Sun Kissed

We got back from our North Shore camping trip two days ago, and I'm still basking in the afterglow. There's nothing like Lake Superior, a rocky beach, and a few pine trees to recharge the batteries.

Here are a few highlights of our lovely weekend.


The traditional "setting up of the tent" photo. We stayed at Tettegouche State Park.


We may not have running water or a flush toilet, but we do have a foot stool.


Our campsite was a "cart-in" site. We parked the car in a lot and used this wooden cart to bring our stuff a half-mile in to our site. Cody got to test it out.


Packets of potato-and-veggie goodness


Hike to Two Step Falls and High Falls. Many, many stairs involved.


Cody cooling off at High Falls


Crossing a rickety bridge over a rushing river


Our friends and camping partners, Jill and Elliot. This was the beach at our campsite. Yep, at our campsite. I still can't get over how beautiful it was.


Elliot and Jonathan showing off the cooking spears they whittled. Aren't they manly?


This cart provided us with hours of entertainment.


A view of Palisade Head, a huge rock formation that was apparently formed 1.1 billion years ago. Don't let the raincoats fool you. We lucked out... it sprinkled for only an hour or so on our very last day.

So Jonathan. When are we going back?

Quick Update

For those of you who not only worry about your own pets, but mine too =)

Cody is doing very well. He has a stylish little bald patch on his back, where the vet had to shave the fur to get a better look at his owie. He has a skin infection, but she said we caught it really early and gave us some wipes to clean it with twice a day. No skin cancer or deadly infections. WHEW!

Now... off to northern Minnesota for some Lake Superior camping! Life is good.

How Do You People DO IT?!

"You people" = Parents
"Do it" = Not have raging ulcers from continually worrying about your children

I have a dog. You may have heard about him. We kind of like him.

My dog does crazy things that sometimes result in him getting hurt. And when he's in the middle of being hurt, I worry, worry, worry! He gets better and I am greatly relieved. Then he gets hurt again and I worry.

Cody's current injury is no fault of his own, however. He has a (*GROSS WORD ALERT! If you are easily disgusted don't read my description.*) bumpy, crusty, pussy, oozy owie on his back. He can't relax; he keeps whining and trying to bite it. We have an appointment with the vet tomorrow morning. He's been eating, drinking, peeing, and pooping regularly so I know it's not life threatening and he's JUST FINE. But still. I worry.

So. Again. How do you people do it?! I have a dog with an owie on his back and I'm a wreck. What will I be like with a kid that needs to be taken to the emergency room?

Pray for me.

Lady of Leisure

School ended on June 15. I start nannying on the 23rd. That left me with 7 summer days of freedom! I have used them wisely. Here are a few of the things I've done:



Relaxed outside my favorite Osseo coffee shop, Segue, with an iced chai and a good book




Lounged in a cute Adirondack chair on the deck of our new library. (It overlooks a little lake! A man-made lake, yes. But still a lake.)



Made the BEST CAKE EVER! (Butterfinger Bliss) Jonathan brought it to work... these are the slices he saved for me. =) I told you he's a good one!



Enjoyed Cody enjoying the river



.
Got hooked on the show "Weeds." I'm 6 years (?) behind the trend, but definitely loving it.



Savored a hand-dipped cotton candy ice cream cone! (Disclaimer: This picture is from the internet. I did not eat three ice cream cones. Although I could have.)



Watched a Shakespearean play "Troilus and Cressida" at the grand opening of the outdoor stage in Maple Grove. (Photo and acting courtesy of Cromulent Shakespeare Company)



Hunted down a hard-to-find bar on the Mississippi River. Jonathan and I enjoyed a beer or two on the deck. This was the view!!

And... I even took a nap! (I don't have a picture of that, because that would be weird.)

I LOVE SUMMER!

Is your refrigerator running....?

Well, it's 4:31 in the morning and here I am. I don't even have a screaming infant to blame!

I'm up for two reasons.

1. It's hot.
2. The adoption line rang at 3:45 and buckets of adreneline were dumped into my bloodstream.

Not exactly a sleep-inducing combination!

Although the call was a hang-up, it got me thinking. In the three-and-a-half months we've been officially "waiting," Jonathan and I haven't gotten ANY prank calls. Zip, zero, zilch. That's pretty amazing if you think about it. Our contact information is really out there-- we are all over the internet and scattered across the country in various forms of fliers, adoption cards, newspaper ads, etc.

Let's face it, people. We are prime pranking material. Can't you just picture a high-school or (perhaps drunk) college student thinking it would be hilarious to call and explain how we could make a baby? Even I can see the hypothetical humor in that.

But nobody has done it! Even the hang-ups and wrong numbers have been few and far between. Maybe it's time to start giving my fellow humans a little more credit... =)

Always Be Prepared

Dear Baby,

If you decide to join our family with only a moment's notice, we now have a place for you to sleep.



Ready when you are!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Credit Where Credit's Due

Thanks to Andi for the clever new blog title =)

Your royalty check is in the mail...

What I Want

A baby, obviously. =) But that's not what I was going to say.

What I want is to enjoy every single moment leading up to the day we meet our baby. The last thing I want is to wish away my life waiting for what's coming next. These are really, really good days and I don't want to miss them because I'm so focused on something that will happen soon enough.

So, here's to staying in the moment! (This is me, toasting the computer)

Another Reason Why I Love My Job

If I notice a stain on my shirt when I get dressed in the morning, I can still wear it and pretend that one of the kids did it. That day.

Top 10 Laughing Internet Babies

Channel Your Inner Marketing Genius

Because ten heads are better than two, we are asking for your help. I need some fresh perspective on how to get our information OUT THERE! I will tell you the things that we've done and you tell me the things we should do. Deal?

Print ads

• Minnesota Daily- Classified ran for 11 days
• UMD newspaper- Classified ran for one weekly issue
• Minnesota State University in Mankato- Classified ran for 3 monthly summer issues
  
• Rochester area "Coffee News" (free newspaper found in coffee shops, bookstores, etc)- 3x2 ad run for 6 weeks

Hung fliers

1. Colleges

• University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (thanks to Kelsey and Annika who even check up on the fliers to see if they're still visible=)
• St.Olaf
• Gustavus

2. Towns

• Farmington
• Stillwater
• Osseo
  
• A few in Duluth
• A few in New Ulm

Facebook

• "Childhood Questionnaire" to be completed and passed along with our adoption info and blurb attached.
• Message to all our Facebook friends (about 20 friends responded from all over the country and said they'd be willing to hang fliers, so those got mailed to them)
• "J&B Adopt" fan page

In the workplace

• Placed fliers and adoption cards in both of our lunch rooms. Wrote notes encouraging people to take a bunch and pass them along.
  
• Talk, talk, talk!

And I think that's about it. So, what's next? There are a few ideas floating in my head, but I need to hear yours!

When all is said and done, who knows how the mom of our baby will find us. Maybe she'll find us through our agency and all of this outreach will be for nothing. But even then it won't be for nothing because it gives me a little tiny feeling of moving forward in this waiting game and I need that. Feel free to leave your thoughts as a comment or e-mail us at jonathan.becky@gmail.com

Bring on the brilliant ideas!

I Love This Book

A description of this children's book begins with:

There is an ancient Chinese belief that an invisible, unbreakable red thread connects all those who are destined to be together.

If you find yourself wandering through Barnes and Noble or your local library, see if you can find this book. I think it's beautiful.