Blog Award 1

So, I'm going to try to give out blog awards!! Let's hope I can figure it out!!

First, from Stacey at Stacey's Thoughts, I received the Beautiful Blogger award, which was very uplifting coming from this beautiful Louisiana girl. Go check out her blog and send her love. Stacey has been through the ringer and continues to demonstrate beautiful faith and has encouraged me on many occasions! Thank you Stacey!



Here are the rules for the award:

~Thank the person who nominated you and link to their blog.

~Copy the award and paste it to your blog.

~Tell us 7 interesting facts about yourself.

~Nominate 7 bloggers that you love and link to their blog.

So, 7 interesting facts about me...

1. I love monkeys. I want a pet monkey, but my husband says NO!! We played with monkeys on vacation in Guatemala in 2007, and it was the highlight of my trip!!

2. I'm not a natural blonde, but believe to the core of my being that I should be! I used to dye my hair myself, but have found that to be a mistake on more than one occasion, now I just leave it to Jessica at Avalon!!

3. My astrological sign is Aires, and I think it's fitting, read characteristics of it and you'll know a little more about me!

4. I love animals, LOVE them! I really would have a lot more pets if I could, but we've put a cap on them right now. I have 3 dogs (most of you know one is missing right now, continue to pray for his safe return home!!). O'Brien is an 11 year old pom/chihuahua mix, and is the first love of my life! Noble is our first white German Shepherd, she is sweet and fiesty and high maintenance. Sampson is our second white Shepherd, and he is 100+ lbs, and is somewhat slow (we say he has doggie Downs), but sweeter than pecan pie! We also have 3 cats, two of whom are still roaming the streets in Shreveport, but their names are Cub and Savage, and they are wild beyond belief. Savage will disappear for days and come back with pieces of ear missing! Tasso is our youngest fur baby, he's a tabby cat, and we're trying to fatten him up. He's a lover who thinks he's a dog and the BEST cat I've ever had!!

5. Laughing is my favorite thing, good thing since I married Sean because he is full on hilarious!! I would rather laugh any day that cry! Probably why my favorite movies are Wedding Crashers, and now Hangover. **Little known fact about Sean, he looks a lot like Alan from the Hangover and that's who he is going to be for Halloween!!**

6. I love love love Louisiana, specifically Shreveport and New Orleans, always have, always will. The culture there is unlike anywhere else, it's rich, alive, and makes you want to just enjoy everything about life. I attribute that a lot to my friends from south Louisiana, who adhere to this concept even better than I do!!

7. I always sneeze in 3s, well 90% of the time. If you've known me long, you know to just wait until I sneeze at least 3 times, then bless me, it'll save you some blesses!!

So, I'm giving this out to the following blogland ladies:

Nan at Persevering

Shandrea at Loving my Angels

Jennifer at Blue Sparrow

Katy at Pray Date

Monica at God's Gracie

Lori at Lori Does Maryland

Amy at Bloom Where You are Planted

Please visit each of their blogs and share some love!! These are great women that I'm blessed to 'know' through blogging!!

Emotions

I think that emotions are a bummer. Mainly because the yucky ones sneak up without cause. I shouldn't be having a rough day today, but I am. It's just been a funky Tuesday.

Today I miss my babies. Some days I'm ok, and though I always think about it, some days are better than others, this is an other day!! People are pregnant everywhere, you never notice how much until it's not you and you desperatly want it to be you! It's just a hard place to be.

I feel like a lot of the joy with my adoption has been taken secondary to the stressful situations we've faced, the possibility of it not happening (for a few weeks there), and the concern over whether or not it will happen in the end. All of these things are so beyond my control that I must daily surrender them to God and know that He will provide. Sometimes I just wonder when and if He will provide a baby for me and Sean. I pray so, I pray that this adoption works out for us.

Today I'd like to say a huge thank you to my girls, specifically the other four of the fab 5 that are traveling this road with me. Without the love of Andrea, Nan, Shandrea, and Angie, I'm sure this road would have been infinitely harder. I am grateful each and every day that God gave me these sweet friends to walk this road with hand and hand! I wanted to share the necklace that I got from Andrea and Nan that is so very special to me. It has my babies' names on it and their birthstones! Thank you girls for this, it means the world to me!

Nice weekend away

I'll post some pictures later, but for now I'll say that despite the funeral detour (Sean lost his great aunt Ethyl, called Aunt toots) in White Castle, our trip down south was a success.

We enjoyed an unplanned night of driving and stopping at Acme Oyster house in Baton Rouge for a great dinner of oysters (raw and charbroiled), some etouffe' and poboys, along with very cold Abita Strawberry. It's my favorite and I always look forward to it in the Spring time! We had a great meal, great conversation and great laughs (have I ever mentioned how funny my husband is!?!?). Then we drove and found a hotel and crashed for the night. Saturday we went to the funeral, which was nice, and we got to see some family, which is always great, then headed to Nola to see my sister and BIL. We went down to the french market, had a cocktail, listened to some jazz music, and walked around in the glorious day! We had dinner at Sean's favorite place "The Come Back In" and he got his favorite sandwich, the Joe-Don (could that sound anymore redneck!??!). It was a good time as well.

Sunday was a blast as we went to his mama'a brother's house to be with the Hughes side of the family, which is never short of completely entertaining. We went for the annual St. Patrick's Day parade in Metairie. I can't even tell you how great the parade was, it was so long we left before it was over!! My friend from Mobile came and brought her husband and baby girl, EmmaLarson (I love that name!), it was great to see them, as always. She's a babylost mommy herself, and her sweet daughter is adopted, and she's the cutest!! It was all a blast and there was good food, good company, and cold Abita Strawberry! So, we're home now, and it's almost 8, still not dark outside, we took the dogs for a walk, and need to feed ourselves!

My dad is doing well, recooperating at home, and seems in really good spirits, which makes me smile!

O'Brien is still MIA and that continues to break my heart. I am going to put flyers in mailboxes tomorrow, maybe that will turn something up.

As for the adoption, the birthfather signed over his rights on Friday and baby mama seems to be doing ok. I spoke with her OB, which made me feel better and I'm hoping and praying that it will be smooth sailing from here on out. Continue to pray for all involved as I'm sure this isn't getting any easier on Baby Mama, and I know it's going to be hard in the end. She's making the best decision for her baby, but we all know that what is best isn't always what is easiest! Continue to pray for peace of mind for Sean and I as well, while we continue this journey! Pray for a safe arrival of sweet Cala, she has such a big family waiting to welcome her with open arms, she's going to be overwhelmed with so much love, she'll never even realize just how blessed she is!!

Praying for a good week!

What's happening as of Today...

Today my dad was supposed to go home from the hospital, but he didn't as he had some chest pain overnight. It didn't occur to me, but did to my amazing husband that this was a good thing in that my dad had actually told them that this was happening! He's listening (even if only a little)!! So, he's spending the night again, and I'm headed home in a little while so I can be there tomorrow because my mom really has to go back to work. Please continue to pray for his recovery, and that he'll take better care of himself in the future!

O'Brien is still MIA, which continues to sadden me profusely! I just can't imagine that someone hasn't tried to return him yet, though I know he's the cutest dog in America and he is super sweet, you would think they would want to find his owners. Since we have information at every vet/pound/shelter in town, it should be easy to find us, plus there are posters, I made bigger ones last night!! So, keep praying that my little love will come home, nothing seems right at home without him!

Finally, on the adoption, it is still up in the air! Yesterday I would've told you that it was moving forward, but today, not so much. We are waiting to hear from our attorney again tomorrow, and are hoping that there will be a solution found. This yo-yo of emotions is beginning to be too much, and this is truly not all that I have on my plate right now, obviously. I wish that this had been handled completely different from the beginning, but this is a lesson learned. We will praise God for all that He gives us, even if it's only lessons, as His plan is far greater than mine! If this doesn't work out we will be sad, but we will recover, there is nothing that Sean and I can't do together, God definately knew what He was doing when He made this team!

Wow!!

This weekend seemed as if it was the worst, and I must say I was feeling pretty sorry for myself Sunday night, but in a therapeutic way. That would be curled up in my chair and a half with snacks, my dogs that aren't missing, my cat, and the Oscars. It was nice until...

My phone was in my room charging and I heard it dinging away, but I ignored it to indulge in my laziness in the chair and waiting on Sandra Bullock's impending acceptance speech (I knew she would win, isn't she a doll?!!?). So, I finally go back and check my phone and get a "Call me 911" text from hubby. This doesn't alarm me as we can be slightly dramatic, but I call quickly. He somehow spills out the news that my dad has had a heart attack without it being the worst news EVER. Guess that working in the ICU really does teach you great skills. I am bawling however, as this has always been a huge fear in our family because there is so much heart disease on my dad's side (he's the oldest living male, most have died before 55, he's 63). So, sweet hubby explains that they think it's minor and he doesn't want me driving upset, but that he knows I'll feel better if I go home. He knows me so well, and is the best husband ever (in case I haven't mentioned it lately). I repack my bag (as I had just gotten back to Tyler the night before, you know to look for my lost 11 year old dog), and headed home. By the time I got there they had him stable and daddy was way tired, so I said hello, went home with mom (they won't let you spend the night in the ICU) and she and I snuggled up in bed together, waiting on my sister and BIL to arrive (mind you they had just arrived back in New Orleans like 5 hours prior). They packed up and made the 5 hour drive back and arrived around 6 am. So, we are all here together (since hubby drove over after he got off work at 7 am, and then drove back to be at work for 7pm, see the best!!!).

Dad is doing well, just very tired, and therefore grumpy (I come by it honestly, sleep is important people). They did a heart cath today, found some blockage, placed a stent, and did an echocardiogram on him. He should be ok, just needs to eat better and take his meds consistently.

Scarey, weird weekend! Hoping for brighter days ahead, but God won't give me more than I can handle and has surrounded me with the best friends ever! I'm grateful that whatever trials and joys I face, I never face them alone because my life is full of angels! Thank you to my sweet friends and family!

My dog is still missing, so please pray that he'll be found and returned as I'm really freaking out about him at this point, we've been BFFs for the past 11 years, and I'm not sure what to do without him!

We aren't quite sure of the status of our adoption at this point. I'm waiting to hear back from our attorney, so if I don't tomorrow, I'll call there. They have been wonderful and I appreciate them greatly. Continue to pray for baby girl, Sean and I, and for baby mama. This situation is hard for everyone involved and none of us have done it before, so we don't know how to handle the whole thing and appreciate your prayers!

Trouble in Paradise

Not that my life is complete paradise, but I consider myself quite blessed indeed!! I thank God daily for what He has blessed me with and know that He is so generous on my behalf.

With that said, our adoption seems to be heading south right now. It doesn't look as if it's going to happen, due to circumstances that were not brought about by ourselves. The demands that keep coming in and the correspondence that is being recieved are not favorable. That is actually putting it mildly, but I don't want to go into full details. I will ask for continued prayer for both of us, for the baby, and for the birthmother and the situation that she is facing.

That has been ongoing and then yesterday morning my husband called to tell me that my dog (we have 3, this one is MINE) who is 11 years old and has been my constant companion for all these years, is missing. He cannot be found anywhere! O'Brien (a.k.a. the Cutest Dog in America--I tell him everyday) wears a radio collar and it's huge and he won't go near the perimeter, but we're afraid the batteries died without our knowledge and that he wandered out of our yard. I can only pray (and ask for you to pray too) that some sweet person picked him up to keep him safe and they will return them when they see my huge 11X17 laminated posters up near our house! Please pray for his safe return as my heart is torn in two by not having my little guy here. I just hope he's safe, not hurt, and we can bring him home ASAP!!!

Please keep us in your prayers as these seem to be really trying times and we are desperately seeking God's will and His guidance, and trying not to control situations ourselves!

Thank you!!!

Mardi Gras Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon

So, I know some of you were awaiting this update, as you've seen my facebook statuses, and now some fabulous pictures (some not so fabulous, but running ain't all beauty peeps!!).

One year ago in February I accomplished something that I never dreamed in a million years I could do. I ran a half marathon. My first reaction was to burst into tears, seriously, there is nothing to explain it and no words to describe it, nor is there a more appropriate reaction! If you're not a distance runner and you see this, you think all of these people are nuts, but if you're a runner, you understand that adrenaline, and the pure ecstacy of accomplishing something that very few people actually do. A statistic I shared last year was that only 1% of the population completes a half marathon, and only .1% a full marathon! Amazing! It's torture, pure and simple, but it is the good kind of pain that you know you pushed yourself further than you ever believed you could go.

I had no real expectation for this half, this was my fifth, that's right, I did four last year, and I'm proud that I did. You can call it bragging, at this point I really don't care! Still, in coming to New Orleans I thought about the milestone that it was to have still been running for an entire year, to have run in races alone at least 65.5 miles (that's not including any other races or training), but I didn't know what the feeling would be at the end. I had dreams of a PR, but let me be honest and tell you that my training has not been up to par for setting a PR, but I finished and if you see pictures, I did it with a smile on my face (and gasping for air). When I crossed that finish line hand in hand with my sweet friend, Daniel, watching him complete his first half marathon, I knew some of his emotions, but wasn't prepared for mine. I was a mess, I was teary and couldn't breathe and overwhelmed yet again at what an accomplishment this was for me. I know there are plenty of people out there who do these more often and way faster than me, but that's the thing about running, for me, it's all about me. All about what I can accomplish and how far I can go. I would be remiss to say that this is all about me and not mention that at each race I run with Phillipians 4:13 on my hand, "I can do all things through Christ who strenthens me." There is an organization that is at every race with that logo, you should visit their website, and in running Sunday I saw a guy with one of their shirts, complimented him, and his response was this..."He is the only way I will make it to the end of this!". I told him I constantly pray, "Lord move my feet, Lord fill my lungs, Lord keep me safe" and He hasn't failed me yet. Seriously, nothing like completing one of these races, nothing at all and I give all the glory to God. First He gave me the desire that I prayed for, then he gave me great friends to train with, and He continues to inspire me and put great people in my life to help me along!!

So, will I do another? Hell yeah! I'm already planning it! Who's coming with me?!?!?