My Seven Random Things

A couple weeks ago I tried to start a game of blog tag…it’s reaaaallly dull out here on the wait list lately so help me out people! I was tagged by the ever supportive Tam and I have been meaning to get to this ever since...but it's not so easy to come up with seven random things about one's self, especially since I did this back in November! I struggled to come up with another seven but figure that it's only fair that I put a little effort into this since I am asking others to do so. Here's what I came up with…


1. Mark and I met seven years ago this week. Below is a picture of us enjoying each other’s company on our first day together at a gathering with mutual friends in Vermont. This picture was snapped by a friend who noticed our budding attraction and it transports me back to that special beginning. I treasure both the picture and the memory.

2. On September 11, 2001 I was walking down into the subway at World Trade Center when the first plane hit. I heard the commotion but was late for work so continued on and caught one of, if not the, last train out of there. I had no idea what had happened until I was safely at my desk in midtown and found several concerned messages from friends who knew that I lived down there. I know everyone has a September 11th story and I do not think that my story is more special than anyone else’s just because I lived there. But what is special for me is that from that day forward I have felt lucky. Lucky to be alive. Lucky to be blessed with so many good things in my life. The experience snapped me out of a self centered existence that only someone without any real problems could be living and I am infinitely more humble and grateful for the blessings in my life now.

3. I have what my friends and family refer to as a “freaky toe”. I know, ewwww, I wasn’t going to write about this but they insist. The “freaky” nature of my pinky toe is that it doesn’t lie straight, but rather sits crookedly on top of the toe next to it. This second toe has a little dent in it to accommodate the freaky toe…so I guess that means I have two freaky toes. Apart from the odd angle of repose, I can move it just like any other toe, which really gets the crowd going! It has been like this as long as I can remember and other than when my dog is trying to gently lick it (I think he is trying to heal me) or when my closest friends and family treat it like a circus sideshow act, I give it no thought. Some have pointed out that I could “get that fixed” if I wanted to, but I don’t want to. The freaky toe in all its freakiness is a part of me and…well…trust me, it’s not that freaky…!

4. The first watershed moment in my life was fifteen years ago when I decided to move from the Pacific Northwest back to the Northeast to be closer to family. At the same time I left a job teaching art and computers to elementary school children, not because I didn’t love the job, but because I thought more money would bring the freedom to pursue the things I thought I wanted in life. The plan was to drive across country, go back to school and then find a job in the software industry. By the time I got to Chicago the travel bug had grabbed a hold of me and I decided to continue on to Europe, where I back packed around for a few months, mostly by myself but sometimes connecting with new or old friends. It was an amazing experience. When I returned to the “real” world I needed money more than ever so skipped the school plans and managed to find a job with a software company. That career has continued on in one form or another ever since. In hindsight, the bigger paycheck didn’t provide me with the freedom that I thought it would…or maybe it’s more that I traded one kind of freedom for another…but I think the journey led me to exactly where I am supposed to be. This adoption is the next watershed moment and I am so excited to see what the future holds…

5. Months ago I thought that when we reached the 8th month mark on the wait list I would be jumping out of my skin every time the phone rang and thinking non-stop about getting the call. Strangely that is not at all what is happening and in fact I am thinking less about the call than at any other time on this journey. What I am thinking a lot more about is the birth family and the loss that they and our children must go through in order to bring us the anticipated joy of parenting. Of course it is not the first time I have thought about this…it brings tears to my cheeks every Sunday in church…but somehow it feels more poignant lately. It is a hard thing to reconcile, this inevitable loss in adoption. Adoption is bitter sweet and there’s just no way around that.

6. Mark sometimes brings me a glass of ice water with a slice of lemon in it just because he thinks I might want one. I guess that’s a random fact about Mark but I really love that about him so I’m keeping it on my list!

7. Even though “the wait” is long, I believe that every minute of it has helped prepare my heart, mind and soul to nurture the two children who are about to become the epicenter of my life. There’s a lot to think about when it comes to parenting, and even more to think about when parenting under unique circumstances like adoption. Believe me, after waiting years to even begin this journey, I felt ready a long time ago, but however ready I felt on day one, I know that I am infinitely more ready on day 430 (uh, huh, I am counting…or at least the ticker at the bottom of my blog is!).

OK, Blog-Sisters, the pressure is on! Maybe if we all get completely distracted by Blog Tag, referrals will start flowing again!