Another Year has Come and Gone....

Tomorrow is my anniversary! 


Once again, Rich is working on our anniversary, but that's ok with me because it's not about spending that day together.... We do like to go on dates each month, but we always make an effort to have a special anniversary dinner sometime near the actual date. 

We're hoping for a fairly low-key anniversary date, especially compared to last year, when Rich was the lead investigator in a murder case that began the day before I had some surprise anniversary plans for him..... And understandably, his line of work doesn't stop for my anniversary surprise!  He was able to work 24 hours in a row so that he could come home (on his day off, but that also doesn't matter in his line of work!) and we celebrated our anniversary.

This year we celebrated in a much more low key way.  Rich had the day off and did a few things around the house, the kids and I did school and then we watched them play in a soccer game.  Julia hurt her ankle and a teammate dislocated his elbow, but other than that, we had a good time!  ;)  Thankfully, this year our home soccer field is 5 minutes from my parents house so they came to watch the game as well and then took the kids out for dinner while I went home to get ready for our anniversary dinner.

This year, we decided to go back to The Angus Barn.  We are not ones to try somewhere new to eat, especially to take the chance that it might not be very good and then feel that we've wasted all that money.  The Angus Barn is consistently excellent and we have lots of great memories from eating there over the years for birthdays, anniversaries and just for fun!


Now, back to my anniversary thoughts.....  Who would've thought all those years ago (16, to be exact) that this is where we'd be today?  Now, I'm not talking about the house we have or the career Rich is in.....  I'm talking about how much we've grown and all the situations God has brought us through.  There are way too many to list, but I can imagine that those of you reading this who are married know exactly what I'm talking about.  


There was a point in my marriage where I finally realized that it can't be about two people living together but for themselves......It has to be two people working together, living for God and serving each other.  That is what will get you through the hard times that WILL come your way.


So, I guess it's very appropriate that Rich is working on our anniversary....cause that is just how he is- ready to do what needs to be done to be the leader and provider of our family.  I'm so glad he's the one God had in mind for me to spend my life with!  

Blogging is Hard Work!

A few weeks ago, I bought a composition notebook for 25 cents when school supplies went on clearance.  I use it for lots of things, including to make a list of possible blog posts.  I have 2 pages of ideas to write about, yet I sit here wondering what to write!

I'm not a natural writer, so that could be why I'm having a hard time writing 3 blog posts a week.  I suppose it would help if I cut that down to 2 posts per week.  Blogging takes a lot of time!  Thankfully, I've been able to take a few Saturdays while Rich is working and get 2 or 3 posts written and set for posting for the upcoming weeks.  That seems to work better than trying to find 30 minutes to write a well thought out post several times during the week.

I think that maybe I have too many post ideas on paper and that is overwhelming me!  I have too many choices!  None of the posts will be a quick thing to write so I know that I will need 1-2 hours to write a week's worth of posts and it's hard to find that kind of time some days.  

I really need to write some notes next to my blog posts so that when the time comes to write, I've got something to work with.  Otherwise, I have too many thoughts running around in my head......

There are a few posts that will require some advance planning, such as posting some pictures of our favorite dinners, or writing about menu planning, or telling about the changes we've made in our eating and cleaning habits in the past 2 years.  

So, bear with me as I continue to figure out this blogging thing.  Hopefully, it will continue to be interesting enough for you to read as I work through topics, pictures and all the thoughts running through my head!

A Heart for Orphans

Right now, my friend Kelly is back in Ukraine finalizing Maria's adoption.  They hope to return to the US on Saturday!  

Psalm 68:5-6 "A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation.  God sets the solitary in families....."

Why should we care about orphans?  Because God cares about orphans!  He desires for orphans to have families......  But many times those families are not willing to open their homes.

There are many ways to help the countless number of orphans both in America and throughout the world.  For orphans in our country, there is a great need for both foster families and adoptive families.  Sometimes the process is overwhelming and too long and that could scare some families away.  The unknown- not knowing what trauma the children could have and how that will affect your family- causes some to not pursue foster care or adoption.

Many orphans in other countries face a dim future.  I shared some statistics regarding orphans in Ukraine in a previous blog post.  I'm sure in other countries the statistics are the same, and even worse.  The paperwork and the cost prevents many people from foreign adoption.  

If God calls you to foster or adopt, you need to do it, regardless of how much it costs or how hard the process is.  But God does not call everyone to foster or adopt!  So what else can you do to help orphans?

PRAY:  For God to open and prepare the hearts of those who He wants to foster or adopt.... 

GIVE:  Whether it's so that someone can host a child to see if they are a match for an adoption or for the costs associated with a private domestic or a foreign adoption, consider giving sacrificially so that a child can have a home.  Sometimes we don't think we have any extra.....But most times we do- we can give up eating out or Starbucks coffee for a month to make a donation......

GO:  Yes, you can go on a mission trip to serve orphans, but you can also go to your church or community to raise awareness and funds for foster care and adoption!  

I have had the privilege to talk to and meet many people over the past year who have a heart for orphans, both through our hosting experiences last winter and this summer and through our foster/adoption classes the past few months.  I so appreciate all of those people, but I also know that we need more!  So, consider what you might be able to do for orphans....  

(If anyone has an questions about foster care or adoption, or orphan hosting or adoption, feel free to ask and I'll answer as best as I can!)