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.