I read a lot of blogs. A lot. I just like reading and marveling at the beauty that lies in each and every one of us... in our own quirky ways. Some are silly, some are crafty, some are realtives and friends, and some are seriously life-changing. Like this one from Anne Jackson. She is currently in East Eurpe & Russia right now on a trip to expose and explore the world of human sex trafficking.

Her latest post, The Sex Cafe, blows my mind. Scares me to death. Breaks my heart. Makes me sick to my stomach. Leaves me begging for a way to get involved with a solution. Take 5 minutes to make the jump and read her post. Then pray. PRAY for the girls who are trafficked every day. PRAY for the men involved. PRAY for Christ's light to shine in this darkness. And SEEK a way to get involved. I don't know yet where I fit, but I know we all have a spot somewhere.

If you jump and read it, I'd love to hear your thoughts. The scariest part about her post? I can picture it all happening in my head. She writes so clearly and paints the picture perfectly. Only its not just a 'picture' conjured up by words strung together. Its reality. For hundreds of thousands of women and children every year.

I love blogging. I need to update this blog about our life in general more often. And even if I update it just because I'm avoiding other areas of my life, namely the recent loss of our baby girl, I plan on updating more frequently. We'll see if that happens. :-)

Here's another deal:

I just had a baby, which means I have baby weight. But it especially sucks because I don't have my baby in my arms to make it all "worth it." Whitney is worth every ounce I still have with me, but not having her here makes me all the less motivated to lose it. Weird, I know. I can't explain it really. But all I know is, my clothes don't fit. Like, clothes that fit when I was pregnant don't even fit now. So I either hit the gym (not a fan), or buy new clothes. Currently, I pay $39 for a gym membership I've rarely used. I guess that would translate into a new pair of pants each month? Hmmmm... I think I'll start working out with hubby.

Here's yet another deal:

My asthma's been getting worse. It's all because of my allergies (thank-you, Valley life agriculture). Never had it before we moved here. I'm ready to move home to OK. What can't be great about a state who's abbreviation is "OK"? Anyways... in an effort to control my asthma naturally (meaning, without meds from my allergist that are non-TTC friendly) I am being more careful about the food allergies that plague me... namely, dairy. So tonight I tried goat cheese on my pasta salad instead of feta cheese. Not so great. Hmmm... gonna have to rethink this. Do you have any idea how many foods contain dairy? Almost everything I love to eat! Even simple things... like Zingers, M&Ms, hot chocolate and potato chips. This could take some getting used to.

So that's all right now. :-)

The author lives on Morrocco and is working to open a guest house there. Again, I cannot even describe how much I want to visit this guest house in Marrakech, Morrocco-- Peacock Pavillions. Every room, no-- every INCH is impeccably and uniquely designed, painted and accessorized. Just take a gander at these shots from some paint work inside the Pavillions:

Those stairs! Those floors! That ceiling!! AMAZING! The guesthouse isn't set to open until September of this year. Bummer! The reservation pricings though are insanely reasonable for such an amazing, one-of-a-kind places to stay. I know I could have talked mom and dad into a jaunt over to Casablanca/Marrakesh!

There is still work being done on the Peacock Pavillions. And she has people from all over the world come to help her paint. Yes, you heard me. People like you and me. Help paint that. Crazy, no? We are going to be SOCLOSE when we are in Egypt next month! (Well, closer than we are when we're in California!) But, alas, the paint party is the week before we arrive in Egypt. So my dream of being a part of the paint party at Peacock Pavillions must wait for another time. *sigh* (And yes I'm a sucker for alliterations.)

But seriously, do yourself a favor and jump over to her site and check out the beauty of everything! The photography! The painting! The landscape! The people! Beautiful, I tell you.