Lilypie Waiting to Adopt tickers

Monday, April 30, 2012

Z - Zombie - The Cranberries

We are safely back home now - feeling something like zombies ourselves - and preparing to head back tomorrow. My stomach has already filled with dread. I really have to find a new job. Anyway, I've completed the Blogging A to Z in April Challenge again! I hope you've enjoyed my posts this month. I've enjoyed reading many of yours as well! Thanks for joining me for the ride!

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Y - Yeah - Usher - Cos I'm a Graduate, Baby!

Three long years of hard work finally saw it's reward today - I graduated from university today!! I am so happy! I've worked very hard over the last few years and I earned summa cum laude honors. I'm very proud =D Now I'll be taking a few months off before I start my Masters. In the meantime, here is a photo of me in my cap and gown and honors regalia for you.

Friday, April 27, 2012

X - X's and O's (An American Girl) - Trisha Yearwood

I really feel like an American girl at the moment, traveling across the country! We made it safely to our destination and I'll be graduating tomorrow! So excited! I'll say this about our travels: Tennessee has absolutely stunning scenery, Kentucky is beautiful, Illinois is a little bare with plains stretching out but striking in its own way and Iowa (at least the part along the Mississippi River) is just breathtaking. We've really enjoyed getting to see more of the country! Definitely a great way to travel for us!

Thursday, April 26, 2012

W - We Are Young - .fun

This, as promised, is the third of my absolute favourite songs! In fact, it is my favourite song. I think it’s actually very appropriate for today, as we have just finished the first leg of our road trip to my graduation. This post is actually being written from Marion, Illinois tonight. We have discovered something very important about ourselves – we love road trips! We have traveled about 10 hours (or approximately 650 miles) today. We have only 390 miles left to our destination. This means that, money permitting, we hope to make a few more road trips to places we’ve wanted to visit. It’s going to open a whole new world for us, lol!

V - Valentine - Martina McBride (Midweek Melody)

I've loved this song for many, many years. I hope you enjoy my version of it. Only a very short post tonight, as it's almost midnight and we have to be up extra early in the morning to start on the way to Iowa for my graduation! More tomorrow!

By the way, this is my 300th post! Not a bad way to make a 300th post, eh?

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

U - Ugly - Sugababes

I absolutely love the message behind this song and video. It was one of the last songs I really fell in love with while we lived in England and then when we moved to the States, it wasn't on the radio. Such a shame because it's definitely a message that would be useful here as well!

So, carrying on from the post I wrote a couple of days ago, be proud of who you are. Don't be ashamed to be yourself. Love every inch of your odd, silly, crazy, unconventional self. Or, if you're not odd, silly, crazy or unconventional, love yourself just the same because you are you and that is an awesome person to be!

Monday, April 23, 2012

T - Talk - Coldplay

Speaking of talk, I had my interview today. It went really, really well. Possibly too well.

What do I mean by that? Well, the interview wasn't really like an interview. It was more of a conversation. And I had a great rapport with all three interviewers. But I think I may have oversold myself. At the end of the interview, the panel's only concern was that my current employer wouldn't be able to replace me! Which is great that they're concerned about my current employer, but I really hope it doesn't impact their decision on whether or not to offer me the job.

Keep your fingers crossed. I know that whatever is for the best will happen. If it's meant to be, the job will be mine. If not, then I'll keep looking. Love you guys!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

The Church of Hope and Love: Integrating Conflicting Beliefs

Disclaimer: The following post discusses my personal opinions regarding sensitive issues. It is in no way meant to be inflammatory or insinuate that someone else’s opinion is invalid. I state my opinions with full respect for the opinions of others and ask that you have the same respect for me.

I’ve recently been considering some very important philosophies The Hubs and I have and contemplating how we will best translate these to our children. This is very important right now because we are working on adopting a 14-year-old, a young adult who will already hold the beginnings of her own opinions. Many of my (for simplicity, I’ll say my, mine, me and I to include both The Hubs’ and my own thoughts) beliefs may, on the surface and to some people, appear to conflict with one another. I, however, don’t feel this is necessarily the case.

I’m sure that, by now, you’re asking yourself, what is Lynn babbling on about now? What I’m really talking about is the very touchy subject of homosexuality. You see, the older I get, the more and more I find myself thinking “why does it matter who someone loves? Why does a person’s sexuality need to impact their morality in the eyes of other people?” And I find myself answering that it really shouldn’t.

The problem I come to is integrating that belief with the religious beliefs I was raised with. In some ways, I’ve put many of these ideas aside already simply by growing up and experiencing life. However, there are still some things I do believe in. I have a strong belief in Jesus. I believe in God as well (that’s sort of inherent), however it’s not just the Father, but Jesus himself that my higher-power philosophy supports. This in and of itself is not what constitutes the problem. I’m aware that having a strong belief in, love of and dependence on God the Father and God the Son does not mean I have to be a bigoted, holier-than-thou, judgmental puppet for the homophobic sector of society. However, I have a desire to raise my child(ren) with a sense of right and wrong and with a love of the Lord. This should not pose an impossibility, yet I find myself wondering how I’ll do this. Traditionally, this would mean finding a church home and attending regularly. It’s what I’ve done much of my life. In recent years, though, I’ve found myself silently fuming over many of the things that are being taught in churches. Many times before The Hubs and I left our last church, I would find myself listening to the pastor and having to force myself to sit still and maintain decorum rather than jumping up and shouting that what was being said simply did not have to be the case.

Why did I not say something, you ask? Because, the long and short of it is, I’m a coward. The area we live in is a very conservative area and very religious. While I personally count myself as a Republican, this is true more on the fiscal side of things and my disagreement with abortion (that’s a story for another day, though, and comes down more to personal beliefs for myself than trying to dictate to others). Socially, it’s probably more accurate to deem myself a Libertarian as I am much more liberal in my social beliefs.

However, there is no room for acceptance here if you are not simply a sheep who keeps her head down and follows the rules, asking no questions and simply nodding agreement in the right places. I don’t want to be that person though. I want to be brave enough to stand up for what I believe in and be a role model my child(ren) can look up to with respect and think “yes, that’s the kind of human I want to be. Someone who fights for the rights of others and isn’t frightened away from doing the right thing because others will shun her as well.” I’m working on getting there, albeit in very small steps. Many people would laugh and say what I’m doing is not enough, but it is at least a start. I’ve openly posted supportive comments about the LGBT community and those organizations who support them on Twitter. I’ve spoken to friends and family about my feelings on the matter. I’ve publicly liked GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) and SBNN (Straight But Not Narrow) on Facebook (this may seem like a very small thing, indeed, but only a few months ago there was an out and out comment war on my Facebook from someone locally who knows me and took offense at my posting a video to my Facebook wall from Youtube of Pink’s hit F*cking Perfect). I hope to use the qualifications I’m receiving from my degree to be more active by either becoming the staff advisor to a local GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) if I go into teaching or a support group for the local LGBT community if I go into social work. Whether this will be something I’ll be able to accomplish or not remains to be seen, but I certainly want to work towards it.

In the meantime, the question of how I will give my child(ren) what they need to develop a moral compass remains to be answered. I honestly don’t see us becoming active in a church again in the near future, unless a very rare and unusual church (at least for this area) makes itself known. I guess The Hubs and I will simply have to be shining examples for them and put them in the company of those who feel the same dedication to a world where everyone is accepted for who they are that we do.

UPDATE: Literally minutes after completing this post, I was excited to see a Tweet from @glaad with a link to this article. Looks like I’m not the only person thinking about this issue!

Saturday, April 21, 2012

S - Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye

I told you earlier in the month that you would get to learn my three favourite songs during the course of the month and I earlier shared "I Feel So Close" by Calvin Harris. Now I bring to you part two or the trio, "Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye.

I just love this song! I'll be honest - the first time I heard it, it did nothing for me. I think I actively disliked it. His voice is so similar to Sting's voice and I am NOT a Sting fan, so that was a problem for me. But then I heard it again and it began to grow on me. By the third time I heard it, I found myself nodding along to it and when the forth listen rolled around, I was hooked! Gotta love a song that can grow on you and become one of your favourites!

Only a few days away from my very favourite song (currently, at least)! Any guesses what it may be?? I'll give you a hint: it is a current song =D

Friday, April 20, 2012

R - Right Down the Line - Gerry Rafferty

This letter took a lot of thought and a lot of songs were in the running. The first two that came to mind were Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac and Rumor Has It by Adele. However, since I've already used songs by both of these artists and I'm trying to keep this diversified, I opted against using them. So that left me with the question of what song to use. Some of the other songs that made the shortlist but were eventually ruled out? Raspberry Beret by Prince, Ruby Tuesday by the Rolling Stones, Rockerfellar Skank by Usher, Rhythm Is Gonna Get You by Gloria Estefan and Roam by the B-52's. Which of those is your favourite or do you have another R song you love?

Btw, I love this song! It's just so mellow and makes me feel so happy =D

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Q - Queen of Hearts - Juice Newton

Q was a difficult letter for me. I really struggled to think of a song beginning with Q, but finally I remember this one. While I wouldn't really call it one of my favourites, I don't mind it too much and my dad loved it, so that's enough for me.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

P - Papa Don't Preach - Madonna (Midweek Melody)



Now I know you may wondering why a 30-something year old, infertile woman would be singing a song more appropriately sung by a pregnant teenager. I have no logical answer for that other than when I was about 8 years old or so, this was my favourite song. I thought it was great. So, there you go. This is what you get. Hope you can tolerate it!

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

O - One More TIme - Daft Punk



Ah! The ultimate preparing-for-a-night-out song! I have to say, I do love me some Daft Punk! A band I discovered about 12 years ago (via the Gap commercial starring Juliette Lewis that featured their song "Digital Love"), my love was fostered by The Hubs who - for our first Christmas together - purchased the Daft Punk CD (with both songs on it) for me. One of my favourite gifts ever! Just a true feel-good album!

And the video is great as well!

Monday, April 16, 2012

N - Night Moves - Bob Seger



I love this song! Just makes me happy and nostalgic (for a time before I was even born!).

In other news for today, you'll remember in my last post I was saying how I disliked my job lately and how I was applying for other jobs? Well, I got a call today and I have an interview for another job next Monday! I'm excited! It's in the field I'll be getting my degree in, so that will be a major plus. Please keep your fingers crossed for me!

Saturday, April 14, 2012

M - Must Get Out - Maroon 5



In my opinion, THE best song on Songs About Jane. Just pure brilliance. Also how I'm feeling about my job lately. I don't know if it's because I'm graduating with my degree in a couple of weeks or if it's because of the changes that have been happening at work or if it's just me, but I'm truly at my wits end with work. I've been looking for a new job lately. So far, no luck. But I'll keep looking and hopefully something will come soon. I need a change!

Friday, April 13, 2012

L - LA Woman - The Doors



My absolute favourite Doors song for a couple of reasons. First of all, I have always wanted to live in LA. As a teenager, it was my dream to move out to LA to pursue a career in music or acting (in fact, both, but that's another story). This song has just always felt like a part of my makeup.

Secondly, this song has the epic "Mr. Mojo Risin'" bridge. Many of you may be aware that Mr. Mojo Risin' was Jim Morrison's nickname (it uses all the letters of his name rearranged), but what you may not know is that Mojo is also The Hubs' online moniker. Therefore, this song encompasses several aspects of my life!

And, it's just a fantastic song!! Enjoy!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

K - Knocking On Heaven's Door - Bob Dylan



Today would have been my dad's 71st birthday, the first since he passed away. This has been a very difficult day for me. I made it through though. And I guess from now on, they'll just get easier. So I'm told, anyway.


Happy Birthday Daddy


Wednesday, April 11, 2012

J - Jar of Hearts - Christina Perri (Midweek Melody)



Another of my cover versions for you. Hope you enjoy it! If you prefer not to have this feature, please let me know! I'm having a good time doing it, but don't want to bore my readers =D

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

I - I Feel So Close - Calvin Harris



So right on the money right now!! I have to say we are officially the closest we've ever been to being parents now....we attended our last IMPACT training class tonight and are IMPACT Certified!!! Such a great feeling!! At the risk of sounding incredibly cheesy, I feel so close to our child right now =D

Btw, this is one of my current 3 favourite songs. The other two feature later in the A to Z, so stayed tuned to find out what they are!

Monday, April 9, 2012

H - Hometown Glory - Adele



My absolute favourite Adele song! Although London is not my hometown, it is certainly my favourite city in the entire world. I've never felt so comfortable anywhere as I did the times The Hubs and I went to London. This song makes me reminisce fondly about those days.

Btw, hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

Saturday, April 7, 2012

G - Groovejet - Spiller featuring Sophie Ellis Bexter



This song, although one of my favs, is actually a request from The Hubs. He had to go into work for a few hours today and I went with him. While he was working, I worked on some more paperwork for the adoption, read some on my Kindle and have played music videos on Youtube. He asked me to play this song, one of the first songs I fell in love with when I moved to England, and I decided to use it as my G song for today. All in all, despite him having to go into work, it's been a pretty good day so far. Now we off to my mom's house to spend some time with her. Hope you're all having a great Saturday!

Friday, April 6, 2012

F - For What It's Worth - The Cardigans



I took our puppy to the vet today. We've been very bad puppy parents and this is the first time in a few years that she's been to see the vet. She had to get 3 shots, be tested for heart worms (which was a draw of blood from her right leg) and have her anal glands cleaned. The poor moppett is so droopy and sleepy feeling this evening. I feel terrible for her and, I have to admit, we're babying her something fierce. I hope she feels better tomorrow.

In other news, The Hubs and I are currently watching The Breakfast Club =D Love my family Fridays!

Thursday, April 5, 2012

E - Evacuate the Dance Floor - Cascada



No real story behind this post. I just love this song! It makes me want to dance =D Anytime we're headed out for the evening, I set this playing and it really gets me in the mood to have a good time! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! (My apologies - the official video has embedding blocked, so this was the best I could do!)

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

D - Dreams - Fleetwood Mac (Midweek Melody)

So, I believe I did promise you a new feature of my blog would start during the A to Z Challenge. I'm actually a little nervous about the Midweek Melody, but, without further ado, here is my personal version of Dreams by Fleetwood Mac. I hope you enjoy it!



I could write blog after blog about my dreams, both the goal type and the sleep type. In fact, I've devoted more than a few blogs to those very subjects. I have some dreams I know I will accomplish sometime (adopting a child, becoming a parent) and I have dreams that it would be a long-shot for them to come true (becoming a professional singer). For the time being, this will be my outlet for those dreams and I hope you will indulge me a bit! Thanks for listening!

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

C - Come As You Are - Nirvana



How could I have my favourite songs without having something from Nirvana? I was a '90's teenager!

This song also has a double meaning for me. Since we're adopting from foster care, I feel it's really important that our future child knows that we're accepting of them however they happen to be. We want them to simply come to us as they are. The difficulties we've faced in life are what make us who we are. They add to the nuances of our character.

We're so excited to be adding a person to our family and I can hardly wait to get to know them exactly as they are.

Monday, April 2, 2012

B - Blackout - Breathe Carolina



First of all, my apologies to anyone who finds this video offensive, but I adore this song!

Speaking of blackouts, I guess I should give you an adoption update. After suffering several weeks of our own blackout of information, we have finally received the details on the little girl we are hoping to adopt through foster care. Since she's 14, I should probably not call her a 'little girl' but she is, so that's what I'm sticking with. Basically, based on the information we received, we know there are many struggles ahead of us - she's had some rough experiences and they've taken their toll on her - but we feel up to the task and are looking very forward to having the opportunity to parent this special little girl.

We know it will be at least 3 months before we can make any forward movement with her placement with us but, in the meantime, we're going to finish our last 2 weeks of IMPACT training classes and complete our homestudy. Hopefully, when the situation is appropriate to work on her placement, we'll be in the perfect place.

Wish us luck!

Sunday, April 1, 2012

A - Across The Universe - The Beatles



Welcome to the Blogging A to Z in April Challenge! This month bloggers from across the universe will be posting daily blogs, each day correlating to a letter of the alphabet.

For my blogging A to Z challenge, I'll be sharing some of my favourite songs with you. I'm even planning a special section each week - the Midweek Melody - where I actually sing the song for you! I'll also be posting a blog/story to go along with the video.

I hope you'll stick with me over the coming month and wish me luck on posting every day! Oh, and welcome aboard if you're new and welcome back if you're a regular!