I am a mom to eight lovely children, four grew within me and four grew apart from me, but all have grown in my heart. We have been together as one forever family since July 2016, after a two and half year long adoption journey that began with our first orphan hosting trip through Project143.
My blog originated with the beginning of our adoption journey. My very first post, “How do you do it” answers the question I was first posed endlessly–“How do you decide to adopt five siblings all at once?” Click on the link and find the answer to that question and read my all-time most viewed post.
For those who are curious about the endless stacks of paperwork it takes to complete an international adoption, you may want to take a peek at my post “the paper chase” that explains a bit of the beginning steps of our adoption journey, with regards to the mounds of paperwork it entails.
Additional questions, such as the reason why we chose international versus domestic adoption or why we chose to adopt older children, click and see the post titled, “Questions” which addresses these and more.
For an insider’s view of our first hosting trip with the boys, look at the post “Interview Questions with Tiny Green Elephants”.
For those who may think we never faced problems or struggles or fear or doubt during our adoption, please see these following posts that addresses all of these issues.
- Fear is a liar
- The Battle
- (Almost) Missed Blessings
- Bearing with one another
- If at first you don’t succeed…
Our adoption was made final in Latvia on Thanksgiving Day 2016. How appropriate. You can view a photo video of our journey over the past two years at my post, “Whatever you do just don’t lost heart.”
As for me, here is a little bit more about my background. I have my Master’s degree in Education with my Teaching Certificate to teach K-8th grade, from The University of Michigan (GO BLUE!). My undergraduate degree is in Psychology with a Social Work minor. Working with vulnerable children is something I have always been drawn to. I have worked as a youth mentor, behavioral therapist for autistic children, and I have worked for several groups homes as both a child care counselor and later as a Director of Training. In the public school system I taught grades PK, K, 2, 3, and 4 and subbed them all. Finally, for a few years I opened a home-based preschool which I loved! Currently I’m happy to be able to homeschool my children and spend time with my loving husband of 17 years who works in the medical field.
A photo of all the littles taken recently.Not pictured above is my wonderful 21-year old daughter, who is my right-hand woman. I don’t know what I would do without her help!
A photo of our entire family taken Christmas 2016.
Today our kiddo makeup now looks like this: 21, 11, 10, 10, 8, 6, 5, 4. If you are following along closely on my blog, you may have noticed we are missing one boy (the now almost 15 year old boy whom we hosted four times). You can read more about why this is in my post, The Battle.
UPDATE::: God is a God of redemption, and this 15 year old I mention above is NOW 17 and officially our son! Praise God! You can read the story in my post, Replace fear with FAITH.
Our kiddo makeup now looks like this: 24, 17, 14, 12, 12, 10, 9, 7, 6. the photo below was taken the day after coming home from our second adoption of our oldest son.
As I said, I originally started this blog to talk about our beginning adoption journey. As we are nearing the end of our official adoption and immigration part of that journey, I believe my blog will evolve to cover new topics. I hope to branch out and share a little more about how my home functions and what I have learned over my twenty-four year parenting journey that continues. Writing on the blog is creative fun for me. I enjoy the interactive atmosphere of the blogging style of writing. As I move forward with the blog, I want to share, learn, inspire, encourage, help, teach and connect. Thanks for stopping by and reading through.😍
Hi. I nominated you for a Liebster Award! I love your blog and can’t wait to read your response!
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Wow, Vickie! Thanks! I am blown away that you would think of me! 🙂 I will have to check it out! 🙂
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Take your time and have fun with it. I love your family and your blog. You are an inspiration to this Mom of 2. Blessings.
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Thanks Vickie!!! I love your blog, too!!!! 😃😃❤️❤️
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Hi. You know that I love your blog, and I have nominated you for ‘The Very Inspiring Blogger Award.’ I can’t help it, you deserve all of the awards in my book.
Please follow this link for the necessary information. Happy blogging.
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Wow, Vickie, I am honored!! 😉
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Dear Crazy Love Parent(s),
Thanks for the follow! I’m thrilled. I think I need to catch up a bit. Back to reading your posts…
Elouise
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Yes, I can’t keep up with everyone’s posts lately myself, unfortunately! 😜
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Yes, I’ll agree you need as many prayers as you can get! Wow…looks like a photo of the Walton or “Brady bunch” family! Bless you all!!!!! Thank you for the visit and please stop by my place anytime. I follow those who follow me and I’ll do my best to get back your way as soon as I have time…
Thanks so much for sharing.
Steve
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Thanks for stopping by, Steve!
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You have such an awesome family and provide such a wonderful need. So many children in foster homes want nothing more for Christmas than a family who will love them and adopt them.
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Thanks for stopping by, Rick. I appreciate your comment. We are very excited to spend our first Christmas together as an “official” family. YAY! 🙂
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This makes me smile. I just wish I could be part of your family. But I would more suit a grandmother role. LOL
Thanks for sharing and I know it won’t all be plain sailing, but I know that those children are so blessed to have such amazing parents.
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Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Marie! We love our grandmas around here! 😉 You’re right, it’s not all rainbows and unicorns, but life never is perfect.
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Consider me unofficially adopted in the’grandma’ position. You’re very brave to take me on! LOL
I wish you all the happiness in the world and I think what you are doing is absolutely wonderful.
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Thanks for the encouraging words, Marie, I mean Grandma! ☺️☺️
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Hahahahahahaaha… I love this! Grandma Marie :)x
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😍😍☺️☺️ thanks Grammy!!!
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Pressed and Facebooked. Hmm. Is that a word?
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It’s a word now! 😂 what is the Facebook site?
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https://facebook.com/rw.howe.9
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Hope to send some connections your way: https://shatteredinhim.com/2016/12/20/more-gifts-of-recognition/
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Wow, thanks Shattered! I appreciate it!
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Crazy Love Parents, how did we miss meeting for all this time????
I am both Honored and Humbled to know that you had super human vision all along.( And I am addressing the both of you}
I raised 4 Sons who are all Fine, Good Men.
Sincerely,
Robert
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Thanks for reading, Blackhorn! 🙂
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You are very welcome, and I have just begun to read….
Robert
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Such a wonderful family you have! Your heart is as big as your love for your family. Stay blessed!
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Thank you, Writewoman! I’m enjoying looking through your lovely blog, as well! 😍
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Aw! You have such a beautiful family! Congratulations on your recent adoption! 🙂
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Thank you inspire!!!! 😍
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What a story! I thought from going from 3 children to 6 was a big deal. We are a blended family, so we have 3 in the house on a regular basis and the other 3 every other weekend, holidays, and extended times during the summer. It’s exciting and scary at the same time to see what God does. I look forward to learning from the lessons God teaches you as you share those with the blogging community! God bless you and your family!
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Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting, Matthew! I appreciate it. My oldest is from my first marriage, so we also have some blending in our family. Sounds like you have a lovely family as well. ❤ Looking forward to reading more of your blog. 🙂
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What generous hearts you and your husband have! Many thanks for your follow. God bless you all! ❤
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Thanks for stopping by and reading, Anna. I am enjoying reading through your blog as well! ☺️☺️
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What an amazing woman you are! May God continue to give you strength, wisdom and His love for these kids. I am so impressed! Press on! 🙂
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To God be all the glory!!! Thanks for stopping by, Tabitha! ☺️
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What an incredible family! Many blessings to you and your husband, to your biological daughter, and to all the adopted kids!
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Thanks Koolkosher! I appreciate the follow and look forward to popping over to your blog soon. Thanks for reading!!!☺️☺️☺️
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We also have an adopted son (only one), and he is already an adult, with his own family and children, but I have worked with families who adopted children, siblings as well, and I know what you have gone through. Many blessings to you,
Dolly
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Oh that is awesome to hear, Dolly! Thanks for sharing. Adoption is not for the faint of heart. I heard that when were first started the process and only now, more than two years later, am I learning what that truly means! Thanks for sharing and blessings to you and yours as well!
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You’ll need a whole lot more blessings when you have a bunch of teenagers running through the house! But I am sure that with His help, you’ll handle them and bring them up beautifully!
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🤣🤣 Yes, this is true. Hopefully, it won’t be as bad as those years I spent working in group homes with 6 very troubled teens in a house at a time. My hats go off to those workers, that was by far the hardest job I ever had! Praying we will make it through! ☺️☺️Take care, Dolly!
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Of course it will be terrible, as it always is, adopted or not, and of course you’ll live through it – everybody does! My hat is off to you – I only worked with kids like that at school, and I only had one at home. At some point we tried to have a dorm arrangement for three boys, but it was not a successful experiment so we just ran the ESE school and provided lots of support for parents, biological or adoptive. Blessings!
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Yes I think you’ve summed it up well! 😜🤣😁
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🙂
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Spread my appreciation for your support here: https://shopgirlanonymous.com/2017/01/21/solidarity-blogging-award/
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Wow, great story!! That’s definitely the road we are headed down ourselves. So awesome!
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We will be cheering you on! 😁😁😁
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🙂
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So glad to find your blog. I am Gramama to six. It seems that with all your experiences before, that a houseful of beautiful children would be easier. Prayers and blessings for you and your family as you continue to know and experience the Lord’s will for you. Whenever you have time and are led, please visit GOD’S GRACE ~ GOD’S GLORY. Looking forward to your postings. ~ Fran
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Thanks for stopping by, Fran. Yes, I feel as though God had been preparing the way all these years for us to bring these children home. As you look back, you can connect the dots. Isn’t that how it always is? Looking forward to checking out your blog as well! 🙂
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I’ve an adopted brother and sister which makes 6 of us now. It took my parents 4 years lots of stress and court to fight for those kids.
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How awesome- thanks for sharing! Glad your parents had grit and determination. Adoption isn’t for the weary, I always say! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
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They’ve fostered for 17 years, but they ended that.
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Wow, that’s a long time! Grateful for people like them, who will open their arms to kids in need!
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I love your About Page. I’m an educator too. I admire what you’re doing. May blessings abound! ❤
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Thanks, Michelle! Looking forward to reading more on your blog as well! 😍😍
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Beautiful family! 🙂 I loveeee it!
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Thanks for stopping by and reading, Oristel. I happy you loved it! 🙂
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Not a problem!
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Good morning Christina, how are you, hubby, and the rest of the family? As I mentioned in a reply to you yesterday, I’ve read all of your posts! So I just thought I would say “hi” on your ABOUT page. Hope all is well with everyone and hope to hear from you soon…
Steve
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Thanks, Steve! We are all doing well. Enjoying some unseasonably weather and getting outside a lot with the kiddos. We had a hockey tournament last weekend in Canada for two of our boys. Hope all is well with you! Thanks for the support on my blog. I wish I had the time to read each of your posts…I’m trying to get over there as often as I can!!! :-). Take care! 🙂 Christina
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Oh wow…I guess you love to get out with all the “kiddos” and have some fun. So, you live in Canada, or you are just close to it?
I think you do a super job in supporting my blog and I appreciate it! I understand with how busy you are that you can’t always find time to post on your blog. But when you do, its always worth reading!!
Have a super day and enjoy it…
Steve
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Thanks, Steve! We are in Michigan. Appreciate all the support! 🙂 wish I had more time to write myself. Someday!
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Wow…I imagine it is cold in Michigan right now! As I say, I’m in So. California where we shiver at temps in the low 40’s! And 2-3 inches of rain in a day is quite a big thing here…
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It is STILL cold where I live in Michigan. Not far from me actually calls for snow today and again in a few days! Brrrrr! Makes me miss my days in sunny California. We spent 5 years in Carlsbad while my husband was stationed at Camp Pendleton! :-). Hope you are continuing to recover from whatever sent you to the hospital! I am still praying!
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Okay, so you are in Michigan…wow I got confused from the posts you made. It’s not the posts, it is me. Yes, Calif. is so sunny…too sunny for my taste. But if I were in the cold and snow, I wouldn’t be happy with that for too long either.
I have an intestinal infection which is called diverticulitis. It requires antibiotics to get rid of it. Mine is a milder case so I’m home and taking meds.
Thanks for your concern, Christina…
🙂
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Oh nooo, diverticulitis. That is NO fun at all! Still praying for a speedy recovery for you. Stay away from seeds! 😉 So happy you are home to finish your healing.
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Thanks so much, Christina. Hey I’ve got a question…is oatmeal okay to eat right now? Sounds like you are somewhat familiar with this problem…
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My Dad had it and so I know about the seeds. Not sure about the rest of it! ;-). I would follow your doctor’s advice! 😉 I pray you are on the mend and feeling much better!
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I am handling the stomach issues pretty well. Went in to have 6 pain shots in my spinal area yesterday. Things are a bit sore today as you might imagine. I can’t seem to catch a break now that I am “less young” than I used to be…Lol!
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Oh MY! Six shots- yikes! Hopefully the will bring you some pain relief!!!! I will be praying specifically for these shots to bring the much- needed pain relief!!! It’s not easier getting older, hey? I was just at the doctor myself today with a round of tests being ordered. Ugh! I hit 40 and now I’m falling apart, lol!
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YES…6 of them. The doctor said I must be able to handle a good bit of pain. He didn’t know what a chicken I was before I went to the appt! It’s over now, and they did seem to help some. I have 6 more in three weeks…phase two of this treatment.
Christina, you are still a young one at 40. I wish I could feel as I did back then. I’m 63 now, and talk about falling apart! I used to play so many sports and stuff. Not anymore, that’s for sure!! Oh well, I’m getting used to more pills and a lot less activity 😦
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Ugh! Six more, I am sorry to hear that, Steve! Yes, I am sure at 63 I will be wishing I was 40 again. Yet, here I am at 40 wishing I was 20 again! loL! Isn’t that how it goes? I have a bad knee that needs a knee replacement, but I am a big baby about the idea as well and so I keep pushing it off… I don’t have time for that! HA HA! 😉
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Hey Christina! How are things going with you and the family? Haven’t seen you in a while so you must be busy. Hope all is great…just wanted to say “hi!”
Steve
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So glad I found you through Steve’s Light Ministry Blog. My husband and I have always talked about adopting or possibly becoming foster parents. Just waiting for the right time. I look forward to following you. 🙂
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Awwww that’s great Laura!!!! Looking forward to reading your blog as well. That’s awesome that you feel the calling to foster/adopt. The world certainly needs more people to fill these needs!!!! Take care- Christina
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I feel so lazy because we only adopted one kid.
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I sooooo want to be lazy. Honestly- I’m being pretty dang lazy at the moment, and you can tell from the state of my house! Ha!
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Yes, I can totally tell because of the state of your house. I mean, can you at least pick up those clothes in the living room? And the dish hasn’t been washed. It’s been sitting there for two minutes!
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I’m looking around for the hidden camera because as I type I have SEVEN, yes seven, loads of clean laundry waiting to be folded. Wwwaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!
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I’m starting a production company that will be feature gifs and movie trailers. We will just do really short videos, because who has time for 2 and half hour movies?
What did that have to do with your house? Oh yeah, hidden camera. And I do see both those pieces of clothes that you need to wash.
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Oh maaaaaan….. you mean my dirty shorts and stained shirt?!?! Gaaaah! You caught me! Lol! I do agree with you on the need for shorter films- I don’t have time for long movies either! Hahaha!
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Your pile is so small. It disgusts me, it is so small. Mine is bigger just in the one room. You don’t want to know what my one son’s room looks like. He sends us on a scavenger hunt every day looking for his clothes.
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Ohhhh the hunt for clothes…. I totally know that hunt! Lol! Kids put the clothes away and sometimes….. wellllll…. let’s just say my 7 year old boy was wearing the 8 year old girl’s jeans yesterday and today my 10 year old was wearing the 7 year old pants. But hey- at least they were clothed AND they were even CLEAN! Ohhhhhh ya…. that’s how we roll around here! 🤣
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That is definitely how things should be. My wife, son and daughter are all around the same size of shoes and socks, so when I fold, I just have to make them in a big pile and tell them to all sort them out whose is whose.
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That is EXACTLY what my hubs does. I love that you fold laundry!!!!!! ❤
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Yeah, laundry is the best. I wish I could do more of it, but I never wear clothes or get them dirty.
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Hahahahaha! Of course!
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Seriously tho- that’s awesome you adopted. I didn’t know that! Love it!
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I can’t believe you didn’t know that! I swear I wrote a post about him like 4 years ago. I can’t believe you didn’t read that one!
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Hahahahahahaha, right?!?! I have a lot of catching up to do in all my free time! Lol!
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Yeah, you have about 850 posts you need to catch up on (assuming you have read a few of them already).
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That’s all?!?! Noooooo problem! Hahaha!
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Good thing you have all sorts of time, now that you don’t have any laundry to do.
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Exactly…. time…. I have oodles and oodles of time, obviously since I’m here responding instead of cooking dinner! Lol!
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Yeah, I have all kinds of time too. I have a couch to get home to.
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Right?!?! Lol!
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Now the countdown begins until the next time I meet the couch again.
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I really love my couch! 😉
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It is my comfort zone. Though we need to move from this place into our own, and then find my dream couch. That will be the day.
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Speaking of couches, I finally found your “Couch News” on youtube! funny stuff!
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It’s about time. I only put those videos out like two or three years ago. I’m almost ready to start doing more soon.
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It made me laugh. And unlike you, I LOVE to laugh- so thanks! 🙂
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Some people and their penchant for laughing. Do you have any idea how hard it hurts to laugh and smile? Frowning or resting bitter face hurts so much less.
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You use less smiles to laugh then to frown! 🙂 it’s also proven to help your health!!!! 🙂
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That may be a fact for some people, but it totally isn’t true for me. First of all, my natural resting face is a frown. Not made up, it just is. So resting face is using very few muscles. So for me to smile, it literally hurts, because I have to do a complete reversal of movement. After that session of smiling for my Linkedin/Google photos, my face literally hurt.
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HA! I am NOT buying it, Ben! LOL!
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You better buy it, because it is true. You can ask my sister in law that took the pictures. My worst nightmare would be if my smile got stuck. Not only would it hurt, but people would approach me because a smile would make me approachable.
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Yes, it would make you approachable. This is true! 😉
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Problem being, I would really rather not be approachable.
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Awwwwwww
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Hi nicee reading your post
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