Of course, I cried.

I think God definitely placed us at Church of Brook Hills for a reason. They are partnering with Lifesong to help families who want to adopt.

Anyway, this is how the grant works… Lifesong will match any donation made toward our adoption up to $3,000! Currently, we have paid about $16,000 toward the adoption, so we have about $9,000 to $14,000 more to pay.

If you would like to help us bring Shuler home, we would be completely honored! Just click on the button below and you can pay with Paypal or a credit card. However, be sure to type, “Osburne 2227″ in the box that says, “Purpose.” If you don’t type our name, then your donation will just go to the general fund.

Click here to Donate

100% of your donation goes to us. Lifesong does not take out any money for administrative costs.

If you would rather send a check, you can.

Please make checks payable to:
Lifesong for Orphans (Write “Osburne 2227″ in the Reference Line)

Mail checks to:
Lifesong for Orphans
PO Box 40
Gridley, IL 61744

Feel free to call or e-mail me if you have questions about all this! All donations are tax-deductible, so if you are looking for a place to do some end-of-the-year giving, Lifesong is a great organization.

God bless!

If you can’t see the “Donate” button, just copy and paste the link below into your browser:

http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/donation.html

We were matched with Shu Xuan (who we are naming Shuler) in May, and we are probably still going to be waiting for three months before traveling.  I am praying it will be quicker, but honestly, it could be even longer. So, what is my solution for the long wait?

Pray? Yes.

Cry randomly for no reason? Definitely.

Spend all of Clay’s money on care packages? This is my favorite option.

There are a couple of services, one that I love through www.blessedkids.org, where you can send packages to the orphanage. A precious Chinese woman who now lives in Texas (named Adele) runs Blessed Kids, and her service allows you to choose from toys, cakes, clothes, etc… and she finds someone to hand deliver the package.

At first, I was skeptical because I wondered if the package would really get to the right orphanage. And if it did, how do we know that our little boy was the recipient of the package? I have heard from more than one adopted parent that their child got their care packages the morning before they picked them up at the orphanage. Apparently, it is all up to the caretakers at each individual orphanage.

Well, I am comforted to know that every time we send a package, Adele’s team has been able to take a picture of Shuler with his stuff. This post has a picture of him with a cake we sent. Obviously, we did not order or bake the cake. Adele orders it in China.

Even though we can’t see him or really communicate with him yet, I feel comforted knowing that he is receiving a little bit of love from us, and hopefully he feels how excited we are to have the privilege of adopting him.

At this point, Clay just wants me to stop spending money. Oh well, he has been hoping for that for eleven years!

It’s true.

Before adopting Easton, I thought it was so strange when moms would go for weeks and months without posting to their blog. “How busy can they be?” I thought. “Don’t babies sleep about sixteen hours per day? How hard can it be to post a few pictures and thoughts to a blog?”

If you are a Mom, you’re probably laughing right now. I learned pretty quickly that it’t not that simple… particularly now that Easton is mobile.

I seem to be able to accomplish SOME little tasks while he is awake – like loading the dishwasher. That’s not too hard because Easton can hold onto the dishwasher and throw the spoons onto the floor.  And cooking is not impossible because Easton can open the cabinets and bang on the pots and pans while I’m working.

But for some reason, I have not mastered the art of typing while E-Man is awake. One reason is because writing requires my complete attention. Stringing together intelligent sentences has become challenging since I am used to saying things like, “Tell Wa Wa Bye Bye,” or “Doggie says ‘Woof, Woof.’”

Plus, Easton likes to try to BANG on the keyboard, and keeping him away from it is like keeping a dog away from his chew toy. It’s difficult. And it’s kind of mean.

Finally, my life has become less and less interesting lately.

No more 1950′s wife project.

No more vegan diet.

Not many interviews lately.

It’s just Easton… and me… and our red wagon. His nap schedule changes slightly from day to day. He poops every morning. He eats bananas. He throws his sippie cup on the floor and says, “Uh oh!” And while I think it’s the cutest thing that has ever happened on the face of the earth, I have my doubts as to how riveting others will find it.

But, we have a new twist in the family lately. Shuler is coming! Hopefully in the next few months, we will be bringing a sweet angel from China back to our little nest, so maybe the routine will change a little.

Plus, I miss blogging! I miss connecting with other people and hearing their point of view. I miss the challenge that daily writing presents. Most of all, I miss the good advice that blogging brings. When I was having trouble with Easton’s sleep schedule, you all helped! When I was stuck in Florida, you all prayed. And when we officially welcomed Easton Osburne into the family, you all rejoiced with me.

I know I will need that support during the next few months as we journey to China, and I’m excited to share what God teaches us during this time. So, the next fifty posts will be about our pending adoption of Shuler Pate Osburne.

It feels good to be back.

We just didn’t know how big.

Clay and I planned to spend April 27th driving to West Palm Beach to finalize Easton’s adoption. Although Easton has been with us for eight months, this was the day it all became official. Of course, in our hearts, he has been part of our family since the day we were matched with him, but on April 27th, a judge would confirm those feelings.

So, we loaded the camera into the Avalanche in hopes of taking our first picture as a family.

But during the three hour trip from Orlando to West Palm, we received a call from our case worker at Christian World Adoption. Mei Bellacky has been guiding us through our adoption in China for over two years. She has been gently preparing us to be patient because it could be an additional two more years before receiving a referral.

Since Easton came into our lives, we have had no trouble waiting. In fact, we made our peace with the notion that the Chinese adoption would probably happen in 2012 or 2013.

So we thought.

In fact, on April 27th, Mei called with our referral.

And guess what? It’s a little boy!

Clay and I were speechless. We had been preparing for a little girl… in 2013. And this was a sweet little boy…right now.

We both looked at eachother as if to say, “Is this real?” It takes a lot to keep us both quiet, but that phone call did it. We sat dumbfounded for a few minutes before Clay finally said, “I had a feeling this was going to happen.”

Two more minutes passed in silence.

“What are you thinking?” I asked.

“I don’t even know.” Clay said. “What are YOU thinking?”

“Ummmm, I guess I’m just in shock.” I said. “Do you think God is laughing at us right now?”

To make a long story short, we are adopting a little three year old boy from China!!! His name is Shu Xuan and he was born on May 28th, 2008. He has a cleft lip and palate that have been repaired, and he will be Easton’s big brother. Praise the Lord for the way He brings families together.

This is our family with the judge and our attorney…

This is the first official picture of the Easton as an Osburne…

And here is the next addition to our clan, Shu Xuan…

In the most simple terms… I am living in Rome, Georgia for a little while.

What?

Why?

Well, our adoption is ALMOST complete. We just have one more court date where we will sign an official adoption certificate. Until then, I need to be in the state of Georgia with Easton. So, Clay will still be working in Birmingham, but he will have to travel to Rome on the weekends to see sweet Baby Easton…and to see the old ball and chain, aka, me.

But don’t cry for me!

I am staying in the most beautiful house you have ever seen! My mother’s dear friend, Cathy, has offered her furnished house to us for the next few weeks while we are in transition. I feel like I have been exiled to a Bed and Breakfast that most people would pay $500 a night to visit.

Life is rough.

We have a spectacular sunroom, full of plants and comfy chairs where we are spending most of the day. The bathroom is complete with the softest terrycloth robe I’ve ever felt. And let’s not forget the enormous, cushy bed where I am forced to sleep each night.

And the best part is… no TV.

That’s right. No reruns of Family Ties (my latest TV obsession). No Glee. No ANTM (those of you who watch this show know what I’m talking about).

So, I actually have time to write… and blog… and take pictures of Easton… and think.

What a glorious gift.

And I have peace of mind knowing that the DVR is recording my shows until I can go home. Whew!

Feel free to add your own thoughts about increasing traffic to a blog!

40 Ways to Increase Traffic to your Blog

1. Take Responsibility for driving people to your blog. Imagine your blog as a store in the middle of the woods. This store has no roads, signs, or billboards pointing people to your location. You must build the roads.
2. Learn these five important words: No one cares about you.
   
3. Define specific, measurable goals for your blog.
4. Remove the word, “should” from your vocabulary. People do not want to read something they “should” read. Insert passion, fun, and life into your blog and avoid writing what you think you “should.”
5. Ask yourself, “Why would someone buy my book if they won’t read my blog for free?” Thank you, Thomas Umstadt for this quote.
6. Read blogs daily.
7. Be willing to devote time and energy to learning about good blog posts.
8. Spend time on great content.
9. Ask Yourself: “Who would bookmark my blog post?”
10. 10. Ask Yourself: “Who would forward my post?”
11. Talk about your blog

12. Add your blog address to your e-mail signature.

13. Write about someone and mail them a link.

14. Send a newsletter with a link to your blog.

15. Tweet about your blog posts. Sign up for TweetLater (aka, Social Omph).

16. Do Something for 30 days, 50 days, 100 days, 365 days. This is my favorite option! Your blog will force you to grow, and that’s always fun.

17. Give Away Something in Exchange for links and comments.

18. Make Yourself Available to Search Engines.

19. Check out Twitter’s Hot Tweets Feature to find hot topics.

20. Take care to tag each article appropriately.

21. Name images with care.

22. Good titles and subtitles help your reader and search engines.

23. Use Keywords Often.

24. Upload an Adobe File with keywords throughout.

25. Upload an E-Book.

26. Tie current events to your subject.

27. Do Unto Other Blogggers as You would have them do unto You.

28. Leave Comments on other blogs.

29. Start Conversations on other Sites.

30. Create Online Communities.

31. Invite guest bloggers.

32. Become a guest blogger.

33. Give out awards to bloggers you like.

33. Follow and subscribe to blogs you enjoy. Make true connections with blogs that are similar to yours.

34. Provide an opportunity for followers to subscribe to your blog.

35. Measure Everything.

36. Do not be afraid to make major adjustments if your strategy is not working.

37. Read Tribes by Seth Godin.

38. Read Crush It by Gary Veynerchuck.

39. Pray the Prayer of Jabez over your blog.

40. Have fun! If your blog does not increase the amount of fun you experience each day and the number of genuine connections you make with people, find a new hobby.

Bloggers, I would love to hear your thoughts about increasing traffic to YOUR blog!

Since tomorrow is my last day as a vegan, the sentimental reflection has begun. I’m pondering what I’ve learned and praying about how to apply that knowledge once I’ve joined the real world again. This post gives a general wrap-up to my fifty days without meat or animal products.

Great Things about Being Vegan

ENERGY – My energy level is more steady throughout the day.

VARIETY – I am forced to try a variety of vegetables and fruits.

COLOR – My plate looks like a colorful masterpiece.

WEIGHT – I’ve lost four pounds while eating about six meals per day.

CONNECTION- I’ve connected with earth conscious people from around the globe who are willing to sacrifice a lot for a better world.

CONSCIOUSNESS – Knowing exactly where your food comes from is a peaceful feeling.

NUTS AND WHOLE GRAINS – I have discovered the benefit of snacks with a sprinkling of nuts and grains for energy and regularity.

Difficult Things

WITHDRAWAL – During the first week, my body rejected this new diet through fatigue, cravings, and constant runny nose. I thought I had a cold until I read other blogs that reported the same symptoms.

CONSTANT EXPLAINING – A good portion of my day is spent explaining the difference between a vegetarian and a vegan.

PROTEIN PROBLEM – It’s not easy to find healthy protein and fat.

NO FAST FOOD- Fast food restaurants do not specialize in vegan friendly food (a wilted fruit cup as a side item does not cut it)

PLANNING – Packing snacks is a necessity.

HUSBAND – Clay rolled his eyes whenever I cooked or ordered food at a restaurant.

BEING THE WEIRDO – I have to be the person who turns down cookies and orders chicken salad without chicken.

Gross Things

GAS – Just ask friends and family about the smelly gas I’ve had for fifty days.

YUCK – Fake meat can be rubbery.

BUTTER – I can’t even look at peanut butter or almond butter for at least a month.

Lessons Learned

LESS MEAT- I can survive on a LOT less meat and a LOT less protein.

INTEGRITY – It’s not that difficult to find food with integrity if you look for it.

TAKE TIME – The easiest meal is not always the kindest.

GET OUTSIDE YOUR ROUTINE – The only way to find a new way to live is to drive to a new store, search for something different on the internet, read a variety of books, talk to new people about new subjects. I was in a rut with my eating and this kicked me out of it.

Overall, I would describe this experiment as satisfying. I had the privilege of eating some delicious meals that I would have never explored if I had to choose them over a juicy steak. I bought new cookbooks, searched new blogs, and shopped in new grocery stores. This is what I love about each fifty-day experiment. It forces me outside the walls of what is considered “normal” in my own mind.

There is a new norm in my kitchen now. I feel thankful for that.

I am also thankful for the many people who have inspired me to live more consciously. I have enormous respect for people who have changed their eating habits to make a better world for their bodies and their environment. Whether they are vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, or simply committed to understanding the source of their food, I applaud each journey.

However, I will not be continuing a vegan lifestyle forever. I’d like to eat my grandmother’s potato salad and my Mom’s beef stroganof. I enjoy Clay’s grilling and an omelet on Saturday morning. But I will think twice about each meaty decision I make from now on. Since I know that I can live without it, I am free from dependence on cheap meat that could have hurt animals in the process of getting to my plate.

In honor of my desire to eat with integrity, I am giving away a $15.00 gift certificate to a restaurant that honors that desire… Chipotle is fast, delicious, and serves organic grass fed beef. I have run into Chipotle more than once during this experiment, and their food kept me full when I didn’t have time to make a salad or grill veggies.

To be entered to win, just leave a comment. For your name to be entered again, simply post a link to this blog post, and let me know that you did! Here is a sample status update for Facebook or Twitter:

“Win a free gift card to Chipotle on the Vegan Experiment Blog! http://everydayexperts.com”

But veggies are a little bit quieter. I have to move in closely to see if they are still okay to eat.

Since our refrigerator has been stocked with more fruits and veggies lately, I’ve found myself giving fruits and veggies the old sniff test. Then, I apply the goo test (Is any goo leaking from the bag?) And if I feel brave, I try the bite test.

But I found this reference online and thought I’d share it. It tells approximately how long fruits and vegetables should last when it is refrigerated or frozen.

One staple for me is soup.

The only problem is that I have to make two kinds of soup now – one for me and one for Clay. That is the tough part of being a vegan when your family is not. If you count Easton, I am making three different meals for dinner. That’s not so bad, considering Easton is a baby, but what do Mamas do if they have older children who eat prepared food? That would be a lot of work!

We also have separate snacks.

Clay needs ice cream and Cheese Its, while I’ve been eating little celery sticks with peanut butter. Well, this week, I gave into some temptation. The celery looked brownish and the protein bars were not cutting it. So, I tried to sneak some ice cream, hoping Clay wouldn’t notice.

But he did.

I even tried to make the vanilla ice cream even, the way Clay does it, always keeping his spoon strokes straight, like a neatly mowed lawn. But apparantly I didn’t get them straight enough. When Clay opened the Breyers container he said, “Baby, did you eat some ice cream today?”

I was caught. But I tried to act innocent.

“What? What are you talking about?” I replied.

“Emily, you ate ice cream today. You had better go blog about it. You’re living a lie!”

He’s right. But it’s so hard to eat one meal and make another, to eat healthy snacks while I have to buy the yummy ones. I cracked today – and so close to the finish line. Oh well, tomorrow is another day. I’ll be better.

What will I eat on Sunday?

- Pepperoni pizza with extra cheese?

- Ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery?

- Bar-be-que from Miss Myra’s?

- Or maybe the All-American Meal – the hamburger, fries, and large Coke

The one meal I can’t have, though is from Chick Fil-A. No nuggets, or sweet tea. No waffle fries dipped in creamy Chick Fil-A sauce. No ice dream. You know why. Chick Fil-A is closed on Sunday.

Why?!!

Why do they torture us?

Check out this video from Tim Hawkins about Chick Fil-A’s policy about being closed on Sunday. I can totally relate!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsJHqstPuNo