Changing my desktop every month has become a thrill to me. Before, I would have the same one for years at a time, but now I love being able to change it to express each month and display some of my favorite pictures.

This month happens to be one of my favorite months. Why? Well, a little thing called my birthday happens. And, it’s just a beautiful and more comfortable time of the year as fall begins to make it’s appearance. The desktop options made by various scrapbooking websites just didn’t fit the bill this month though. None of them were my style, and didn’t express what I wanted it to: My Birthday!

So, I attempted at making my own. I had issues with getting it to resize correctly to my screen size, but I’m satisfied. I picked my favorite colors of the moment, brown and pink, and chose a picture to get me excited about my birthday weekend.  Pretty much it just makes me feel special all month. That’s what birthdays are for, right?

See, I don’t have many friends (because I’m either too shy or too darn busy to build a close friendship near me) and the ones I do have happen to all live several hours away.  So, for my birthday I’m making a trip to visit Jessica in the beautiful mountains. I’m excited. Her birthday is tomorrow (Happy Birthday Jess!) and we like to celebrate together.

On the list of things to do?  Well, it is our 21st birthday so buying our first drink is in order. Nothing too crazy, we’re not wild and crazy people, just a fruity drink with dinner or something.  And then, we’re going to see the movie The Women which comes out just in time on September 12th.  Dove so kindly sent me 2 free tickets along with a gift in return for writing a review of the movie, so look for that soon over on the review blog.

If you haven’t heard much about the movie yet, it’s about the many challenges in women’s life…and most importantly about the friendship that gets women through it (i.e. a more adult version of The Sisterhood of the traveling pants, and a younger version of The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood). It has lots of talented stars in it like Meg Ryan, Debra Messing, Eva Mendes, Bette Midler and many more.  It looks hilarious from the clips I’ve seen (of course, some adult content and language is in there I’m sure) and I’m super excited. Being a Mom now, I don’t often get a chance to go to a movie in theaters and it has definitely been years since I’ve gone with a friend, so this will be a treat! I need me some girl time.

And? You too can win a chance to see it for free! Family Review Network is giving away 2 tickets and all you have to do is comment on that post. The drawing will be held on on September 11th (!) so you can see it on opening night if you wish. Dove also has a game on their website where you can win tickets.

See why I’m so excited about September? And this is only half of it! Go win you some tickets!

I guess it’s just scrapbooking week for me here at the O house. Really, not much is going on in our lives, which is a good and relaxing thing! I’ve gotten several pages done both digitally and with “real” paper supplies. Score!

Some one commented with an awesome scrapbooking link that I just had to share with you guys:

Each day IkeaGoddess takes the time to post several links to freebies she’s found on other scrapbooking blogs. So therefore, it saves time from doing your OWN search for freebies and helps connect you to other great sights for freebies, inspiration and tutorials. I love it. I do have to warn you though, some links lead to blogs in another languages, seeing that IkeaGoddess lives in Germany. But, apparently the word “freebie” is one word that is the same in both languages so it’s not hard to download.

I really think I need to invest in an external hard drive with all the freebies I gather up. Good thing my Birthday is coming up! (well, in a few months…but you know how time flies by).

That said, I’m going to be even more quieter on the blog the next few days as we’ll be without internet visiting family. Enjoy your 4th of July, folks!

Heather over at Production, Not Reproduction kindly suggested the book “The Tummy Mummy” by Michelle Madrid-Branch in a comment recently.  I have heard of this book before but had forgotten about it, and man, I’m so thankful Heather reminded me it was out there (thanks!). Upon reading reviews of the book on Amazon, I stumbled upon an online friend, Fire Mom at Stop, Drop, and Blog (who I very much respect her opinion and look up to as a fellow birth mom and mother) saying it was a good one.  Her adoption situation is similar to my own: open, domestic, close contact with her daughter and adoptive parents, etc. And then? I found a full review that she wrote on Adoption Blogs that totally sold me.

This book seems to have what I am looking for: 1) A message that I will always love her and made my decision out of love. 2) Her parents love her and will always be there for her. And, what I really love about this book?  A wise owl guides the birth mother through her decision.  That to me symbolizes God’s role in our adoption story and I cannot wait to share that with Kaylee.

So, finally, the search is over.  Though, I’ll just have to deal with not being able to read it before buying it. However, I will be buying it off Target so that for some strange reason I don’t think it’s fitting? I’ll return it to Target.  But really, I have this God-guided peace that this is it.

Thanks so much for all your comments and suggestions, you have no idea how helpful you have been and how thankful I am!

First off, Happy Mother’s Day everyone! I hope it’s been a great day of pampering and loving on your own mom and/or getting pampered and honored yourself! My family certainly has done a lot for me this weekend, with beautiful flowers and funny cards, but certainly the high light has been my experience with Birth Mom Buds.

It’s funny how in such a short amount of time, less than 24 hours, you can make so many new connections and quickly come to feel as if you’ve known people forever. It’s a wonderful feeling to instantly “click” with people, which I feel is the hand of God at work giving us the blessing as a whole to be able to support each other. It was such an up lifting, fun filled, emotional and transparent 24 hours.

For me, the fun started Friday night as my Mom drove into town and we met up with 5 other ladies (all birth moms but one, one being the lovely Coley who is Bmom Bud’s Founder). It was my first time meeting these ladies face to face, so I was a bit shy and nervous but thankfully there were some outgoing personalities in our group! Dinner was the most amazing meal I’ve eaten in a long time. Like, Food Network top chief quality with the beautiful presentation and everything. Yum. It was a good time to get to know each other a bit more, hear about their stories, share my own and realize how it really can be a small world.

The next day the official Birth Mother’s Day Event started in the morning, where we were immediately greeted with gift bags (and the whole day was filled with give aways!). We all introduced ourselves with a brief telling of who we are, our children, type of adoption, etc. Everyone had their own story and experiences, from 20 year old children in closed adoptions to only 2 months post placement. It was really neat to see that we all have differences but our choice in adoption brings us together and that unifying experience leads us to help and lean on each other.

We had breakout sessions, one which I lead about journaling about how it can be a great tool for dealing with grief, stress, etc. It went really well and there was some great interaction with others and creative production of poems going on! Another successful speaking event = check!

After our (yummy) lunch we wrote a short prayer/note for our children, tied it to a balloon and let them float to heaven. I released on in honor of Kaylee and for my friend’s daughter, Eden (hi Bre!). Then we listened to several great speakers, one was an adult adoptee that was in a closed adoption but now has been reunited and what that was like. It was really, really validating to hear from the mouth of an adoptee that she is okay and that she is so, so thankful for what her birth mother did for her. I don’t know if I’ll ever hear those words from own daughter’s mouth, but it will be a glorious day if/when she does. Not that I have any doubts in my heart or mind that I did the wrong thing, but to hear from her that I did and her accepting that in her heart and mind, that will be powerful. One of the other speakers was Robyn who had a closed adoption and recently reunited with her son after 19 years. It was a tough story to listen to, but so inspiring as well.

We watched the famous Birth Mom Buds slide show, and then later gathered in a circle to light candles in honor of our children while saying a prayer for them. It was beautiful to see so many women standing together pouring out their hearts in love and willing to be transparent with each other. Not just in this circle, but throughout the whole day.

It was hard to say goodbye, I really did not want the fun and closeness to end. I believe some one said at some point that it was a place filled with love, and it certainly was! On my home a song came on the radio called, “Be still and Know I’m Here” and while this is a Christian song meant to to be about God, I felt it captured this weekend’s experience perfectly. Towards the end of the song, it repeats” We are not alone” several times in such an up lifting way. As a birth mother, I don’t often come in face to face contact with others that share my experience, joys and pain of adoption. But that 24 hours? Was one where it became a reality that there are others out there (and in my own city!) that know what it’s like and we can lean on each other. We are not alone.

So, if anyone is reading this from Birth Mom Buds that I met this weekend, this is a huge thanks to all of you and how wonderful you made this weekend for me. I look forward to our next meeting, and I hope it will be soon! And of course, thanks to my Mom for making it financially possible to attend, giving me encouragement and making this weekend even more special with her presence.

Next from Momma O: A Mother’s Day post.

I honestly don’t cry often. It either gets suppressed because it’s at the wrong moment, or something really has to move my heart to physically cry the tears that I need to cry.

Well, this did it. It’s an update on Audrey’s family, a letter her mom wrote to share with the world those last moments and their love for her…and to share pictures. I just cannot explain what an amazing example this family is, Audrey definitely served God’s purpose and has brought change in so many lives–though painful–for the better. Why? Because their family is displaying the ultimate peace that He can provide and it’s brought people to know Christ personally. It’s touched lives that may already know Christ, but to pursue that relationship stronger. It’s taught us to treasure every moment.

I encourage you to read this letter, and again, take a moment to pray for them. Be inspired by their strength that can only come from Christ. But also be warned though, it’s emotional. Tears are cleaning though.

The song by Mercy Me, “Bring The Rain,” has never rang more true when I think of this family and how I can apply this to my own life:

“Bring me joy, bring me peace

Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings your glory

And I know there’ll be days

When this life brings me pain

But if that’s what it takes to praise You

Jesus, bring the rain”

It’s starting to be a hectic time for us in the O Home as the semester is winding down. Which means, professors wind it up even more and pile assignments, tests and papers on the double. So forgive me if I’m absent in the next few weeks without much worth-while content, but for today? This is weighing on my heart heavy, much more than my selfish world.

Live, Laugh, Blog posted this prayer request for Bring the Rain earlier today and I just had to pass it on. Angie at Bring the Rain is set to have her daughter, Audrey, via C-section today at 4pm. But, Audrey will not be able to survive out of her mother’s womb due to several health conditions. I didn’t know about Angie’s blog until today but reading over her posts have deeply moved me. She is a strong, beautiful woman that sincerly loves the Lord and trusts in His plan for their family.

Please, please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. I cannot even imagine what they have been feeling as they approach this day and what they will be going through after. Please pray for peace through all this. Angie is a wonderful example of what a dedicated life to Christ is. I can just picture her standing in the rain, arms wide open soaking up the love Christ has for her, trusting that He’ll provide and protect their family through this time.

Things like this remind me of what life is really about and all the things we take for granted. Coincidently, this is exactly what we’re talking about in our church small group. Oranges become so much more valuable than rubies. I know Angie is treasuring her pregnancy and short time with her little girl more than most Mom’s ever do.

Lord, be with them. I know You are.

Edit:  Audrey Caroline was born at 4:31 this afternoon and is now in the Lord’s arms after a few hours here on earth with her family. Let’s continue to keep this family in our prayers. I cannot even imagine…

It’s the Big Bloggy Moving Day! Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. Obviously, I’ve already moved my blog. But others are just debuting today!

Go check out Christy and Megan as they launch their new blogs. And, the best part, comment to win some prizes!

The rules to comment/win:

a) You started your blog no earlier than December 2007
b) You moved to a new blogging platform or started self-hosting no earlier than December 2007
c) You completely redesigned your blog no earlier than December 2007

If you meet one of these criteria (I know a few!), head on over.

So the exciting news I’ve been referring to?

We’re moving! Well, virtually, that is. We’re moving web hosts so that we (I) have our own website. I’m so excited!

I’ve enjoyed this past year using wordpress.com, it’s given me a start into the public blogging world. It’s connected me to other great bloggers, it’s been easy to use but also helped me to grow and get to know about this blog thing more. I’ve been proud of the work I’ve done on here. But, I’ve started to feel really limited. Since it’s a free blog there are a lot more rules. Especially in the design area, it only allows you to pick out of the few design choices they offer unless you pay an extra fee per month. Easy enough, but if I’m going to pay something per month, I’d rather just have my own website where I can do practically anything I want! Also, as an extra way to earn a little money, I wanted to put up some tasteful ads from BlogHer Ads, but that wasn’t allowed (understandably though, since the blog is free).

I’ve been wanting my own space for a long time. I’m ready to learn new things about the internet/blog world. I’m ready to change graphics to my own taste and have a domain name established that doesn’t include .wordpress.com at the end. I’m ready for a header that doesn’t turn blurry and pixely when I upload it.

With money being tight (ya know, school supplies, diapers, baby food, Christmas presents, etc.), I asked for a website for Christmas. Luckily, my Dad is a high tech kind of guy and “gets” this sort of thing and gets why I would want one. During our week and half stay with my Dad, that will be father-daughter project. I’m so excited!

And so, I’m joining in on The Big Bloggy Move Party! Hosted by After a Cup of Coffee…or Two and SortaCrunchy (I would post a link to her as well, but I can’t find one that works).

February 11th, 2008 (how in the world is it already close to being 2008?) they will be posting all the links to the new websites that want to join in. Post your own when the time comes and check out everyone else’s new site! It’s a great way to get new readers and traffic. Of course, I’m hoping my new website will be way done, up and running by February 11th, but like I said, it’s a great way to get the new site out there. Go see if you qualify if you’d like to join in on the party! Did I mention…there will be prizes!

Happy Moving :-)