being politically correct

SHAME ON YOU NOTRE DAME!

After watching and reflecting on this video, it reminded me a bit of Jesus being taken before Pilate.

Pilate would have been looked down upon before the chief priests if he released Jesus himself, so he hoped by allowing the people to decide between Jesus and Barabbas, a murderer, they would choose Jesus to be released. He even went as far as asking the people, "What crime has he committed?" (Mark 15:14) in the hopes that Jesus would be set free. The people chose to crucify Him. Pilate chose to be 'politically correct'.

Notre Dame, founded in 1842 and affiliated with the Roman Catholic church, was very much playing the role of Pilate. Wanting to fit into today's polluted society, they jumped on the bandwagon to offer Obama an honorary degree and a chance to speak at their commencement ceremonies this past Sunday. Now, being put into a position which was obviously a horrible mistake since they've lost millions in contributions from their alumni, they were too proud to take back their offer. In other words, they were acting 'politically correct'. There are those two words again. Words that make me cringe at my very core.

It saddens me greatly each passing day how we can care less and less for those that have no voices and more and more for our own selfish agendas.

It's like I tell my kids all the time, "Life would be so easy. All you have to do is obey."

"If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." - 2 Chronicles 7:14

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Catholics, does this make you feel even the slighest tinge of remorse for having voted this man into office?

I certainly didn't vote for him. Yet, watching this 80-year-old priest, a man ordained by the very church whose beliefs this univeristy was founded upon, being dragged away to jail for defending the unborn, while a man that has been given a license to kill the innocent is being revered, makes my stomach churn!

Jesus' return can't possibly be too far away!

Want to read someone else's very enlightening views on Obama's Notre Dame scandal?

CLICK HERE!

double woot! woot!

KRIS ALLEN WINS AMERICAN IDOL!

I am beyond thrilled that the underdog, a sweet and humble Christian boy who is a great role model, is the new American idol, but I have to be honest.

I don't know which one I enjoyed more.

THIS...

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or THIS:

That was great! Kara Dioguardi rocks!!! She's very charismatic, engaging and sweet. She also has a voice on her that can blow the roof off the house. I loved it!

Bikini girl's look was totally priceless!

Fun with The Ferrills

Adoption has not only changed my children's lives, but it has changed ours in just about every aspect. The rapport between adoptive families is something that is almost indescribable. We all share an unspoken bond that transcends the fact that many of us have never physically met. So, when we actually do get to meet another adoptive family, especially one that lives hundreds of miles away, it just makes it even more special. Isn't God awesome how he can bring strangers together and make them feel like they've known each all their lives?

Monday morning, I packed the van, packed the kids and headed to Orlando, three hours away, to meet one of my favorite families, The Ferrills. They absolutely blessed my socks off!

This beautiful, God-loving, homeschoolin' Mama of seven, with the sweetest southern accent you could ever imagine, made our rain-drenched day sunny.

Then there's the children. Oh my! I don't know which one I could possibly claim as my favorite, because they were each sweeter than the next. Almost edible. Really. And polite is an understatement. Kudos to their parents for doing such an amazing job! They all ran to the door to greet us when we arrived. I tell ya, when I grow up, I wanna be like Laine!

The two youngest, Kimmie and Quan, were even more precious than I imagined. Quan is a little replica of Kai, except much more sedated (although Laine disagrees) and Kimmie is a beautiful, little lady. I could've easily packed them up and brought them home with me!

Candace, the lastest addition to the Ferrill family, just grabbed my heart and ran with it the minute she flashed me one of her smiles! Boy, oh boy...Mr. Ferrill better keep that shotgun by the front door with these girls living there.

Next is the most adorable red-head I've ever met, Carlie. She was so kind and welcoming, immediately sharing her toys with our little ones.

Then there are the two boys, Clay and Colby, ages 9 and 11. What perfect little gentlemen. Some day those boys are gonna make some very lucky ladies proud.

And last but not least, Amanda's newest buddy, Katie Lyn. She offered to prepare peanut butter sandwiches for the entire crew (14 of us!!!). She's truly got a Mama's heart and the love for her siblings just oozes out of her.

I also got to meet someone very special to the Ferrill family, Kylie Watkins. Remember this name, because chances are very good that you may be seeing Kylie on the runway of the Miss America pageant! You see, in February of this year, Kylie was named 2009 Miss University of Mobile. A huge accomplishment! Now in June, she is competing in the Miss Alabama pageant.
Please keep her in your prayers because this young lady is exactly what America's teens and young girls need as a role model. She is not only stunningly beautiful, but has a genuine love for the Lord and for children. Kylie, we're rooting you on in Florida! Godspeed all the way to the Miss America crown!

Now, onto the good stuff you've been waiting for, if you haven't already scrolled down and peeked!

It was really tough choosing which pictures to post, so I tried narrowing it down to some of my favorite moments. I do admit though, that the pictures don't really do justice to the good time we had.

Our two families, minus my two big boys and our hubbies.

(Front row, left to right: Carlie, Candace, Quan, Anna Grace, and Kai.

Back row: Laine, Katie Lyn, Kimmie, Clay, Amanda, Colby, Kylie, AJ and me. Whew!)

Anna Grace and Quan. Wouldn't it be neat to see them like this in 20 years? :)

Laine and my silly boy, Kai.


Amanda and Katie Lyn ready to pass out PB & J sandwiches.

"Choo-Choo!" Kylie leading the crew of little ones back to the condo.

Laine sneaking in some AJ "sugar", as he calls it.

I think AJ was asking, "Mama, are you sure we aren't in China?"

Heading back from the playground. Carlie holding Anna Grace's hand, while Kimmie and Quan hitch rides.

The beautiful Miss Kylie (remember to keep her in your prayers!!) and the lovable Miss Candace.

Ooohhh, I could've eaten Kimmie up. She is so sweet!

And last but not least, my hero and dear friend, Laine Ferrill.

Laine,

Thank you so much for having us. It truly was an honor and a blessing meeting your family. We had a wonderful time and the kids have done nothing but talk about your family since we got in the car! AJ wanted to know why we weren't going back after playgroup today since he had told you, "See you in the morning!"

From myself, Amanda and the little ones....a great big hug to all of you!

For those of you that could handle even more kiddo cuteness, click HERE!

guess who I met yesterday?

Although the weather outside was like this the entire day:

It really felt like it was like this:

after meeting this amazing family and Super Mom.

(Yes, she literally is a Super Mom!)

Think you know who she is? Here's a few clues:

She's a waaaaay cool adoptive Mama that's pretty well known in the adoption/blog world and they have a total of SEVEN beautiful kiddos and... they're vacationing with the mouse in Orlando this week!

Hmmm.....who could that be?

Take a guess and check back later for some great pics and details about my visit with this fabulous family!

God thinks he's funny

First, I gotta say. You guys rock! You amuse me, make me laugh, make me think and really make me enjoy blogging!

Our very dear friend Aus left this comment tonight:

"It's all I can do to not grab the phone and call you guys - but I'm being good. If this is what I think it is then I feel a long blog post about God's Grace and Guidance when you really open your heart and let go.....We're waiting with baited breath!"

I gotta say. You impress me! A lot of you do! It's scary how you're beginning to think like me! heh!

I do want to apologize for making you guys wait, and worse yet, for making you jump to all sorts of conclusions. You know I love you all. You do know that, don't you? ::smile::

I'm going to share about the little boy in this post, but more importantly, I prayed a lot before writing it because for whatever reason, I feel God wanting me to share what he's laid on my heart. Maybe it is meant for one of you reading this. I have no clue, but I'm being obedient. You see, I originally posted about the little boy as joke, because I knew you'd immediately think adoption since I would love nothing more than a human little boy to add to our family. I guess the joke's on me. God pulled me back into class. He said, "Yep, Ohilda! Time for some more learnin'."

What started out as a "feeling" on Friday morning when I awoke, (remember this tweet? "Have you ever felt something AMAZING was gonna happen that day? I'm feeling that today & lovin' it. Not sure what...or why, but it's good!") turned out to be a huge lesson from God, actually many lessons rolled into one big one.

He knows I'm a slow learner. A very slow learner at times. He knows I sometimes require fireworks and big neon signs to really capture my attention. To really make me get up and shout to the world, "OUR GOD ROCKS...AND THIS IS WHY!" Don't get me wrong. I think that all the time. I even think about blogging about it all the time, but lots of times I get sidetracked by worldly things. Many times I give up on praying for the desires of my heart because I figure, "Ok. I've prayed. I've asked. He hasn't answered. It's not happening." and then the praying stops. Oh, ye of little faith! Yea, me.

This is where the story begins.

You guys all know Kiefer, right? No. Not Kiefer Sutherland. My real Kiefer. THIS guy!

Well, after seven months, lots of tears and frustration beyond belief, we decided to disrupt our adoption of this little rascal. I seeked professional input. Books were read. Even pleading with some prayers thrown in didn't resolve the issue.

Kiefer, much like his namesake, is a rebel. He believed with his whole heart and soul that my white living room was his bathroom. Yes. Daily. In fact, two and three times a day he would sneak off (after consistently being taken out to relieve himself) and find spots on my white carpet/white couch to do his business. He knew. I got tired of the shampooing carpets and furniture psychological game we were playing . I already clean enough bottoms and change enough diapers to have to pick up another breathing creature's poop and pee. So, we found him a home. A family with 2 other doxies that had the same issue. Their master was OK with it. Sorry, I was not.

I was sad. Very sad. I love dogs. I was deprived of growing up with one when I was kid and I want my kids to love dogs, too. So, after a couple of months, the urge began. I tried to resist it. I thought about the expense. The work. The commitment. But the sacrifice to me was okay if we ended up with a great family member and buddy for the kids.

The search began. I, of course, visited the local animal shelter's website daily. Too big. Too small. Too old. Too young. Our local shelter is pretty small and can't hold many dogs. Then there are the rescues in the area, which ask an outrageous amount of money to adopt out a pet. And finally, there's Craigslist. My personal little escape where I can sit for hours pouring over each ad. Nothing. It seems like it wasn't meant to be.

Friday morning, as mentioned above, I awoke feeling exhilarated. I just knew something good was gonna happen. God's been really playing tug with me for the past few months in another area (you can breathe...that'll be another post) and I thought that's where he was gonna show up.

While we were killing time before taking the kids to school, I sat on the computer and was going over the new Craigslist entries. I saw an ad that read: "need to rehome Maltese". I opened it up and he sounded perfect. "7 months old, housebroken, neutered, up to date on shots, and LOVES kids! Is AKC registered and has papers."

I immediately wrote back asking how much the rehoming fee was. I know these pups, especially ready to go, can sell anywhere from $600. to $1500. I was looking for something really, I mean REALLY, inexpensive (notice I didn't say cheap? Just sounds better).

I took the kids to school and ran back in the house and into the office to see if the owner had responded. She had. Her email said, "How much are you looking to spend? We purchased him in a pet shop and he was quite a lot. But, our interest is finding him a good family home. Can you please tell me more about your family?"

Yikes! I knew he had to have been purchased for at least $800. if he came from a pet shop. I thought my measly offering I had discussed with Scott would probably be less than what she spends on food and his expenses in one month. But, I prayed. Wrote back, explaining a bit about our family and included my embarrassing offer. To which, a couple of hours later, received this response. "You sound like a really good fit for our doggy and that's important to me. So far I like your response the most. But, in the 4 hours since the ad has been up, I've received over 100 emails. Honestly I was hoping to get more for him. We have spent a lot of money on him, but we don't want that to be the only deciding factor. I will review all of the emails and get back to you this evening."

I knew it was over. One hundred emails responding to her ad? I know it's definitely possible because I received close to that amount of emails for our Kiefer when I listed him. Out of all those people there must've been many perfect families, especially ones who could afford to pay more than peanuts.

I prayed some more and then I called Scott in tears. I said to him that we'd just have to see if the power of prayer would be stronger than the power of money. I cried. And then I made a deal with God. He laughed. Well, I don't really know whether he laughed or not, but if I were God, I would've laughed at me. I told him that if we were turned down for this dog. My quest for a dog would be over. It wasn't the right time.

When we picked up the little ones from school we went to run some errands and grab something to eat. I had given the woman my cell number in case she had questions, or if she decided for some crazy reason we were the ones. (I didn't actually tell her the latter.) I held the phone as if I were waiting for a referral call from China, checking it often to make sure it was turned on and the ringer was on HIGH. Nothing.

When we got home, I again ran to the computer. THERE IT WAS! AN EMAIL! I was so nervous to open it that I asked a hovering Amanda and Scott to read it to me while I stood next to them with clenched eyes. Scott read it. It said, "We can do your offer, in cash. Not sure why, but I kept coming back to your family. I think your family is the best fit for the pup. Do you want to meet him today?" I immediately knew "why". GOD arranged it!

I thought Scott was teasing. I couldn't believe it! I opened my eyes and read it myself! I still couldn't believe it! That feeling in the morning was real. Very real. God was creating a miracle. You can look at it and question it as my sweet friend Peg said, "Hmmm... a Maltese puppy...but is that miraculous?"

The answer to that is a loud, resounding YES! The puppy itself is not the miracle. It's how God used the puppy to remind me again since I am so dense teach me that NOTHING is too big or too silly or even too crazy to ask God for. That's what he wants. He wants us to give Him control of everything in our lives, for His glory.

Don't be afraid to ask God for the desires of your heart. Give him details. He wants that intimate relationship with us. Talk to Him as if He were sitting at the table having a cup of coffee with you. He is your maker. Your Abba. Wouldn't you speak to your own physical father like that?

God creates miracles in our lives all the time. We just need to stop and realize that there are no coincidences. There is no such thing as luck. God wants the best for you. Open your eyes, heart and arms and say, "Lord, I am here! Ready to receive your miracles!"

By the way, the woman gave me all of his paperwork. She purchased him for $1200! After speaking to her tonight, I learned she had offers of $750.00. What we paid is not even worth mentioning. I consider our new little guy a gift from God.

Here's our new completely housebroken and trained sweet little boy:

FREDERICK VON BOMBARDIER, II

(Affectionately called "Fred")