Thai fact

"In order to maintain some semblance of social cohesion the Thais try to keep their cool and avoid arguments. One should endeavor to live harmoniously with one's neighbors and follow the Buddhist middle path that urges followers to avoid extremes. Getting angry or telling people off is unlikely to solve anything - in Thailand anyway. Anger is disruptive and they regard people who go around making a fuss and picking quarrels as hotheaded - or, to translate literally from Thai, "hothearted" (jai ron). The best advice is "keep your cool" and smile benignly, however frustrated or annoyed you feel."

as good as it gets

Wow- we had a really fantastic weekend.
Thirty-one isn't so bad after all.

gettin' out of Dodge

My Love and I are heading out of town to celebrate my 31 years of life and our six years of marriage. We are super excited for our long-overdue-kid-less-weekend-away! Hope your weekend is filled with lots of hugs & kisses.

Thai fact

"Thais like to have fun; they like parties, gossip, going to the movies, taking trips, and eating out together. Wherever you go in Thailand you will hear the word sanuk being used - the Thai word for fun. Is Bangkok sanuk? Was a certain film sanuk? Was a party you attended sanuk? Even occasions like funerals, which Westerners regard as serious affairs, ought to be fun in Thai eyes. And the same with work. The Thais do not draw a sharp distinction between work and pleasure in the same way as Westerners do.

The Thais are an exceptionally gregarious race when it comes to fun. They like to have a good time together and cannot envisage enjoying life in any solitary way. Their idea of fun tends to be unsophisticated and playful - usually with noisy music and bustling crowds.

Forget about the Protestant work ethic. Most Thais are easy-going people who refuse to work themselves to a standstill. Work is a means to earning a living, not the be-all and end-all of life. Indeed the Thai word ngan, which means "work", also means "party." "

I missed Mother's Day!

I just found out (thanks Kate!) that yesterday was Mother's Day in Thailand. I guess it's apt that I missed it as I am not actually a mother to a Thai child yet but at least I now know the date for next year. (or in two years, more likely!)

The Thai people celebrate Mother's Day on August 12th because it is Her Majesty Queen Sirikit's birthday (or วันเฉลิมพระชนมพรรษา สมเด็จพระนางเจ้าฯ พระบรมราชินีนาถ as written in the Thai language) and she is considered the mother to all the Thai people. You can read more about how the Thais celebrate this holiday here.

free music - cool!

Ever since college I have been a big fan of Derek Webb's music. I consider him a modern day prophet, spouting out the things that nobody wants to hear but lots of people need to hear. Much like Keith Green he is a pioneer in a lot of ways. One of the things that he does (again like Keith) is that he makes his music available for free or whatever people want to pay. He has helped start up a site with some other musicians that are getting behind this same idea. The site is called noisetrade. You can choose to email three friends about the album or pay whatever you want and in exchange you are able to download the album...for free. Isn't that cool?

a greater gift

My Dad sent me the sweetest early birthday present this past week. It's from a site that I hadn't heard of called A Greater Gift. He found it as he was searching the web for a fair trade item from Thailand that he though I might like. And he was right, I do! Not only is this bag really beautiful, but the fact that it is helping someone in Thailand earn a good and fair wage makes the gift even sweeter. Eva thinks so too. She has barely let the bag leave her shoulder since its arrival.

Thai fact

"Thai self-confidence is reflected in their smart appearance. Cleanliness is important, and Thais think nothing of having several showers a day. They make a point of being well-dressed, with clothes that are always spotless and neatly pressed. The Thai word for dirty, sokaprok, expressed disgust.

Urban women, in particular,take pride in their appearance, wearing stylish clothes and making extensive use of cosmetics. They also smile a lot - simply because a smile always looks more attractive then a frown."

red letters campaign

I've recently joined up with the Red Letters campaign. It is a group focused on both awareness and action. Some of the primary focuses are orphan care, poverty, HIV and adoption. I am now an 'adoption journalist' for this project. That sounds pretty fancy but all it really means is that my blog is posted on their page of adoption journals, listed under Thailand {their 1st! - come on Thailand peeps!} and I post their blog badge at the end of my posts. For anyone that is interested in these issues or wants to help bring awareness about these things or even just wants to find more adoptions journeys to follow, this is a great site to check out.

anchored

Most of you have probably heard about the death of Steven Curtis Champan's youngest daughter, Maria. The Chapman family has adopted three little girls from China in addition to the three biological children that they have. They are huge adoption advocates and an inspiration to many. This morning was their first interview since Maria's death. If you missed it you can watch it on Steven's website. They will also be on Larry King Live for the full hour tomorrow night, August 7th 9pm ET/ 6pm PT on CNN. They are such a beautiful family and a great picture of faith when it counts.

song for Lucy

One of the adoption blogs that I follow is called Taiwan Lucy. Lucy's Dad has written a really beautiful song while he waits for his little girl to come to home. Lucy's song is available as a free download on their site. I feel like it so embodies the hearts of all of the adoptive parents out there, waiting, wondering when their little one will be home at last. In my eyes, by far the hardest part of adoption is the knowledge that your child is out there not knowing the love of a family. Godspeed all of our babies home.

bunnies

So, I am officially crazy.

Some friends of ours kept offering us some free bunnies. They have horses/chickens/turkeys/bunnies/dogs/etc. at their place. They kept saying that the kids could come over and pick out some baby bunnies. We kept putting it off. Then randomly some other friends were moving and offered us their bunny cages, even though we have no bunnies. We started thinking maybe God was speaking. Granted, we have misheard Him before, this wouldn't be the first time. Suffice to say, we now are 'trying out' life with two bunnies. They or I may not make it the week and they or I may soon be living on the nice ranch property with said horses, chickens, etc. Feel free to offer any name suggestion as right now I keep going back to the names of Franciscan monks - not sure why.

I'll keep you posted on how this current saga plays out.

play smart

I added a new banner to my sidebar: Free Rice. It's a pretty unique concept. Each time you visit their site you can play a game testing your vocabulary skills. For each word that you get correct, 20 grains of rice are donated through the UN World Food Program to help end hunger.

67,949,960 grains of rice were donated yesterday, just by people playing this game.

Over 40 billion grains have been donated to date.

Hey! Each time you check out 'the Paben 5' you could click on the banner and play.

A game that helps strengthen your brain and fights world hunger? How can you lose?

paperwork

I am trying to get all of our forms filled out and documents assembled so that when we get a copy of our final home study -
our dossier is ready to go!

And don't you know that I look just like this doing it?

Eva's adventure

I bought this book (the First Adventures of Incredible You) for my daughter, Eva, sometime last year and I was really excited about how it turned out. When ordering the book you answer all sorts of questions about where you live, different family members or friends, etc... (for example one questions asks for your, or your child's, favorite sports team...) Then when you receive the book, all these little details are woven into the story. Eva loves it!

I just received an email stating that this book is on sale through August 31st for $26.36. I did notice an online retailer is now selling this same book for $49, so this is a pretty good deal in comparison. This makes a great gift and I think an especially cool adoption item.

You need to enter the code: adventures20 at checkout.

As always, I have no affiliation with any of these products.

Thai fact

"Because Thailand has never been under foreign rule, the Thais hold their heads high and regard people from other nations as their equals. They come across as self-confident, and proud of their country, but never arrogant. They learn from an early age that Thailand is 'Buddha's own country.' They have savored independence for centuries and are very thankful for this."

tip toe

The social worker just left.
Our second home study visit is over.
The kids are both napping at the same time.
The house is clean.

And it's a Monday.

It's as if I am living in some surreal alternate reality.

Perhaps if I tread lightly, this moment in time will last a bit longer...

Bella

I have heard some good things about this film and have been wanting to see it. I know that the girl has an unexpected pregnancy and that adoption is a theme in the film. Have any of you seen it - what were your thoughts on it?

**update**

We watched this Friday night and I really, really liked it. I hate to recommend a film because each time I do, my mother watches it and then threatens to disown me but...what can I do? I liked it.

just as they promised.

Our first home study is officially complete. I just spoke with our second home study social worker and she asked if she could fly out this monday - I am so grateful that things are finally moving along!

This is Sitha Heng...

"...Sitha is 50 years old and lives in a small village on Cambodia's Mekong River about 15 miles north of the capital city of Phnom Penh. A widow, Sitha has four daughters, three of whom are married and one who lives with her at home.
For the past 34 years, Sitha has supported her family by weaving silk into cloth, a skill she learned from her mother. She sells her finished produts to a middle man in her village, who then resells it in Phnom Penh's markets. In addition to weaving, hard-working Sitha also grows rice to sell. To grow her businesses, Sitha is requesting a loan of $1,200 U.S. dollars to purchase more silk and rice."

This morning I went to Kiva' site and made a loan towards Sitha's goal. She still needs $425 to meet that goal. If you would like to get involved in helping Sitha's business prosper you can find her here.

Such a small contribution on our part can literally change the course of a person's life. Why wait?

**update** Sitha's goal has been met a mere 6 hours from when I posted this. Perhaps some of my generous readers made it happen! There's still plenty of others to partner with though...!