We're Baaaaccckkk!!

We came back to the "real world" last night about 10:30 PM. After a marathon day of getting a weeks worth of work done and trying to get our personal bills paid, etc.
I wanted to share some fun pictures of our trip. Enjoy! This is the view from our balcony! Amazing view, huh?

We were so blessed to have my mom visit us in Seaside! We always have a wonderful time with her, and we got to celebrate her birthday (a little early) with her!

Aren't they cute?! These are two of the most WONDERFUL people in the world!!! Ummm, well, don't ask... :-)

This is my Bagel smile, from the "Bagel By the Sea" in Seaside, Oregon!

This was my modeling picture with Mary (our Christian School principal) and Paul. We were walking out of our morning conference session and the wind was blowing so hard I couldn't resist.

Ok, this probably doesn't look like much, but this was one of the stops Paul & I made on our Honeymoon almost 9 years ago. I remember the place was a little *blah*, but it was the 2 and 3 nights that we spent together as husband and wife. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy just thinking about it.

At one of our many Starbucks stops, I read this on my cup. I thought is was well worth sharing.

The main speaker of our Conference was Jeff Lucas. Be sure to check out his website and learn more about his ministry.

We were also blessed to have Earl Creps with us as well.

There are many many more pictures that I took, but this is just kind of a highlight of our time. It was wonderful to have a couple of days just to ourselves before the conference began. There is nothing like a few days off to make you feel like you can face the world again!

Signing out for awhile...

Hey all my faithful readers! ;-)

My hubby and I are leaving today (Thursday) for some R&R, then next Monday-Wednesday, we have a Oregon District Conference for the A/G pastors. They call it "Network Intermission". The best part is we are staying in Seaside! It is beautiful there and there is a Starbucks within walking distance! :-) (Right now we have to drive to Medford - about 25 minutes. )

Because our everyday life is consumed with email, internet, my adoption and pastors' wives Yahoo groups, and reading everyones blogs, we have decided to NOT take our laptop on purpose.

I am looking forward to relaxing, spending QUALITY time with my husband, and my mom is coming to join us for a couple days over the weekend!!!

Anyway, I will be back in full force next weekend. TTYL!

Adoption Update

Happy Sunday! Did you notice our ticker says exactly 4 months today that we have been waiting for a referral?

There hasn't been a whole lot of adoption news for us personally, but I am so excited about the news for some other families!

This week, the Harpolds received a referral of a baby girl! It is so exciting to see that referrals are coming again! Congrats the Harpolds. Be sure to check out their blog and watch their progress as they wait for a courtdate.

There was also a special needs referral offered to the families who currently have a Dossier in Ethiopia of a 7 month old HIV+ baby girl. An HIV+ orphan in Ethiopia does not have much hope for a future. Bring this child into the US would literally save her life. Please remember to pray for this little girl as the perfect family chooses to pursue adopting her.

Also this week, the 5 families that received referrals on 10/19 received a courtdate in early February! You can check out the Treadwell's blog and the Steiger's blogs for continued updates as they are trying to find out if the courtdate can be expedited since the court paperword is completed.

The 5 families from 10/03 are in Ethiopia NOW!! They get to meet their children tomorrow (technically, tonight while we sleep). Be sure to check out the Carpenters, the Davids or the Stums blog (username: stum; password: wondosen) as they are in Ethiopia. Starting tomorrow, they will probably be posting pictures of the children! I am so excited for them!

As for us personally, we are still waiting in line. We are getting closer, but because their is no "schedule" or when referrals come, there is no guarantee of a timeframe. We are truly placing it in the Lord's hands. His timing is perfect and He already knows the child that is a perfect fit for our family...whether or not he is born yet!

We will keep you updated as time goes on. Be sure to check out the blogs I linked for you! It is so exciting to see when God forms families together from different parts of the world!

A Beautiful Adoption Poem I Found

Legacy of an Adopted Child

Once there were two women,
Who never knew each other.
One you do not remember,
The other you call "Mother."

One gave you a nationality,
The other gave you a name.
One gave you the seed of talent,
The other gave you an aim.

Two different lives shaped
to make yours one;
One became your guiding star,
The other became your sun.

One gave you emotions,
The other calmed your fears.
One saw your first sweet smile,
The other dried your tears.

The first gave you life,
The second taught you to live it.
The first gave you a need for love,
And the second was there to give it.

One gave you up,
It was all she could do.
The other prayed for a child,
And God led her straight to you.

And now you ask me through your tears,
The age old question through the years;
Heredity or environment -
which are you a product of?
Neither my darling, neither;
Just two different kinds of love.

-Author unknown

3 Month, 3 Weeks and 3 Days....and 2 years

As you can see from the ticker at the top of my blog, today marks 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days since our Dossier was accepted. We are still patiently waiting for a referral, but every day we realize we could be getting closer...I think it is starting to hit me what is happening!

There has been some movement with the Ethiopia program. This coming week, the 5 families that received referrals on Oct 3rd are traveling to pick up their children! If you want to follow their blogs during their trip, and see pictures of their precious children, check out the Carpenter's blog or the David's blog.

The other 5 families that received referral on Oct 19th and a family who accepted a sibling group of 3 should have court dates by the end of the month!


Today also marks the 2 year anniversary since we received our referral from Russia, Ilya. I pray for him everyday and will always think of him as my son...I will always love you, sweet Ilya.

African Children's Choir - The Pictures I Promised!

Let me begin by telling you how AMAZING the concert was! In the 1 1/2 hour service, I took 69 pictures. :-) We left with hearts full of excitement and anticipation for bringing the little boy home from Ethiopia that God has for us.

Enjoy to pictures!

*By the way ~ These children were the same ones that appeared on the American Idol - Idol Gives Back show. They sang with Josh Groban.

The concert began with lots of dancing and singing of African songs.

Probably the highlight of the show for both of us was when the children came out individually introduced themselves and said what they wanted to be when they grow up. To hear these young 7 - 9 year old children sharing their dreams brought tears to my eyes. Their were several children who wanted to be doctors, teachers and pilots. One said they wanted to be a Missionary and one said a Pastor. The sweetest little boy ended by saying he wanted to be a Plumber! Adorable!

They ended singing worship songs like Here I am to Worship, O Happy Day and This Little Light of Mine.

Paul & I bought a couple CD's, a DVD, a bandana and picture of the group. Paul really wanted to do something special with the bandana and picture for our little boy's room.

I am so thankful we set aside this special time to go to the concert. If they are ever in your area, don't miss it! Check out their website to find out their schedule. www.africanchildrenschoir.com

Love,
Holly

Have to share my excitement!

Tomorrow, January 4th, my husband & I have had a very special event on our calendar...The African Children's Choir is performing at a church a little over an hour from us!

I am so excited I can hardly stand it!!!!!!

I was gonna wait to post until I had pictures, but I wanted to share. Be sure to check back for pictures. I will try to post this weekend.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Wishing y'all a wonderful and blessed 2008!