June is over.........

I have to admit I am relieved that June is over. We had a fun, tiring, and rewarding month. We went on a mission trip to Bryson City, North Carolina. About 28 of us from church. It was wonderful, but hot and tiring. I had the opportunity to head the trip which was fantastic. Although, there were times that I felt stressed because I am a "people pleaser" and if anyone was dissatisfied about something regarding the trip, I felt responsible. I know, I know I need to get over that. After the trip, we were home one week and had Kid's Adventure, our version of Vacation Bible School. I had the privilege of directing that also. Everyone worked so hard and we had around 100 children each evening. Wow! It was so good. The volunteers were amazing and never complained about being tired or stretched. So needless to say, last week I was so tired. This past weekend we didn't do much! I slept late, took naps, and spent time with Todd. Todd and I hadn't had much time together so it was great spending time together.

All that being said.....July is here.....and I am preparing for my sister, brother-in-law, and three children moving in with us for awhile and beginning school. Wow! I hope I make it! :)

A Beach House....

Here is a picture of my hubby at the beach in Edisto. Edisto is a beach in South Carolina near Charleston. We have gone there camping twice. It is beautiful. I am telling you, camping on the beach is the way to go. When we sleep at night in our tent, we can hear the waves from the ocean. It is so relaxing. My dream is to own a beach house. I would love to live in a house right on the beach with weathered white furniture, celery colored walls, and sliding glass doors on the entire back of the house. I want to sit on a deck reading a book feeling the cool air on my face. It sounds like a movie, doesn't it? Maybe when we retire and our children are grown, we can buy a beach house. I would love it.

Tired...

I am tired today! We are leaving for a mission trip on Saturday. There seems like there is so much to do to get ready. I have lists everywhere so I can be sure that I get everything done. I have a list at work, one at home, and I even made one for Todd. Now..I love making lists and checking them off, but when there is so much to do, it can be stressful. I sat here at work today thinking about everything I had to do. The key word here is thinking, I thought about what I have to do, but didn't do it. I am not helping myself any. All of that aside, I am getting excited about the trip. On Friday, I am meeting my sister, Jennifer, and her family to pick up my niece, Julianna. She is coming on the trip with us. I am so looking forwarded to seeing all of them. Jennifer, Kevin, the kiddos and my parents are all moving here to South Carolina this summer. Wow! I just can't believe it. It will be a changed for all of us. I have been living away from them for 10 years. It will be good to have family around. Well, I am off....to do something on one of those lists of mine....

166 Days

We are 166 days of "log in dates" from our referral. We are LID June 20, 2006 and the CCAA has referred up to January 4, 2006. So, what does that mean for us? Well, in terms of when we will get our referral, completely depends on how many days the CCAA refers each month. The average lately has been around seven days a month. It's a complicated because we don't know how many days the CCAA rwill refer each month and not everyday in a month is a "log in date." I hope this explanation makes sense. Even though, our referral may be a year and a half away, I am getting excited. This month I participated in an oneses swap with some other waiting mothers. I received an adorable ladybug outfit. It has the word "sweetie" written all over it. I just love it. Ladybugs are a sign of good luck in China.

I was thinking today when would be the best time to begin Sarah's nursery. We are doing an animal theme in her room. I love animals. I hope Sarah will too. I just can't wait to see her beautiful little face!!!

My Forever Friend

The year that Todd and I got married, we adopted our golden retreiver, Bryce. He was two years old when we adopted him. He is the greatest pet I could ever imagine having. He is loyal, sweet, and affectionate. I can't imagine not having him around. Since we haven't had any children yet, he has become our child. While we were going our fertility treatments, he was always so loyal. I remmber laying the couch crying about having another failed pregnancy and Bryce jumping on the couch laying his head on my stomach and staring at me with sad eyes. When I talk to Bryce, he look at me and moves his head from side to side. I just knows he is listening. I try not to think about the time when he is not around. I will be heartbroken. I can't wait for him to meet Sarah. He is so good with children. I just love, love him!

Waiting....

Last week I had a hard time dealing with the wait. When we began our adoption process, the wait was about 6-9 months and now the wait is two years. Adoptive families that received referrals this month from China have waited two years. Waiting is so difficult. There are times that I am okay with the wait and othere times it is so heartbreaking. One day last week, after talking with our adoption coordinator, I just cried and cried. Our adoption coordinator, Tina, is wonderful, but unfortunately she has no control over when we will recieve our referral. I was just thinking last night of how much time we spend in life just waiting. I know that God has the perfect child picked out for us and I just need to believe in that, but it is so hard sometimes. I think of the family and friends in our life that have children and I know that they would wait forever for their children because they love them so much and know that they belong in their family. So, I am going to sit and wait for the child God has designed for us. It feels strange at times, but I love that little one so much, yet I have never seen her sweet little face.

About us

My husband, Todd and I are in the process of adopting a little girl from China. We LID June 20th, 2006. When we started this process in 2006, the wait was about 7-9 months, but as you can see, the wait has gotten longer and longer. We are using a small adoption agency in Georgia. They are wonderful and supportive. The wait would be so much worse if they weren't as wonderful. We are so excited about the adoption, we talk about it everyday and dream about how it's going to be when our little one is finally here. We have decided to name our little girl Sarah Grace. After years of fertility treatments, we are so ready to be parents. Todd and I are both 35 and this will be our first child. We live in Lexington, South Carolina and have been married for six years. I love being married and I can't wait for us to be parents.