Home Sweet Home...

Well we made it home safe and sound today. Our day started at 2:30am with a pick up at the hotel lobby for a 5:30am flight to Atlanta. As you can see from the pictures, my guys were not diggin it!








Once settled in at the home front, I tackled the five suitcases of dirty laundry while hubby shoveled the snow from the porch and deck. Thankfully we have awesome neighbors who took care of getting our driveway plowed before we got home! My sister took great care of my pets and plants and we just found out that school is closed again tomorrow so the kids are stoked.



We were very blessed this past week to be able to take a "time out" (aka vacation) and to be afforded the resources to tune into each other. Its these precious moments in time that remind us of how unimportant the things of this world are and how very special is family! As Christmas drew near, we purposely distanced ourselves from the shopping fuss of the season and traded it in for "TIME" with each other....the best gift of all.

In HIS Grace....

Disney Surprise.....

So we finished the cruise just to find out a blizzard was brewing back home. The Baltimore airport was shut down so we booked a room at Disney and roughed it at the amusement parks for 2 days. I know your having a hard time feeling sorry for me for our flight cancellations but just think about the 21 inches of snow and 5 suitcases of dirty laundry I have to deal with when we get home... uugghhh:)

Costa Maya

So today we were in Costa Maya Mexico. Beautiful as expected! We are all soo relaxed and having a great time spending good quality time with each other. Christian finished all his homework (see pic) and Zack has made alot of friends from all over the country. Tomorrow..... a day at sea:)

Belize...

Paradise!

Isla Roatan

Another beautiful day in paradise! This is a pic of the sunrise from our room balcony, Christian a sleep on the beach (stayed up to late with his buddies), and Zack and Me on the beach. Tomorrow we spend the day in Belize. Stay tuned:)

Cozumel.....

We had a great time in Cozumel yesterday! We all got a lil sunburned given that we looked like albinos when we arrived:) Today we go to Isla Roatan. We've never been there before so we are excited for the new adventure.

Dream....

Sailing aboard the Carnival Dream! Heading to Cozumel today and will post pics and updates as the fun unfolds. So far a great day at sea and lots of FOOD!

Love.....

As the year whines down, our 18th year wedding anniversary quickly approaches. It has been a year of discovery for my husband and I as this was the year we began our adoption journey. Once God opened our eyes to the plight of the orphan, we knew without question the plans that He had for us. Its surreal when God speaks to you as a "couple". It confirms for you that YOUR love for each other is HIS gift. That your marriage journey is guided by His gracious hand and that He is pleased with what He has created. 1 Corinthians 13:13 "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love".

On that note it has been a banner year for "LOVE" for my siblings this year! My Brother was married in Hawaii this past summer;
And my sister was engaged to the man of her dreams;
Don't you just love love!

Blessings......

The First Snow.....

Yesterday we had our first snow of the season. It was beautiful and made for a lazy but cozy day around the house.

The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways......

Loss..... How is it that when you lose something, you can also gain something? There is a lesson, in everything that happens. God takes us to places that we think are unbearable, only so that we can learn, grow and get closer to HIM. A couple of years ago, Den and I lost a grandchild. We loved her with ALL our hearts but God was in control and knew that through this loss, we would draw nearer to him. This experience, although so painful, brought our family closer. We all took long, hard looks at ourselves and knew that we had to make changes. Today, we are different people... BETTER people. It is through HIS glory that we can stand today, forever changed. GOD is soooo good!

Gotcha!

So my eldest, Zack, somehow managed to miss both "picture day" AND "re takes" at school this year! So what did his picture crazed mother do? Well she hired a photographer (and good friend) to come to the house and capture pics of his cute lil mug:) Here are some of the pics;











He had to change outfits a couple of times and travel with the photographer down the road to the train tracks but overall he was a good sport about it all! However, I bet next year come time for school pics, he'll make sure hes present:)

Walking in His GRACE.....

Thanksgiving....

Thanksgiving was wonderful! We started the day leisurely. All of us slept in then gathered around the coffee pot like vultures, around 10am. Den started breakfast (that's his specialty) and I started to work on "The Feast". We picked up a turkey from the local butcher and it was Divine! I don't think I could have messed it up if I had tried:) The boys inhaled breakfast then scattered to the basement for hours of indoor skateboarding. Den worked on hanging the last of the outdoor Christmas lights then around 4pm, we gathered in the dining room for our official Thanksgiving meal.

We went around the table to talk about what we were most thankful for this year. Not surprisingly, Zack (my 16 year old) quickly stated "FOOD". No joke... he eats, like every two hours. His final feeding is usually around midnight. He literally wakes up just to eat. He's 6 foot tall and a size 12 shoe already. Overnight,everynight, he seems to morph a lil closer to being a "man". We see changes in his physique and attitude daily! Its amazing (and expensive) to watch this boy grow! Christian (my 13 year old)said that hes most thankful for everything... hmm pretty generic! I think he just wanted to get down to the business of eating so that he could go out to our woods. Apparently, just before we sat down to eat, Den told him that there were deer rubs on the trees just outside our front door. So being the maniac hunter that he is, nothing else mattered at that point in time. So he, mister man of many words, defaulted to the generic "everything" for his eloquent response to our traditional question.

Den said that he was most thankful for the health of his family (hes a total spaz when it comes health stuff). I said that I am most thankful for patience! Waiting for Miss Ellie Grace to come home has been a year (almost) of torture. But knowing that it is in HIS time, has comforted me most.

In HIS grace....

Celebration....

Yesterday we attended my nephew,Theis, 7th birthday party. Hes the cutest thing ever... Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure
Myles and Zack
Granny and Christian
Theis
Auntie T and Theis

Our inspiration..

About this time last year, my husband and I began talking "seriously" about adoption. We started this journey thinking that the Philippines was where we were called to adopt from since my husband had spent so much time there during his service in the Air Force. Today, he is still haunted by the memories of children begging for help but that given the circumstances (coo attempts and civil unrest), he was left powerless to help them. The orphans left behind tugged at his heart and forever changed who he is today. Our journey to our child in the Philippines was short lived when we learned from the adoption agency that Pilipino lineage is required to adopt from their country. However, at this point there was no turning back. God had put adoption on our hearts and we knew that he had another child planned for our family. Surprisingly, Ethiopia was the place. It was surreal how clear it was to us once we started the process. There was no doubt that our little girl was in Ethiopia. So the journey began and today we "wait" for His timing to bring her home. Our adoption road has had many dramatic turns but when God speaks.... He speaks loud and clear!

This video "nudged us" in the beginning of our journey....
http://speedstream.netro.ca/bcs/china2.wmv

"...to whom much is given, much is expected" Luke 12:48

In His Grace....

Why adoption?

...once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act.......... Prov. 24:12

Passing the time

The adoption of Miss Ellie Grace is STILL at a stand still with our agency.   So to pass the time, we are enjoying the mild fall weather, gearing up for the holidays and planning what we hope will be out LAST family of four vacation!  We had a family meeting last week and we all were in agreement that a 7 night western Carribean cruise would be a perfect family Christmas present.  So we are booked on the ship, airfare purchased and kennel reservations made.  I still need to buy our airport transfers and pack (already started) and then we will be ready to escape to the islands!

So as we wait for our lil miss, please pray that God comforts the hearts of the orphans around the world who long for a mother and father. And that he puts adoption on the hearts of Christians everywhere ("to whom much is given, much is expected" Luke 12:48).

Blessings.....

Fall Harvest....

So bow hunting season in Maryland is in full swing and the guys have had a great harvest so far! Opening Day Christian brought home a 6 pointer and a couple days later, Den harvested an eight pointer.

A couple of weeks and a couple of does later,  this past Monday (yeah I know... school night) Mr. Christian brings home the biggest 8 pointer this family has ever seen (pics too graphic to post)!

Needless to say I have a house full of happy hunters and a freezer FULL of meat so please.... if anyone needs any.... let me know! We'd be happy to share:) I went to the grocery yesterday and didn't even bother going to the meat section. We will be overdosing on venison for months.

Still no word on lil miss Ellie Grace. This part of the process is the most agonizing and a TRUE test of ones patience. Our new household chant is "in HIS time".

God Bless

Slow Dance......

Now that summer is over, the rhythm of our lives seems to be settling down to a comfortable pace. Kinda like a slow dance to your favorite song. You hope the music never stops and that if you occasionally misstep or even fall, that little evidence is left behind. And even though the songs record seems to skip sometimes to the tune of monotony, you take comfort in knowing the Gods gentle hand has lent you this peace. So today, as our life's story marches on to a predictable rhythm..... we dance the slow dance..... and savor every step:)

Its a Wrap.....

Well as summer winds down and the school year begins, the kids and I spent some time reflecting on the past couple of months. We talked about what they liked best about summer break and what their expectations were for the new school year.



Zack said that he most enjoyed no homework and no alarm clocks. For the new school year, he hopes to perform well in cross country, get at least average grades, stay out of trouble and foster his new relationship with his first real girlfriend. It's going to be a year of GRAY hair for me.... I'm sure:(

What Christian liked most about summer was being able to sleep in. He also liked swimming, skateboarding and deer tracking for the upcoming hunting season . What Christian is looking forward to most this school year is getting good grades so that his dad will let him skip school a couple of days to hunt..... go figure.... he's a maniac!!!!



I really enjoyed the boys this summer. For the first time ever, I didn't have a business to manage! This meant they got my mostly (besides adoption wait worries) undivided attention . No busy schedule to manage. We just hung out and tuned in.

It was really neat to watch their little lives unfold, to standby and guide them as needed.

Some of this summers "growing up" milestones were:
Zack - Drivers License
Zack - First Date
Zack - training for Cross Country (instead of the usual football)
Christian - Eye Contacts (freedom from glasses)

Let the good times roll!!!!

Another teenager.....

Well last Friday it became official...... we now have 2 teenagers!





Christian turned 13 years old on July 31st:)

We went to Ocean City for a long weekend to celebrate this new season of his life. We had a great time just relaxing beach side and watching the kids frolic in the ocean waves, ride amusement park rides and a chartered fishing trip which yielded a lil croaker and a lot of sea sickness. Regardless, we cherish these moments in time and relish the opportunity to live/write new chapters in our "family story".













We continue to wait for Miss Ellie Grace to join our journey. In HIS time.....