things are moooooovin'

We got an email last week that the referral dates are moving forward. They have now begun matching families who began their wait in June of 2008. Yea!!!! Our waiting date is August 8. So....that is good news. We are getting closer. You know how a cow moves slowly across the pasture? Even when they run, they seem to be moving in slow motion? That is like this process. It is definitely MOOOOOOOO-ving. ..just in slow motion.
In other news, we met our 11th Social Worker the other day. She is quite sweet and has been through the adoption twice herself. She has a daughter from China and a son from Korea, and she just gave birth to a little girl. Our new sw was here to help us begin the process of updating our homestudy. It is a process of a couple of home visits, a billion questions, lots more paperwork, a few hundred dollars, and some more visits to the doctor, police station, etc. Hopefully, this will keep our minds busy on the process and not so much on the lack of progress :).
I am so very thankful for the sweet questions that drift in from all over, inquiring of our sweet little girl. She is so very loved and doesn't even know it yet :). I can't wait to wrap my arms around her precious little self.
My prayers are to keep patient and my eyes on the Lord as He is in complete control of EVERYTHING. How so very sovereign He is. There is nothing new to him. Nothing that gets past his ever seeing eyes. Nothing that He can't fix or undo. I am thankful for my Lord...and thankful for the faithful prayers of my friends and family.
Blessings to all of you!

Miscommmmmmm

Okay....yesterday..the day after I received the news that they were matching June 08 families, we got a corrective email stating that they had made a mistake. Correction, they are still matching families from May 08. Ugh..what a balloon popper. But that is not where the balloon popping stops. I received an email within minutes from our international agency to check with our local agency on the status of our homestudy expiration date. This is to assure that everything will stay up to date as we get closer. I believe they are only valid for one year, which means we are up for an update, but we have never received a call from our local agency. Anyway, I called them--our local agency--- yesterday and asked for our new social worker, Tracey. Our previous sw went on maternity leave earlier this year and will not be returning. Okay..you do remember that through this process we are on our 4th sw from this agency and our 5th sw from our international agency. That means 9 social workers!!! So, guess what they said?!!! "Oh, she no longer works here!!!". At first, I thought I had said her name wrong. So, I jumped in real quick, "Oh...I mean Stacey". .."No ma'am there is no one here by that name." "Oh, so it is Tracey? Wait, where is she? What do you mean she no longer works there? I havent received any notices or phone calls about this? WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!!!!!". I ended up getting some very vague answers about how everyone that used to work in that agency no longer works there. I have been assigned an interim social worker because they are currently brokering out social workers to hold up the firm because there are over 80 families who are currently in their system waiting for little children. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!! It seems unbelieveable to me. This is like what happens to other people..not me. And ..of no surprise, my new social worker will be out of the office until Thursday, because she only works on Mondays and Thursdays. How convenient! So, let's recap. We are on our 10th social worker now. You can imagine why you might have found me a few minutes later on my bed crying. This has been an unbelieveable ride so far. All the stories that I have heard of other families sailing through their adoption process, we are not one of them. I have heard of others encountering bumps in the road. But let me just say this...in full faith and confidence...No matter what schemes the enemy may plan to halt, delay, discourage, or rip a part, my God is greater, bigger, better, smarter, and has been victorious in every battle He has ever been in. If my God can conquer the grave...death itself, then minor social worker changes and time delays will not stop His plans for matching us with our daughter whom He predestined to be in our family before I took my first breath. I am feeling better today about the whole thing..yup...better. Will I recommend this local agency to anyone?...uh...probably not :).

We are gettin' closer!!

"Families most recently matched with a child under 12 months of age with few known health concerns began their wait in June 2008."

This was the email that we received today from our agency. This news is tickling to my soul. We began our official wait 'on the list' in August of 08. That means that soon soon soon, they will be getting to the batch of families whose wait began in July and then August. woohooooo!
While the wait has seemed so so very long, and as we have seen other families who signed up after us already travel to get their little ones in ET, we have been diligently praying for wisdom and peace and patience. All the while, we have never felt led to leave our agency....despite the lengthening wait times. God matched us to our little sweetie before we even signed on the dotted line. And He knows exactly how to bring her to us. The closer we get, the more excited I become. The more I realize how none of this in our control. And that is the beauty of it all. For any of us to think that we might have been accidently placed in the wrong family has some revelations a comin'!! No matter what our circumstances, backgrounds, problems, upbringings,etc, there is such a plan over our lives that promises nothing but blessings. I can't wait to bring our beautiful little girl home and hold her and tell her that she is now in her forever family. Awh...sigh....I can't wait to see her face...to hold her hands ..to rock her to sleep and tell her how much she is loved. Soon we will be getting her picture. oh...joy!

Life Lessons from a Blackberry Picker: Focus on the Fruit Not the Thorns

We have been living on our property for five years now. Six beautiful acres, half of them wooded, the other half pasture. Last year, we discovered that the large bushes that surrounded our back pasture were actually wild blackberry bushes. I am not sure how we missed it before, but it has been like finding diamonds in the bottom of a sandbox...pure treasure.
The season for wild blackberries start about two weeks before the fourth of July. About every other day, I can go out and pick 2 or more cups of blackberries. During my picking experiences these past few weeks, I have discovered that the act is very much a humorous event for any onlookers (praying that none are humans!) and also a life lesson. I thought I would share a bit with you from what I have learned while picking wild blackberries.
1. Wear big boots with your long jeans tucked inside: Chiggers are nonforgiving. They love me. I can't help it but I am totally sweeeeeeet. You might be too.
2. If you want to work on your tan, wear a strapless tanktop but beware of high branches and thorns that grab to clothing. I learned also that when you make sudden jerky movements from possible insect invasion, the strapless tanktop can completely fall down. Assuming that no farming neighbors can see through the brush, you will be in the clear. Just re-adjust and move on. Focus on the fruit.
3. Gloves would be nice but would completely hinder the proper picking methods. You must feel the fruit in order to pick it right. The soft ripening fruit must be plucked gently at the base. Gloves get tangled in all the thorns. Plus when you jerk and scream from the ants crawling up your arm, you are less likely to drop what is in your hands.
4. Fast sudden movements while in the midst of picking the berries can cause severe damage to the outer epithelial layer of your skin. You might come out looking like you have been in a cat fight..but focus on the fruit not the thorns, you are doing great!!!
5. If you hear a rustle, shudder, scratch, tweek, or shuffle in the wooded area that you are picking, just be very still. It is possible that it could be deer, birds, small rabbits, big rabbits, moles, snakes, or even a skunk.
6. If you smell a skunk after you have heard the rustle, shudder, scratch, tweek, or shuffle, you can be pretty sure it was a skunk. Check to make sure you weren't directly sprayed.
7. It is hard to run fast in large boots with your long jeans tucked in. So, if you hear a rustle, shudder, scratch, tweek, or shuffle and you are convinced that it could perhaps be a mountain lion or bear, be aware that you will not be able to outrun them.
8. Try NOT to predetermine newspaper headlines like, "Woman killed in her backyard while picking blackberries from a wild animal..." It is completely counterproductive. Focus on the fruit. Say a prayer or two. Remember that silly distractions can keep us from really getting the job done....focus on the fruit!
9. If you feel a slight amount of pressure hovering above your head and you think it is just tree leaves resting on your crown, look up! It could be an intricate web of hundreds of caterpillars who have made their temporary home in the branch above you. Do not panic. After screaming modestly with a tight cling to the berry bucket, just hunker down and move along. Remember, focus on the fruit.
10. Finally, when you return from your adventure that has lasted a good hour in the hot smoldering heat, and your shirt is torn, and your arms are bleeding from the thorny scratches, and your clothes are soaked from hardworking sweat, and your face is covered with red smudges from the multiple attempts to swat away the bugs with your berry covered fingers, and your hair is teased from the thorny bushes that grabbed hold with every tuck, bend, and gather under the branches, and you have had to sacrifice a few precious berries from the near death escapes from critter attack, your children might see you come in with your bucket of berries and say, "That's ALL you picked?!!". With a smile full of joy, say, "Yes, my loves, that's it and it was worth every moment". Because when you bite into that juicy fruit and taste its natural sweetness and relish its tangy flavor, it is nothing but sweet satisfaction. It is a dream come true, a moment where you realize that the very piece of fruit you have eaten was created just for you by the God of heaven above, and you are loved, you are special, you are blessed. And this fruit is not just for you, it is for you to share. To spread the goodness to others, to share all your trials and tribulations and yet display the very fruit from the labor, to be an encouragement and joy. Oh..it's not just about the pickin', or the fruit or the thorns or the slim escapes from tethered tangles of vines,it's the whole adventure. It's the process, the before, the during,and the after. And if you can't see it while you are in it, just focus on the fruit, not the thorns. You will get to taste it's sweet goodness when the time is ripe, I mean right.

Our Friends are off to ET today!!!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We are SOOOOOOOOOO excited for our fellow cub scouting family, the Garners, who leave today for ET to pick up their daughter. She is absolutely beautiful!!
Please lift them up as they travel this week. They have been so blessed to get some awesome pictures and video footage of their little girl, Hope. If you click on the video above, please mute our music at the bottom of the page.
Also, go check out their story...it is an amazing one...click here!

A Family Night Devotional

I just found out about this great family devotional book. It is geared toward encouraging you and your family to have atleast one special night a week where you grow together as a family in the Lord and have lots of fun doing it! I am looking into getting a copy for our family! We have family nights on most Friday nights. These are something the kids TOTALLY look forward to. The kids usually get to pick out the meal that we are going to make, including a special dessert. In addition, we pick different activities to do that night which range from watching movies to playing board games and making crafts. The fun about this new book, Catching Fireflies, is that it has done all the work for you. There is no extra planning needed. What fun?!! I have enjoyed that the kids look forward to family nights. I know we are creating memories and a tradition that I pray will carry on to their families one day. I encourage you to FIRST, start a family day tradition...even if it is once a month right now. THEN, check out this new book. I can't say that I have tried it out yet..but from what I have read so far, I am a fan already. Check out their website here.
If you already have a family night going in your traditions. I would love to hear from you. I love to hear what other families are doing!!

Rain, snow, sunshine....

It is getting colder outside. Tomorrow's forecast projects snow. Wouldn't that be lovely? Inside, I sit in my favorite chair...feet propped up onto the ottomon. My cozy warm sweater seems to hold off the chill in the air.
The phone just rang...and ironically it was our adoption coordinator through our agency. My heart sank just a little and I held my breath as I thought...'Is this the phonecall?!!' Unfortunately, she immediately squashed that thought with her introduction, "I am not calling with any great news, just checking in."
oooohhhh ...sigh...time to breathe. I knew it was probably not even possible, but a girl can dream can't she? It would have been nice for, "Shannon, we have some great news. We have your little girl!"
Nope..the news that she brought actually seemed to bring the chill right back. She said that they are possibly looking at even longer wait times. Currently, the time is approximately 1 year from acceptance date. Ours is August 8th. She went on to say that the time from referral to travel has also been extended. It used to be around 5 weeks. Now, it is approximately 4 months. So....let's do some figuring.
IF we get a referral before the courts close for the entire month of August, that would be the end of July, we would not travel until possibly December. IF we get a referral AFTER the courts close...meaning..in September, we are looking at NEXT year before we travel. Are you kidding me?!! It is still just the second month of 2009. Wow. It is highly possible that our little girl hasnt even been conceived yet.
Somedays, I am great with that and other days, it seems like an eternity.
As a matter of fact, it is harder when other newer agencies are able to process more quickly.
Our coordinator also confirmed that when Guatemala and Vietnam closed their countries to adoption, that those people transferred their requests to ET. This all happened after Chris and I had chosen ET but we were not on the waiting list. So, all those folks were able to quickly get in line before us. We almost chose Vietnam or Guatemala...but God led us to ET..instead..knowing our little girl is there waiting on us. It is in HIS hands.
I can't get depressed or sad for very long. There are things to do. Others are doing work on my behalf abroad. I need to get the things done here that must be done. Hi Ho Cheerio! Chin up! Look for the sunshine not the rain (or snow)!