Some Random Things

1. I started language lessons on the 17th of August. My teacher (more fondly know as "Doamna") explained that in the beginning there is a lot to learn and remember. She assures me it will get easier as we go along. Right now I feel like my brain is so full that it might start leaking out my ears. This is only after 2 lessons.

2. Praise the Lord, we have a cold front moving through!

Last week was in the 90's and it was almost unbearable. My friend, Talitha, and I were devising a plan to make homemade air conditioning units. Thankfully we got a natural respite from the heat. I would be happy if it stayed this way until March.

3. We went to see the kiddos at Voluntari yesterday for the first time in several weeks. I missed their little faces! We made super hero "puffs", played some games, and colored pictures. The kids are extremely restless and getting bored. They leave for their last vacation (at the sea) next week before school starts. The kids from Periș are also going to the sea next week. School should (hypothetically) start around mid-September so summer is winding down for everyone.

Making our "puffs."

Playing games. I had no idea what the point of this game was but Darius sure did and made sure that I played it correctly. I'm pretty sure he won.

Alex and I.

Coloring time.

4. Currently there is a funeral taking place next door. Like, next-door-to-my-apartment, next door.

I'm not sure what the social protocol is for taking pictures of this type of thing but I did anyways. And yes, that is a casket lid propped against the wall.

Apparently this is how it's done in Romania. Next door is an open casket with a deceased person inside. And the front door is just open so people can come and go and pay their respects (and, apparently, leave flowers and money (according to custom)). This will continue for several days and then, I'm guessing, they will take the deceased person out. Down eight flights of stairs, nonetheless. We shall see. To say this is a cultural experience is an understatement.

That's all I can think of for right now. I'm going to enjoy the breeze that's wafting through my apartment and rest my brain for a bit.

Just a Quick Check-In

Just thought I'd pop over to give a quick update...

First of all, we had a bit of drama at work this week when part of the ceiling caved it (literally) during a rainstorm.

Before the cave in. A very threatening look water bubble.

After the cave in. There was a huge "crack" and then the "goosh" of water rushing out.

More aftermath.

I spent about 2 hours today (Saturday) at the storage unit for Walking With Orphans sorting things and trying to get shipments ready to send out. I wish I had pictures. There were boxes and bags everywhere. At one point some empty boxes fell and I looked around and realized I was literally trapped between the rolling cart with the boxes and the wall of donations behind me. (Obviously) I was able to get myself out and get everything (somewhat) organized. I cannot wait until we have some real office space with ample storage. I have no idea when to even expect that day to come but I'm holding out hope...

I have been staying up way too late every night. I'm a night owl but it's like I get busy and then I suddenly realize it's 11:15 (as it currently is) and I have to be up at 7:30. I could (and probably should) sleep a little later but it takes me so long to get moving in the morning before work that I need 2 hours just to wake up. I downloaded this app that tracks my sleep and wakes me up at the optimal time in my sleep pattern. There is a 30 minute window that I program it for and it wakes me up at the best time in that window so that I don't oversleep by hours waiting for the best time for me to wake up (because that time would probably be noon).

I don't know exactly what makes my sleep "efficient" but I guess I'm doing ok. Please note the erratic pattern in my going to sleep and waking times. Also not that after about 4 a.m. I do not really get any more deep sleep. And let's not forget that my "average" bed time is 12:44 and I'm getting (on average) about 6 and half hours of sleep every night. So, yeah, I need to go to bed...like 2 hours ago.

I am taking my parents to the airport very early in the morning. They are taking a trip to Hawaii for a week. I'm so pumped for them. I loved Hawaii and hope they have a great time (and that the impending tropical storm doesn't cause too many issues for them).

Me on North Shore. November 2006

After I drop them off, I'm doing a fun run.

And then I'm babysitting until Sunday afternoon/evening.

So, again, methinks I should be asleep already...

Reminiscing

For the last week or so I have been reading entries from my old blog. Some really interesting stuff on there. For starters, I used to knit A LOT. It made me miss some of the projects I used to work on and I was tempted to start a sweater for charity right away. While I would love to drop everything and knit for hours on end...I feel like my life right now is very well balanced. I definitely spent too much time knitting and dyeing yarn and not cleaning my apartment, exercising, cooking, being social, and devoting time to developing my teaching skills (though, honestly, teaching (as I have discovered) was never my passion and probably nothing I would put time into outside of work but I digress...). Another thing I noticed was how much money I had! I didn't realize it at the time but I was paying rent and making car payments and still spending boatloads of money on anything that tickled my fancy. Today I scrutinize every purchase I make. If only I could have seen that just a few short years after I started my blog how bad my financial situation would be maybe I would have saved more money...

Something that made me sad looking back over those old posts are the pictures of Penelope. She has lost so much weight over the last year and her coat looks so scraggly. She is still my baby but she no longer tears through the house or jumps on the back of the couch. I know she doesn't have the energy any more but I would give just about anything to have her healthy and gaining weight. Yes, we are still dealing with the loss of those 2 teeth. She is on another round of antibiotics and has gone back to only eating baby food and cat milk. I don't know if she will ever plump back up again but we'll keep at it.

I managed to capture this selfie of myself and Penelope the other day. Nothing short of a miracle since she usually runs from the camera.

It's so crazy to go back and read the posts from before I went to Moldova (my first international mission trip). Then there are the posts leading up to my first trip to Romania which I haven't even reached yet. I seriously cannot believe that I have arrived where I am today. I mean 7 years ago I was still teaching middle school band. I started my indie dye studio 6 years ago. I began my master's degree 4 years ago (um, seriously had to go look that back up...definitely thought it was only 3 years). I started the Eastern European and Russian Orphanages Project 4 years ago. I moved back in with my parents 2 years ago. All I can say is WOW. Time flies. I feel a little sad because so much has happened and life just flashes by. But at the same time I feel an immense sense of hope. I cannot wait to see where the next 3, 5, 10, 20 years take me. How much will I have accomplished by then? What will my life look like? Where will I be? I keep praying that God will let me make a difference in this world for His glory. If I could do anything else for the rest of my life I'd like to just love on orphans and help improve their lives. I never imagined I would be a mental health counselor who loves to do play therapy. I never imagined I would have my own non-profit that works in 4 countries and is about to expand to a 5th. I never imagined that I would be learning a second language at age 31 (Romanian if you are wondering or had forgotten). The future sure looks bright from here!

Anyways, enough reminiscing...but it sure has been fun!

A Quick and Random Update

As promised here is a quick update:

1. My 31st birthday came and went without much note. I had just gotten back from Romania the week before and was still trying to adjust. Plus, my birthday fell on a Wednesday so there wasn't really any way to go out and do something in the middle of the week. I didn't plan a big outing like I did last year when I went on a wine tasting tour. We'll probably go out to dinner some time but nothing big.

Birthday balloons from my sister in law and my birthday sign at work.

2. My transition back to the real world went ok. I didn't come back to the huge storm of work that I was afraid of but it still hasn't been easy. My work is very high stress and with no one else in my department there is no way to delegate tasks. Unfortunately, that means that most days I just want to be left alone. My mind is still thousands of miles away and I wish I could be there at camp or at the beach with the kids in Romania.

3. Because I've been so dead tired all the time, my doctor ordered me to take have a sleep study to make sure I don't have sleep apnea. They now do these in home so last week I got a kit mailed to me.

My in home monitoring kit.

It's not as complicated as it looks, thankfully. I did the two night test and I should be getting my results soon.

4. Last weekend I went paddle boarding for my best friend Megan's birthday. Her birthday was at the beginning of May but we hadn't been able to do anything big (it's her 30th so you know we had to do it up. Afterwards, we went to Treehouse for lunch and then to Ri Ra to hear The Geeks play (they're an 80's and 90's cover band). I wish there were pictures of us paddle boarding because it was really enjoyable but, alas, this one from the internet will have to suffice.

This kind of looks like us...ok, it doesn't at all look like me and Megan.

5. Yesterday I ran the Peachtree Road Race. Megan ran too and she pushed me to keep running even when I thought I was going to die so we made good time but today I'm sore. I'm not upset that she pushed me...just that I feel so old sometimes. Today I'm off to "rest" by painting trim at my brother's house.

That's everything for now! I'll try not to let too much more time pass in between posts.

Where Did The Time Go?!?

Can you believe it is July already? This year is half over! It seems like just yesterday I was stepping off the plane with my mom from our holiday trip to Romania and 2014 had just begun. I'm really beginning to think time speeds up the older you get.

Anyhow...I have some things to update you on like my birthday and paddleboarding and medical tests and how that whole "Transition Back to the 'Real World'" went...but for now I need to get some sleep... I have to clean my portion of the house tomorrow before work and I want to be rested. We're running the Peachtree Road Race on Friday and my uncle and sister-in-law will be here on Thursday. I need to make sure my "domain" is prepared.

Until then: Welcome to July!

Here is a picture of my cat sleeping for you to enjoy...because I don't have any July themed pictures and well, my cat is awesome and doesn't really need any other reason to have her picture on the blog.

Grief From the Missionary Mama's Perspective

After I first went to Romania I truly grieved from my children. I grieved for a lot of things they didn't have. I still grieve for the deep, soul crushing things they have suffered and the love they have missed out on. But sometimes I grieve for random things.

Yesterday, I grieved over book fairs.

Yep, book fairs.

I grieved because, in my heart of hearts, I want my kids to experience the thrill of a book fair.

The sudden realization of this loss lead to other realizations about my children's education. They will never ride the school bus to school.

They will never pack their bookbags in expectation of a new school day. I will never check "Friday Folders" or fill out field trip slips. They will never experience the school cafeteria or recess.

They won't get to try out for a school sports team. They won't go to prom or homecoming. There will be no parent/teacher conferences. No standardized testing. No graduation ceremony with caps and gowns.

Yes, my kids have had some good educational experiences thanks to some wonderful people who pour into their lives daily. But that doesn't change the fact that they will never have the "normal" experiences I want them to. I know that my idea for the "perfect" childhood experience isn't necessarily what's best for my kids. I know that they don't know what they are missing out on. And that, even if they did know, they might not want that experience. I get that.

But when you are a missionary mama sometimes you just want to give your kids a book fair.

Random Things on My Mind

1. I want to quit my job and run my nonprofit full time. Then I could have an intern. Then things might get done.

2. I do not have enough financial backing to quit my job. I need an intern to help fund-raise. See #1.

3. I haven't heard from my sponsor child in Ukraine in 4 months. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with all the rioting and brink of war and what not. But it still hurts my heart when I look at his Christmas present sitting in the corner of the room waiting to be sent.

4. A little part of me is afraid the sponsorship company took my money and bolted.

5. I'm really praying for a miracle in Ukraine right now. I'm not even sure what the answer is to all that mess but I'm tired of the constant tension. I want things resolved yesterday.

6. I was beyond tired at work today. I have no idea why.

7. That made me a little difficult to be around for the first half of the day.

8. I dropped a can of disgusting shrimp bits cat food in the kitchen. It smelled horrible and a drop splashed on my chin. I'm afraid I'll smell like shrimp bits cat food all day tomorrow.

9. I cussed when I dropped the cat food. And then I almost cried.

10. I've almost cried about 6x in the last few days. And I had a really big cry last week.

11. I hate being hormonal.

12. I'd really like to go on another wine tasting again soon.

Be Still

I'm having a "Be still and know that I am God" moment right now. Literally. The other day I wrote about how my elbow was hurting me. Yesterday (Sunday) my friend, Jennifer, who works for an orthopedist told me that I have tennis elbow, or tendinitis in my elbow. Recovery involves anti-inflammatory creme, a brace, not lifting anything over 5 pounds, and only lifting with my palm up. It can take quite a while to recover. 4-6 weeks for "immediate" results and as long as 12 or 18 months for full recovery. And tendinitis is a chronic condition so it can come back if I overwork the tendon again.

Yesterday morning I also woke up feeling dizzy and off balance. I have chronic bouts of benign positional vertigo and it seems like it was back again. The best thing to do it sit (or lay) without moving your head too much. It can take several days to go away and, like tendinitis, is chronic so it comes back from time to time.

As I drove to church all I could think was that God was trying to get my attention for some reason. I generally operate my life on 2 speeds: 150 miles per hour or off. The only way I usually slow down is if I'm sick or hurt. And even then I'm usually limping along. I can count on one hand the number of times I've taken a sick day in the past 10 years. I once told my former co-teacher, Cliff, that if I called out sick to work then he should probably notify the authorities because I was likely dying or dead. When I'm sick or hurt I think it's because, sometimes, it's the only way for God to get my attention. But I wasn't sure why God wanted me to pull back. Saturday I cleaned a bit and tried to get ahead on some stuff but my to-do list is always growing. I thought maybe I needed to spend a little time working on the nonprofit...setting up an account system for this coming year, logging donations, updating the webpage...I figured that would be low impact. All that was put to a stop however when I went to get my computer and stepped in a puddle of cat saliva. So maybe that isn't what God was trying to tell me. Instead of trying to do anything else I went to sleep.

I still feel like there is some reason I need to slow down and look up. Figure out what's going on around me and what I'm supposed to be learning from it all. Or maybe I just need to stop trying to do *so much* at such a break neck speed. I'm forever learning the art of balancing my life. I know there are naturally times where things get busier and slower but I try to cram slow moments with things to do. Maybe I need to learn to relax. Stop and smell the roses. Enjoy down time (kind of makes me twitchy just to type the words down time).

We're scheduled to have "winter weather" again for a few days so maybe I'll have time to practice relaxing then.

"He says, 'Be still and know that I am God...'"-Psalm 46:10

Simple Woman's Daybook: Feb. 8 Edition

I have a friend who takes part in the Simple Woman's Daybook quite frequently. It's good for a quick peek into what she's doing so I thought I would give it a try.

 

 

 

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...

It's a surprisingly beautiful day! Not too cold and no rain. Looks like we have some snow flurries and ice/hail in the forecast for later this week.

View from the upstairs window.

What is up with the weather on Tuesday and Wednesday?

I am thinking...

About the 5 or 6 lists I have going in various places and all I need to take care of today.

I am thankful...

For a weekend with no outside obligations!

In the kitchen...

Ummm....I try to stay out of the kitchen. Tomorrow I'm making some deviled eggs though!

I am wearing...

Jeans and a University of Arkansas at Monticello sweatshirt. Go Boll Weevils!

I am creating...

A blanket! It looks like a long strip but this will be knitted together with other strips to make a patchwork style blanket. I'm using a bunch of yarn scraps.

Almost ready to start the second strip!

I am going...

Nowhere for the rest of the day if I can help it.

I am wondering...

What's wrong with my elbow. I had surgery on it when I was 5 (dislocated it on the playground) and there is cartilage loss or something that has given me minor problems over the years. However, recently it's been aching pretty bad. I thought it was because of how I slept on it and/or from lifting weights but I'm not 100% sure...

I am reading...

Mockingjay (the last book in the Hunger Game series), a book on short term play therapy, and US weekly :)

I am hoping...

My motivation for cleaning and crossing off things from my to-do list keeps up for the rest of the weekend.

I am looking forward to...

Watching some of the Olympics tonight.

I am learning...

How to speak Romanian. My second lesson lasted nearly 3 hours last night!

Around the house...

Not much going on today. Dad has a cold, mom is at work, my brother and sister-in-law came over for a bit, everyone (except me) may go for a walk at Stone Mountain later today...

I am pondering...

A lot...but nothing I'm ready to share with everyone yet :)

A favorite quote for today...

Found this yesterday and love it:

 

One of my favorite things...

Seeing my cat sunbathing.

A few plans for the rest of the week:

Work, work, work...Gym Dawgs (UGA gymnastics meet) on Friday, Kidsignment (second hand kids clothing sale) on Saturday...

A peek into my day...

See above :)

If you want to do your own daybook, go here.

Worrywart: Hypochondriac Edition

I am a bona fide worrywart. My incessant anxiety issues will probably come up multiple times on this blog in various forms. I can find anything to worry about and often do. There is almost always something I can find to work myself up about. This weekend, for example, I had a brief episode of hypochondria.

My Myers-Brigg's personality is an INTJ. I thrive on logic and order and I value intelligence. However, because I can get stuck in my own head and I like to come to a conclusion before fully fleshing ideas out, sometimes I come up with the "worst case scenario" and assume that to be the truth. At various points in my life I have been afraid that I had botulism, a brain tumor, AIDS, and various forms of cancer (never mind the very obvious reasons why I would have none of these issues). Take, for example, this classic freakout about the brain tumor...

Me: I'm totally freaking out!
Best Friend: Why?
M: I think I might have a brain tumor.
BF: Why would you think that?
M: I've been having these weird migraine-type headaches for the last few weeks.
BF: You don't have a brain tumor.
M: I might!
BF: You don't have a brain tumor.
M: I could!
BF: You don't.
M: Well, I'm going to the doctor and I'm going to ask them and what if they tell me that I have a brain tumor?!?
BF: They're not going to tell you that you have a brain tumor because you don't have one. You are more likely to have a tumor on your ass.
M: Yeah!!! Well, what if I go to the doctor and they tell me that I have a brain tumor on my ass?!?! What then?!?!

Just a sampling of my ridiculous thinking.

Needless to say, WebMD has become a frienemy of mine. It offers hope in one paragraph ("Migraines can be a sign of the following: stress, lack of sleep, looking at the sun too long..." Excellent! I'll just take a nap everyday!) and life destroying damnation in the next ("...cancer, leprosy, and brain eating bacteria." Great, I'm pretty much dead.)

It also really helps that my mother, aunt, and grandmother enjoy watching true crime and hospital horror shows. They have a weird, soul crushing story for everything. Cut your finger? They saw a story about someone who lost the entire right side of their body after an infection seeped in through a paper cut. Feeling dizzy? They watched a program about an entire school of children who contracted a rare disease that caused them to feel dizzy and then suddenly drop dead two days later. If you are looking for comfort from them you are likely not to find it. The icing on the cake is mentioning an ailment to them and ending up in a 2 hour conversation about all the horrible and bizarre things they have heard about people who had the exact same thing that you did. Oh, and P.S. they all ended up dead. But you're likely to pull through! :::pat on the back:::

This weekend I was pretty sure I had contracted some awful disease. I won't even tell you my symptoms or what I thought was going on because, thinking about it in hindsight, I can see how it was all simply crazy-pants. I'm not saying that there isn't cause for concern when things do go wrong. But let's face the facts: I've had good check ups from my doctor for the last several years. I eat relatively healthy and work out 4-5 times a week. I take supplements and vitamins. This doesn't make me invincible by any means but I have managed to escape several rounds of respiratory issues and stomach viruses this winter.

So, no. I'm pretty sure I don't have pneumonia of the pinky toe. But since I've just proclaimed my current, healthy state of existence I'm pretty certain that next week I will come down with the flu.

Realization

So, if you don't remember from my last post I have had a growing sense of stress (manifesting as lack of motivation) for the past few months that seems to be reaching a head. Today at work I had an especially tough day. It started with some discouraging news and continued with getting corrections and a small lecture before ending with a frustrating reauthorization session. I was nearly in tears as I left the office and started home. Once I was home I verbally vomited on my mom and tried to make some order out of the jumbled chaos that was my brain. And, then my mom surprised me. She talked me through some stuff and even brought up something I had never considered. Then, in a moment of clarity, it was as if God was looking at me and saying, "Melissa...I got this. You're worrying about the wrong thing." And I was. I can't get into the specific details but I was worried about the wrong thing. This has happened before but once again I let the stress of life pull me away from the one who I really needed to be listening to. My quiet time has tanked since Christmas and the only time I pray is when someone else is doing it or in the 5 minutes before I fall asleep in bed each night. It took my mom reminding me that God is still at work, even while I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off. He will work around the circumstances I create. In fact, He is working in such a way that there is literally no way I cannot be in His will. Amazing. Those of you further advanced in your spiritual walks are shaking your heads at me. Don't worry. I'm finally catching on.

Lacking Motivation

I'm having serious issues with motivation right now. It's been building for a few months but I feel like we've reaching a new high (or low as the case may be). I think it's the winter doldrums or something like that.

I have no desire to work out any more (not that there was much motivation there to begin with).

The treadmill is not the enemy. The elliptical probably is.

I seriously need to take care of some stuff for Walking With Orphans. Like figuring out how many donations we took in last year. And how many we sent out. I need to send out tax deductible receipts to donors. I need to update the web page and plan out some twitter posts. I need to update the Facebook page too. There are pictures that need to go up and fundraisers to be organized. We have a fun run that needs to be planned, a bank account that needs to be opened, and t-shirt designs that need to be sent to a printer...once we find a printer we like, of course.

Oh nonprofit. I love you so. But why can't you magically run yourself?

 I need to finish editing the 600+ pictures I took in Romania and put those on Facebook. Oh and print some out and send to the kids. And Marian and Vic requested locks for their lockers so I need to get those...

I forgot something: I need to do a monthly newsletter for Walking With Orphans.

I need to find a Romanian tutor (yeah right...good luck with that...nearly impossible). I need to tithe. I need to renew my APA membership. Holy cow I need to study for the NCE! Wait...I need to register for it first. And figure out how many years of supervision I need before I can get fully licensed.

Let's not talk about laundry. Or how scraggly the cat looks. Or how badly my sheets need to be washed. And then there are the shoes that need to be returned that were ordered online.

You know what I really want? I want to give it all to someone else and go, "You handle it. Make a decision and I will support it." I want a glass of wine and a nice view (maybe of some mountains...or the edge of a hot tub...or better yet, the mountains over the edge of a hot tub). I want a massage, a facial, and someone to give me a manicure (because I suck at doing my own nails).

Yes, this will do nicely. [Source]

I want to knit but I want the yarn to magically appear nicely wound in front of me and the needles to be the exact size and length that I need. I want to clear my head and stop rubbing my forehead so that it's not breaking out all the time.

With a 40 hour emotionally draining work week on top of everything else I feel like I'm losing the motivation to do anything. I'll handle this the same way I do everything else, by making a list and slowly chipping away at it. And somewhere in the middle I will suddenly find the will power to keep pushing ahead that I'm looking for. That or I will become so distraught that I will tear the list into a million pieces and burn it in a fit of rage. Or I might become overwhelmed and cry and then eat a bunch of ice cream while watching old episodes of The Muppet Show.

I don't know what kind of therapy this is but it works.

No matter what, I fear I will need medication by the end of it all.

Productive Saturday

Yesterday I woke up a bit earlier than expected and not in the best of moods. However, I was determined to not have the day be a total bust so I took my time getting breakfast and waking up and then headed out with my dad to buy some groceries. I was planning on taking my car to the shop but decided to wait until Monday when I would have a little more time. Instead I headed to Target. I'd been instructed by a co-worker that I needed to "live a little" and actually spend the gift cards I'd been given rather than squirreling them away. I had 4 gift cards and the amount was embarrassing (in that it was so high). I bought myself some new skinny jeans, a pair of jeggings, some socks, a new sports bra, and some contact solution. Just the right amount of responsible and "splurge" (since I consider anything outside of a necessity a splurge, like new jeans when I have 5 pairs...just no skinny ones!).

On a side note I would like to retract what I have previously said about jeggings (which isn't anything nice). I tried on a pair and they were sooooo comfortable. And I'll be darned if I'm not going to wear them. I feel reasonably comfortable with my body and think it would be acceptable of me to wear jeggings with the proper ensemble. So there.

After shopping I came home and cleaned: dusted, vacuumed, picked up a little, did laundry. And then I napped. And it was awesome.

I even had time to finish a little knitting.

Just another Be Faithful hat. I promise I'm actually considering knitting something else.

New Beginnings

I just couldn't stay away...despite having moved all my old blogs to the official Walking With Orphans website I still felt the need for something else. Something more personal. I need to blog about life, not just how many boxes of donations we sent off in the last month or the latest update on our sponsor children. Those are all great things but I need an outlet for me. A place where I say stupid stuff and get really raw and ugly cry from time to time. But also a place where I say stupid stuff because I'm deliriously happy and where I can talk too much about my cat and knitting.

So, that's why I'm here. For those of you just joining me in this wild and crazy journey here's some background:

I'm 30 years old.
I live with my parents.
I moved in with them in 2012 so I could finish my master's degree in psychology.
I like living here and it's cheap so don't judge.
I got my undergraduate degree in 2005 from the University of Georgia in music education.
I taught middle school band for 3 years.
Then I taught 1st grade general education for 3 years.
Then I got my masters from Capella University in 2012 in clinical and counseling psychology.
Now I work at a community based child and adolescent mental health counseling center.
I do initial assessments, treatment planning, and therapy.
I deal with insurance companies A LOT.
My research interests are in attachment and adoption issues, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, PTSD and early childhood trauma, and family systems.
I do not have any biological children.
I have several "adopted" children in Romania.
Since Romania is closed to international adoption and my kids can't come to me, I go to them.
Hence the name "Missionary Mama."
My grandmother gave me that title.
I have been visiting Romania every 6 months for the last 3 years.
I started a nonprofit in 2010 to provide holistic relief aid to orphans and vulnerable children in Eastern Europe and Russia.
I have been blogging since Xanga but you can find my most recent blog experience here and my "educational and informative" blog here.

Welcome! It's good to be back.