Rules: Once you've been tagged, you have to write a note with 16 random things, shortcomings, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end choose 16 people to be tagged, listing their names and why you chose them. You have to tag the person who tagged you.
1. I'm overly zealous. I'm excited easily and very passionate about a lot of things.
2. I am truly grateful for my husband! He is so amazing and I can't say it enough.
3. I love Springfield, MO. I really do. I know, back to number one...lol. But we really are thinking about retiring here!
4. I used to have really low self-esteem.
5. I talk a lot, sorry, I can't help it, I have a lot to say.
6. I would really like to do some missionary work. I think I might go to Ethiopia a little early and pair up with some missionaries while I'm there.
7. I tend to over analyze things way to much, like... did I say something wrong, etc..
8. I check facebook, myspace and cafe mom everyday at least once. I know, I need to drop one of these babies. Oh, and I maintain a blog. Yeah, one of them HAS to go....hmmm, which one?
9. I love my God, I really do. I know what grace is and have experienced an awesome level of forgiveness and truly appreciate it.
10. I interrupt people all the time. I hate doing it, I just talk too much (#5). I'm working on it. Oh, if I ever interrupt you, please let me know...kindly...lol!
11. I cook everyday and I bake at least two times a week and I LOVE it! It's never been a chore for me except for when I worked outside of the home. I just got my kitchen aid mixer, so watch out Martha...here I come!
12. I secretly...okay, so it's not much of a secret, want to live off of the land. Like, really. Solar panels, gardens, animals and all. I even want an alpaca, for it's fur, so I can spin and knit sweaters with it...lol, seriously!
13. I scrapbook everything. I even scrapbook pictures of me scrapbooking! Thank you Aunt Leslie for introducing me to it! And Chawn, you better get those pictures to me soon, or I'm not going to have time to scrapbook Jordan's album until he's five...lol!
14. I have no regrets for the life I have. Sure I have some "what if's," but not often. I'm so content with my circumstances. It's taken me awhile to get here, but I'm here.
15. I love coupons! I joined this coupon exchange here in Springfield and LOVE getting coupons everyweek! So if you want to mail me all your coupons, I'll take them! I saved $40 last week!
16. This was surprisingly really hard for me to come up with 16 things!
December 28, 2008
December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas!
What a wonderful day it has been! Here are a few pictures of our morning. More pictures will follow. Miles absolutely LOVED all his toys and was really excited to get a truck! He also got a remote control dinosaur that is out of this world, we will picture that soon. Miles received many movies, books, games, and clothes. He was lavished with gifts from Santa and the many relatives and really enjoys everything!
He went outside this morning to pick up his friend Tyler in his Hummer, it was hilarious. He drove Tyler to the house to check out his new loot! When Tyler was showing Miles how to work the remote control dinosaur, that is almost 3' tall, Miles jumped on the couch and almost wet his pants with fear. It was so funny.
And.........guess what I got? A Kitchen Aid Mixer!!!! And it's the Professional one. I was so excited, I whipped up Jesus' birthday cake with it and couldn't wait for Brandon to document it. I promised him that this mixer will last so long, it will be passed on to Marley...lol! My parents and Brandon's parents bought me this, what an amazing gift!
He went outside this morning to pick up his friend Tyler in his Hummer, it was hilarious. He drove Tyler to the house to check out his new loot! When Tyler was showing Miles how to work the remote control dinosaur, that is almost 3' tall, Miles jumped on the couch and almost wet his pants with fear. It was so funny.
And.........guess what I got? A Kitchen Aid Mixer!!!! And it's the Professional one. I was so excited, I whipped up Jesus' birthday cake with it and couldn't wait for Brandon to document it. I promised him that this mixer will last so long, it will be passed on to Marley...lol! My parents and Brandon's parents bought me this, what an amazing gift!
December 18, 2008
New Hair Again...Merry Christmas!
I LOVE coloring my hair! I am hooked! I went to The System again and saw my favorite hair dresser for the last time. He is graduating in January and moving on to bigger and better things. So Mikey, if your out there, make sure to let me know when you get to a salon and I'll shout you out on here to get your clientele started! If any of you are in Springfield, you HAVE to go to The System for an amazing Stylist and an amazing price! This color is AMAZING! I almost have the same color as Meg. Let me know what you think. I got the reds for Christmas.
By the way, we are officially, number 15 on "The List!"
By the way, we are officially, number 15 on "The List!"
5 MONTHS WAITING!!!
Today marks our five month waiting day! To be honest, it hasn't been that bad. Well, I suppose if you look to our past posts, you might think differently. But overall, I'm feeling pretty calm and collected about it.
We had almost 3 weeks of no referrals at our agency and I was getting a bit antsy, but so far this week there have been Eight referrals, yes I said EIGHT! Here's the breakdown of the eight: Boys, 7 weeks, 2 months, 10 months, 2 months, 5 1/2 months. Girls, 2 years, 19 months, 2 months.
Where are we? I still don't have a definite number, but it's around 14 according to my calculations, which are never really right...lol! One of my blog friends is #9 for sure, for girls under 12 months and #4 for girls over 12 months and we are just a few families behind her....so YAY for us!!!!!! Optimistically, I am hoping for some more referrals by Friday because our agency will be closed for two weeks over Christmas. I know, I can't be that greedy, eight referrals in one week are AWESOME!
Shout out to my dear friend Audrey! Yesterday, I talked to my dad. He will be in a rehab/nursing home for 80 days and they will care for him until my mother heals from her broken ankle. It really breaks my heart everytime I talk to him. But anyways, I asked him what he needed, since my mother can not drive and relies on friends to take her places. He, very humbly asked for a few things and to avoid the Christmas mail chaos, I called someone I knew would help me get this stuff to my dad. I can't wait to hear about his reaction! Audrey, you are so amazing and I really love you for doing this for me! My dad is all alone right now and you bringing him this stuff is such a blessing to us! Thanks again!
We had almost 3 weeks of no referrals at our agency and I was getting a bit antsy, but so far this week there have been Eight referrals, yes I said EIGHT! Here's the breakdown of the eight: Boys, 7 weeks, 2 months, 10 months, 2 months, 5 1/2 months. Girls, 2 years, 19 months, 2 months.
Where are we? I still don't have a definite number, but it's around 14 according to my calculations, which are never really right...lol! One of my blog friends is #9 for sure, for girls under 12 months and #4 for girls over 12 months and we are just a few families behind her....so YAY for us!!!!!! Optimistically, I am hoping for some more referrals by Friday because our agency will be closed for two weeks over Christmas. I know, I can't be that greedy, eight referrals in one week are AWESOME!
Shout out to my dear friend Audrey! Yesterday, I talked to my dad. He will be in a rehab/nursing home for 80 days and they will care for him until my mother heals from her broken ankle. It really breaks my heart everytime I talk to him. But anyways, I asked him what he needed, since my mother can not drive and relies on friends to take her places. He, very humbly asked for a few things and to avoid the Christmas mail chaos, I called someone I knew would help me get this stuff to my dad. I can't wait to hear about his reaction! Audrey, you are so amazing and I really love you for doing this for me! My dad is all alone right now and you bringing him this stuff is such a blessing to us! Thanks again!
December 16, 2008
Our Family Pictures
I mailed our Christmas cards out a couple of days ago, so now you can see our pictures! They turned out GREAT! I can't wait to finally be a family of four!
We are staying in Missouri for Christmas and don't have any plans. I can't believe it! I'm not even cooking. I'm not sure what we will be doing that day. Hey, maybe we'll open presents and then catch a movie. That sounds like fun!
We are staying in Missouri for Christmas and don't have any plans. I can't believe it! I'm not even cooking. I'm not sure what we will be doing that day. Hey, maybe we'll open presents and then catch a movie. That sounds like fun!
December 10, 2008
Not Much of an Update
So we are almost to our five month waiting mark and when we joined our agency, we were told the wait could be around 4 months, then when we submitted our dossier the wait had moved to around 6 months, all due to a rise in adoptive parents in Ethiopia. So now, it's looking more like 7-9 months. There are still some families that submitted their dossier (the paperwork) in April that are waiting for children. We submitted our paperwork in July. There have not been any referrals in almost three weeks. It is probably due to the fact that there is only one Judge hearing all these cases. The other Judge is on maternity leave. So for now, not much news. We are fine, not too anxious. It's almost like we are guarding our hearts, you know?
We got our family pictures done and I CAN'T wait to show them off. I will post some pictures after I mail my Christmas cards. I was thinking, what's the point in mailing pictures and cards to everyone, if I post the picture on my blog? So for now, you get to know what it feels like to wait...lol! Okay, that was supposed to be funny!
I do also have some prayer requests. My father is really sick. He has Parkinson's Disease, COPD, amongst many other conditions. It seems that he is rushed to the hospital and put in ICU on a monthly basis. The other day, while in ICU, my mother, his caregiver, broke her ankle. So the are both in need of prayer and much help. Luckily, some people have stepped up and have offered to help with transportation for groceries and doctor's appointments. Please keep them in your prayers. They need help and healing. I really appreciate it!
We got our family pictures done and I CAN'T wait to show them off. I will post some pictures after I mail my Christmas cards. I was thinking, what's the point in mailing pictures and cards to everyone, if I post the picture on my blog? So for now, you get to know what it feels like to wait...lol! Okay, that was supposed to be funny!
I do also have some prayer requests. My father is really sick. He has Parkinson's Disease, COPD, amongst many other conditions. It seems that he is rushed to the hospital and put in ICU on a monthly basis. The other day, while in ICU, my mother, his caregiver, broke her ankle. So the are both in need of prayer and much help. Luckily, some people have stepped up and have offered to help with transportation for groceries and doctor's appointments. Please keep them in your prayers. They need help and healing. I really appreciate it!
December 2, 2008
The Junky Car Club
This post is dedicated to a woman that introduced me to the idea of the Junky Car, thank Kara!
I just found this new blog, The Junky Car Club, I have to say...I'm impressed! Thanks Gretchen! We are frugal people, that's no secret...lol! We've never owned a brand new vehicle and began the Dave Ramsey program very early in our marriage. Right after I graduated from college, I wanted to reward myself for paying for my own schooling, with a brand new lavender colored Ford Explorer, that's what everyone drove in those days. Yes, I said lavender! Well guess what, I kept my 1985 Toyota Camry hatchback until 2003! When the a/c went out in New Orleans in the summer, it was time to get another vehicle. We bought our 2000 Toyota 4Runner and paid it off in 15 months! We haven't had a car payment in over 5 years, and yes...we are members of the Junky Car Club! I say this with pride because it has been hard work. We lived off of Brandon's salary for the four years that I worked full time before Miles came. During that time, we paid off about $5,000 credit card debt, $25,000 student loans, and about $28,000 in car payments. Now I don't consider our cars junk, but in our society's eyes, we aren't living up to the American dream of flashy cars and flashy car payments. Sure I would LOVE a newer vehicle. But my 4Runner is running just fine. Yeah, I have a big dent on my back door, and the torn leather seat is driving my crazy, but it's paid for!
You'll have to check out the Junky Car Club blog and read about it. It's really our own philosophy, and it takes guts. I challenge you! Really, I do! "Live with less, so you can give more!" Man, have we been a testimony for this! You always hear things like, "you can't outgive God." It's really hard to take that leap, but we are proof that when you do start living on less and giving more, your life takes on a whole new meaning. We don't worry about money. God has provided for us and we know He always will. Like my grandmother just said the other day, "you don't see U-hauls attatched to coffins!" Give, and be generous! Support the things that mean the most to you. You don't have to be the most "spiritual" person to do this. Believe me, we were very early in our walks when we commited to this.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:34
Our pastor from Corpus Christi used to always say, "show me your checkbook, and I'll show you your treasure."
I suppose now would be a good time to announce that it looks like we have almost all the money we will need to pay for our adoption! Travel expences can vary by the thousands, so that's why I say almost, but we have done it! With His help of course. There was a day when it was very overwhelming. We knew we were called to adopt, but coming up with $20,000 plus dollars, cash, was not easy. We prayed for God to give us wisdom like he gave Solomon. We didn't expect people to throw money at us, just because we were adopting, we prayed for God to show us how to come up with the money. I'm not going to lie, it was not easy having the faith at times. I'd hear of people who were adopting and thier family and friends showering them with money and sometimes I would think, "man would that be nice!" But God called us to adopt and this was our journey. Sure it takes a village, but we needed to pay for this, and I'm so glad for all the lessons we learned. He showed Brandon that he needed to sell his 1965 mustang, what a faithful act on his part, I'm so proud of him for that. He also showed me that I needed to work for awhile. And the rest was just faith. Giving faithfully, saving faithfully, and living below our means...faithfully!
So join the Junky Car Club with me, I dare you! Sell your cars with car payments and buy your next car with the cash that you have! Live on less, so that you can give more!
I just found this new blog, The Junky Car Club, I have to say...I'm impressed! Thanks Gretchen! We are frugal people, that's no secret...lol! We've never owned a brand new vehicle and began the Dave Ramsey program very early in our marriage. Right after I graduated from college, I wanted to reward myself for paying for my own schooling, with a brand new lavender colored Ford Explorer, that's what everyone drove in those days. Yes, I said lavender! Well guess what, I kept my 1985 Toyota Camry hatchback until 2003! When the a/c went out in New Orleans in the summer, it was time to get another vehicle. We bought our 2000 Toyota 4Runner and paid it off in 15 months! We haven't had a car payment in over 5 years, and yes...we are members of the Junky Car Club! I say this with pride because it has been hard work. We lived off of Brandon's salary for the four years that I worked full time before Miles came. During that time, we paid off about $5,000 credit card debt, $25,000 student loans, and about $28,000 in car payments. Now I don't consider our cars junk, but in our society's eyes, we aren't living up to the American dream of flashy cars and flashy car payments. Sure I would LOVE a newer vehicle. But my 4Runner is running just fine. Yeah, I have a big dent on my back door, and the torn leather seat is driving my crazy, but it's paid for!
You'll have to check out the Junky Car Club blog and read about it. It's really our own philosophy, and it takes guts. I challenge you! Really, I do! "Live with less, so you can give more!" Man, have we been a testimony for this! You always hear things like, "you can't outgive God." It's really hard to take that leap, but we are proof that when you do start living on less and giving more, your life takes on a whole new meaning. We don't worry about money. God has provided for us and we know He always will. Like my grandmother just said the other day, "you don't see U-hauls attatched to coffins!" Give, and be generous! Support the things that mean the most to you. You don't have to be the most "spiritual" person to do this. Believe me, we were very early in our walks when we commited to this.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:34
Our pastor from Corpus Christi used to always say, "show me your checkbook, and I'll show you your treasure."
I suppose now would be a good time to announce that it looks like we have almost all the money we will need to pay for our adoption! Travel expences can vary by the thousands, so that's why I say almost, but we have done it! With His help of course. There was a day when it was very overwhelming. We knew we were called to adopt, but coming up with $20,000 plus dollars, cash, was not easy. We prayed for God to give us wisdom like he gave Solomon. We didn't expect people to throw money at us, just because we were adopting, we prayed for God to show us how to come up with the money. I'm not going to lie, it was not easy having the faith at times. I'd hear of people who were adopting and thier family and friends showering them with money and sometimes I would think, "man would that be nice!" But God called us to adopt and this was our journey. Sure it takes a village, but we needed to pay for this, and I'm so glad for all the lessons we learned. He showed Brandon that he needed to sell his 1965 mustang, what a faithful act on his part, I'm so proud of him for that. He also showed me that I needed to work for awhile. And the rest was just faith. Giving faithfully, saving faithfully, and living below our means...faithfully!
So join the Junky Car Club with me, I dare you! Sell your cars with car payments and buy your next car with the cash that you have! Live on less, so that you can give more!
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