How we have spent our time.

During the past 3 years we have been blessed with the gifts that God has given us. We have gone from having Derrick and Shawn living with us to both of them out on their own. They are wonderful men now. Shawn is married to our daughter-in-law Sally. Sally is a bright addition to our family. She and Shawn are newlyweds. Sally has a very unique personality that lifts that lifts a room when she walks into it. I have never seen a man so crazy in love as Shawn is with her, and with good reason. Derrick has a family of his own. He made us grandparents. I must say very proud grandparents. Kaelin is his daughter; her picture will be painted all over this blog if you look close. She is our pride and joy. We are lucky to have Derrick and Sherry, Derrick's girlfriend, let us be such a big part of her life. I'm not sure, because Sherry never says anything, but she probably gets sick of our calls to come and get Kaelin, ask what she's doing or just hear her on the other end of the phone. Sherry just goes along with it; she is pretty laid back and patient. Another blessing to our family. Someone who is not as outspoken as her hopefully, soon to be mother-in-law. We have filled out hearts and home with the sound of baby feet almost every weekend. Paul and I have no idea where we would be without our now extended family.
I have been going to school, since I need to look for a new job. That has taken up a bunch of my time. We also keep our UK season football tickets so we travel to Lexington on the weekends during the fall. We have met some very nice people doing that. Chuck and Lori are some of our friends from Moorhead Ky. We went to visit them last summer. They have 3 International adopted children, 2 of them from China. Just when Paul and I were ready to throw in the towel, we met Chuck and Lori and they helped me in ways they will never know. Just seeing someone with their children like them was all it took. Lori talked to me for hours on my decision. She didn't even know me and made me feel so close to her. Listening to a women talk and cry over the very things that I'm crying over helped me to understand that what was going on with me was just something that I needed to make it through the rest of the wait.
Paul and I spend a great deal of time with Paul's brother Glen and his family. Laurie and I are very close. She has listened to me when I'm sure she wanted to get up and tell me to make up my mind. Do you want to be a Mom or not. That was what she asked me one day. The only answer I have ever had to that question was yes. Laurie said then this will work out. Keep my faith in God and he will see me through it.
My sister's have been a big part of my journey. From paperwork for the adoption, to listening to me crying, saying things to them that no one else will ever hear. My fears and worries. Hope and happiness weren't what this wait was ALL about. The first year we were hopeful, excited, and anxious. The second year I would not speak about the adoption, except to Karen and Jill, and that's if they made me. Just to see where I was with it. Ask how I was doing. Cheer me up. They even told everybody else that I might encounter to stay away from the subject with me. It was too hard to know then that this adoption was still 2 years away. And I knew that it was going to be that long, after I got on the waiting list things really slowed down. When anyone would ask me about the adoption and I would say "oh it will be about 2 years" the person would then most of the time say, well you know I know someone that adopted from China and it only took them 1 year. Having to hear that story over and over was nice in a way, but hard to hear. Because my wait wasn't 1 or 2 or whatever theirs was. I felt lonely and resentful. The person saying those words usually had biological children and didn't know how sad I was. But this year I'm hopeful again. It's so nice to feel like this just might happen.....