Book Tag

Jill tagged me for this book tag. Here are the rules for this tag.

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open it to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence along with these instructions.
5. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.

The book I am reading right now is Sunset by Karen Kingsbury. She is one of my favorite authors. Because I am at my parent's house, this is the book that I have closest because it is the one I am reading right now. This is the last in her series about a family called the Baxters. It is actually the last book in the third set of series. The fifth sentence is: Yes, we sure do. It's kind of a boring sentence and doesn't make a lot of sense unless you put it in context. So, let me put it in context. One of the characters in the book (Landon) has just found out that his grandfather is not doing well and may not live long. His grandmother passed away just a few months ago. His grandparents were married for seventy-six years and were very close. He is reminiscing about his grandparents and the incredible influence they have had in his life. He remembers his grandparents singing wherever they would go - whether driving their homemade cheese to the dairy or visiting the sick and shut-in from their community and church. His grandmother would always say to his grandfather, "We have it so good, don't we, Pa?" and his grandpa would respond, "Yes, we sure do." He realizes what a deep faith and love of family his grandparents had.

So, now I tag anyone who has not been tagged to do this yet (Lisa O., Lisa B., Stephanie, Natasha)

Happy Thanksgiving

I am thankful for...

my daughter Rachel. She is amazing! She is smart, pretty, caring, compassionate, energetic and just plain fun to be around. We have a great, open relationship. I cannot imagine my life without her.

my son Levi, who is waiting for me in Vietnam. Although we have not met in person, I am already so in love wtih him. We can't wait to bring him home! We know he will change our lives and we are excited about it!

my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave His life so that I might have abundant life on this earth and eternal life in the life to come. I cannot imagine living my life without Him in my life. He has pulled me through the toughest times in my life. Without Him, I would be nothing! I can only imagine what it will be like to one day meet Him face to face and lay my crowns at His feet.

my parents, who have given me the gift of life and all the opportunities I needed to be the person I am today.

my "old" friends, who have stayed by my side through it all. Their support at times just blows me away.

my "new" friends, who I am enjoying getting to know better each and every day.

all the rest of my family.

God has been so faithful and good to me! I'm so glad that in this country we have a day set aside to remember all that we have to be thankful for. Too often we complain and murmur, even when we have no reason to. This day helps me to remember to live a thankful life.

A Ray of Sunshine

This is what the email from MA at Dillon was titled and it definitely was! In case you haven't figured it out yet, we did get some new pictures of Levi today! Hooray!! I sure needed this today!





This is what the email from MA at Dillon was titled and it definitely was! In case you haven't figured it out yet, we did get some new pictures of Levi today! Hooray!! Here they are!!

DNA Testing

This morning I received an email from the consulate saying that we needed to have DNA testing done. According to the email they said they had emailed this to me on October 28th when they sent receipt of my I-600. I looked again at the information I received and there was nothing on it. So, I guess that means we won't be traveling before Christmas. My heart is sad as I write this. I know that God is still in control and there is a reason, but sometimes that doesn't make things easy to bear. I pray that Levi's birthmom will be found quickly, that she will agree to the testing and will have peace, and that all the testing will be completed in a timely manner.

Thankful Thursday

Tonight I am thankful for my friends Sue and Natasha who helped me to get through a difficult day yesterday. Thank you for letting me vent and helping me to see the situation from a different perspective. Thank you for praying with me and helping me to get my eyes back on the Lord and not my problems.

I am also thankful that conferences are finished and all of my conferences went well. This time of year is probably the most stressful time and I am so glad to have it behind me.

Photo Tag

I was photo-tagged by one of my "blog friends". The assignment was to post the fourth picture from your fourth folder. This was a good one to post because I have been feeling rather "blue" and frustrated today with things and I needed to see this beautiful smile to make me smile. I can't wait to see a full-blown smile and hear him giggle!!

So, any of you that have not been photo-tagged, consider yourself tagged. I challenge you to find the fourth photo in your fourth folder and post it.

Dear Levi,
Your sister Rachel and I are eagerly awaiting the day that you will become a part of our family. While we wait for all the important documents to be completed so that we can travel to get you, we are preparing for your arrival in our home. Today we spent time painting your room together. I think your sister enjoyed painting mom more than the walls! We laughed a lot! We talked about how much we hope that you will have no problems realizing how much we love you and that you will quickly learn to trust us and our love for you.

All my love,
mom

Worth Thinking About

I came across this video on someone else's blog and I just had to share it. Rachel and I are taking this video to heart and putting it into action. We're going to go online to the World Vision catalog and give a gift that truly makes a difference to someone this year. In fact, I think this is going to be a new family tradition.

Happy 5 Month Birthday, Levi

Today my little guy turned 5 months old. It is difficult not to think about all the milestones that we are missing in his life. I have to admit, I was sure hoping to get an email from the consulate saying that our I-600 had been pre-approved or at least some updated pictures. That was not to be.

Yesterday I got to rejoice with Jessica in that she received her I-600 pre-approval. Today she found out that their Giving and Receiving ceremony (GNR) is December 10th. It is amazing in so many ways but especially because her I-600 was received at the consulate on October 28th, the same day ours was. They have up to 60business days to approve it. It gives me hope that maybe we too will soon be receiving our pre-approval. Of course, I don't want to get my hopes up thinking that for sure it will happen because I have learned that in the world of adoptions, anything goes. What might take one family a short time can take another family a long time.

Tonight I did some grocery shopping and bought some more things for Levi. I am not sure how many clothes to take along for him but I know that I still do not have enough. So, I pick up something here and something there. I picked up the cutest Tigger outfit for him at Wal-Mart. Of course, because his room has a Pooh theme to it, I always scope out anything with Pooh or his friends on it.

Hope

This is obviously the word that God wants me to hear today. This morning in my devotions I read the following verse:
"But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you." Psalm 39:7
Then I opened up my email to find the Word of the Day from Klove. It was the same verse I had just read in my devotions.
After school, as I was getting supper ready before running off to a meeting, I checked another blog and there was the exact same verse.
What do I need hope for? Hope for the whole adoption process - finances, paperwork and travel. Hope for healing in broken relationships around me. Hope for my future, whether that is as a single mother the remainder of my days or with a husband to share my hopes and dreams.

Just Hanging Out and Thinking

It always amazes me that when I am going through times of extreme busyness or extreme stress, I can hold sickness at bay. But the minute there is a release in the stress or a pause in the busyness, the sickness comes flooding in. That is where I have been all weekend, including today. After the news of our I-600 receipt and a tentative agreement being reached in regards to our contract, the sinus issues I have been holding at arm's length hit me full force. So, I am home today, having spent most of the morning in bed. It was a good thing as I am beginning to feel some relief. The coughing isn't so intense any more and my head isn't pounding or spinning as bad as it was yesterday.

As I ate some breakfast this morning, I was checking blogs and I am so glad I did because I get to rejoice with Julie who has received her pre-approval today. After 11 months of waiting they will finally be able to bring home their son from Vietnam. Praise God!

On Saturday I spent a good amount of time trying to put together the program for our first Adoption Awareness Sunday at church. I had done some preliminary work prior to Saturday but needed to nail it down so I could present it to our pastor. I still have to work on what things I want to do at the information table I am going to set up. This morning in my quiet time, I came across the following verses from
Psalm 41. They fit so perfectly with Adoption Awareness month and the need to care for orphans. It says:

Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the Lord delivers him in times of trouble. The Lord will protect him and preserve his life; he will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes.

I love that! I think I am going to use that somewhere in the presentation or at my informational table!

Below is the video that we are going to show on Adoption Awareness Sunday. I can't watch it without crying. So, get out your kleenex if you are sentimental like me.

Thank You

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been standing with us in prayer over the past several weeks. I truly do appreciate each and every one of you and each prayer that was prayed on our behalf. I am blessed to have you as friends!

Agreement Reached

Praise God! The school board and the negotiations team have come to an agreement. I am not sure of any details or what time they were able to reach the agreement but I received word at 5:00 a.m this morning. I am thankful to the people on our negotiations team who put in many late nights away from their families to negotiate for all of us.

Please Pray

This morning I am asking everyone reading my blog to please pray at 4:30 today that a resolution can be reached on a contract for our school staff. It is my belief that if there is little or no movement tonight then we will be on strike tomorrow. I really cannot afford to go on strike as I will not be paid for those days. Thank you all for your prayers and your kind words of support!

I hope to post again this evening with good news!

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed wtihin me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God

I-600 Receipt

HOORAY! Our I-600 was received at the consulate and an attempt to send an email on 10/28/08 was made but the email address wasn't correct, hence the delay in my receiving the confirmation that they had received it. That is certainly a weight off my shoulders! Praise God for His faithfulness and goodness!

Proud Mama

Tonight there was a special school board meeting held at the high school. Most of it was going to be held in executive session but they did begin with a public forum that was well attended by parents and community members. There were a number of people who spoke up on behalf of the teachers and support staff in our district, including my daughter. I was so proud of her! She was respectful but got her point across. Well, at least she made her point with the staff, community, and parents. Here's hoping she and the other people who spoke made their point to the school board. Nonetheless, I was very proud of her and encouraged by the support from the community.

My mom had her surgery today and came through fine. Praise God!!

Today, after waiting more than 2 weeks to receive an email confirming receipt of my I-600 and Levi's dossier at the consulate, I was instructed by the staff to send emails to the people at the consulate. Supposedly this receipt should have come after about 1 week. I am trusting God because I know He is faithful! If I don't, I know I will lose my mind!

Height and Weight Update

Levi is growing like a weed! Today we found out that he is 14.1 lbs. and 25.2 inches long.

In other news, we are still waiting to hear that our I-600 has been received at the consulate. I'm not sure what the hold up is but I really hope it hasn't been lost.

Playing Around

As you can see, I have been playing around and making some changes to the look of my blog. I was exploring on The Cutest Blog website and found some fun things to play with but they are going to require some time. I should have been doing other things instead but sometimes a girl just has to play, right? All work and no play makes for a dull life! So, in the days and weeks to come, I hope to make some more changes to my blog. Who knows, if things don't work out, I may be on strike in a few days and have a vacation (ha, ha!) At least that's what people are telling me it will be. I'm not sure that is what I would call a vacation!

I'm praying it doesn't come to that!