Thursday, October 28, 2010

I'm collecting underwear!

A great organization headed by Jane Goodall just received a grant providing sanitary napkins for girls in over 200 schools in Uganda.

Young women in Uganda miss at least one week of school every month because they do not have supplies for their periods. The grant covers sanitary napkins, but not underwear.

A mom friend at Froggy's preschool has taken it upon herself to collect 2300 pairs of underwear for these girls (age 13-17). It's hard to believe but most of these girls will drop out of school because of the simple fact they do not have underwear.

My goal is 100 pairs of undies for these girls. Please help me reach that goal. I'm going to hit Costco and get a couple ten-packs of Hanes-her-way! Email me and I will send you my address if you would like to send a pack of undies. Or send me a check and I'll pick up a pack for you! Thanks.

Monday, October 04, 2010

Eight Years Later

Tomorrow is our 8th wedding anniversary.

It's strange to have an anniversary without a celebration, a birthday without cake, Christmas without lights.

Tomorrow will be like any other day, and nothing will be said. The elephant will be hidden before it's officially in the room. But we'll know that this was the day that promises were made, our families gathered, and our lives began.

As strange as it is, the way it turned out, isn't so bad. We are still here, living, breathing, loving Froggy. I think it's important not to throw the wedding toppers out with the bath water. There were good times, a wonderful wedding where two families came together in love. And of course Froggy.


I read somewhere that no matter how terrible the story, if the movie has a rewarding ending, people will walk away feeling like it was one of the best films they've ever seen. We are obsessed with happy endings, no matter how cheesy or contrite. But I'm going to concentrate on the happy beginning, and know that in real life there are always rewrites, a little editing and in the end, even if things don't turn out with the guy getting the girl, or happily ever after, life, real life goes on.

I happen to like movies with a twist. Happy endings make me uncomfortable because they are so forced; a man running to the airport before the plane leaves, a taxi that FOLLOWS THAT CAR, a wedding broken before the vows are read because someone speaks before holding their peace. Life doesn't work out that way because airport security won't let you pass the gate without a ticket, the taxi driver won't risk the speeding ticket, and the wedding must go on because everyone paid too much money for it not to. Life is messy. And in a way I'm glad it is.

This is not the life I thought I would lead. But here we are. My only wish for a happy ending would be that the decisions we make for Froggy are actually about her. That's it. That's all. Froggy happiness. Froggy health. Froggy love. The end.