Adoption Exhaustion & Cabinet Refinishing

Man, this adoption stuff is exhausting. I am so impatient because I want children so badly but the research and referrals are so important. We have been so fortunate to be able to speak with other families that have already been through this process in Indy. They have given us some wonderful advice and we couldn't be more appreciative. Unlike fertility treatments, we know that we will eventually bring our baby home. That is what keeps us happy and positive about everything. I pray the Lord will give us the patience we will need.

Well, I'm getting off to a slow start with my cabinets. My guest bath has been refinished and looks GREAT but now it looks like I'm going to need a new countertop and faucets. That really stinks! (I'm being sarcastic.) I'm going to start on the kitchen tomorrow. The weather is going to be brutal so this will give me something fun to do instead of just sitting around waiting for the roads to clear up.

New Project

I may have bit off more than I can chew on this newest project of mine. I decided that I wanted to refinish all of the cabinets in my house. It is a lot to take on but I can see already that I'm going to love it. This new look will give the house a warm cottage feel. I'll post a picture when I'm finished. I started my guest bath today and should be finished by tomorrow. This was my test area to make sure I was going to like it. I'll probably start on the kitchen next.

Cory and I have been planning to sell this house for quite some time but now that we have decided to adopt a child we may decide to stay a little longer. We seem to change our minds often on this subject though. If we decide to stay, I'll get to enjoy all of the cool changes I'm about to make. If we decide to move, then we are all set for resale with all of the new updates. After I'm through with the cabinetry, I'll work on the flooring. The carpet needs to go. As long as we have a dog in the house, I want as little carpet as possible. I can't wait to see the end results.

New Slideshow

Wow! It look me a bit to figure out this new slide show but here it is. Some of these pictures are from this past fall but a few are a little older. Photography has become a hobby of mine so I'm sure I will try to update this as often as possible. I hope you enjoy them!

Thoughts of my Dad

My dad has been on my mind so much today. I think about him a lot anyway but today it has been even more for some reason. It's hard to believe that he has been gone for a year and a half now. I miss him so much. Mom and I were talking earlier and she mentioned being taken back by something that happened just before I called. My dad's truck had been at the garage for repairs and they brought it back to her around the same time dad would have normally come home from work. It was like for just a second she thought it was him. Needless to say her heart was racing and it was an emotional moment. It's funny because shortly after dad passed away the same thing happened to me only it was Barry and Austin that had the truck so I knew exactly what she was feeling. Time goes by so fast. I am so grateful for the time I had with my dad. He was more amazing than he knew. We will never stop missing him. It is a comfort to know that he is with Christ now. When I look at it that way,I can not help but be happy for him. He has accomplished what we all hope for.

New Doctor

I can't believe I'm up this late. I'm having trouble sleeping so I figured I'd give you all an update since I was up anyway and it had been so long. I had the opportunity to visit a new doctor today. She is a doctor that specializes in natural health. It was a very interesting and some what entertaining visit. I thought I was going to leave thinking she was a real quack but I actually really liked her and will probably continue seeing her. A friend of Cory's recommended her to us. I'd give you more details but then I'd be up all night. The quick version is that she plans to help me with my infertility issues and thrombophilia (blood clotting disorder). I guess the Thrombophilia is the reason I'm always so tired and have trouble breathing at times. It is also the reason I miscarried. This does not mean that we have changed our minds on adoption by any means. This just means that she is going to try to get me healthy enough to make a natural conception possible. If it works great but, if not, I know I will be just as happy adopting children. It will just be nice being a healthier person. Keep us in your prayers. Good night!

Survivor Season 16

My mother-in-law gave me the funniest news last night. An old friend of ours has been chosen to be a contestant on the next Survivor. Can you believe that? This is going to be soooo much fun to watch. His name is Chet. Chet was or maybe still is a pageant director for the Miss America system. It has been years since we've seen him but he was a great director for my sister-in-law, Melissa, when she competed in Miss Pennsylvania. Thanks for the heads up on this Ginger! I checked it out online last night and he looked the exact same. My scanner is broken or I'd attach a picture for those who don't know him. I hope he goes far. This is going to be great!

International Adoption Meeting

What a night. The open meeting we attended was very helpful. We gained a lot of useful information on all the countries they are involved with. We have pretty much determined that Guatemala is the only one, at least from this agency, we would consider as far as international adoption goes. There are many reasons why but a few are the length of stay that is required, medical records, the foster care system and general travel expenses. Domestic adoption is still a very strong consideration though. We have much to learn on domestic adoption but what we've heard so far is encouraging. We plan to get back in touch with this agency to learn more about the domestic program. Cory is feeling a bit overwhelmed so say a little prayer for him. Not much came as a surprise but it was a lot of information and, of coarse, a lot of money to think about. Domestic adoption appears to be significantly less expensive but it just depends on the birth mothers needs. If we need to pay medical expenses and living expenses it probably won't be that much less. There are so many things to consider. Pre-adoptive foster care could also be a possibility. Nicole, your experience has really encouraged me to explore this as well. Please keep us in your prayers. I know we just need to have faith that the Lord will lead us in the right direction.

Adoption News

Well, Cory and I are on our way to a new chapter in our crazy lives. Fertility treatments have taken a toll on us and I think we are finally ready to do something new. We are thankful that we had the opportunity to try IFV but I think my body has had enough after three rounds and a miscarriage. Fertility treatments have been physically and emotionally draining but I think we needed to experience that to feel confident about this next step. I have always known that adoption was an option that Cory and I would consider even if IFV would have worked. We just needed the time to know we were ready for it. Well, we are ready. Cory and I are actually planning on going to an open meeting for adoption this Thursday night. A friend of mine heard about it and gave me the information today. (Thanks Tammy!!!) We are too late to go to the meeting on domestic adoption because it was tonight from 6:00-8:00 and I had to work until 7:00. Thursday night will be covering international adoptions. This adoption agency specializes in adoptions from Russia, China, Kazakhstan and Guatemala. Guatemala is currently closed because of the Hague Treaty but hopefully that will only be for a few months. I met a women a few days before Christmas that adopted her little girl from Guatemala and she couldn't be happier with her experience. What a Christmas gift she was! She had just picked her up the day before I met her. She was so beautiful and happy. The beautiful thing about Guatemala and why it is so appealing is that they have a foster care system instead of orphanages. Orphanages still exist there but they are not as common as in other countries. They also seem to offer more complete medical records and you are able to adopt infants which is not the norm for international adoption. Please keep us in your prayers. This is a very exciting and scary new adventure. I will try my best to keep you all updated. You never know what will happen. We could adopt right here in Indiana for all we know at this point. Stay tuned.

Okay, I said I would add pics soon so here ya go. These are just a few pics from Christmas. I'm sorry that I didn't have the opportunity to see or talk to most of you during the the holiday's. Hopefully it won't be too long before we can see each other again.

New Church

Cory and I finally had a Sunday off together. Unfortunately that is rare so we took the opportunity to try a new church that a friend invited us to. (Thanks Jess!) It's a cute little Baptist Church that reminded us a lot of our home town church at Baker Street Church of God. The people are so sweet. Cory and Mike were having a hard time getting past all the old hymns though. We've become used to the more modern contemporary songs and it's hard to go back. We usually go to Grace Church when our work schedules allow us to. Grace is probably the church we will stick with but I'm happy to go with you to church anytime, Jess. It's nice to visit places that remind you of home.

Inspired

Well, I've finally done it. A few of you have inspired me to create my own blog. I really wish I would have done this sooner. It is so hard to stay up to date with the people you care about when a lot of you are so far away. Hopefully this will help keep us all on the same page. I can't promise I'll be able to update daily like a few of you do though. I'll be doing great if I'm able to update once a week but no promises on that either.

I'm just playing around with this a little tonight but I'll try to add some fun pictures and stuff soon.

Have a good night!