Consumed

I had a friend who was visiting from out of town ask me about my adoption. Her question was "Does it consume you?" My answer was YES!! You can't think about anything else.

When will that form be ready?
When will DHR be finished with my home study?
When will USCIS be finished with it?
Can I actually get everything done and travel in May?
When can I make travel arrangements?
What do I need to pack?
What do I need to buy?
What else can I do to raise money?
What do my children look like?
What are they doing right now?
What size are they?
Will they like me?
What will I do with my time in Uganda?
How many people can I help while I'm there?
Will I make the best use of my time?
Will I get to take care of my children as soon as I get guardianship of them?
When will I get to bring them home?

Theses questions play on a continuous loop in my head. I wake up in the middle of the night: "God please bless and protect my babies, whoever they are and wherever they are. Let me get to them soon and hold them in my arms."

I am not worried about these things. I know God is in control of it all. I just want my answers now.
I used to think I was a fly by the seat of my pants kinda girl. This is a whole different ball game.


Yes I am consumed.

Chip in

As anyone who has ever adopted or who has begun the process, cost can be overwhelming. I have cut my personal budget to the bare bones in an effort to save as much as possible.
I am making a fair amount of money with my t-shirt sales. I have sold cookies, chicken and dressing dinners, and next week we will be selling bar-b-que dinners.
I am open to any other fundraising ideas that anyone wants to share.
I have added the Chipin to my blog to take donations. I don't like just asking for money. It goes against my work ethic. I don't think you should get something for nothing. But I need help. If you would like to donate, it will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you and God bless you.

African Children's Choir

Last night I got to see the African Children's Choir for the second time.  It was wonderful!!!!  If you have never seen a performance please go to their website, www.africanchildrenschoir.com  and check their schedule to see if they are going to be in your area.  

The choir was started in 1984 by a man visiting Uganda.  He wanted to find a way to help the orphans and was inspired to start the choir by a street boy he heard singing.  The choir has a school in Kampala and has purchased 15 acres in Entebbe to build a larger school.  The choir is made up of orphans from Uganda, Rwanda, Sudan, Kenya, South Africa, and Ghana.  The parent organization, Music for Life, has programs to educate orphans in all of these countries.  The children who tour are ages 7 to 11 years old.  They have to audition to become part of the program.  If they are accepted they are educated through their secondary education and some have also gone on to college.  To date the programs have educated 7,000 orphans in Africa.  

If you can't adopt an child this is another way to help.  They have a sponsorship program and they need chaperons to travel with the choir.  You can adopt short term:)

While the performance was awesome, it did make me long to go to Uganda and get my babies.  I got good news from my lawyer in Uganda.  He said if I can get to Uganda with all of my paperwork at the beginning of May, we should be able to get all of my court dates in before the system closes for June and July.  If I can do that, I can bring my babies home in June and spend the summer with them before school starts back.  Yipeee!! Wahoo!!! Holy Crap!!!

So pray that the wheels of bureaucracy turn quickly.  I still have to clear Alabama DHR and USCIS.   Thanks for all of your prayers and advice. 

NO I haven't fallen off the face of the earth...

I have been in home study land. I started this process at the end of January and Friday was my last interview.  When I started I was told that it would take at least 4 if not 5 months.  This really freaked me out, because MY plan is to travel in May.   I had my first interview on President's Day and the intensity began.  For the last 6 weeks I have been gathering all of the paperwork, answering the lovely discussion questions(Yes that is sarcasm), and doing my required readings, and praying.  I know that if this process is going to happen as fast as I want it to I'm going to have to have God's approval.  He has come through again.  In February, my social worker told me that she only works 3 days a week from 9-2.  This was not good news as I am trying desperately to hang on to all of my sick days.  When I went back for my second interview, my social worker told me that she was moving back to Florida and needed to rush my home study up if at all possible(WOO HOO!).  So I had to kick it into high gear.  

Last week was my Spring Break from school.  Did I get to go visit my friends in St. Pete Beach? No,  I had to finish everything and by my 1:30 appointment on Friday everything in my house was cleaner than it has ever been.  My eyes were crossed from doing 10 hours of internet reading, and my nerves were on edge.  Everything went great and my home study will hopefully be sent to Alabama Dept of Human Resources this week.  I have been told it may take 2 weeks or more for them to OK everything, then it goes to NCIS in Atlanta where it could take months.

But guess what??? I'm not worried.   My God is in control.   If I should travel in May, He will see that everything happens.  If I have to wait until the fall there is a reason and it will be for the better.  I am still praying for May and please feel free to join me in sending this prayer up.

He will even send me the money I need to complete everything(pray for that too, if you don't mind).

So my rest and relaxation over Spring Break consisted of me being a complete couch potato on Saturday.   I don't think I was up to forming a coherent thought.  

Giving up one Spring Break will be worth getting to spend the summer and the rest of my life with my children.  A tan would just fade.

Thanks for all of your prayers and advice.  

By the way, all of the readings I had to do on bonding and attachment disorder has got me a little freaked out.  Is it really as bad as they say?

It's been a busy week

I know I have to get better at posting, but I never seem to have time.   Last week was jammed.  

I had my first home study interview on Monday(a day off from school).  The meeting went well and I have my second interview next week.  Now I only have to write my autobiography between now and then.  I left my interview and headed to Costco.   I love Costco.  I don't even have to go on a free sample day to enjoy a day of looking a large packages of "stuff".  The reason I am at Costco this week however is because I am raising funds.  My church has graciously allowed me, my mom, my aunt, and several other wonderful ladies to cook dinner on Wed. night in exchange for donations.  We also decided to get really ambitious and sell plates on Thurs. for lunch at the schools where I teach(we sold 70).   We cooked chicken and dressing, green beans, corn, salad, and cake for over 100 people.  That meant cooking for 4 days.   The food was delicious and God blessed our hard work.   Next months menu is corn bread, pinto beans with ham, turnip greens, fried okra and macaroni and cheese.  Ya'll come by for a good ol' southern meal.  

There were many other things going on that I won't go into.  I just wanted to say that through all of the busyness,  God is still in control.  I am so glad that He is.  I would have messed it all up.  

Flip Flops in February

Was the groundhog wrong?  It has been unseasonably warm here in AL.  Sunday afternoon when it was time to return to church, my feet refused to be encased in socks and shoes.  So out came the flip flops.  I know some people call them thongs, but around here you don't wear those on your feet.   I should live at the beach!  I love to buy shoes, I just don't want to have to wear them.  My shoes come off as soon as it is socially acceptable(most of the time).  

So for the next few days my feet will be wonderfully free!!!! 

Love is in the air

I wanted to post a picture of the new Valentine's shirt.  I think it's pretty cute.  Let me know what you think.  If you want to order one just e-mail me at believetshirts@yahoo.com.  All profits go to help me bring home my Ugandan babies.  

Oh, did I say babies?  That's right I have made the decision to try to adopt 2 children.  I have always been one to jump in with both feet.  Please continue to pray that I follow God's path for me and my(soon to be)children.  It has been a very up and down couple of weeks that I won't go into.  The rant in my last posting should be enough.  Thanks to all of you and God bless you.