Home Bitter-Sweet Home

Our home is almost finished! The builders are putting the finishing touches on it but Rich said that the walls are painted and the appliances are already in. We're still working out a closing date but we have our final walk-through on October 10th! I can't wait to see it and to of course see Rich again! This pic was taken last month.

As excited as I am to move into our new home, it is also very bittersweet to leave our first home- Austin, TX. I moved here right after graduation from NMSU to attend grad school at UT in 2004. I immediately fell in love with Austin and when Rich moved here it quickly became our "home". No more Freebirds, no more Amy's Ice Cream, no more Vivo, no more Congress Avenue Bats...there is no place like Austin! Mostly I'll miss the kiddos that I work with and I feel very blessed to have known them and they will forever be in my thoughts. I'm a different and better person because of them. Wow I can't believe that I only have 1 more month here! I know that wherever Rich is, is my "home" and we'll do our best to "Keep Peoria, AZ Weird" ;-)

The Heart Gallery

Rich just got to AZ safely for his new job that starts on Monday and once I wrap up my job here I'll be moving there too. Our apartment is just not the same without him and I miss him already!

At least my job will keep me occupied in the meantime. We had the unveiling of this year's Heart Gallery on Thursday night and the new portraits are amazing! For those of you who don't know what the Heart Gallery is, it is a traveling exhibit of portraits taken by professional photographers featuring children who are waiting for their forever families. The Heart Gallery not only promotes adoption but it also helps educate the community. These children are just like any other children except they are even more resilient, more compassionate, more lovable because they know what it is like to not feel like they belong anywhere.

Click on the image below and click on "portraits" to see just a handful of the children who are waiting for forever families.

The Color Purple

"I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it."



Rich and I saw The Color Purple musical in San Antonio, TX last weekend and it was absolutely amazing! I have seen the movie at least a hundred times and have read the book a few times so I wasn't sure how the musical would compare but it absolutely did the movie and book justice. The performance was moving and the story was of course an inspiration. If you ever get a chance to see the show, we highly recommend it!

Meet the Coppola Furbabies...

Name: Chyna Coppola

Nicknames: Chyna Doll, Chyna Dolly, Dolly-Lama, Princess

Breed: Maine Coon

Hobbies: Playing in the water, stealing mom's hair ties and putting them in water, playing with the laser pointer, chasing Sparkles around the house, eating, sleeping and being the princess of the house.

Aspirations: To be featured on the front page of Cat Fancy one day.



Name: Sparkles Coppola

Nicknames: Sparkle Doll, Bunky, Bright Eyes, Monkey, Rolly Pollie

Breed: Domestic Shorhair

Hobbies: Playing with paper or ribbons, following mom and dad around the house, chasing Chyna around the house, eating and sleeping.

Aspirations: To sleep, eat and sleep some more!