The Intentional Life

It's hard to believe, but we've got a Second Grader First Grader And Preschooler in this house now! Owen received an Outstanding Attendance Award (he only missed one day of school) and Hannah was awarded Perfect Attendance for not missing a single day.  Maddie is so ready to go to school and can hardly wait for September. Hannah receiving her Perfect Attendance from her (awesome!) teacher, Mrs. Brown Owen was so psyched to get his award that he ran up to the stage.  He is the blur in the middle.

Life is made of a series of adventures, I believe. And as one adventure is wrapping up I feel the need to make it known. To testify. To God's faithfulness.  June 13th we turned in our keys, our access to the Gateway Woods Campus, and officially were not Houseparents anymore. There were multiple feelings that I fluctuated between throughout the day. But the one that I kept coming back to, that brought tears to my eyes... Gratefulness . Even that word seems inadequate.  But I am overwhelmed by God's faithfulness to me.  To us. You guys, the past 5 and half years have been a bit stressful.  Exhausting.  And there were times when we wanted answers and all there seemed to be was silence. But God was there the whole time. If my post back in January was any indication, I was in a serious valley .  Mentally, physically, even, dare I admit it...spiritually? But in those dark nights when I would lay awake in bed, I could hear it being whispered to my soul:

Adoption is a journey.  Like any journey, it's appropriate to think ahead, to plan and to prepare for what is come. Along the way we'll realize that it isn't all what we may have thought or expected. There are unplanned events and struggles, along with unexpected joys and surprises. Join us as we walk down a few different paths of the adoption journey and discuss some key resources as you look ahead in preparation of bringing a child into your forever family. Many of you may have already walked this journey. Some of seen friends or close family struggle through the path. Maybe you are just starting to "pack your bag" for your first adoption. No matter the traveler or the progress, here are a few helpful tidbits for anyone who is considering adoption (for the first, second or third time!). 3 Ways to Prepare for the Journey... Pray. Fast. Read.  Most importantly, seek God's direction and plan for your family. Spend significant time praying, fasting

She's been around awhile. A month shy of 2 years to be exact. She was trying to escape the demons, the past that haunted her.  I think it took the first year for her just to get a glimpse of the sunshine, to realize there was something better than where she was at.  To discover that you can't just hide the past, sometimes you have to face it head on to defeat it. But now, as she is on the brink of returning home for good, I am so very thankful for the changes we have seen in her. The biggest change?  She knows Jesus.  And well, the rest of the changes follow, right? She's not perfect.  But then none of us are. We all still have our struggles, our sins, that try to pull us back under.  But if we have Jesus, we have hope. Having someone live with you for 2 years, you can't help but feel like they are part of your family. And having spent 1/8 of her life with us, I think she may feel like a part of ours , too. But she's headed to her home with her fam

Yeah, yeah, we are well into June.  But I say it's never too late for a little reminiscing.  May was pretty full with packing and finalizing things for our departure from Gateway.  Looking at life on the outside of houseparenting is seeming a bit daunting, but we press on (I see a future post coming on that one!)  Saying goodbye to the space we called home for over 3 years (the longest Paul and I have lived in one place in our 12 years of marriage.) May was full, but good. This summer is bound to be different from any summer we have lived so far.  Anxious and excited as we stand on the brink of it! Paul and I got away for a much anticipated weekend to celebrate birthdays - a Red's game for him and an IKEA trip for me!  We got the cheapest seats and got to sit at the very tip top in the extreme corner.  Got a great view of the river as well. The cheap hot dogs we waited 30 minutes in line for.  Worth it. Love finding these little notes laying around.