Anyone who would like to contact me for any reason can honestly reach me by this blog... simply comment on any post. The site is set up to email me with each comment. I'll contact you by the method you prefer as soon as I'm able. Comments are previewed by me before they are published... just let me know if your message is for my eyes only and I'll keep it to myself.
I just returned from ETAAM Orlando 2013... beautiful women, beautiful hearts, beautiful place to enjoy it.
It has been my goal at ETAAM to "meet every woman there" because while I was raising my adoptees to adulthood, I really believed I was alone in my experiences... that no one would "get it."
This year I did not get to meet everyone there... and my path didn't cross some I've met in years prior. I still had an awesome weekend... and send much love to all!!!!!!
In Orlando... for a limited time only... "everyone" gets it.
I've listed my "contact info" as this blog in the 2013 ETAAM Who's Who.
... then I realized I don't have email listed here.
I don't mind at all Mom's who GET IT having my direct contact info... or even sharing my info with others who really understand our adoption experience. But for the world at large... I need my adoption story to be anonymous.
Again... Anyone who would like to contact me for any reason can honestly reach me by this blog... simply comment on any post. The site is set up to email me with each comment. I'll contact you by the method you prefer as soon as I'm able. Comments are previewed by me before they are published... just let me know if your message is for my eyes only and I'll keep it to myself.
5 comments:
Are you going to Orlando 2014? Hopefully I'll see you there! I'll be in Lori's House. This will be my first year to go. I'm wondering if we're already FaceBook friends. I know you're also a member of BeTA, but it doesn't show your name with your blog.
I've honestly not looked too much into the 2014 event. I think you'll really enjoy connecting with the fabulous women who attend. I'm close enough that I've been playing with the idea of hosting a "pre-event" breakfast... for ladies who arrive early, I just can't figure out the "rain or shine" aspect 'cause where I'd love to have it if it rains, we're sunk. ha ha...
With all our children (even the RADs) gainfully employed and out of our house, I'm finding this season of my life needs to be more focused on so very much more than the fact that hubby and I have invested so very much time and effort raising the troubled children we adopted out of the foster system to adulthood.
I blog here from time to time because I'll always be mom... whether the RADs acknowledge it or not. Whatever DSM determines... RADkids have adoption issues that impact my life still. I am prayerfully hopeful of restoration of my prodigals... that restoration, Lord willing, will most probably never involve them moving back home. I don't know that I could ever trust them fully. I know the Lord is a miracle worker, my brain cannot fathom what would ever restore my trust to our adoptees. Yes... I trusted them fully during the Ten Beautiful Years. Who they have become as "successful adults" is RADtypically charmingly, manipulatively frightening. Here is one of the few places I can discuss things the world at large just doesn't get. Both RAD adoptees are in honorable-respectable gun toting professions... and the closest one (5 miles or less from our door) is mentally the sickest we've ever seen her... ever.
So from time to time... I blog. The 4th anniversary of RADs' "conjoined meltdown" and their chosen estrangement from us fast approaches... the traumaversary has me blogging and reading my blog subscriptions a bit more.
Despite all that...
Much of my intended focus has been, and needs to be... enjoying dancing off into the sunset with my sweet hubby. There are many seasons of life... with people living longer and longer... this "senior citizen" gig looks to be a long one. I can't intentionally keep focusing back mornfully at the Beautiful Years lost... I still have many Beautiful Years ahead of me... and I continue to see how God is faithful to give beauty for ashes.
Adoption is still very much a part of who I am... and who I will be from here on out, but it doesn't need to be so much of a focus. As a matter of fact, hubby and just I met up with Miami adoptive friends (who have only heard about etaam from me). They are empty nesters like us. We talked and laughed and enjoyed each other's company but our "adoption talk" was probably .0001% of the focus of our time together.
As far as Facebook, I believe you and I had been FB friends, but I found I needed to close my FB after our estranged adult RAD was attempting to contact out of state family members... and FB was showcasing to me all her RADtacular activity with them. I'm honestly happier not knowing.
If you private message me your email, I'll not post it, but will respond with how you can contact me directly.
I strive to keep this blog as anonymous as possible... I originally responded to you in the comment below... long and rambly but before I realized I could reply directly to your comment. Not sure if that's a new feature or if I just noticed it today.
I don't think I'm technically a "member" of BeTA... Not sure what's required to do so... If it's a facebook group, yeah, I'm definitely not there.
I had signed up at etaam to offer local assistance/support for next year at a pre-planning meeting but haven't heard much. Being off facebook completely keeps me pretty much out of the loop. I miss seeing so many of the mom's I've met in Orlando on facebook, but many of us are able to keep up via phone, email and real-life.
While I originally found you through Lisa (Life in the Grateful House( and linked to a blog post you did about the prodigal son, I did find your blog listed on the BeTA FB group (which if I remember correctly used to be called "You Are Not Alone"). It's probably an old listing then. It doesn't have any name associated with it now. I do most of my FBing in the secret/private groups, and haven't had any issues with privacy there.
I got a generic gmail account so that Biomom (who knew my regular e-mail so was able to find me before) couldn't trace me and changed my name to a username. Plus I NEVER post anything private on my wall. I only post in the private groups. I don't have enough friends in real life who "get it," so I could never go cold turkey without my online support! Maybe in a few years if we don't adopt again, but I'm trying to be a resource and an advocate, mostly through my blog http://marythemom-mayhem.blogspot.com/
Anyway, I'd love to become e-mail friends and maybe I'll see you at the Orlando retreat this year. I have contacts with the groups so if you want me to relay any messages just e-mail me!
Email sent! :-)
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