Please pray with us that God will use this website to unite us with the child he has for us. We are thankful for Covenant Care Services and the care and support they give to women and families.
Click here to see us on the Covenant Care site.
By the way, if you know someone who is pregnant and is considering adoption, Covenant Care does "designated adoptions". If someone knows that she wants us specifically to be her baby's parents, she can contact Covenant Care through the website with this form, or call them. The office phone number is Phone: (478) 475-4990, and the Toll Free Crisis Line is 1-800-226-5683 (LOVE)
May 3, 2011
Apr 27, 2011
Like a bad penny
OK, so David and I FINALLY had a yard sale a couple of weeks ago. Ever since my parents-in-law moved to GA, we were not able to park a car in our 2-car garage because of boxes of our stuff, boxes of their stuff, and STUFF that just needed to GO. We sorted through linens, kitchen items, Christmas decorations, books, movies, tools, some furniture, and LOTS of miscellaneous stuff.
One of the parents' boxes I sorted was full of music books; there were "E-Z Play Today" keyboard/organ books (yuck!), along with some other books and sheet music that I did not want to add to my library. I actually threw away a lot of stuff in that box because it was illegally photocopied. Anyway, I digress. I arranged the music books in a box for yard sale customers to flip through, and I added some of my own piano books to it, since I haven't ever used them, and I need the room on my shelf.
Our yard sale was very successful; we sold blankets & towels, old bowling balls, spare light bulbs, kitchen gadgets, computer peripherals, even a broken chair. It felt good to sell so much stuff and make a little cash. We still didn't have quite enough room to park the car in there, so I took a bunch of our leftover stuff and donated to a yard sale at the retirement community where David's parents live. They have never been into yard sale shopping, and with their memory loss issues, I took a chance that if they DID go and look, they might not recognize some of their old stuff.
I was really busy the weekend of the community sale, and I did not go to it. Mom Latona called me that afternoon, and she was VERY excited because she had bought 3 books with some "WONDERFUL" music for me to play on the piano for her and Dad. Wouldn't you know, two of them were "E-Z Play" books that we had tried unsuccessfully to sell: "The Lawrence Welk Songbook" and "Songs of the Thirties". I'll give her credit; the third book was NOT originally her property... Of course, she asked me to keep the books at my house for her. For me, this classifies the books as "bad penny" books - they just keep turning up!
I have heard that there is ANOTHER collection of music books, leftover from the yard sale I presume, that they would like me to look at, because one of the neighbors knows I teach piano, and he thought that *I* could probably USE some of them. Every time we bring Mom and Dad over she says, "Oh, I forgot to bring you those books!" I'm suspicious that it may be the same method books that I cleared from my shelf just a few weeks ago. [sigh] On the bright side, though, I asked Mom if she saw any stuff of hers & Dad's at the yard sale, and she said she saw a pillow and a blanket. I said, "That's all?", and she said, "That's all." Well, there was a WHOLE lot more of their stuff in that sale; I'm glad they didn't buy any more of it back!
One of the parents' boxes I sorted was full of music books; there were "E-Z Play Today" keyboard/organ books (yuck!), along with some other books and sheet music that I did not want to add to my library. I actually threw away a lot of stuff in that box because it was illegally photocopied. Anyway, I digress. I arranged the music books in a box for yard sale customers to flip through, and I added some of my own piano books to it, since I haven't ever used them, and I need the room on my shelf.
Our yard sale was very successful; we sold blankets & towels, old bowling balls, spare light bulbs, kitchen gadgets, computer peripherals, even a broken chair. It felt good to sell so much stuff and make a little cash. We still didn't have quite enough room to park the car in there, so I took a bunch of our leftover stuff and donated to a yard sale at the retirement community where David's parents live. They have never been into yard sale shopping, and with their memory loss issues, I took a chance that if they DID go and look, they might not recognize some of their old stuff.
I was really busy the weekend of the community sale, and I did not go to it. Mom Latona called me that afternoon, and she was VERY excited because she had bought 3 books with some "WONDERFUL" music for me to play on the piano for her and Dad. Wouldn't you know, two of them were "E-Z Play" books that we had tried unsuccessfully to sell: "The Lawrence Welk Songbook" and "Songs of the Thirties". I'll give her credit; the third book was NOT originally her property... Of course, she asked me to keep the books at my house for her. For me, this classifies the books as "bad penny" books - they just keep turning up!
I have heard that there is ANOTHER collection of music books, leftover from the yard sale I presume, that they would like me to look at, because one of the neighbors knows I teach piano, and he thought that *I* could probably USE some of them. Every time we bring Mom and Dad over she says, "Oh, I forgot to bring you those books!" I'm suspicious that it may be the same method books that I cleared from my shelf just a few weeks ago. [sigh] On the bright side, though, I asked Mom if she saw any stuff of hers & Dad's at the yard sale, and she said she saw a pillow and a blanket. I said, "That's all?", and she said, "That's all." Well, there was a WHOLE lot more of their stuff in that sale; I'm glad they didn't buy any more of it back!
A small step, but a step!
Well, we made a small step today. Our adoption agency, Covenant Care Services, is going to post our picture, our birthmother letter, and part of our "adoptive family profile" on their website.
I don't know exactly when our information will go up, but it feels like a step in the right direction for this hopefully-soon-to-be-mama.
Psalm 130:5 NASB
I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope.
In the meantime, here's some supercute pictures of my youngest nephew, after enjoying a tasty dinner at our house earlier this month. Can you see the applesauce ALL over his sweet face?
We also played with the kids at a local park, and who knew that Mr. & Mrs. Latona's canes could be so much fun?
We sure enjoyed your visit, Melanie. It's fun to be Uncle David and Aunt Amanda.
Lord, help us be patient as we wait for the titles of "Mommy" and "Daddy".
I don't know exactly when our information will go up, but it feels like a step in the right direction for this hopefully-soon-to-be-mama.
Psalm 130:5 NASB
I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope.
In the meantime, here's some supercute pictures of my youngest nephew, after enjoying a tasty dinner at our house earlier this month. Can you see the applesauce ALL over his sweet face?
We also played with the kids at a local park, and who knew that Mr. & Mrs. Latona's canes could be so much fun?
We sure enjoyed your visit, Melanie. It's fun to be Uncle David and Aunt Amanda.
Lord, help us be patient as we wait for the titles of "Mommy" and "Daddy".
Mar 16, 2011
Confession: Waiting is hard right now
So, I've been staying off of facebook this month. One reason I chose to do it was so I could research some additional adoption agencies, and see if we could connect with one or two in an effort to be matched up with the child God has for our family.
I am struggling on so many levels. First, there's that general ache, wanting to be a mommy, yet not having a child. God is faithful, and I am content most of the time, but this past week in particular, it has been very hard. Next, there has been some rejection. I have contacted two agencies that told me they limit the number of out-of-state couples they work with, and they just can't take any more right now. I'm also struggling with fear. I asked one of the agencies if they could provide some recommendations, and when I did a search a the place they suggested, I found articles & blogposts about ethics violations, loss of license, and scary stuff like that. I don't want to be so eager to adopt a baby that I fall victim to shady people who just want our money. On the flip side, though, I don't want to be suspicious of every agency I find.
I want to be patient and wait with grace. Yet, if God would have us find "our baby" with another agency, I don't want miss out because I was complacent and never attempted to contact other agencies. YET, I don't want to run ahead of God's will or kick in a door that He has shut. I took a deep breath and called an agency today; I left a voicemail message without crying and was very proud of myself. However, they saw my # on the caller ID (I had cycled back to the operator station a couple of times while deciding who to leave a message for, and as a result their phone rang a lot...) so they thought I had called several times, and they called me back. I should have been glad to get to talk to someone so quickly, but instead I was fighting tears during my conversation with the caseworker, and I cried when I hung up the phone. Tears have been streaming through most of my typing of this post, actually. I don't want to be an emotional wreck, but sometimes my emotions well up A LOT when I have to talk about our situation to someone who doesn't know us.
Sometimes I think it would be easier to stop looking for additional agencies and go back to surfing through facebook, but then, I won't really learn anything about myself or about truly leaning on HIM through the tough stuff if I just avoid the tough stuff and spend my time on mindless games.
God, I trust You. You are faithful to Your people. Your Word does not return void. I believe we are on an adoption journey because it's where You called us to be. It's just really hard right now. In my weakness, be strong for me.
I am struggling on so many levels. First, there's that general ache, wanting to be a mommy, yet not having a child. God is faithful, and I am content most of the time, but this past week in particular, it has been very hard. Next, there has been some rejection. I have contacted two agencies that told me they limit the number of out-of-state couples they work with, and they just can't take any more right now. I'm also struggling with fear. I asked one of the agencies if they could provide some recommendations, and when I did a search a the place they suggested, I found articles & blogposts about ethics violations, loss of license, and scary stuff like that. I don't want to be so eager to adopt a baby that I fall victim to shady people who just want our money. On the flip side, though, I don't want to be suspicious of every agency I find.
I want to be patient and wait with grace. Yet, if God would have us find "our baby" with another agency, I don't want miss out because I was complacent and never attempted to contact other agencies. YET, I don't want to run ahead of God's will or kick in a door that He has shut. I took a deep breath and called an agency today; I left a voicemail message without crying and was very proud of myself. However, they saw my # on the caller ID (I had cycled back to the operator station a couple of times while deciding who to leave a message for, and as a result their phone rang a lot...) so they thought I had called several times, and they called me back. I should have been glad to get to talk to someone so quickly, but instead I was fighting tears during my conversation with the caseworker, and I cried when I hung up the phone. Tears have been streaming through most of my typing of this post, actually. I don't want to be an emotional wreck, but sometimes my emotions well up A LOT when I have to talk about our situation to someone who doesn't know us.
Sometimes I think it would be easier to stop looking for additional agencies and go back to surfing through facebook, but then, I won't really learn anything about myself or about truly leaning on HIM through the tough stuff if I just avoid the tough stuff and spend my time on mindless games.
God, I trust You. You are faithful to Your people. Your Word does not return void. I believe we are on an adoption journey because it's where You called us to be. It's just really hard right now. In my weakness, be strong for me.
Feb 25, 2011
Birthday 2011 - a tale of ten songs
I certainly enjoyed celebrating my birthday this year. :-) Here are the highlights:
On the eve of my birthday, my sweet friends noted the outfit I wore to choir practice and observed that I looked like a college student. I took this as a great compliment since I got out of college...13 years ago. (eek!)
I opened a gift from my parents first thing in the morning; a fun sweater & blouse. My mom knows I like it when she gives me clothes, since I usually dread shopping for them myself. My dear friend Tammy came to visit me in the afternoon, and she brought homemade cupcakes with chocolate icing. I had made strawberry cupcakes, and I served them to my students all week (there are still a few more to pass out today and Monday), but it was fun to be the recipient of such a treat.
Cards arrived in the mail from my husband's aunt, from Miss Annette at church, and from the "Moss Gang". The hand-made card from my 4-year-old niece to "AUNTAMANDA" was fun, and so was the Kohl's gift card! Friends sent me messages & "wall posts" on facebook through the day, and I enjoyed reading them, since I don't let the program tell people it's my birthday; they have to remember or figure it out!
At dinner, my husband presented me with a gift that was wrapped at a jewelry store!! He consulted with some of his female coworkers who have lived here a long time, and they told him the best jewelry store in the area was over in Sylvester, so unbeknownst to me, he took his mom over there and selected a necklace for me. The chain is a sparkly silver (it almost looks like diamonds), and it's interspersed with pearls. So lovely. I was touched that in the midst of the busyness and stress of work, he made time to select something special for me. I love my man...
Birthday song #1 was sung by my husband before we got out of bed in the morning. He is NOT a singer, mind you, and it was very sweet that he chose to sing to me.
Birthday song #2 was on the telephone, courtesy of Mr. Russell Cates. He has been a member of my church for many years, and his ministry is to call members on their birthdays, sing the song, and remind them that Jesus loves them. Mr. Russell makes me smile.
Song #3 was via Skype! My sweet and busy sister taught her kids the birthday song EARLY, and it was fun to watch them sing to me; technology is so cool. Thanks, Mel, for finding those few minutes for me in your VERY FULL day!
Songs #1-3 all happened before 8:00, and at 9:00 my parents called & sang to me on the phone. They said, "Has anyone sung 'Happy Birthday' to you yet?" I told them that they were song #4 of the day!
Someone once told me that I should have my students play "happy birthday" for me on the piano on my special day, but I haven't specifically taught them to play it since we're prepping for piano festival in about 2 weeks. I couldn't help but smile when one of my students arrived at his lesson with a printout of the "Happy Birthday" music that his mom had found on the internet, and he played it for me before we started our lesson. Birthday song #5 was an unexpected treat!
You might not count song #6, but *I* do, and that's what matters. For several years, I played keyboard at my home church (First Assembly of God, Gainesville FL) and for a season, I got to share the platform with the Whitesel family. Julie, Janet, Keith, Kraig & Jeana were a fine bunch of musicians, and when Janet posted the happy birthday lyrics with music note icons included, I could HEAR her singing it, if only in my mind's ear.
Song # 7 was courtesy of another student (and his mom) who called me on the phone and sang a lively rendition of "Happy Birthday", complete with a "cha-cha-cha" at the end of every line! (ironically, songs #5 and #7 were both performed by students named Jacob)
Song #8 was provided by my MIL & FIL. They wanted to take us out to dinner for my birthday, even though that meant a rather LATE meal for them; they usually dine at 5:15, and I wasn't done with lessons until about 6:30, so we arrived at the restaurant well after 7:00. As they got in the car, they started singing the song, but they didn't finish it. I briefly mentioned my "count" of songs, and joked that theirs wouldn't count, being incomplete, so they took it from the top and sang through to the end. My FIL is notorious for knowing short portions of songs, never the whole thing, and he is 90 years old with Alzheimers, so I'm glad for a fun memory of their song to file away in the cabinet of my mind.
Let's see.... Birthday song #9 was presented by my girlfriends, the same ones who gave me the compliment at choir the night before. At choir we decided to have a girls-night-in / wii party / happy-birthday-Amanda night. They brought me a slice of DELICIOUS cheesecake with a birthday candle in it, and we all know that when there's a candle you HAVE to have the song!! Christen & Meredith, thanks for having me as a friend, even though I'm an "old lady"! Thanks to you, I DID get to blow out a candle on my birthday.
And finally, song #10 was posted on my facebook page shortly before midnight. It was done in Solfege (sol sol la sol do ti, etc.), and I found it especially unique since it included the tag, "and many more---". Way to go, Hank! Next year, can you use Fixed Do solfege, and transpose it to the key of Eb?
I am thankful to my friends & family for a fun day. I am most thankful to God for granting me this life (I have completed 34 years now, in case you were wondering), for offering me the gift of salvation & eternal life, and for using my friends & family to bless me on my birthday. He is so, so good.
On the eve of my birthday, my sweet friends noted the outfit I wore to choir practice and observed that I looked like a college student. I took this as a great compliment since I got out of college...13 years ago. (eek!)
I opened a gift from my parents first thing in the morning; a fun sweater & blouse. My mom knows I like it when she gives me clothes, since I usually dread shopping for them myself. My dear friend Tammy came to visit me in the afternoon, and she brought homemade cupcakes with chocolate icing. I had made strawberry cupcakes, and I served them to my students all week (there are still a few more to pass out today and Monday), but it was fun to be the recipient of such a treat.
Cards arrived in the mail from my husband's aunt, from Miss Annette at church, and from the "Moss Gang". The hand-made card from my 4-year-old niece to "AUNTAMANDA" was fun, and so was the Kohl's gift card! Friends sent me messages & "wall posts" on facebook through the day, and I enjoyed reading them, since I don't let the program tell people it's my birthday; they have to remember or figure it out!
At dinner, my husband presented me with a gift that was wrapped at a jewelry store!! He consulted with some of his female coworkers who have lived here a long time, and they told him the best jewelry store in the area was over in Sylvester, so unbeknownst to me, he took his mom over there and selected a necklace for me. The chain is a sparkly silver (it almost looks like diamonds), and it's interspersed with pearls. So lovely. I was touched that in the midst of the busyness and stress of work, he made time to select something special for me. I love my man...
Birthday song #1 was sung by my husband before we got out of bed in the morning. He is NOT a singer, mind you, and it was very sweet that he chose to sing to me.
Birthday song #2 was on the telephone, courtesy of Mr. Russell Cates. He has been a member of my church for many years, and his ministry is to call members on their birthdays, sing the song, and remind them that Jesus loves them. Mr. Russell makes me smile.
Song #3 was via Skype! My sweet and busy sister taught her kids the birthday song EARLY, and it was fun to watch them sing to me; technology is so cool. Thanks, Mel, for finding those few minutes for me in your VERY FULL day!
Songs #1-3 all happened before 8:00, and at 9:00 my parents called & sang to me on the phone. They said, "Has anyone sung 'Happy Birthday' to you yet?" I told them that they were song #4 of the day!
Someone once told me that I should have my students play "happy birthday" for me on the piano on my special day, but I haven't specifically taught them to play it since we're prepping for piano festival in about 2 weeks. I couldn't help but smile when one of my students arrived at his lesson with a printout of the "Happy Birthday" music that his mom had found on the internet, and he played it for me before we started our lesson. Birthday song #5 was an unexpected treat!
You might not count song #6, but *I* do, and that's what matters. For several years, I played keyboard at my home church (First Assembly of God, Gainesville FL) and for a season, I got to share the platform with the Whitesel family. Julie, Janet, Keith, Kraig & Jeana were a fine bunch of musicians, and when Janet posted the happy birthday lyrics with music note icons included, I could HEAR her singing it, if only in my mind's ear.
Song # 7 was courtesy of another student (and his mom) who called me on the phone and sang a lively rendition of "Happy Birthday", complete with a "cha-cha-cha" at the end of every line! (ironically, songs #5 and #7 were both performed by students named Jacob)
Song #8 was provided by my MIL & FIL. They wanted to take us out to dinner for my birthday, even though that meant a rather LATE meal for them; they usually dine at 5:15, and I wasn't done with lessons until about 6:30, so we arrived at the restaurant well after 7:00. As they got in the car, they started singing the song, but they didn't finish it. I briefly mentioned my "count" of songs, and joked that theirs wouldn't count, being incomplete, so they took it from the top and sang through to the end. My FIL is notorious for knowing short portions of songs, never the whole thing, and he is 90 years old with Alzheimers, so I'm glad for a fun memory of their song to file away in the cabinet of my mind.
Let's see.... Birthday song #9 was presented by my girlfriends, the same ones who gave me the compliment at choir the night before. At choir we decided to have a girls-night-in / wii party / happy-birthday-Amanda night. They brought me a slice of DELICIOUS cheesecake with a birthday candle in it, and we all know that when there's a candle you HAVE to have the song!! Christen & Meredith, thanks for having me as a friend, even though I'm an "old lady"! Thanks to you, I DID get to blow out a candle on my birthday.
And finally, song #10 was posted on my facebook page shortly before midnight. It was done in Solfege (sol sol la sol do ti, etc.), and I found it especially unique since it included the tag, "and many more---". Way to go, Hank! Next year, can you use Fixed Do solfege, and transpose it to the key of Eb?
I am thankful to my friends & family for a fun day. I am most thankful to God for granting me this life (I have completed 34 years now, in case you were wondering), for offering me the gift of salvation & eternal life, and for using my friends & family to bless me on my birthday. He is so, so good.
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