New year, new look!

Wow!  Have we been MIA.  It seems to be the theme among some bloggers out there, not blogging for weeks, months on end.  It's tempting to fall into the cavern of "I just don't feel inspired" or "I've got writers block".  Whatever excuse I could rig up, the honest answer is that I just fell short.  Real short.  So much took place in the last few months of 2010 and its too good to forget.

Most of you will notice that the blog is looking pretty fly these days!!  How cool is Becky Burk over at Bringing Home Ezra. This woman has wild talent and her creativity caught my eye many months ago.  Becky and her husband have adopted a little guy from ET and they are currently in the process of waiting for more babes to come home via the foster system.  While she isn't busy being a wife & mommy, she also works as a veterinarian.  If that doesn't seem like her plate is full, she is also very dedicated to using her creative gifts and talents to help bloggers like me.  I hope you are enjoying the new layout as much as we are!  Becky really discovered our individual personalities, and Justin and I are thrilled to share her with you!

Thinking back over the past 3 months or so since I last put in an entry, I realize that some of the reluctance I felt in blogging was that it just didn't seem like there was much news to share.  How silly of me to doubt our Creator and to ignore the AMAZING moments He draws us to daily.  Each Friday we receive a group email from our Children's Hope Ethiopian Team.  I love it--I love that we learn of referrals there, that we are given tips and insight to adoption and parenthood, and we are reminded that there are others out there in our shoes.  Waiting.  Done with the crazy rush of paper chasing, and now just finding peace at a daily (more likely hour by hour pace at times) with this wait.  And yet there is the thrill of hearing of those traveling to meet and bring their beloved children home.  I hadn't know how much of a delight CHI's Friday email would have been, but I can tell you it's a fantastic way to end our week!

During the past several months Justin and I also made it a focused goal for us to relish in this season of our lives.  Sooner than we may realize, we will be a family of 3 and when that time comes, we'll be called in directions our marriage has yet to see.  In anticipation of this, we began working on our bucket lists!  Yep, you read that right!  We're crossing a few things off now that 2010 is complete!  Sharron from Children's Hope has emphasized to us many times the importance of finding ways to pass this season of waiting.  Well, we took her up on that!  Towards the end of summer/beginning of fall  Justin and I researched motorcycles, took a weekend course on ridding, and bought two sport bikes.  It has been so. much. fun!  During those beautiful fall weekends we had the chance to get out and ride through our stunning state park.  As the leaves turned we soaked up the beauty around us.  It was a fantastic chance for us to establish a goal together, to help one another learn, and then to see each other succeed.  Although we won't have these motorcycles much longer, it truly has been a blast!  Then, during the month of Thanksgiving we took a wonderful vacation away that we dubbed our Babymoon :)  For two weeks we slept in, laughed like young lovers, and embraced the company of one another.  It is so important to me that we build into our marriage foundation for the protection of our children and our selves.  Opportunities like these allow us to stow away wonderful memories and it builds into our marriage!  For those of you who are in the waiting stage too, I want to encourage you to take advantage of this season of your marriage.  I haven't got it all figured out, but I know that God cherishes the institute of marriage, and the more you put into it, the more you're going to see His beautiful design and heart. There are millions of ways to do this, just ask Him!  He knows your heart, and He knows your loved one's heart(s), and there's great things happening right now, right where God has called you to be. :)  And for those of you who've been in our shoes, how did you prepare during this waiting period?  How did you pass time?  I'd love to glean from your experience!

Stay tuned, this blog is about to get a little thicker!  Fridays have become my favorite day (as stated above) and we'll be posting each week to keep family and friends up to date on our adoption adventure!  Have a wonderful evening!