Monday's Musings

The "Simple Things" for which I'm grateful...

I am thankful for... Sky.pe. We've only tested it at home but for the first time, I'm going to be able to see my husband tonight during our nightly call. I'm so excited!

Outside my window... a cool autumn's evening, clear of most clouds and fading light.

I am going... to have to get my butt in gear to do my annual Christmas letter, family picture and card as well as getting the gifts that need to be mailed sent off on time. I've been slacking this year.

I am reading... my two latest HOG member magazines. I'm a bit behind in my subscriptions.

I am hoping... for once, that AF is not coming. It'll screw up all our hopes and plans... again.

I am hearing... Mojo and Karma wrestling around with each other while I'm watching my DVR'd shows from last week.

One of my favorite things... leftover turkey sandwiches the day after Thanksgiving. Mmm.

Here is a picture I'm sharing... This is a tree in a cedar grove nearby (relatively near, anyway!). I took it years ago while camping with a friend but I've always loved it for the way it appears to me to be two lovers entwined in an embrace.

Attachment Issues

National Adoption Month was started specifically to bring awareness to adoption from foster care. There are currently about 129,000 children in foster care awaiting adoptive placement; this number does not reflect children who are in foster care still going through the reunification process. Adopting from foster care brings up so many issues that are different from infant adoption. The biggest concern for me? Attachment.

I'm hoping love and patience will be our biggest help when we begin the process of attachment but I'm not optimistic enough to believe that's all we'll need. Children in foster care are typically older and have had attachments broken more than once... with removal from their parents, maybe reunified and removed again, placed in and possibly moved from more than one foster home... their trust in the attachment process is broken more with each move.

A good friend recently gave me some very good advice on child care, looking for it early and being prepared. Believe me, it's nothing I haven't already thought about. But when I think of our children possibly coming from the foster system, I have to think about their attachment issues. They won't have had previous time to bond with us. Ideally, to create the best attachment and bond as possible, I want to be with them 24/7 building that relationship and trust. If I send them to someone else, they're not going to know who to trust. I've been pondering the idea of convincing my bosses to let me work a split shift - 4 hours in the morning before kiddos wake up and 4 hours at night after kiddos have gone to bed. Best case scenario, that leaves me with a possibility of a 4 hour nap between work times. And I'm willing to do it. I'm lucky to get 4 hours most nights now! (For now, this is just a pipe dream; nothing active is happening on the adoption front. I'm just trying to brainstorm ideas.)

However, one bright spot to look at while dealing with the turmoil of breaking another attachment to bring children home to us from foster care... if they've been able to form that bond with their foster family, it's highly likely to happen again. Not without issues, I'm not that idealistic, but it's a good sign. And thankfully, we'll have access to resources and counselors to help us with the transition.

Who else needs to think about counselors and therapy when bringing their child(ren) home?

Another PSA...

Monday's Musings

The "Simple Things" for which I'm grateful...

I am thankful for... time. Without it, I never would've met my wonderful husband nor would we have had the chance to make it through that first year. God does know what He's doing!

Outside my window... is a view worth all the turmoil and hard work moving here took. I love looking out at those mountains.

I am going... to travel back to Gil's family to celebrate Thanksgiving next week. Gil and I had chosen Thanksgiving as the one holiday of the year we would host from our home for whomever would be able to come but since the move, we don't see his family very often. So it looks like we'll be traveling for Thanksgiving the next few years.

I am reading... medical coding journals. I have to cram in some continuing education for my recertification by the end of the week.

I am hoping... we're on the right path, the path God desires for us. I sure hope we're listening to the call and that we're able to accept it, whatever it is.

I am hearing... birds sqwaking. Think they're finally getting the hint winter is on its way?

One of my favorite things... music. Without it, I don't know where I'd be. Music shapes the spirit of my soul. I love all kinds (except gangsta rap and the screaming heavy metal)... jazz and blues, rock and roll, country, hip hop, and even pop. Yesterday, I was listening to Mil.es Davis and the Chie.ftains! Gil was thankful to be working in the shop; he thinks I'm crazy!

Here is a picture I'm sharing... in honor of our First Date anniversary. Six years ago today, Gil took me to Te.xas Roa.dhouse for our very first date... and the rest, they say, is history. I love you, baby.

Weekend of Renewal

Gil and I had such an amazing weekend of relaxation and renewal. These three months since we've moved into our new home have been absolutely insane with remodeling projects and guests from Germany (pictures and updates on that visit to follow soon). We've worked our hineys off and not had a single day to just relax and enjoy each others company.

We started our Saturday by sleeping in... late. Delicious! And the puppies respected our tiredness and didn't start to stir until we did. We made a yummy breakfast and then lounged on the couch watching tv and catching up on things we haven't had time to talk about lately. Before we knew it, it was 3:30 in the afternoon! We got ready and headed into town to go to Mass and then drove to a neighboring town to have dinner at a local brewery. We were treated with live music when we arrived and man, could they play! It was awesome! We came home and watched a movie before going to bed.

Today started in much the same fashion, by sleeping in. Man-oh-man, we're gonna get spoiled! Gil took care of the weekly garbage collection and then went to work in his shop, doing some organization he's been wanting to get to. I got the pleasure of reading through some professional journals and taking online quizzes for CEU's I need in order to renew my certifications before month's end. Right now, we're sitting on the couch in front of a lit fire in our new fireplace, with the smell of fresh-baked brownies teasing our senses. Mmm.

Our weekend may seem lazy to some but for us, it was absolutely fantastic... and much needed.

Adoption on the Horizon

It's been a busy week in our adoption journey. About three weeks ago, we got a letter from the state informing us of a mandatory 6-hour training/class we would have to take to qualify for the adoption portion of our foster-adopt license. I drove into town to attend class Tuesday and Thursday evenings this week. We had to get permission for Gil to take the class by DVD at a later time because he had to be out of town all week.

Also, our current license expires at the end of the month so I had an appointment with our FRS (family resource specialist, formerly known as a social worker) yesterday to update our preferences and home study/safety checks. She kept commenting on all the space we have.

When B was here in August for our initial home check after moving in, she told us to check a website listing the nation's waiting children currently in foster care, Adopt US Kids. We've checked the listings almost weekly. Our placement preferences have been for ages 0-5 and either a single child or a sibling set of 2. Well, over the past 2 months, Gil and I have been increasingly drawn to older and more children! We printed off 5 profiles to share with B when she came for the appointment yesterday and they were all sibling sets of 3 and ages ranging up to 11! How crazy is that? What's God doing? We never would've thought of this on our own but it's the way we feel we're being led. So we're changing our placement preferences for ages 0-7 and up to a sibling set of 3.

We sent a query to the agency who are legal guardians for these children (all profiles we're looking at are at the same place) and we received broader profiles for them by email late this afternoon. Our next step is to submit our home study and all other required documents. The only thing they require that DCFS doesn't is a medical exam/physical. Currently, our state only requires that we sign a statement attesting to our health; they don't require a medical exam. So I need to now wait until Monday to contact B so we can proceed with getting our home study sent off.

After reading through the profiles again, there is a set of 3 brothers that particularly stands out to us. It's almost scary, too, to think that we'd have 3 children at once and not all of them in school yet. I don't get paid leave off from work for an adoption adjustment period... 3 months are allowed but are unpaid. And as much as my dream is to not have to work, we cannot in any way afford that right now.

So... please pray! A lot may be coming (or not) in the next few months.

National Adoption Month

November is National Adoption Month and throughout the month I'm going to be blogging about it, bits and pieces here and there. Why? Because this is my life now. We are adopting... from foster care. We've taken the classes, we've done the home studies, we're licensed and re-licensed. We're just waiting on a placement. After almost 5 years of waiting to grow our family, I'm better at waiting than I thought I'd be at this point. So in the meantime, here's something to watch.

And this is why Gil doesn't do the laundry!



I'm just kidding about Gil and the laundry, by the way... he can do it, separating colors appropriately... he just doesn't. Why? Because I love him and I choose to do it. He does so many other things for me, laundry is the least I can do.

Monday's Musings

The "Simple Things" for which I'm grateful...

I am thankful for... family and friends who love and support us.

Outside my window... is a beautiful sunny, autumn day with snow-capped mountains, leaf-less tress, and crisp, clean air.

I am going... to try and take a nap before Gil gets home. I have been fighting extreme fatigue and muscle aches for the past week or so and I. am. tired.

I am reading... Wa.ter from the Ro.ck: Finding God's Com.fort in the Midst of Infe.rtility. I need all the help I can get!

I am hoping... that I don't have to do any last minute CEU's to meet my quota for re-certification in 3 weeks!

I am hearing... the ticking and cuckoo'ing of our massive German cuckoo clock that we finally hung this past weekend.

One of my favorite things... is snuggling with my hubby on the couch in front of our new fireplace and a movie.

Here is a picture I am sharing... I *heart* aspen groves. I took this on one of our trips to the Boul.der River.

Silent Monks Singing!

Singing Hallelujah!

This is too good not to share. Mom, I know you'll get a great chuckle... It gets better the more you watch.

Can you tell me how to get...

... how to get to Sesame Street?

I just want to give a quick shout out to something that was very instrumental in my early life... HAPPY 40th ANNIVERSARY, SESAME STREET!!! Count 'em... 40, 40 beautiful years, ah ah ah! I love the Count!


I have to admit, I'll still watch an episode if I happen to catch one while I'm flipping through channels on a sick day. There are a few new characters since I was a kid but it's still the same ol' comforting Sesame Street.

Sunny days... chasin' the clouds away...

(Now I've got ya singing, don't I?!!)

Monday's Musings

The "Simple Things" for which I'm grateful...

I am thankful for... chocolate. It's been a life-saver this past week.

Outside my window... is a beautiful full moon and clear sky.

I am going... to frame my worn-out Bet.tis jersey to hang in our game room.

I am reading... medical reports. I signed back on to work a couple of extra hours tonight.

I am hoping... I can get everything done on my "to do" list this week.

I am hearing... puppies chasing bunnies in their dreams as they sleep on my office floor while Tra.cy Cha.pman sings "Hallelujah".

One of my favorite things... the smell of pumpkin spice. What a perfect fall aroma!

Here is a picture I'm sharing... I took this last fall. I just loved the contrast between the orange and blue.