SAYING GOODBYE TO 2008

Well... here we are, the very last day of 2008. I honestly can't believe the year is almost over. It has come and gone SO FAST. This year we were kept very, very busy, especially these last few months. The year didn't go exactly as we had planned (but then things usually don't) but we had a good year and were able to check a lot of things off our list and enjoy some "firsts" and stay busy for sure..... Lets see what kept us busy during 2008.....

January: We had a visit our brother-in-law and spent some time with him. We also were able to take advantage of the cold weather with a trip up to the local mountain and do some snowboarding.


February: We celebrated our 6 year anniversary with a great trip to Brianhead for some snowboarding and snowmobiling. We had visitors once again this month with Grandma and Grandpa Petersen coming into town one weekend and our cousin coming from AZ the next. The last weekend of the month we took a trip to see family in Arizona for our brother-in-law's surprise graduation party.


March: This month found us hosting Dan's dad while he was in town for a work convention. The end of the week we were joined by his mom as well. We were also joined by his brother, sister-in-law and their little one to help us celebrate Easter at our house.


April: Dan was called to serve in the Scout program at church. We headed to the Fair during April. We also had a visit from friends for a weekend too.


May: We were filled with visitors this month. We had visitors from Sweden at the beginning of the month, then we had Dan's brother Nate and his wife Katie for a great weekend, and the end of the month was a weekend with Dan's sister Amy and her husband Steve. In the middle of all of this the weather had turned so we were out on the lake enjoying the jet skis, and I had my dance recital too.


June: We went to California for a charity poker run and had a blast. We also had our annual update for our adoption paperwork this month. We had friends come and visit from California the last weekend of the month and Dan and Marvin went skydiving!


July: We spent the 4th of July in Brianhead with friends. The next weekend we had Dan's parents here for a visit. We had our first nephew born this month. I spent a week in Utah for the Stampin' Up convention with my mom. We also celebrated Dan's birthday... #28.


August: Dan and I attended an adoption conference in Utah. We had my uncle from Canada visit for a bit. We had Dan's sister Amy and her husband Steve back for another great weekend!

September: Marvin and Maria from California came to visit for a weekend of excitement. We flew up to San Francisco to visit Dan's brother Mike and his wife Maile and to be there for the blessing of the new baby Benjamin.

October: We made a trip with friends Brian and Cindy to California to go to Disneyland and Knott's Scary Farm. We also headed down to Arizona to throw a surprise baby shower for Dan's sister Amy.

November: Had friends Marvin and Maria come into town to help celebrate my birthday...#28. Started doctor appointments and planning for knee surgery!!! I was called as Young Women Camp Director.

December: Went to California for our annual family Christmas party. Went to Utah to see family and the lights on Temple Square. Had surgery on my knee. Had a wonderful Christmas.

We had quite the year. We kept busy. We were surrounded by family and friends. We hope that 2009 brings us more of the same and we are able to make more trips and do many more fun things and make lots of new memories.

End of the Year Tag....

1. What did you do in 2008 that you had never done before? PARTICIPATED IN A 5K
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? KEPT SOME... WILL MAKE A TON FOR THIS YEAR!
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? YES... WE HAVE TWO NEW NEPHEWS!!
4. Did anyone close to you die?... WE LOST AN UNCLE AND OTHERS WE KNEW
5. What countries did you visit?.. NO COUNTRIES BUT WE WILL THIS YEAR!!
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?... MORE PATIENCE AS ALWAYS
7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?.... NOVEMBER 4, 2008 VOTING DAY
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?... JUST BEING CONSISTENT
9. What was your biggest failure?.... BEING LAZY
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?...NOT REALLY (THANK GOODNESS!)
11. What was the best thing you bought?....A Wii
12. Where did most of your money go?... TO BILLS OF COURSE
13. What did you get really, really, really excited about?....OUR TRIP TO DISNEY AND KNOTT'S IN OCTOBER
14. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? 
b) thinner or fatter? 
c) richer or poorer? A) HAPPIER FOR SURE B) FATTER? C) RICHER?
15. What do you wish you’d done more of?... RELAXED
16. What do you wish you’d done less of?....COMPLAINED
17. Did you fall in love in 2008?...EVERY DAY
18. What was your favorite TV program?....SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (LOVE THAT SHOW!)
19. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?...NOPE... SAME PEOPLE. JUST KIDDING!
20. What was the best book you read?.....TWILIGHT SERIES OF COURSE!
21. What did you want and get?....Wii FIT
22. What did you want and not get?....iPOD
23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?....HAD FRIENDS HERE FOR THE WEEKEND... TURNED 28 (NOT AS EXCITING AS WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER!)
24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?..... RECEIVING "THE CALL"
25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?.....TRYING?!
26. What kept you sane?...MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND THE GOSPEL

Post-Op Pictures

Don't look any farther if you are not good with the blood and guts.... but they are really not that bad at all......

I got my stitches out today.. and I started physical therapy the same day. Not too bad if you ask me. It was not pleasant by any means but something I knew I had to do if I wanted to continue my progress.


The surgery went well and the recovery has been going great (thank goodness!) It has not even been a full week and I am already in physical therapy, I don't use the crutches (I only used them for about 2-3 days really) and I think I am doing okay. My knee is still sore but not too bad. I have to leave these steri-strips on until Friday but then I am pretty much clear and just have to see what the physical therapy does and go back to the doctor on the 13th of January.

So far so good. I will work hard in physical therapy and who knows... there might be hope for a snowboard trip these season after all!!!

Christmas 2008

We definitely had a Christmas to remember. After having surgery the day before Christmas morning came upon us very early and with not very much excitement. This was the first time we had ever done Christmas presents in bed that is for sure. Not quite the same!

We did get some pretty fun presents though which helped numb the pain in my knee... at least for a while!

(Thanks for the ice cream maker Mike and Maile... we can't wait to make our first batch)

(I LOVE my new "U" and can't wait to add it to my wall)

After a lot of slow movements (and some pain meds) I made it out to the car and we were on our way to my mom and dad's house were we spent the rest of the day with my brother, sister-in-law, two nieces and some family friends. Overall it was a good Christmas. I hear the food was great although I didn't really have much of it.

This was a Christmas that I will always remember and hopefully one I don't have to repeat. It was one that helped me be thankful for my health and my family though.

Lights on Salt Lake

We had a great time in Salt Lake over the weekend. Besides it taking us a little longer to get there then we had planned.... We ran into the storm and spend a night in Fillmore... we had fun spending time with family and friends and seeing the lights on Temple Square and just playing in the snow. The girls, Morgan and McKenna (our nieces) especially had a good time.

Grandpa and the girls in front of a huge gingerbread house at the restaurant in the Little America Hotel where we had one of our dinners.

Mike and Holly (Dan's mom and dad) out enjoying the lights on Temple Square with us.

The three amigos.... Morgan, Garrett and McKenna. Morgan and Garrett were "buddies" all weekend and were sad to say goodbye to each other for sure!

The big group shot in front of the Temple. It was a cold night but a great way to get into the Christmas Spirit.... Rachel, Aranne, Dan, Al, Holly, Rees, Lisa, Grandpa Lowell, Grandma Donna, Scott, McKenna, Morgan and Garrett... Photo by Mike of course!

Winter Wonderland

Winter has hit the Vegas Valley and hit us HARD..... We got SNOW today. There was snow in the Valley on Monday but it didn't really stay and didn't stay at our house for sure, but today was a different story. It started snowing at about noon and is still snowing right now as I sit here and type this, and they say it could continue through the night until 4am!

This is our front yard....

Me loving the snow in the backyard.

Dan in the front yard tonight with the Christmas lights on.... You can't see any of our rock or bricks or grass... Only snow!

Check out the Snow!!! It is crazy how much is on the ground and around the streets and still coming down. So much fun but not too fun to drive in...We are home for the night!

The Forgotten Carols

We were able to attend a performance of Michael McLean's "The Forgotten Carols" tonight and I was so excited. Some friend's of ours called us at the last minute and said that they could not make it to the performance and offered us their tickets. It was so nice of them. Dan and I had actually talked about getting tickets ourselves but then never got around to doing it so this was such a great surprise. We were glad to take the tickets off of their hands.

Neither of us had ever been to a performance and weren't quite sure what to expect. We thought we were going to hear a choir sing and hear some Christmas songs, but we got a lot more. "The Forgotten Carols" is a wonderful play that Michael McLean wrote himself all about some unknown carols and stories regarding Christ's birth and people who were there and things of that nature. It is truly an amazing story. It is a show that has to be seen. We are so glad that we were able to be there and see this tonight. We left with such an amazing Spirit and it helps to remember what Christmas is really all about. This was such a great gift that our friend's were able to give to us and I am not sure that they understood they were giving it.

Weekend Wrap-up: Parties, Parties and more Parties

This weekend was one big party and it is about time. Friday night was a potluck with the ladies that come to card class and scrapbook class every week with my mom and I at my mom's house. It was small but it was nice. We had a good time and were able to just hang out and enjoy the evening.

Saturday we went to a Christmas party at our friends' Brian and Cindy's house. It was crazy. They had over 60 people in their house. It was really fun though. We ate and ate and ate, and talked and laughed. After everyone left and it was just us there we watched the Dark Knight (a good Christmas movie?)

Sunday was another party for me. The Steeler's won their game and are clinched the division title! Not everyone threw a party for this one, but over at our house we were celebrating!!!!

SPT: Joy

The SPT for this week was JOY... The best thing that I could think of was the joy that I have from being Auntie Aranne. I love all of my nieces and nephews. I feel so blessed to be able to be an aunt and to have them in my life. Some of them I see more often then others but I love them all so much. They grow up so fast and I just want them all to know how much I do love them and how happy they make me and how much JOY they bring into my life.

The newest nephew... Preston born November 26th!

Ellie Bellie.... Smart as can be and a great big sister!

Our first nephew... Benjamin. What a precious little guy. So sweet and growing so fast.

My brother's two girls. Morgan is smart and very helpful. McKenna is energetic and loves her sister to pieces.

Christmas in California

As tradition... this weekend was our annual California Christmas party. We host a party in California for all of our family and friends that we don't get to see that often anymore now that we live here in Vegas. It is a great way for us to all get together and kick off the holiday season. It was always a fun time and a busy weekend.

"Our" table... This was John and Laura Foley, Marvin and Maria Easterday, Crystal and of course Dan.

The guys trying to hide out in the kitchen... Dan, John and Marvin.

Amy C. - an old friend that I recently reconnected with via Facebook. It was great to see her again and spend time chatting the night away and catching up with each other.

All of the munchkins.... Morgan, McKenna, Arianna, and Hanna. They were excited to have their very own room this year since we had the party in the community clubhouse!

The smaller group of friends opening presents after everyone else was gone. Mom, Laura, Marvin and Maria.

The Dream

Le Reve .... The Dream.

We were able to get some tickets to see this amazing show at the Wynn and it was so worth it. It was worth going out for a 9:30 show on a work night. Worth making our friends scramble to find a baby sitter for their three kids on a school night. Worth rushing through traffic since we took too long at dinner and were almost late. Worth all of it.

It really was a great show. This was one of the shows that I had been wanting to see for a while and I am glad that I can cross it off of my list now. It was beautiful, and had so many things to see.

Christmas has arrived!

Christmas has arrived both INSIDE....

and OUT!!!

The TREE is up (okay so there are no ornaments yet. I ran out of time. But I will get them up soon, I promise!)

The NATIVITIES are everywhere. I am running out of space quickly but I love them all so much and they help us to remember the true meaning of Christmas.

Now all we have to do is wait, and COUNT the days until Christmas.

December SPT : Part 1 - LOVE

I really enjoy participating in the SPT challenges. I don't always follow the rules and I don't always including myself in the pictures, but I still love to do them.

This month is no exception and I love the theme this month for sure. This month Lelly has given us a theme of Christmas Chi.

" I don't want SPT to add to the chaos. quite the opposite - i hope to continue to enjoy it throughout the holidays. to be able to find those moments throughout the season where i choose to be still. the challenge for us this month will hopefully give us an excuse to remember to care for ourselves while we are busy creating amazing holiday memories for all. take deep breaths. channel your chi. don't sacrifice the small, still moments. enjoy them! and photograph them!"

tuesday, december 2 love
tuesday, december 9 joy
tuesday, december 16 comfort
tuesday, december 23 joy
tuesday, december 30 hope

So... here we are with Tuesday, December 2nd and the topic of LOVE.... This was an easy one and I took the easy way out.

Dan and I in Utah this past summer when we attended the National Adoption Convention. He is truly the Love of my life. I can't express how much I Love him and all that he does for me. He is wonderful and I can't picture myself anywhere but with him.

The end of the month...but not the road!

Well.. here we are at the end of the month. November 30th! I can't believe the month is over. I had been waiting for the month to get here. I was so excited for it. I was so anxious for it too. I was working so hard this month. I made 16 posters that said either National Adoption Month with a description of what that is... or Families Supporting Adoption or a combination of the two. Then we called the local libraries and re-called the local libraries. I wrote a letter to the libraries. I mailed the letter to the libraries. I called other adoption agencies and asked them to donate some of their pamphlets to us. I help to organize with our local FSA chapter a book drive for the local libraries, to collect additional adoption books to add to their collection. We held a pancake breakfast and book drive for our FSA chapter. We took the posters I made, and the pamphlets we collected to the local libraries for them to display during the month.

We now have to return to the libraries and collect our posters again. I have to distribute the books that we collected at the book drive.

IT HAS BEEN A BUSY MONTH!!! It has also been a successful month. I wish we could be doing things like this to promote adoption to the community all the time. I feel like there is such a negative connotation about adoption out there about adoption and I wish we could change that. I wish people didn't only hear about adoption one month out of twelve. I love adoption and what it has already done for me.

I wish I could have shared more of my real thoughts and emotions that go along with adoption but I didn't. I WILL! Adoption is not just something that I think about once a year... It is daily for me and I love it that way.

Thanksgiving Wrap-up

Thanksgiving was great! We went to some friends' house and were able to spend Thanksgiving with them. We had turkey and stuffing and the whole spread. It was a wonderful day filled with friends, food and football (of course!)..... We did not spend the day with family because my dad had to work but were able to spend Friday with them.

The rest of the weekend was spent putting Christmas decorations up on the outside of the house and we have to just work on getting the inside decorated now! There was a little bit of partaking in the black Friday non-sense but not too much. We did not do the 4am shopping madness or anything like that. I love this time of year and hope that we are able to hang on to the wonderful feelings that are shared during this time.

It has been a great weekend and I look forward to a month of outings and parties and being with family and friends!!!

Gratitude Countdown #7: Family

I wanted to save my last post for Thanksgiving... The thing that I am most thankful for I think is my family... all of them.

My mom and dad... What great people they are. They have done so much for me and continue to do so much for me. They support me in all of my decisions and help out in any way that they can. They love me know matter what!!!

Dan's family, who has now become my family. It is so great to have a big family and I love it. They are all so much fun and I love to be able to spend time with them. It is great that we all get along so well. Since this picture we have added one more little boy and just last night another healthy little boy as well... Congrats Amy and Steve on a new addition to the family. We can't wait to see Preston Steven Wilker!!!!

My brother, his wife Lisa, and their two crazy kids, Morgan and McKenna. We have not always gotten along but we have always loved each other. We are family and we know that. I love them all and would do anything for them. I love to spend time with them and can't wait to spend Christmas with them as a family this year.

and of course my wonderful husband Dan.... There are not enough words to express how thankful I am for Dan being not only in my life but being my husband. He is the greatest. He is so patient and understand. He is so caring and gracious. I love him more and more.

My life is truly blessed because of each of these people. I love them all and appreciate them as well.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and may we all be able to remember the things that we are thankful for today and everyday, because we really do have A LOT!

A Poem for Adoption

It is still November which means it is still National Adoption Month. I was suppose to be sharing my thoughts on the subject and feel like I haven't really done a very good job with that. I wanted to take the time to share a poem that we have on our adoption blog. I found this poem somewhere and then made a few changes (which I am sure you will see!) It really tells the story exactly and shares our thoughts on the experience of adoption and how much we appreciate what we are going through, the birthmother and the joy that we will have when that day comes when we are able to be blessed with a child to call our own.

There once was a boy who came down to the earth,

his parents were happy the day of his birth
their second child, he was a little man
a cute, chubby boy, they named him Dan.

There once was a girl who was sent to the earth,
her parents were joyous the day of her birth
their very first girl, she had them starrin’,
big brown eyes, her name was Aranne.

Well these two grew up never knowing each other,
but one day they met and liked one another
Their friendship grew strong and what did they do?
Yep, they got hitched in Feb of '02!

First thing was first and they felt they should be,
adding some kids to their family tree.
They prayed and prayed and did all they should,
they were patient and willing to be extra good.
But their children weren't coming
and they weren't sure why,
so they went to the experts for options to try.

When none of the options were going their way,
the next thing to do was to kneel down and pray.
They weren't quite sure at this point what to do,
so Father in Heaven showed a new path to view.

He helped them to know there are different ways,
to add to your family in these latter days.
Out there somewhere there's a baby to love,
sent to a mother from heaven above.
That mother realizes her baby needs more,
taking care of a child by herself is a chore.

How great the birth mom to give up so much,
she'll know that the path you have taken is tough.
She'll know that you've wanted a child for so long,
she'll feel you're the right ones when you come along.

Although it is different to have a family this way,
when our child comes along, it will be the best day.
We'll look at our child and we will see,
this baby was meant for our family.

Couples are chosen, hand-picked by Him,
that can handle these trials that are given to them.
We never expected that we'd take this path,
but we're be glad we did and we'll never look back.

How excited and grateful that we will be,
to be able to add to our family.
The blessing of having a baby to love,
comes straight from heaven way up above.

Nothing else will matter, you will see,
except that there's love in our family.
And all those who know us will surely agree,
we'll give nothing but love to our new baby!

Thanksgiving Blessings

There is a recipe swap going around the blogosphere and a fellow blog friend of mine, Janeal, is involved and sharing some really great recipes. Anyone that knows me knows that I don't cook very much AT ALL... but I do love a cute, fun treat. I got this fun Thanksgiving Blessings Mix from my Visiting Teaching companion and thought I would share this.

Blessings Mix

Bugles: Shaped like a cornucopia or Horn of Plenty, a symbol of our nation's abundance.

Pretzels: Arms folded in prayer, a freedom sought by those who founded our country.

Candy Corn: The sacrifices of the Pilgrims' first winter. Food was so scarce that settlers survived on just a few kernals of corn a day.

Nuts or Seeds: Promise of a future harvest, one we will reap only if seeds are planted and tended with diligence.

Dried Fruit: Harvest gifts from our bountiful land.

M&Ms: Memories of those who came before us to lead us into a blessed future.

Hershey's Kiss: The love of family and friends that sweetens our lives.

Gratitude Countdown #6: Health

#5: I am thankful for my HEALTH

Right now this is very apparent to me. I am very thankful for the health that I am able to maintain. I complain sometimes about the headaches I have or the aches or pains that I feel but I know that these are all just temporary and I know that I could be much worse. I remember back to when I had to deal with horrible headaches daily and I am thankful for having them under control so much better now.

I have had pains in my knees for many years and no one has been able to figure out what the deal was. Well... that has all changed. As of this week we know what the problem is and we are going to take care of it. I am going in for surgery on Dec. 24th. So, I am going to have a pretty rough Christmas but at least I will be able to get my knee fixed. For this I am thankful.

I realize that there are so many people that have so many problems and can't do anything about them. I am thankful for the good health I have been blessed with and I can only hope that it continues. I try to do what I can to make healthy choices but I know I struggle sometimes.

Gratitude Countdown #5: In-Laws

Mike and Holly Urbancic

#5: I am thankful for my

IN-LAWS!

I know that a lot of people don't have a great relationship with their in-laws. I know that a lot of people grow up fearing the day that they will have in-laws. I also know that there are a lot of horror stories out there about in-laws... well, none of this applies to me and my in-laws. I love my in-laws and I am so thankful for them.

I am not only thankful for them and the wonderful son that they raised and then blessed me with, but I am also thankful for them as individuals. I am so lucky to have another set of wonderful parents to call my own. They are such loving and caring people and I get to have them as additional parents. They have always welcomed me into their family and for that I am thankful. They are so warm and inviting and you can't help but fall in love with them.

I am thankful for their example to us and for their support in all of our decisions. They lend a helping hand when needed and that is also wonderful. We wish they lived a little closer so we had a chance to spend more time together, but it just makes our trips that much more exciting. I really am a lucky girl to be able to say how much I love my in-laws and how thankful I am to have them in my life.

Gratitude Countdown #4: Time

* I am thankful for TIME.

This one might seem strange to some people but to me it makes perfect sense. I am thankful for TIME in a lot of ways. I am thankful for the TIME that I have been given with certain people in my life. Some of those people are no longer here and I look back and cherish that TIME. I am thankful for the TIME I have each day with my husband. We are both so busy with work, and church callings and just doing day to day things that we take advantage of the TIME we are able to spend with each other. I am thankful for the TIME I had a child to play and to just be a kid because it seems like kids "these days" (man I feel old) don't always have that chance. I did, and I am thankful for that. I am thankful for the TIME I have had to be with just my husband. I know that we are desperately seeking to become parents and want that as well, but I will never forget or regret the TIME that we have been able to be just "US". This TIME has been wonderful as well. We have been able to travel, go on countless dates, and just get to know each other 100%. It has been priceless. I am also thankful for the TIME we are able to spend with our families. That is TIME that we love.

While there never seems to be enough TIME in each day if you sit back and remember all of the good TIMES I am thankful that they add up and outnumber the bad. I really am blessed and for that I am thankful for the TIME that I have!

Gratitude Countdown #3: Adoption

#3: I am thankful for Adoption!

Dan and our caseworker from LDS Family Services Brad at our 80's dinner!

I know I have said it a thousand times before, but it is true. I am so thankful for adoption and the opportunity it gives Dan and I to build our eternal family. I am thankful for the loving birthmother and her love that she has her her child and for us to place her baby for adoption and then to chose us to parent that baby. I am thankful that Adoption can take place and that we can give that baby a loving home and a chance and all the love in the world (because that is what we will do!) I am thankful for all that I have learned going through the waiting process. I am thankful for all I have learned about adoption. I am also thankful for the people I have meet because of adoption and the activities and projects that I have been able to be a part of because of adoption. The entire process has truly changed my life and me forever.

Gratitude Countdown #2: Friends

#2: I am thankful for FRIENDS!!!

I have many friends. Some of my friends are close and know everything about me. Some of my friends I only speak to once a year. Some friends I have known my whole life, while others are relatively new. Some friends I see frequently and others I have never met but I still consider them friends.

Friends are very important to me. They have helped me out throughout my life and helped me through a lot of difficult situations. I have a relatively small family and consider my friends an extension of my family. I am thankful for the friends that I have and cherish them more than they know. I am thankful for the things they have taught me and the time we have been able to spend together. I am thankful for the friends I have had, the friends I have been able to re-connect with and the friends who have stuck by me for years.

Mission Accomplished

I won't give away the movie in case some people haven't seen it... I hate when that happens to me... but I will say that my mission for the weekend has been accomplished. We went to the first showing this morning and saw the movie that I have been waiting to see.

Dan is such a good sport too. He worked from 5:30am yesterday morning until about 4 something last night... He was suppose to come home and take a nap but of course did not! Then he had to go to work last night. He left the house again at about 9:45pm and did not get home until around 9:30am. He was planning on going to sleep when he got home but said he would take me to see Twilight instead. What a great husband he is huh? I love him!

The movie was good. I don't know that it was my all time favorite movie (that would be hard) but I did enjoy it and I do hope that they make the next ones to go along with the books. I did believe the actors as Edward, Bella and Jacob for sure. Carlisle was a little hard for me to fully believe. As a whole I thought it was good though and it makes me what to pick up the books and starting reading all over again!!!

Gratitude Countdown #1

I am taking this idea from my friend Kirsten....

It is exactly one week from Thanksgiving and so I want to share my thoughts with you and remind myself of some of the things in my life that I am thankful for. I am counting down with the 7 Days of Gratitude



#1.... I am thankful for the gospel in my life. I have always been taught about Jesus Christ but have not always been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am thankful for the decision I made when I was 17 to join the church and for the impact it has made in my life.

Happy Birthday to Mickey and Me!

Another year older? I can't believe the time goes by so FAST!

Mickey Mouse and I celebrated our birthday's today. I love being able to celebrate with him. I remember learning that I shared my birthday with the big guy when I was little and thought it was the best thing ever... I still think it is!

Don't think we have any special plans tonight but we had a great weekend. We were able to spend the weekend with friends. Marvin and Maria came into town from California and we had fun shopping and eating, of course. We got lots of Christmas shopping done which was on our list of things to do. And to top it off the Steelers won on Sunday! What more could I ask for?

Waiting

I know that my last post regarding adoption was on HOPE and I still have HOPE but right now I feel like I am WAITING for a lot of things and I am also WAITING on the adoption front. The Waiting process is the hardest part of the entire thing. When you are pregnant you have a timeline to go by, you know that in approximately 9 months you will have a little one, but it is not the same with adoption. You have no idea how long you will wait for your little one to arrive. While the waiting teaches you many things and is a growing experience, it is also something that can get you down at times and something that you have no control over.

I recently posted this story on the Nevada FSA blog (which I do the posting for) and I wanted to share it here to help get the feeling across regarding the Waiting process.

"Should I change my shirt? My hair? My religion? When you’re waiting to be picked by a birthmother, you question every aspect of yourself.

Is it my hairline? Should I have worn a different outfit for the picture? When you’re waiting to be matched with a birthmother, each day that passes without a call makes you question every part of yourself and your life. You may have had this feeling during fifth-grade gym class. But back then, even the kids who were picked last were picked within five minutes. After all, gym class lasts only an hour.

This is more like a police lineup, and the birthmother is behind the two-way mirror. She might see me, but I don’t see her. All I can see is...me. And after staring at myself long enough, all I notice are imperfections: My clothes aren’t stylish enough, my skin is marked with blemishes. Most of all, I see my soul, and I wrestle with the desire to bare it and the fear of revealing too much. And some days, I wonder if anyone’s even looking at me through the mirror.

The endless wait
I meet others in the lineup. Some become my friends. Some of us are reserved, while others cope with the wait by talking about their every thought and feeling. But unlike those in a police lineup, we aren’t whispering to ourselves, “Pick him.” We are praying, “Pick me!”

Some leave after a month, others after a week. “Is that fair?” the rest of us wonder. “They haven’t served their time yet!” I know in my heart that they must have been the right parents for a baby—the connection with birthparents is why we chose open adoption, after all—but knowing that doesn’t make it any easier. It only makes me look harder at myself.

Should I submit a different picture? Are prospective parents rejected because they’re Caucasian? Because they’re tall? Or short? While the birthmothers’ choices are infinite, I have only one: to wait.

I’m an engineer, so I try to make sense of the world by looking at statistics. One in three placements is “last-minute.” Average time in the pool is about 10 months. Our agency matches roughly five families per month. But these statistics don’t matter when your wife is having an emotional day, and you both start going a little crazy.

Any day now
At some point we crossed the line—from it could happen any day now to I can’t put my life on hold any longer. So we pass the time like others we’ve met in the pool—in a mix of preparation and insanity. We have a fully equipped nursery. Babies-R-Us could practically shoot pictures for its fall catalog at our house. I know that having the nursery prepared will work in our favor in the long run, especially if we get a last-minute placement, but walking by this room every day makes me wonder if we’ve spent just enough time and money to jinx ourselves.

After the nursery was completed, we tore out all the flooring in our home. For now, our new flooring is on a manufacturer delay, the contents of the nursery are crammed into the sunroom, and most of our other furniture is sitting in the garage. That, combined with the two business trips I have to go on later this month, must mean the phone will ring any day. We hope. Life on hold I’ve learned that it’s nearly impossible to explain the waiting experience to someone who hasn’t gone through it himself. Our friends and family are universally sympathetic, and they understand our desire to be parents. What they don’t get is the anxiety involved in calling the adoption agency, yet again, just to see if our profile has been requested by any birthmothers, then hearing, yet again, “Not yet, but keep your spirits up. Now’s the time to work on things you’ve been meaning to do, while you wait.” I’m waiting for the flooring to arrive. I’m waiting for next week’s “Waiting Families” meeting. I’m waiting for my wife to break down in tears, although I’m afraid I’ll only be able to offer her vague statistics and a reassuring hug. I’m waiting to share the love that is bottled up inside of me with a son or daughter. I’m waiting for the phone to ring... " (article by Scott Hollowell, featured in Adoptive Families Magazine)

X-rays

After months of having more than the normal pain in my knee I decided it was time to head out to the doctor and find out what is going on in there.

I went to my primary doctor on Friday and he said he thought I should go straight to the orthopedic surgeon just in case it is anything that would be the guy I would end up needing to see anyway, plus they could do x-rays on sight.

So this morning I went to the surgeon, got some x-rays and am now waiting for an MRI. The surgeon is pretty sure that I have an meniscus tear in my left knee. This is both good and bad. Good because they have finally been able to tell me what the heck is wrong with my knee and why is locks up on me, bad because that means surgery! The x-rays were normal and I have to wait for the MRI next week to confirm but he is pretty sure that is what it will show. So until further notice I am restricted from all of my FUN activities. No more dance, or Yoga, or hiking or the snowboard season this year for sure. Not the best news that I wanted to hear but what am I going to do.

So until the MRI... I must wait and see!

HOPE

Adoption is a way and a means of HOPE for us. It is a struggle and it requires patience, but it gives us HOPE! It gives us HOPE of a new beginning. A new life. A new family.

There is a great article that was offered by President James E. Faust in Nov. 1999. I find it ironic that he would write the article in November (National Adoption Month) and have the topic be HOPE! Totally appropriate.

HOPE applies to many aspects in our lives but as we are in the midst of adopting, we of course are applying it to adoption. Take a look at the article here and see what you get out of it.

My favorite quote is from Samuel Smiles “ ‘Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey towards it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.’ … Hope sweetens the memory of experiences well loved. It tempers our troubles to our growth and our strength. It befriends us in dark hours, excites us in bright ones. It lends promise to the future and purpose to the past. It turns discouragement to determination.”

Calling. Fast. Cars.

We don't really have any pictures from this weekend but there were some pretty important events that happened and we figured we should share them...

Calling: Today at church I got a new calling, a pretty BIG, calling. I am the new YW Camp Director. yep, you heard me right. Not the assistant, or just in YW, but the Camp DIRECTOR! I have no idea what they were thinking but I am pretty excited and just hope that I am able to pull it off for the girls. So now I have until July to search site after site and see what other creative ladies have come up with as far as great ideas for camp. Let me know if you have any ideas or know where to find them. I welcome any help!!!

Fast: We were able to participate (along with some great family and friends) in a fast and temple session in honor of National Adoption Month and our adoption efforts. It felt so good to know that we were all fasting and also attending the temple for the same cause and to be united in that. We are so lucky to be blessed with such a great support system. We look forward to the day that we are able to bring a little one into our home and into this wonderful family! Thanks again to all of those who participated with us. We love you!

Cars: Dan and some friends decided that they wanted to have a car wash at our house so on Saturday they washed 5 cars and in so doing inspired the rest of our street. By the time they were done 3 more houses had washed cars in their driveways as well. Thanks to their hard work last night and today we had RAIN in beautiful Las Vegas, NV! We haven't had rain in months but today we did....

We are off on another week's adventure... wish us luck! 

Fast

It is National Adoption Month as I have mentioned before and because of such we have decided to head out to the temple and also fast in that honor. We will be starting a fast tonight and then going to the temple on Saturday.

It has been a while for us as we continue the "waiting game" but we have had such great love and support from all of our families and friends and we are so grateful for that. We know that our time with come when we will be able to be blessed with a child in our home and be able to be a forever family. Until then we do all that we can to stay strong and hopeful; including attending the temple. We would love to have anyone join us that would like to for this cause. It would be great to have the temples full with people their for this cause. It is so close and dear to my heart and I know to many others as well.

This is an invitation to all!

So anyone, anywhere that can make it out to their respective temples please feel welcome to do so.

Time for a change?

President Obama??? It will definitely take me a while to get use to that. Time for a change? I agree with this statement but I am not sure that I agree with all of the changes that he is ready to make. I was very conflicted during these last few months and during this election year actually. There were so many things to be worried about and so many BIG issues that were being tossed back and forth. The BIG issue that was most concerning to me and hit close to home was the issue of gay-marriage. Now... most people would sit back and say that the reason that this was an issue for me was because I am a religious person.. oh, even LDS.. and then figure that was what I was voting with. But in actuality not really. I have a very open mind and I vote with my own mind and my own heart. There are things that people do behind closed doors and as long as they don't hurt others than I don't really care. I don't care if they get married, I don't care if they have the health insurance or the benefits as other married couples do but then there are things that I do care about.... I care that we as parents would be forced to have our children learn that that is a lifestyle that HAS to be accepted. I care that our children would be forced to attend gay weddings during school outings. I care that this would affect me becoming a parent at all. This has a huge impact on the adoption community and many do not know that at all.

"Due to the current status of California, adoption.com and parentprofiles.com have already been under attack. They lost the legal battle and now their services are not available to California couples hoping to adopt or birth parents hoping to place in California. To read about that from the Family Equality Council click here. At a National Board meeting for the Families Supporting Adoption. prop 8 came up. It would be very near impossible for LDSFS to continue in the adoption world had Prop 8 passed. Already in Massachusetts, LDSFS is getting pressure to close its doors as they do not offer services to homosexual couples. You may be thinking, "well, LDSFS doesn't offer services to heterosexual couples who are not active members of the Church." That is true and that is under attack as well. Here is what you need to know about prop 8 from an adoption standpoint: Religious adoption agencies will be challenged by government agencies to give up their long-held right to place children only in homes with both a mother and a father. Catholic Charities in Boston already closed its doors in Massachusetts (after 100 years of practice) because courts legalized same-sex marriage there. "

With the outcome of yesterday's vote and the YES ON PROP 8... there was some good news for me and my family. We have hope!

"Voters put a stop to same-sex marriage in California, dealing a crushing defeat to gay-rights activists in a state they hoped would be a vanguard and putting in doubt as many as 18,000 same-sex marriages conducted since a court ruling made them legal this year.

The gay-rights movement had a rough election elsewhere as well Tuesday. Amendments to ban gay marriage were approved in Arizona and Florida, and Arkansas voters approved a measure banning unmarried couples from serving as adoptive or foster parents. "

One day we will be a family. We will be together. I will support the president. I am excited that we have a new chapter in the history of America. I will stand by him because I know the Lord is standing by me and wants me to build my family through adoption and is making it possible for me to do so.