Queen of All Things

Well... Mala has nominated me as the Queen of All Things. Crazy girl. I've probably been called "The Queen" before, but I think it had something to do with the phrase "Queen B" or "Queen Bee". But, nonetheless, I'm never one to let a good award pass me by -- especially if I can share it on with others who are "AWE-SUMMMM" too, so here goes:

1. List seven things that make you awe-summm.
2. Pass the award on to seven bloggers you love.
3. Tag those bloggers to let them know that they are now Queens of All Things Awe-Summm.
4. Don't forget to link to the queen that tagged you.
5. If you would like, copy the pic and put it on your sidebar so everyone knows that you're a queen.

• I am a mom to two wonderful kids aged 11 and 1, a loving hubby, I have my own business, and I haven't had a full night's sleep in close to seven months -- isn't that enough to qualify me for Queendom right there???


• I lived through the trials and tribulations of international adoption, travelled twice to a foreign country where I didn't speak one lick of their language, lived on Pringles and M&Ms for a few days, lived without regular TV for two weeks, turned down a referral and knew what it meant to have my heart literally break, accepted that same sweet girl as my daughter again for the second time, travelled back to that same country with my girlfriend, lived on the clothes on my back for almost three days, lived through diarrhea, a new baby, homesickness, falling across the border from Kyrg into Kaz, being stopped by the police on the way to Almaty, not being able to find food in Almaty, and travelling half way back around the world with a new baby. I rest my case -- that confers Queendom on me right there.


• I can multi-task like no one else: talk on the phone, cook dinner, check my email, mop the floor and hold a baby -- all at the same time. All Hail the Queen! (Shouldn't a Queen have someone actually doing this for her?? Hmmmmm...)


• I have fierce loyalties to my family, friends and to things I believe deeply in. Most of the friends I have have been there for a long, long time. I am now secure enough in myself to say the things that matter to me, to share my faith and my feelings without worrying what others think. Case in point -- this blog!!


• I am a sap for animals. Over the years I've had tons of pets -- still do; and I cry every time one of them dies. If I believed in reincarnation, I'd say I was St. Francis of Assissi. *smile* As much as I complain about them, I can't imagine my life without a pet of some kind. And I think animals know that I love them, which is why I end up with so many, and why, I think, I do so well with the animals I meet every day in my job.


• I am a fairly good photographer -- not great mind you, so probably not "Queen" status on this one, but I get by and I'm proud of one or two pictures I've made in the past. Unfortunately, I'm highly critical of myself and my work (in all areas of my life, really) and so even "the good ones" have room for critique and improvement.


• And maybe while I'm not so much a Queen, I am most definitely a Princess, a daughter of the King, God Himself, whom I can call Abba, Father, Dad. He says I'm perfect -- and since He created me, I'm certain I am perfect to Him. The fact that He loves me with all my faults and failures is amazing to me. And that, to me, is more important than ever being a Queen. (And, really being a Queen is a lot more work. I think just wearing pretty clothes, being taken care of a doing all things Princessly is much more fun!!)

I'm off to find my crown. I might just wear it around town tomorrow strutting my Queenliness (if I could find it in my lovely mess of a house!!).

And, to close it all out, here are seven other women I think are Queens in their own right:

• Elizabeth (will she or won't she do this??) who travelled around the world with me in our quest to bring home our daughters.
• Mayme, who understands exactly what it's like to be in your forties with middle school aged children and starting over with a baby
• Suzanne, who is waiting and not being passive while she waits and is making every attempt to get her sweet M. home, she so inspires me.
• Jeanne, who became my friend along the journey to Kryg and who is now changing courses to bring her daughter home from Russia.
• Michelle, who is my friend and mom to Ellie's buddy, Caleb.
• Dee'Anna, babysitter extraordinare who really won't have time to do this because she is Queen to a house of four kids, a hubby, a doggy, and watches my little pipsqueak and is uber-busy, but I want her to know I think she's WAY COOL!!
• Andrea, mom to two with a hubby and works and still finds time to do cool things like blog, embroider and do really cool things with her kiddos. You rock!!