Noelle figuring out the world

Today she is sitting in at the computer and yelling, "SHUT UP." I'm wondering where she learned the phrase and then hear that she's actually saying, "It's shut up!" And I realize that she means the computer has restarted and that the opposite of "shutting down" is "shutting up" therefore the computer was now "shut up" and ready to go :).

A little later she explains that the TV screen was "black just like the cupils of Natalie's eyes."

Recently I've posted on facebook 2 other endearing comments and wanted to jot them down here to hold onto.

I was talking about a woman named Carmen and Noelle said, "Carmen? That sounds like a boys name." I told her it was a nice girls name and she replied, "Why does it have "cars" and "men" in it?"

Noelle just said she was going to wear her "thank you" jammies to bed as she pulled out ones with camo print. I connected the dots but asked her why and she said, "because if you see someone with this kind of armor you always say thank you." :)

An opportunity to GIVE

MY LASIK STORY

As the majority of you all know, I won FREE laser eye surgery from Harvard Eye Associates. When I first heard about the facebook contest (thanks to my friend Dr. Jennifer Jensen) and started writing my essay, I started dreaming about winning and the opportunity to give away the money that we had started saving for me to get the surgery.

It was a crazy contest because there seemed to be some decent odds that I could in fact win but at the same time I had no idea how many people had voted for me and how many more it would take! It wasn't until a few of my family and friends decided to post the contest on their walls that I moved into third and eventually 2nd place. My cousin even started messaging all of her friends. And then in the last two hours of the contest I moved into 1st place. Turns out I won by only 9 votes!

I didn't know exactly what the prize would entail and wondered if there would be some kind of catch. There wasn't any catch and the team at Harvard Eye treated me like a celebrity and were wonderful. The entire process was included in the prize and they only asked to document the process for their facebook page.

So, here I am, 1 month later and feeling incredible with my new eyesight! It is the most remarkable gift to be given!! I am incredibly thankful and also pleased to donate money to a few organizations doing tremendous work in our world.

GIVING
It took me a little while to decide upon the organizations because there are so many great options. I landed on three that are dear to my heart and gave to them in various amounts, totaling over $1,000. I wanted a chance for all of you who voted for me and joined me in this journey to see where the donations went and what you helped contribute to!

1. Compassion International
A large portion of the money went to a program and an organization dear to my heart as a mom. When you have a new baby and are holding them in your arms, the thought of not having a place to live or food to feed them is completely overwhelming and yet that is the reality for so many across the world.
Compassion's 'Child Survival Program' meets the needs of mothers and their newborn babies in centers around the world among the poorest of the poor. They help provide basic education, nutrition, prenatal care, and income generating opportunities.

2. International Princess Project
"International Princess Project advocates for women enslaved in prostitution, helping them restore their lives and empowering them to live free." The women involved with IPP in India, create these beautiful pajama pants that are sold in the US, with profits directly supporting the women. This organization has a beautiful and powerful story of restoration and empowerment on so many levels. You can read their story and buy their "punjammies" @ www.intlprincess.org. They make a great Christmas gift!!!

3. The Soldiers Project
As a counselor, my heart is tugged for the men and women coming home from service overseas with mental and emotional wounds that need to be treated, inspected, observed, addressed, and healed. I can only begin to imagine what our soldiers are experiencing as a result of their service.
As my brother narrowly missed deployment to Afghanistan because of an injury, I pondered the impact of combat overseas on numerous occasions. And now that I had an opportunity to sit down and think of issues that I am passionate about and desiring to respond to, this one struck a chord. I was pleased to find this organization comprised of trained professionals who are donating their time to provide free psychological care to our troops. I hope this can help.
I made this donation in honor of my brother and cousin who have both served in the armed forces.

Thank you again to all of you who voted for my essay and to the team at Harvard Eye! I pray that God multiplies this money and uses it to bless people and to show them love, care and HOPE.