1. Which physical trait do you now accept--maybe not love, but accept--and no longer feel extremely self-conscious about?
My nose. I used to really hate it. I always thought it was way too big! I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who ever even thought about it. And even if someone else did, why should I care? I guess I'm just more secure now.

2. This week Meredith Baxter Birney, best known as the mom on the favorite 80s sitcom "Family Ties" came out of the closet, which led me to formulate this question: Who do you think is/was the best TV mom?

Clair Huxtable, for sure. She was a great mom and a great wife. She was involved with her kids and didn't take any lip from them. And I love the fact that she joked around with her husband but didn't seem to think he was an idiot. I hate that about most TV moms.

3. Do you speak any foreign languages? Are there any you'd like to learn?

Um, not really (sorry Mom!). I should probably learn Spanish. We'll all be needing that soon I think!

4. Who is your personal hero?

My mom. She juggles so much and still goes to Pilates class (sometimes)! She's a fantastic wife and mom and I hope I do as great a job as she does.

5. What is one holiday food that you find extremely difficult to resist over- indulging in?

Just one? Apple-sausage stuffing. There are a lot more though!

6. Tell me about a Christmas decoration that has special meaning or sentimental value.

I'll just skip this one because I don't decorate for(or celebrate) Christmas.

7. How do you feel about snow?

I love it, but it stinks because it turns into mud 4 hours later. If I lived someplace where it would stay cold for a while I might like it more. It's really pretty though. Just a huge mess.

OH! Plus, people around here don't know how to drive in it. They either go super fast and cause a wreck, or drive like 2 MPH down the perfectly clear, salted and plowed interstate because they're freaked out by the OHMYGOODNESSWHAT'STHEWHITESTUFF snow.

So I guess I really hate snow!

8. On average, how many hours of sleep do you get each night? Not that I'm jealous of any number over three or anything.

Total, probably about 7.

9. Tell me about your first crush.

Well, when I was 4 I told one of my dad's friends that I was going to marry him. He was a little too old for me though.

10. You're stuck in a room for 2 hours with only a chalkboard and chalk. What will you write/draw?

I'll work on the article(s) for work I am supposed to be writing, but keep putting off for lack of inspiration/motivation.

11. Do you dress for the current temp or for the day's forecast?

I dress according to how blasted hot it is in our house. We heat with wood, so it's pretty much always over 800 degrees. At least it feels like it is. I don't leave the house much (wow, that sounds bad) so I dress to stay home. Jeans and a t-shirt and slippers or flip-flops.

12. Favorite Christmas movie is?

White Christmas!

Because I'm too lazy to write a real blog.

1. What was the last song you listened to?

Rejoice, by the WILDS choir.

2. Have you ever had “buyer’s remorse” over anything?

Yes.

Ok, it's usually over a product that I just *had* to try. Lotion, shampoo, hair stuff...most of it winds up in the trash because my skin/scalp freaks out from most of it.

3. What is something in your life that you are thankful for now that you didn’t think you would be at the time of the event? (Something that seemed ill-timed, inconvenient or hurtful which turned out to be a good thing)

I'll go with my mom here and say moving to Northern Virginia. I was NOT HAPPY about moving (I had a special someone!), but a long-distance relationship turned out to be exactly what we needed. Plus, NoVa has Ulta and Chipotle:)

4. Do you watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade every year? If so, do you have a favorite float or balloon?

Um, hello? Pregame is on!

5. Share a quote, scripture, poem or lyric which has been an inspiration to you lately.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
My new WILDS cd (Rejoice!) has a song based on this verse.
Also, in reference to speaking, "Is it kind? Is it true? Is it necessary?" I don't know who originally said it, but I got it from Jasmine at Joyfully at Home.

6. This is meant to be a fun question, and this is a G-rated blog, but please share a “guilty pleasure,” something that you enjoy that’s probably not the most edifying, time-worthy or healthy thing you could be indulging in. Did I mention this blog is rated G?

Vanilla Coke. I did 21 shots for my 21st birthday. And no, I didn't throw up (it was pretty close though).

7. What Thanksgiving food are you looking forward to?

Yes. All of it. My family knows how to eat!

8. What is your favorite book to read to children, or what was your favorite childhood book?

Tuggy the Tugboat.

9. Do you collect anything? (Feel free to post a photo.)

See #2

10. Gift bags or wrapping paper?

If it's books, wrapping paper. I got lots of practice when I worked at Border's. Everything else goes in a bag.

11. Share an after-school memory from when you were younger. What was your routine like on an average day?

I can't think of a particular memory at the moment, but my routine pretty much always involved reading or cooking.

12. True story: Once, in a job interview, I was asked this question and told there would be no clarifying; I simply had to answer the question: “When you’re fishing, do you feel for the fish?” So what about you? Do you feel for the fish??

Nope. And Bambi never bothered me either. God made them for us to eat!

Random Dozen

1. It's early morning, about 2:00AM, and you're driving home. You come to a red light and sit there. There is no one in sight for miles around. Do you wait it out or run the light?
Well, it depends on where it is. I've actually sat at a few red lights for over 10 minutes in the middle of the night. I finally decided that it was either broken or someone thought it was ok to turn it off for the night. So I drove through very slowly and cautiously, looking all around.

2. If you had the chance to re-do the last 24 hours, would you change anything?
I don't really remember yesterday. Last night was a little rough, but I can't really change the baby.

3. When you reply to someone's comment on your blog, do you reply in your comments or go to her blog and comment? (Or email her)
I've never done this, but I would probably email. I don't ever go back to check after I comment and I don't get notifications. So I would email.

4. Your favorite Disney movie is:
Cinderella. I'm so exciting, I know!

5. Do you recycle?
I burn the newspaper, give the boxes and packing material from packages to the company I work for, and put poopy diapers in Wal-mart bags. That's it though. No wait! We recycle our coke cans. We even have a can crusher.

6. Games of strategy or games of chance?
Both. Depends on my mood:)

7. Do you have any recurring dreams?
Not anymore.

8. What did you learn from your first real job?
That I never, ever wanted to work with lost 20 year old guys again. Yuck.

9. Do you buy or borrow most books?
Buy, because our library is seriously pathetic, and you have to pay like 3 bucks for shipping on an inter-library loan, so I might as well buy it on Amazon.

10. What fashion trend of the past did you say you'd never wear again but did?
I don't think I'm old enough to contribute to this. Styles I was old enough to wear aren't making the cycle yet.

11. When do you start Christmas shopping?
For the five people I buy something for? The week before Christmas.

12. Have you ever been so happy that you literally jumped up and down for a few seconds? If so, what was the occasion?
I would imagine I did over something when I was little. No clue what though!

So there's my exciting post! Enjoy,
~Deborah~

This is What You Must Do to Remain Friends with Me.

I admit, I am a germ freak. Like my kid will be the three year old running around the playground with Germ-X, sanitizing everything before he plays. And it really bugs me (my head almost exploded the other day) when people touch my baby without asking. People I know I don't get quite so upset with, BUT THE STRANGERS IN WAL-MART?!? What is WRONG with you! I have had people grab Jonathan's hand which, of course, he sticks in his mouth.

Ew. Ew yuck.

Swine Flu anyone?

It's cold and flu season, yet people seem to think it's perfectly acceptable to get up in Jonathan's face to talk annoying baby-talk to him, breathing germs into his airspace. It's not like he can get up and run away, or even say, "Hey back off! I'm trying to breathe clean air, not your germ-filled pollution!" Nope, the poor little guy has to sit there and endure moronic ramblings about what a smart little boy he is (because you can tell that from the way he drools you know), while inhaling germy perfume-scented air.
No wonder he screams when we go grocery shopping.
So I started bringing the Baby Bjorn because people are less likely to grab at him if he's attached to me. I think it intimidates them.
When people start to reach for him I say, "Please don't touch my baby. Swine flu, you know." And they act like I'm so unreasonable!

So, if you want to remain friends, ask before you touch any part of my baby. And don't be offended when I tell you to wash your hands. And ask you if anyone in your house has been sick in the last three days.

Or, if you don't want to be friends, but want to see my baby, the rules still apply. Because I am his mama and I said so. You can think I'm a freak and you sure won't be the first. But I don't want my baby getting sick all winter long. I'll build his immune system later, thank you very much.

So wash your hands, ask before you touch, and stay away if you are sick, or have been around anyone who is sick.

I am the germ-natzi.

Mwahahahaha...

I can do a Friday Fave Five!

1. We went Outback Wednesday night! Try to sing that sentence like the commercial. It was our 3rd anniversary and David loves Outback. I didn't know or I wouldn't have gone with Lizzie and Zephyr. And heard about it for two months. We drove really fast (the 1 1/4 hours it takes to get there), shoveled our food in and jumped back in the van so as not to ruin the other diner's dinner with our pleasant, happy baby. Ahem.

2. Lizzie and Zephyr gave us (me) roses for our anniversary. We also got several sweet cards.

3. I got a bill from Verizon for $424.41. Seriously, doesn't everyone just love an excuse to call and speak with the wonderfully helpful people who so appreciate my business? Is sarcasm allowed in a Friday Fave Five?

P.S. This is another post in itself.

4. I got three things accomplished from my to-do list this week. This is two more than I typically scratch off.

5. It's almost fall!



~Deborah~

More pics

house for sale in a great neighborhood:)

The only kind of blog I ever post these days...

14 Weeks!
http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-14-weeks_1103.bc

Did you know that some abortionists say that babies don't have facial expressions until 4 months after they are born? I guess they've never seen a newborn pooping:)

13 weeks!

http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-13-weeks_1102.bc

Tonight after prayer meeting we are leaving for Virginia! Please pray for safety while driving, and that I would exercise better self-control with these chips and french onion dip.

This stuff is so good!

I ate a bunch of celery for nutrition today, so it balances out.

Right?

End of the first trimester!

http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-12-weeks_1101.bc

I know everyone thinks I'm crazy, but I really think Sticky Bean is a boy. As in, I'll be completely shocked if Sticky Bean is a girl. Don't get me wrong, I would LOVE a little girl! I just don't think our first baby is going to be. And I think we may have to adopt to get one. Should have thought about that before I married a Madill! Just kidding...:)

We're home!

We made it back to Tennessee safely. Besides getting stuck in the center two seats of the plane for the long flight, it wasn't too bad. Except for the old Japanese woman kicking me in the back all night (she really was doing it on purpose, because she got mad when I reclined my chair).

We have both been pretty beat since we got back, but we got some solid sleep last night and are starting to feel like humans instead of zombies!

Thursday we just hung out and slept and went grocery shopping. I love Wal-mart! It's an amazing store. I have been cooking a bunch and enjoying every second in my beautiful kitchen with no geckos!

Yesterday morning we went to the Natchez Trace Maternity Center, which is where I'm going for prenatal care and to deliver our little Sticky Bean. I got to see Elaine, who has been a certified nurse-midwife for a looooong time. I've known her for two years and am very comfortable with her. Well, we got to see the baby! It wasn't very clear, since I didn't have
32 oz. of water in my bladder. But we got to see his heart beating, and he even moved his little paddle-arm. It was the coolest thing we have ever seen, and of course, I started crying:) Next week I'm going back to get a real ultrasound so they can check placenta for tearing and stuff. Seeing our little Sticky Bean move around in there made it much more real for us. He/she is really in there and alive and kicking!

Anyway, that's what we've been up to. Today we are going to get the paint for our new house!

Happy Fall!

We made it!

Part of the way. We drove from Mae Sot to Bangkok yesterday. It was a lot easier than we were anticipating, thankfully. We got some good sleep last night and today are hanging out and unwinding. And trying to psych ourselves up for our plane ride first thing Wednesday morning. We leave at 6:00am, so please pray for alertness until we actually make it to our seats! I'll post again when we get home to TN. I'm going to look at my boots again...

I know, I have a problem...

But seriously, these boots are amazing!

Falls Leather (Sold Out)

Leaving Thailand

Tomorrow we start our journey home.

It begins with David driving us from Mae Sot to Bangkok. We are leaving after church tomorrow morning, so please pray for our safety on the road. We will be in Bangkok for two days, and then we fly out at 6:00am Wednesday morning. We should be in Nashville sometime Wednesday evening.

Cracker Barrel, here we come!

I wonder which kind of grape...

Well, I try to update this on Tuesdays, but I'm a little behind this week!
http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-9-weeks_1098.bc

Peanuts and Puke (and other wonderful aromas)

Anyone who has ever used an outhouse in July knows that heat magnifies smell. And it's hot here in Thailand. Like the 100's.

It is fairly common knowledge that many pregnant women have a "super nose." They can smell things before others can, at times gagging at how strong it is. And I'm pregnant.

If you've been to Thailand, you know that they cook some...repulsive things. And then eat them. And think that it tastes good.

Most mornings I wake up at 6:00 to the sound of my neighbor pounding- she has a stone morter and pestle- chilies or garlic or something. We live in a concrete townhouse, so things echo and are pretty loud. Until yesterday morning.

So here I am in Thailand, pregnant, and the smells are kind of offensive to my hyper-sensitive nose. But besides the sewer and rotten fish, the smells haven't been all that bad. Until yesterday morning.

I was pleasantly surprised to sleep until 7:30 with no pounding! I really enjoyed that until I stepped outside our bedroom door. My first thought was, "Did someone throw up in the stairs?" Then, "Peanuts?!?" And then the gagging started. No actual puking, but the smell was so horrific it was triggering my already overworked gag reflex. David smelled it too, so I know I wasn't just imagining the atrocious scent. Needless to say, we left and went out for breakfast.
On our way back from breakfast, one road we drove through smelled like rotten tomatoes and body odor. "WHAT IS WITH THE NASTY COMBOS TODAY?!" I thought to myself. Puke and peanuts? Rotten tomatoes and body odor? And it's not even really hot, they tell me. Oh so glad I won't be here in April. I think I would probably not make it.
I'm not sure what our lovely neighbors had to eat that morning, but I figured we were safe until after we leave Mae Sot. After all, it's the first time she's made that in a month, so it would be another four weeks or so until she cooked that again. And how often could you even eat that? Right?
Wrong.

Late this afternoon we were sitting at the computer, minding our own business, and then "it" came wafting through MY kitchen and hit me. I started gagging, and said, "There it is again!" David couldn't smell it for a minute (lucky him), but then he, too, pulled his shirt up over his nose in a desperate attempt to escape the retched smell.
Needless to say, we went out to eat tonight.
Thankfully, the smell was gone when we returned, and I am really hoping that was our last taste/smell of whatever in the world that miserable Thai delicacy is. And we leave for Chiang Mai in the morning, so maybe that's not something they make up there at least. Hopefully, but I won't hold my breath. At least until the next smell hits.

Eight weeks already!
http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-8-weeks_1097.bc

More from Thailand

Well, the past week was quite different from the rest so far. We had company! Bro. Tom, Krinny, Ann and Pookie all came up on Wednesday. David talked to Bro. Tom about how things are going and the information we have collected so far. We also had a good time playing Dutch Blitz at night and going on a picnic at a waterfall. Friday afternoon the Lang family joined us, and we all enjoyed supper at Canadian Dave's. Saturday morning everyone left for the Hmong camp and boy, was it ever quiet! Just like whenever I travel, a few things got left behind, but we'll just take Krinny's shoes and Pookie's garlic with us next weekend when we meet the Gaudets in Chiang Mai:) We are looking forward to a little trip out of Mae Sot, but please pray for travelling safety as David will be driving us up over the mountain road.
I guess I should confess that the miserably hot weather here the past few days is all my fault. I complained about the rain, and the last two days have been unbelievably hot. As in, I bought an umbrella to protect my skin from the sun. I would really love it to be pouring buckets right now, really.
Yesterday morning I made a big mistake. I decided it was cool enough to wear my floor-length denim skirt. We went to Gospel Baptist Church for the 9:00am English service, like we usually do. After that, we decided to go find the Karen church that a lady at Handicap International invited us to. She had drawn us a little map, but it's actually not far from our house. Well, as soon as I got out of the truck I knew I was in trouble. It was hot outside, but I could feel the heat coming out through the open doors of the church building. Too late! We went in and sat down...just out of reach of the fan. If I leaned forward I could just barely feel some air moving, but not much. Thankfully, I had my popsicle fan to move the blazing hot air around:) David was even suffering. The service started at 11:00ish, so we figured it would be over around 12:00 or so. Nope, it was about 1:15, and I was actually getting dizzy from the heat and hunger (and need to pee, of course). It was a really neat service, although we couldn't understand anything because it was all in Karen, which is different from Burmese, and not even close to Thai. Anyway, we went to the Canadian for lunch. I had a big fat burger and fries and , yes, I had a coke:) Chugged half of it as soon as he put it down. SO! I've decided I will pack my long denim skirt into the bottom of my suitcase and forget about it until I get home and it's 50 degrees:)
Today we went to Burma to renew our visas. It's hard to believe it's that time already! We still had a few days, but sometimes they close the border so we didn't want to get stuck. 1000 Baht per day if you have an expired visa, no thank you. We should have learned from yesterday to go early, but we didn't get to the bridge until almost 10:00. It was already hot and I had the umbrella out and open! We filled out the Thai paperwork and the walked over into Burma. Well, we thought Mae Sot was dirty and poor, but Burma was nothing like our little town. SO filthy, and the poverty is heartbreaking. The people just sit and try to sell their wares, and stare at the white people. We went and saw two temples, and then walked around the market. Of course since we were going into Burma, today I woke up really nauseous. The market was about all I could handle. I kept gagging, and David just said, "If you need to ralf, just ralf." Thanks. But I did hold onto my breakfast (I figured out that it's much easier if you breathe through your mouth). The smell of fish and rotten chicken was everywhere. We had planned on spending a good long while over there, but after about two hours we came back. I was still gagging, and it was REALLY hot. Walking back over into Thailand was like coming home! It seemed so clean, and the people were so much more hopeful and purposeful. We did get our passports stamped, so we have officially been to Myanmar!
We came back here to the house and I went upstairs to sleep for an hour. I can't seem to get enough sleep these days! Or drink enough water. I drink liter after liter and I'm still thirsty. Thanks Sticky Bean!
David just commented that now in our family 1+1=3:)

You Tube Funny

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXXm696UbKY