Day 100

Today makes 100 days that DH and I have been officially waiting for our child to come home!  We feel like the time has gone so smooth and so quick (thank goodness)!  We are both so busy with school (we are both teachers) that time has gone by before we knew it!  Now granted, there are moments where I think about the average wait time being 1.5-2 years and I kinda freak out a little, but I'm hoping God has a faster plan for us.  I'm praying "our" child will come home sooner.  And if not, I know it's His will.  

Please continue to pray that this journey moves along quickly so we can FINALLY become parents to a bebe together :)

Snow Day!

Today was our first snow day of the year!  DH and I got to be very lazy today and we loved every minute of it!  I slept in, took a shower, stayed in pj's until we went out to grab some Chinese for dinner, then back home to put the pj's back on.  All in all it's been a productive day!

I uploaded the pictures from our recent TN get-a-way with my family and thought I'd add them to my blog for all to see how beautiful my family is and how precious they are to me.  So here's a few of our memories...

                                                DH and I walking in downtown Gatlinburg

                                                               My mom and step-dad

                                                       My nephew and his girlfriend

                                    My youngest sister and her boyfriend (and baby in the belly)

                                          DH and I before Dixie Stampede Dinner and Show

                                              My oldest sister, mom, youngest sister, and me

                                                     My oldest sister and her husband

There is nothing in this world better then spending time with families making memories.  I love that we got to spend a weekend together!

Updates...

I realize it's been awhile since my last post.  Life has been CRAZY busy with school, organizing/scheduling/planning our schools Junior Beta Convention, house hunting, and everything involved in daily life.  I have taken the time to stop and read the current updates of those bloggers that I follow.  I do this for several reasons.  The main one being encouragement.  When I need that extra pick me up from the whole "waiting" bit of adoption.  When I need a success story of a growing family via adoption.  When I need someone else who is in my shoes struggling to be a mommy.  I can log onto my blog and find all sorts of amazing women who fit my various moods.  For that, I'm grateful.

My sisters, their families, and my parents had started planning a short get-a-way a few months back.  Because my husband and I are both teachers it made sense to build our trip around our school schedule.  MLK day allowed for us to be out of school today so this is the long weekend we scheduled our trip for.  We left on Friday after school and returned home today.  We had so much fun and made so many memories just being together.  My family is amazingly close and we don't let an opportunity pass by that we can enjoy some bonding time.  We scheduled our trip for Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge TN since it's only about 3.5 hours away.  We swam, ate REALLY good, went to Dixie Stampede, shopped, and enjoyed walking the streets of downtown Gatlinburg.  The weather was beautiful!  I wish we had more time to take trips like that.  I will always treasure these times with my family.

DH and I are still waiting on the bank to make a decision on how much we are able to spend on a home.  We have been wanting to purchase a new home since ours is small and we plan on adding several children.  We want a home that will provide space and enough room for us all to gather at the dinner table every night.  We found a home we really like, but again, we are waiting on the bank to let us know where to go from here.

Next Sunday will mark our 100 day anniversary of being on the waiting list with our adoption agency.  I'm floored at how fast time has traveled.  I have moments where time seems to stand still, but I try to stay positive and focus on school and being as active I can with my job and my students.  I'm praying the time continues to go this smooth.  I don't know when God will create THE baby that is meant to be MY child, but I know He's working on greater things.  Through prayers of patience hopefully I will keep my sanity until the time comes.

I hope everyone has had an amazing weekend!  I hope you have all made memories and done acts of kindness.  God bless!

Follow Me

Another weekend has came and gone.  Last week was our first 2 days back since being off for Christmas break.  This week we have to go a full 5 days and I know we will all be exhausted!  It's so hard coming back from being off an extended period of time and fall back into our 5 day work week.  It seems like it takes me forever to catch up on my sleep!

Nothing new on the adoption front.  We are still just waiting on our call.

"Operation Get Skinny" (aka my diet) has not been going very well over the holidays.  Since DH and I booked a cruise to Mexico the first week of April (our spring break) I'd really like to get serious about this losing weight business again.  Ultimately I'd like to be down 42 pounds before then.  I just don't know if that's possible.

For those of you who I have connected with over Blogger, I ask that you please "Join My Site" on the right of my blog.  I love blogging with you and reading your stories.  Whether it be a family who was created through adoption or a birth mother who found it best to gift her child the ultimate gift of a forever family I really do treasure the friendships I have formed through cyber space.  Please add me and I'll do the same!

I hope everything has a blessed week! :)

Welcome 2013

Another year has came and gone.  Another year of resolutions not quite fulfilled.  Another year of happiness, sadness, ups, and downs.  Through it all 2012 proved to be one for the books!

**Gains**
I learned a lot from the long relationship I was in.  I learned that the things in life I want may not be what someone else wants, but that doesn't make them any less valuable.  I learned that sometimes people just aren't meant to be together.  With this realization came opening up myself to start dating a wonderful man.  My husband and I have known each other for several years, but 2012 was OUR year.  I met someone who I connected with on a different level.  A "real" level.  We merged our paths, became husband and wife, moved into our new place together, began the adoption process and got homestudy approved and are now officially waiting on our child to come home.  Because of DH my 2012 had way more gains than losses.  Because of DH my 2013 is going to be amazing. 

I could go on and on with the things the Lord has blessed me with.  I have an amazing family, loyal friends, a support system like none other, wonderful colleagues, and a job I wouldn't trade for the world.  I have this blog that allows me to take a moment of down time and reflect on so many aspects of my life.  DH and I are looking forward to the new year and praising God for all things he has given us.  We are praying 2013 will be the year we receive OUR child.  I really want to get back into foster care and after the adoption DH and I are planning to start our classes to get that process rolling again.  We hope to purchase a bigger home to allow us to share our love with the children God sees fit.

2013 is going to be a big year!  Thanks to all of you who read this blog and support us on our journey! :)