You are kidding me...

     I honestly do not know where to begin. There also aren't enough hours in a day to detail the events that have occurred in the past 3 months.  I can say that we serve an unbelievable God who has really gone to bat on our behalf for many things.


     After trying to sell our home on and off for 3 1/2 years we sold it.  This came right at the point where I was preparing to explain to the kids that sometimes God doesn't answer our prayers in the way we want.  Sometimes His vision is different and we need to be willing to step out in faith and accept what HE HAS given us.  This being that we will remain in our 3 bedroom home with 5 children.  The speech was prepared and I was praying for them to accept it and not blame God.  At that moment we get a call from our realtor telling us that we have a CASH offer on our house.  CASH!  Now, you need to know I had gotten REALLY honest with GOD the last time we listed.  I just asked him to make it clear what we needed to do.  Well, it happened in 45 days to the 2nd looker and NO LOAN so no problems with closing. AND our realtor was the one showing it as well!  Okay, now we're listening.  Now, to locate our house.............We had wanted one particular one for almost 2 years and it was shockingly still available, but when we went to look again, it just didn't feel right.  We has decided to adjust our price considerably and although they lowered the price it wasn't where we wanted to be.  Now there were only a handful that fit the bill.  We did find one we loved with a few drawbacks, but enough space for the most part.  After looking we decided to re-think and look again the next day.

      In the night our agent woke up with the thought that she should look at the expired listings.  She did and found one that had a contract that had fallen apart the night before.  She immediately went to preview and called to tell me I must meet her there.  I realized this was one we had seen before and it just wouldn't work.  Loved it, BUT it was only 3 bedrooms and we needed 5.  She insisted and I went.  I realized the potential right away and I hadn't realized it before.  The game room was MASSIVE and could be divided.  The kitchen really didn't have a breakfast area, or did it?  It had a sunroom right there, but it wasn't set up as a breakfast area because the owners used the large bar.  After measuring it was perfect for both a table and a decent living space making this house have 3 living areas.  Locke, now had to be convinced even though he had vetoed it previously.  He loved it!  The "dream" list included a pier and beam home, with a HUGE, deep front porch with steps going up to it.  Large lot with large trees, plenty of storage and nice flow to entertain and yet be divided enough for little one to have their own space.  A great laundry room would be over the top and of course a fireplace.  I also really wanted a place for Locke's family's dinging set....charm would be bonus! Check, check, check....plus many more checks along the way.  There is NOTHING more we could ask and yet we got that and more, including a HUGE pool and backyard with shady swingset area, plenty of room for a garden, a shed that could be another house and a greenhouse!  Can't wait to dig into that greenhouse.  Probably won't be this year, BUT next for sure!  Garden will be this year!

     Now it was a little testy for a while there with inspections and negotiating, but right now I am sitting at my inlaws beautiful dining room table that my husband grew up eating formal meals at while typing to you.


    Now we closed in 3 weeks and moved and had more fabulous friends that I can wrap my brain around, help us!  This was SO like God since a mean ole VIOLENT stomach hit us and knocked us out the week of closing.  Packing shut down, and then during the moving Locke managed to catch it after trying so hard to avoid it.  No worries, our friends just jumped right in and did it for us!

     After being in for a few days I got a call from our Buckner office from Debbie....  Now when Debbie calls it is often for a placement so you get ready.  Since we aren't taking placements right now that wasn't a big worry, but our adopted children have siblings so there is always a slight chance that something could happen.  When Debbie started the sentence with.." a few weeks ago..." I started to get nervous!  She went on to say that their office has nominated us for a award and she felt certain we would win.  I was honored that they think of us so highly, but didn't put much into it.  We are passionate about foster care, both recruiting and supporting those who take on the challenge, but we are not award winners.  Thank you Debbie for caring for us, but not us.  A few days later, a call from Washington DC came through.  CCAI (Congressional Coalition for Adoption Institute) called to congratulate us for being selected as Angels in Adoption through Louie Gohmert's office.  I was dumbfounded.  She went on to invite us to Washington DC to accept our award along with many other Angels.  She shared with us that Louie Gohmert was excited that we were chosen since he has known me since he and his wife taught me Sunday School in high school and early college and I taught his daughter, Caroline, voice.  The International Buckner office, which is housed in the same building, also congratulated us and awarded us a scholarship to help with expenses.  Again, dumbfounded, but beginning to believe that we might actually go to Washington DC.  After many phone calls and emails we are set to go and the kicker is that my parents who have dreamed of going to Washington DC their whole lives are going with us!

     I am truly typing as fast as my brain can work, but there are so many more details that must be shared and so many typos to correct, but since I haven't posted in so long, I knew I had to get this out there for those of you who will share the joy with us.

More to come, but I couldn't contain my excitement any longer.


Adoption

DC

job situation

counseling license

moving