Blog Therapy...Upcoming Trip

As you may well see I go for a while without a thing to say...to busy running after kids and frankly, my own tail.  I like to use this area to 'talk' about things that are on my mind, document them so I don't forget years later or to just...be.  Right now my thoughts are JUMBLED to say the least. I have a trip coming up, back HOME to Haiti. I am all over the map when it comes to trips, ANY trips...but get one where I am going alone and my mind cannot wrap itself around it.

First off, don't get me wrong....my hubby is AWESOME as a Dad and can handle his own here at home. HOWEVER...I often worry about the 'little' things that go on every day that he may forget about.  I have lists that go along with all of this; lists that I start making as soon as the trips are planned and I know I am going.  Grocery lists, kid lists, chore lists, bill lists, Honey do lists and it goes on and on.  I worry about things like-who has a P/T Conference when? Did they remember to feed the dog? Cats? Fish and Turtle?? Did they lock the doors? Are they locked out? Things that every OCD mother thinks about when leaving her family...there are other moms out there like this...right???!!!

I have been fundraising for this trip. It kind of came up out of nowhere and I had the very strong 2x4 to the head telling me to JUMP and do it. I have been to Haiti 5 times. All the times I have gone have all been for adoption related 'causes' or work in the Creche our children are from, New Life Link www.newlifelink.org
This trip will be with new people, new Ministry www.mtmhaiti.com and new priorities...medical care.  You see, I am a Retired EMT and EMT Instructor and have always enjoyed reading up in the medical books and have a keen sense of memory when it comes to non-traditional/Jeopardy type stuff...(Don't ask me how old I am or where I parked my car, but ask me the name of the guy who played Tatu on Fantasy Island or the name of the little thing that connects your lip to your face and WHAMMO! : Herve Villichaize & Lip Frenulum...seeeeeee)
Now, put that together with my LOVE for Haiti, my eagerness  stupidity to step out of my comfort zone and sleep in a room with 8 other people under mosquito nets, flush ONLY when it is BROWN
and let it MELLOW if YELLOW.  WHY?  because it is something I feel called to do.
While fundraising for this trip I have been asked the usual:
1. Why dont you volunteer HERE, which is people's not so subtle way of saying: Hey, what about America?  Well, I go where MY heart is called to go...what have YOU done for anyone...anywhere...lately?
2.  What have those Haitians ever done for us?  Well, IF they had the ability I am sure they would help...but between starving, fighting to live life everyday and generally being stuck on a island...that kind of hinders their ability to help.  HOWEVER, the ones who have been lucky enough to make it to the land of the Free & Home of the Brave, they become people like: Edwidge Danticat--Famous Author, Wyclef Jean--Hip Hop Artist, Jonathan Vilma --The New Orleans Saints' linebacker and the list goes on and on.
3. Does any of the money I give actually go to help anyone?? As a matter of fact-YES! It has helped buy my plane ticket, room and board for the 7 days I am there, 50lbs of much needed medical supplies I am buying to take and puts ME in Haiti.."BOOTS ON THE GROUND" (ala Mitch Coats..hehe)

So, as I sit here, thinking of all the things I still need to do, should do, probably wont get time to do and realizing it is 11pm and I should be sleeping so I can go to W..O..R..K.. tomorrow, THANK YOU to ALL who have donated, no matter how BIG or small it may be; every Mission Trip beings with nothing but $5 & Someones dream of helping someone else.

Here is a poem that has ALWAYS meant alot to me...it is MY LIFE'S PURPOSE & behind ALL my trips to Haiti:

                                               WE PRAY FOR CHILDREN: By Ina Hughes

We pray for children


Who put chocolate fingers everywhere,

Who like to be tickled,

Who stomp in puddles and ruin their new pants,

Who sneak Popsicles before supper,

Who erase holes in math workbooks,

Who can never find their shoes.


And we pray for those

Who stare at photographers from behind barbed wire,

Who can't bound down the street in new sneakers,

Who never "counted potatoes,"

Who are born in places we wouldn't be caught dead in,

Who never go to the circus,

Who live in an X-rated world.


We pray for children

Who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions,

Who sleep with the cat and bury goldfish,

Who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money,

Who squeeze toothpaste all over the sink,

Who slurp their soup.


And we pray for those

Who never get dessert,

Who have no safe blanket to drag behind them,

Who can't find any bread to steal,

Who don't have any rooms to clean up,

Whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser,

Whose monsters are real.


We pray for children

Who spend all their allowance before Tuesday,

Who throw tantrums in the grocery store and pick at their food,

Who like ghost stories,

Who shove dirty clothes under the bed,

Who get visits from the tooth fairy,

Who don't like to be kissed in front of the car pool,

Who squirm in church and scream on the phone,

Whose tears we sometimes laugh at and whose smiles can make us cry.


And we pray for those

Whose nightmares come in the daytime,

Who will eat anything,

Who have never seen a dentist,

Who are never spoiled by anyone,

Who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep,

Who live and move, but have no being.


We pray for children

Who want to be carried

And for those who must,

For those we never give up on

And for those who never get a second chance,

For those we smother.

And for those who will grab the hand of anybody kind

enough to offer it.


We pray for children. Amen.

RIP Kym

This is a hard post to write. We lost my dear cousin Kym....She was a beautiful 42 year old Nana who had so much on Earth to live for...God saw her as being needed with him...we may never understand the timing, the reason or the cause of our sorrow, but we hope to see her again one day!
Curtis and I had the pleasure of Officiating the ceremony to Honor and remember Kym...mostly Curtis, I began to cry to much and could not do it...Thank you sweety, for stepping in and doing the Honors...you made me, her and her family proud!
We love and miss you Kym (Kim...the name your parents gave you and the Y inserted just to be 'cool') hehe  LOVE YOU!




KIMBERLY ANN GARNER-DILL

OCTOBER 9, 1969 - JUNE 24, 2012

Our beautiful daughter Kim passed away at home in Walla Walla WA on Sunday June 24 2012. Kim was born Oct. 9, 1969 to Ronnie Garner of Weiser Id and Pam Garner from Caldwell Id. She was sister to Shane Garner of Milton Freewater Ore. Kim married James Dill Sept 1987. They have 4 children. the family moved to Walla Walla in 1999. Kim loved the medical field and was planning on furthering her education this fall. Kim's biggest joy was her 4 children, Mandie, Christina, Cody, and Courtney. Kim was blessed with 3 grandbabies: Bella, A.J., and Lexi. She was their 'nana'. She loved her 'girls spa nights' with Bella, going to monster truck shows with A.J., and buying him 'press-on-tattoo's, and cuddling with her 'doodle-bug' Lexi.

Kim loved her home, cooking for her family and playing with her grandbabies. Kim's favorite flower was the Peace Rose..so fitting for a girl with such a loving,kind heart and great sense of humor. Kim always cherished her time with her brother Shane. She had special memories with her family and so many life-long friends. Kim bragged she married 'the perfect guy' and in Sept they were going to re-new their wedding vows for their 25th anniversary. Kim brought us so much love. She was perfect. We miss her and cannot believe our time with her was cut so short. Thank you for loving us Kim, and know you are loved in return. XOXO

Services are Saturday June 30, 2012 at 3:00pm at Herring Funeral home: 315 Alder st. Walla Walla Wa. Memorial dinner will follow at Kim's home: #4 North Wilbur St. in Walla Walla.



.Published in Idaho Press Tribune on June 30, 2012

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOO

This is Boo.  Boo is the only infant we ever had.  I do not believe we set out for it to be that way, that is just the way it happened.  We always joke that we were probably just made to raise kids, not infants.  When the kids do something iffy, ornery etc, we always say we attribute that to the 'orphanage time' ;-P   With Boo, we look at him and realize WE are responsible for every idiosyncrasy he has...and maybe THAT is why we never had any more infant, God knew best! LOL
As of today, Boo is 15.  To look back at where he was 15 years ago today, makes my heart hurt. He has come such a long way!  For Boo I see the future father, the lover of children.  Boo has always had a soft spot for babies and I hope that he finds himself working with them in his future.  He is the most laid back of the kids and tends to be a total tease monster when given the chance.  He is known for breaking into song, rhyming one of the other kids names with something that sounds like fart....Oh, to be a teenage boy!
HAPPY 15th BIRTHDAY BOO!  WE LOVE YOU~

21 Years And Counting

Today marks 21 years of marriage for Curtis and I. We met when I was 14, almost 15 and he was 16. We began seeing each other, which meant he came to the house and watched movies, helped with my homework etc, since I was not old enough to date. This went on until 2 days before my 16 birthday...a Christmas dance put on at school..my first date!

A long time has passed, we have seen ups, downs and middle ground. We have lost 4 babies to miscarriage, adopted 4 times and moved 4 times...never going far from where we grew up.

When we were reminiscing last night, we discussed how we never in a million years, imagined our lives the way they are now. We are happy, celebrating a milestone and have 4 healthy, happy and pretty well adjusted kids. Not saying we are perfect, but we are FAMILY! We laughed when we thought about how you imagine your life when you are young, and neither of us imagined being married to the one we met so young...having 4 Internationally Adopted children (Who look nothing even remotely close to us) and to be here, where we are today. When things were bad, we now know they were for a reason, if we would have had the babies we were 'trying for' we would not have had the 4 we have now. What would life be like for us if that had happened? If we had waited to marry or married even earlier?

We have seen many, if not most, of our friends divorce and move on from one another. I love the fact that even if we have differences, we can still make each other laugh and swoon..something that you don't often find after this many years of marriage. We are comfortable in our marriage, in who each of us is and know that at the end of the day the other one is coming home because home is where their heart and mind and soul is....home makes us happy.

Thank you sweety, for 21 wonderful years...I am looking forward to at least 21 more!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROO

This is Roo.  Roo came home at 24 months of age.  On Jan. 7, 2012 she hit the 12 year mark. That includes Jr. High, Teen years, being taller than you are supposed to be, 7 teachers and a locker instead of 1 teacher and a back pack.
Roo has always been the one who excels at anything she puts her mind too.  Hard exterior, soft interior and fiercely loyal to her friends.  From what we have seen of our lovely young lady is that she knows who she is and no one will change that.
In the future I see Roo either being a Chef or CEO of a company.  She will be known as the har as* boss, but deeply respected by her staff for her attention to detail and know how of just about anything.
Roo, we are so proud of you and all that we know you will become.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY (albeit a tad late on here) WE LOVE YOU~

RIP GOEFER

Today we said goodbye to a wonderful family member. Goefer showed up one day at our old house on KCID. We called local Animal Shelter to let them know and ran an ad in case someone was looking for her. After several days it became apparent that no one was...she was ours. Her name became Goefer due to the HUGE holes she would dig in the dirt. That girl LOVED to dig a huge hole and lay in it to keep cool. When we moved to our new home, she went and was able to have a fenced yard and a new friend, Fizgig. She and Fizzi had free run of the back yard. Still, even with all the grass to get into, she chose nothing but dirt to dig in, pretty smart if you ask me.

Goefer was with us before we had children. We have pictures of Goefer in our home study to adopt Boo. It took 18 months to adopt Boo, who will be 15 in May...Goefer was grown when she came to us, so she is AT LEAST 16 years old.

For a medium/large dog that is OLD..ancient.

Over the last few years she has become hard of hearing and her eyesight is not the greatest. She was still great with the kids, always smelling them and then realizing they were 'her kids' and never harming them or getting grumpy with them. She would smell the girls rolling on the grass trying to practice their tumbling and she would promptly go over and sniff their hair and lick their faces as they hung upside down.

Goefer-we love you, we will miss you so much. Fizzi will be lost without you. We know you were tired, sore and not having as much fun as you used to. You were able to spend your last day laying in the afternoon sun eating treats...what a good end to a wonderful life.

My Family

This is a Picture of our Family on 12-31-10. All of us tired but smiling. Hoping for a repeat this New Year!

As the new year approaches I think of so many blessings, struggles, changes that we have had through out the year. Boo is now a full fledged Teen/ Young Man.....Roo is becoming her own Teen/Young Woman, C-Man is entering 11 and Mitch will be 8 soon. We have not had any new children come home in 5 years. Hard to imagine that 5 whole years has passed since C-Man and Mitch arrived, it seems like they have always been here.

All 4 kids have bonded well, grown tremendously and are healthy inside and out. Not that they are without issues, but they all know that

THIS is HOME

THIS is FAMILY

THIS is FOREVER!

Broken Hearted

As a parent I have always wanted to shield my children from any heartbreak, bad moments, bullies and the like. Lately, I have seen that it is IMPOSSIBLE to do this, and may not be the best for the child in the long run...although it is NOT easy to see your child hurt, it is something they need to experience to grow as a person.
Case in point:
Mitch has a girl at school that is mean to her. Now, if you know Mitch, you know that it is hard to NOT like her...she is friendly, kind and loving to everyone. She sees no enemies and truly wants the world to be the perfect place it should be. We have explained to Mitch that this is not so, and that there will be mean people all over the world...just to avoid them if possible and live her life the best she can. A mother bear moment took a hold of me when Mitch came home and told me that this girl told her 'she hated Mitch and would stab her in the head and heart until she died'. Yeah, NOT HAPPENING you little punk-ette! Mitch did the right thing by telling the Teacher, Principal and us, and anyone who would listen. Now the school is aware but the Principal wants this girl to 'confess' what she said (although 4 other girls have come forward with the same info) so she can adequately punish the girl. I have made it known that THIS is NOT going to matter, that is that child says this to my kid again, I will call the cops! Lesson learned....

Boo is having his teen issues...Oy Vey ;-P Boo decided to try out for Basketball. Very proud of him for trying! His High School is big, over 110 boys tried out for Bball and only 14 spots per team (Varsity, JV, Frosh) were avail. Some of those were taken due to returning players....after 2 days of try outs, he did not make it. To see your son stand there and NOT be chosen made my tummy hurt. I wanted to kick the Coach and ask him why my son was not picked, he was just as good as other boys....according to my hubby, THIS would have been embarrassing to Boo, so I did NOT do it. hehe
Boo was bummed, but I know he will recover. He knows what he needs to work on and hopefully will try out again next year. I however, still want to kick someone.....

I wish I could take all the hurts, the brokenness my children see and experience....I know it cannot be done, and probably should not be done....however, this does not make it easier.

On The D.L.

I have been staying off my blog and staying Down Low....trying to keep things inside and work thru them...not sure it is helping. I do not like to write things that could hurt others feelings so I tend to bottle them up until my chest hurts-physically hurts....not good.

Just say a few prayers for me-that I can work thru extended family issues, that may all be me and in my mind, but may also not be just me and my mind.

Hurtful things have been said and done and I have let them fester without saying things to the offenders...need to rectify this with God and myself so I do not hurt the people that I do LOVE, but often times do not LIKE 100% of the time. Need to remember, we are all but humans