Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday



Every Tuesday they'll be giving a new topic for their readers to post about. Then we run back to our own blogs and post our top ten list for the topic. This weeks topic is 10 Random Things About Myself.

Alrighty...here we go!

1. Strawberries are my favorite food...followed closely by steak.
2. Growing up, I played basketball and softball, but I liked basketball the best.
3. I HATE ladybugs!
4. The smell of broccoli makes me gag.
5. My boobs are the exact same size.
6. I'd rather read a good book than watch TV...most of the time.
7. I love to sew, but I HATE cutting fabric.
8. I get ANGRY when I'm hungry. We call it hangry in my family.
9. If I'm at home, 99% of the time I am braless and in pjs.
10. The smell of my pug, right now, makes me sick to my stomach. He needs a bath.

I Want Out of This Stinking Hallway

I took an unscheduled hiatus...again. I just haven't had a lot to say. Life just keeps on rolling. I keep rolling with those punches. Proverbial, of course.

Our social worker is almost done typing up our home study to be submitted to the State! Hallelujah!  This process is ridiculously long, in case you were wondering. Oh and the whole adoption home study thing is another story. We had to postpone meeting with our adoption worker. Which reminds me, we need to reschedule that ASAP! We honestly can't wait for all this bureaucratic nonsense to be over. We just want our baby(ies) dang it! I/we still have our moments when we wonder why in the world it has to be such a long, drawn out process for us to get our babies, while some people get pregnant "on accident." However, we keep trusting God and praying that he handles it all.

Source
We had a discussion a couple of days ago when I was feeling a bit frustrated/down trodden. I basically expressed to the hubs how I wished everything would suddenly come easily to us once we're approved for fostering/adopting, but how I was extremely doubtful since NOTHING has been easy since we've started trying to expand our family. His reply was that I am only doubting because up until now, nothing has come easy, but that something's got to give eventually. I KNOW that all of this will be worth it in the long run, but man oh man, when you keep knocking on doors and they keep staying closed, it feels like you've ALWAYS been in that stinking hallway! We've been in this particular hallway for almost three years now. If this hallway had a name, it would be "The BLASTED Hallway of Infertility" or aka "My Personal Hell." True, we've moved from one end of the hall to another because we've come from "we can't seem to conceive" to "we're going to foster to adopt," but at the same time, the "foster to adopt" door is still closed until we get submitted, approved, then approved a few more times along the way to adoption. It's a long, drawn out process, which frankly doesn't make a lot of sense in some ways. But I digress. I can't change the system. I can't even change my own mind about trusting God because what sense does that even make?

Source
I/we gave God full control over this situation. Who in the world am I to question his ways??? I've recently been having some personal Job moments in my mind. It's the part of the book when Job begins to finally break down and question God and his ways. (Job lost everyone and everything but his wretched wife and his obnoxious friends.) The same phrase keeps playing in my mind. It's one of the first things God asks Job after Job has his little meltdown.

God says, "Where were you when I created the earth?"

I then have a humbling, meek moment of "Oh yeah...you did do that...oops..." God gave Job a tongue-lashing to say the least! Below is a short part of the lengthy response God gave Job. It's found in Job 38-42. (This is in The Message version.)

“Why do you confuse the issue?
    Why do you talk without knowing what you’re talking about?
Pull yourself together, Job!
    Up on your feet! Stand tall!
I have some questions for you,
    and I want some straight answers.
Where were you when I created the earth?
    Tell me, since you know so much!

Who decided on its size? Certainly you’ll know that!
    Who came up with the blueprints and measurements?
How was its foundation poured,
    and who set the cornerstone,
While the morning stars sang in chorus
    and all the angels shouted praise?
And who took charge of the ocean
    when it gushed forth like a baby from the womb?
That was me! I wrapped it in soft clouds,
    and tucked it in safely at night.
Then I made a playpen for it,
    a strong playpen so it couldn’t run loose,
And said, ‘Stay here, this is your place.
    Your wild tantrums are confined to this place.’

(Click here to read the whole passage for a true butt-kicking!)

When I get stuck in the moments of questioning God, it's so humbling when these chapters come to mind. Where WAS I when he created the earth? I wasn't even thought of yet, right? Wrong. I was. God saw me. He went before more. He made a way, HIS way, for me before the beginning of time. God spoke me into existence. He knows me. He created me. He has great plans for me. He will never let me down.

Source

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Did You Miss Me?

I know I haven't blogged in quite some time, but I had a lot going on.

I had to grieve for my Great Grandma. I had to grieve for my fertility a bit in silence. (This will be a life long grief, but it's a sweeter grief now that God has full control over my sorrow! AMEN!) I needed some peace and quiet from the blogging community, which I was allowing to be my only outlet for myself. I have a better control over myself and my emotional outlets. I cry less. I talk more. To my hubs. To a couple of ladies who have reached out to me. To my mom. To my sister, Hannah, who is the first to cry with me if I need her to. She doesn't always understand, being that we're nine years a part and she's just now about to enter into young adult hood, but she loves me, so she hurts when I hurt. (Hannah: You have a sweet heart. Don't lose it. You mean more to me than you'll ever know. Thank you for being you.)

We've moved exponentially in our foster to adopt licensing process! We took the MAPP class from September until October. We became CPR/First Aid certified for infants-adults in November. We had our first home visit and our second home visit/application filling out visit. We filled out our individual questionnaires and had our individual interviews based on our questionnaires. We have our twin bed, our twin bed bedding, our dresser, hangers for baby/toddler clothing (to prove we have closet space for each child,) and car seats. We even have strollers, a baby swing, a travel swing, tons of newborn-4T clothing for both girls and boys, a bouncer (very pink, but who cares?), an expedit bookcase, some cloth diapers, crib sheets, a crib quilt, etc.

We currently need:

  • Crib (getting this tonight for an amazing deal on Craigslist!)
  • Crib Mattress (getting this tonight with the crib!)
  • Individual Physicals/TB Tests (Getting those around the middle of the month)
  • Fire Extinguisher (Getting this hopefully early this month)
  • Carbon Monoxide Detector (Getting this hopefully early this month)
  • Fire Inspection 
  • One More Home Inspection (To make sure we have beds/bedding)
The list may seem long for our needs, but honestly, they should all be done before the end of February, so hopefully we'll be fully licensed by the end of March! (Here's hoping anyway!) Keep praying for us!!!

Check out a future (soon) post for a preview of what the nursery looks like at this moment! (It's a work in progress! Ha!)

xo,
A

Currently Listening To: When The Tears Fall by The Swift
Currently Reading: Love You More: The Divine Surprise of Adopting My Daughter by Jennifer Grant
Currently Watching: Army Wives and Supernatural via Netflix