My 40 LEAST Favorite Things

Part Two in my series devoted to my 40th birthday!

1. Coughing
2. Loud TV Commercials that have found a way to out-smart the smart sound system.
3. People who act like they are busier than everyone else.
4. Ice cream
5. Disrespectful children
6. Lies
7. Snow
8. Incompetence when there is every reason to expect competence.
9. Mating socks
10. Sauerkraut
11. I cry when I get mad
12. The word THEY (as in…”They said they were going to…” Who is they????)
13. Rude drivers who believe that rural WV roads are equivalent to busy metro areas…Just to let you know, I have been/driven there…THEY AREN’T the same, so settle down! Honestly the people driving on Emily Drive in Clarksburg need to spend a little time in New York or Addis Ababa Ethiopia and then they would lay off their horns and/or go when the light is green!
14. Steak
15. Surprises
16. Doctor’s offices
17. The smell of meat frying
18. Radio broadcasts of sports events
19. Shrimp
20. Being snapped at (Physically snapping and I think this is residual effects from my early morning French Drill class in college)
21. Intentional Ignorance
22. Women who flaunt their physical assets instead of their intellectual ones…when they have both. (I mean hey, if it is all you got…by all means…use what you’ve been given, but if you’ve got some smarts, heaven forbid!)
23. Single people who put their lives on hold waiting for “the one.”
24. Hairballs
25. The sound of an alarm clock
26. The smell of burnt popcorn
27. Seeing my name misspelled
28. Weak coffee
29. Disorganization
30. Putting silverware away
31. Not knowing the ending of a movie/book before I read/see it. I HAVE TO KNOW or I WON’T GO
32. Live Sporting Events – see entry above...
33. Diet soda ( Prefer to go thirsty if that is my only option)
34. Being poked in the arm
35. People saying my name repeatedly when I am busy setting up for a party/event or working on a project.
36. Jeopardy – the game show
37. Scary Movies
38. The lowering of expectations in America in regards to education, intellect, competency, morals, manners and overall common decency.
39. Asparagus
40. Hearing my speaking voice on a recording

My 40 Favorite Things

In honor and celebration of my 40th birthday...my posts this week are going to focus on 40 things, people, experiences, etc. that help(ed) make me the woman I am today. Some will be lighthearted and some will be really personal. I realize, it is a little self-indulgent, but a woman of my age and with her own blog can do that!

Here's the first of the series...

My 40 Favorite Things

(not including people or animals! And in no particular order)

1. Good Quality Candles that smell like baked goods.
2. Godiva Chocolate
3. Shimmery Lipsticks with hints of brown and gold
4. Sparkly (imitation) jewelry
5. The ocean (but not to swim, more to watch and hear)
6. Walking barefoot in dewy grass
7. Mountain Dew
8. My mama’s sweet tea
9. Pedicures
10. Rich coffee with way too much flavored creamer
11. Cookbooks
12. Shoes
13. White Roses
14. Lilacs
15. Daffodils
16. Cantaloupes
17. The smell and feel of an old book
18. Croissants
19. Family traditions

20. Rubber Cement
21. Tiramisu
22. Driving with my windows down when it is too cold for it as long as I can have the heat cranked up
23. Green grapes
24. Scotch tape
25. Shiny black patent leather shoes
26. Perfumes with woodsy notes and undertones of orange blossoms, lilies and honeysuckle (strangely enough all my favorites have most of these scents in some combination!)
27. Bath and Body Works Wall Flowers (I think I have about 20 in my house)
28. Ridiculously soft blankets
29. Napping in my mama’s bed (and now also my daughters)
30. Gummy berries, bears, worms, etc.
31. Coupons
32. Lemon Lime Slushies (Artic Rush) from the Dairy Queen
33. Strategy games/Brain teasers/Logic Questions
34. Facebook
35. My iPad/iPhone
36. A roaring fireplace
37. Fountains – (not drinking ones)
38. Really interesting black and white photographs of nature or architectural elements
39. Sharpie Markers

40. Christmas ornaments that tell a story or capture a memory

An Interview with my daughter

I like to say in my former life, I used to be a journalist. Actually I was a reporter/editor at a weekly newspaper for eight years and loved almost every minute of it. I was good at it and really enjoyed interviewing people. I used to say that everyone had a story to tell and a real reporter could make it interesting. While I have been out of the biz for about six years now, I decided to put my skills to work and interview Jacinda. What ensued was hysterical to say the least. There were a lot of pauses, attempts to change the subject and straight looks in the eyes when she said...I am not going to answer that. What I discovered is either I have lost my touch or my little tween is my toughest subject yet!

Here's a transcript of what transpired...

Me: Jacinda what are three great things about being you?
Jacinda:Well I'm smart, I'm pretty and ummm...I guess that I am a fashionista.

Me: If you could choose two foods that I would never serve again, what would they be?
Jacinda: Macaroni and eggs

Me: If you could keep your room anyway you wanted and I wouldn't say anything...what would it look like?
Jacinda: Very good...but not really clean.

Me: How much money do you think you would need in a week and what would you spend it on?
Jacinda: $100. I would buy clothes.

Me: What makes a person a good friend?
Jacinda: If they are nice and smart. (Long Pause...) That's really all I can think of right now.

Me: What was your favorite toy to play with when you were a little girl?
Jacinda: In Ethiopia I had a stuffed monkey, that was my favorite, but I had to share it.

Me: What are your three favorite TV Shows?
Jacinda: Sister-Sister, The Waltons and Our House (yep, the 80's drama with Deidre Hall and Shannen Doherty )

Me: What is the grossest thing you can think of?
Jacinda: Mud....oh and boogers. Because boogers are really gross.

Me: What do you think the right age is to get married?
Jacinda: I think 70.
Me: Then Grammy and Papaw would just be getting married.
Jacinda: OK, then 50 then. Is that good?
Me: That's very good.

Me: What do you think about my driving?
Jacinda: Well you're pretty good because you drive slow and steady. You watch where you go and you don't bang into people.

Me: What do you want your job to be?
Jacinda: A photographer, doctor or a teacher.

Me: How much money do you think you will make?
Jacinda: A quadrillion dollars...Mrs. Octave just taught me about quadrillions today.

Me: What advice do I always give you?
Jacinda: When I go to birthday parties you always tell me to be good and to be nice.

Me: Who are you most like in our family?
Jacinda: Papaw -because we both like potatoes. Uncle Doug - because we both like picking on people and Leah - because we are both silly.

Me: How are you and I alike?
Jacinda: We're both smarter than a lot of people.

Me: Do you think boys and girls are equally smart?
Jacinda: NO I DO NOT! Girls are smarter because boys aren't really smart. They're kind of dumbheads and lazy bones. (I didn't even know my girl knew dumbhead or lazybones, so I am not sure where she got this!)

So there you have it. I think this is something we will do periodically because it was so much fun and will be hysterical to look back on years later.

Worried...

I am not an alarmist by nature, but I come from a long line of worriers. Honestly, it is in my blood as my own dear Grandma is stilled described as a worry wart more than 30 years since she died.
As a woman of faith, I recognize that I don't need to worry (i.e. I SHOULD NOT WORRY), but I have a tendency to do just that if I am not careful. And in the adoption realm there's A LOT to worry about. I learned first hand with the 15-month process I was in to bring Jacinda home. So many nights and days I was worried, full of fear and broken in tears. I promised myself that the second adoption would be different, so I tend to stay clear of message boards and even adoption blogs this time around.
However in the past few weeks...news in the Ethiopian adoption arena has not been great and has trickled down to a "head-in-the-sand" me. Agencies are using words like "in flux," "uncertain," and "could change without any notice" to describe their programs. And there are even groups asking people to hold off on beginning a new adoption as the responsible thing to do.
And so for the past few weeks I have been worried.
I have most of my paperwork together, but I have been really lax about starting my fingerprints or signing a contract and sending the several thousand dollar contract fee to a new agency. I am trying not to worry, but I just don't have peace about this. I don't want to be just another story of heartbreak. I don't have thousands of dollars lying around that wouldn't be missed if it all fell apart.
I am praying for a sign. I would like an answer. I worry that by holding off until things are more settled, I will really be watching the door close on an Ethiopian sister for Jacinda. I worry that I am doing the Lord a disservice by worrying at all, since He is in control. I worry that because I am worrying that adopting another child is not the right move.
And yet as I worry and pray for answers, instead of clarification, it seems I only discover more questions.
I don't want the fear of the unknown to paralyze me into non-action. I am not a coward. But I want to make sure that whatever decision I make or move I take, that it is the right path for our family and that it is what He will have me do.
So for now I will continue to pray, to do what I can to help Ethiopia and other African countries, pray that someday I will have a new daughter to love and try my best not to worry.

NEW LOOK...coming soon!

Nikki at www.madebynikki.blogspot.com is going to be doing a redesign of my blog. I am very excited and hoping that this February splurge will have me back to blogging again SOON!