Thanks

Thanks to Amy for helping me figure out this thing I call a blog. Now that it is much cuter, I am hoping to attract more followers!

Today

Today Dana and I took Steph, Derrek, and Amanda to the airport. I don't get up before 5 AM for many people, so they should feel special. We took them to the airport for them to head to Ethiopia. To say that my heart is broken wouldn't really do this feeling justice. I am so excited that Stephanie gets to experience the people of Ethiopia for a month this summer, but I am also sad that I am here in the comforts of my home rather than at the airport meeting strangers who will become life-long friends. I know they will all have a blast and come home with more memories than they could ever share, and I can't wait to hear as many stories as they can remember! Last year as we returned home, we knew that we could tell the stories of the beautiful people and landscape of Ethiopia, but unless our family and friends were there to witness it with their own eyes, they could not truly understand where we were coming from. And I think I am the saddest about that. I will not be there to see these things so that I can fully support Stephanie as she comes home to share. It was such a peaceful feeling to know that I had her to back me up on the details of playing in a field full of cows and children. Or of the faces of the children at the various orphanages. I pray that she has a wonderful, life-changing experience. I am already anxious to hear about it and she isn't even there yet!

But, as Julianna and Catherine pointed out today, this is a part of my process of changing to become a parent. I am going to have to miss out on month long mission trips, but I think this would be easier to deal with if my child was here. I would have a constant distraction from crying. So, since my little one isn't here yet, I guess I am going to have to clean house, mow the yard, and read lots of books to keep myself occupied. I know this month will fly by! I just pray that it seems like a lifetime for my friends in Ethiopia. I pray that God uses them each day to touch the people of that beautiful nation.

Last Week

I didn't update last week because I was with Catherine and her adorable children in Memphis. We stayed with her in-laws, and they have dial-up, so that meant I was not using the Internet. Guess I am spoiled by my high speed! Reese had zoo camp at the Memphis Zoo every day, so I just went to hang out with Catherine and play with the kids. To listen to Reese tell stories every afternoon of the stuff she did at zoo camp was worth being away from home for 5 nights! She got to play with a baby penguin one day! I was so incredibly jealous! We spent 2 days at the zoo while she was in camp to enjoy the animals and the beautiful weather. This week filled with kids and fun events made me wish that mine was here now! We went to the sprinkler park and played, had popsicles, played on the swing set, and jammed to Michael Jackson. It took us a while, but Reese finally warmed up to his music. Now she wants to learn the dances! Some people say that your life stops when you have children, but after last week I have learned that life doesn't stop, it just gets more exciting!

Family

During our Father's Day gathering, my Papa took us on a trip down Memory Lane. He was telling stories about the trouble that he and his brothers would get into in their small town. And then he told a story that had us all in tears-Papa included. He said that he often forgot his lunch money or that his family didn't have the quarter that he needed for his lunch. A certain lunch lady, Polly, would always make sure that Papa and his brothers had a lunch.

On one certain day in Papa's Senior year of high school, my great-grandfather, Charlie, left early in the morning to haul a load of lumber for the lumber yard. He would go out into the woods and cut trees, load the wood onto his truck, and take the load and sell it to the lumber yard. Papa remembers sitting outside during their morning break and hearing a loud truck rumbling up the road. At first he did not recognize this truck as Charlie's. As Charlie got out of the truck, Papa became embarrassed of the noise and his appearance. What Papa didn't realize at the time was that Charlie was bringing his quarter for lunch. Charlie had gotten up early that morning to take the load of wood so that Papa would have money for lunch.

Now, as Papa reflects on this day, he regrets the embarrassment that he felt. He knew his father was making a sacrifice to be sure that his son had money and could eat lunch that day. This story of sacrifice only strengthens my pride in my family. I am in tears now as I type this. I know that my family has been through hardships and those hardships only bring us closer. As this adoption continues, I am proud to introduce my new child to such a caring, loving family. A family that sacrifices for one another.

Spiders, and Dirt, and Crickets, Oh My!

As I was cleaning out the basement today, I found lots of things that will go great in a yard sale. I even found a few things that I wanted to keep. Sadly, some of my long lost treasures were ruined. I have looked for my Senior yearbook for years. Found it today! But it was ruined. So it can now be found in the trash can. I did find some really fun sorority stuff that made me smile and miss those girls! Those were fun times!

The bugs I found were not so fun! I had to call in reinforcement at one point. I opened a box and discovered what could have been a baby mouse or the biggest spider I have ever seen. Once my dad got here to help with this situation, he discovered it was just a cricket. So, naturally, I felt really dumb! But the way it died made it look huge and its legs were all weird. Just thinking about it gives me the creeps!

On a happy note, I found some cute wrapping paper that will be great for Christmas gifts and some cute picture frames! And you know I will need those! Some even came from Disney World, so you know where we will have to go to get pictures to put in those! I already have the trip planned out in my head! I will just have to be sure that Aunt Stephanie and Aunt Catherine are prepared for this journey! Reese is ready right now!

I got a lot accomplished today, and as soon as the trash runs, I can finish cleaning out the rest of the basement. And then it's on to the attic! Hopefully there won't be any crickets disguised as spiders up there!

Cleaning...again

As I continue to prepare for my little one, I have decided that I will need every available inch of space in my house for toys, clothes, books, whatever. So I am headed to the basement to clean down there. I realize that this post may be a way to procrastinate, but it is also keeping to my promise to update more. So I don't feel bad about it. There are lots of little things that need to be done around here, so I figure that a yard sale will help fund those projects, which is one motivation for cleaning out the basement. I think I have 3 vacuum cleaners down there. Don't ask me why I have 3! I have never used any of them, so I am not sure how they ended up there. I do vacuum. But not with any of the ones in the basement! After I finish there, I am going to the attic-that will hopefully, one day, possibly, maybe, become my master bedroom/bath. So for that to happen in 10 years or so, I need to get rid of lots of stuff from up there too! So if you need a vacuum or some Halloween decorations, come on by!

Kids Care

I have searched various blogs for the past few hours and discovered that Kids Care (the orphanage where my child lives) has a website. Pretty cool, considering they only have power a few days a week. So, anyway, check it out!

http://www.kccwa.org.et/aboutus.html