REALiTY

Do you have to be Humane to Be Human?

2010-03-04T07:31:00.001-08:00

I had a thought while watching the news the other day. Do you have to possess a degree of humanity in your soul to be human? The evil ones that walk among us, looking like normal humans.... You know the murderers, the pedophiles, the people who don't have any moral compass? Do we really need to show them the same degree of sympathy and humanity when they don't show it to the rest of us. Why do we let the evil walk among us. When we know they are likely to re offend we set them free, we give them another chance. We show outrage that they commit crimes again when we knew it was likely to happen. When will we start to realize that mental disease of all types is not a choice. Mental illness is a disease or defect of the brain. It can be caused by experience forming pathways that lead to bad behavior or organic problems that have developed in the brain. I have no issue with trying to "cure" people of evil intent, of lack of morality, of inhumanity....but please DO NOT let evil walk among us!

On that note, when looking for a house, PLEASE if you have children review the database online of registered sex offenders and use this information when making a choice of what home you buy. Being forewarned is forearmed! www.nsopr.gov the search is free. You can also contact your local sheriff or police department. It is their duty to provide this information to help keep us safe.

When Government Works for Us....

2010-03-01T19:59:00.000-08:00

When we see tangible evidence of our government working for us it is an amazing thing. With all the chaos in Haiti, our Congressman was absolutely instrumental in bringing my nephew Isaac home. Not only did he have a staff person dedicated 24 hours a day to making Isaac's homecoming happen, he actually took the time to visit my sister's family and meet Isaac himself. This was not just a "photo" op, no media was present, just family and he sat and had cookies and lemonade and talked. It is nice in this era when we all have so little faith in those in public office to see someone caring to make a difference. Someone who takes the time to meet the needs of one family and one small boy a world away.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes....

2010-02-28T16:11:00.000-08:00

I have finally made some big changes...I have moved from my old company to Connect Realty. I think this will be a great fit for me. More technology support, great people and more flexibility with my schedule. I have also moved my Diego horse to a new barn where I have more time to begin more intense training. I am still at www.newsongstables.com for training and LOVE it, but this puts Diego where I have less distractions. Dare I say this may be a great year for all things HORSE and HOUSE! On a very sad note, we had to say goodbye to two great ladies in our lives. The first (and far most important) was my dear husband's mother. She will be greatly missed. Ruth was the anchor of the family and there has been much sadness at her passing. The second was Zoe's pony Cynder-Ella. Cynder battled kidney disease for several months and seemed to go downhill pretty quickly. Zoe mourns her passing all the more intensely because it coincided with the passing of her dear Nanna. I still remember the passing of my own first pony "Flags". I hope I dealt with the situation with more grace than my own parents, but it is a very hard thing.

A Twist

2010-01-23T08:47:00.000-08:00

In another bizarre twist, Bob and Issac got stuck at this lovely resort in the Bahamas....Hmmmm.....Funny how things work out! They are back in the air today and hopefully the tiny four seater plane they are on will encounter smooth air to Florida.

They are on The WAY HOME!

2010-01-22T14:35:00.000-08:00

Bobby and Isaac are on the way home. A last minute approval came through for them to get on a missionary flight out of Cap Haitian. They should be arriving in Florida sometime this evening and on a flight home to the Northwest in the morning. The road to get them home has been paved with the sweat and tears of many. Kristen at Congressman Rick Larsen's office in Washington State deserves a big hug and kudos for all of her hard work. Rick Larsen himself took a personal interest in getting Isaac out of Haiti. I will post in a separate post my rants about who of our elected officials were NOT HELPFUL, but right now it is just a celebration that after 3 1/2 years this little boy will know what it is like to have a home!

A Plan? Plan A?

2010-01-20T20:05:00.000-08:00

So, we will call this Plan A. It is a "by the seat of your pants" very Haitian style plan. As luck would have it, Bobby (who looks a bit like Jesus) sat next to some relief workers on the plane ride to Cap Haitian. They plan to hire some ARMED GUARDS to escort them across the length of Haiti to Port Au Prince (I am envisioning Rambo, but more likely they will look like this....)

Not that there is anything wrong with a guy with a machete. Especially when he is on your side! But I would be much happier if some really tough guys were in charge of my beloved brother in law and nephews safety....Like maybe these defenders of the free world (snicker, snicker, snicker). Well, the least our former president can do is help get the orphans safely out of Haiti. I mean, Isaac is no longer an ORPHAN. He has a family. AS DO MANY of the waiting children. Why should an American citizen have to risk his life to get his child out of a dangerous country. A country that we have been designated "in charge of security" in this devastating time. A much better plan (or a great alternate to PLAN A) is to let Bobby and Isaac fly out of Cap Haitian to Ft. Lauderdale where Isaac's paperwork and Visa could easily be processed by USCIS or the Department of Homeland security. Pray to your God, Call the USCIS or Department of Homeland security and let them know we want our children HOME NOW and home safely with a minimum of risk to human life.

Red Tape and No Answers

2010-01-19T18:11:00.000-08:00

"It is once again my job to be the barrier of bad news. Another day come and gone and no change. Despite extensive Congressional support and all of your calls to your Members of Congress we have hit roadblock after roadblock. At this point we respectfully ask that you stop contacting your Members of Congress requesting their assistance with obtaining security, transportation, and water for the location. The Department of State has not and apparently will not provide the small assistance that we have requested.

Given the current circumstances, at this point we are recommending that someone from each orphanage escort the children who qualify for humanitarian parole or adoption visas to the U.S. Embassy in Port-A-Prince. We recommend that the orphanage staff arrive with the children and any adoption paperwork that has not been destroyed as early as possible in the morning in order to attempt to obtain visas or parole for the children. Please understand that this option may not be considered safe and that the U.S. Embassy did not allow some orphanages onto the premises today. Additionally, please note that it has been reported that there is no food, water or facilities for the children to use while at the Embassy. As noted during our conference call earlier today, these are our recommendations only and should not be used to replace your or your orphanage director's good judgement.

It is our understanding that any children processed by USCIS in Port-A-Prince are leaving on U.S. cargo jets to locations that are not often know until a hour or so before the flight leaves. At times children have left Haiti without the knowledge of their adoptive parents.

This is currently the worst case scenario for the children's well-being and safety but at the moment there are no other options.

As we receive more information we will continue to share it with you. While the situation at the moment is terrible I can only hope that our collective efforts produce some positive news. Despite the roadblocks Joint Council has not given up on the save haven and we continue to advocate for its creation and a more transparent and safe process in uniting these children with their adoptive families."

Why can't we put human life first????

One Big Relief and the Oddness of Life....

2010-01-19T07:51:00.000-08:00

I awoke this morning and immediately checked www.loveachild.com for updates on the status of the orphanage that Clepson lives in. I was SO relieved to find that they have accepted the UN in to their compound and will be continuing their ministry as the UN uses the large property to set up a hospital and recovery tents for the wounded. It is a huge blessing to know that Sherry, Bobby, Bob and Carole and the children and staff will all have good security as the conditions in PAP worsen and many people take to the countryside.

Bobby and Sherry Burnette are two of the most optimistic people I have ever encountered. They are able to see God's blessings in the worst situations. When I received an email from Bobby that said they were living in Hell, I knew conditions were grim. I feared greatly for the safety of the people that I have come to know and love. As bad as the situation is on the news and as much as we all feel a great sadness, it is MUCH MUCH MUCH worse to know a child like Clepson is in the midst of such a huge tragedy. I worried for his safety, I worried for his health (and will continue to do so as disease spreads). To know that young, strong military men will be securing the perimeter of their compound is such a HUGE relief. Please go to the Love a Child website and read how six years ago it was predicted by their Haitian minister that this type of situation would happen.....

The Adventures of Bobby in Haiti

2010-01-18T22:47:00.000-08:00

My brother in law is currently en route to Haiti. He will be picking up my new nephew. You know, the one they have been in the process of adopting for the LAST THREE AND ONE HALF years! This story will be complicated.... first of all, my brother in law looks a little bit like Jesus. He is flying in to the North Coast of Haiti. He will travel by car to the orphanage and meet his son for the first time. Isaac seems to be a bright and sassy young man. I am sure they will have a lot in common. Then Bobby will travel, somehow, down south to Port Au Prince... You know, the place that just fell down. The place with stacks of decaying bodies. The place with no food, no water, and ripe for disease. Bobby travels with donated water purifing systems that will hopefully help some of the poor people of Haiti. He will hopefully stay safe, he will hopefully be coming home soon. With little Isaac Patrick.....Stay tuned!

Pray for Haiti

2010-01-13T14:47:00.000-08:00

First, Clepson is fine. Sherry and Bobby at Love a Child were kindly very quick to respond to my email about their safety. The orphanage in Fond Parisian was spared and all the employees and children were scared, but fine. Unfortuantely, five of the older children were being housed in a home in Petionville. This was directly on a fault line. They need your prayers. Sherry and Carole (the nurse at love a child) have gone to try to find out if they are ok. No word yet. Donations should be directed to www.loveachild.com I know this organization is very reputable and will spend the money where it is most needed. 800 employees at Doctors Without Borders are unaccounted for. Their three hospitals all sustained a great deal of damage and are unusable. The Medical Advocacy Team is putting together a team of medical persons to go down and help. Email Sarah at sisters3designs@aol.com if you can help. Sarah was in the news today. For more on her story check out http://www.momlogic.com/2010/01/my_4-year-old_son_is_trapped_in_haiti.php My nephew Isaac was within Days of coming home and now must wait!

Hard Answers to EASY Questions

2009-10-29T21:40:00.000-07:00

It is so normal for people to make assumptions in making judgments on important issues. Take for instance, Horse Slaughter.....Sounds BAD. We love horses. They are noble beasts. True, they are livestock, a bit like CATTLE, but they evoke an emotion in most people that is more akin to the family dog. For without horses our path to civilization would be far different. So we vote and petition to make slaughter of horses in the U.S. illegal.... And then, we offer no alternatives. So the horses that can no longer be cared for, the horses that people can't afford to feed. The "bad" ones have no home. We euthenize cats and dogs at our local humane society. But, what do they do with the horses. The local horses that are being turned loose in empty fields and left with no food, no shelter, no water at times. These horses become a public charge. OR they slowly die,

yes,

That is SO much more humane. Breeders keep breeding. At the high end they produce better sport horses that excel in many disciplines. On the low end, they produce horses that don't even sell for the minimum bid of $5 at the local auction house. Sales of even nice young horses are slow to nonexistant. It costs about $5000 per year to house and feed a young horse. And that is if nothing goes wrong. Veterinary bills mount quickly. So your bargain youngster is a big investment and must be chosen carefully. Some great breeder friends of mine have wonderful babies for sale. The prices are a BARGAIN and they are willing to house the horses at a minimal rate until they are ready to ride. If you are looking for a future star, drop me an email or comment and I will happily send you their way!

Mercy

2009-10-20T23:00:00.000-07:00

What does MERCY mean to you. It reminds me of wrestling as a kid and feeling the pain and suffocation of my cousins and siblings bearing down on my chest.... we would cry MERCY! The rush of air and coolness after the struggle, that is MERCY to me.

Mercy is also the name of a little girl. A small girl with a ragged smile. Her teeth are broken from falling. She falls because she has seizures. There are NO NEUROSURGEONS in her ENTIRE country. She needs help....sigh....she needs relief, she needs MERCY. This little girls condition is getting worse.

My good friend Kim is holding a raffle for an Ipod Touch to raise funds for Mercy's travel to the U.S. for lifesaving surgery. Please visit their website http://berriesnhoney.blogspot.com/2009/10/mighty-to-save.html.

So, if you have wanted an Ipod Touch, are touched by Mercy's story or just feel generous, please go make a donation. I know I will! This little girl has a long stuggle ahead of her and a long journey from Uganda to make to find her own version of MERCY.

They Could Use a little HELP people!

2009-10-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

Our local Northwest Therapeutic riding center has a great fundraiser Nov. 7. The event is called Denim and Diamonds and features a great banquet and live and silent auction. They are accepting any donations for the auction and reservations for the banquet. You can check out their website at www.NWTRC.org You can win a pony.... I know a great trainer.....

2009 DENIM TO DIAMONDS AUCTION DINNER

Chincoteague pony for the NWTRC

On Saturday, November 7, the NorthWest Therapeutic Riding Center is sponsoring the 6th annual "Denim to Diamonds" dinner/auction at the Elks Lodge, 710 Samish Way. Doors open at 5:30 PM. Audra Schroeder of the Cascade Radio Group will be the MC for the evening. Pamela Cady is the auction chair.

"We are really excited to have Arawn, a 4 year old Chincoteague pony, to bid on at this year’s fundraiser," said Julia Bozzo, executive director of the NorthWest Therapeutic Riding Program. We are accepting qualified written bids prior to our dinner/auction fundraiser on November 7th as well as during that evening. Reserve bid begins at $2,500.00. Arawn may be previewed (by appointment) at the breeding farm, Canrydd Stables, www.canryddstables.com. For bid information or to preview pony, contact Julia at nwtrc@premier1.net, or call 360-966-2124.

ARAWN is a 2005 black-bay gelding. He has an exceptionally nice temperament and is a fantastic mover. He is handled daily, has been backed, lounges very well and goes nicely over poles. Arawn should mature at 14.2, and has potential to develop into a wonderful performer at any discipline. He’ll make a gentle, quiet companion and willing partner for a child or adult.

Breed: Purebred Chincoteague Pony
Registration: Can be registered with the NCPA
Height: 14.1 hands
Foaled: 4/6/05
Color: Black bay with star and small snip on muzzle
Health: Excellent; all shots and worming current
Training: 5 months professional training
Prospect: Suggesting hunter/jumper

Tickets for the November 7 event are $50.
Please contact Julia Bozzo,
1884 Kelly Rd., Bellingham, WA 98226
360-966-2124
nwtrc@premier1.net.

The Horse Othewise Know as 4....?

2009-10-10T20:37:00.001-07:00

If you look at my boy Diego you will notice that he has a big 4 on his right shoulder.....it has been there since birth. I guess it is some sort of birthmark. As he becomes WHITER by the day, the 4 stands out more clearly. It dawned on me today that maybe he is like "the artist formerly known as Prince" and would like to be known as 4.....What do you think? Is it a SIGN?

When we Need Help...

2009-10-10T20:24:00.000-07:00

http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/ I have a secret pass-time... I read blogs that I find inspirational. Blogs that make me feel small. Blogs that make me wonder what the purpose of my life is. Blogs that make me want to slow down, look at my children's faces. Enjoy the moments.

Have you ever had a moment so perfect that you stopped. You stopped and thought...REMEMBER ...the feel of the sun, the wind, the smell, the look of your loved one's expression.....I want more of these moments in my life. I wish I was a mom who took more pictures. Who carried my camera and captured those moments in more than my ever fading memory.

I every mom would reach out to others and ask for the help they need. Where did we all decide that we are failures if we ask for a hand. I have BEEN there. We ALL have been there. It is not failure to reach out and take help that has been offered. It is a cultural WIERDNESS that Mom's want to do it all themselves. We often need help, we seldom ask for it. ASK ME IF YOU NEED A HAND, I will be happy to help and I will then feel open to Ask you to help me.......

I Never Wanted to Be That Girl....

2009-10-02T18:04:00.000-07:00

That girl who didn't have her act together. That girl who struggled. That girl who didn't make this world a better place.

When we dream of what we will be when we grow up it all seems so easy. It seems like we just have to follow a straight path from A to B and the world will bend to our will. It hasn't really happened that way for me!

I grew up as the "smart one". I was the middle sister. Smack between the Sporty one and the Pretty one. Our family also included the number one, and often-times prodigal son. We were all raised to believe we could have it all.

I wanted to be a doctor. DEFINITELY not a lawyer or God Forbid a REALTOR or HORSE TRAINER (that is definitely a hobby, not a profession). I wanted 12 kids (the Pretty one ended up with all the kids;) I wasn't sure I needed a husband. My father had failed in the husband area, so I couldn't at that time see what value a husband brought to a family (I have since learned and LOVE having a lifepartner).

I definitely wanted to go to an Ivy League School. Better yet, one of the Seven Sisters. I apply myself in high school. I graduate 3rd in my class. I interview, I SAT and I get into my school of choice. I also fill out an application to Purdue.....It was free.....and get a scholarship....My parents tell me I am going to Purdue.... Where the HECK is Purdue? INDIANA????? NO WAY..... Off to cornfields and cows I go....

Somewhere along the way I fall in love. I get married before graduation and move to KANSAS...

You get the picture... My life has not been a straight path from A to B. The road has many bends and turns. It is a good life....

What is REALiTY?

2009-09-29T20:46:00.000-07:00

I have four fabulous horses to ride every day right now. One of them is MINE MINE MINE. I am one lucky lady. I also have two wonderful children who are brilliant. I think they have GOOD GENES! LOL! I have frustrations. Many Frustrations. They are of my own making.

Sometimes I do not know what to say. I hate to admit when I feel things that are less than wonderful. I have no room to complain. Yet, I find things to natter on about on and on and on.

I wish I could DANCE or SING or had a TALENT.....

I envy the MORMANS.... In an odd sort of way....their sense of community. The way they pull together in joy and suffering...HMMMM

Check Out This Link

2009-09-23T06:48:00.000-07:00

In a typical Democratic or even REPUBLICAN manner, our country, the great old USA is having a DEBATE about health care. If 87% of the people want something, you would think that the debate would be short lived. After all, isn't our government based on the idea of MAJORITY RULE? It is somewhat confusing. I mean, I wasn't a Political Science major in college, I am just a lawyer which in no way qualifies me to actually interpret LAW, but, seriously, this seems pretty easy.....

http://pol.moveon.org/insurance_execs/?rc=fb.6

But then, I guess we are a country for the gullible, the EASILY DUPED, a country that reads the National Enquirer and BELIEVES. We are a country based on freedom of religion, as long as you are the RIGHT kind a' Christian...... "Mighty White" of us! After all, Christ wouldn't have wanted to protect the vulerable, serve the less fortunate, or make sure that all people are entitled to health care.....

Clepson is In the HOUSE, Finally....

2009-09-15T19:23:00.000-07:00

After much planning, preparation and anxiety (on the part of the adults mainly!) Clepson departed for home . His trip home was orchestrated by MAT with help from us and the Airline Ambassadors (super organization!)

We ended up driving Clepson to Seattle to meet his first of three volunteer airline chaperones. Clepson was dressed in his very best clothing and looked surprisingly "Haitian" in a dress shirt, vest and suit coat.

Clepson was excited to be leaving but had been anxious since getting his eye. I like to think he will miss us and not just "Hannah Montana"! Clepson seemed to withdraw from us over the last few weeks of his visit. It was like he had accomplished his goal in getting well and having such a super transformation with his prosthetic eye. He asked daily about how many more days until he would go home and started watching more "Love a Child" programming on the Internet.

It is my hope that he is truly glad to be back at Love a Child and has grown in a positive way from his stay in the U.S. I know that he is a physically healthier boy, but I hope he is emotionally and spiritually well too.

While we will miss Clepson's joyful laugh and spirit, it was not a very hard thing to let him return to Love a Child. Our family knew that Clepson would return home. Clepson has a wonderful home in Haiti. It has been MUCH harder for me to see some of the babies return to Haiti that live in squalid conditions without the resources that Love a Child provides to Clepson.

I believe in the power of education and think that Haiti's problems will one day be solved by Haitian children that have been gifted with education and world knowledge. I hope that Clepson has taken from his visit that with hard work and determination anything is possible and that we can't rely on charity and handouts to get by in life. I think a "hand up" is so much more valuable than a "hand out". When Love a Child educates and nurtures it's orphans it gives them the ability to work to change their country. My belief that this is so important made it easy for me to "let go" of Clepson and encourage his return to his own country.

Plans

2009-09-10T07:12:00.000-07:00

We have been busy and buzzing with plans around here. Getting Noah and Zoe ready for school, getting Clepson ready to return to Love A Child in Haiti...It has been a bit crazy around the household. It seems like Clepson has been with our family forever. He has been eagerly waiting to return home and the wait seemed to drag on and on and Now time is FLYING by and we will be lucky to get haircuts and school shoes and small gifts packed for the other children at Love a Child.

Clepson has been distracted and a bit sad for the last few days. I know he is frightened to possibly spend the night in PAP when he arrives in Haiti. He is frightened to fly also. Tonight we are going Ice Skating with the cousins and he will get to spend some time with them tomorrow too.

First Day of School 2009

2009-09-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

Today Noah and Zoe went back to school. This summer has been very chaotic and from the first day of vacation I thought I wouldn't be able to make it until they returned to school. Trying to juggle another child in the house with medical needs and working two jobs with summer fun isn't for the weak at heart! The experience of hosting a medical needs child has shown my entire family things they did not know about themselves. Since Zoe was born, Noah has felt that he would be much happier sharing his parents and home with a brother instead of a little sister. He learned this summer that he just isn't into sharing;) That brothers can be just as annoying as sisters. Zoe has become much more self sufficient. She has learned that having two brothers makes twice the fun and twice the teasing. She would like to never hear the words "Zoe be quiet" again. I have learned that maybe I am a strict parent. Maybe my expectations are high and that my children are really good people.

In July, our adult nephew and godchild (Danny) moved in with us too. We have had a full house and are so glad that Danny has found not one job but two and is working and saving to go back to school. Danny has been a lifesaver this summer in helping with childcare and making the adults schedules a little more flexible.

CAKE BOSS

2009-09-06T19:16:00.001-07:00

There are very few television shows that Noah, Zoe and Clepson all like to watch that I can bear to watch (PLEASE NO SPONGEBOB!) A few weeks ago we all sat for hours watching a Cake Boss marathon. The kids were amazed at the creations and amused by the "Cake Boss's" yelling and flamboyant attitude in the kitchen. We decided to make our own "Cake Boss" creation. The kids drew pictures and we discussed and ultimately had to put off making the cake because the fondant, modelling chocolate etc... were a bit involved and we needed ample prep time to pull off the cake successfully. We also needed a group of folks willing to eat our creation... So, Clepson's "going home" party was the perfect time to create. We settled on a Haitian flag (made by Clepson, with help from Nina), an American flag (by Noah, on the other side of the cake), a pizza (by Nina) and a hand (originally waving goodby, then just taking the pizza, by Zoe). It all came together pretty well and was DELICIOUS! The cake was white chocolate cake with almond white chocolate frosting, marshmallow fondant and white modelling chocolate. If you would like any of the very, very, VERY messy recipes, just shoot me an email or comment and I will get them to you.

Clepson is very excited to be going home at the end of the week. He is desperate to see all of his friends at the orphange and Sherry, Bobby and Carole (the directors and nurse at Love a Child). He is a very confident boy who will hopefully be just as respectful as he was when he came to stay with us!

Health Insurance Debate?

2009-09-04T07:19:00.001-07:00

Diego has health insurance..... Major medical ($250 deductable) and mortality insurance run me about $400 a YEAR. I am glad that I can afford to insure him because I don't want to face large medical bills that I can ill afford. I have personally had YEARS that I was without medical insurance. I did not get medical help when it was prudent to. We could not afford it. Do I think it is basic human right for people to have access to health care without facing poverty? YES. Do I think people in our rich country that I pay HUGE amounts of taxes should die because of lack of access to health care. NO. I wish people would open their eyes and see that we are already paying more in health care per capita in this nation than most industrialized countries do. We are also one of the ONLY countries that does not have some form of national health plan. Does this make them all SOCIALIST countries....NO....Does this make them less effective at health care than the US.... absolutely not. IN FACT, we have less satisfaction with our health care, higher costs and the highest infant mortality rate of all industrialized nations....WOW, we should be so proud! I have personally bought veterinary medicine that is THE SAME as the human medicine because the cost was one tenth of the cost for the human prescription....MANY things need to change here, pharmaceutical companies and HMO's are running our health industry. Fear of liability causes most of the doctors to make decisions that are unreasonable. Not only do we need a national health care plan, but we need to limit malpractice and crack down on the drug companies.... IN FACT, I think the government should insure doctors and other health care providers for malpractice......that should stir things up!

Looking Fabulous and Feeling Fine!

2009-08-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

Clepson has been waiting, and waiting and waiting for this day to come. Today he got to spend the day with Todd Cranmore, a wonderful and generous Oculist who made Clepson his wonderful prosthetic eye. For a boy who has never looked like other children, this is a HUGE day.... For a boy who has been shunned because his eye appeared different this is an INCONCEIVABLE wonder. To look in the mirror and see a normal eye! Clepson can't wait to get home and show his friends at Love a Child his new look. I think he looks older and more outgoing than when he arrived. I think everyone will be SHOCKED!

Happy Birthday Clepson!

2009-07-31T20:40:00.001-07:00

Excuse the grainy photo, it was taken on Terry's phone! Clepson had a "traditional American" birthday party at Chuckie Cheese. Clepson enjoyed the video games, cake, pizza and giant mouse (really a rat according to Zoe). Terry enjoyed the party more than the kids! It was a fun time and a great way to spend a hot Thursday afternoon. We were able to keep a "soccer" theme to the presents and Clepson was thrilled with his new soccer ball and clothes which will be entirely appropriate for his life at Love a Child. Sarah did get Clepson a cheap CD player and made a couple Christian Rock CD's for Clepson and a Micheal Jackson CD which he has desperately been wanting;)

According to Noah, Clepson thinks I am very strict.

I find this somewhat humorous as I am known as the total pushover parent of my family. I have been working really hard this summer to instill a sense of "we work hard for what we have" in both my own children and Clepson. Both Terry and I work very hard to provide for our family (which I believe is true for most U.S. families). I am dedicated to my clients (horse and house). Noah and Zoe are old enough to take on larger responsibility for chores around the house. Clepson is helping right along side them. Hopefully the biggest gift we have given Clepson is the realization that the U.S. is a wonderful place where you can achieve great things if you work REALLY hard! I hope he will return to Haiti with the determination to work hard and achieve great things. Clepson is a very bright and kind boy that has been given an incredible opportunity by the Love a Child organization to be a person of great influence in his own country.

Sins of Omission

2009-07-29T21:16:00.000-07:00

When people choose inaction when right demands action I think it is the worst kind of sin. When people in power and authority turn their backs on doing what is right it really makes me angry. When people in law enforcement deny ability to act when the law is clear that someone is causing harm and deserves punishment I become LIVID.

Do I care why someone is breaking the law and harming others..... not so much. Especially when those being harmed have no voice of their own. Especially when those being harmed are small children. Do I care that the one harming them has had a hard life.... not so much. There are many people who have hard upbringings, who have bad starts in life, who have had nothing and have been abused. Not all of them act out by harming others. Not all of them feel no remorse and claim that the horrid acts they have committed are fine. When the abused become the abuser the cycle must be broken.

Some people I know are struggling with what is right. They have appealed to their church, their law enforcement and social services.... They have been denied help. They need to push and shove and demand and advocate. The stand they take may not make them more popular, or be easy, but it may save two children who need their help. It may even help the abuser though I have no faith in our system's ability to rehabilitate sexual offenders.

Our justice system has systematically and historically valued the lives of our children LESS THAN that of an adult. The penalties for crimes against children are shorter and less severe. YOU WOULD THINK that those that harm those with no defense would be punished the greatest....

Thank You All...

2009-07-26T15:32:00.001-07:00

I want to give a huge thanks to those of you who answered my plea for more understanding of the "church" issue with Clepson. I now have a better understanding of his viewpoint and it makes my job as his host mom much easier. I just didn't quite know what the appropriate response or course of action would be and now my path is much more clear!

Bragging a Bit about....

2009-07-26T15:07:00.001-07:00

For those of you who have known me a long time... You know that I was formerly sister #2 of sisters3designs.... I was the one who made the outrageously cute (pat my own back here) embellished outfits that sold for fairly ridiculous amounts on ebay. It was a sad day when my own daughter refused to wear her painstakingly and lovingly sewn birthday girl overalls to her own second birthday party and opted to wear a store bought dress and feather boa. So, when we decided on Tuesday that Zoe should attend her first show riding western I dusted off the old sewing machine and whipped up this ensemble. Yes, the shirt was originally a stretch tee for me and the sleeves are old leggings, but I am pretty happy with the results!

Zoe and Cynder-Ella (sometimes known as the "Stinky Pony") rocked the blinged out look and took first place. Zoe also participated in the bizarre "showmanship" class where (as Zoe put it) you do the catwalk with your pony.... I think a bit more practice is in order and then I am sure the pair will be bringing home the blue ribbons in that class too.

The best part was not Zoe's excitement over her ribbon, it was her gracious attitude when she didn't get a ribbon at all in her second class. I am proud when my children achieve something, but more proud when they show grace in defeat. Too many times I see parents who teach their children to be sore losers. There is much struggle and defeat in life and a child who is afraid to try because they might lose, or who gives up because they have lost will wander a long, sad road in this lifetime. From my years teaching kid's riding lessons I think that losing a class gives you a more important lesson than winning one.

Zoe was a bit unsure of what her number was while she was in the second class. She milled about a bit with her pony before coming out the gate. She asked me what her number was and what place she had gotten in the class. I replied "dead last" with a smile and she shrugged and hugged her pony and said "I still love Cynder the best, and at least she didn't pee"! (two of the placing horses had chosen to take the opportunity to urinate while the judge was writing down the results) We both laughed! That was a BIG proud moment for me.

The Post in Which I try to Make my thoughts MORE clear!

2009-07-22T20:31:00.000-07:00

to say that our church is "liberal" is a bit of a mis-statement. The church we attend is actually a scripture based non-denominational Christian church. It is a church where they often use secular methods to make the scripture accessible to the average person.... In this manner, I find their methods to be "liberal". I had hoped in my last post to bring comments on how to reconcile teaching a child you host to accept that others worship differently and to be polite and not put themselves in a position of "judging" how someone chooses to worship. I have issue with not crossing the line on how Clepson's "Haitian" parents are raising him to worship and what he has been taught to believe and the things that I hold true which are a deference to my elders (especially in my children, rudeness is not permitted, I was raised wearing white gloves to church and being silent in front of adults unless spoken to!) and an appreciation that differences are to be embraced. I would hope even in Haiti that it would be important to accept that there are many methods of worship. I know of missionaries from many denominations. LDS, Catholic, Assembly of God and other denominations are all working to make a difference in the lives of the Haitian people. Dispelling hate, superstition and prejudice seems to be a valid lesson to impart to Clepson, but I don't want to overstep my boundaries as his "temporary" mom. I no longer consider myself to be a Catholic, but after 12 years of Catholic education I can assure you that there is no idol worship (don't even get me started)! To allow or to promote such a belief in anyone I meet goes against the grain for me. I don't wish to impose our families personal beliefs on Clepson, but manners and general acceptance that there are many ways to chose to worship seem to be basic fundamentals that would serve him well in his future.... Any thoughts would be appreciated!

"There is No God Here"

2009-07-21T19:56:00.001-07:00

"Our weekend services are a casual environment featuring a mix of modern music, dramatic presentations, multimedia, and a speaker with a message that’s relevant and applicable"

We have been attending a very liberal and modern non-denominational church here in Bellingham. Being raised Catholic ("Catholic is not Christian, they worship statues") I find the service a bit liberal, but the message is good and the music is fine and the fellowship is very nice. Knowing that Clepson has been living in an orphanage that is run by Christians who consider their mission to be largely non-denominational, I hoped that Clepson wouldn't feel our chosen church was too far from what he was used to. Clepson has missed the daily worship that occurs at the Love a Child orphanage. He has missed the fellowship of the other children and his "parents" Sherry and Bob.

Clepson's first few visits to our church seemed to go well. He surprised me by talking to my nephew when the pastor was giving his sermon, but I attributed that to being excited and 12 years old (not saying that he didn't get a "flick" to the head along with the nephew for being inattentive!) I thought things were going well.

Last weekend I made a trip to Kansas for a good friends' engagement party. Terry was in charge of getting the kids to church and gave them the option of going to the kids "sunday school" or attending the service. Clepson scoffed at the kids program (heavy on activities and fairly light on scripture) and chose to go to the service with Terry and Noah. I am not clear on what passage of scripture the service focused, but they gave communion by passing out Krispy Kreme donuts.... OK.... This IS A BIT MUCH... but I am sure it was relevant to the message..... In some way.... Clepson burst out with "There is no God HERE" This is not worship.... and on it went... I wish I had been there to remind Clepson that it is for God to judge, not Clepson. The american in me wants to influence Clepson and make him understand that all folks don't worship like he does in Haiti, that makes their prayers no less valuable to God! I broke down and had a long talk with him today... I explained that different was not bad and was not for him to judge.... I don't want to rock the boat for him, but I don't want him judging others unfairly, I hope to return him to Haiti with an appreciation that different is not necessarily evil.

Consider....

2009-07-15T21:29:00.000-07:00

Consider a world where when a country decrees your internationally adopted child is your child that your own country would easily recognise that. Consider a world where this little boy was not waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting for three endless years in a substandard orphanage to join his adoptive family. Consider signing the following petition......

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/face-act-of-2009.html

Snow in Summer

2009-07-14T18:25:00.000-07:00

Terry had a chance to take Clepson and the kids up to Mt. Baker to see the snow. They spent time sledding and trying to walk on the hardened, icy snow. This is just one of the reasons that I think we live in paradise! Snow in the summer! Clepson was pretty impressed to say the least. The last photo is showing the progress in healing on Clepson's eye. The orbital implant is still protruding a bit and fairly swollen. He is able to open the eye pretty fully now and the new and improved conformer stays in most of the time. Clepson is not very self conscious about his eye, but he is a bit worried about the new hairdo!

When Words Can Hurt...

2009-07-14T13:45:00.000-07:00

reprinted from ourhaitianjourney.blogspot.com

Bean is still talking about IT.
The boy who was mean to her.
She tells the story over and over:
"And then the boy said I CAN'T WALK!"
She puts on her meanest face and shakes her head
from side to side when she says:
"Then the boy said- I can't walk!"
She talks about IT six or seven times a day.
We have tried to listen to her and tell her
that the boy wasn't being nice.
That the boy was stupid.
That the boy didn't know anything.
She said: "He needs to tell me sorry."
Each time she brings it up- my heart breaks.
Over and over.
Its terrible to know her innocent HUGE heart
so well and to see it hurt so much.
She is such a gentle soul and has the kindest heart.
Yesterday when the OT was here she said IT again.
"Ray- the boy said I can't walk!"
He had already heard the story and I don't
think he knew exactly what to say.
Lulu kindly replied to Angeline:
"Beanie- Mommy wants you to stop saying that."
Ugh.
I did say that I wanted her to stop saying IT.
But not quite in that way.
Angeline then replied:
"He hurt my feelings Lulu."
She started sobbing.
and large tears fell
She just wanted to hear
over and over again
all the love of
all the people who know
that she CAN walk.
I held her tight on the couch and told her
that she could talk about IT as much as
she wanted to. But that we know that the truth
is that she CAN walk.
Please pray for her little heart.
It still so fragile and hurting so badly.
And if you happen to see my Bean-
please tell her...
"You can walk!"

Hair Cuts for the boys

2009-07-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

Last week I had reached my limit. My nephew David is a lovely boy. For some reason he had decided to let his hair grow long. I have no issues with boys with long hair if they wash it and keep it tidy! David seems to have super thick and fairly oily hair. Those of you with little boys know that the head sweat capability in a boy is far greater than that of the female counterpart. Badgering, promises of nicely styled "cool" haircuts were to no avail.

Enter Clepson

Upon meeting David, Clepson began a very subtle (ok, not quite that subtle) campaign to get him to cut his hair. Clepson loves hanging out with David. David is a year older than Clepson and very popular. Clepson began with acting like he thought David was a girl.... He was being asked what he thought of the girls he had met... He said they were ok, but that David was a very cute girl (HAH!) The teasing kept up for a few weeks until David relented and agreed to come over for haircut night at Aunt Nina's. Granted, a real stylist could have done MUCH better, but here are the results. Noah got his hair cut too, and as usual doesn't like it. Clepson wanted a "flat top" and ended up looking just like the Fresh Prince of BelAir! I guess I need more experience with black hair!

We Meet the Man with The Eyes!

2009-07-09T20:15:00.000-07:00

Today was a very exciting day for Clepson. We finally got to meet the man who will be making his new eye! We had the long drive down to Kirkland and met Todd Cranmore and the staff at Erikson Labs Northwest. What warm and wonderful people. The work they do is AMAZING! Todd talked with Clepson and then pulled the old conformer out of Clepson's eye and opened a drawer filled with custom conformers and pulled one out that fit perfectly! The custom conformer fits much more securely around the implant and Clepson even learned how to put it in himself. YIPPEE! One happy host mom who wont have to tape a boys' eye shut! Clepson was thrilled and got to hold and examine a prosthetic eye that was waiting to be fitted. It was completely realistic.

The best part of the visit was finding out that Todd actually has gone on mission to Haiti and a group of eye professionals, including an oculist, go to Haiti every year and will be able to see Clepson yearly to keep his eye prosthesis comfortable as he grows. Clepson will still need a new prosthesis eventually, but this is a huge relief to know that the eye will be checked yearly and adjusted.

Clepson was happy to have a conformer in that will stay secure while he rides bikes and plays soccer. He is even allowed to go swimming with it in. Clepson will wear sport goggles while outside playing for now, as I am not wanting to make the trek back to Kirkland to have the conformer replaced if it pops out outside. The sport goggles look very cool and Noah is very envious! Clepson will get to take them home to protect his eyes when he is doing sports in Haiti. It will be important to protect his sighted eye as well as the prosthesis.

Holiday Dreams!

2009-07-08T13:19:00.000-07:00

This year for the 4th we tried something different. The Gold Cup Soccer is in Seattle this year. Haiti was playing Honduras and the US was playing Granada on the 4th of July. It seemed like an IDEAL Dad day for the kids. Sarah's crew and Terry, Clepson and Noah loaded up in the "CHURCH BUS" as I call the Reese family van and off to Seattle they went. The soccer game was a big hit and the Haitian team came over and met the kids and Clepson got to speak with them! He was really embarrassed at first and then had a blast!

Yesterday brought a visit from Shar Brasheers of Love a Child. Clepson was so excited and it was great to meet Shar and her husband and daughter. They brought a wonderful ScrapBook and supplies for Clepson to document his time here. Noah and Clepson got right to work on the scrapbook and Clepson was SO excited to see someone he knew.

Tomorrow is our trip to the ocularist. I am excited and hopeful that Clepson will get a conformer that will stay in his eye without tape! I will take photos and update tomorrow.

Can we Camp in the Yard?

2009-07-01T07:57:00.000-07:00

We have settled on taping Clepson's eye shut to keep the conformer in for now. His lower eyelid is s bit swollen still and refuses to do it's job keeping the conformer in place. Fabric medical tape and a band aid patch keep it in for a bit of time. Clepson has had some headaches for the last day or so, but so have I, so I think it is more of a summer virus then an eye thing.

I spent most of yesterday working, spending time with my Mom (who is visiting from a far-away state) and left Noah, Clepson and two of Sarah's boys with Danny, Sarah's 20 year old son in charge. Danny will be moving into our house tomorrow to get ready for returning to school full time. It will actually be a huge help to us to have another "adult" in the house this summer to help with the kids while they are out of school. Hopefully Danny can save some money and be ready to concentrate on his studies when school starts.

Noah decided that it would be fun to "camp in the yard" last night. He set up our tent and hauled blankets, sleeping bags and pillows out. This is a big tradition with my kids and Terry. They love to set up the tent and camp at home. Me, not so much! All the boys wanted to sleep in the tent initially. Clepson and Dom decided first that beds would be a better bet for sleeping and came inside. I went to bed at 10:00 with two boys still out in the tent. The remaining boys were on the couch this morning and Noah said his cousin woke up screaming and pulled the tent down!

Terry and my brother managed to summit Mt. Baker yesterday and will be on their way home today! I need a big break from work and kids and life, It would be nice to be ALONE for a few minutes and have time to relax without worrying that I am letting someone or something down with work or home.

Why Not a Local Kid?

2009-06-28T18:37:00.000-07:00

I have had several comments on why I am not helping a local kid. Well, folks, the reality is that any person within the U.S. borders can walk into an emergency room and receive care. It is a byproduct of what we call the Hippocratic oath in this country. Regardless of some one's ability to pay, citizenship, color or religion, they are not denied medical care. Even though we are not a socialized country, we have a welfare system, social security and disability that pays for many of the essential needs of our citizens. It may not keep someone like a king, but it also doesn't pay so little that you are feeding your children patties of dirt and lard, which is common in Haiti (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/19/dirt-poor-haitians-eat-mu_n_168339.html). The little girl pictured above is 11 months old and weighs 8 lbs, 8 oz. My children were that weight about two weeks after birth. I would eagerly help any U.S. child with this degree of need. This little one was brought to a rescue center too late to be saved......

In Haiti, medical care is on a "pay only" basis. If you walk in a hospital you will receive care after you pay for it. You are also required to go to the stores that sell all of the supplies and blood you will need for the procedure and buy them yourself. You will then, maybe, be lucky enough to see an actual doctor, not someone who just says they are a doctor, cuts you open and leaves you to die. That is reality in many third world countries. The reality of Clepson's situation was that he lived with pain and continued infection in his eye from birth. He is now 12 years old. There was NO doctor in his country that could remove his eye and do the implant procedure. The technology simply does not exist. He lives in a society where many believe if he looks upon them he is cursing them because he looks different. He comes from a country where disabled children are starved or fed to the pigs because they are viewed as worthless. So, when you ask me why, the answer is because I cared enough.

The Pressures of Being Famous

2009-06-28T18:12:00.000-07:00

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/255/story/966377.htm is the link to a great story in the Bellingham Herald about Clepson and the people who made his surgery possible. Journalist Kie Relyea did a super job! I love this photo that was on the front page of the Bellingham Herald. Clepson is not so impressed! He hates for everyone to see him so vulnerable and we won't even mention the muffin like hat he is stylin'! I tried to get a photo of Clepson holding the newspaper, but my camera batteries were dead. In fact, we have no batteries that are charged in the entire house. Clepson broke out in a big grin and said "alleluia!" See where the power of prayer can get you;) I am sure he will appreciate the photo and story one day, but this week has been very hard on Clepson emotionally.

We have spent the last two days struggling to keep the conformer in Clepson's eye. I finally resorted to doing some online searching and came across a wonderful website www.losteye.com and posted a plea on the discussion board for tips on keeping the conformer in. Most commonly the answer was "ask the surgeon to put a stitch in the eyelids to hold them together until the swelling goes down". One person suggested using some medical tape to tape his eyelid shut to hold it in. We have gone with the taped shut method with pretty good success.

Clepson had started to act very depressed. He was sitting, not talking and looking grim. I decided to take him off the big pain killers and go with Tylenol. I know some people get depressed on narcotics and his pain at this point mainly centers around his eye being irritated when we have to put the conformer back in.

We went to the long awaited movie theater trip today and Clepson loved it. He ate a Large bucket of popcorn which was a relief as he had eaten little for the past few days. Clepson has been missing home and asked if I could make some Haitian food. I am going to need some advice on recipes to make that happen!

Tomorrow Clepson has a visit with Dr. Mike again and wants to go to Sarah's house. I think he needs to feel more NORMAL and less isolated. Hopefully he can keep his activity to a minimum, but I am going to take him over for a short visit at least.

Finally we have Pizza and the Doctor does a Home Visit

2009-06-26T18:28:00.000-07:00

Today started out fairly uneventfully. Upon waking, Clepson had some eye pain and we dosed him up on his pain medicine and I gave him a bag of frozen corn to hold over his eye. This helped a great deal and by noon he was able to open his eye much wider and was feeling pretty comfortable. I decided to try switching him off the big pain drugs and onto Tylenol during the day. At noon I gave him some Tylenol and left him watching a "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie fest! I was getting a migraine, so I went upstairs to take a nap and left him with instructions to have Zoe come get me if he needed anything.

A couple hours later (sheesh, that was a serious nap, but headache is gone!) Zoe came up to get me. She said, Clepson wants you..... I came down expecting him to need some food, water, something minor.... and he said "it is coming out".... Yikes, the conformer (plastic shield over his new "eye ball" was sliding out of the bottom of his eye. I washed my hands and put some antibiotic ointment on it and tried to slide it back in.... NO LUCK. I called Dr. Ford and he gave me additional instructions and said to call him back if I couldn't get it in. NO LUCK. So, back on the phone with Dr. Ford who actually left his office early to get a smaller conformer at the Surgery Center and came over to put it in for us!

Dr. Ford pushed a bit harder than I had and was able to get the new conformer in Clepson's eye. This was, of course, a bit painful. Not five minutes after Dr. Ford left he called to make sure that Clepson was ok and apologised for hurting him. He is the kindest man and seemed genuinely disturbed that he had made Clepson cry. All I could think was WOW! To not only donate his skills for the surgery, but to actively care about his patients feelings is so rare and wonderful.

Dr. Ford and his wife are friends of mine. They are very good people who have suffered great difficulties in their own lives recently. For him to take time and make sure that Clepson has the very best care possible is wonderful to me.

Type A+

2009-06-25T21:48:00.000-07:00

I have decided that I am not type A, I am type A+. While Clepson was in surgery I spent my time editing old photos like this....

I suffer from an excess of capability... I think I am can do anything. So when you need custom appliqued baby clothes, gardening, horse training, remodeling or a special Telly Tubbies blanket, I am your gal. As a realtor, I just look at all the options for spending money on technology that are available and think..."I can do that".

My latest project has been making individual web pages for my listings. I wanted to include a video tour of the properties. NOT JUST A SCRAPBOOK, but an actual video of the property. So here you go:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-vFXgufzbA

My first video tour! I'll unveil my web page to you all and if you want to know how easy it is to do yourself, drop me an email and I'll share the info!

Lessons from the Hood by the Blonde Chick Zoe

2009-06-25T21:06:00.000-07:00

Zoe has become a mentor to her little cousin Angeline. Angeline was one of the major inspirations behind the Medical Advocacy Team. She was our first Haitian Sensation and is simply fabulous. Angeline has spina bfida and has no movement from the knees down. She walks with a walker and does a wonderful job. She is so capable!

On Tuesday Sarah took the kids strawberry picking. When she pulled up at the strawberry farm there was a small boy playing in the dirt. He was throwing clouds of dirt in the air. His mother sat nearby holding a baby. Sarah ignored the boy (which shows unusual restraint on her part!) The little boy saw Angeline walking with her walker and went over to talk to her. Sarah didn't think much about it, since most kids have a curiosity for what they do not know. Angeline came over to Sarah upset.

She said "he says I can't walk! That boy says I can't walk!"

The mother just sat and said NOTHING.

Sarah told the boy, "She CAN walk, she just uses as walker".

The boy smarted back, "She CAN'T walk! She can't walk without her walker."

Still no reaction from the mother.

Sarah then said, " your mother wears glasses, does that mean she can't see?"

The mother sat and did NOTHING!

Angeline was upset all day. She may be three years old, but she totally got that her walker was a "bad" thing. She refused to use it and crawled around.

My Zoe stepped in and said, "Angeline, this is what you say to the mean boys....."

Hand held outstretched, palm up, head tilted, Zoe said, "Hey DUMB boy, don't talk to me!"

HAIR FLIP, HEAD TOSS, and a "HMPHH!"

Angeline LOVED it! She practiced the head toss, she practiced the hair flip (impressive even without the flowing blond locks) and even mastered a fairly good "hmphh".

Zoe spent an entire year at a new school where she felt continually bullied. We talked with her teacher, we talked with the principal, nothing was resolved. We gave the new school a good shot. We focused on how learning to get along with difficult people would get Zoe far in life in the future. We assured her that she would NOT have to return....I saw a lesson learned in action and was proud. My kids don't see differences, they see strengths. The have been raised with open eyes to all cultures, religions, races and differences in physical abilities. They do not turn and cringe or make fun of others. They are sensitive and strong. I have hope that they will not turn from the difficult situations in life, but will thrive.

P.S. Parents, PARENT your children... don't allow them to be rude, don't raise bigotry!

The Bandages are OFF

2009-06-25T20:50:00.000-07:00

Clepson slept well last night and woke to some homemade biscuits. He spent all day resting on the couch watching videos with Noah and playing a driving video game. We went in to see Doctor Ford at 2:30 and Clepson was pretty scared by that point to see what his eye looked like. He was very stoic as Dr. Ford removed the bandage and poked and prodded at his sore eye. One big tear ran down his face and it just broke my heart to see him trying to show no fear or pain. Sherry (at Love a Child) says it is very important for Haitian culture that he not show fear or pain. It is hard to imagine that control on a boy so young. What has he seen, what has he endured prior to coming to the loving care at Love a Child?

Clepson struggled a bit this afternoon with not being able to feel if he was opening his eyelid. He felt much better after talking with Sherry and her convincing him that this was normal and would not stay like that. Hopefully he will begin to regain some of his humor and high spirits. No pizza tonight, not quite ready for that yet, but he did manage to down a HUGE vanilla ice cream cone form Dairy Queen.

Eye Implants

2009-06-25T20:28:00.000-07:00

Eye implants have come a LOOONG way since the day of the "glass eye". When Clepson woke up from his surgery he thought he would have a brand new eye that looked just like his other eye. EVENTUALLY he will (with a bit of luck and much hard work on some great doctor's and oculists part!)

During his surgery yesterday, Clepson had his damaged and painful eye removed. The ligaments and muscles controlling the eye were then attached to an orbital implant. The orbital implant looks like this:

Clepson's own tissue covers the implant completely. His eye is very swollen at this point and he has a conformer covering the visible portion of his new "eyeball" so that there will be room to put the prosthetic eye piece in. The next step (after healing a bit) requires a trip down to a wonderful and talented oculist who has donated a custom eye for Clepson. Clepson will first be fitted with a custom conformer (which will be more comfortable than the one he has in now).

The oculist will then get busy making a prosthesis for Clepson that will match his "good" eye. The prosthetic eye should look like a real eye and will move with his muscles that are attached to the implant. Pretty darn cool, if you ask me! The link below is to the great oculists who are donating their talents to making Clepson's new eye.

http://www.ericksonlabs.com/artificial-eye-process.html

OUCH!

2009-06-24T20:45:00.001-07:00

This is a photo of a sleepy Clepson putting his shoes on in preparation for leaving for the Surgery Center. I ended up letting Clepson sleep until about 8:00 this morning, so that he wouldn't have much time to think about what was coming and also wouldn't have time to get too hungry!

Clepson was quiet and brave on the ride to the Surgery Center. He was brave when the nurses took him back to change into a gown and get his IV. I was SO proud of him.

I told Clepson the story of a much younger Noah running from us down the halls of the hospital because he was afraid to have a blood test. Clepson found that very funny and it lightened his mood a bit. The staff and doctors at the Surgery Center were great. They treated Clepson like he was a prince and were very supportive and reassuring.

The reporter from the Bellingham Herald was the same reporter who did the super story about the Medical Advocacy Team last summer. The photographer clicked photos as Clepson was hauled into the surgery room.

Then the waiting began....... 75 minutes into the surgery, the coordinator came out. She was very quick to say that Clepson was doing well and that Dr. Ford wanted me to know it would be about another 1/2 hour.

As soon as Clepson was in recovery they came and got me. I sat with Clepson as he woke up and he was VERY frustrated about the bandages on his eye. He was desperate to see what his "new" eye looked like. The pressure bandage puts a good deal of pressure on the orbital implant which keeps it in and stops the bleeding. Dr. Ford and I convinced Clepson that it would be best to leave the bandage on and it will come off in our post op visit tomorrow.

Clepson had no nausea and ate his crackers and cola. He dozed on and off due to the large dose of pain medicine they gave him in his IV. After a couple hours they pulled the IV and let us leave. Clepson was desparate to see Noah and asked if we could go up to Sarah's house. I told him he would just be sitting on the couch and he was fine with that. I suspect he wanted the "guys" to see his dramatic bandages.

by the way Sherry, this sad look is for you! Clepson wants you to know how brave he is being!

We are home now and watching "So you think you can dance". Clepson has had a big dose of pain meds and is resting on the couch. Clepson gets to sleep on the couch tonight with pillows bolstering his head. The airplane pillow I have will stay behind his neck and help keep his head upright. This should lessen the amount of swelling he gets.

Clepson needs to spend the next two weeks at rest. We have waived all TV rules and he gets unlimited TV time, for which my children are eternally grateful!

Thank all of you for your well wishes and prayers. Clepson is relieved to have the worst of his trip behind him. I have promised pizza for dinner tomorrow night if his tummy stays well.

The Night Before Surgery

2009-06-23T21:35:00.000-07:00

Tonight is Clepson's last sleep with his "old" eye. He is quite worried about his surgery, but trying to act like a little man. Clepson had a fun filled day over at my sister Sarah's house. Her house is loud, bright and often silly. Clepson spent hours playing in the pool, riding bikes and watching movies. We had cake and ice cream for Noah's birthday and Clepson was excited to watch Noah open his presents.

At one point Sarah showed Clepson her son Isaac's photo. Clepson told her how to say Isaac in Creole and asked why he was still in Haiti.... That is the million dollar question. Why is Isaac in Haiti almost 3 years after his adoption proceedings began. Why does his file sit in MOI while he languishes in an orphanage without the love of his waiting family. The longer he lives in the orphanage the greater his new family's work will be. Attachment issues, behavior issues, the list grows longer by the day and don't forget the health issues. A waiting baby died just weeks ago from Meningitis in Isaac's orphanage.

I joked with Clepson that Issac only got lambouie (spelling) three times a day at his orphange, not like Love a Child. Clepson had quite a bit to say about how proud he is of his home at Love a Child.

Sherry, this boy knows he has been chosen to be at Love a Child for a reason and sees the value of the work you do. Clepson appreciates the gift of education and health living at the Love a Child orphanage has given him.

Clepson went on to explain that many of the orphanages are fed with food from Feed My Starving Children that is distributed from Love a Child.

We ended the night at Sarah's with all of her children wishing Clepson well in his surgery and saying they would be praying for him, and they will be! With all the prayers floating around for Clepson tomorrow, I know he will do well in surgery.

Clepson is currently showering and will do so again in the morning prior to going to the surgery center. They asked this to help reduce his chances of getting an infection. MRSA is fairly common at most surgical centers and hospitals, so we will try to NOT develop a superbug!

Clepson will have another snack before bed as he is allowed nothing after midnight tonight. We are to arrive at the surgical center at 9:00 and Clepson will go into surgery at 10:00. There will be some consultations with the anesthesiologist and doctors. The surgery is 90 minutes or so and then we will have a bit of time in post op until Clepson feels good enough to walk. I am not sure if we will just come home or go to Sarah's to get Noah and Zoe. Terry will be in Seattle tomorrow working and Sarah has doctors appointments in Seattle with Bean and has to pick up our Mom and niece Libby at the airport. In all likelihood they will be back to Sarah's before we leave the hospital.

I will pass on any well wishes posted to Clepson directly!

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

2009-06-23T05:57:00.000-07:00

Eleven years ago my first baby was born. How quickly time passes. Noah has been a JOY to have as a son. He is kind, sensitive and brilliant. Noah has the best (and some of the worst!) attributes of both Terry and I. He definitely got the arguing gene from Grandpa Pat! We love you Noah and look forward to another great year being your parents!

Destiny and Gluttony

2009-06-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went to church services at Cornwall Church. Cornwall is a VERY large non-denominational Christian church in our town. Saturday night service has a pretty good Christian Rock band and the Minister is pretty charismatic and captivating.

Noah and Clepson are too old to go to the "Sunday School" and attended the regular service with the adults. Noah and Clepson sat with the older Cousins and Clepson kept asking David questions throughout the service. I walked over and gave David a "flick" on the head (you mom's know what I mean!) so that they would be silent and listen to the sermon. Noah seemed pretty captivated. The service focused on the story of Esther. The sermon was relating the choices we make to living up to our Destiny. I asked Noah what he thought about the sermon when we got in the car. He said that he didn't think it really applied to a 10 year old. I said I didn't agree, that the decisions he makes now will affect his future and the path he takes. He thought for a while and then said "yeah, like when you go and cut up your baby pictures". I had forgotten that I told him the story of when, in a fit of anger I cut up the baby photos my mother had of me! I have lived to regret that decision.

The sermon hit a little closer to home for me. I felt when I was a child that I had a responsibility to do something that would leave a positive impact on the world. I studied hard and went to school for many years to become a lawyer. Along the way I lost sight of the dreams I had of improving our world. I made decisions out of fear of failing and focused on personal gain and security. Over the last few days I have been thinking about how I could make a change that might send me on a different path. This journey of personal discovery has been largely due to seeing my life and the lives around me though Clepson's eyes. I am so thankful for the opportunity to grow as a person. I don't yet have a fully formed plan, but I feel a push to move towards living a life that has a bit more meaning.

On a completely more humorous note, after church we decided to go to the big buffet restaurant. Sarah asked if I thought it might be a bit much for Clepson. I thought he would do fine. All of the preteen and teen boys in our big group ate plate after plate of food. Chicken, Fish, Pork, Beef and Shrimp.... Pizza, Rolls, Fries, Salad. Clepson ate FIVE FULL PLATES of food. Then he hit the dessert buffet. He came back with TWO vanilla ice cream cones. All I could think was "do I need to run into Target and buy a BUCKET in case he blows up in my new car?" I just kept saying "Clepson, you may have all you want to eat, but please don't make yourself SICK!" I must say Clepson (and Noah too!) got their $5.00 worth of food and MUCH MORE.

After dinner we walked around for about an hour before I would allow the kids in my car. We arrived home without any mishaps and are looking forward to making Terry breakfast in bed in the morning.

Days with Clepson

2009-06-19T18:01:00.000-07:00

Clepson has really settled in. He has been having some fun, some work and loads of together time with my kids. You can check out a fun story about Clepson on my sister's blog http://www.ourhaitianjourney.blogspot.com/! Clepson eagerly anticipates watching "So you think you can dance", my kids are not too into it. Clepson said, "Noah, come watch the dancing, it is so good!" Clepson also has an amazing affinity for soccer. We saw a game as I was flipping through the channels the other day and Clepson was right into it. We know nothing of soccer in this house, so it was fun to hear him say "good play" and know what was going on. Clepson went to play racquetball with Noah and Cole (one of the cousins) and loved it. He loves bike riding and singing Haitian songs for us.

I have promised a trip to the cinema soon and every day Clepson asks me about it. Unfortunately work and visits from relatives have prevented our making it to a matinee, so we will try again this weekend! We are going to watch "Night at the Museum" tonight and will try to go see "Night at the museum 2" this weekend. Noah had the bright idea to ask Clepson if he had been to a museum, the answer was "NO" so I guess that can go on our list too.

The local paper plans on doing a big story on Clepson. They will be at the surgery center with us and I want to be sure to give credit to everyone who has made Clepson's surgery possible. I am hopeful they will give links to Love a Child and the Medical Advocacy Team in the article as well as the surgery center and doctors involved. Any time I can let people know about Clepson's journey and hopefully make more journey's like his possible I will! The photo is of Sophie and Minky who came over last year from Haiti for Cleft Palate surgery! The Bellingham News paper did a wonderful story about it with super pictures.

Authority

2009-06-18T21:45:00.000-07:00

Zorro and I have "issues with authority". What a phrase!

The issue we have is that we sometimes believe that those in authority do not deserve our respect.

When respect is lost we are impossible to control!

Once respect is earned we are very easy to get along with.

We are stubborn to a fault and will take down those in our path that stand in our way.

We are small but mighty.

We are righteous in our beliefs and sometimes we feel a strong need to kick out in anger and frustration.

Do not lie to us, do not try to make us lie.

Addendum...

2009-06-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to add that I do often give food to panhandlers. I pass out homemade cookies and girlscout cookies. I buy an extra meal when I go through a drive through and hand it to hungry looking beggars. I sometimes wonder though, how so many have money to pay for cigarettes when they have no money for food!

The Politics of Panhandling....

2009-06-17T19:29:00.000-07:00

There is no law in Bellingham prohibiting panhandling.... A variety of people stand on street corners asking for a handout. Some need the help. Some, well, let us say NOT SO MUCH! Today as I drove Clepson to our first riding lesson we passed a clean cut woman and her little boy begging for a handout. This lady occupies this particular street corner most days. I have seen her with her young boy and with a baby in a stroller and her husband. They have been panhandling for several months.

The lady on the street corner makes me ANGRY! She holds a sign that says her family lost all to a fire and needs money. In the US we have many programs to help people in crisis. A family of four can receive food stamps, welfare, counseling, job training and child care. They have access to free medical care (a medical card or medicare). Able bodied people can also do things the old fashioned way and GET A JOB. I often work over 40 hours a week. My dear husband Terry is up by 4:00 most mornings and rarely gets finished working until 10:00 in the evening. Terry works on weekends and on his vacations. We work hard to be able to afford to feed our family and have a home. We have luxuries like cable tv and cell phones. We have pets that need vet care that we work hard to afford. It makes me LIVID to see able bodied families asking for a handout on the street. WHAT ARE THEY TEACHING THEIR CHILDREN!

I can understand a mother not wanting to put their child in daycare. I quit a lucrative career as a lawyer to stay home and raise my children. I still managed to work. I packed my infant boy in a frontpack and taught riding lessons. I sat him in a swing while I rode training horses. I was not an absentee mother and I think every mom should be able to raise her own kids. BUT, if push came to shove I would have done what I needed to to take care of the needs of our children. We would have moved our family home to our parents house, we would have taken advantage of social services. I would have worked while they slept at night! I would NOT STAND WITH MY HAND OUT ASKING FOR CHARITY.

This hits so close to home when I am seeing this family through the eyes of Clepson. He sees a well dressed "Blanc" standing with a cardboard sign as her child plays with a new toy at her feet. She does not look like she has missed many meals. Her son looks well clean and well fed. Clepson asked "they are hungry?". I said "NO". He said "they ask for money?". I said "yes, they ask for money they do not need".

I tried to explain about the available social services. I tried to explain why a family would beg for money they do not need for survival. If this family could see real suffering for just one day.....

The Nanna is Coming, The Nanna is Coming....

2009-06-17T18:42:00.000-07:00

It is that exciting and stressful time of year... My mother, known widely as Nanna, is coming for her annual visit. Nanna is delightful, Nanna is the favorite of all of her children, Nanna is the favorite of all of her GRAND children, BUT...... Nanna can be a bit bossy. Point if fact, two years ago the Nanna told me I needed to MULCH MY FLOWER BEDS and STAIN MY DECK. Last year, I just avoided the fact that we had been to busy or lax to get these chores done by seeing Nanna at my Sister Sarah's house (www.ourhaitianjourney.blogspot.com). Of course, my Sis, mother of 14, has not trouble keeping on top of her house and yard! I am determined this year to have the deck stained and the beds mulched! I have in fact been running myself RAGGED trying to get the extra work done! Add to this two part time jobs, end of school activities and Clepson's doctors' appointments and you get a cranky Nina.

Yesterday I decided a new policy. If I AM WORKING, THE KIDS SHOULD BE TOO! Zoe hopped right in to help me outside (she is my little gardener), the boys remained inside and were in charge of general pick up and cleaning the bathroom they use which had begun to smell a bit like a urinal. The boys did a fairly good job cleaning, but the bathroom was still stinky. I pulled out the cleaning products and gave a tutorial on scrubbing the toilet and floor. How Noah has missed out on this fun chore in the last 11 years is beyond me! Clepson is now a certified toilet scrubbing champ!

Today was a long work day. Clepson came with me on several horse training jobs and we got home just as Noah and Zoe got off the bus. We had a snack and then I was back out side painting and putting the first coat of blue paint on the deck. I had warned the kids and Terry NOT TO LET THE DOGS OUT. Terry somehow forgot and opened the door and my sweet Kiwi dog came running across the fresh paint. I spoke some seriously foul words only to see Terry holding the phone out to me----YIKES! I said I couldn't talk right now and Terry then failed to find out who was on the line so I could call back and apologise! Zoe caught Kiwi and sent him in through he window to Clepson who washed off his paws. Of course we now have tiny pawprints across the deck and blue pawprints on our fancy stone patio! ARGH! I am sure I will see the humor someday.....

PRE-OPERATIVE!

2009-06-15T18:30:00.000-07:00

Clepson went for his preoperative visit with Dr. Ford today. Clepson was very nervous! I explained to him before we went that Dr. Ford was only going to take a look at his eye again and would answer any questions about the surgery we had. Dr. Ford explained that the surgery would remove Clepsons' blind and painful eye and that he would place a orbital implant in the eye. Clepson will be under general anesthesia for the surgery and we told him he would feel no pain. When Clepson wakes up he will possibly have a headache and some pain. We will control this with pain medication and ointments. Hopefully any pain Clepson experiences will be quickly under control and he will heal well. Clepson was pretty quiet during the meeting. We went to Dairy Queen for an ice cream cone after and when we returned home I showed Clepson some photos of other children "before and after" their own eye surgeries. It will be several months before Clepson is healed enough to get fitted for his "new eye". I can't wait to see him with a normal looking eye that gives him no pain.

In the US the prosthetic eye is polished and checked twice a year. In five years it will need to be replaced. This worries me as there are no oculists in Haiti. We will have to pray that a solution to this problem is found!

A Walk in the Park or When we LOST Clepson!

2009-06-11T19:59:00.001-07:00

Much paperwork, networking and prayer has gotten us to the point of bringing Clepson to the U.S. for this surgery that will change his life. Today Clepson spent the morning at my sister Sarah's house (http://www.ourhaitianjourney.blogspot.com/) . I know that Clepson has been lonely when my kids are at school from 8-4 every day. I brought Sarah's 10 yr. old son Dom home to keep Clepson company this afternoon and tomorrow while the kids are in school. Sarah has been homeschooling her children this year and Dom is almost finished with all of his curriculum, so he will work on math tomorrow while Clepson works on math and french.

Everything was going well today. The boys helped me clean the car and I was working in the gardens when Dom asked if they could ride bikes in the spectacular, LARGE park behind our house. This park has MILES of trails, a HUGE waterfall and pond and river. It is a fun place to play, but we have MANY rules to keep the kids safe while they are there. Our town is a safe place to live but I have seen too much Oprah and like them to always stick together when they are out of my sight. I also asked Dom to keep on our side of the creek, which only gave the boys a 1/2 mile loop to ride the bikes on and they would be within yelling distance if there were any issues or I wanted them home. About 15 minutes went by and Dom came riding up on his bike. He asked if Clepson had returned home and my heart DROPPED!

The answer to that was a big NO and I began to pray as Dom and I searched the park for Clepson. Clepson had wanted to ride ahead of Dom (who is VERY little for his age, more like a 6 yr. old than a 10 yr. old in size) and Dom had told him the rule was "stick together" at all times. Clepson may have misunderstood, or may have thought Dom was joking, or may have thought this "little" kid didn't know what the rules were, but he took off on the bike without Dom.

The fifteen minutes we searched seemed like HOURS. I kept thinking, why didn't I make Clepson memorize our phone number and address! Did Clepson know our last name? How would he find his way home?

Dom found Clepson who was promptly sent for a shower and bed (at 3:30 in the afternoon). I gave him some time (he took a nap) and then sat and told him "what would I tell Mommie Sherry" (http://www.loveachild.com/) if I lost her Clepson! I explained the dangers of being alone in the park and that he had scared me. I also told him his punishment was no different than I would treat Noah and Zoe and that I wanted to treat him as my own son while he was with us.

All is well now and Clepson will hopefully limit his adventures to the healing sort that he came for!

A Chance to Dress Up!

2009-06-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday we had the opportunity to dress up. It was the 5th grade strings all town concert. Noah had said last week before Clepson arrived that he needed some "dress" clothes. We are a very casual family living in an equally casual town. Noah has NEVER before worn a tie and hasn't worn a dress shirt in several years. I hit the local thrift store and was able to find some wonderful dress pant, shirt, tie combinations for Clepson and Noah and some wonderful dress shoes too! The boys were so excited and Clepson helped Noah tie his tie. Clepson was actually better with the tie than Terry;)

Of course, miss Zoe has loads of dresses that she will wear at the drop of a hat! The new school the kids go to has been disappointingly casual for Zoe's taste. It was fun to get some photos of the crew all dressed in their best. We enjoyed the concert and then headed to the Dairy Queen drive through for some ice cream in "cups" (aka cones). Clepson was very excited. His favorite foods so far are Pizza and ice cream. He would gladly eat Pizza every meal!

Inspiration

2009-06-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

Tonight I am watching one of my favorite shows with Clepson. So You Think You Can Dance is on and I love to watch the dancers compete in an area I could never master. Clepson is very musical and also says he is not a good dancer, but loves to watch the dancing. I had forgotten that one of the finalists is from Haiti. Vittolio is a young Haitian man. He is an amazing dancer. In fact, he looks a bit like Clepson. Clepson was sitting waiting to see that Haitian dance. They did a short background piece on Vittolio. It turns out he grew up in a Haitian orphanage! Clepson's was amazed! To see another boy who grew up without parents in an orphanage on American TV excelling in his career and competing for $250,000 is quite inspirational.

WHOA!

2009-06-09T15:44:00.000-07:00

It struck me today, as it does from time to time, how unreal my life is. I have healthy children, a wonderful husband and work finding people new homes and training horses. I was out training horses today and brought Clepson along. Seeing the stables through his eyes made me stop and ponder. My average client has spent anywhere from $20,000 on up for a horse. They pay me hundreds a month in training and it costs them upwards of $400 a month to keep their horse stabled and fed.

Our horses are better fed than the average Haitian child. They get regular dental work and veterinary care. They have clean beds to sleep in and fresh, clean water. They wear special clothing to protect them from sun, cold, rain or flies. It is all a bit insane when you look at it form the outside in....

They have three horses at the Love a Child orphanage. Clepson said he sometimes gets to ride the horses.....but they kick and sometimes don't want to be ridden;) of course if I was a horse and 60 children wanted to ride me I might kick too! Clepson helped me brush the horses and watched while I rode my training horses and gave a lesson.

What Says the Doc

2009-06-08T20:21:00.000-07:00

Clepson had his first meeting today w/ Doctor M. Doctor M dilated Clepson's eyes and gave him a thorough exam. Clepson has no vision in his bad eye and will have it enucleated on June 25. This is a VERY scary thing for Clepson and we could use all the prayer and support we can get! Clepson will be fitted for a prosthetic eye about four weeks after surgery. If all goes well he will be on track to return home in time for the start of school.

Clepson was very frightened before we met with the doctor. I don't know if he thought something might be done today. The eye dilation made vision in his good eye fuzzy and this seemed to scare Clepson too. It would be a very scary thing to have reduced vision when you only have vision in one eye to start with.

Clepson missed the other kids today when he was home alone with me. He spent time working on math work and french and riding the scooter outside. He is settling in pretty well and his behavior has been very normal preteen boy! What a wonderful job they have done at Love a Child! Clepson has wonderful manners and has not objected to helping Noah and Zoe with chores. He does seem very intrigued with television and video games, unfortunately we try to do as little gaming and tv as possible;)

Clepson tried pizza on the plane and wants to have it again soon. Mexican food was not a big hit for lunch, but he loves cold cereal and seemed to appreciate my attempt at Haitian beans and rice tonight. Clepson loves salad and turned down the cinnamon sugar chips served with his kids meal at lunch.

Clepson is HERE

2009-06-08T14:04:00.000-07:00

After much anticipation and paperwork, Clepson has arrived. He is truely one of the "lucky" children in Haiti. He lives in a wonderful orphanage that stresses all of the skills he will need to be successful and happy in his life. Clepson lives at Love a Child orphange in Fond Parisian, Haiti. You can check out his home at www.loveachild.com. Clepson will return to the orphanage after his surgery and recovery time here in the U.S. He is provided a wonderful varied diet by Haitian standards and has been given an invaluable religious education. Clepson also attends school and will hopefully one day attend university either in Haiti or the U.S.

Clepson has a super doctor here in the U.S. who we shall call Dr. M. Dr. M has donated all of his time and skills to provide a lifechanging eye surgery for Clepson. Dr. M arranged with the local surgical center for them to donate the use of their facility at no charge. He went one step further to get a custom prosthetic eye donated. Not only will Clepson be out of pain for the first time after his surgery, he will look "normal". While the U.S. has made some strides in accepting people with disabilities, it is just not so in Haiti. Haitians are driven largely by superstition and fear and Clepson's eye has been viewed as a curse or sign of evil. More doors will be open in Clepson's future when he looks more normal.

I must say that lack of vision in his eye slows this little boy down not one bit! Clepson is a wonderful soccer player and bicycle rider and all boy. Clepson has spent much of his day today working on math skills (I have underestimated his level of work!) and has done a few pages in a french primer. A dear friend will be loaning us some kid appropriate novels in French and Clepson will spend at least an hour a day reading. My own kids are still in school and it is a house rule that no kids do anything "fun" while the others are in school. Once school is out of session Clepson will get more play time, but will still need to work on his Math and French skills. My own kids to 1/2 to 1 hour of math and at LEAST 1 hour of reading. Zoe loves to read and will read for hours if allowed!

I am sure Clepson thought that visiting the U.S. would be more fun, but I want him to learn while he is here and know how Blessed he is to live in such a wonderful home in Haiti.

We met with Clepson's doctor today and scheduled his surgery for June 24. His preop is one week earlier at which time he will find out in detail what his surgery entails. Please pray that he accepts that the loss of his eye is inevitable and will only improve his life!

Taking the Leap

2009-01-15T13:40:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we need to take that leap. The big scary jump into the void of the unknown future. Setting things in motion can take a catalyst. Change is a frightening thing for me. I know that change can bring greater rewards, but being complacent with what I have is so COMFORTABLE. My sister took a big leap of faith last night. She decided to travel to meet the baby that had no passport. She got on the plane hoping and praying that someone could make the passport office give them the baby's passport today so that he could travel tomorrow. Some strong and devoted ladies took the sick baby to the passport office and literally fell to the floor and CRIED and BEGGED until someone would help them! The passport was provided and the baby will arrive in the U.S. tomorrow! Taking that first leap forward seems to be what was needed to inspire everyone to "step up the game" and get the job done. I can feel change coming for me too. Hold on ....... it may be a bumpy ride.

When Nobody Cares

2009-01-14T07:55:00.000-08:00

The Medical Advocacy Team has been working for weeks to bring a baby born with Spina Bfida to the U.S. for life saving surgery. This small infant has been fighting to stay alive while he waits, and waits, and WAITS for his paperwork to be ready. A wonderful Doctor and hospital in the U.S. have donated for his care and a family waits to host him. BUT IT JUST DOESN"T MATTER---Today his caregiver in Haiti said that nobody cares if a baby dies in Haiti. It happens all the time. It just doesn't matter. Haitian governmental officials just don't care or feel any urgency in getting his passport done so his life can be saved. His father has only looked at him ONCE in the last week. He shook his head and WALKED AWAY. His father does not want to stay at the clinic with him. He is inconvenienced by having to help with getting the passport and Visa approval for his son to travel. This is inconceivable to me. How does an entire culture get to the place where this small life is of no value. Where throwing up roadblocks in the process is ok? I have always felt sorry for the adult population in Haiti. They have so little, they suffer so much. Maslow's Hierarchy of needs seems to explain it best. http ://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs. Looking at it from a distance, it makes sense that a parent must have their needs for food, water and shelter met before they can move on to care for others. Emotionally my heart screams--HOW can a parent turn away from a child, HOW!!!

The Only Regret in Giving

2009-01-06T14:51:00.000-08:00

When I intially pledged to donate 10% of my real estate earnings to charity, I felt that it would be a strain and that I might regret pledging to donate such a high percentage of what I make. My only regret thus far in living up to this pledge is that I don't have MORE to give. If I could make more money, I could GIVE more. The photo above is of my beloved goddaughter. She was abandoned as an infant and was left to die. Only with the determination, faith and huge donations of time and money from doctors and hospitals, and people who cared was she given a chance to live and thrive. My niece has given so much to those of us who have donated to make her life possible. She has shown us that miracles can happen!

Welcome 2009!

2009-01-01T09:11:00.001-08:00

Welcome 2009! May it be a year of change and fellowship. 2008 was a year of stress, pain, sadness, and loss. 2008 saw the passing of my Grandmother, my dear Collie RyRy and the horse of a lifetime Easy. 2008 was a frustrating year that had me searching for meaning amid chaos. It taught me that being a Realtor is more about being a friend and advisor than being a business-person. It taught me that I love advocating for my clients when the doodoo hits the fan (those lawyer genes crop up every now and again!) It taught me not to be an idiot with my own safety and health. I am hoping that these lessons are now learned and 2009 will see me enjoying the rewards instead of learning the lessons ;)

First on my agenda for 2009 is being more involved with my children and DH. Being emotionally accessible to them and not exhausting myself to the point that I tune them out! Second is to take care of my health and wellness. This is still a learning process. Third is to put my own horses training first. He is no longer a baby and needs time and attention on a daily basis. Fourth is to continue to give wholeheartedly to my clients (horse and realty!) There is no other way for me to conduct a business!

Hopefully 2009 will actually bring Clepson, the boy we are hosting from Haiti, to our home for his eye surgery. Hopefully Berlange, a sweet baby in Haiti that my sister will host, will make it to Austin for lifesaving surgery in the next few days. Hopefully little baby Minky will live a happy life with her family in Haiti when she returns in a few weeks. These are my HOPES for 2009.

Self-Less-Ness

2008-12-24T08:17:00.000-08:00

We have had an incredible amount of snow over the last week. Living in Bellingham when it snows is a severe reality adjustment for those of us originally from back east where snow removal actually happens! People don't shovel their sidewalks and the city does not remove snow from the roads. Everyone just waits for the snow to melt....

AS I have had more time to surf the net due to being housebound, I decided I might need a new puppy. In a big burst of giving attitude, I decided to troll the rescue websites looking for a perfect pup. Giving a loving home to a sad pup seemed pretty selfless and giving to me...... THEN reality set in......My sister is one of the founders of the Medical Advocacy Team (MAT). MAT has been working hard to get two babies to the US for surgery before they die. They need to fundraise to pay for the flights. The smaller of the two children, Berlange, is only a few weeks old. He is in critical condition and may not survive the trip if it doesn't happen SOON. Uh, helping a dog seems a little self serving......I think my extra funds will go to help these poor children. If you want to join in, you can see their stories at http://www.medicaladvocacyteam.blogspot.com/

Paperwork

2008-12-02T17:43:00.000-08:00

The reality of realty is a ton and a half of paperwork. First there is the purchase and sale agreement, then the multiple addenda, then the inspection, then the financing paperwork, then closing...... It seems that all you do is shuffle and explain horribly written contract. The fun side of realty is looking at houses. Sometimes it is a bit scary, sometimes a bit funny and sometimes just fills you with envy. Realtors see a little of everything and hopefully helps every buyer find their dream home. The real work starts when the dream home is found. I love the thrill of competently filling out contracts to my clients advantage. Negotiating sales is also fun to me. Watching over the transaction from mutual acceptance to closing is a thrill. Something invariably produces a new challenge in every transaction and keeping things on track is MY JOB.

In The Holiday Spirit!

2008-12-01T17:54:00.000-08:00

I am feeling merry and bright today. There is winter in the air and my favorite time of year is upon us! It has nothing to do with receiving and everything to do with remembering those who are near and dear to us. Family, unity and togetherness are a huge part of the holiday season in our house. We are hopeful that the little boy that we are hosting from Haiti will be with us before the end of the year. This is a wonderful opportunity for my family. To get to closely know a child from another culture will be exciting. My children have been patiently awaiting his stay for months now and can't wait to have a new "sibling" for the next few months.

The housing market is typically slow this time of year. Interest rates are super low, but the selection of homes and condos for my clients is a bit on the thin side. So that is a frustration. I have the luxury of having two ready, well qualified buyers but we can't find them their dream homes! My listings are waiting to find their buyers too. Hopefully the new year will bring new hope to the market. The country should start to feel some relief from the recession in the new year (I HOPE).

My horses are well. The snazzy new pony won many ribbons at her first show and is beginning to show a new fit and spoiled attitude. Forbid that she should go a day to two without love, attention and riding. She becomes the power trotting pony and zips around the ring at top speed. Hopefully the daughter's riding skill will soon match the abilities of her Cyder-Ella pony! Diego (my horse) continues to be a joy. He is smart and fun. Hopefully the new year will give me loads of time to ride and train so that he actually lives up to a bit of the potential he is currently showing.

I had to add another photo from the despook, mounted police clinic. I call this photo "horses meet fire".

Grateful and Greatly Full

2008-11-27T18:00:00.000-08:00

As I sit here stuffed from our Thanksgiving dinner, there are so many things I am grateful for this year. I am grateful for my wonderful clients in real estate and dressage training that I have had the opportunity to serve. I am grateful for the health and love of my family. I am grateful for the opportunity to help with the wonderful children that the Medical Advocacy team helps. I am grateful for my wonderful horses and puppies. I am grateful for the strong friendships that I have maintained over the years.

One of my good friends is on my mind today. She has been close to me and I have depended on her for the last 15 years or so. We are very different in many ways, but so very much the same in many others. She took over ownership of my old FEI horse when he was 14. I had owned him for 9 years and often commented that if it came down to choosing between my husband and my beloved horse, the husband would have to go! I had grown to a point in my riding and training that I felt this horse had been pushed as far as he was able to go. My dear friend had suffered two severe accidents with her current horse and needed my equine friend to take her riding up to the next level. My friend owned him for the last 9 years of his life. She rode him to the FEI levels and we both learned so much from him. He was not the prettiest horse, or the most talented. He had a huge heart and an unmatched work ethic. He was truly a case where the total package far, far exceeded the sum of his parts. This dear horse passed on this year. He was buried on the hillside that he loved. I am so grateful to have a friend that took such wonderful care of my old partner to the end. I am so grateful that I had a chance to ride such a wonderful animal.

Road Trip....

2008-11-10T15:50:00.000-08:00

A few months ago my little sis (mother of 13, foster mom of 1 and cofounder of the Medical Advocacy Team) asked if I would escort her current foster baby (codename Stinky Minky) to Yakima for her final surgery. I thought, wow, an all expense paid trip to YAKIMA! and said sure. Now the time has arrived and I will be spending the remainder of the week at the hospital in Yakima with a very unhappy 10 month old baby. I will most definitely be stir crazy. I am NOT used to sitting still or being in one place all day. 4 days in Yakima, in one tiny room will be CRAZY. Wish me luck. And keep Minky in your thoughts.

And then My Vote Was not Counted

2008-11-04T19:00:00.000-08:00

So much for feeling passionate about the election and voting. I dutifully filled out my ballot weeks ago and sent it off to be counted. I sat watching the election coverage all day and tore myself away only to walk out to get today's mail. Guess What? Their was an official letter stating that my ballot is being challenged due to a questionable signature. SAY WHAT? Now my vote will be counted, with more verification, long after the race is called. What a let down!!!!!

Seattle Market Tops List of Rebounds!

2008-11-04T05:38:00.001-08:00

By Dorothy Pomerantz, Forbes.com
Nov 3rd, 2008
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If you're a homeowner seeing property values plummet, look to the commercial real estate market for solace. It might tell you which areas will recover fastest--and which will likely remain weak.
The Urban Land Institute recently asked 700 real estate professionals to name the best (and worst) places to invest in commercial real estate in the coming year. Those surveyed included private developers, Realtors and Real Estate Investment Trust executives. Their answers also apply to the residential market, since the single-family-home sector typically follows the economy. As wages go up and there are more jobs, more people can buy homes, pushing prices up.
The best cities in which to invest are those that are considered gateways to international investment, have vital downtowns where people can forgo cars, and don't have a glut of condos or office space.
In Depth: Best and Worst Places for Real Estate Investors
These traits landed Seattle the No. 1 spot on the list. No city scored above a 6.15 on a scale of one to nine (one being an abysmal place to invest and nine being excellent).
Seattle is "a diversified market, has a good base of business and is becoming a 24-hour city," says Stephen Blank, senior resident fellow, finance, of the Urban Land Institute. "It's going to be in a good position to come back."
Although the city is suffering from the loss of Washington Mutual and the downsizing of Starbucks, Boeing and Microsoft are still relatively strong. Apartment vacancies are low and there aren't too many new buildings going up, meaning the market won't be oversupplied. The same is true in the retail space.
San Francisco comes in second with a 6.12. The City by the Bay learned from the tech crash of 2001 not to overbuild. There is a reasonable supply of office and apartment space, which should limit vacancies. San Francisco's port is also expected to help the city during the downturn as Americans continue to rely on Asian imports.
Washington, D.C., New York and Los Angeles round out the top five.
Of course, there's no guarantee that an improved commercial market will lead to an improved home market. However, investors have a better chance of seeing home prices rise in fundamentally strong markets like Seattle than in struggling cities like Detroit.
It landed at the bottom of the list, scoring a 2.24. Detroit has been reliant on the car industry, which is rapidly shrinking. Other businesses are unlikely to fill the void in the next few years, which means the city will be hit hard by further economic struggles.
New Orleans also lands near the bottom with a score of 3.33. The city has been losing businesses to Houston, Dallas and Atlanta since Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005.
The other cities at the bottom of the list-- Columbus, Ohio, Milwaukee, Wis., and Cleveland--suffer from dying industries and lack of tourist appeal.
Recent attempts to turn downtown Milwaukee into a thriving 24-hour city haven't been enough to protect it from the coming downturn. Increasingly picky investors are expected to favor higher-quality port cities over Midwest towns.
And while Columbus has the potential to become a major shipping hub for goods traveling cross-country, that revitalization may have to wait for a stronger economy and a government focused on improving the nation's roads.
For now, prospects are dim.
In Depth: Best and Worst Places for Real Estate Investors

Funny and True......

2008-11-01T18:40:00.001-07:00

So the Republicans have decided to run against themselves. The bums have tiptoed out the back door and circled around to the front and started yelling, "Throw the bums out!" They've been running Washington like a well-oiled machine to the point of inviting lobbyists into the back rooms to write the legislation, and now they are anti-establishment reformers dedicated to delivering us from themselves. And Mayor Giuliani is an advocate for small-town America. Bravo.They are coming out for Small Efficient Government the very week that the feds are taking over Fannie and Freddie, those old cash cows, and in the course of a weekend 20 or 50 (or pick a number) billion go floating out the Treasury door. Hello? Do you see us out here? We are not fruit flies, we are voters, we can read and write, we didn't just fall off the coal truck.It is a bold move on the Republicans' part -- forget about the past, it's only history, so write a new narrative and be who you want to be -- and if they succeed, I think I might declare myself a 24-year-old virgin named Lance and see what that might lead to. Paste a new face on my Facebook page, maybe become the Dauphin Louie the Thirty-Second, the rightful heir to the Throne of France, put on silk tights and pantaloons and a plumed hat and go on the sawdust circuit and sell souvenir hankies imprinted with the royal fleur-de-lis. They will cure neuralgia and gout and restore marital vigor.Mr. McCain has decided to run as a former POW and a maverick, a maverick's maverick, rather than Mr. Bush's best friend, and that's understandable, but how can he not address the $3 trillion that got burned up in Iraq so far? It's real money, it could've paid for a lot of windmills, a high-speed rail line in Ohio, some serious R&D. The Chinese, who have avoided foreign wars for 50 years, are taking enormous leaps forward, investing in their economy, and we are falling behind. We're wasting our chances. The Republican culture of corruption in Washington hasn't helped.And a former mayor of a town of 7,000 who hired a lobbyist to get $26 million in federal earmarks is now running against the old-boy network in Washington who gave her that money to build the teen rec center and other good things so she could keep taxes low in Wasilla. Stunning. And if you question her qualifications to be the leader of the free world, you are an elitist. This is a beautiful maneuver. I wish I had thought of it back in school when I was forced to subject myself to a final exam in higher algebra. I could have told Miss Mortenson, "I am a Christian and when you gave me a D, you only showed your contempt for the Lord and for the godly hardworking people from whom I have sprung, you elitist battle ax you."In school, you couldn't get away with that garbage because the taxpayers know that if we don't uphold scholastic standards, we will wind up driving on badly designed bridges and go in for a tonsillectomy and come out missing our left lung, so we flunk the losers lest they gain power and hurt us, but in politics we bring forth phonies and love them to death.I must say, it was fun having the Republicans in St. Paul and to see it all up close and firsthand. Security was, as one might expect, thin-lipped and gimlet-eyed, but once you got through it, you found the folks you went to high school with -- farm kids, jocks, the townies who ran the student council, the cheerleaders, some of the bullies -- and they are as cohesive now as they were back then, dedicated to school spirit, intolerant of outsiders, able to jump up and down and holler for something they don't actually believe. But oh Lord, what they brought forth this year. When you check the actuarial tables on a 72-year-old guy who's had three bouts with cancer, you guess you may be looking at the first woman president, a hustling Evangelical with ethics issues and a chip on her shoulder who, not counting Canada, has set foot outside the country once -- a trip to Germany, Iraq and Kuwait in 2007 to visit Alaskans in the armed service. And who listed a refueling stop in Ireland as a fourth country visited. She's like the Current Occupant but with big hair. If you want inexperience, there were better choices.(Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion" can be heard Saturday nights on public radio stations across the country.)© 2008 by Garrison Keillor. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.

Please VOTE!

2008-11-01T18:23:00.000-07:00

This election is stacking up to be one of the most important elections of my lifetime and yours. Our economy is in recession. Our children are being denied the same quality of education that we recieved. For one of the first times in the history of our country, we are less well off than our parents, and our children may be less well off than we are..... Please check out this website www.ourhaitianjourney.blogspot.com for a wonderful post that outlines some critical issues in the election that are close to my heart.

I have a wide range of friends from across this country. There is so much fear out there regarding accepting that it is time for a change. I want everyone in our country to use their voice and vote. Educate yourself on all of the issues. Don't give in to fear. Vote your heart, but regardless of how you vote please, vote. Hopefully the votes will actually be counted this time!

CONSEQUENCES

2008-10-27T18:58:00.001-07:00

Teaching consequences to our children is such a crucial thing. Looking at the decisions made by lawmakers, banks and investors for the last few years shows a distinct lack of foresight into the CONSEQUENCES of their decisions. Looking at my personal choices in spending discretionary money also shows an inability to realize consequences. HOW do we teach the next generation to make better decisions, to look to their futures?

This was brought home this weekend as our beloved (HAH!) goldfish "Dot" had another brush with death at the hands of one of my nieces......Dot is a SURVIVOR. He lives in a huge tank, without company, because he has a habit of eating all friends we provide him with...... A few years ago my beloved niece tried to "feed" Dot her chocolate cupcake. This resulted in a huge mess and a very unhappy, sideways swimming Dot. Miraculously, Dot pulled through. We explained to the beloved niece that FISH DO NOT EAT CUPCAKES. That she should not feed animals without permission..... This weekend my beloved niece forgot that her actions sometimes have unpleasant consequences. She again fed Dot. This time an entire jumbo can of fish food. Once again Dot swam sideways for a few days. This morning Dot perked back up and is now on the lookout for something to cannibalize.......

Hopefully beloved niece can learn that there are sometimes consequences.....

InVigOraTing

2008-10-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

The days are whipping by in a crush of real estate, parenting, and horsetraining. For a market that isn't moving, it is providing loads of work, albiet not many sales..... Hopefully the market will begin to dribble on forward as we move past the election. On the note of Law being more lucrative than realty right now, my father "the best attorney I know" weighs in that no-one has money to pay for a lawyer right now, so unless you run a bankruptcy clinic you are still feeling the pinch. Good to know..... At least I actually ENJOY real estate as a career!

I started another 10 week BOOT CAMP session. This is part of "paying myself" with good health (I think maybe this was some sort of resolution, or maybe just too much Oprah watching....) The last session was cut short with my injury. I am now operating at about 90% so I hope to make more gains this session in fitness.

On the credit crisis, the banks are all saying locally that they have plenty of money to lend. The catch seems to be that it is available to well qualified borrowers (read top credit scores only please). Hopefully some of the banks will begin to loosen their hold on this ready cash and begin to lend to the slightly less qualified borrowers!

Feeling the PINCH

2008-10-13T18:53:00.000-07:00

As the days have passed I have begun to contemplate how the current financial crisis effects me directly. It is all beginning to trickle down and I can clearly anticipate how this might affect me in the coming months. People are tightening their belts in anticipation of a long recession or depression (which I admit reflects my current state of mind!) All the pundits on TV are recommending paying down your debt and living within our means. This is wonderful advice and advice that I fight like most Americans on a daily basis. We all buy in to the fact that we can have it now and pay for it later. Living in a state of deferred payment makes for deep stresses that impact my daily life and the life of many around me. Many of my clients have seen their investments dwindle in the past weeks. Several of my long time clients are involved in finance and are facing heavy stress right now. I can only wonder if my horse training business will be impacted by belts tightening.....I know the housing market is grinding to a big pause right now. My buyers are struggling to find houses to view as few new options are making their way on to the market. My sellers are fielding "low ball" offers from investors looking to pick up a bargain. This all leads me to think of my colossal ill timing on becoming a realtor. I love my job. It is fun, exciting and I have made some wonderful new friends. I guess my mother was right, that law degree may be a good thing to fall back on one day.......

My Busy Phone.....

2008-10-02T18:12:00.000-07:00

This week has been very interesting for the stock market and the real estate market. Many Realtors are have clients that are pulling back from buying houses due to the volatility in the stock market.

MY phone has been ringing off the hook! I have had more inquiries on my lovely multifamily listing in this one week than I have had in the last two months. WHY? I think that people are looking to put some of their liquid assets in to a more secure investment. Bellingham's housing market has taken a small hit this last year. However, rentals are booming. What better investment than a charming and solidly maintained. Not only should the investor be able to grow some equity in the property over the years, they will be able to generate positive income in the mean time.

Interesting.....

Lessons From the Fall

2008-10-01T08:20:00.000-07:00

I have always believed that the curve balls that life throws us are meant to be lessons. Sometimes you have to look VERY hard to find a lesson in adversity! Almost two months ago I was bucked off one of my training horses. I will bear scars on my shoulder and hip for the rest of my life. I am still struggling to heal from a torn ligament. What lesson is there in all of this? After much moping and self searching I can only think that I need to learn to not be so STUPID! I often feel obligated to take on work when I really don't have the time. I was raised to believe that I can accomplish anything..... This sense of capability has gotten me far in this life, but it also makes me want to shield others from responsibilities that they should shoulder themselves.

This lesson has been particularly appropriate in my real estate career lately. Virtually every transaction has it's share of struggles and bumps along the way to a successful closing. I have long felt it was my job to insulate my clients from as much of the stress of the home buying or selling process as possible. Some areas of the transaction are outside my capability to fix. I can't make a loan appear when none are available. I can't remodel a home to make it sell more quickly. I am working hard on accepting that some burdens are just not mine to bear. The scars and physical pain that I feel now are a great reminder!

Step Outside The Box

2008-09-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I literally stepped outside the box. I participated in a mounted police training session with my 3 yr. old horse Diego. I am NOT a daredevil at all. This was an activity that was FAR outside my zone of comfort. It was liberating and thrilling to realize that I am much more capable than I thought. This was more than a horse lesson. It was a life lesson. Sometimes you need to shake it up a bit and reach outside your comfort zone. Open yourself to a new experience.

Getting Involved

2008-09-22T20:21:00.000-07:00

I have volunteered to be my community organizer for the Democrats. This is quite a step for me as I have always found politics to be a very personal issue. I can be a bit ambivalent about party politics and have never been officially involved in politics in any capacity. Despite my ambivalence, I have faithfully voted in every election since I turned 18. I think it is a huge privileged to be able to vote and we all must give our opinion and support to the candidate that most closely mirrors our views on how we want our country to be run. I have long felt that at the very least, if the candidate that I support doesn't get elected, I have the right to say that the woes of my country are NOT MY FAULT! So please, regardless of your beliefs, educate yourselves on all of the issues that effect you lives and VOTE for someone. This country is too precious to entrust it's care to someone you do not believe will do a good job.

My Favorite Stock Options.....

2008-09-18T20:13:00.000-07:00

After much debate and self rationalizing.... we have added a new member to our family. Cyder-Ella is a wonderful little pony that we found for my daughter right before the current stock market issues arose. Many of my close friends work as stock brokers and financial planners. They have encouraged me to invest in the market over the years. We have put most of our money in to our home (real estate is a great long term investment, even with the hit that the market has taken lately!) I love to tell people that the only stock that I own has four legs.....So many farms and stables are in trouble financially and need homes for some really wonderful and experienced horses and ponies. Cynder has settled in to our fabulous boarding stable without any issues at all. I am excited to be able to share one of my lifelong pursuits with my daughter!

GIVING BACK

2008-02-07T14:04:00.000-08:00

I am excited to announce that I am in the process of developing a new program that will allow me to give 10% of my share of commission on the sale or purchase of a home to any designated charitable institution. I have been inspired to do this by some of the other agents in my office and by my younger sister who is deaply involved in humanitarian issues. This is a small way that I can both encourage people to use me as an agent and help make the world a better place.

The process will work like this: you use me as an agent to either list your home or help you find a new home. After closing on the house, I will send a check in your name to a predesignated charity. It is really pretty simple and could make a big difference to some organizations. My sister is involved in helping find orphans in Haiti and Burkina Faso homes. A mere $12 can vaccinate a child for Malaria. So a check for several hundred dollars to this type of organization would make a big impact. If any of you would like more information on this project, drop me an email.

Exciting Interest Rates!

2008-01-29T18:18:00.000-08:00

Interest rates are DROPPING like a rock. One day last week rates went to 5.1% on 30 year fixed rate mortgages. This low rate only held for 4 hours, but still, rates are dropping like a rock. So how do you know when to fix your rate? When will they go up? If you fix a rate are you "stuck" with it?

It can be quite a job of speculation to decide when you should fix your rate. News of the feds dropping the wholesale rate makes everyone believe the home mortgage rate will drop too. This CAN be true, but not allways. The fed rates drop as a way to stimulate the economy. The mortage rate is low due to the slow economy. So, at some point the stimulation of the economy will cause a RISE in rates instead of a drop. That is where speculation comes in!

If you fix a rate, you are not STUCK with it untill after you close on the loan. You may have to pay a penalty ($300) to get out of the loan, but you are not bound to it until you sign at closing. Some loans have provisions to fix your rate while you are shopping for a home. If the rates drop prior to you finding a home and closing on it you have a one time ability to reset the loan rate at the lower rate.

Hmmmmmm......all this talk of rates makes me want to move or refinance.......

The Real Estate GAME?

2008-01-04T16:30:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning with a phrase running through my head. "Buying a home is not a GAME". Often I hear other Realtors refer to their job as a "game". I can think of nothing less "game" like than buying or selling a home. It is listed as one of life's biggest stresses. To have a realtor who thinks it is some kind of a "game" is a little disturbing. I can only surmise that people in the industry who feel this way are on some sort of power trip. There is a ton of negotiation and strategy involved in buying a home. Buyers and Sellers both rely heavily on the advice of their realtor's . I view it as a huge responsibility. Some view it as a game.....

New Year, New Attitude

2008-01-03T10:45:00.000-08:00

I hope all of my readers have had a wonderful holiday. The Thompson holiday was a busy one with celebrations and a busy work and teaching schedule. The new year brings me many resolutions. In fact, I have resolved to be a daily blogger in 2008! So check back regularly for interesting information on Western Washington and the real estate market. Nation wide it looks like real estate markets are beginning to steady. It seems (hopefully) the worst of the credit crisis is behind us and we can look forward to a year of steady or growing home prices. On a local front the outlook is even better. Buyers who were holding back on entering the market are beginning their search. Hopefully home owners thinking about a change will go ahead and list their properties now that the holidays are past and help out our low inventory! There are still "bargains" coming on the market every week for the savvy shopper. I have been seeing more sales pending at close to asking price and I haven't seen any low ball sales in a few weeks. This is good news for the sellers and a message to the reluctant buyers that now is time to leap in to the market.

Low Inventory Locally

2007-12-19T13:57:00.000-08:00

The local real estate market has been very interesting to watch over the last few weeks. I am seeing more sales pending with incredibly low offers and seeing more houses selling above asking at the same time! It is very strange. I can only surmise that some builders, homeowners, and investors are having to "dump" properties due to financial difficulties. On the flip side some homeowners are benefiting from the low inventory of houses we currently have and selling for above asking price.

I was personally involved in making a full price offer on a house for a client on the first day the house was on the market and NOT getting the sale! The house wasn't a SUPER value, just fairly price in a desirable neighborhood where there are few houses on the market. I was pretty shocked. You think that a full price offer in this market would be a slam-dunk sale, but it wasn't.

Everyone is predicting a pick up in the market mid 2008. If so, those of you on the fence about looking for a new home should be at the ready after the first of the year to start your search and capitalize on our low interest rates and nervous sellers.

Happy holidays!

On A Brighter Note

2007-11-26T13:34:00.000-08:00

Some great news from the National Association of Realtors:

-93 out of 150 metropolitan statistical areas show increases in median existing single-family home prices from a year earlier
-Six areas with double-digit annual gains
-21 metros showing increases of 6 % or more
-Regionally, prices rose in both the Northeast and Midwest, as did the national condo price.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, says the data underscores the fact that all real estate is local. “Some metro areas are hot while others are experiencing localized problems,” he said. “The report also shows that home prices in the vast midsection of America, from the Appalachians to the Rockies, are affordable and, perhaps, even undervalued.

Seven Random Things about ME

2007-11-24T20:55:00.000-08:00

I have been "meme" tagged by http://www.dressagemom.blogspot.com. The rules of the game are that I have to tell everyone in Blogging-Land seven random and little known facts about myself and then randomly tag seven other bloggers. So here we go:

I once thought I couldn't possibly love my children more than I loved my dogs. This was before I had them, and boy was I wrong!
I think I am very funny-- not many people get my sense of humor-- but I still think I am funny.
In my teens and twenties I was horridly shy.
I sometimes go to bed before 8:00 (no this does not relate to living in Washington in the winter--I just would rather sleep than be bored)
I actually LIKE watching Hannah Montana
I was afraid to ride horses from the ages of 10-14. I wanted to, but had experienced a bad fall and would cry if I even sat on a horse. I credit loss of brain cells in college for developing my current lack of fear.
I have been married to the same man for half of my life

Open House Fun

2007-11-24T20:45:00.001-08:00

So what does a realtor do at an open house for two hours if they have nobody come to look at the house? I spent my afternoon at a lovely new construction house. It had radiant floor heating (which I LOVE) and speakers thoughout the house of which I am a new fan. I did spend some time working on real estate type paperwork, but then I decided to play around with my windows movie maker. I made some fun horse sale videos to upload to youtube. It turned out to be a very productive two hours. Hopefully my open house tomorrow will be better attended!

More Doom and Gloom

2007-11-15T16:02:00.000-08:00

Click the following link for a very depressing article predicting double digit decrease in prices in the Seattle market over the next five years! Yikes! They predict that home buyers won't pay more for a mortgage than they would for rent on a similar house. I am not sure that this is ENTIRELY accurate. Home ownership has many rewards. Long term buyers should still see a building of equity over time. The low interest rates and large inventory of homes currently on the market make it a great time to look and buy. As of now, we haven't seen any decrease in prices in the Bellingham market. It will be interesting to see how the numbers come back in the fourth quarter of 2007. I will definitely keep you all posted.

http://money.cnn.com/2007/11/06/real_estate/home_prices.fortune/index.htm

The Canadian Influence?

2007-11-14T19:15:00.001-08:00

As the Canadian dollar keeps rising against the U.S. dollar it is interesting to see the effect on our local Bellingham economy. My favorite stores are packed with Canadian shoppers getting bargains. This stands in stark contrast to six years ago when the Canadian dollar was at about 56 cents to our U.S. dollar. In those days I spent much of my shopping time across the border in Vancouver and had a thriving business brokering deals on horses up in Canada.

In the last two weekends open houses I had several couples stop in from Canada. One retired couple was considering a move down to Bellingham from Vancouver. The other couple was looking to potentially invest in a multifamily rental property. Other agents in my office are seeing more Canadians make offers on area properties. The housing prices in Vancouver make our local prices look reasonable. This coupled with the strong Canadian dollar seems to be bringing buyers down across the border in larger numbers. I say WELCOME Canadians!

How to Select a Sellers' Agent

2007-11-11T11:06:00.000-08:00

Many of the same criteria come in to play when selecting a realtor to list you house. You should definitely schedule several agents to make a marketing presentation. The Realtors should provide you with a detailed market analysis of the value of your home. It should include listings of properties currently on the market that are comparable to your home and homes that have sold. The agent should point out the days each house was or has been on the market ( a long time on the market indicates that the price may be too high or that there is something objectionable to buyers about that home). It is helpful if the agent has toured the homes that are on the market in your area so that they can give you an idea of how your home compares. They can also call the listing agents on the sold properties to find out more details about those homes. It may be helpful for you to ask the realtor take you on a tour of the homes that he or she feels are comparable to your home. A marketing presentation should also include how each agent intends to advertise your home. Currently most homes are sold off of there Multi-Listing Service listing. If the agent does not intend to put your home on the MLS they should be able to demonstrate how they have sold homes in the past without listing on the MLS. Additionally, 80% of buyers use the Internet to begin their search for a new home. Does the agent or their brokerage maintain a website? Is it user friendly? Does the agent intend to do open houses? How often? Will the realtor provide direction in staging your home? In the current buyers market these are all very important questions. The absolute LEAST important factor in the presentation is the percentage of commission the realtor intends to ask for. The difference of 1-2% in commission is of little importance if the home never sells. Currently only about 50% of the homes listed actually sell. Beware of realtors who price your home high and then ask to reduce, reduce, reduce before seeing any offers. Most of the traffic through a new listing comes in the first month. Having your home effectively marketed, properly staged, and priced right are crucial!

How to Select a Buyers Agent

2007-11-07T19:08:00.000-08:00

How do you choose a realtor?

I think the most important thing to know is that you can, and in fact SHOULD, interview several agents before making a selection.

Buyers, you must realize you will be spending a great deal of time with your realtor. One of the first things you should look for is someone you enjoy being around.

Second in importance is finding a realtor who LISTENS to what you want in a house. An agent should take the time to ask questions to help you figure out what is important in your next home. Nothing is worse than looking at house after house that the agent loves but you don't! You may find that after viewing a few homes what you NEED or WANT in a house evolves or changes. Your agent should be aware of this and prepared to redefine their search to show you homes that meet your new criteria.

Buying a home is one of the most exciting and stressful decisions for most people. Having an agent that makes the process enjoyable makes the most of the excitement and minimizes the stress.

The third and hardest to determine quality you should look for in a buyers agent is someone who is prepared to tactfully and zealously negotiate in you best interest when you make an offer on a house. Realtors are in the business of putting deals together. Your realtor only makes money when a sale is closed. We have a fiduciary duty to act in the interest of our clients, but all agents aren't the savviest negotiators. Years of experience don't necessarily translate to effective negotiation skills. Agents who get defensive or worse offensive when trying to negotiate a sale can kill it while it is still on the table. Look for an intelligent, well informed agent who understands that negotiation is not a school-yard brawl.

What the Heck IS a Subprime Loan?

2007-11-04T09:19:00.000-08:00

We have all heard on the news that home forclosures are rising sharply driven by the subprime loan market. Sooooo, what the heck is a subprime loan, and should you be worried? A subprime mortgage is a loan made to borrowers with credit scores below 620. These loans draw a lot of people who could not get approval on a traditional mortgage. Borrowers with bad credit or no money down are able to get into these loans with up to 60 percent debt-to-income ratio as opposed to a maximum of 33 percent on a traditional mortgage. This is a shaky situation regardless of your credit history.

To make the situation worse, the main type of subprime loan today is an ARM (adjustable rate mortgage) called a 2/28. These morgages are sometimes referred to as "exploding arms" (the nickname alone should be a warning!). These ARMs feature a deeply discounted rate for the first two years and which then balloons up to a much higher rate that can climb yet higher every 6 months.

Washington State's forclosure rate is much lower than many areas of the country. In fact, the national numbers are mainly driven by what is happening in California, Florida, Nevada and Arizona. 34 States nation wide actually eperienced DROPS in their forclosure rates this year. So, unless you actually have an "exploding ARM" there is not much to worry about!

Crashing Markets and Other Boring Stats

2007-11-02T14:47:00.000-07:00

My most frequently asked questions are about the status of our slow, crashing or otherwise poorly performing market. We have been lucky up here in the Pacific Northwest that our market hasn't had the big downfalls that most of the rest of the country is experiencing. My Broker, Gragg Miller, is a huge stats buff. He has compiled the following information. The average sale price in Whatcom county for the first three quarters is slightly up (2%) the median sale price is holding steady (for used home sales). The number of homes sold for Bellingham and the county are also SLIGHTLY up over 2006 numbers. We did experience a big drop in numbers from 2005 to 2006, but are now holding steady. So WILL the prices fall? Will we hold steady? These are the questions that are driving buyers to slow and take their time in making a decision on what to buy. So how do sellers make their home SALEABLE? Price it "RIGHT" and stage your home to show off it's assets and minimize it's deficits. Happy Weekend!

Why Bellingham?

2007-10-30T15:20:00.000-07:00

Why live in Bellingham? I have lived on the east coast (North Carolina) the midwest (Indiana, Kansas and Ohio) and thought I would never be a west coast gal. My husband had to literally drag me out here in the 80's for a visit. As we flew in to Seattle, I couldn't believe my eyes! This looked nothing like any place I had ever been. The GREEN-NESS of it all, the low lying clouds that look like smoke drifting around the mountains. The beautiful Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands.... it was a revelation to me. I loved it. We walked in the old growth Forest and the smell of cedar, the quiet beauty of it all, I knew this was the place for me. We have lived in Bellingham for 6 years now and I still am amazed by the beauty that surrounds me on a daily basis. Living in a college town with loads to do and access to Vancouver, B.C. and Seattle makes life interesting.

Horses and Houses

2007-10-18T17:24:00.000-07:00

What does it take to make a good horse-keeping property in the Pacific North West? Here in the land of rain and more rain, well drained, sandy soil is rare. Areas of Whatcom County that have been prized as rasperry and blueberry farmland are also the best areas for horse-keeping. If you aren't lucky enough to own a sandy-soiled lot, you can make ammendments to your farm that will make the winter months more bareable for you and your four legged friends. Dry, winter turnouts with pit-run or sand footing are the best and lowest maintenace. "Hog Fuel" or cedar chip footing can also raise the level of your paddocks above the mud. Unfortunately, the chips will break down and decompose over time leaving you with ever-deepening mud! Check out the Valley View Rd. listing at www.annecantrell.com for a great example of a farm set up with dry paddocks, grassy pasture and all on good sandy-soil too!

The Bellingham Market

2007-10-17T18:44:00.000-07:00

So, we have all heard the buzz that the real estate market has "burst its' bubble". While this may be true in some areas of our nation, the market is still strong in Western Washington State. In fact, home sales in Bellingham are slightly up this year over last year. The major effect on our market has been that homes are staying on the market slightly longer than they have in years past. Additionally, home value increases of 20%+ that we experienced in 2004 and 2005 are no more. House prices are up SLIGHTLY this year (about 2%). So, we are no longer a sellers market, but not quite a buyers market either. Many people have expressed to me that they are waiting to buy a home in Bellingham when prices start dropping. I don't think that this will ever happen. At best we may hold steady on prices going in to 2008. Photo credit toreofteness.com.

Being a REALTOR

2007-10-16T15:18:00.000-07:00

Why become a realtor?

After graduating from the University of Kansas with a degree in Psychology (Go Hawks!) I was at a total loss of what to do with my life. Apparently a bachelors degree in psych. qualifies you for approximately the same jobs you were qualified for PRIOR to going to college.

So I decided to go to law school.

After graduating with honors from law school and passing the bar in two states I practiced law for a few years. Law was fine, but I really don't enjoy idiots, arguing or spending endless hours in the library. So.....

I turned to my first love, horse training. Twenty years later, after competing on a national and international level, REALITY set in. Horse training is very tough on the body and doesn't produce a great income. My bulging disks demanded that I taper off my riding business if I wanted to keep competing as I enter the second half of my life.

So, I took some time and thought about what I love. I love where I live. I live in one of the most beautiful locations in the world. Bellingham, Washington is a college town on the west coast. We have the sound, the mountains and a couple wonderful, scenic lakes. The air quality and water quality are second to none. There is truly something for everyone.

I also love houses, decorating, and home improvement. I am a total HGTV addict! So real estate seemed like a great fit for me and it has been! I decided to blog to share my experiences in the REAL estate world.

2007-10-16T15:17:00.000-07:00