To my friends:

A couple of weeks ago we finished up a sermons series called Declaration. We talked about New Years Resolutions and how to set ourselves up to make good choices. Our main theme was "Your life doesn't get better by chance, it gets better by change!"

So the final sermon in the series was about relationships. And how to make those relationships healthy. We talked about how God designed us to have healthy relationships and how we are not meant to do life alone. God makes this very clear in Genesis. After making the heavens and the earth, the birds of the sky, the fish of the sea, the animals that roam the earth, the stars, the sun, the moon, night and day, and man to rule over all the earth "God saw that all that he had made and it was very good." (Genesis 1:31) But then we see in Genesis chapter 2 we see God showing Adam all that he is to care for and rule over and discovers that "for Adam no suitable helper was found." (Genesis 2:20). I realize that here he is talking about a mate for Adam, but I think it demostrated the importance of us not doing life alone. God even states, "It is not good for man to be alone." (Genesis 2:18). I think this also translates into friendships because we even see that Jesus, God himself, has very close friendships while here on earth. 

Now, I have fantastic friends that I love dearly! They care for me and treat me better than I deserve. But I left feeling very convicted. I left wondering if I treat my friends as good as they treat me. I left wondering if I am the cause of an unhealthy relationship. And ultimately wondering if I leave my friends sharper and at the throne of God! 

We learned that the start of a healthy relationship begins with me. That we need to be the friend that we want others to be to us. It sickens me to think that I could be the poison that eats away at my relationships. That my selfishness, my pride, my jealousy, my sin is what destroys the friends that I love so dearly! 

So, to my precious friends, I'm sorry! I'm sorry if I am the cause of an un-healthy friendship. I'm sorry if I have ever left you hurt and far from God. I'm sorry if I have made our friendship about me. I'm sorry if my selfishness, my pride, my jealousy, my sin is the disease that harms our friendship. I love each and every one of you and am so thankful to have you by my side on this journey. My prayer is that I always leave you a better person and closer to the Lord!

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man       sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17

Time Hop

Ok, so I was recently introduced (by my techie brother-in-law) to this new app called Time Hop! Every time we see Josh he always has new apps that he thinks we need to check out. Now usually the apps are way over my head or they just aren't applicable to my every day life, but this one really caught my attention! This app archives every picture, tweet, or blog you ever post on social media (I think you can also somehow hook it to your computer and archive all the photos you have stored on it as well, but I'm not sure how to do that yet!) But what's so great about it is everyday it shows you what was posted on that day specifically! It's the neatest thing to be able to see what you were doing a year ago, two years ago, three years ago and so on and so on! Just the other day mine showed pictures that I posted on Facebook 6 years ago!! 6 years ago!!! Talk about a walk down memory lane!!! It's such a fun app! Even Liam gets excited to see what that days pictures are! 

What was archived for today was a blog post from 3 years that talked about us getting ready to go bring Tytus home. It brought back a number of emotions and memories! It was so wonderful to read and see what God was doing in those days! It inspired me to start blogging again. To put into words things that the Lord is doing in my life and the life of our family. 

Here's a screen shot of today's            Time Hop: 

I also had a day that didn't have anything and I have to admit, it made me extremely sad! Like there were no memories of that day! Of what I did or what my kids did or what we did as a family......nothing! Just a blank day. I know it may sound silly, but after several days of pictures and memories to nothing, it made me realize that I can't get those days back. So I decided I am going to be proactive and I am going to post at least one picture everyday on either Facebook, Instagram or do a blog post so that in the following years I won't have a blank day! It's like my own digital scrapbook (because anyone who knows me knows "I ain't got time for that!"). 

Another great thing about this app is it's FREE!!! And it only takes a couple of minutes to get it set up! 

So what are you waiting for?! Go download your Time Hop and see what you were up to a year ago!

Finally!!!!

The day that I have dreamt about for so long has now come to life!  The call that I have prayed for has come!  The news that I have longingly needed to hear has been heard!  Here's how it happened:

I was on my way home from a meeting a church and my phone rings (mind you I have been stalking my email and facebook to see if anyone of my adoptive friends have heard anything).  I see that the number is and Indiana number and so my heart begins to pound.  I begin to think "Could this be it? The call I have dreamed about getting?"  I answer the phone with an enthusiastic "HELLO!"  "Brittany, are you ready to go to Ethiopia?" asks a very familiar and sweet voice.  "Yes I am!  Do you have a date for us!!!!"  "Well, I don't have a date yet, but you have been cleared to travel.  I will have travel dates for you tomorrow." The biggest wave of excitement surged through me!  I honestly can't believe it!!  I could be on a plane in just a few days to go get my baby! So, I guess I better go and get my bags packed ;)

A Much Needed Getaway!

This past week Will, Liam and I went to Texas for a much needed break!  Will's brother, JT, lives in Fort Worth, Texas where he goes to school.  He has been wanting us to come down to visit and have Will preach at his church.  We had planned to go back in November, but the timing just wasn't good, so we postponed our trip.  So, a couple of weeks ago we worked it out and the timing couldn't have been better!  I know I've said this before, but I have to say it again....God is so good at providing what we need at the exact moment we need it!

So, last Thursday we packed up and headed out.  We drove for about 7 hours and stopped in Hot Springs, Arkansas for the night.  Friday morning we woke up and headed to the Lonestar state.  When we got there we met up with JT and grabbed some lunch and then went to the Stockyards.  The Stockyards are modeled after the old west, so the streets are brick and everything is very western.  They even have a cattle drive and drive the Texas Longhorns right down the middle of the street.

Liam in his new boots :) And you better believe, I had mine on :)

The Cattle Drive

Texas Longhorn!

On Saturday, we went to The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History.  It sounds boring, but it was so much fun.  It was geared toward kids, but I think it was more fun for us adults ;)  The annual stock show was also going on, so we got to go to that as well.  That was neat, it really showed me what a city girl I am! 

Will, Liam and I in a 3D movie at the museum.

Liam and his creation.  He was so proud :)

Will and JT's creation.  They were so proud :)

The Stock Show

A couple of the many animals we saw at the stock show

Sunday was a great day spent in the house of the Lord, with JT and some new friends.  Will preached both services at JT's church and we spent the afternoon with JT, his pastor and his family.  They were wonderful and we truly appreciate them opening their home to us and being so hospitable.

On Monday, we went to the Fort Worth zoo.  It's ranked top 5 in the nation and we quickly found out why!  It was awesome.  The animals were all so close and you could see all of the animals.  I hate it when you go to the zoo and the animals are hiding.  At the Fort Worth zoo they had the exhibits set up to where the animals couldn't hide.  The gorillas were by far our favorite.  You'll see why in the pictures.

The gorillas put on a show for us.  And the one in the last picture kept mooning us.  Hilarious!

JT getting mooned.

One last pic of the zoo.  Simply beautiful!

Monday night, we went to a Dallas Stars hockey game.  That was tons of fun.  Not only was it Liam's first professional hockey game, but the Stars won!

Tuesday, we went to one of JT's professors Stewardship exhibit/museum.  It was very interesting to see all the history of church stewardship.  He has collected everything from art to old offering plates and books. After lunch with JT and his professor, we started our long journey home.  We hated to leave, but we were refreshed and ready to get back to our calling.  Thanks JT for being such a great host!

Tired?

Are you tired?  Tired of this, tired of that?  Tired of the same ol' same ol', everyday life?  Tired of being stressed?  Tired of worrying about what the future holds?  Tired of wondering when things will get better?
I'm not gonna lie, I AM TIRED!!!  I am tired of waiting.  Tired of checking my email all day everyday hoping to hear when we get to go pick up our sweet little boy.  I'm tired of getting my hopes up every time the phone rings or every time I have a new message in my inbox.  I'm tired of feeling like I'm always at the mercy of someone else.  Tired of constantly wondering how much longer. 

I hate to sound negative, but I want this blog to be real.  About our real life, the good, the bad and the ugly.  And this is just where I'm at at the moment.  We knew going into our adoption that waiting was part of it, and I know that when the wait is over it will be well worth it.  It's just that in the midst of the wait it feels excruciatingly long, like it's never going to end.
As I was praying through all of these emotions today God brought Matthew 11:28 to mind.  It says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."  God promises rest to those to come to him.  And you better believe I went running.  There is no greater feeling than to give a heavy load to the Lord!  I pray that if you are weary and burdened that you will go lay it all at his feet, and receive rest!!

OUR TRIP

WOW!!! It has been a long time since my last post and a LOT has happened since that post.  I will give you a short version of all of the happening in our household since......
On October 18, 2010, we received a court date for December 8th.  Honestly, we were pretty disappointed because we were hoping to be making our second trip around that time.  But, we just trusted that God had everything under control and stayed busy with everyday life.  I will say though, that the time passed quickly, especially with Halloween and Thanksgiving thrown in there.  We also received two other updates before our first trip.

On December 5, 2010 Will and I left for Ethiopia.  We flew from Nashville to Washington DC and from DC to Ethiopia with a stop in Rome to refuel.  That day was a very emotional day for me.  I was torn between two very different worlds, each world with one of my babies.  It was very hard to leave Liam.  To think that we were going to be so far away and couldn't make a quick trip back if we had to made me sick to my stomach.  But, I had to keep reminding myself that God had it all under control and it was all going to be ok.  On the other hand, I was sooooo excited meet our precious Tytus.  Just to think that we were days away from something I never thought would happen took my breath away.  Those things combined with a very LONG day of travel, airports and airplanes made me weepy.  And can I just say that God is sooooo good!  He provided people all along our trip to encourage us and to connect with.  He even put an Ethiopian couple who are also adopting in our path, which was very helpful when we landed in Africa.
We arrived in Ethiopia around 8:30pm Ethiopian time on Monday, December 6, 2010.  Once we got our visas, luggage and money exchanged we headed to our guesthouse.  When we arrived, it was pretty quiet.  Everyone was already in bed.  We had a bowl of soup (our first taste of Ethiopian cooking, and it was delicious) and went to bed.
On Tuesday, after an awesome breakfast of pancakes and meeting the awesome families that we were going to spend the week with, we went to meet Tytus!  WOW!  What a moment!  Words just can't even describe it!  It was soooo surreal to be actually holding the child that we had come to know through pictures and email updates.  Like I said, I honestly thought that this day would never come.  After about an hour and a half of visiting with Tytus (which included feeding him lunch), we had to leave.  We then went to lunch and went back to our agency office for court training.  After court training we went to a couple of shops to do some shopping.  Dinner that night was a traditional Ethiopian meal. It was interesting, but I tried everything that was on the tray that was not spicy.  And believe it or not, I actually liked a few things.

 The Restaurant

 Will and I at the traditional Ethiopian meal

 Traditional Ethiopian Food

    They even served POPCORN!  Nothing bridges the culture gap like popcorn!

Wednesday was court day!  After an even more amazing breakfast of homemade cinnamon rolls we headed off to the courthouse.  I was soooo nervous because I have never been to court before, let alone court in another country.  Thankfully we had training on what to expect.  When it was finally our turn, we were called into the judge's office.  She asked us a few questions, signed the papers and said, "He's yours."  Wow!  What powerful words!!!!  There were 6 couples that went to court and we all passed, so we went to a cafe down the street from the courthouse for a celebratory mocha.  Now, I'm not a coffee drinker, but that mocha was amazing.  Maybe it tasted so good because of what it followed :)

 Celebratory Mocha

Will and I after court

Thursday, *SIGH* our last day.....We had an awesome morning!!!  We got to spend several hours with Tytus.  We played most of time as well as feed him lunch.  I also rocked him to sleep.  When it was time to leave, I took him up to his bed.  I didn't cry too much when we left because I knew that he was in such good hands.  We were able to see the care he was getting first hand and had complete confidence that the nannies love our boy.  It wasn't until we got back to the agency office that I lost it.  They sent Will and I up to a meeting room to wait on the others to get there.  When we walk into the room it was full of families who were all taking their babies home.  That was a slap in the face to me and I just lost it. 

Once the other families got there we went to lunch and then did some more shopping.  After our shopping excursion we went back to our guesthouse to eat and get our things to begin our journey home.  Leaving was very bittersweet.  We had not only met our little Tytus, but we had made some really good friends along the way and fallen in love with Africa.  But we were also excited to get home to sweet Liam.

Goodbye Tytus....Until we meet again

Since our trip we have had lots of things going on.  Mainly staying busy with things at church and preparing for the celebration of Jesus's birthday.  Add in the New Year and that pretty much brings us to the present.  

I truly apologize that this post was so long, but it has been a long time since my last post.......   

LIVE AND ENJOY THE NOW!!!

I'm not a very patient person.  Through this adoption process, God is teaching me to be patient.  The adoption process is essentially a series of waiting periods.  Waiting while gathering your paperwork, waiting while your paperwork is translated, waiting for a referral,  and in our case waiting on test results, waiting for a court date, waiting for travel dates, waiting for birth certificate, and finally waiting for second travel dates!!!!  Waiting, waiting, waiting!!!  And in this time of waiting (and time of learning patients) I am also learning that I need to slow down and live and enjoy the now.  I can always remember my mom saying, "Don't wish your life away!".  I thought that was one of the silliest sayings I had ever heard.  But now that I am older and in this waiting process, I get it!  I totally get the fact that today is something I can never get back. 

The song that is playing is called "Blink" by Revive.  This song makes me cry every time I hear it because it reminds me of just how quickly life goes by and how fragile life is.  It reminds me that I need to enjoy every moment, even those moments that I get frustrated, angry, upset, tired, and yes, even those moments of a four year old temper tantrum.  And I hate the thought of looking back and wishing that I took more time to enjoy life, especially life while my kids are little!

The words to this song are so powerful.  I hope that you will not just read the words or hear the words, but that you will actually take the words to heart.  The lyrics go like this:

Teach me to number my days
And count every moment before it slips away Taking all the colors before they fade to gray I don't want to miss even just a second more of this
It happens in a blink
It happens in a flash
It happens in the time it takes to look back I try to hold on tight, but there's no stopping time What is it I've done with my life It happens in a blink When it's all said and done
No one remembers how far we have run
The only thing that matters is how we have loved I don't want to miss even just a second more of this

It happens in a blink
it happens in a flash
it happens in the time it takes to look back I try to hold on tight but there's no stopping time What is it I've done with my life It happens in a blink

Slow down, slow down
Before today becomes our yesterday
Slow down, slow down
Before you turn around and it's too late

It happens in a blink
it happens in a flash
it happens in the time it takes to look back I try to hold on tight but there's no stopping time What is it I've done with my life It happens in a blink

This song has totally changed the way I view my day!  I hope it changes your too!