Here We Are Again! (Thailand)

It's our 12th day in Thailand, so I figure it's time to start catching up and processing/documenting things before I get too far behind!  

I LOVE having the blog book from this blog last time around, so I know this will eventually be a great resource of looking back and remembering the great things God does! An "Ebenezer stone" of sorts.  

I guess I should start with how we got here.  I remember being on the beach one day with Matt and Tyndall.  We did it a few times this summer, which was super nice.  We were talking about our long-term goals for our family and our dreams for the future.  Our current situation (at the time) was not sustainable.  Matt was working 3+ jobs, and we literally had opposite schedules.  Our family time was pretty limited, and we felt very stressed and worn thin.  It was not fun seeing my husband like that when he is generally such a laid-back, easygoing guy.  So, we had known that something needed to change and had been tossing around options for awhile.  

On our beach day, (June 23rd), we decided for sure to sell our house and simplify our life.  Get rid of STUFF.  Live more simply.   We met with our realtor the next morning and were thrilled with finding out the state of the market and our house's value.  We could pay off all of our 'bad debt' and start fresh.  But the "where do we live?" was harder to answer. We talked about what we wanted... to live with more purpose. To be able to do ministry as a family.  We looked into Cares again.  We looked into other schools overseas, and we even applied to a few.  And then we started talking about being back at GES.  For some reason, it seemed quite obvious.  Things would already be somewhat familiar.  We would know some people already.  It wouldn't be as HUGE of an adjustment as the first time since we would already somewhat know what to expect.  Within that next week, we applied, we interviewed, and we were offered positions.  (Matt's IDEAL position, by the way, which wasn't available when we first started interviewing only a few days earlier!) We had lots of conversations in the meantime and started throwing the idea around to family... Tyndall and I actually were able to be with my family in Saluda the weekend of July 4th which was wonderful family time!  While I was there, the house went under contract after only 4 days on the market. 

So we decided. Back to GES. It was confirmed in our hearts, in our spirits in so many ways.  Just a few days later,  the house contract fell through... time for the 'test'.  Did we really want to go? Was this the right timing?  Lots of prayer and conversations and Scripture, and we still knew we were to go.  So we continued selling all our things, closing down my Mary Kay business, preparing to go.  Visas, passports, original documents all mixed in with the details of selling a house and packing up our household.  Then the house was under contract again, after only 5 days this time.  I was VERY happy to be done with showings.  Keeping the house tidy and leaving for extended periods of time with Zoe and Tyndall was harder than I imagined it would be.  :)  But, we made it, and it was a pretty short amount of time.  Thank You, Lord!  

The whole process was only a few weeks... less than 5 weeks.  Kinda crazy.  Very faith-stretching.  Very humbling and even painful in some ways.  But, through it all, we pray we are being made more like Jesus.  Less earthly stuff.  More focus on eternal matters.  As hard as it is to leave family, especially this time with Tyndall, we knew we were supposed to be heading into this new, different season. So, here we are again!   

 

His Nursery

I love Tyndall's nursery.  I love all the things that people have given us. I love the consignment store finds... I love the travel souvenirs that have made their way to the nursery.  I love that it's been 'in progress' for almost 2 years and will soon be the home of a little boy! 

Now, I will take you on a tour.  This is what it looked like a week ago: 

Please picture this right-side-up.
Giant giraffe "Geoffrey" has been Matt's since he was in middle school.  He served as our Christmas Tree our first married Christmas.  He finally has a better purpose in our home.
Crib (and matress AND conversion set!) given to us by friends from the church where Tricia grew up.
Giraffe rug--purchased almost a year ago at Babies R Us.

Lamp--repurposed from a wedding gift.
Giraffe canvas, bought with Groupon a year ago. Made from a picture we took on a field trip in Thailand.

Dresser--found by a friend at a consignment store.
Basket--bought at local consignment sale.
Changing pad--given to us by long-time friends.
Picture board--Amazon find a few months ago.
Pictures on board--taken by us in Thailand.

Glider--given to us by Mom's old family she used to nanny for
(Was recovered by a friend from the church where I work. Mom bought the fabric and got the cushions cut to fit.  Love it!)
Bouncy seat--bought at consignment sale

Please picture it right-side-up. :)
Bookshelf was a find on Amazon.  Books have been collected for a loooooooong time.
Some are from when we were kids.
Can you see the rocking lion?  Also a consignment store find, as well as the mini-swing.

Matt recently found this treasure in a box of my baby things.

This guy was purchased in Russia. 

Got these in Tanzania... they are made from banana leaves. 

These Christmas books were the Christmas present for Baby Flagler, just this past year.
The elephant nightlight was a recent gift.  It looks really similar to another elephant that Matt's cousin Shannon gave him from Africa years ago.  

 Now, I will take you on a tour.  This is what it looked like a week ago:  

This is what it looked like when we came home the other day.  Stephani & Grandma had fun shopping now that they know it's a boy!
We love the stuffed elephant, all the blankets, outfits, Boppy, bumper & all the other goodies. :)

It's sooooooooo exciting that he'll be here soon!  We can't wait to bring you home, Tyndall James.

Okay, does anyone know how to turn these pictures?  It's driving me nuts.

30th Birthday and Housewarming Party

Last weekend, most of our favorite people were able to be here and celebrate with us!  Thank you so much to everyone who came! 

Ginger and Lauren finally got to meet!

We had a nice drop in with turkey/pumpkin chili, a Fall salad, honey/corn muffins, Brunswick stew, ham biscuits, regular chili, cinnamon rolls, and S'mores!  Special thanks to Emily, Gail and Mark who made all the yummy food!  And special thanks to Ginger, Valerie & Laura for doing all the setup work!

Family by our new fire pit!

We especially enjoyed getting to spend time with our family and friends from out of town and the friends who are local who we hardly get to see.  We loved having the combination of friends from church, work, Cares, the old days, and even our brand new neighbors.  And we missed all of you who weren't able to make it.  

Settling In

 September 14, 2012   Closing Day!   Our First House!

We've been in the house over a month now.  It definitely feels like home.  

After some painting, cleaning and organizing...

and figuring out where to hang all our pictures...

 It's home. 

 

Home Study Legit, Again

Technically, when we moved into the new house, our Home Study was no longer accurate.  Had we been picked by a birth mom in the transition, it's something that could have been taken care of quickly, but after 3ish weeks in the house, we wanted to be 'legit'.


This past Thursday, our social worker from Bethany (we'll call her "E"), who is now more like a friend, came by to check out the new digs.  It was SO great to see her again in person.  We hadn't seen her since June 2011, but we've exchanged lots of emails and phone calls.  After she checked out the new house, we sat down and just talked.  We had lots of questions for her, and she was such a good sport to answer what she could.  

Ever since she left, I've been soooooo thankful that we are where we are.  We truly love working with Bethany, especially in our part of the State, and we truly trust that OUR baby will be arriving at the perfect time.  

Now, our attention will soon turn to fundraising again.  The thought of getting the call that we've been matched but not having adequate funds is a little intimidating.  

Here are a few specific requests we have for now:

• Pray for those who are facing unplanned pregnancies
• Pray for God to work mightily in the hearts of these ladies, for them to choose Life for their children, whether through Parenting or Adoption
• Pray for those who have chosen an adoption plan to have comfort and wisdom through the process, for picking their path (agency, attorney, open vs. closed, etc.)
• Pray for OUR birth mom specifically
• Pray for us to have wisdom with our fundraising.  We don't want it to be all about us but a way to help raise awareness for adoption, for orphans, and for God's heart for the fatherless.  
• Pray for the grants we've applied for.  We're currently waiting to hear from Caroline's Promise, Gift of Adoption, and Help Us Adopt

10 and Thankful Thursday

We have reached a new milestone in this adoption journey:  

Yesterday, we received our 10th email about an available child.  Honestly, the wave of excitement that comes when you get an email about a baby is indescribable.  Could THIS be our baby?  It's also a little heartbreaking.  It's a reminder that we live in a broken world.  But it's also encouraging.  A birth mother choosing adoption is much better than choosing abortion.  

These emails are great reminders for the Sovereignty of God in this process and great catalysts for prayer... and also a reminder that if we were picked, God would have to perform a miracle for us to have the remaining funds ready.  

Today, while we wait for news about this latest baby, I am Thankful.  

• I'm thankful for how God has already provided greatly for this adoption. 
• I'm thankful for our house and that it will make a wonderful home for our family for years to come. 
• I'm thankful for each person who donated items for us to sell at our yard sales. 
• I'm thankful for the people who have purchased jewelry, make-up, home decor, and Tupperware in support of our adoption. 
• I'm thankful for those who have participated in our raffles by spreading the word or donating to earn entries.  
• I'm thankful for the sweet notes we've received along with donations in the mail. 
• I'm thankful for the people who sold class rings and discarded jewelry for our adoption.  
• I'm thankful for everyone who came and supported us at Chik-fil-A. 
• I'm thankful for the crib, highchair, play pen, bassinet, bouncy seat, and baby clothes that have been given to us with such generous hearts. 
• I'm thankful to be on this journey with my best friend who keeps me grounded.
• I'm thankful for a wonderful job with special people who encourage me and ask me about our status. 
• I'm thankful for people who purchase items through our Amazon site in support of our adoption. 
• I'm thankful that Lifesong for Orphans is allowing donations to be made to them so that people can give tax-deductible donations. 
• I'm thankful to have been called to adopt a child... 
• I'm thankful for those who walk this journey with us.  

Some days are hard.  Many days are a blur.  Other days are heart-breaking and feel a little hopeless.  Occasionally, we are reminded of all that we have for which to be thankful; these days are glorious.   Thank you for being part of all these days.

We're Back... Stay Tuned!

As if moving into our new house wasn't a distraction enough!  

We have also had some very complicated (way over my head) issues with our blog address/custom domain.  It seems to be resolved now, thankfully!  That was a headache I really could have done without over the last 8 days.  

So, to update:
1. We closed on our house.
2. We're still moving into our house.
3. We're hoping and praying that God allows our child to join our family soon... in our new house! 
4. We are *tentatively* planning a housewarming/30th Birthday Party/Adoption Fundraiser with an Oyster Roast and Chili in late October/early November.  

What have you been up to? 

ABC Meme

Got this from my friend, Kristin, AND in the process, I learned what "meme" means... it's a French phrase that means "the same thing".  I had been wondering about that forever. :)

A. Age: 29 (for a few more weeks!)

B. Bed size: King.  And I'm thankful. 

C. Chore that you hate: Cleaning bathrooms.  Used to love doing it for others.

D. Dogs: 2. Nala (5 year old pitt mix) and Zoe (1.5 year old Great Dane).

E. Essential start to your day: Shower.

F. Favorite color: Purple.

G. Gold or Silver: White gold. 

H. Height: 5’5.5”

I. Instruments you play: Used to play flute.  Now, really just Pandora. :)

J. Job title: Ministry Assistant for Media and Publications.

K. Kids: None... yet.  Gosh, I hope it's soon.

L. Live: In Charleston, SC... in an apartment for a few more days, then our first house!

M. Mother’s name: Beth.  :)

N. Nicknames: Trish, T, RickiPat, Patty Pat, "Treasure"

O. Overnight hospital stays: in Turkey on summer project. 

P. Pet peeves: I have lots but am blanking at the moment.

Q. Quote from a movie: "I ain't been dropping no eaves, sir, I promise."  Takes me back to college. :)

R. Right or left handed: Right. 

S. Siblings: Two younger sisters.  Love them! 

T. Time it takes you to get ready: I liked Kristin's answer and could identify, but usually 20-30 minutes.  I should take longer and blow-dry my hair, but I never leave myself enough time.

U. Ultimate Vacation: Would love to go on an Alaskan cruise or Mediterranean cruise. 

V. Vegetable you hate: Brussel Sprouts. 

W. What makes you run late: Trying to do 'just one more thing' before I head out the door.

X. X-Rays you’ve had: Many head x-rays after falling from horses, x-rays to both ankles/knees/legs after ankle/knee/leg injuries.  Back/hip x-rays at the chiropractor.

Y. Yummy food that you make: Easiest thing I love to make is Pampered Chef's Jerk Chicken Nachos.  But I don't usually have limes or any produce, so it's just chips, chicken, cheese and seasonings.... yum!

Z. Zoo animal: All of them... except if the monkeys are eating their own waste.  I still have a very unpleasant memory of the Fort Worth Zoo for that reason.  BUT, I love most animals and love watching them!

Was fun to do something different! 
Y'all got any other good distractions?  

What? I need to go home and pack?  

Okay... 

One Day...

One day, I'm going to want to remember this season.  LOTS of friends have told me to journal and help myself remember this time.  Our son or daughter will want to know about this season. The wait.  T.h.e....w.a.i.t.

It's so hard to describe, though.  The juxtaposition of everyday life continuing as normal but the reality that life can change at any moment.  It could be an email.  It could be a phone call. 

I *thought* I was prepared for this.  But there's really no way to prepare. 
And I'm a do-er.  I don't like to sit still and just wait.  So, we've been fundraising.  A nice distraction, only it's not a distraction but a constant reminder.  Just another way to stay busy during the process.  Another juxtaposition--trusting God to provide the finances for this adoption but going forward with how we feel He is leading us to fundraise.  One of the recent fundraisers did not feel completely led by the Lord, and that stressed me out.  It made me want to step back and take a break.  I needed to be reminded that I'm not in control of this.  

Now, there's the whole curve ball of the house situation.  "Backup" money that we were going to use if all the fundraising didn't come through has now turned to House Down Payment.  There is no 'backup'.  Speaking of being a do-er, this has definitely also provided an change in the daily to-do list.  House inspections, meeting with lender, insurance quotes, re-work monthly budget, find a handyman, and so on.  

It's no surprise that yesterday, on my lunch break, someone asked me how I'm doing, and I burst into tears.  And I couldn't stop them.  Thankfully, friends were there to tell me funny stories of their own pregnancy hormonal adventures.  This is not a biological pregnancy, but it's an 'expectancy'.  They were kind enough to make the comparison.  One friend even said that you're not supposed to make major life-changing decisions while pregnant.  Well, again, not pregnant but definitely expecting.  And this big change was unavoidable.  

Oh, and another thing I didn't expect--the constant questions, in my mind and from others. 

• When will it happen? 
• Will it be a boy or a girl?
• Will the birth father be involved?
• How involved with the birth mother's family be?
• Could we do an older child?  Are we supposed to do an older child?  
• Why didn't you do DSS?  Isn't that free?
• What about international?  There are kids already born who will go to sleep tonight without a family. 
• Should we change to international?  
• Is the birth mom a believer?  
• How did this child come to be? 
• How do I even pray for this baby?  Is he/she born, conceived?

Oh gosh, all those "I's" up there remind me of something else I didn't prepare for-- Matthew and I process this whole thing differently.  DUH!  (Since when have we ever done anything exactly the same!?!)  But to be honest, I've struggled with this.  Why doesn't he handle things the same way?  Does he want this as much as I do?  Are we honestly called to this, or is this just what we want? 

Whew... sometimes it's good to be honest and transparent.  God uses this as a way to 'sift' through my thoughts/fears/anxieties and bring forth His Truth.  

Friends, this is hard.  Already, though, it's worth it.  The way God is working in our hearts is overwhelming.  The way God is whispering to my heart is priceless.  I wouldn't trade it for anything.  

Any input?

 

More on the House

We've been excitedly, casually house-hunting since April.  The plan was to buy a house when we were finished with Cares, in February 2013. 
Things have changed with Cares.  Long story-short, it just wasn't a good fit for us anymore or for our apartment community.  After discussions with our Regional Director, we felt that it would be better for the Cares Program if we stepped aside and let a new Cares Team come in and start fresh.  We think Cares is great, but with Matt student teaching and with the adoption process, we knew it was only going to be tougher to do a great job as a Cares Team.  So, now we will be done with Cares in September.

So, for the last 2 weeks, the house-hunting process was accelerated.  We looked a lot on our own for the first week.  Drove to all areas of town, explored lots (thinking we would build a modular home), a family home that had recently been re-done, and houses we found on the internet.  We were fairly discouraged with the options that were in our price-range.  So we knew we needed help.  

We signed with a realtor last Friday, August 3rd.  We knew we wanted to work with Brent anyway but didn't know how great he would be!  After our initial meeting and signing a buyer's agreement with him, we got lots of emails with potential houses.  We checked out several over the weekend but only wanted to see the inside of one house.

Love the wood floors, gas fireplace, high ceilings and openness. 

This house, we call it "Ponderosa", like the ranch, had JUST been reduced from 145,000 to within our price range.  It's a Foreclosure, so we were nervous, but it's beautiful!  We saw it on Monday morning and loved it!  It's not perfect, but it's a perfect first house.  Especially compared to the other houses in our budget, we knew we wanted to make an offer! 

Losing closet space but excited about hardwoods, double sink and being on the first floor!

So, we made an offer on Tuesday (after reading through 20+ pages with our realtor), received a counter on Wednesday, made a new offer (don't really know the terms) on Thursday and received a counter that afternoon.  We came to an agreement on Friday morning and setup House and Termite Inspections for this coming week.  If all goes well with inspections, we should be closing in the middle of September.  We are excited! 

Check out the patio and playset! 

The dogs are gonna love having a back yard, and we're gonna love not having to take them up & down 3 flights of stairs!  We can totally imagine bringing our children home from the hospital to this house.  We look forward to having get-togethers with our new neighbors and celebrating birthdays with our family and friends.  Hopefully at this house. 








I'm including lots of pictures.  These are all from the listing site.  I hope to have more pictures after our inspection on Monday. 

Nursery not pictured.  Kinda bummed about no pantry but (hopefully) plenty of cabinets.

Saturdays

I used to take Saturdays for granted.  Then I worked at Verizon for 2.5 years and didn't have any Saturdays.  I Looooooooooove Saturdays now.  They will be even better when Matt is teaching, and we have Saturdays off together.  But for now, I'm starting to figure out how to fully enjoy Saturdays and fit it as much as possible. 

Last Saturday, I met Celeste for breakfast.  Definitely a treat!  Going out to breakfast is my favorite thing, but it was extra special to catch up with a long-time friend.  (We've been friends since 2004).  After breakfast, we still had lots to catch up on, so she came with me back to our apartment.  We talked and caught up while doing dishes and laundry.  It was pretty perfect.  Being productive AND hanging out with a good friend. I need to do this more often!  

Today, I got up pretty early (I think I'm too old to really sleep in now) and decided to take the dogs to the dog park before it got too hot.  On my way, I decided to see if I could pick up my favorite 2 year old to take her with me.  Her mom happily obliged. :)  So, Allie and I took Nala and Zoe to the dog park... the very muddy dog park.  I totally should have turned around when I saw the puddles, but I knew my girls (the dogs) needed to get some energy out.  Well, we had SOOOO much fun.  All 4 of us got muddy and messy but burned up a lot of energy and made some fun memories.  It was a blast!  

Dropped off a muddy 2 year old almost 2 hours later and came home to wash up my two girls.  Neither of them like baths, and it's not very easy to man-handle either one of them into the bathtub, but I somehow managed to get them both clean.  Felt like a HUGE accomplishment!  Matt came home for lunch, and I straightened up a little bit while he ate.  I LOVE that he can come home for lunch now and will probably miss that when he teaches.  Then again, I'll be working most of the days that he teaches, so I guess it doesn't matter... 

This afternoon, my friend Lauren (also the momma of my favorite 2 year old) picked me up, and we got to enjoy an uninterrupted afternoon hanging out (hard to do since she's a busy wife and momma of 2 + a new exchange student from Australia.) :)  But we had sooo much fun enjoying chatting at Starbucks then going to the grocery store.  (Again, mixing friends and productivity... it works well!)  

My heart is full.  AND I get to enjoy an evening with my honey and a day of family tomorrow.  We are truly blessed.  I don't want to wish this time away.  I don't know how long this season will last, so I want to treasure it while it's here.  Soon enough, Saturdays will be full of new adventures and joys (with home-ownership and parenting on the horizon).  New responsibilities.  For now, I'm going to enjoy my pups and low-maintenance apartment as much as possible.  

(P.S. Sorry no pictures. The beloved camera is MIA and has been for about a month now.  Pretty bummed about that.)

'Tis the Season...

... for more change!  

Our season as a Cares Team has come to an end.  A little earlier than originally planned but definitely the right time.  Thankfully, we had been house-hunting 'just for fun' since April.  And we had a really good idea of what we wanted, where we wanted to be and what we could spend.  

We have now put in an offer, had it countered, countered again and gotten another counter.  We have settled on a price, and as long as the Home Inspection doesn't find any major problems, this will be our first home!  

Isn't God good?!  We will hopefully be bringing our child home to a real HOME and not an apartment, on the 3rd floor.  And we will have more time to focus on bonding and growing as a family without the commitment of Cares. 

More later on "our first house" if all goes well.