesome mover. Period.

This house pack will be tough to leave, for sure. We said goodbye to two dogs here, we watched Nicholas grow from a one year old in a crib to riding a bike w/no training wheels. We tried to expand our family, it took a long time, and we welcomed the most wonderful little girl in the world into our lives. We brought two new puppies into this home. There are too many memories to list. There will be tears of sadness...

Change is something I've always loved. Please keep us in your thoughts. I hope to have some reflective moments on the blog before we go. I'm sure of it. Trust me, the computer will be the last thing unplugged on moving day and the first thing booted up on moving day!!!

God knows me too well...

God seriously has to slap me in the face when I need an answer to something. It has to be abundantly clear. He knows that, He knows me. I love that!

I was trying to figure out a post idea and Lori S.asked about a birth family visit update. The women that commented on that post really gave me something to chew on. Some very interesting things were pointed out that I hadn't considered. And most of all, some of you shared some very personal experiences and for that I am SO grateful. The blog community is just wonderful.

Something happened the very day after that post. 

I was at the computer (gasp) doing a blog post. YOU KNOW WHO starts wandering by, yes Tessa Bezu; (*note to self, next home office must have doors*)... She sees the picture I used for the post. She stopped and asked; "Mom, was that my house?" I tell NO lie! So I'm all freaking out and stuff after just doing this huge post about her not having a stinking clue. All wide eyed, I turned to her and said, "yes, honey, that was your house in Ethiopia. Do you remember it?" Then she told me that there is another building (if you want to call it that) next to it. And yes, there is. Then she told me where there is grass (she was correct), that there aren't any beds and that she sleeps on wood chairs (they had beds made from branches). The floor is dirty and muddy (also true). No cabinets, no kitchen, no walls (true, true, true). I was flabergasted.  Then when she was done saying these things she kinda cocked her head and got shy and said, "I don't know mommy, I don't remember".  Weird!

So, we know that the Parkers have NO intentions of bringing Tessa Bezu back to Arbegona anytime soon! The end! We'll go back to plan "A"... aid work adults only until she is old enough to understand!

Thank you God for showing me once again how you are in charge!

Product review - Moshi!

et me introduce you to my new best friend, Moshi...

Moshi is my LISTENING alarm clock. She is voice activated. That means NO BUTTONS (well a few on the back just in case she's being obstinate and not obeying the command)!

If you click the link above you can see a demo on the website. I was doubtful when I saw the package at BED BATH & BEYOND. It was on sale for $35.99! And the numbers are HUGE. Great for a blind girl! So we got home, plugged it in and she started to talk to me! Whoa. She asked me "what is the correct time"?  "I said, 2:14pm"  and the clock instantly changed to that time!

When you want to set the alarm nooooo more holding down the damn buttons until it reaches the right time and making sure you're on am and not pm! All I say is; "Hello Moshi" She says, "command please" and I say, "set alarm". Then she asks, "what time would you like the alarm to sound?"  "I say, seven o'clock am" All of a sudden she says, "the alarm is set to seven o'clock am"!

And it has the coolest back light ever. You can have no backlight, blue or changing colors backlight! :0 Yes, I am SERIOUS.

THAT IS IT.... well, not really.

It has three different alarm sounds. Three different sleep sounds (if you like that) and tells the date, temperature etc if you ask her. It is NOT a clock radio.

The ONLY downside I've noticed while being sick is that she is confusing my cough with me activating her. You activate her by saying "hello moshi". So, I suppose my cough sounds like hello moshi. Because everytime I cough she asks me to give her a command.  Other down side.... the first few nights she was here I forgot her name in the morning to tell her to turn off. So I was screaming HELLO MEESHI, HELLO MUSHI, HELLO MENSI... nothin.

But we're back on track and we are deeply in love! Goodbye alarm clock buttons.

If you ever have a product you'd like me to review, please let me know, I'm a tough customer, but Moshi get's TWO MARTINI'S.