happy blog-iversary to me! {a giveaway}

one year ago today, i posted my first chois-r-us blog post. i was nervous about putting myself out there and sharing about our journey. i wasn't a blogging newbie, per se; back in the happy days of xanga, i blogged regularly, but it was a lot of blog fluff. this was different as we were really sharing honestly and inviting others to join us for this crazy ride through infertility and adoption

and join us you did!

i thought that this blog would be a place to keep our friends and family updated throughout our adoption process and document things for the sake of posterity. i thought i'd be writing more for myself and my own documentation purposes. never in my life did i think i would find such an amazing community of people who would support us, ugly cry with us, laugh with us and cheer us on through this journey.

i tell people all the time that were it not for the blogging community and the friends and family that have supported us by reading our blog, i would feel so much more alone in our struggle with infertility and so isolated and clueless about navigating through the adoption process and adoptive parenting in general. and that's not all...were it not for the blogging community, i'd be missing out on some pretty rad friends. ;)

so, thank you, friends. and i am sincerely sincere when i say that -- both the thank you part and the friends part. you've made this last year so much better. :)

as a teeny tiny thank you, i'm doing a small giveaway to celebrate my first blog-iversary. yay! i love giveaways!

i'll be giving away a package of three of my favorite things. these are things that i loved before i became a mom and now that i am mom, they are absolutely vital to my everyday normal functioning.

1.
a travel size l'0ccitane shea butter hand cream. i'm SUPER paranoid about my hands getting dry and wrinkly and old-looking (i know, so shallow). i've always been diligent about moisturizing my hands and i adore this shea butter lotion, especially when i put it on before going to bed. now, with choi boy home, i find myself washing my hands all.the.time. -- hello, diaper changes! and hello, lots of baby cups, bottles, and booster trays that can't be thrown in the dishwasher! so, my hands are drier than ever and they soak up this yummy lotion. i can almost hear my dry skin slurping up this creamy goodness. ;) love it!






2.
c.o. bigel0w lemon lip balm. i'm obsessed with lip balm. it's a bit of an unhealthy addiction, actually. this lemon one has been my favorite for the last few years -- it tastes like lemon bars! and it gives just the right amount of lip hydration without being too sticky or gooey -- it's the best! and i've discovered that's also super helpful in healing busted fat lips that were the result of choi boy's head butting. ouch! and yum -- remember, it tastes like lemon bars! ;)





and 3.
a gift card to this place. before choi boy came home, i'd drink coffee on days when i really needed a pick-me-up. now, i *must* start every day with coffee...and i'm ashamed to admit that i drink obscene amounts of the stuff. it went from an occasional need here and there to a very necessary drug of choice. sad, but true. my favorite kind of coffee is from dd, but if you win and don't have one near you, i'll switch it out for a gift card to 'bucks. ;)






this giveaway is open to anyone and everyone -- no matter whether you've been with us on this ride since day one or stumbled upon this blog today. even if you know me in IRL, please do enter! :) it might not be a car or as cool as 0prah's favorite things ;), but it's my way of acknowledging the fact that this community totally rocks and that i'm super duper grateful for it.

to enter, leave a comment with a life lesson you've recently learned...because if blogging has taught me anything, it's this important life lesson -- friends can be found in the most unexpected places and often at just the right times. ;)

a winner will be announced next friday, february 25th, which is another very special anniversary that i can't wait to tell you all about! good luck!