The ICI Experience:

**Public Service Announcement** by Laurel Wells Thompson (feel free to share this far and wide, with attribution)   HOW NOT TO BE A DICK TO YOUR INFERTILE FRIEND: CONVERSATIONAL EDITION About 11% of women are unable to conceive within one year of "trying," so if you are a person that breathes air, you have probably encountered one of us. It's very tempting to offer words of comfort or advice, or to ask questions, but very often there is a disconnect between what you're saying, and what your infertile friend (heretofore referred to as YIF) hears. Allow me to translate some of the most common attempts at sympathy: You: "Just relax!" YIF hears: This is your fault, if only you could be like everyone else you could make this happen. You: "Everything happens for a reason/it's all in God's plan" YIF hears: You're clearly not cut out to be a parent/God wants everyone to be happy except for you. You: "Why don...

Today is seven years since I published my first blog post on 5/19/2007, Yay, I'm Blogging! I haven't published a post on The ICIE since April of 2012 so it seemed fitting that I come back to blogging on my anniversary.  I haven't been writing, but a lot of people have still been reading my existing blog posts; I've been getting hundreds of hits per week the whole time I've been gone! I just love those Blogger/Google stats. I'll make a long story short as to why I've been absent from the blogging world for two years.  In 2011 I started volunteering at least once a week at our local art center.  I did that for about a year, then I started to work there part time as a staff member.  I became the Volunteer Coordinator in July of 2012.