My new friend, Jodi

Blogging has been so many good things in my life, one of them is the chance to meet others out there who are walking along the same path.  Others who feel the pull towards adoption and understand the unique joy it is to adopt.  Others that I get to tentatively talk to, in a comment or email, and over time become real true friends.  Friends I would tell my secrets to, turn to for advice, and who in return, remind me that I am not alone.

The other day I made a new friend, Jodi Queenan, and I'm really excited to introduce y'all to her, because besides being a soon to-be adoptive mama, she is a talented artist with a very generous heart.  I first found Jodi and her art while having an entirely impulsive shopping day at etsy.  I began looking around for "adoption art", whatever that means, because I wanted art work for Jack's big boy room that reflected his unique story and his Korean heritage.  Finally I stumbled upon Jodi's etsy shop and I knew I had found what I was looking for.  She has beautiful art to reflect the love between parents and children, adoption, and interracial families, I was smitten.

The two pieces I decided on were, Even the mighty Ocean, and Korean adoption.  I snatched them up and before I knew it a package had arrived.  The only problem was it only contained one of the pieces I had purchased, so I emailed Jodi and she was super nice about believing me and getting another one out to me right away.  Too bad a few months later (yes I'm a little behind on my projects) when I finished framing them and went to take out the trash this week I found the missing piece in an envelope that was there all along.

I was mortified, I had stolen! a really beautiful piece of artwork, and worse when I had told her that I was missing one of the pieces, I said I was SURE it wasn't there (at the time I really was).  So I mustered up my courage and emailed her to see how I could get the print back to her or make it right in some way. Instead of being mad, she said no biggie, give it away to a friend or charity and then after breathing in a big breath of relief, I knew I had made a friend.

My new friend Jodi, besides being uber-talented is using her etsy shop to raise money for an orphanage in Ethiopia, where a percentage of all her profits goes each month.  Jodi also is involved in raising money for various charities through her artwork.  In addition to the prints that I purchased from her, she also makes jewelry to express your unique family, jewelry that I just have to have, hint, hint.  And her latest thing, "thank you for asking cards" which are perhaps the best idea I've ever seen, they're cards to hand out to people who inquire about your interracial family, and include additional cards that talk about how one person can make a difference in the life of an orphan.  

My sweet friends, go check her out and know that money you spend at her shop is supporting not only her and her husband's desire to adopt from Ethiopia but also helps other children in need of families in that country.  Be ready to make a friend, she is one of those rare ones who are super talented but you can't even be jealous because they're that sweet!