Domestic Service

Okay, so just a regular day at home, which I really like. Total domestic duty today. Laundry, changing beds, vacuum, mop, yada, yada, yada. It takes me 2 days to make up for a snow day. Pretty routine day, no major events.

Brian and Melissa should be getting Rory in the next few hours. With the 15 hour time difference, it's Friday morning there. I know they are so excited and extremely nervous. I am praying for a smooth transition for everyone. They have been in my thoughts constantly this week. I know they are anxious to get home. I have to admit, as much as I look forward to getting Emma, I am a bit anxious about 2 wks. in China. I will probably kiss the ground the minute we land on American soil. I want to look at it as an adventure, but I'm no world traveler. The travel part of this adoption is one of my biggest prayer requests. (Along with the food, water, sleep, any medical issues, oh, and let's not forget about a baby that has never seen us before!) I'm keeping God busy.

There should be some referrals coming in the next few days. I don't know if AWAA will have any, but I am hopeful.

Time for dinner prep and AAU practice. I get to stay home and watch American Idol. I'm anxious to see who gets the ax tonight. I think I know which girls will go, but no idea about the boys since we missed that night. (Am I boring or what?)

Snow Day

Everyone is home today. That can be fun as long as it is short lived! Schools were announced closed last night, so the kids were happy about that. Bo attempted to get to work this morning, but the interstate was closed and the alternate route was a mess. Needless to say, he decided to call it quits and head back home. Of course, presently the sun is shining and the snow is melting. So much for any lasting accumulation.

I remember always loving snow days when I was a kid. There was something so great about hearing the t.v. revealing that you had a free day ahead of you. Even now, it always brings back those memories of my childhood and my dad.

We have spent part of our morning looking at Rory. Brian and Melissa have a wonderful video on their blog and we have enjoyed looking at their latest addition. They will not get to take her with them until Friday. Korea works differently than China in that respect. She's absolutely a doll and he choreographed it perfectly with our favorite song from Steven Curtis Chapman. It was so touching and I could only think about when our time finally comes around. I have played that over in my head so many times, practically on a daily basis. I can't wait.

Brady has his high school schedule all planned out. Sitting there listening to this discussion about what courses to take over the next 4 years was surreal. I kept thinking, didn't I just take him to school and leave him for the first day. I remember it so vividly. I remember thinking to myself "just make it out of the building without crying and then you are safe". It felt almost like that yesterday. I felt slightly old. I also can't help but think about the whole concept of having one in college (I hope), one in high school and one starting kindergarten. There are days when that really sets in and I wonder about my sanity (now and in the future). If children keep you young, well hopefully we will be in great shape. Isn't God great? This was his plan, not mine and I am so thankful He is so creative:)
Psalms 62: 5 My soul, wait thou only upon God: for
my expectation is from him.
Psalms 62: 8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out
heart before him: God is a refuge for us. KJV

I am so glad that God allows me to pour out my heart to him. It's nice to know that there is always someone who wants to hear my needs, hopes and desires as well as allowing me the opportunity to thank him for all of his blessings.

In the time it has taken to write this post, the snow has started again. The sun is gone and it looks like a blizzard. Only in Tennessee.

Tuesday and Taxes

Okay, so why do I wait to the last week of Feb. to pay my property taxes each year? Because that is how my parents always did it and we are creatures of habit! I have to work a few hours today and so I will go by the assessors office and pay taxes on the property that belongs to us! I really don't like taxes. Ironically enough, Bo and I will also have our taxes prepared tonight by the accountant. I hope that's a little better, but I never really know:) Death and taxes as they say.

Brady had his solo/ensemble on Saturday and he found out he scored a 1. According to him that is the best he can score. He plays the bassoon. People are always asking why bassoon and it seems so strange to say, well that's his favorite instrument from the movie Fantasia. It's odd for a plain Jane parent like me to have a creative son. If he didn't look so much like Bo I would swear they gave us the wrong kid. He is also fixing to start guitar lessons (our second attempt). On a heavier note, my little boy meets with the high school guidance counselor today to arrange his high school pathway. Okay, so where was I when he was growing up and becoming a teenager! How can that be happening to us? I am just not ready for him to go to high school. Didn't we just leave kindergarten? Oh how the time slips away.

On the Ashton front, he is trying out for AAU basketball. He practices again on Thursday and should find out if he makes the team. He's really excited and I guess I hope he makes it. If he does, then we play no baseball this year. That will be the first time since they were 5 years old that we have not played baseball. I might actually miss it.

I have not checked Brian and Melissa's blog yet today, but they should be safely in Korea. They will probably get Rory tomorrow. My heart is so full for them. Every time they cross my mind I say a prayer for them all. This little darling is about to be faced with people she has never seen before (that certainly are not Asian), they sound funny, they smell different, the food will be completely different, and she has to leave the only family (foster family) that she knows. My heart is just so heavy for them all, but God is the great comforter and I know he will comfort her in a special way.

All right, so it's Tuesday. I will be faced with the dilemma tonight after taxes, do we watch American Idol or the ballgame between Number 1 Vols and Vanderbilt? I may not have a choice in the matter and I am leaning toward the ballgame. I guess we will see!

I hope to be able to share some bible verses that I love and that are encouraging to me. I am too new to blogging to know how it will all work, but that is something that I want to do on a regular basis. The one that I woke up thinking about this morning when I was thinking about Brian and Melissa is: Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

Starting a Blog

Okay, I'm finally doing it. I have started the blog that I have been promising myself and Bo that I would start so we could share our daily life and our long....... wait for our adoption with our friends and family (and strangers:). I have no technical capability, so it may not meet the "blog standards" that some have, but I'm trying! I think this will be a work in progress and it's actually sort of fun. I do wish that I would have started it back when we first began this whole adoption journey, then I wouldn't have had to spend my time looking for all the dates to go on my adoption timeline! When you look at the timeline, it all looks so very simple. In reality, let me assure you that it is not. It consumes your time and your life. Of course, had I known that China would slow the entire adoption process down to a snail's pace, I might not have rushed so!

For those of you who don't know our story, and for those of you who might just need a reminder since it's taking so long, here's a brief run down. We always planned on 3 kids. That was our plan, and thought they would just come the natural way. Well, the first 2 did. After that, it was a different story. Infertility set in. After going thru the testing and all the fun and expense involved with that and finding out "nothing" was causing us to be unable to conceive, and attempting to do so artificially without success, we gave up. Life set in and it was decided 2 kids only. Well, at least that was my plan. If you read the timeline, you will see that it was 2005 that we decided to adopt. Sometimes it takes a while to get your act together and GOD does work it all in HIS timing. We felt our hearts stirred about China and Bo has always wanted a little girl. (I hope he feels the same way when she is 16:) God led us down this amazing journey to adopt. During it all, the wait time has increased in China from 10-12 months when we started to approx. 2.5 to 3 years now. That's for the ones of us who are on the list in early 2006. If you were filling out your paperwork today to apply for adoption, the estimated time is 5 years. I can't give you an answer why, because in all actuality, I don't think I understand it and I have been on the adoption scene for 2 years now. But I do know this, GOD has reason for us to be adopting and he has the most perfect little girl picked for our family. I don't know when we will get her, I pray that it will be soon, but I have no answers. We have seen him working during this 2 year period. When we started this process, we had no idea where the money would come from. Immediately after we filled out the paperwork, our TV blew up, we got an unexpected medical bill for over $500, and Bo's overtime stopped, and if you know me, I am a worrier. I became scared and just knew that we had made a mistake. How would we make it? GOD provided. I still don't know for sure how we are going to pay for everything. Adoption is expensive, but at least we are having more time to gather our funds. We certainly don't have an extra $25 or $30 thousand in the bank, but GOD has cattle upon a thousand hills and he provides for us all. So, if I am learning anything from this huge delay, it's to wait on the Lord and trust him. I'm not saying that I'm good at it, I'm just saying that I'm learning. He's working on me and I in turn get to share all the things about adopting that I can.

I have spent the entire day working on this blog. I am going to try to commit to writing in it daily and sharing with others. I enjoy reading several people's blogs that are listed on my favorite links lists. They are a blessing to me and I hope in return, mine can be a blessing to someone else.

Final note, Brian and Melissa Lewis (check out Life as a Lewis), left this morning for Korea to bring home their daughter Rory. Please pray for them while they travel and please pray for her as she makes this huge transition into a new life. For those who are not familiar with attachment issues in adoption, this is a major concern of every adoptive parent.