Wordless Wednesday #14

What do you think?

What do you think of my makeover? Shannon over at eightcrazy designs did an amazing job! I'm so excited and I just love it! Thanks Momdot and Shannon for pimping my blog! You have no idea how over the moon I am about this :D

carving out your place!

I'm really excited because Thursday will bring the startup of my American ladies meetings again! It's so nice to have a place where I can talk with women that come from the same place as me, with most of the same traditions and have the same accent as me and want to have the same conversations! I miss those meetings over the summer breaks! However, with the meetings always brings a stark contrast between the two types of women that live here. I am so dreading having to listen to those few of our group whine about how much they hate it here, and turning every positive into a negative. Moving abroad away from your country, culture, and family is not easy! These ladies knew that before they came here and I just don't understand how they can be so miserable and ridiculous. If you hate it that much, go home, otherwise put your big girl panties on and enjoy your unique experiences. It's your life and you still have control. You can't move to a new country and expect people to find you! You must be realistic and rational about what you are getting into. You have to go meet the people! I made friends in Cyprus before I even got here! I used my brain (what's left of it after pregnancy) and my internet. I googled my interests online and found groups here on the island that would foster those interests. If you moved to a new state you wouldn't just sit at home waiting for the community to find you, you have to introduce yourself to the community. Well moving abroad is no different it's just more complicated. You have to consider the new culture and what is acceptable to them. Guess what? They are going to be different, and you have to embrace that! Moving abroad will grow you as an individual and make you a better person. You have to open your mind and your heart (not so far that your brains fall out like my grandma would say) but still be true to yourself. Survival of the fittest they say, well nothing will make you survive like being thrown into a completely different pond where you are different little fish with no school of your own. The same things that make you happy now will be those same things that make you happy anywhere in the world. Moving abroad should be embraced and enjoyed, not feared and hated. My husband loves me and my daughter is amazing! These two people are an integral part of my happiness, but it can't be dependent on them, that's not fair and it's too insular. They have their bad days too! I'm not just a wife and mother, I'm Rebekah. Part of being Rebekah is being a wife and mother but that's not all there is to me, I love to sing, I love to perform, I will die without shopping, I need to laugh at things only other women will understand no matter how metrosexual my husband tries to be for me. I have to be near the water, I love going to the beach, I have to be able to see the water. I love tanning and playing in the sea! My life is not perfect, no one's is! But, my life is happy and I can live day to day enjoying the blessings that have been so mercifully and undeservedly bestowed upon me. Almost all of the things that make me happy(and the previous was just a short list) can be found anywhere in the world. So, why be miserable? What really makes you happy, what can't you live without? Make a list, I'll bet you can find those things almost anywhere! Enjoy your life to the fullest by enjoying yourself and loving yourself to the fullest! You and your family will fleurish for it

Martha Stewart blogs

Seriously, what doesn't Martha do? I wish there was a Martha boot camp, I'd so beg for a scholarship to that one :D Anyway, I digress, Martha cares about bloggers and wants to help a few bloggers out with their traffic. So, ifyou want your blog featured on Martha's blog go check her out here http://www.themarthablog.com/2008/09/how-to-create-your-own-blog-let-us-show-you.html#comment-20980 Also, feel free to give a shout out to me, (if you feel my blog is significant enough ...lol) or momdot.com like I did to let Martha know that you want her to feature these fantastic mommy blogs :D Oh, and Martha if you did in fact stop by my blog, please leave me a comment so I'll know and feel really really special :D

Papa Papa, where are you ....

It's 3:40 a.m. here and I've just gotten Audrey back to sleep. She's fighting a sinus infection and tonight is the 3rd night in a row she has woken up crying and in hysterics. It's also the 3rd time she's been screaming for papa and I just don't know what to do. I was very tempted to call my hubby and have him talk to her but she was more in a half awake half sleep state and calmed down fairly quickly. I feel terrible that she misses her papa so much. What are we to do? Travel is part of his job and we miss him like crazy. I know he feels bad being away so much so I don't want to make him feel worse butI think he needs to know how it is affecting his daughter .... I know as she gets older she'll understand but right now, right this minute, which is all that counts in toddlerville is that she wants her papa more than anything in the world... and I can't blame her, I miss him too... What would you do? Is there anything that can be done?

I'm behind!

Boy am I ever behind on my blog! Audrey started school, ballet and restarted her swim lessons all in the same week. We also had the desert winds from Egypt bring over all their extra dust particles which have made us all sick! There was so much dirt blowing around it was "foggy" outside but no precipitation! And, on top of all that I've just been made head organizer of our American group here and Timothy is out of town. I planned two baby showers, and our first club meeting in the last two weeks too! So, my poor blog has suffered! Audrey has been doing fairly well with starting school. Actually, she loves everything about it except the part where I leave! she didn'treally seem to care at first and the she realized this was a permanet situation and all heck broke loose. She's such a little actress and sometimes just too smart for her own good. She pitches an all out screaming violent fit until about 30 seconds after I leave, then I peek in and she's laughing and painting. On her third full day this week on the way to school she pulled off her button on her uniform, she actually thought I'd take her home to fix it. Seriously, what kid does that? Devious little booger, isn't she? Here are some photos of our first day at school! Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday #13

Update on my sister!

Thank you all so much for your kind wishes and prayers. My sister's elbow is in three pieces but still aligned. The specialist has casted it for 10 days and will then take the cast of re-xray and if the pieces have not moved cast it again. If the pieces do move outof alignment then she will require surgery with pins. He told her this kind of break that develops arthritis and she may never get back her full range of motion. At this point, we are praying that the pieces won't move so that she won't require surgery. She's in a lot of pain and very emotionally upset because of all the things she's having to back out of due to the lack of use of her arm. My sister is in her senior year of music and education. She has had to cancel two jobs now because she will not be able to play the piano for her students. Which as many of you know, college is expensive and losing income while you are trying to pay for school, is difficult at best.

On a brighter note, I finally won a contest!!!!!! I won a blog makeover at Momdot.com from eightcrazy designs! Keep checking back and let me know how you like my new look!

Hugs,
Rebekah

Wordless Wednesday #12

Today's edition is not so wordless. for those of you that Pray I'm asking for prayer for my sister! She was in a freak accident last night and has badly, really really badly broken her Right Elbow. Please pray that she won't require surgery. For those of you that have read my blog in the past you know my sister and I are super close and that she has had a very tough year. First we Lost our Grandmother, then my sister was almost killed one week later as her dorm at union University collapsed on her during the horrible tornados that swept through Tennessee in February. There have been other not so great events as well, but I won't go into that here. Anyway, please pray for her, as she sees the bone specialist in a few hours. Please pray that she won't require surgery, suffer nerve damage, or even loss of her arm. I hope you won't find this an inappropriate plea for prayer, but this is all I can do because I'm so far away. I have to feel like I can do something. In Christ, Rebekah

PURSES

I love purses! As far as materialistic things that really get me excited, purses and stillettos are top of the list! The lovely ladies of momdot.com understand my infatuation ... or addiction! They are giving away a beautiful Elliott Lucca clutch! Me Likey and Me Want! When I was a broke high school and college student, my handbags were nothing so fantastic, whatever pretty little tote I could fish out of the clearance bin at the department store. Well, then I got married and my husband, beautiful fashion conscious European that he is, understands and feeds my passion! The first bag he ever bought me was my Louis Vuitton marakame speedy! I love that purse, and I love the way other women turn green with envy when I carry it! Then when I became pregnant I discovered the most beautiful, most wonderful diaper bag ever fashioned, the Juicy couture Heaven on Earth Diaper bag! I love it! I have carried it everyday for two and a half years and it still looks fabulous and I still get compliments when I carry it! I have several guess bags for everyday and for my birthday I got a beautiful new Juicy bag! I just went on a fantastic shopping spree in the states while I was home and grabbed all kinds of fantastic bags on sale. I mostly carry Juicy couture, BeBe and guess bags because I really like the styles that these particular brands fashion! The lines, the leather, and the shape get me every time, they truly are an everyday work of art! I love handbags and love how great I feel carrying them! So, I in no way need this purse, but I would definitely enjoy it and give it a wonderful home. If you are as addicted as I am go here http://www.momdot.com/?p=1091#comment-31668 and enter for your chance to win the beautiful raspberry clutch on display over at momdot!