I voted!

I registered to vote when I turned 18 years old. Voting is a privilege afforded me as a citizen of this great country. Voting is a duty because of this great country. I choose to exercise this privilege & to make sure that someone knows what I think.

After dropping Erin off at school this morning, I went to my local library to vote early. I got there at 8:30 & got on line. I expected to have to wait forever. The line moved so quickly that it was shocking. People who don't know each other chatted amiably about anything & everything.

The process was a new one - or maybe this is how they do early voting. I don't know, but I do hope that this is the new way for FL.

When I got back into my car, it was 9:26. Not bad considering my friend Lisa took almost 2 hours to vote today.

The Quake That Touched Too Many

When you first came to my blog, you knew that it was all about my life with my beautiful daughter Erin. She is the light of my life. I can not possibly thank G-d enough for the gift of her. Each night before I go to sleep, I whisper to her that I am so happy we adopted each other. Then I give a whisper of thanks to G-d to let Him know how I appreciate His faith in me with this gift of Erin.

China has suffered. If you watch tv, read the news, listen to what people are talking about, you know that there has been a terrible earthquake with many aftershocks. You can't avoid knowing about it unless you are the type to keep your head in the sand.

As the people of China suffer, so do we. Our hearts cry for the people whose lives have been altered. These are the same people who watched over my daughter for the first 10 months of her life. There are so many people that I know because of Erin & China adoption - friends who aren't friends but rather extended family, children that I have waited to see come home to their forever families. Yet I will also always think about the people who watched over Erin & these other children.

And I know that I can't just sit back & do nothing. If you are so inclined, please stop by Half the Sky to see how you can help. They have set up an Earthquake Fund to get assistance to China's people.

Pay It Forward!! Wanna Play?

I found my friend Viv playing a game, & I think it sounds really neat. I'm all about having fun & playing games, so I'm joining in. How about you? Wanna play?

Yes? Well, here's how you do it.

1. I will send a gift of my choosing to the first three (3) people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join the Pay it Forward exchange.


2. You must make the same commitment on your own blog.

So if you want a goodie, please leave me a comment. I'll need your snail mail address so that I can get your gift out. We can take care of that offlist.

Love Without Boundaries Auction

The "Born In My Heart" Art Auction has already begun. It runs from April 24th - April 29th (Beginning the 24th @ 9:00am PDT).

In nearly every orphanage in China, children in need of heart surgery wait to be healed. In an effort to help as many of these orphaned children as possible, Love Without Boundaries began the "Born In My Heart" art auction five years ago. This is an annual event that serves as a special tribute to the miracle of adoption, and also as a fundraiser to help provide these essential operations to children who need emergency heart surgery. You can help to save the life of a child by taking part from April 24-29. Every penny raised will help to heal precious children and give them the opportunity to grow and thrive, and perhaps even find a family of their very own. So please bid often and bid generously!Auction items will begin to launch at 9am (Pacific) on Thursday, April 24th. Nearly 300 items will be added throughout the day, and the auction will close Tuesday, April 29th (again, with items closing throughout the course of the day). They will have some absolutely incredible items this year, all donated by LWB's fabulous supporters!

You will be able to access the auction from the Love Without Boundaries website homepage at: http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/ beginning April 24th.

Please take a moment to have a look at all the beautiful items up for auction. Any donation no matter how small will make an incredible difference in the life of a child.