high flyin' Tom

Some glad morning when this life is o'er,
I'll fly away;
To a home on God's celestial shore,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).
 

I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away; (in the morning)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).
 

When the shadows of this life have gone,
I'll fly away;
Like a bird from prison bars has flown,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away)
 

 I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away; (in the morning)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).
 

Just a few more weary days and then,
I'll fly away;
To a land where joy shall never end,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away)

come on year of the dragon!

Andy and I have very little knowledge of the Chinese New Year. But we believe and hope this "year of the dragon" will be the year we bring our daughter home! 

 

Our friends, Gene and Tina invited us to their family's New Year's celebration this past Sunday evening. What a treat! 

There was so much colorful food and it was fun to watch their family scurry around making sure things were perfect for their guests.

They enjoy each other so much and really know how to throw a party! They've already invited us back next year. All 3 of us.

a word from Numbers

For my daily quiet times, I am reading through The Message translation of the Bible in chronological order. I made it through Leviticus and am currently in Numbers. (I started in November in case you're trying to do the math) This is the portion of the "read through the Bible in a year" programs where I tend to get easily distracted.

 But not today. God gave me a word from Numbers that I really needed to hear.

The Israelites were grumbling about having to eat manna all the time and really wishing for some meat. Moses, tired of hearing them complain, went to the Lord. The Lord told him to let the people know He would be providing enough meat for a month. Moses questioned the Lord, pointing out that there are six hundred thousand men and, well, all the fish in the sea couldn't feed that many.

God answered Moses, "So, do you think I can't take care of you? You'll see soon enough whether what I say happens for you or not." ~ Numbers 11:23 ~ (The Message)

I decided to grab my phone, which has the NIV, to see what it said:

The Lord answered Moses, "Is the Lord's arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you."

Good point.

My spirit has been renewed.

schooling

I'm getting some schooling this morning. On the adoption process and my own faith. In each step of the way, I learn something new.

After not being sent a referral from yesterday's shared list, I won't lie, it was pretty discouraging. We knew it was coming and went to bed feeling like little five-year-olds on Christmas Eve. Of course, we knew we may not get a referral. We were told the list was a small one. But you still hope. And pray. And beg plead.

So, no, we didn't need the camera and tripod that were set up in the dining room. We don't have a file we're digesting. We don't have anything to send to the doctor who was put on notice in case we needed his expertise. And we certainly don't have a picture of a little face.

BUT, we do have a mighty God. The same One we had yesterday. The same One who's been with us this whole time. We will not miss out on our daughter. She'll show up when we're all ready for each other.

 I am pressed but not crushed
persecuted, but not abandoned
struck down, but not destroyed
  I am blessed beyond the curse,
for His promise will endure
  and His joy is going to be my strength

{Delirious - Trading My Sorrows lyrics}

hook, line and sinker

This past summer, while at the beach with my family, I stumbled across a blog that sucked me in and had me hooked from the very first post I read.

First thought: "Whoa. This lady looks young to be surrounded by all of those kids."
Second thought: "Uh, how many are there?"
Third thought: "My, they are CUTE!"
Fourth thought: "Wow. That takes commitment. This family is the real deal."

Over the next several hours and late into the night, I poured over her posts, both recent and from years past. I couldn't wait to show Andy, my mom, my sister. Anyone who was around.

Over the weeks and months that followed, I witnessed (through their blog) the mom, Stefanie, wait and work to bring home a little girl, Poppy, that completely stole our hearts. She seemed sad in many of her photos that the orphanage had sent back. And even when Stefanie and her son Zach finally got to her in China, it took Poppy a long time to ever give them a smile. Andy and I would check the blog each day, wanting to see how Poppy was doing. Had she smiled yet? We were pulling hard for this family and this little girl, and she became part of our daily conversation. And sure enough, she finally smiled.

Fast forward about 5 months. Almost 2 weeks ago, the day after my birthday, God gave me a special gift. As He would have it, Andy and I were walking through a store in another town, and "bumped into" Stefanie. I was sure I had to be hallucinating! This is the last person on earth I'd expected to run into. Trying to play it cool, we walked up to her, introduced ourselves and explained that we followed her blog and were in the process of adopting from China ourselves. Of course, Andy had to know if Poppy was around :) No, she was at home with her daddy.

We chatted for awhile and graciously, Stefanie offered to talk later in the week and answer some of my questions. So, we talked on the phone a few days later and she was so kind and generous with her time. I was able to ask some questions of her and get some feedback on things we're considering.

Well, this weekend, we got to meet most of the Ni Hao Y'all crew! We arranged a meet-up at a Chick-fil-a near them (we had a wedding to go to in the same town). And Andy got to hold Miss Poppy! He's still on cloud nine over that one. It was so good for us to see Chris and Stefanie interact with their precious children and just watch them at work, being a family.

I tell you all of this to explain some of the things that God is doing in our lives through this adoption already. He's been showing up in BIG ways, encouraging our hearts, affirming our steps and providing for our needs.

I would tell you to check out her blog, but I must warn you first. Proceed with caution. You may just find that you have room in your home and in your heart for an orphan - or two or three. You also might get hooked on her blog. And you also might spend hours and hours clicking through it. But it would not be time-wasted. So there. You have my warning. Now, go check it out!

happy birthday inVinceable

Yesterday was Vince's 12th birthday. While he was deep in the woods dressed in camo, shooting airsoft guns at his friends, I worked inside (where it was safe and sound) on his request for a red velvet cake. How do you make a manly red velvet cake? This was my attempt.

 Happy Birthday to the kid who made me an Auntie for the very first time. 

 I still remember hightailing it out of Wilmington after a college Psychology class, hearing the news that you were on the way. 

 You sure have brought a lot of joy and fun to our family over these 12 years. 

We love you inVinceable!

Auntie and Uncle

1.11.12 - LID!

Whew. I don't think I could have stood it much longer. I could feel the tears welling up inside all day today as I checked my inbox over and over without news. But finally. At 4:21 pm, I received an email from Small World. Today's the day we are finally "in"!

LID means "log in date". We are officially and finally 100% on the wait list for a referral! Andy had just walked in the door too so I was able to share the good news with him in person. Hugs and relief all around!

This part of the email from our agency representative is what will have me on the edge of my seat even more so over the coming week:

"The CCCWA is going to try and release a list before CNY but they told us today that it all depends on how many files are ready.  If they do not have enough files they will wait until after CNY."

Um. That would be next week.  Chinese New Year begins January 23rd. If they don't release a list before CNY, it will probably be mid-late February. Either way, could be soon. 

Grateful for good news today and being one step closer to our baby girl.

this time last year

My buddy Tina and I did something crazy. Something I never thought I'd actually do. But it was on my "Life To Do" list that I wrote, oh, when I was probably 18 or 19. You know what they say when you write something down! You're much  more likely to follow through. I gotta be more careful what I commit to (and drag my friends into)!

Disney Marathon 2012

Know what else I put on that same list?

Adopt a child.

But adoption was (and still is) so much more than an item to check off my list. It was a seed that God planted in my heart way back when. And it was a seed specifically for a Chinese girl - a daughter. I still can't recall what circumstances brought me to that place all that time ago but I know it's been on my mind and heart for at least that long now.

God is so good. He's been preparing me for her and her for me this whole time. And for "us" as a family. I can't wait to see Him work all of this out - what seems to be a marathon at times. I can't quite see the finish line. Feels like about mile 13 to me right now. Time to stretch, take a deep breath and keep pushing through.

It will be worth it.

no news...

...is not necessarily good  news. But not necessarily bad either. I checked in with Small World yesterday to see if there was any word on a Log In Date for us, as I was certainly expecting one by now. This was the response:

"Your file is at the CCCWA waiting for that log in now."

Ok. I'll wait some more. I'll rest a little better once we have an LID. That would mean next stop, referral!

He's done it again

I've decided to start working on a detailed account of all that God has been up to throughout this adoption process. There's just too much to cram into a blog post. HE did it again today. In a big way. And it couldn't have been better timing. The Lord allowed Andy and me to (unexpectedly) meet a really special person. Someone in the adoption community whom we admire greatly. He continues to blow us away.

Needless to say, we are happy to welcome the New Year. 2011 was really good but we have so much we're looking forward to in 2012, Lord willing. I also celebrated 31 years of life yesterday. God has been so faithful to me. I'm learning daily to trust in that. He has far better plans for us than we can conjure up on our own.

We're really praying for a match this month but continue to trust that all will work out in His perfect timing. Your prayers are much appreciated.