FINALLY SOME GOOD NEWS!!!!!!!!

Thank you all for your prayers! We received news today that our documents have been submitted for registration in St. Petersburg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In the next week or two, they will be reviewed by the Adoption Committee, which will either accept and register them or request changes or clarification. Obviously, we are hoping for the former, so we can get over there and see our kids! However, even if we have to redo some things, at least we're moving and our documents are now in Russian hands. Please continue to pray with us, as there is still a long way to go, but we do have something to celebrate today!

Waitin' on a Woman

This is the sweetest video by Brad Paisley and Andy Griffith! Just saw it this morning on CMT and had to share. YouTube won't let me embed it in the blog, but here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvKgnkIN8C8

Hurry! Hurry!

I try so hard to be patient and wait for God's timing. I really do. But when family after family who started the adoption process months after we did are traveling to meet kids and getting court dates, I rejoice with them, and then it sinks in again that we are still waiting. And I cry, and I get mad that we can't seem to get moving. I wonder if our agency is the problem, and then I wonder if we are the problem. And then I remember that God will make it happen when He is ready, and I try to calm back down.

I did learn today that one family we've followed since they began the adoption process this spring received their invitation this week to go to Russia and meet their little girl. Not only was I thrilled for them, I was also encouraged that they were registered on Sept. 10th and leave for Russia on Sept. 22nd.....only 12 days!!! PLEASE GOD! PLEASE DO THE SAME FOR US! AND SOON!

In the Swing...

Seems like lately I get around to updating here about the same time I hit the wall and run out of energy...or at least the will to write. It's not that there isn't anything to share, but I keep procrastinating. Imagine that...ME...procrastinating! (My family will appreciate the humor here.)

I am thankful to be able to report that our family members are accounted for and in good health, even the super-stubborn ones that decided to face down Ike at the shore rather than heading inland. Some of them had minor damage to their homes, schools and/or places of work, but there were no catastrophic losses. None of them have power, and most won't for days or weeks, but they are safe!

We had some friends over Friday night for a hurricane party, something we decided on about mid-afternoon. It turned out amazingly well considering no one had any plans to attend before 4 pm. Thank goodness for Sam's and their frozen appetizers, deli trays, etc.!

Saturday, we met an amazing and very special family that we look forward to getting to know better. Jim and Tonya have one biological son and a son and daughter, special-needs twins, whom they adopted. We all went to Chuck E. Cheese and enjoyed chatting for almost 3 hours while the kids played! They had some great insight into adoption, schools, etc. Sunday morning, they visited our church with us, too.

I've been planning a trip to Illinios in October. I am SOOOO looking forward to catching up with old friends to watching Matt run some cross country.

Garin has been so funny today. There has been a lot of LOUD singing going on, and he wore his dinosaur costume (see here and here) all afternoon, even though it's almost 90 degrees outside. He's a quirky little fellow, and I love that about him!

Things are kicking back into full swing around here, with OSC and squadron functions, bowling and other fun stuff. I'm so thankful to be back into the groove and seeing my friends more often! It's nice to rest now and then, but we need our girlfriends!

Another Evacuation

Well, folks, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I'm asking you to pray for the hurricane evacuees again. Late yesterday, when it became clear that Beaumont was not going to escape Hurricane Ike, my brother-in-law evacuated the children's home for the second time in two weeks. In doing so, he had to leave behind his own family: my sister and their three children. Marci decided late last night, when she learned that local officials would be having a 2am meeting to declare a mandatory evacuation today, that she would rather get on the road and get out before traffic got crazy this morning. She and the kids prepared and secured the house and drove to my parents' house. They arrived around 2:30am. Greg and his entourage arrived at Camp Buckner shortly thereafter. My aunt is safely in Northeast Texas in her childhood home, but her husband and children were not able to leave until after work today. They should be on the road now or very shortly, dealing with slow, heavy traffic and long gas lines. Please keep them all in your prayers. Other family members in the Houston area have decided not to heed the evacuation order and have chosen to stay. Although I admittedly question the wisdom of that decision, I also ask you to pray that they will be safe through the storm.

My heart has been particularly touched by the stories I've heard today of families who do not have the financial means to evacuate again, families who spent their small savings evacuating just two weeks ago and have no money to do so again. And there are those who have nowhere to go other than to try to find an open hotel room or shelter. I also pray that God will give them peace, comfort and shelter as Ike approaches.

I Know

We got some fresh information about our Russian children yesterday. It was encouraging, motivating and hope-building, but we are still waiting...hopefully not too much longer.

Sometimes in the course of moving forward and forgetting what is behind, our style of worship changes. Nothing wrong with that! I worship in ways I never knew I could as a child, thanks to Casting Crowns, Lincoln Brewster, Chris Tomlin, and the list goes on. But sometimes those old hymns from childhood now reach out to me in ways they didn't before. Perhaps it's because they aren't routine to me anymore, and I am actually hearing their messages more clearly. Whatever the reason, today as I was praying about D & K and begging God to bring them home soon, the following hymn came to mind and brought with it a great reassurance and reminder that I don't have to know. I can just trust.

These words were written in 1883 by Daniel Whittle, and they still speak to my soul today:

I know not why God’s wondrous grace
To me He hath made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love
Redeemed me for His own.

Refrain
But I know Whom I have believèd
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I’ve committed
Unto Him against that day.

I know not how this saving faith
To me He did impart,
Nor how believing in His Word
Wrought peace within my heart.

Refrain

I know not how the Spirit moves,
Convincing us of sin,
Revealing Jesus through the Word,
Creating faith in Him.

Refrain

I know not what of good or ill
May be reserved for me,
Of weary ways or golden days,
Before His face I see.

Refrain

I know not when my Lord may come,
At night or noonday fair,
Nor if I walk the vale with Him,
Or meet Him in the air.

Refrain

Harvey and Lille

True love!

The original plan was to keep them separated for several days, but they were each so interested in the other, and Miss Lille is not the timid soul we had the impression she would be. She was skittish at first, but she has quite the regal complex and carries herself with a great deal of self-assuredness. She has no fear of Harvey, and although he was not sure what to make of her at first, he is now very antsy to get past the introductions and into some (as Amy commented on a previous blog entry) "frisky" time. We have let them spend short periods of time together the last couple of days, but today they decided that they are ready to be together. Who are we to stand in the way??? She taunts him by prancing by him and then taking off in a leaping run. He obediently follows. They jump around and then flop down, rolling over to show each other their bellies and chins. It's so cute! They both seem to be having fun and show no signs of aggression or fear, so we're just tickled! Here we caught them in a brief rest period between their games.

Hurricane Gustav

**Update - 30 August**
Greg (maybe I'll start calling him Moses!) is leading his people out of Beaumont ahead of Gustav. He has a caravan of 41 children from Buckner Children's Home, as well as 30+ people who work with those children along with the workers' families. It is a grand total of 132 people heading to Camp Buckner in Marble Falls to wait out the storm. My sister and the kids (and pets of course) are safely at my parents' house. They moved everything they could, especially their most precious things, upstairs in case of flood. Marci emptied the freezer into ice chests and took their food along in case they lose power for awhile. I haven't heard whether my aunts, uncles and cousins are leaving or whether they'll stay with my parents, but Greg said they are beginning mandatory evacuations, so it is possible that they may have no choice before long. The highways are already backed up. I pray that there will be no lives lost during this storm and that people will make the wise decision to get out rather than staying to protect earthly possessions. I also pray that those emergency and hospital personnel who cannot leave will be under His protection.

Let's pray for those who are being affected by Gustav. So many have lost lives and property already in Haiti, as there will likely be in Jamaica. There are now many people here in the U.S. preparing to close up their homes and head north to escape this storm that is forecast to reach as high as Category 5 over the weekend and make landfall somewhere on the Gulf Coast on Tuesday. I have many family members among them, including my sister and her family, aunts, uncles and cousins. My parents are preparing for a house full of family, as they did when Rita hit three years ago. That was a family reunion of sorts, with 15 or so houseguests staying with my parents and my grandparents who live next door! My brother-in-law will be evacuating with the children and faculty at Buckner Children's Home to another location. The senior citizens at Buckner Calder Woods will have to be evacuated as well, and this is difficult for them, as many are in ill health. My cousin who works at a children's hospital needs to care for her own family as well as her patients and is trying to decide the best way to do both.

Here is a note from my brother-in-law which explains well how we can pray specifically for the children in his care, whose lives have already been so disrupted and filled with loss:

I'm fascinated by the preparation for hurricanes. I grew up with tornadoes, so I'm used to frantic dives into the hallway or bathtub. I'm new to the days of uncertainty and stress, waiting for the chance to leave your home to the mercy of a storm that may or may not steamroll your neighborhood.Gustav's path is uncertain, but I'm pretty sure that we'll be evacuated this weekend, from what I'm hearing. I have heard that the state of Texas will begin an airlift evacuation of medically fragile individuals on Saturday morning, and the new 211 system (for people to call who need rides away from the coast) is overrun with calls. No one has said clearly, but I'm almost certain that Jefferson County will call for an evacuation this weekend - my guess is Sunday or Monday.So, I'll wish Marci and the kids goodbye tomorrow evening and they'll go spend the weekend in Longview. I'll stay back in Beaumont in order to evacuate with the 41 kids we have living on the campus of Buckner Children's Village, as well as our staff and a few of their family members.If we evacuate, we'll head towards the Austin area, where Buckner has a camp / retreat center. If not, I'll hold down the fort here to keep an eye on the campus. Please pray for these children, who have experienced enough anxiety already in their lives. They really don't need another 'escape to safety.' They really need stability, and I'm thankful to the employees of Buckner who will go with us and provide just that.Pray also for the senior adults Buckner serves here in Beaumont. They will likely evacuate as well, and they will be divided among other retirement communities and nursing homes across the state.I'll try to post pictures and keep you up to date. If we do evacuate, the computers (among other things) are most certainly coming with me. You can also check for updates at http://www.buckner.org/.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary, and look what we got! A new Ragdoll!!! She's a one-year-old blue point. The original plan was to breed her, but she never went into heat, so they decided to have her spayed and sell her as a pet. She is the sweetest little thing - lovey, purrs loudly, likes to play. Harvey (our 3-year-old seal point Ragdoll) is a little nervous about her, and vice versa, but neither has been mean, so I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. This photo is a few months old, but I'll try to get some good ones of her tomorrow.

I have been spending most of my spare time this last couple of weeks practicing on the keyboard (as in piano, not computer) to get ready for our Dover worship services to begin this weekend. Our church is starting a southern campus ("one church, many locations"), and I am going to be playing keyboards for the worship team. I've probably mentioned this before, but I'm nervous. God keeps reminding me that He equips those whom He calls and that all He requires of me is my best. I am struggling to remember that when I start my perfectionist obsession about not being good enough!

We had a commissioning service tonight. It was a wonderful time of worship and preparation, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Even after driving to Lancaster, PA, and back all day to pick up our cat, it was well worth the long drive to church tonight.

A Little Diversion...

As you can see, I've been having fun with worthless but fun celebrity comparisons today. The website scans your photo and spits out a list of people it thinks you look like. Let me tell you, it depends on the photo you choose! I was so unhappy with my first one (Wynona Judd and Hillary Clinton, among others!!!) that I started over with a new photo and got much more pleasant results.

Karl's Look-Alikes

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Family tree research - Family history

I WISH!!!

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

I could not love my husband more...

....than I do in moments like these:

If Sesame Street ever needs to replace the fellow who does Elmo's voice, I know just the guy!

(Please pardon the playroom disaster area!)

Prayers Please

Please keep my cousin, Lisa, in your prayers tomorrow. She will be undergoing a biopsy of her thyroid. The doctors found three lumps on her thyroid and want to check them to be sure they are benign. I'll be sure to update when I hear a report, but please lift her and her family up in prayer. Thanks!

"In God We Trust"

Here's your chance to let the media know where the people stand on our faith in God, as a nation. NBC is taking a poll on "In God We Trust" to stay on our American currency. Please do it right away, before NBC takes this off the web page. Poll is still open so you can vote.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10103521/

Potpourri

It seems like I have been so busy for the last week or two. I have a bunch of video and photos that I want to post here, but I haven't had the time yet. Be prepared for an onslaught when they do come! Hopefully soon...

Karl was home for 6 days out of the past month, flying missions around the world. It looks like (fingers crossed) he will be home for awhile now. He's getting ready to start a new desk job, and there is often a learning period involved. We're supposed to find out today what that job will be. So exciting! I often want to complain about it here when he's gone, but I'm not comfortable announcing to the world when we are home alone. I could go private with the blog, but I don't want to make people ask for permission to read it. It's probably for the best, anyway, as this way you don't have to listen to me whine.

Since we have dwindled back down to the three of us, we are trying to settle into regular life again. With the exception of brief respites to check my Facebook account, I shamelessly admit that my free time has largely been spent on the sofa, watching Team U.S.A. in the Olympics. We, like the rest of America, have Michael Mania. I am in (sisterly) love with Dara Torres. I enjoyed the gymnastics too. But beach volleyball (followed closely by indoor volleyball) has me by the horns. We can't get enough in this volleyball-obsessed family!

We realized last night that Garin has watched far too many volleyball games in his lifetime, whether they be Daddy's intramurals or the pros on TV. The moment he saw the game, he assumed "the stance" - the hunched-over, readied position the players take prior to the serve. (Video coming someday) And he continued to do so with each serve. During the volleys, he ran around the living room as if he were chasing down the ball. And when the whistle blew, he'd stop, clap his hands and shout, "C'mon guys!" in his loudest coach voice. When the play was clearly bad, he'd pace back and forth in the living room, shaking his head! Once, when a player dove for the ball, he bent over as if he were going to touch his toes and then, in a flash, he was down - hands outstretched in front of himself, flat on his belly to reach the imaginary ball coming to him! It was precious!

Matt started school today. He has an ambitious schedule for this junior year of high school: Biology I, Trigonometry/Pre-Calculus, Band, College Chemistry, Spanish 3, Consumer Ed/Gov't and English 3. He is already knee-deep in Cross Country, and his knee is bothering him again this year. We are praying that he will stay healthy, work hard and excel in all of his endeavors this year!

Other than doing the usual fun Mom jobs, I have somehow found myself preparing to play keyboard for our church's new southern campus that we are starting here in Dover on September 7th! I guess all those years of piano lessons are going to be put to use, finally! I am terrified and thrilled about it all at the same time. I always enjoyed playing, but my only public performances consisted of two-a-year recitals, playing songs I had been practicing for months and had down so well that no thought was required when I took my seat, and still I was a nervous wreck.

I offered to play if they didn't have anyone else, simply because I knew we would need someone. It is one of those still-small-voice promptings where you say, "Okay God, I'll just offer because You told me to, but I KNOW that You know that there is no way You really want me for this job, and You're just testing me to see if I'll obey, so I will. But I KNOW You'll find someone better equipped because You want to be glorified in worship, and I'm not used to playing from chord charts, and I couldn't possibly be good enough." It was one of those things where I expected to be like Abraham and have the sacrificial goat walk up at the last minute, so I didn't have to follow through. Instead, I am like Moses, whom God equipped for the task in spite of his shortcomings. Interestingly, I like being Moses instead of Abraham. This is new territory for me, and I'm excited to see how God will use it to His glory (but I'm still scared to death!).

Well, back to the other kind of keyboard for some practice....

TAG!

I've been tagged! I know I shouldn't be so excited about it, but I've been watching bloggers tag each other for months, even years, now, and somehow it never happened to me. At first, I was thankful I didn't have to take the time to complete the task of passing it along, but then I started wondering what made me so "untaggable." (Not that I cared of course, because I am completely secure and never, ever worry about what others think of me!)

Anyway, Jill tagged me with this fun little book tag. I was just hoping that the Lord would share some huge, significant nugget with the world when I opened the book beside me.....not so much. But here it is:

BOOK TAG

Get the book nearest to you, or one that you are currently reading that is over 123 pages.

Go to page 123.

Find the 5th sentence.

Post the 5th sentence.

Tag 5 people.

My nearest book was Birthright: Christian Do You Know Who You Are? Something profound should come out of that, right?

So here is the sentence: "Why?"

Yep, that's it. One word. A pretty profound word, I suppose. The chapter is titled, "God's Expectations for His Miracle Children." The paragraph is talking about Romans 7:14-25. The author was asking why we should anticipate total failure in our attempts to overcome sin. He follows by explaining that in the flesh, we will fail; however, in Christ, we are not in the flesh anymore.

Now it's your turn! I'm tagging Amy, Nerissa, Karen, Kellie and Bethany. Have fun!

Checking In

Hello, dear friends and family! I have been sorely negligent in updating the blog this past week. Instead, I have allowed myself to be completely immersed in the joy of time with my family. We had an amazing week with my sister, her husband and their three kids! We have been all over the place and still managed to share a couple of lazy days together. We sat on the deck in the cool, early morning hours, leisurely sipping coffee and catching up before breakfast, and we fought our way onto the subways of NYC during rush hour. I'm telling you, we really lived this week!

Now we are tired. And the week of indulgence has left me with an extra-long to-do list now. Not that I'm complaining! I have video to edit, so that I can share it here, and there are photos to post. But first, I have to get some songs together, so I can play keyboard at praise team rehearsal on Thursday (yikes!). I need to catch up on some laundry. I need to vacuum and dust and clean bathrooms. And, most importantly, I need to give an extra dose of attention to a toddler who doesn't yet understand the comings and goings of people he loves and cannot process it except through periodic meltdowns and tantrums.

So rest assured, I have not forgotten you. It may take a few days, but I'll get back to updating regularly in the near future. In the meantime, pour a cup of coffee and go sit on the back porch for a while. I highly recommend it!

Wii Like to Exercise Together!

Eli and Garin are getting Wii Fit together. There has been some competition for the board, so Uncle Greg created a new board for Garin - a Guinness Book of World Records. The boys have been getting into shape together, and it is so cute!

We're having a great time relaxing and laughing together today and are looking forward to the beach this afternoon, but we sure do miss Karl. We pray he will be home soon!!!

Remember me???

Hi stranger! It's been a while, I know. Life's been busy!

Last Wednesday, I had to put my Matthew on a plane back to Illinois to get ready for a new school year. Heartbreaking. But before he left, we had a couple more wonderful days together. We wrapped up some loose ends and then spent an afternoon and evening at the beach, just the three of us, playing, laughing and enjoying a gorgeous day. The goodbyes were so hard for all of us, but most of all for Garin. He doesn't quite understand why his Bubby must leave or that he will be back (do any of us really understand???). We said our goodbyes at security, but as Matt walked away, Garin fought to get out of my arms and tried to follow him, crying, "NOOO!" I scooped him up and tried to comfort him, and he began screaming, "Bubby, my Bubby!" It was horrible. Since then, he's been afraid to get out of my sight. Karl has been on a mission that has delayed him at every turn, and he has been gone for two weeks now. Missions are always hard on Garin, but with his Bubby leaving too, he has been struggling emotionally in a way I've never seen from him. Anything can bring a complete breakdown. My heart aches for him, and I pray that Karl will be home soon. I think this will make a huge difference for Garin. If you feel led to pray along those lines too, we'd appreciate it.

I spent Thursday cleaning house and washing all the sheets because....drum roll, please....my sister and her family arrived Friday morning for a whole week of family fun!!!!!!!! Marci, Greg, Sandra, Eli and Emma have now been here for two full days. We have really been enjoying some time together, and I am so thankful that they are here. (Marci asked me last night if I have blogged about how wonderful it is to have my precious sister and her family here and feigned to take offense that I haven't bragged on them yet. Marci, this is for you!) We have day trips planned to the beach, NYC, and DC (along with a few restful days). We should all be thoroughly exhausted, sunburned and cultured by week's end!