Serenity

Celebrate Real Beauty!

I am doing a carve for a postal ring on Celebrate Real Beauty! I had to choose a woman who portrays real beauty, beauty on the inside as well as the outside. I chose Audrey Hepburn, my all time favorite actress. Her nostrils and nose are too big, her neck is too long, her ears are shaped funny and sit too far back on her head. But she is stunning. Simply gorgeous. And I think the reason is the beautiful soul that shone out of her eyes. I am so excited to carve an Audrey stamp, and I hope I can do it justice. Real Beauty.

Eric and I enjoy going to out of the way places, seeing interesting things together. We went to Asheville letterboxing, looking for the scary "Chicken Alley" box, which was gone. But the alley was full of cool graffiti, which we spent a long time just wandering and perusing. Sometimes we thought, "Someone's got too much time on their hands!" But other works were thought provoking and really made me stop and look more closely, which, I guess, is the whole point. This one is one of those. Loved the colors, but the message was the important thing. Another grafitti area we love to visit is over in the arts section, down by the train yards and river. The old Ice House building is fascinating. We wandered there for a long time. But Eric was very wary, and felt uncomfortable, like we were being watched. It is not a safe place to be, really, so we left.

This one is really intriguing, but gives you cold chills when you look at it too long. This was what I initially spotted from the road one day after leaving 12Bones #1.  We came back to investigate and wandered for hours. We'll be going back again, when Eric has a day off.

Fall Butterflies

The Renaissance Festival in Huntersville, NC

My little butterfly.

And a butterfly while letterboxing.

Jacob's first day of McSmiles Preschool. It makes my heart swell to see this little smile, like he's just tolerating Daddy's taking pictures on Mom's orders. I wish I could have been there on his first day. His teachers are Sandy and Renee, and he really likes them both a lot. I just wish he weren't such a booger on the bus! He loves preschool, and I love watching him grow and learn. He comes home and sings to us and helps us count things. I am so grateful that God chose Eric, Josh and I to raise Jake. I don't like to think about what his life would be like with his birth mother. Certainly, his talents and needs would not have been supported. In this season of thanks, I give thanks to God for our gift of Jacob.

He wept.

This time last year, I created a personalized book for Eric called "Born to Be Wild".  It is a collection of pictures of hot rods, tractors, and motorcycles from trips with Jacob and David Boone.  I used the lyrics to the song of the same name as the title of the book.  There are lots of sweet pictures of Jacob that Eric took, special moments for "the guys".  When Eric looked at the book, he was overcome.  It shocked me, his reaction.  I never expected him to weep.  It is the best Christmas present I've ever come up with.
 

This will really piss off my mom....

At the Renaissance Festival, I enticed my sister-in-law to get a henna tattoo with me!   I love henna for some odd reason, I guess because I will never get a permanent tattoo.  I just like the idea of the free-flowing art that the artist created on my hand.  My students think it is interesting, but that I am weird for getting it at "my age".    It makes me happy inside, to be a little rebellious.  My mom hates it, and I guess that is one reason I like it!  Just a little way to assert the ME out there.  Irene loved hers so much she went back to the festival to have the other hand done, too!  I've ordered some henna and bottles and we will be having a "Henna Party" after school soon.  That should be interesting!
 

We took Jonathan and Irene to the NC Renaissance Festival in Huntersvill for Irene's birthday. It was cold, rainy, and so much fun. Jacob meet Maggie and Mother Goose. He was so gentle and the bird nuzzled him like a cat! It was so sweet. We had such a good time watching him look at all the people in costumes and enjoying the rides. He rode a camel and an elephant.

Today is Thanksgiving, 2009. We ate lunch at Fatz with Irene, Brittany, and Mom. It was a lovely meal. Too bad it didn't take well. I am having issues with whatever I ate, with the whole vomiting and such reaction. Not a pleasant evening. So Eric has Jake in his room. I can hear them laughing and playing. Mom just called to share a moment with me. Jake went home with her after lunch. She said they were watching a program about Thanksgiving where people were telling what they are thankful for. He thought Grandmamma was asleep as he sat in her lap, but she heard him tell the television, "I'm thankful for my Mommy." Makes everything else fade into meaningless. Fills my heart with gratitude that God chose me and Eric to be the parents of Jacob and Josh.

Jacob was Bumblebee for Halloween this year. There was a lot of drama with Deana, whether I would take her and ALL her kids trick or treating. No. A little while back, at Layla's first birthday party, Kendra told Jacob that I was not his mommy, that I had stolen him from his mommy and that she was his sister. I decided that I did not want Jake to understand his adoption based on what that little girl told him. So we went to Angela's church to Trunk or Treat. It was crowded, which fascinated Jake, who didn't get the whole put-candy-in-my-Elmo thing. But it was fun and just the two of us. Mommy and Jake.

My two boys. One a man, one a toddler. They fight like mortal enemies, then I'll turn to catch a tender moment. I can't remember what life was before Josh and, now, before Jake. They've always been in my heart, it seems. I hope one day they will be closest friends and companions. Not looking too good for that right now, but there's time.