From Heart Walk to Heart Scare...

What an eventful weekend we have had! Friday night was Paint The Town (fun, as usual :) Saturday morning, I got up early (which is tough for me on a Saturday!) and went to walk at our city's "Heart Walk" for the American Heart Association. Here's my co-worker Barb, Me, and Ashley before we REALLY started sweating! 

After 2.5 miles we went back to the car and decided to go and visit my Mom. When we got to her store, she told me that she had been having a weird feeling in her chest (some heaviness, racing, and "gurgling" feelings). We ended up going to the ER to have her checked out. 
After a (thankfully) clear EKG and monitoring, they decided to admit her for observation. So, Mom and I had a "sleepover" at the hospital (which is also my employer). She was released on Sunday morning and instructed to follow-up with her cardiologist this week. She's feeling a lot better today. Whew!

We have our next visit with our case worker this Friday. I'll go at noon and he will go at 1. They split you up to discuss what we wrote in our "autobiography". Also, this week we will work on our "profile". For those of you out there that have made profiles, any suggestions? 

One more thing...My Oma turned 91 yesterday! We are going to take her out tomorrow night. 

 Happy Birthday, Oma!

Have a great evening!

Home Study Visit

We survived the visit! She arrived about 15 minutes early on Monday and I took her on the "tour" of our house. Thankfully, we installed smoke detectors in all the bedrooms,added 2 carbon monoxide detectors, and another fire extinguisher to the house. She wanted to see it all. She also wanted to know which bedroom would be the nursery. That was kind of strange to me. I guess because I've always kept my heart guarded about where a baby would actually "go" in my house. 
We then sat down with her and endured about an hour of questions. Some sample questions: 

• Where did you go on your honeymoon and how long did you stay?
• How many attendants did you have at your wedding and what was it like?
• What does a fight look like at your house? 
• How often do you pray together?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses as a husband/wife?

Those are just a few. After she left, I felt so relieved that it was over. Then we had to work on our autobiographies before we can meet her (separately) for the next visit. I finished mine and it was five pages. Whew!
I guess one great thing about having your home inspected is that at least your house is spotless for a while. I was so concerned about cat hair that I actually put beach towels on the tops of the sofas so they couldn't shed on them. That way I could take the towels off before she got there and ta-da! Spotless sofa! But you know what happened as soon as I put the towels on...

Of course! They got right on top of the towels! Monday was also my husband's birthday. We celebrated on Sunday with his parents and brother (whose birthday is three years and 364 days before his). Here are the birthday boys..

Monday night we ate down at the river with my mom who made him his second birthday cake. Here he is about to dig in...

We had a relaxing evening. (sorry about the picture quality...taken with the phone). 


I'm so glad to be moving along in the process. While on vacation, I read several great books (which I will talk about in later posts). One of them was Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families & Churches 


It was fantastic and I would highly recommend it for anyone who is considering adoption or knows anyone considering adoption. It makes a lot of comparisons between adoption and our adoption as Christians. It is a must-read!


Have a great evening!

Back To Reality...

We just got home from vacation in South Carolina. We had a fantastic time and hated to come home! We quickly got unpacked and started cleaning/preparing for our home visit. It is scheduled for Monday the 23rd. So far we have added 4 more smoke detectors, 2 carbon monoxide detectors, and an additional fire extinguisher. Are we safe enough?? Here are some pics from our trip....

Me and My Man

Me and My Mom

My Mom and (some of) her sisters

Dennis and Suzy

My girls!

Yes, I did eat Krispy Kreme for lunch!

Randy and Gary in front of the beach house

In the rockers...waiting on Mary :)

 Have a Great Weekend!!

Adoption 101

...And we're off! We received our first phone call from our social worker today. Our first home visit will be August 23rd...my husband's 32nd birthday :) 

That also means that we get home from vacation on Thursday night and our house has to be ready by Monday at noon! We've got to get busy! We downloaded the manual from our adoption agency's site and are officially overwhelmed by all this paperwork. I actually purchased  The Complete Idiot's Guide to Adoption at Books a Million last night. I'm just taking it one page at a time. Now I've just got to find sometime to get fingerprinted before we leave for the beach. I wonder what the gossip in Gadrock will be when the word gets out that I was being fingerprinted at the courthouse! Have a great evening! 

100th Post, Turning 31, and News

This is my 100th post! Well, I'm officially 31. Thank you to all for the sweet birthday wishes. Some of my friends took me to eat sushi (yum!) on my birthday and we had a great time.  

 Thanks girls!

Since this is my 100th post, I thought now would be a great time to let the blogger world in on our latest news: We have applied for domestic adoption.
After a lot of talking and a lot of prayer. We've decided to move forward with the adoption process. We sent in our 20 page application and have received our case worker. That's pretty much all we have right now. We are going to start our home study soon so we are preparing our house (with more smoke detectors and fire extinguishers ;)and our hearts (with books and lots of prayer) to go through the process. 
So here's what I need from all of you....

1. We need your prayers!
2. If you know of any good books I need to read, let me know!
3. If you know of anyone adopting, give them my contact info! 

When it comes to fertility, I feel like I've really educated myself. Adoption is a whole new story that I am feeling clueless about, so any input is greatly appreciated. 
Some of you might be wondering about our quest for a biological child. It has not stopped by any means. I am still drinking my lovely herbs and consulting with my TCM practitioner. I don't think we will ever stop trying to conceive a biological child. BUT, I believe very firmly that we will end up with the child that God wants us to have. Period. 
Have a great evening! 

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Control...

One of the things that has burdened me this week has been my lack of control over my situation. I like to be in control. Who doesn't? I feel helpless...like all of this is for nothing. Like there is no point and no one watching over this situation. But I know that is not true. Sometimes I just need some reminders. 

A book that I've been reading (on and off for tooooo long...I obviously need to buckle down and read the whole thing!) is  Calm My Anxious Heart: A Woman's Guide to Finding Contentment. This is how the author describes two verses that she has memorized and made a commitment to live them....
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"First, 
God ... is the blessed controller of all things, the king over all kings, and the master of all masters. (1 Timothy 6:15). 


I meditated on the truths in this verse. Who controls my life? God. What kind of a controller is He? Blessed. In the words of the the well-known therologian J.I. Packer, "Contentment is essentially a matter of accepting from God's hand what He sends because we know that He is good and therefore it is good." 

The second verse was Psalm 16:5:
Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. 
Speaker and author Elisabeth Elliot make this thought-provoking statement about Psalm 16:5 
I know of no greater simplifier for all of life. Whatever happens is assigned. Does the intellect balk at that? Can we say that there are things that happen to us that do not belong to our lovingly assigned "portion" ("This belongs to it, that does not")? Are some things, then, out of the control of the Almighty? Every assignment is measured and controlled for my eternal good. As I accept the given portion other options are canceled. Decisions become much easier, directions clearer, and hence my heart becomes inexpressibly quieter. A quiet heart is content with what God gives." (pages 16-17)
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This week I have had a turbulent, loud heart. I feel myself lost in a fog of discontent. I've cried and moaned with the thoughts of the past year and the year to come. But, I know noticed another thing: My Bible has stayed open more in the past week than it has in a while. I have actively sought the Lord this week because it is in these times that there is no where else that comfort can come. 

You may have noticed a button on the side of my blog for a book called Radical. Fantastic book. In it is a quote (that I've actually seen on other blogs recently) that I think sums up what good is to come of this week...

God actually delights in exalting our inability. He intentionally puts his people in situations where they come face to face with their need for him. In the process, he powerfully demonstrates his ability to provide everything his people need in ways they could never have mustered up or imagined. And in the end, he makes much of his own name.

I ask for your prayers this week/weekend as I emerge from the sadness and move forward. It's raining right now, but I'm looking forward to some sunny days. 

Happy Post - Paint The Town

At Paint The Town, we are painting these two paintings in August....

August 13th - Lovebirds

August 27th - Zebra Cross

We are also doing a Cancer Society Fundraiser, but I'm not sure what we are painting :)