Happy Ohana

Snake Oils and our conversion story…

Amy Gordon — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 19:44:53 +0000

I love medicines. I love feeling like I am being proactive when getting sick. I love trying to force my family to “take something” when they are feeling stuffy, achy, nauseous, etc, etc. I guess it is the powerless feeling of seeing someone you love hurt and not being able to do anything to help. Or just the business of life that does not allow myself the luxury of lying in bed sick.

My daughter refuses to take medicine. She will gag herself and throw it up every time I wrestle her and think I have gotten some children’s tylenol down her when the thermometer says 101. So I stay up and watch her sleep all sweaty and sick sans medication as her body does what bodies do… heal itself. The fever tackling the infection. Watching her and wishing I could do more to make her more comfortable and then a new resolve to keep my family healthy. To try and keep us from getting sick to begin with.

So this was our medicine cabinet before and after the oils found their way into our home:

Stay tuned for the rest of the story…

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War and the broken hearted…

Amy Gordon — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 05:36:17 +0000

Kimo has been taking a course on Joint Professional Military Education. I of course enjoy the benefits of debating er I mean discussing much of the content with him. One of the last modules he was studying for the class was on Psychological Health. I was so moved by the Theater of War performances and discussions. Take a look. It is worth the 10 minutes out of your day to glimpse into the soul of a warrior, whether he be of the ancient Greece era or current. My heart breaks for the plight of families and military men and women affected by PTSD. There are a lot of tough things about military life. War and deployments certainly rank at the top. But the return, reunion, and following months and years prove to be among the most trying times for many. \”Theater of War on YouTube\”

I remember the first funeral I attended with Kimo. It was of a fellow Marine who had returned from Iraq and took his own life. I sat in a little white chapel on Camp Pendleton gazing at the flag draped coffin. Listening to Taps being played. And sobbing. I did not know this young man but my heart broke for what he must have experienced and what his family was currently going through. I looked around the church and saw countless handsome men and beautiful women in uniform all holding back tears. Since that time five years ago it is with regular frequency Kimo learns of yet another suicide of a colleague, friend, or acquaintance. I think of Kimo and two men whose families are our dear friends. One has a Purple Heart after being shot in the chest and is returning to Afghanistan in November. All three are fathers who returned home from war to read bedtime stories to their children, tuck them in at night, and endeavor to distance the harsh realities of their job from their family. Remember the Jim Carrey movie “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”…. sometimes I wish that were possible. To erase their memories of combat. Perhaps they would prefer to not have them erased. Perhaps they are now a part of who they are, what they have done, what they have witnessed. Perhaps on some level the memories will forever serve as a reminder of what they are willing to do in the name of life, liberty, duty…

So it is late and my thoughts appear to be all over the place. Hopefully you watch the Theater of War clip and feel compelled to post a comment. I would love to know your thoughts!

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Are we there yet?

Amy Gordon — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 03:08:53 +0000

The timeless question of road trips seems to be a recurring theme in our life. Are we there yet? We have wanted another child and it has been a long journey getting there. We have had amazing offers of surrogacy, an adoption match where the birthmother changed her mind, another possible domestic adoption match, flirtations with a fost adopt program, and the long and winding international adoption road that is leading us to Maizy. We signed the contracts with Wasatch and Illien International adoptions in February of 2010. Since that time Kimo has sailed across the world, kicked it in Kuwait, had a few more adventures and sailed home. Veronica has learned to use the big girl potty, begun speaking in full sentences, sings at the top of her lungs, dances with near accurate choreography to “Hard Knock Life” (al a “Annie”), and is old enough to know she wants to be a big sister. Me? Oh let’s keep it simple… I have a few more gray hairs, but have the most amazing time being a wife and mother. I just have this emptiness in my heart that I know is Maizy.

So as we near the one year of officially waiting for a referral I feel a closeness to this daughter I have never met. I know her. My heart knows her. My soul knows her. I am ready to meet her. To gaze in her eyes. I am committed to keep our blog updated with progress so you will be ready to meet our Maizy when we are finally able to bring her home.

We have had amazing love and support from family and friends and even strangers that has gotten us this far down the road. Are we there yet? No. Are we getting close? Yes! A couple more rests stops on the way and I think we will be there soon. So sit back, listen to the radio, and enjoy the journey with us. The journey of the Gordon Girls.

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Aloha!

Amy Gordon — Tue, 11 May 2010 05:52:10 +0000

So I have entered the blogosphere. I have been waiting to publish my first post. Waiting until I had crafted the perfect paragraph. Waiting until I had time to type something witty and relevant. Waiting until Veronica took a nap. Waiting, waiting, waiting. I can wait no longer. Not that I have anything urgent to say it’s just I could not sleep knowing my blog was blank. If you are reading this then you most likely know me or of me or someone who knows me. Nevertheless here is the 411 on us. We are a military family enjoying our life on the coast. My husband is part Hawaiian and we strive to keep the Hawaiian heritage alive in our family. We have a beautiful and amazing daughter who is almost three years old. I hail from SLC, Utah and am stunned at how little I miss the snow and cold. When I graduated college many years ago I dreamed I would one day leave the profession of teaching and become a screenwriter, actress, write sitcoms, star on broadway, do stand up, perhaps host a talk show….. the list goes on. I taught special education for nearly 10 years and my writing, acting, singing, dancing, and talk show hosting skills are all pretty rusty. My motherly and wifely skills are highly polished though and I find I am pretty darn content in my current role. If only there were a spotlight while I did dishes….

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