Meeting Marianne

(drum roll please...)

Here at last is a picture of me with my birthmother, Marianne. For those of you new to my blog, we had never met before I took this trip to California. Spoken on the phone many times, but never physically connected. So here we are at last.

We didn't have pictures taken at the airport...we both had our cameras, but we were too busy hugging and crying to do it, and there was no one else there to take it without bugging someone we didn't know. Probably best, since our makeup was a mess and we could be a little more composed if we waited. This picture was taken on Tuesday by her friend Felicia, who's been one of her best friends since the beginning of my life.

I'll post tomorrow after I get home with all the fun details about this most excellent adventure, but I had to at least get a picture posted. It's been a very full few days, emotionally, physically, and spiritually, but I wouldn't change a thing. 

But before I go...

Those of you who know me well know this is a picture I've wanted to take for almost nine years now...ever since we left the shores of New Jersey. It seems almost rude to share it with those of you in ice-bound Arkansas, but I gotta do it.

Just me, walking barefoot into the Pacific Ocean. May I just say that this also caused me to shed a few tears this week.

(And for those of you who think I'm a Bad Momma, I would like to go on record as saying that I HAD NO IDEA WE WOULD HAVE 3 1/2 SNOW DAYS WHILE I WAS GONE! David's been quite the trooper filling in for me, and I'm glad he's been able to take a mini-vacation while I'm on a real one. Thanks, Hon! I love you! Need a break from the kids? Here's a little something I wrote just for you...)

Leaving on a jet plane...Palm Springs, here I come!

Many of you already know my news, but I had to get my nervous energy out and blog about it!

In just a few hours, I'll be on a plane to Palm Springs, California.

Just me. And about 1000 pictures.

I'm off to meet my birthmother, Marianne, for the first time.

Yes, you heard correctly.

We've spoken many times, and exchanged emails and pictures and gifts for the past four months, but we've never met in person. A few days ago, David cleared his travel schedule and made it possible for me to go.

It is time.

Monday morning at 11 AM Pacific Time, I'll get to give Marianne the biggest hug I possibly can. And hugs for my family. And hugs for my parents. They're excited for me, too.

What do you take? How do you sum up almost 41 years of life? I have no idea.
Here's my start:



Watch for pictures and info to come in the next day or two!

The blogger is back in the building...

Thanks to some major carpal tunnel issues, seasonal stress, kids-at-home overload, remodeling exhaustion, and just plain procrastination, very few posts have made it online recently...but that doesn't do any good! I've been writing them daily in my head as I'be been taking pictures for my latest major scrapbook undertaking: my knock-off version of Creating Keepsakes' Project 365. And if you read my post a while ago about my quirks, you may understand that I have to have things in order...and so when I missed one, the events I wanted to chronicle added up (note to self--gotta get over that!).

In case you missed them recently...

Check out the catchup posts about Rebekah's birthday in November, my sister's wedding in November, Lindsay's birthday in December, and our Christmas wishes, if you're feeling up to looking back a little. If not, please join us on our journey through 2009!