.10 years.

.10 years.  This week 10 years ago Aaron & I meet each other, *for the second time.  We were on a LCMS youth gathering trip in New Orleans.  Although all the Madison, WI area churches traveled together we didn't meet until we were placed in the same group at our servant event.  We got to hang out all day and play with the young boys who were staying at Bethlehem Children Center (which was severely damaged by Katrina four years later).  

I would like to say it was love at first sight, but it wasn't.  We were really good friends from the start though, and I personally think that will hold more ground as the years go by.  So although we didn't start dating until 2.5 years later this is an anniversary week for us, as friends.  Happy anniversary Aar - here is to 10 more years.  I love you.  .10 years. 

*We first meet when we were really little, neither of us remember - I will have to post that story sometime soon.

.carter family reminder.

click to learn more about the Carter family

This is just a friendly reminder that there are only FOUR more days to help this family through our partnership program.  If you want to support the amazing Carter family you have until Sunday at midnight to purchase an item from Hannah James.  

.how I blog.

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.how I blog.  And now I am talking about how I blog, on my blog.....  I don't know about you, but I can't for the life of me blog in advance.  I know some bloggers who schedule out their blogs into interesting categories and have posts lined up for weeks.  I don't roll like that.  I have tried, honest, and I can't do it.  So I blog daily.  Sometimes, when I am feeling really jazzy I blog for the next day.  Last week I blogged all on one one day and it was a true life miracle (more of a miracle that my kids slept for three hours to let me do it).  But, most the time it is a daily thing.  And I am usually blogging about whatever God has on my mind for the day.  

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Blogging daily has its advantages and disadvantages.  I don't necessarily have categories here, which I think could be a disadvantage.  But an upside to this is that blogging daily keeps things real.  And that is what I love most about my favorite bloggers, so that is what I want to do here too.   Another disadvantage would be missing posts because my kids are not napping at the same time, or I am too tired to think, or my neighbor is pounding something with a hammer and I can't think of anything other than constant pounding - like yesterdays post that literally took me an hour to get through and it was an easy post about Harry Potter for crying out loud.  Sorry about the sidetrack, to sum up missing a day is not that big a deal to me either.  So I am interested in all of you, is blogging on a scheduler hard?  Is it easy?  What do you do?  .how I blog.

How do you blog?

Are you a planner?

Do you fly by the seat of your pants?

Do you do a little of both?

Do you just read blogs?

.the end.

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.the end.  On Saturday after all of our shenanigans I went to see Harry Potter with my sister.  Because, you know, I wanted to see how exhausted I could be after a full day.  I did not cry, but almost did.  Not because of anything in the movie but because it was the last movie.  Alyssa and I have had Harry Potter as "our thing" from round one & now that it is over I am really sad that there is no more to look forward to.  

It has actually been rather impressive that we always wait to go together - seeing as we made it through my two years of working at a camp and her, now, 5.  I mean really - summer camp work is awesome but there are hardly any breaks.  Impressive indeed.  We have seen the movies in lots of different theaters and the memories we got to reminisce about were awesome.  I guess we will have to find another series of equally awesome books to read and movies to watch - any suggestions?  .the end.

What do you think about the movie?  

Have you seen it yet?

.this saturday we are.

Eating brunch with friends, 

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going to a wedding reception for lunch,  

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and surprising someone for their birthday for dinner!  

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I hope your Saturday is as filled with fun and excitement as ours!  

.what is with this.

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.what is with this.  I have seen three people this week alone with feathers in their hair.  The hippie in me says, "that is awesome!"  The saver in me says, "that is a complete waste of money".  What do you think?  Like them or not, I think they may be around for a little while.  If you really love them and want to do them yourself here is DIY hair feather tutorial by  Elisa Joy.  .what is with this.

Have you seen this?  

What do you think? 

Do you have them?

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.what is that foreign word.

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.what is that foreign word.  The mentioning of our dossier might have some people confused.  After all it is a foreign word to anyone outside of the adoption community - and half of those in it.  Since it is a foreign word a pronunciation is also necessary; dossier sounds like doc -see - ay as apposed to doze-er, which I had previously thought, haha. 

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Anyhow, it is the part of adoption we are in right now.  So what is it?  The dossier is a compilation of documents needed in inter-country adoptions (adoptions that happen outside the United States).  The documents we need are bank statements, money statements, birth certificates, marriage certificates, photographs of us, passport verification, medical versification, and anything else that could be or is important and pertains to us in any way.  There are 29 total pages that go into our dossier.  29!  These pages, for the most part, all need to be notarized and state sealed - without any flaws.  Then they are sent off to Ethiopia.  Right now our family is gathering all of these documents.  

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To be honest the 29 pages of documentation is not all that hard to gather.  It is the notarization and flawlessness that we have to watch out for.  Right now, I think, we have most of our documents notarized - were just waiting on a few that are out of our hands (certificates from the state).  And that my friends is where were at in the dossier process.  And what that foreign word means.  .what is that foreign word.

.a giveaway of sorts.

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.a giveaway of sorts.  The Carter family is hosting a giveaway this week.  Name sound familiar?  They are this months partnering family with Hannah James {the shop}.  Their giveaway is amazing with over $1500.00 worth of prizes - and it could all be yours!  Go take a look at some of the amazing sponsors.  .a giveaway of sorts. 

.our home study is approved.

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.the end is near.

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.the end is near.  Oh, the day is coming soon.  Tomorrow the final Harry Potter movie will be released.  I am unusually sad by this.  I have loved Harry Potter since the day I stopped making fun of my sister for reading it and picked it up myself.  Seriously - that's how it began.  She bet me I would fall in love with it after 3 chapters I said I would not, and I was right - I fell in love after 3 pages.  

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Throughout this series, Alyssa - my sis, and I have made it to every movie in the theaters together.  It has become our thing and it is really sad that we won't have anymore to look forward to.  That said, I can't wait to see how they put the end together.  I know it will be amazing and although I have to wait a little longer, as my sis is at camp, we are looking forward to watching it together - like the previous six.  .the end is near.

Do you watch Harry Potter movies?

Have you read the books?

Are you sad at all about the end of this series?

.lets do this.

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.lets do this.  Lets talk about money. In adoption it is a hard pressed subject. One of those little HUGE white elephants in the room. That everyone on the outside questions. And everyone on the inside worries thinks about.  As our home study is almost complete, it is something on the forefront of my mind.

I know that adoption is expensive. CRAZY expensive.  It is something that we think about – maybe a little to much.  It is something that adopted families have, I think, come to fear dread in the whole process.  Lets face it, asking for donations is hard it leaves you feeling vulnerable, and many times as my friend Mandie puts it - embarrassed.  

So what can families do?  Once you put your pride aside, you get to work.  I think Lauren at Love Makes a Family summarized it pretty well the other day.  I will lead you to her post on how to raise funds.  In the post she talks about yard sales, starting a shop, applying for grants and more.  In addition to all of her wonderful ideas you can also partner up with shops that already exist.  If you are not crafty yourself or don't feel like you have time to commit to a shop you can partner with shops like Hannah James!  

Although fundraising is scary it is also amazing to see God work.  I have witnessed huge amounts given in adoptions before and I have felt the joy myself when we were able to give.  I know that joy comes from Christ alone. I hope people can view our adoption as a way to share the love of Christ. Whether that be through encouragement, prayer, or financial support.  

Through all of our ups and downs of fundraising I keep reminding myself of 1 Corinthians 12:27. There Paul writes, “All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.” Together, as the church, we are called to care for the orphans and the widows (James 1:27).  I am in awe of how God has worked in our lives so far through this adoption, how His people gave to us.  And I know He will continue to surprise us along the way. 

If you're an adopting family, I just want to encourage you that God does move mountains.  And the truth is He already has.  If He has truly put this on your heart then you should not worry, and neither should I. If you know someone who is adopting please consider donating to help them.  Yes finances are a big hurdle to get over.  Yes fundraising is a lot of work.  But when I am holding the child God destined to be in our family I will say - it was all worth the cost.  .lets do this. 

Please visit our fundraising page to learn how you can help.

Or just simply donate. 

As always, thank you for your support!

.today I needed this.

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.heartsy.

 

.heartsy.  I know I have talked about them before.  Heartsy is an online site that promotes handmade businesses at a discount rate.  Like groupon for handmade.  Always awesome.  Well I applied to be a featured shop!  And I would really love your votes. Thanks!  .heartsy.

To vote for me go here: VOTING HAS ENDED.

And if you don't have Heartsy yet and want to sign up go here: SIGN UP

.this weekend i want to go on a picnic.

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.hanging out with old friends.

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.extreme home makeover.

photo from Extreme Home Makeover - Notice their headboard, all their love letters.... so romantic

.extreme home makeover.  Do you watch Extreme Home Makeover?  I love this show as the people featured are always good hearted individuals who have deep devotion to a cause.  However this show should be called, Extreme Emotional Journey as it leaves me crying ever single time - EVERY SINGLE TIME.  When I was pregnant with my children I forbid myself from watching, because the two times I did I turned into a hysteric basket case mess.  Since those two times, when I was pregnant and watched the show, I have not watched it.  Then I randomly turned on the t.v. Sunday night and it was on, and it drew me in. 

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  This particular episode was about the Zeigler family.  Patrick Zeigler is a soldier who has honorably served in Iraq then he was brought back to Fort Hood to attend training to become an Officer.  Then the shooting of November 9th happened, killing 13 soldiers and injuring many others.  Zeigler was one of the victims.  He was shot four times, including one bullet to his head.  Needless to say, the doctors didn't think he would make it, and even started labeling him number 14.  But, God works miracles and Patrick made it through the worst times with his fiance, Jessica, by his side. 

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I highly recommend watching this episode.  Not for the home makeover part - even though their new pad is unbelievable in every way.  Not even for the love story - which will bring you to tears in the first two minutes. (SIDE NOTE: Their love story alone could be a 5 hour special..... tissues needed)  I think everyone should watch it because these are the heroes serving our country every single day.  So many people give up a lot and sacrifice a ton so that I can have my freedom.  I often take it for granted and I don't say thank you enough.  This episode really showed me what one family has sacrificed and it makes me respect all families who are serving in our military even more.  Thank you to everyone who has served and those who are going to serve our country.  Thank you to those families serving right now.  THANK YOU.  .extreme home makeover. 

.the carter family.

The Carter family is our second family in the Hannah James partnership program.  We are really excited to help them out and partner with them.  Sarah is an amazingly talented artist, her husband Steve is a Pastor and superstar soccor coach, and their sweet boy Emerson cracks me up!  Please take the time to get to know this family even more.  And take the time to support them by purchasing some lovely goods at Hannah James! 

"I would love to take a second to celebrate the amazing way that the adoption process has surprised us... when we began we knew there would be loops and ebbs that would make it challenging, but the support of community, old and new, has been incredibly encouraging.  For those that are considering adoption, I'd love to encourage you to simply begin praying and to be open to what comes... never let fear stop you from adopting, because I can attest to the awesome ways that God will provide for you!" -Sarah Carter

When did your family start the adoption process?  We began to feel the heart tug towards adoption right after the massive earthquake in Haiti.  Our friends were in the process of adopting their son and she was there visiting him when it struck.  Following her updates and praying for them kept the cry of the orphans on the forefront of our minds.  Shortly after we began to pray seriously about our own call to adopt, and from there God has given us an incredible, life-changing adventure of adoption.

Where are you adopting from? Ghana West Africa

Why did you choose to adopt from Ethiopia? We knew we wanted to adopt from Africa, partly because my husband has frequently traveled there and we've always had a connection.  Ghana was one of the two countries we qualified for, and we immediately felt a strong pull toward Ghana.  Our agency, AAI, is amazing and values orphan care and family preservation - so a portion of our adoption fees are reinvested into the community to provide medical care, education, and safe homes for the children in Ghana.  We love this idea!

How many children do you have, if any? Our son is three, and is super excited about his "Ghana brother".

What are some of your families favorite activities? We live near the pacific ocean so love to spend days at the beach building sandcastles, searching for starfish, and splashing in the waves.  We also love to hike and play at the park, and often get together with good friends to share a meal.  

Favorite color? The color of the sea.

Favorite candy/food? I absolutely love love love Mexican food.

Where do you live? We live in Fullerton, California.  Its a cute little artsy town with a downtown farmers market and the most amazing tea shop within walking distance from our 1920's beach bungalow.

Favorite place to visit? There is nothing like going home to my parents house.  I grew up on a horse ranch in Arizona and being back there, watching the horses run and the water-color sunsets will always be the most peaceful place I can imagine being.

Favorite quote? "All you need is love." -Lennon

What are some other fundraisers you have done? We have been incredibly blessed by the generosity of others - it is one of the most inspiring aspects of our adoption process. We have done a yard sale, a shirt sale, a benefit art show, and have also had others donate their time and giftedness as well.  One example of this is a couple who attend our church that asked their guests at their wedding to donate to our adoption instead of buying them wedding gifts (AMAZING!!)  We were blessed to raise over $7,000 that way.

Why do you blog? I love the outlet that blogging gives me and I have always enjoyed writing, but never imagined myself a blogger.  When we decided to adopt I knew the story God was leading us through was so spectacular that I really wanted to share it with others.  I hope that through writing our family experience we can inspire others who are adopting and or those who value the cause of the orphan.  Click here to visit Ground Swell, their blog.

And help them get closer to bringing their little one home by shopping at Hannah James!

.happy 4th.

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.happy 4th.  I just wanted to take the time today to celebrate the USA.  Happy 4th of July everyone!  Thank you to all the armed forces, who keep us living in a free country.  Thank you to the families who have present members away, thank you to those who have been or will in the future serve this nation.  We are grateful for your service and dedication.  I hope you all enjoy your 4th of July weekend.  .happy 4th. 

And now for a little celebration.....

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