Greeted by a Princess

I got home from work yesterday and was greeted by this sweet little princess wearing Belle's dress, Cinderella shoes and Snow White's headband. She was also adequately accessorized with a necklace and earrings. In case you hadn't noticed....she is very "girly".

However, she is also a gum lover and had a huge piece of watermelon bubblegum in her mouth (which aromatically reminded me of those oh so awkward junior high years).


She has a very strong opinion about the placement of her crowns and in this case headbands. They do not go on top of your head....they are worn like a headband and there is no convincing her otherwise. (her placement choice reminds me of a bad decision related to prom headwear in those oh so still awkward high school years...but I digress).



Have I mentioned lately how crazy I am about this little person?

Feeling the Love

So to completely understand this post you need some background information.

Background Point # 1
I have wanted (read coveted, pouted about, strongly desired, been jealous about others) a KitchenAid stand mixer for about 5 or 6 years now. This may not seem like something worthy of such strong emotions but for me…..I WANTED ONE. However, God is in infinite wisdom would gently steer me away from them each and everytime I was at the store drooling over them and contemplating charging one on the credit card. (bad I know but hey…I told you they were strong feelings).

Background Point #2
I discovered Pioneer Woman’s blog sometime ago and she has frequent contests where she gives away some really neat things……some of which have been kitchen aid mixers (and even multiple ones on several occasions). I shared my find with my Aunt Freddi and she too has become a Pioneer Woman fan. If I saw one of her contests with a mixer as a prize I would call/text/ email/ hunt down Freddi and ever so gently encourage her to enter (b/c I can only enter once…..the nerve). Of course, I would also remind her that since she already owned a very nice KitchenAid mixer that her dear, sweet, loving niece in South Carolina would gladly take the prize should she be selected as a winner. She was always so gracious and promised to comply with our little agreement. (It may also have something to do with me mentioning all the secrets that I have from her but maybe not...just a thought).

OK-No more background, here is the actual post.

This past Wednesday the UPS man drives up to my door about 6pm with a delivery. I don’t usually get too excited about these things b/c Stan is an Amazon junkie and we receive book deliveries for him on frequent occasions and Xan has received boxes of goodies from her grandparents. So when I saw this large box being toted to my door I assumed it was for Xan.

Oh to my surprise….it was addressed to me. OH…yeah baby….now we’re talking!!
I danced around the entry way singing "Momma got a present…Momma got a present". I was so excited and I didn’t even have a clue what it was…..could’ve been a big ol box of Styrofoam peanuts but I didn’t care cause...."Momma got a present".

Then I saw the return address……Williams & Sonoma. Now, being the appreciative stalker fan of KitchenAid mixers that I am I know that W&S just happen to carry them ……I’m smart like that and I just know things -ok-don't judge me.

After I got through the brown shipping box I discovered a beautifully wrapped gift box that I removed and lovingly stared at it for several hours just to make this whole “Momma got a present” phase last a bit longer.



Yeah Right! I tore that box open like a 5 year old at Christmas who knew there was an Easy Bake Oven in there. HEE HEE I was having fun. And then I saw it……those lovely words….that glorious box with the full colored picture I had dreamed of for so many years. KitchenAID…….aaaahhhhhh.

Stan and Xan didn’t completely understand why I was showing so much affection to this particular piece of cardboard but they had heard me mention my desire for said mixer about a thousand times so they politely rolled their eyes and went away to leave me alone in my happy place for awhile.
I did have to call him back into the kitchen to assist me in getting the oh so heavy thing out of the box and then of course to take my picture. I had to have a record of this day….this special, special day.

Now-Did I mention the color…..OH MY…..it is a color that screams Megan Lyn. I choose green every time….no matter what the choice - clothes, eye shadow, vegetables, wall paint, dishes, etc…you get my point. I love green and this mixer is the cutest granny smith apple green ever.


So you might be wondering…who was it that made my day. Well let me just share the note with you.
SURPRISE!! YOU WIN THE PRIZE FROM TWO PEOPLE WHO LOVE YOU VERY MUCH! ENJOY! POP & KK

My dear Aunt Freddi and Uncle Butch were behind this little surprise and oh how happy they made me. They are two of the most kind and generous people I know and on this day I was the object of that affection.....but rest assured that it was only one of many, many days that I have been fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of God's grace and love through these 2 people.

Freddi & Butch- Thank you so very much and I love you!

Strawba ba ba ba berry.....Strawberry Shortcake

Anyone who has a little toddler girl has probably had the theme song to the Strawberry Shortcake videos stuck in your head at one time or another. Our whole family walks around singing this one....Strawba ba ba ba berry....Strawberry Shortcake. Xan loves her and those "movies". Well.....you can imagine how excited this momma got when I saw that Strawberry Shortcake was going to be at our local library one day this past week.
I didn't tell Xan about it until we were on on way and then made her guess what special person from the movies she liked to watch would be there. After she guessed God [No baby...we aren't in Sunday School...there are other correct answers :)] and then Elmo I began to hum the theme and after about 3 notes she smiled a big smile and asked tenatively but with great big eyes, "Strawberry Shortcake?". I told her she was correct and she got very excited and then the wheels started turning.

"Momma, is she going to be big or little?"
"Well, Xan, she will probably be big...is that ok?"

pause for effect.....she was thinking.

"Yes maam..I'm a big girl now too............ but how bout you hold me?"
"Ok baby-I'll hold you". [momma grins and thanks God for her baby]

So off we went into the library to see the famous sweet named character. I think I was almost as excited to see her as Xan was. I had my heart all set on something like this.

Well.....let's just say when the door opened and she walked in I was a bit disappointed. It was the regular storytime girl with a red wig and pink hat and some nice pink blush. BUT- my girl could have cared less. She thought it was great and was so excited to have Strawberry Shortcake read her a story. Xan wanted to take a picture with her and then went back up to her to shake her hand.



Moral of this story: The expression doesn't have to be elaborate or perfect for a 3 year old to feel loved.

Independence Day

Just a few pics of our family and from our day with our friends the Spencers. Stan had to work that day but we had a great dinner and the girls did sparklers and glow bracelets. Low key but relaxing and fun.

12 years

Today is our anniversary. We were married on May 11, 1997-- 12 years ago. It all started with a blind date and he pretty much had me at hello. He romanced me unlike I had ever been romanced and he also showed me the love of Christ in a relationship setting like I had never experienced. It was a special time of getting to know each other and I have very fond memories--I recall one particular date not very long into our year long relationship that he took me to the park and asked me to do one of the most intimate things we could do together….He took my hands and begin to pray. Ladies, you know what this did to me…sent me straight to tears. I don’t even remember what he prayed about because I was so overcome with emotion that he was a big enough man to be that real and vulnerable with me and to lead me in that way. WOW! Another time while I was traveling with the job I had at the time he sent me flowers and a devotional that he had read that used the phrase ‘unspeakable joy’. That has been a theme throughout our marriage. God has blessed me with an unspeakable joy in my dear husband. Our 12 years have been like other marriages with hot spots and issues that we had to work thru but never, not one single time, did I question that I had heard God correctly when HE told me that this cute boy from Idalou was the one. I just can’t express how grateful I am about the LORD’s calling on my life to be Mrs. Stan Everitt and the mother of his children..
Now that we’re parents it brings a whole new dimension to our relationship. We have been given a common passion with our love of adoption and growing our family in that way. (Hello…we are “one” in God’s eyes so why wouldn’t he give us a common passion—I just love when you can see HIM so clearly). To see my man with my little girl is one of the most amazing things ever. I watched them just this morning while I was curling my hair as they just cuddled and talked to each other about what they were going to do today. Nothing really special or out of the ordinary and you would think that talk about a nap and lunch together wouldn’t be an emotional journey but then you probably aren’t the wife of a man who adores, absolutely adores, his little girl. On a whole different note….I also think it’s kinda sexy to see him be so sweet and tender to that little person but this is a G rated blog so I’m gonna stop there. 
I respect so many things about Stan but I’ll mention a couple that are most prominent on my heart today;
His desire to provide for Xan and I both financially and with his physical presence. I am so thankful to have a hard working, ethical, responsible man that wants to come home to us each and every night. I do not take this for granted now and I pray I never do.
He also has an insatiable desire for learning. He spends countless hours (and always has) reading and researching the topic that he is most interested in during a particular season. I, on the other hand, can spend countless hours doing things that benefit me very little but he has been a good example for me.
I also respect him greatly for his unwavering temper and emotion. He can be in the midst of something huge and horrible and most people would never know it. He can just deal with things in a way that puts people at ease and without a lot of drama. He has taught me many lessons both as a person and as a manager in this area. I’m glad that is the kind of personality that is leading my family.

Well...that is my diatribe for the day. Thanks for indulging me and listening to me walk down memory lane and brag on Stan for a bit. I’m happy that he is mine and I am his and I pray that the LORD would be pleased to continue to use our marriage as a blessing to me. May we have many, many more years of unspeakable joy.

I love you Stan…..today and forever.


12 Years Ago today in Jamaica

Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day.....a day that seems to always bring a bout of mixed emotions for me. I'm pretty much always a "my cup is bubbling over" kinda girl and even today I'm not bogged down in sadville but I do find myself reflecting more and feeling a bit melancholy. There are lots of factors that play into it and I know that God is so good and faithful and so I don't tend to dwell on the why's of the things as much (notice I didn't say ever) but today I guess I just have somethings I want to say.

I love being a mother and am grateful beyond description that God allowed me to be Xan's mom. It is so amazing and the miracle of adoption can send me into the "ugly cry" quicker than most other things. It just moves me.....I highly recommend you get involved in some way (not everyone is called to adopt but we are all called to care for orphans)-ok...I'll preach more at another time. The way that little person can melt my heart is just incredible. I never knew it was possible but can't imagine life without it now.

Other adoptive moms will get this so if you aren't or you don't then just indulge me and think outside the box for a moment. I truly love and respect the woman that carried and birthed my daughter. It is a deep, deep appreciation that is sometimes overwhelming. I think of her often but especially today and on Xan's birthday. I really can't imagine the turmoil and pain that this very dear woman experienced. Although I will never have an opportunity to tell her how much I love her and what joy I get from the sacrifice she made- I pray that God will give her a peace that is beyond understanding. I find great comfort in knowing that one day I can tell Xan her story that is wrapped up in an unconditional, sacrificial love that, to be honest, most people just don't get.

I also spend a fair amount of time on most Mother's Days thinking about my own mom. Today, as happens every couple of years, is also her birthday. It is also the 24th Mother's Day that I haven't had my mom--she's been gone since I was 12. It still makes me sad and I guess it always will. I don't understand why she made decisions that she made and this side of heaven I won't get to ask her (and then when I'm there it probably won't even matter). I wish I could know her as an adult. I wish she could know her son-in-law and her granddaughter. I wish she could spend one day with my sister and witness what an awesome Mother she is. I wish she could see my brother and his family-oh how proud she would be. I wish she could just answer a phone or walk through my door.....I just wish I still had her. I'm not nieve enough to believe that it would be all "leave it to beaver" with her around....she was a complicated woman and had many issues but today I'm gonna focus on the things I remember about her that make me smile. She was very thoughtful and kept little things as mementos....I've often referred to her as an organized pack rat. She gave very sweet and thoughtful gifts. She liked Holly's french fries. She LOVED sunflower seeds (my brother and sister and I all 3 do as well). I think I got my love of reading from her....she always had a book in her hand. She liked for our hair to be clean. I remember her always wanting us to wash our hair. She was thin...a little too thin probably. She had a lot of wrecks....thankfully I didn't get that little trait. She looked really pretty when she wore makeup although she didn't often wear it. She taught me how to iron and I still enjoy it.
She came to know the Lord in her late 20's but I believe that it was real. I need to believe it was real. I know that she loved me but that she didn't really know how to. I know that I miss her or maybe I just miss the way I think it would be if she were here.

All that being said, I also know that had she always been here then I wouldn't have the wonderful relationships that I have with so many other women that God saw fit to plug into my life. ABUNDANT is the only way to describe the way HE has loved me thru those women and it continues today. I promise you....I would put my mother-in- law up against any mom...any day. That woman loves me and not just in a "married to her son" kinda way.....she loves Megan Lyn- the good, the bad and the ugly. She loves God and her desire is to love Him back and because of that I get to catch some of that overflow. I'm telling you people....God is good and Ann Everitt is a living, breathing proof. (If she's reading this then she's probably wiping her tears and giving God the glory...that is just how she is)

Finally, (forgive the randomness...but hey it is MY blog) I want to remind you to pray for those birth moms that are hurting today because they don't know how or where their babies are. They were brave and courageous enough to place them in an adoption but that doesn't remove the love that will always churn deep in their being forever and often surface on days like today. Please God pour the salve of your peace on their hearts today.

Thanks for listening to me today....I guess I just needed to get it out.

Here are a few pics. The ones of my mom are pictures of pictures (sorry for the poor quality...we don't have a scanner)

Momma and her "oldest"


Me and mine




She had broken her foot (I think) so that "kinda??" explains the wheelchair.


Me and my girl today at church.





"We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the others said, 'What amazing things the LORD has done for them.' Yes, the LORD has done amazing things for us! What joy." Psalm 126:2-3

Torture

I was looking thru some of the blogs I follow and came across this post about this cool store called Anthropologie and it's not the first time I've read wonderful reviews of the establishment. This particular post included several pictures of things at the store and how well they do displays. Well I was all over it until I saw this picture. Those of you who know me will understand......PURE TORTURE I TELL YOU.......PURE TORTURE.

(Be sure to click on it to zoom in and get the description)

I have a thing for wooden utensils...particulary wet wood. It wigs me out big time. I do not own a wooden spoon and it is the one thing I will leave while doing a sinkful of dishes at someone else's house.(just ask my aunt Freddi) I just can't handle the texture and the thought of putting it in my mouth.....AAAAAHHHHHHH! I think having to eat with all 3 utensils of wood would send me over.

Well....you may all now consider yourself a bit more educated on the finer points of the girl that is Megan Everitt--weirdo quirks and all.