The Reason

This weekend I attended a conference designed just for Moms.  I had been asked specifically to join a few other ladies from my church at this two-day event.


I wasn't sure why, but I felt like I should go.


In case you didn't know.  I don't have any kids.  So I felt a little silly attending this event.  


As other moms shared about the life with their toddlers or their school age kids all I could add was that Knox ate two bibles, a book, and some colored pencils this week.


Obviously, I'm in a different place.


A couple of hours into the conference I was feeling discouraged.  Though the information was good and was encouraging for so many of the women there, it just isn't wasn't where I am currently. 


As I sat in one of the break-out sessions, I prayed that God would give me something...just one thing, that I could walk away from the weekend with for the right now in my life.  


Not even fifteen minutes later, one of the speakers on the panel said something that spoke directly to an issue that Brian and I have been wrestling with for our family.   It confirmed what I had already felt God leading us to do.  


Love that. 


But.....He wasn't done. 


He's promised more than I can ask for or imagine, right? 


At the end of the session I happened to hear one of the woman state she had adopted from Ethiopia.  Of course, I had to trot on over and introduce myself to her.  I told her that we were adopting from the DRC, her eyes lit up and she said, "You've got to meet Carrie! She's coming to the session tonight and she just brought home her daughter from the DRC last month!" 


I have never actually met anyone who has adopted from the DRC.  Now, I have my amazing blog and agency friends who email back and forth as we wade through this process.... but I have never met a real, living, breathing human in person who has been through this crazy process. 


You see, the DRC isn't a warm, fuzzy place to adopt from....it's not a place that many families choose because of it's instability. 


To actually meet someone who has been through the wait and has traveled to the DRC to bring home their child was more than I could have asked for or imagined. 


Later that night, I got to meet and talk with Carrie.  Not only was this their first child as well, but they live only an hour and a half from us....  the first DRC family I know of in Alabama.  


There is a small percentage of families that have experienced adoption with the DRC...and God gave me face to face time with one of them. 


What. a. gift.  


Those few minutes with her were just the encouragement that I needed.  


For the right now.  


More than I can ask or imagine. 



 

Shopping and Adoption

Some wonderful friends of ours in Montgomery are helping us fundraise for our adoption! 

20% of your purchases from the Southern Treasures store inside the Curves for Women on Atlanta Highway will go toward our adoption travel expenses!

There are a ton of cute gift ideas and they are tax-free! 

This fundraiser will go through the Christmas Holidays, so please stop in and take a look! 

We've moved!

We are now number....

Woohoo!!!  

Last week, I put out a pretty, big prayer request about our referral. 

And mountains are moving...

Please keep those prayers coming!

 

 

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

Fall is my favorite.


Montgomery, Alabama unfortunately only logs about 3 days of fall each year.


I refuse to let that deter me from enjoying every second of it.


Here is how I celebrate:



1.  Eating copious amounts of Candy Corn.


2. Watching football.  And lots of it.  Not that I have much of a choice- Brian just about cried with joy on opening day of football season.  Our TV stays programmed to football all weekend long from September to December.  (Go VOLS! Go EAGLES!)

3.  Brief bursts of craftiness.  As I've stated before,  I'm not creative or particularly skilled in the world of DIY.  However, there is something about the fall where I just get an itchin' to make something.

Last year, I made this wreath, inspired by my good friend Andrea, over at Babe of My Heart blog.

And... thanks to being exposed to the wonderful world of Pinterest,  I found how to make this very cute, very EASY wreath yesterday...

You need about 125 scraps of 7" x 1.5" fabric (I used five patterns), and a wire hanger as your frame. Tie each scrap in a basic knot.  Here's the original blog where I found it...

Since I didn't have any fabric, I headed to our local fabric store.  The total cost for me ended up being $6.  Not bad!

Trust me, people.  If this girl can do it....so can you.

I've now filled my crafting quota for the season.


So tell me, what are your fall traditions?

And...we're holding...

Steady at #6. 


The first two months on the referral list spoiled us.  We started at #21 on the infant list in late june and by mid August we were already #6.  


I thought FOR SURE we'd have a referral by the end of September. 


But, we haven't moved in the past month. 


I'm not giving up though.  


A girl can pray can't she? 


And I'd love for you to join us. 


I'm going bold, folks.  


And it's totally against my nature. 


Because I'm a type-A realist.  And I'm a doubter.  And I don't like looking like a failure. 


There, I said it. 


If you don't know me personally, I have just made myself sound like a real winner. 


Back to my point. 


God is bigger than my realist/doubting/glass half empty self.


He's a miracle-maker.   


He's sovereign.  


And He's pretty big on prayer. 


So I have a question for you. 


Would you join us in praying for a referral by the end of September? 


Yes...I realize that is in two weeks. 


Here's the deal....By the end of September, two things could happen. 


1. We have a referral.  Which would be UH-mazing. 


2. We don't.  Kind of a bummer.  BUT...what we will have are a whole lot of people PRAYING about adoption. 


I've decided it's a win-win situation. 

Good Things

1.  We have some awesome people in our lives.


Seriously.


The kind who sacrificially have given to help us with our referral costs for the adoption.  


We had over $12,000 donated to our matching grant.


Family. Good Friends. Fellow adoptive families. People we've never met.  People we haven't seen in over 10 years.  


We are so humbled by each and every donation. 


There have been some waterworks around here lately... just in awe of the ways in which God provides.




2.  Our friends, the Martin family, have been given clearance to head to China THIS WEEKEND to meet their new son, Joshua, and it couldn't come a minute sooner.


He is no longer an orphan (woohooo!!)  and will be given the chance to have his heart defect repaired by doctors in the U.S.


Please be praying for this family and for Joshua's heart.  He could not be going to a better home.




3.  Things have been a little rainy around here lately.... but rain brings some pretty beautiful sunsets...