How To Pick Up Women In Krakow

I love traveling with Judah. He makes friends with everyone he sees. Especially the pretty ladies. He has a very specific formula when it comes to picking up the ladies.
Here is Judah's formula:
Step 1:
Scan the Main Square (Judah's favorite location). Find the target lady or group of ladies (always preferable).
Step 2:
Run at them full speed and cut them off. This makes them stop for step 3.
Step 3:
A polite little wave while flashing the best smile (lots of times a laugh escapes, because it's too much fun to make lovely Polish girls stop and pay attention to you).
Step 4:
Finish it off by grabbing their hand to see if they'll go on a little stroll with you.
Step 5:
Show them either your shoes or point out that your stroller has wheels to further impress them.
Step 6:
If your "Mine" takes you away, just start the flirt process again and again.

This formula has such a scientifically proven high success rate, you really should be paying for this information.

Note: This technique is also equally effective in Prague, just add an "Ahoj!" Czech women like that.

Scavenger Hunt

I've always wanted to do a real scavenger hunt. When our good friend, Jason (we met Jason in Japan; he visited Munich a few weeks ago), told us that he left us a message in "the last page of the guestbook at the top of the new town hall tower in the Mareinplatz in Munich" I was very excited. Since I loved the experience, I thought you'd like to come along on the journey :)
There's the clock tower in the distance...

We reach the Marienplatz...

Ready to go up...

Up the first elevator...

Tower this way...

Enter here.

Up the second elevator...

We spotted the book.

The last page.

The message written just for us!

Can you decode the message? Can you guess WHO the message was for? 5 billion points to whoever knows the answer.
Ok, just for humoring me and my game playing ways, here's a present. A peek at the view from the top :)

Thanks for the fun Jason.
I have a ton to write. We have already experienced so much on our little journey, so I'll post soon.

MINE

At one point I was "mama". For the last few months, I'm just "MOM!". Judah isn't even two yet, shouldn't I get a few more years of the "mama" or "mommy" talk? Although, as if just to make up for it, Judah has the sweetest new "I love you" that I've ever heard.
Starting yesterday, the "MOM!" was replaced.
I am now "MINE."
Yes, like his blanket or car or stuffed animal duck. MINE. I think it's telling of how he views me in his life. He's right. I'm a taken woman. Owned.
I'm Judah's.
And I'm ridiculously proud that I am.

White. Black. Brown.

Include the next ring of our family circle and the diversity continues to flourish. We are Athiest, Agnotic, Bahai, Catholic, Christian, Wiccan. We are right and left and nonpartisan. We are materialistic and against materialism. We are vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters. Hippies and loyal trend followers.
But, we are ALL wordy. Discussions are had. Ideas are expressed. I'm proud to be in this group.
I've been asked why I love to travel. Why would I take a tot who is too young to "get anything" from the experience?

After one day in Germany, I am more set in my travel ways than ever before. Judah IS "getting something" from the experience. In some ways more than I am.

Tommy and I have traveled to a few dozen countries. We are comfortable traveling. It's our recess and our growth. We are completely awake and alive when we travel. It's when I can live more clearly because it is all I am doing. People watching. Learning. Eating every bite intentionally.
Judah is too. He's watching people. He's making friends. He's learning that the ways he's been shown are not the only ways. He's trying new foods. It's all going into his spongey brain that hasn't yet been hardened. It's the big things and the small ones. It was completely normal for him to sit in a Bavarian restaurant where we shared a table with former strangers. I want it to always be "normal."
It's now 2:50 AM. The time change is hard. So I heard my Judah wake up at 1:15. I pretended like I was sleeping, hoping he'd change his mind and go back to sleep. Judah watched me silently for about 40 minutes. I watched him out of the corner of my eye. I knew he wouldn't wake me. Judah is too polite for that. He would have waited for hours. After 40 minutes I had to give him a squeeze. He just goes with the flow while traveling. At home he would have been angry if I dared to give him milk in the morning out of a non-favorite cup. Here in Europe he's breezy. A straw out of any cup is great.
Jude is the best travel companion a girl could ever ask for. I believe he likes traveling. I believe it's good for him and enriches his life.
Celebrating diversity, people and life is important and Judah is good at it :)

We stopped in Philly on the way to Munich, here's Judah havin' a blast at the Liberty Bell.



and us.



Judah knows where he wants to go!



He loves people watching, too!

Every. Single. Time.

I'm ever upset emotionally, a bug gets me. I have a terrible cold :(
Worse news: Judah does also.
Better news: We got a new camera! Tommy has taken more pictures in the last week than we've taken during the last 10 years combined. When I'm less gross, I'm going to post a ton of them. There's some cute cuteness to share. A lot of it.
Last weekend we went to Flagstaff for my nephew's 4th birthday!
I'll post pictures of those cousin cuties too.
Fun news: Next week we are going to Europe.
Good news: I just got a new job that's only 2.3 feet away from Judah's amazing daycare. The awesome proximity makes me happy. Leaving my old job makes me VERY sad (which I think is another reason for my sniffles).

Since Judah and I are sick of hanging around the house, we are headed to the zoo. Don't worry, Judah has already placed tissues in the trunk of his stroller car.

Jealous of Germany

I'm one of those people that will tell you anything about myself. Freely. I don't understand guarded. I do understand that the guarded style works for some people. I respect that. It just doesn't work for me. I like to love big, cry big, and play big. It's who I am. It usually works for me. And I never. ever. protect my heart.

When I first opened up the envelope of the child we sponsor and saw her brilliant face, I was stunned. Tommy spoke first,
"She looks just like Jude."
"I know. My exact thought."

Within moments our decision had been made: 1. see if she could be our daughter, Jude's older sister, 2. start the process immediately

We've been waiting months to find out if this is a possibility. During which time I became more and more sure that she was going to be our daughter. It's what the universe led us to. It would work out. Free time was spent looking into schools, room decor, etc. We were ready. My heart was set.

Except. I was wrong. Completely wrong.
Germany just adopted her.

I am THRILLED for her. Seriously. Couldn't be happier. I am THRILLED for Germany. I do like Germany and know it's even more lovely now. With her in it.

But, today, when I found out. I cried. It was an odd cry. Not the ugly cry I'm so fond of. It was just random drops. No snot. No heavy breathing. No scrunched up face. Just quick and surprising cool drops. Probably the loveliest cry of my life. And it lasted all day. It's not that I'm not heartbroken. I am. I had a picture. I had plans. I guess I can't ugly cry because I'm so happy for her.
My brains not in it. But, oh, that selfish heart. I can't help it. It's humiliating to admit it. But it hurts. A lot.

Jocelyn's Cookbook

When we traveled to Ethiopia to be united with our Judah we met some truly great people. I've written about all of them and how they have inspired me and changed our lives.
Well, here's some fabulous news!
Jocelyn is adopting again!
She is working hard to bring home Pacey's big sister. She is currently working on creating a fabulous cookbook as an adoption fundraiser. You want it. I know you do. Everyone needs more good recipes. My family has a corn bread recipe that I'm not sharing EXCEPT via the cookbook. Yup. I'm playing like that. Stakes just got all high and crazy. Ok, seriously.
Just go buy one!
Click on my button. See it? All blue and homey feeling. Just a bit to the right. Yup, you just click right on it.
Thanks!

Guess what?

Nicole and Andy are getting married! I'm officially getting a new brother!

They are getting married in Thailand (where they live), so we HAVE to go island hopping next summer to celebrate...

Here's my baby sister and her love.


Good stuff, huh?
Congrats Nicole and Andy!

Please share...

What's your favorite charity? Why?

Where are you Danielle?

Oh, I'm a very busy, important person who cannot possibly find the time to blog.

OR

I'm reading the Twilight series.

(I'm half way through Breaking Dawn, so I should be back in about 250 pages)...

Blame Lori. I do.