Wednesday, Day 4 @ Sea:

We slept a little later, went to breakfast and then spent the day on a top deck basking in the sun. After breaking for lunch we found chairs by the main pool amidst the craziness. I enjoyed finishing yet another good book while Andy went to visit with Mr. Dean & Mrs. Carolyn. It was dinner and show time. The show was a comedian and hypnotist, we’d never seen one before. I was always curious and am not sure if he was typical or not. His name was “Puck” and we weren’t impressed or amused, not fun at all for us. Such is life, we’ve now seen one.


*Pictures of the sunset, we watched from the top deck. So amazing, again God is so good to us!!*

Thursday, Day 5 @ Sea:

Pretty much the same as the other days at sea. We spent half of the day on a top deck enjoying the wind and views, then moved to the smaller pool for the remainder of the day. We ate dinner and saw the show. The show was “A Walk Down Broadway” and one of my favorites, though the male lead on this trip isn’t as good as the previous ones have been. I love the music in this one!
We went to karaoke on the pool deck under the stars, it was a hoot!!

*Picture of us with Mr. Dean & Mrs. Carolyn Dodgen, still so funny that they were on board with us. We saw them pretty much daily. There was also another lady that we went to church with, Ms. Mobley, and her Mother on board. Small, small world!!!*

Tuesday, Day 3 @ Belize:

We woke up a little earlier, ate breakfast and watched the activity as tender boats began to take people over to the mainland. We were scheduled to leave @ 10:15, headed back to the private island of Bannister Caye. It is the same place we visited on our last trip to Belize and it is truly beautiful!!! Some of you may have gotten my email a few weeks ago about a favorite island being for sale, this was it!! Sure wish we could just buy it and stay-

*Picture from our boat headed from the Glory to Bannister. Glory big ship there in the front, then the Norwegian Sun was close by and a ship from "Fred Olsen Cruise Lines" was there as well. More about that later. There were tender boats EVERYWHERE and the ocean was beginning to look like a parking lot!*

It offers a water trampoline, kayaks, floats, there’s a grille, two very tiny stores, a restroom, a bar, tons of chairs and all the sand & sun you can stand. Andy took a short snorkel trip for about an hour on a little boat from Bannister Caye. He enjoyed it, but said the snorkeling wasn’t as good as the day before in Cozumel. The trip was great and we would recommend it to anyone at all! (Obviously since it was our 2nd trip there) It’s only about a 15 minute boat ride from the ship and I think you really get your money’s worth of beach time! The views from the beach are just breath taking!!!! The water is TRULY CRYSTAL CLEAR!! The shells, I’ve never seen anything like it. We took sooo many pictures last time of the shells, you put your hand in the water and this is what you pull up… each and every time!



We returned for a snack and some serious lazy time. Today I have been reading one of those “I hit the jackpot buying this” book from a bargain table at the Christian book store. There’s nothing like picking up a $5 book and finding a new favorite author, more about it in my reading blog coming soon I’m sure. Lazy time also led us to check out the menu for tonight and once again what we wanted to order from the dining room was on the casual buffet, how can you turn that down? I spent some time online checking email while sitting by a wall of windows and watching the ocean go by, so amazing. I couldn’t stay on long enough to post to the blog again though. The wireless connection was in and out and frustrating.

*Picture: With a 2 hour time difference, our 10AM excursion was really just 8AM there. It was HOT first thing though and the sun was just beautiful on the water*

We got ready without getting dressed up and that’s my favorite way to do it! I also like when you see all the foods on the buffet and you can then chose what you want to try. I ate fish again and it was absolutely fantastic. If I’d have seen it on the menu and read the name of it (I can’t remember now) I would have never ordered it, after seeing it and giving it a try though… it’s pretty much all I ate!! Yay for new kinds of grilled fish~ We realized if we cruise and only eat in the dining room one or two times, it would save us packing as much. We could come in just one suitcase for sure! What all do you really need on a ship? Good books, toothbrush, a few swimsuits and you’re good.

We had big plans of playing bingo, a show and then going to the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” (I’ve never seen it and am dying to see what all the fuss is about) at midnight, but old age kicked in! We headed back to put on Pajama’s, watch a movie and I finished my book! Cruising is all about doing what you want and what you’re in the mood for. Andy’s already asking when our next one should be . . . .

*Picture us on Bannister, note the clear blue water*

And on that note, let me add.. We keep pointing out couples with babies, guessing their age and looking to see that yes, those little ones seem to be having a great time. One little guy, who couldn’t have been more than 5 months old was getting his picture made and had a crowd gathered around because they were making him laugh and it had turned to hysterical giggles. He literally made himself laugh until he cried and he was soooo funny!!! They don’t know they are on a big ship in the middle of the ocean, but they’re enjoying life just the same. Just the confirmation we needed that our wee one is going to be a cruiser at an early age…

*Picture: Andy was up early enough to watch the sun come up, he took several pictures. God is amazing huh? He didn't have to make our world so beautiful, but I'm trying to remember to thank him every day for doing it anyway!!*

“Somewhere on the Sea, Somewhere waiting for me….”

((I wrote these while we were still cruising, just couldn’t get blogger to post them while we were out there))

Monday, Day 2 @ Cozumel:

We woke up to beautiful sunshine and docking in Cozumel. After breakfast Andy & I headed off the ship for a little shopping. The pier area is super nice. There are very nice restrooms, shops out the wazoo, places to eat everywhere and super friendly people. You could get off and could spend hours right there within a few steps of the ship, they are doing big things now for cruise lines. We walked on down the street a little through town, then made our way back through the cruise terminal shopping area again. Back on board for a snack and getting ready for our excursion.

We debated for days, right up until the very last minute last night on what to do. I had read fantastic reviews from Cruise Critic about visiting Paradise Beach for just a few bucks for a taxi ride. There was an excursion though that seemed to offer something we’d both enjoy. Andy made the final decision and off we went. We boarded a 65foot catamaran through “Fury’s Catamaran” trips. It was huge, 3 decks! There were shady seats and sun decks, restrooms, a bar and all you could drink beer, margaritas or Pepsi. We drank our share of Pepsi! *This is the picture of our ship the Glory at the back, the Fantasy (which was the 1st cruise we ever took) there in the front and our catamaran coming towards the pier.*

The ride out was great and we stopped for 45 minutes at a reef for snorkelers to get their fill. Andy said it was the best snorkeling he’s done in all of our trips, and if you’re keeping up we’ve taken quite a few!! (this is our 7th cruise) That’s pretty impressive for him to say. He saw an enormous barracuda that he’s still talking about. You could jump off the side of the boat or walk right down the ramp into the water. I opted to lay in the sun with a great new book, imagine that. The snorkelers (is that a word?) reboarded and we were off again. This picture is of them in the water. There were guides out to help, direct you to schools of fish, be sure everyone was OK. It's actually part of a National Park Reef. There were buoys to keep people in one area. It was a beautiful sunny day, despite the fact my picture looks a little dark. It wasn't by any means!!

We went to a private beach, just next door to Playa Mia (Which is where we went on our last Cozumel visit) We had chairs, floats (mats), kayaks (no thanks) a bar, restrooms or horse back riding. Horse back riding would have been a hit, if it weren’t for the fact we were in wet bathing suits!!! Ick- We spent an hour at the beach. The water wasn’t as pretty as it had been where they snorkeled, but the water was relatively warm and we enjoyed it. Getting off the catamaran, down the ramp steps and into the water was a little exciting. We didn’t make it all the way up into the sand, we were in about waist deep water.
This picture is the private island!


The ride back was fantastic! The views were beautiful. With a motor running and both sails open wide, we were getting speedy! They cranked up great music of all kinds, the drinks were flowing (which made our shipmates quite entertaining to watch) and it made for a perfect ride back to our ship. We had never cut it quite so close, with 5 minutes to spare as we all sprinted back to the ship. Thankfully we’d been dumped off at the pier just steps away. It was a fantastic day though and I would recommend that excursion to ANYONE, of ANY AGE, ANYTIME!!! Picture of us on the ride back.

We came back for a snack, got ready and were off to a show. It was a great day and we were tired. After sitting downstairs in the lobby people watching, we went to check out the dinner menu. It turned out that what we wanted was also offered on the casual buffet and we opted to bail on the dining room and eat at the buffet. What a great choice! I got 4 things that were on the appetizer menu, a plate full of my favorite fish dish ever and we were stuffed. I wish I could find the same “Piked Perch with Cream Tomato Sauce” offered somewhere close to home, yummy!!

After dinner we called it a day and headed to get our beauty rest-



**Note** Since returning home and having the "what was your favorite???...???" discussions we have both decided that this excursion was one of our all time favorites. It was really a great day. I don't snorkel, but I wasn't the only one that didn't. Andy truly loved it and said it was the best snorkeling he's ever done and he's ready to go back. The ride alone in the catamaran out there and back was tons of fun, a great way to see around the island. I was worried about the "party" factor involved, since we don't drink. There were plenty of families on board who weren't drinking though and the music was lively and fun, but not inappropriate. Lots of line dancing for all ages. If you are a drinker, well... the free drinks is enough to entice you I'd imagine. The private island wasn't the most beautiful we've seen, but you're only there an hour and they offer a ton of things to do or you can choose to do nothing at all. I see us doing this one again, I stand by my recommendation for this to anyone! This picture of just how blue and clear the water was where they snorkeled. It was deep, but blue and clear as glass!

Sunday, Day 1 @ Sea:

We ended up sleeping relatively late. Sleeping late for Andy usually means he forced himself to stay in bed until 6:00 or 6:30, this morning it meant 8:30!! The thing with cruise ships is this.. You have a balcony room or window room and the sun in shinning through bright and early at 6:30, you can’t sleep through it. Or.. You are like us on this trip and have an inside room, no light, no clock, not a sliver of shine coming under your door. You are totally oblivious to any time and can sleep through a day without ever knowing it. (Andy was convinced his watch had stopped when he woke up and saw what time it was, he was confused!)

We headed to breakfast for a funny, crazy surprise.

We walked to a line and got right behind a gentleman, who turned around… and… was a very good friend from church! Mr. & Mrs. Dodgen were Sunday School teachers, Bible Study leaders, camp counselors and so on for us growing up. They have two sons, one close to Andy’s age and one close to mine. We’ve known them our entire lives and here they were. Same ship, same cruise, same breakfast! Hilarious. We caught up while in line and exchanged room numbers in plans for getting together again this week. Life is funny!!!!


We spent most of the day on the 11th sports sundeck, enjoying the warm sunshine and (knock ya down hurricane style) breeze blowing! It was a beautiful day, couldn’t have asked for better. We got a little sun, I read an entire book and we took a break for lunch only to return to sunning ourselves like lizards. We did make it to the “Newlywed and not so Newlywed Game” this late afternoon, always a hoot!

I got online a few minutes (though blogger wouldn’t come up so this will be posted later) and Andy went to run, what an over achiever! LOL…. We’re going to be lazy until time to get ready for our before dinner snack (you have to eat something when you wait until 8:30 for dinner). It’s formal night, though we’re on the “not so formal” side of things. Lobster to be eaten and then shows to be seen!




Inevitable picture of towel animals, you have to take these!?! I can't remember if we had an elephant before or not? We liked him though, we also had a frog. We'd never had a frog for sure!

Crusin’ Gotta Love It!

Let’s see if I can give you the highlights. I’m not very good at making it brief, but I’ll see what I can do.

Saturday, Boarding Day:

We left our hotel in Ocala about 9:00 and had a super easy drive through to Port Canaveral. Andy made me cry in Orlando with his pathetic rendition of “When you wish upon a star”, but it was a enough to make me miss Disney. This is our first ever drive through where we wouldn’t be stopping on either end of our journey. I couldn’t help it!!

We arrived early and made a stop in Walmart @ Cocoa Beach, you just can’t pass up a good Walmart.

We made it to the port earlier than ever before and were thrilled at the lack of lines! We breezed through dropping off our luggage, walked straight through security and straight through to check in, not a line in sight. Early my friends, is the way to go! (I am NEVER early for anything, when early means being there before 12:30 though, I can handle that!)

We headed for “Lunch on the Lido”, Andy dreams of that phrase for months before we arrive. Coming home to the Glory, for our third cruise with her, was familiar and comforting. She’s like an old friend and it doesn’t take days to remember where things are, kinda nice. We spent the afternoon in our swimsuits basking in the sun, 86ish degrees in Florida, life is good!

We are eating supper (dinner to you Yankees reading :)) late and at a large table, though only one couple from just outside of Orlando showed up. We had eaten a rather large snack (fried shrimp & French fries) and I couldn’t eat most of my supper; however crème brulee was a dessert option and I had to force that down! It’s my favorite! We saw the “Welcome Aboard” show and called it a day.

Interview done, home visit officially on the calendar and birthmom letter now getting close to approved. And we ... are headed off on a cruise! We've taken this cruise before, this ship 3 times now. Cozumel, Belize, Nassau. Sun, 80 degrees, sand, crystal clear water, beautiful shells, private islands, great food, fun shows, relaxing waves, swimming with sting rays and did I mention great food?

Bon Voyage-

Mountain Moving Faith

I'm reading "The Power of a Praying Woman" by Stormie OMartian. It was given to me for Christmas along with "Power of a Praying Wife" & "Power of a Praying Parent" by an awesome friend. Thanks T! I've read so many things that I want to remember, to remind myself, to share. I'm going to start with this one.

The chapter starts out with remind us of Matthew 17:20 "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'move from here to there', and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."

Wow- How powerful is that? She goes on to say "If that's all the faith it takes to move mountains, then surely I can come up with enough to move the obstacles in my life."

We have put all of our faith into our plan for adoption. Along the way I've ran into people who asked me "don't you think you'll jinx it" when they heard all the things we were doing. We did some work around our house, we got new carpet & floors and then we started taking big steps. We weren't yet approved (still aren't yet) and we were buying furniture for the nursery, bedding, toys, clothes, etc.. Several people would say again "don't you think you should wait?"

Wait on what? was my question. We wouldn't have taken this road unless we were 100% sure that it is what God had planned for us. We felt like he had spoken to us in huge ways over the past years about adoption. God is good like that.

The thing is, you have to be open to those times he sends signs to you or speaks to you. I don't think he is going to drop a banner in front of you that says "You should sell your house." I do believe, from personal experience, that if you are walking with him and having a real relationship with him, he will speak to you or send you signs. When we sold our house 5 years ago, we prayed asking God if it was the right thing to do. We felt like it was and we started working with an agent. She was wonderful and we knew from the first moment that God had sent us a sign, he'd made our paths cross. I prayed that if it were right, please let it happen fast. We didn't want to be on the market for months and months, years and years. We put our house on the market, it was shown about 6 times in the first week and by the second week we had a contract! It couldn't have happened faster, God is good!

Before Andy & I got married I was teaching Pre-K for someone whom I wasn't thrilled to work for. I prayed about it all the time. I got a random offer out of the blue offering me another Pre-K position at a brand new center, on a recommendation from a previous student's parent. I hadn't looked for the job, it dropped in my lap. It LOOKED like it was a sign from God. I paused to pray again, was this what I was suppose to do. I struggled b/c my Dad had always been very firm about teaching me "you finish what you start" and I believe that with my whole heart. Could I leave this group of kids I was working with, in the middle of a year? Did God send me a new job, without me looking at all. After praying I went to school one day to have an amazing conversation with a 4 year old. Her family was a Christian family and she was an awesome little girl, we'll refer to her as K. She told me that she'd dreamed about me the night before and I was crying. She said I was crying because something happened and I thought I might have to leave them. She told me in her dream, don't cry.. you'd never leave us like that. That was my sign, not the new job that would have been so much easier. It was a new center, a great new boss compared to where I was. I could have very easily read the wrong sign there, had I not continued to pray and seek God's will. It was the children that I do it for and it was in the form of a child that God spoke to me! He can use anyone, anytime, anywhere!

Back to Stormie, she says "Whether you realize it or not, you are living by faith everyday. Each time you go to a doctor, you trust he will do the right thing. When you buy medicine from the pharmacy, you believe they will fill your prescription correctly. ...... How much easier and more certain is it to trust God?"

"We have no idea what great things God wants us to do through us if we would just step out in faith when He asks us to." That's why he lets us go through difficult times. Times when we feel weak and vulnerable so that we will turn to Him and give Him our full attention. It's in those times, when we are forced to pray in greater faith, that our faith grows stronger."

Matthew 9:29 "According to your faith let it be to you" That could be scary for some people!! May I have enough faith, that God can do those things he wants in my life accordingly!!!!! May I be close enough to him to know what he wants for my life, find my purpose and see or hear his message. If we aren't having any sort of relationship with Christ, how in the world can he do great things in our life? How can he show us what road to take? How can he give us the miracles he so wants us to have? It's not always easy to stay on the right path, but I'm on it... and I'm holding onto it with both hands!!

"God, please take the tiny seed of faith that is often all I have. Grow it into a giant tree of faith so you can see all the things you want for me - come to be!"

He is Risen,
What now?

That was the title of Mike's sermon at church yesterday. It wasn't a typical "Easter sermon", if there is such a thing. We of course sang chorus' of praise to our risen Saviour on such a beautiful Easter morning!

Then we began our study on Onesiphorus. Who is that? Onesiphorus was a "minister of refreshment" in the New Testament. What in the world is she talking about? (That's what I was thinking about Mike as well!!)

We read in 2 Timothy where Paul was writing his very last letter to Timothy. If you recall, he was in jail. Think more, hole in the floor .. dungeon! He was lonely, very very lonely. He says there in 2 Timothy that he was deserted by everyone. His friends, family and even his church. Where he had once been surrounded by people who supported him, they all turned their backs when he was sent to jail.

Mike went on to talk about how many lonely people there are in the church, at work, in our homes, on our streets, in our communities. It doesn't matter if we're in a house full of family or have tons of friends to hang out with, we can still feel lonely on the inside. Isn't that true, we've all felt it.

Onesiphorus was a long time friend of Paul, from what we gather. He went on to say that when Onesiphorus came to town, the first thing he did was come to jail to see Paul. He didn't care that he was in jail, that he had to probably shout down through a dark hole to talk to him. He loved his friend and when visiting him, brought Paul a time of refreshment. It lifted his spirits, made him feel "not so" alone anymore. It made his soul rejoice. He said "May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day!" (2 Tim. 1:18) He wants the Lord to bless Onesiphorus for being such a faithful friend.

We all make mistakes. Families are made out of people who make mistakes, churches are filled with people who make mistakes. May we all find friends who will love us IN SPITE OF those failures. Even more important though, may we LOOK FOR friends who we can REFRESH in spite of their mistakes, failures or hard times.

It's our job, it's what God wants us to do. He wants us to be saved, have a relationship with him and spend eternity with him. What do we do meantime though?? That was the point of Mike's sermon. He is Risen, we are saved if we accept him. Then what? Then what are we going to do with our lives, with Christ's love? We are to be a spirit of refreshment for those around us. I'm sure we can think of people that might need a little encouragement: a phone call, a visit, an encouraging card or just a pat on the shoulder. May we all look for people that we can bless in our everyday lives.

I thought it was a fantastic take on what Easter can mean to us all!


_________________________________________________________________

On a different Easter note. I spent 45 minutes sitting on the floor in a Christian book store last week looking for a good book to share the story of Easter with my kiddos at preschool. I have a few books, but they just weren't what I wanted this year. I found that either the text was too much, the pictures were too graphic and it just wasn't the way I wanted to share the Easter story with my little ones.

Our Bible verse this month is "Jesus has Risen, just like he said he would." from Matthew. Our prayer is "Help me to tell others the good news about Jesus." I wanted a book that would tell the children what good news they were suppose to share. We talked about it and they are all aware they are suppose to tell others that Jesus loves them and to show people that in their actions. Still, I wanted it all in a story.

I found it! I found a book called "God's love at Easter" by: Joy Morgan Davis. It's great!! It's very simple text. It's also has a rhyming pattern and you know how that helps the children keep their attention on the story. It reminds us about Jesus living with his family on Earth and loving others. (Which was nice to pause and review what we know about Jesus' birth and childhood) Then it talked briefly about his ministering to others (again, good time to review those other Bible stories) and then it talked about his death on the cross. It went on to tell how he arose on the third day and how he appeared to people on Earth and waits for us in Heaven. It ends with saying we need to tell others about God's love. It tells the whole story, all the points I wanted to share. It's a great book!!

___________________________________________________________________

And no a final note... There is nothing more refreshing to me than standing in church on a beautiful Easter sunny Sunday morning, singing praise songs with my church family. There's just something amazing, powerful and "big" about it. I'm so thankful we returned "home" to our church. We spent several years visiting, searching and even being VERY actively involved in other churches. I cherish that time, we made some awesome memories with awesome people. There is something about "being home" though, with those who know you and love you anyway. Those who have watched you grow up, been there through the good times and bad. Here are the words to a praise song we sang yesterday, music moves me in BIG ways. "Mighty to Save" by Hillsong!

Everyone needs compassion
A love that's never failing
Let mercy fall on me
Everyone needs forgiveness
A kindness of a Savior
The hope of nations

Savior
He can move the mountains
My God is Mighty to save
He is Mighty to save
Forever
Author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

So take me as You find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender

Shine your light and let the whole world see
We're singing for the glory of the risen King...Jesus



And the song...you can watch & listen!

Typing Test

I took typing in high school, did you? At the time I thought it was silly, but it has paid off 10 fold over the years. I made money a few times in college typing papers for people. I had now much rather type a letter or email than write anything. (Maybe that's also because of my lack of being able to spell, plus the reason that I now write like I talk - in thoughts rather than grammatically correct)

Anyway, found this link to a typing test on another blog. Thought it was fun. 64 on my first try and 84 on my second try. I like this one and will continue to try to improve my speed I imagine. It's harder to type these random words than complete sentences, but it's still fun and challenging.

Enjoy

84 words

Speedtest

The Big Mail Off

Yesterday was a big day in the journey of adoption! After 4 & a half months of paperwork, we finally mailed the last pieces off to our adoption coordinator. (with a HUGE sigh of relief might I add) We started with a two page list of things to turn in, was surprised with an extra page of to dos in late January. Done, done, done! There were many adventures along the way.

Like the fun (old, grouchy, serious) lady who takes her job at the 911 office very, very seriously. She was flabbergasted with me because I wanted something saying we had NOT called 911 in the past 5 years. (or ever for that matter) She couldn't understand why, though I had explained in detail from the second I walked in what we were doing, I needed a report or letter with nothing on it. Then there was the trip to the Marietta License Building to get our certified marriage license where I tried to walk OUT the IN, security guards and my husband all laughing the entire time. Boys- There was the stalking and begging that I had to do in order to get a physical that hadn't been scheduled for over a year, I mean seriously ... There was the fact that Andy had to get one test twice because no on seems to understand when you'd like results back within a few months time! There was the search for somewhere to take a 10-panel drug screen, who knew those things were so hard to get. The seedy little place we went is a whole different story in itself. (Seems Tuesday is half off HIV test day and you can now get a paternity test for ONLY $395, must be a bargain by the SALE signs they had posted. I kid you not)

There was the 12 page "paper" we wrote for our autobiography. Well, MINE was 12 pages (imagine that) and Andy's was about 7. Then there was the 7 page questionnaire that we also had to write. Just like being in school again. It was interesting to think back about your life and get it all down on paper. There was the septic tank inspection. "Seriously???" you ask, "YES, SERIOUSLY!" Let me know when they start requiring those for people who give birth in the hospital. I'm just sayin'

This list goes on, but it is now complete. Complete with many little green lines. I used a green marker to happily strike through each and everything as it traveled from the Post Office (usually via over night or certified mail) into the hands of the IAC.

With the paperwork, I also mailed off the "Birth Mom Letter". This is one of the hardest things of all. I knew the general idea and had been working on it even before we signed our contract. We had pages and pages and pages in our "notebook" on guidelines for this letter. We sat through hours and hours and hours of discussion about it at our weekend intensive workshop. We looked at dozens of examples. Keep in mind that we are trying to present ourselves, our lives, our values, our hopes & dreams, our family & friends, our traditions, our desire for a child, all on a piece of paper front and back. While meeting all these guidelines. It is seriously over whelming! (Especially for someone who likes to talk ..ramble.. as much as I do. YOU KNOW ME)
You need pictures for a glimpse into your lives.... that is a whole other set of problems.

There are again, pages and pages and pages of guidelines on this picture for the front you must have. I have thousands of pictures (You know me, right???) Photography is quite the obsession. A friend made fun of me once, "you have ALOT of pictures of you & Andy in your house". Why, yes I do! I love to be surrounded by pictures of our adventures and life. Just look around, there are PLENTY of all those we love as well. My niece said last week "I don't guess I've ever seen her without her camera". My preschool kids have gotten use to it, they no longer hide or complain, they show me their best "cheesy" grin and go on about their business..... I digress-

We needed a new picture though, the perfect picture. Ugh! We had scheduled twice to meet with a photographer friend's family to take said perfect picture. The first time, we had to cancel due to snow. Snow?? In Georgia?? Yes, the freak snow in Georgia WOULD come on the day I had this planned! The second time, torrential rain. Yep, Georgia who has been in drought conditions the past year... has torrential rain on the second scheduled day. Who knew it would be so hard to get Andy in town and a sunny day, TOGETHER. Dad came up to the plate and took pictures of us once, then we took OUR OWN pictures on another sunny afternoon. I do pretty good work with a bench and a tripod. We'll see if she approves... we like the outcome.

Anyhooo... after months and months of tweaking this thing. Re-writing the text over and over and over and over again. Changing the entire color scheme twice. (Because we changed what we wore from first set of pictures to second) Learning the new computer program bought for just this letter. Making 9 trips to the printer this week, help from Ms. English Major herself *cough*Tracey*cough* on my one difficult sentence.... it's done for now.

Our coordinator will look at *search over with a fine tooth comb & rip apart* the letter and then tell us what edits to make. I hear stories of it taking 1 or 2 edits, others it takes 8-10. Of course we're hoping for the fewer.

She should schedule our home visit, which scares me to death, pretty soon. (I know some of you assure me not to panic, but think back ... you know you did!) Then we have individual interviews with her. Those my friends, are the only things left on the to do list for approval. We are so close, we can see the finish line and it's so very exciting!!

How cute is this?

I found this today on another blog, I can't resist sharing it with yall. Watch it through, only takes a minute at the most. Totally worth it, so funny and sweet!!!

*Turn your volume on*

Tanner Paul Thurmond

March 1, 2008

On Saturday, while at my preschool conference, I got a text message from Andy. It said that Tanner just couldn't wait until Tuesday and arrived earlier that morning! Silly boy, he made his own schedule. He weighed 8 lbs & 9oz.

Uncle Andy & I were headed to the hospital just as soon as we could get on the road!! He's the most perfect little thing that I have ever seen!! He gurgles and gibbers all the time, wonder if he's going to be a talker? Is that a sign? He opened his eyes several times on Saturday evening, just to check me out I think.






Aunt Monica & Uncle Andy
meeting Tanner!














His sister Layla called him her baby upon meeting him; however later that night she wasn't too crazy about the idea of baby brother. I'm sure she'll warm up and she's going to be a great big sister! Here are pictures taken by Aunt Ruthie.






Mimi with Layla and Tanner on the left.

Big sister Layla holding Tanner on the right, I love her look in this one!!














Tanner's proud Mommy, Aimee! Three days old.
(Should have taken one of just as proud Daddy, Jason)

Welcome to the family baby boy!!
We love you!!

Adoption Journey Continued...

Back to our adoption story. We went in late December on Friday & Saturday to a workshop at the IAC office in Tucker. We were there with 5 other couples. We chose to just make a weekend out of it and spend the night in Tucker so we didn't have to make the drive back and forth in traffic. (Oh, we also met a couple who knows a fantastic college friend of mine. Small world!)

We were, once again, ahead of the game with information. I'd learned so much from my friend who'd been through this, it wasn't as new to me as it was to some. We watched some fantastic video interviews with birth parents on their journey and how it changed their life and we watched some with adoptive families and how it's changed their lives. They were all fantastic. We went through a gigantic notebook of information from the center. We learned how to get through the crazy paperwork, tips to make it go faster, what to do while we're waiting, what to expect and so on. We had many of our questions answered. We did several roll playing things where we had to figure out how we would react, not easy things to think through.

It was a roller coaster of emotions for the weekend. I found myself getting so excited and feeling so at peace about the decision. Then we'd run into some unknowns about the situations that can arise and I'd get very nervous, we just have to play so much of it by ear. We were so excited about officially getting the ball rolling and taking those first big steps, we signed our contract. We know this is the path that God wants us to take and we couldn't wait to share it all with our families and friends. We are just so anxious for our child to be a part of our lives, getting through all the other stuff can be a little over whelming. All in God's timing though-

We returned to head straight to a family Christmas party with my Mom's side of the family. When we told them where we'd spend the weekend, they were very excited. Everyone has been waiting right along with us for 8 & 1/2 years for a little one to join us, they are just as ready as we are!

The following weekend we told Andy's entire family at our Christmas get together with them. There were tons of hugs, tears of joy and questions. Again, they are all so very excited!! There are two more babies joining the family this year, so it's going to be amazing for our little one to grow up with their cousins! We could not ask for a more supportive, loving or excited family!

We went to church where I shared the news with a few friends. By the next week we had officially told everyone we come into contact with and were met with amazing excitement and love!!

Since then...

We have completed what seemed like a mountain of paperwork. We've had our fingerprints taken, physicals, drug tests, blood tests, had our phone records checked, our septic tank inspected, gotten copies of marriage license and birth certificates, taken pictures of our house, had our animals all get checked out at the vet, made copies out the wazoo and been checked by just about every agency under the sun. One beautiful Monday morning in February I was thrilled to head to the post office with the final batch of paperwork. Then... I got home to find a brand new packet of paperwork in the mail box. Seems some new things were added in the new year. On we go though, it is all now completed as well.

Up to date: We have been finishing our birth mom letter and we think it's now complete. We had a little trouble getting our photo together. We had a freak Georgia (never happens) snow storm cancel our first photo session, a crazy rain storm for days (we'd been in a drought for a year) cancel the second photo session and eventually decided to try taking some on our own one afternoon. We were pretty happy with the results. We were able to add our new nephew onto it as well, he was born on Saturday. It's gone through , too many to name, changes over the past few months. We are happy with the results though and the glimpse into our lives that it gives. It's hard to share yourself, your lives, your family, your goals for your family and future all onto a one page piece of paper front and back! Thankfully we also have a website that allows me to ramble on and on, sharing as many photos as I want. I know that God is in control and will lead the right birth mom to us through one of these things. We also now have a toll free number, which includes the world "HOPE"!!

Meanwhile we have been waiting on our GBI & FBI fingerprint results to return. As of today, those are in and approved as well. So I will mail off our birth mom letter for approval and we'll see what suggestions for editing are made. We'll get that done and wait on our home visit and individual interviews. Hopefully those things will be scheduled as soon as possible and go quickly. Prayers for speedy approval on our birth mom letter, someone to make it for our home visit quickly and our peace of mind to remain calm are all appreciated.

Nursery Update: My Dad came last week and painted the top half of the walls in a color I'd chosen, it looks fantastic. Dad came Friday night to help Andy move the furniture (we'd bought a few weeks ago) upstairs and into the nursery as well. It's all looking fantastic. I will blog and post pictures of that soon too!!

Plus a blog on our brand new great nephew who is just that, GREAT... coming up next!!

Children's Books

I imagine most of you know, I have a HUGE obsession with children's literature! If I had to start over with going to college now, I think I would be a media specialist. I'd love to share books, stories and discussions with little ones! I have hundreds (maybe close to thousands) of children's books. Most of them are currently in "theme" boxes for preschool, according to what we're doing. I do have a book shelf of favorites though. I thought I'd list just some (and yes, this is a huge list, but only some) of my favorites. I think these are books that EVERY child's library MUST have! You can never read too much (or even enough) to your children! It is so good for them, their vocabulary development and becoming pre-readers themselves. I was listing these for a new teacher on a web forum that I visit and I thought I'd share them here as well.

In no particular order. First of all, you MUST shave EVERYTHING written by the following authors!

Audrey Wood, Eric Carle, Leo Leoni, Giles Andreae, Jan Brett, Jamie Lee Curtis (Currently "Tell Me Again About the Night I was Born" is my favorite of course) and Shel Silverstein

Wemberly Worried & Chrysanthemum - Kevin Henkes

There's an Alligator Under my Bed - Mercel Mayer
(Nightmare in my Closet & Something in my Attic)

The Kissing Hand - Audrey Penn

The Doorbell Rang - Pat Hutchins
(We're doing a day theme on that & Who Stole the Cookies from the Cookie Jar in a few weeks. Class book, activities, everything)

Good Night Princess Pruney Toes - Lisa McCourt
(Still remembered by the wee one and her favorite from preschool)

Storm is Coming - Heather Tekalee
(This is a great book about getting children NOT to be afraid of storms, so funny)

Is Your Mama a Llama - Deborah Guarivro

5 Little Monkeys - Eileen Christelow
(There's about 5 or 6 of these)

If Elephants Wore Pants - Henriette Barkow

I Aint Gonna Paint No More - Karen Beaumont
(I found this about 2 years ago and LOVE LOVE LOVE it)

If You Give (a pig a pancake, mouse a cookie, moose a muffin, etc..) - Laura Numeroff

Eleanor, Ellatony, Ellencake and Me - C M Robin
(one of my best friend's bought me this book, super cute about nicknames)

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly - Simms Tabath

10 Black Dots - Donald Crews

The Dot - Peter H. Reynolds
(a best friend bought me this one too, very very very good "moral of the story" about doing your best!)

All Russell the Sheep Books - Rob Scotton
(I just found these last year and I love the sweet stories and the artwork)

Tops and Bottoms - Janet Stevens
(A classic, you'll have to find it online used)

It Looked Like Spilt Milk - Charles Shaw

Down by the Cool of the Pool - Tony Mitton

The Velveteen Rabbit - Margery Williams

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (and Chicka Chicka 123) - Bill Martin Junior

Inside a Zoo in the City - Alyssa Satin Capocilli
(and Inside a House that is Haunted)

Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon - Patty Lorell
(great story about just being YOU)

Fancy Nancy - Jane O Conner
(a kiddo this year gave me this book, there are several...a hoot)

The Night Before (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, etc..) - Natasha Wing
(they are all very cute)

Miss Bindergaraten (there are a ton of these too, all great) - Joseph Slate

Go Away, Big Green Monster - Ed Emberley


*I read through this and instantly start thinking of dozens and dozens that aren't on it, they're in my boxes. Such is life*

Wow-

I found this quote today and think it's blog worthy.
May we all learn to look forward!


"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Adoption Journey - Signed Up

Where did I leave off? I believe that we had just made the decision in October to work with the IAC. We requested the packet of information and signed up for the free Saturday information session the first weekend in December. For some reason, I can't remember now, we weren't able to make the November session.

Now, thinking back, November was full of miracles in itself. We'd made the decision, but hadn't quite figured out how to fund it yet. Adoption, as most of you know, is very expensive. Some agencies and ways of going about it are cheaper than others. Cheaper did not mean something you can fund out of what you have in your saving account typically. Yes, we have a piggie bank and no, it didn't contain that kind of change.

We began investigating ways of refinancing our house and applying for a second mortgage. Andy jumped on the ball with this one and was involved in all sorts of options in no time. I was really surprised about how quick he started moving, it reaffirmed what I already knew, he was just as ready as I was to get going. We were able to go ahead and get new carpet, bathroom and kitchen floors. That was exciting and we felt like we were preparing our home for things to come!

After a few weeks we came to the realization that no matter what path we chose, we could not possibly fund an adoption in the next year. It was going to take awhile to come up with enough money. We were discouraged, but still sticking to the plan.

Then in November God blessed us in a huge way with allowing a path to finance an adoption. It wasn't a path that we went seeking, it came to us. It was huge and just another "God thing" on the journey!! We were ready-


We went to the information session in December with only a few people knowing what we were up to. I had told four of my best friends, simply because I couldn't contain myself. We'd both told our bosses because of what was lying in store for us. Other than that, we tried to keep it to ourselves until we had more answers to the questions we knew would be coming our way. Having a friend who had traveled this path really helped us feel prepared as we got started.

The session was fantastic. There were about 12 other couples there and the place was packed. We met a couple who is currently fostering triplet boys who are facing some very tough physical challenges, we met several couples from South Georgia who were as genuine as the day is long and we met some of the fantastic staff that works for IAC. They could not have been any more warm and welcoming!

There was a guest couple there as well who had adopted a little girl. She is now just over a year old and is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. There story made me laugh and made me cry. It was a very a-typical adoption story, in more ways than one. They were "in the book" and waiting just a few weeks when they got an emergency phone call, a crazy situation had fallen through and there had been a little girl born that needed parents right then. They rushed to the hospital and found themselves Dads in just about a total of 6 hours from the phone call. Crazy, but amazing just the same.

We already knew we couldn't attend the required weekend intensive that was offered in December, Andy was going out of town and there was no way he could get out of it. We knew it would be January before we could get the rest of the information and sign our contract. However, he surprised me once again. We had a break time during our session that first weekend and Andy was out the door and on the phone with work before I knew what was happening. He was busy telling them that he HAD to be back in town for December intensive weekend. It worked! We signed up on the spot to return in just two weeks for a weekend long information session.

We came home more excited than ever. We were able to start with a very small handful of paperwork that we mailed off on that Monday morning with our first official enrollment payment. And... we're off.....

(What happened at the weekend workshop, more to come)

We need more Orange Juice




So the other day I bought 2 single orange juice servings. If I buy a half gallon we never drink it all. I had one for me and one for Andy. I got up the morning Andy left for an out of town overnight stay, to find this when I picked up the VERY LIGHT bottle left!

Yes, it was empty.
I'm married to a dork, though he did manage to make me laugh out loud
without even being here.

In Mourning

So here it is upon us. Today is the last official day that Andy & I can go to Disney World and use our annual passes. Seems the annual part of that is over. I thought it would be the coolest thing in the world to be a pass holder. I spent years telling Andy of the amazing things life would bring "if we just had annual passes". Andy was pretty convinced if he gave in, it would bring world peace and cure hunger. While those things didn't quite happen, we did have a fantastic year filled with fun at Disney!

We enjoyed our trip last February, despite the cold and crazy crowd control. We loved being at Shades of Green that February and found Soarin' to be one of our favorite things down there. Then in May we had a great week long trip where we had a fantastic family of friends join us at All Star Sports. It was our first stay at a resort other than Shades in a long time. Andy enjoyed several days of golf while I enjoyed hanging with friends and reading by the pool. The parks were fantastic; crowds low and weather perfect. Then we were able to spend another week in September at the beginning of our Disney Cruise vacation with my parents. We returned to All Star Sports and felt back at home there as well. We had low crowds and the weather was again, perfect! The four of us were on the FREE dining plan and ate ourselves silly, truly the trip of Disney Dining! In October we returned with Andy's brother Steve and my sister in law Teresa. It was great to take a mini vacation with them. I'd always wondered what a quickie trip down there was like and if I could hack riding in the car for a short weekend Disney trip. It was great just to be there and we had a great time! The ride was worth it. (though I do still hate riding in the car) Our final trip with the passes was our December/January trip. It went from being planned as just a long weekend to one of the longest vacations we've taken. I think we were there for about 9 nights. We had a great time when we were staying both off and on property, with our first stay at Pop Century. We park hopped like crazy, used our passes for 50% off putt putt and took the long awaited helicopter ride. It was cold and crowded, but we had a fantastic trip!

We got our money out of our passes without a doubt! We used them for approximately 25 days worth of parks, can you beat that? We used them to buy the dining club card and saved 20% off every meal we ate on all our trips, saving for family and friends too. We were able to give my parents free days at the parks that came with the dining plan trip since we already had the passes. We stayed for $49 a night on a few trips, no way you can beat that. We were able to preview Haunted Mansion before it officially opened.

It was fantastic, a dream come true for me. I have the most amazing husband in the world that humors me constantly with making my nutty dreams come true. He's pretty great like that!

We have chosen not to renew the passes this year. We figure with all the excitement coming and hopefully the addition of a baby Tanner in our near future, it wouldn't make much sense. We may not be able to make the most of them. We are cruising for spring break and will then just see what our year brings. Andy has two more trips out of town for two weeks at a time and we will travel when we can. We have gone back and forth dozens, ok hundreds, of times about renewing or not. We made final decisions and then changed our minds over and over and over. Each of us coming up on different sides of the discussion, hilarious!! We'll save about $60 (I think that's right) if we renew instead of buying them again and we were trying to justify doing it.

Moving along, here I sit not in the car headed to Orlando, so our decision is made. I told my friend Jo just the other day that I was seriously in mourning. It was fun and I feel sure we'll get them again when we have a little one who will enjoy it like we have. Until then, *sigh*sob*, I am not a Disney annual pass holder.

Embrace Life

Tonight I was reading my niece's blog and I found this quote. It's beautiful and I just can't resist sharing it all with whomever might read my own blog. It comes from the last sermon of a pastor named Kyle Lake. In 2005 he was a 33 year old father of three and pastor of University Baptist Church in Waco, Texas. He had written two books, was loved by everyone that came into contact with him and was an amazing, energetic pastor from what I've read. I've become a "wee" bit obsessed with his story tonight. On a regular Sunday morning he was in the Baptismal and about to Baptize a lady from his church. He reached up to adjust the microphone and was electrocuted and killed instantly, there in front of his family and church family. Can you imagine? What tragedy. It makes me cry as I sit here and think about it. Makes me stop and thank God once again for the life I have, the loved ones that are in my life and all of God's blessings. I am such a blessed child of God!

If you want to learn more about him yourself, just google his name. There is a ton of information out there. I am going to attach the link to the website about his film, "Kyle's Film". It seems that some who loved him made a 10 minute film with the words from this last sermon and videos to illustrate it. I've watched the trailers and they are amazing. While on youtube you can also view a home movie or two of him with his family. Again heartbreaking. I do stop and think though that through such a tragedy, his story and sermon live. How awesome is that? How many people will stumble upon his film, the blogs about him, whatever and be inspired to turn to God. That's a great big thing to leave behind.

http://www.kylesfilm.com/
You can watch the previews or trailers there.

Here it is, live BIG and EMBRACE life!!

"Live. And Live Well. BREATHE. Breathe in and Breathe deeply. Be PRESENT. Do not be past. Do not be future. Be now. On a crystal clear, breezy 70 degree day, roll down the windows and FEEL the wind against your skin. Feel the warmth of the sun.

If you run, then allow those first few breaths on a cool Autumn day to FREEZE your lungs and do not just be alarmed, be ALIVE. Get knee-deep in a novel and LOSE track of time.

If you bike, pedal HARD… and if you crash then crash well.

Feel the SATISFACTION of a job well done—a paper well-written, a project thoroughly completed, a play well-performed. If you must wipe the snot from your 3-year old’s nose, don’t be disgusted if the Kleenex didn’t catch it all… because soon he’ll be wiping his own.

If you’ve recently experienced loss, then GRIEVE. And Grieve well. At the table with friends and family, LAUGH. If you’re eating and laughing at the same time, then might as well laugh until you puke. And if you eat, then SMELL. The aromas are not impediments to your day. Steak on the grill, coffee beans freshly ground, cookies in the oven. And TASTE. Taste every ounce of flavor. Taste every ounce of friendship. Taste every ounce of Life. Because-it-is-most-definitely-a-Gift."

Our Adoption Journey

Ok, so I haven't blogged on here about our adoption journey so far. I am pretty sure that everyone we know and love is aware of our plan and how we are moving forward. I keep most of our family and friends updated weekly, if not daily, about what is going on with us. For anyone who has missed out on the details so far, I thought I'd make a summary. You know me, no summary is short on details and ramblings. This will be the first of many I imagine.

Andy and I have been hoping, praying and (cover your ears you sensitive folks) trying for a baby now almost since we got married. In June, it will be nine fantastic years. We have tossed around the ideas of fertility treatments on and off, but they never felt right. My Mom tried for nine years to have me and after trying everything medically available, she was told she wouldn't have a baby biologically. I personally, can not imagine hearing that. I am 100% positive it's not something I can handle. We know our God is bigger than that and can do whatever he wants, after all my parents eventually got me naturally and biologically. It was a "God thing"! We knew that God had something planned for us and though we weren't sure what it was, we also were pretty sure what it wasn't!!!

We have also visited the idea of adoption on and off over the years. We were never opposed to the idea, but we did have personal questions that we weren't quite able to answer. We talked to people, read information and continued wondering down our path.

The past two years God placed some people into my life that had amazing stories. I "found again" a friend from college who has three beautiful daughters through adoption and I hung on every word as I witnessed the adoption of her twin girls taking place. I felt glued to the story and it spoke to my heart daily as I ran home to check her blog and see what was happening. It was a beautiful story and they give God all the glory for their precious family. My heart begin to stir.

Last year God placed another very important friend in my life I am sure that God planned our paths to cross and friendship before we ever imagined it! As we became friends and shared our stories, on the playground non the less, we found we had a great deal in common. She shared her story with me, not knowing at the time (if I recall correctly) anything about our story. She and her husband have an amazing son (who looks just like her, is a hoot and a great teacher of the mighty Wii) through open adoption. I'd never really heard anything about open adoption and soaked up her information daily. Why is it that I'd only heard or read about going to a different state for the most closed adoption I could find? Why was that? This open adoption thing is new to me and has a beautiful story, I was touched.

I began to share daily with Andy what I'd learn from her. She brought me tons of information and I ran through it, over and over and over. She talked to me, I talked to Andy, she talked to me, I talked to Andy. Unbeknown to her, she led me to a magazine that answered some big burning questions that, as a Christian, I couldn't find an answer to concerning adoption. When I found those answers, it was like a huge light came on. I was beginning to get God's message, but not fully just yet. When I needed a friend to chat it out with though, God surely supplied.

Meanwhile over the summer I went to visit my old college friend and met her three beautiful, hilarious and amazing daughters. Kristie took me in for the day and I send (yet another) heartfelt thank you. Sometimes you just don't know how something so small, can help someone in such a big way. In our visit that day we talked about a lot of things. We reminisced about college days, talked about her adoption journey and everything in between. I imagine she had no idea that she was becoming a huge messenger with one last burning answer that I desperately needed. Sometimes God speaks through his people and thankfully I got the message loud and clear. Now all I had to do was pray that Andy would get the same message, peace and confirmation that I had gotten.

Who knew that an October Sunday evening out to eat Mexican would be the beginning of something so big. One conversation turned to another as Andy asked me if I still had all of the adoption information at home. We ran home to spend the rest of the night waist deep in brochures, magazines, newsletters and websites!

We knew that my friend's family story was one we could relate to, one that made sense to us and one that sounded like it was just what we wanted. We knew right away that going through Independent Adoption Center and seeking Open Adoption was what God had in mind for us all along. Now why couldn't we see that all along? God's timing is just perfect and only he knows that answer. Thankfully, we found the path that he had already chosen for us and we took off down it at full speed ahead. We knew before we went to the center for the first time that we were ready, on board and on our way.


Thus begins our official story. In October when we started the discussions that led to a pretty quick decision (God had been working for a long time though) that we were going to work with IAC (short for Independent Adoption Center and what I'll call it from here on out) and expand our family through open adoption!

...What happened next?...Stay tuned....