I know, I know, I haven't been here since November.  I've thought about it, but couldn't seem to get the energy or gumption to go.  So here's the update.  We filed our I600A for adopting from Guatemala in November, got our fingerprints done in January.  Then everything in Guatemala went crazy, from people in the system kidnapping babies to problems with the Hague Convention.   We just didn't feel it was right to start the process.  We knew God had to open the door and make it clear. 

Then about 2 weeks ago, I got a phone call.  "We hear you want to adopt.  My granddaughter is pregnant and wants to give her baby up for adoption, would you be interested?"   We talked to her mom and then to her.  Everything seemed perfect on our side. (Lots more to the story, but don't want to get too personal on the web.)  After lots of talks to the birth mom and to an adoption attorney, found out bio dad needed to sign away his rights too.  Which he is refusing to do (like he wants to take the baby home to his wife, need I say more?).  Baby was born on Sunday, I was there as her doula!  Baby is home with mom, we're calling dad's bluff to see if he changes his mind once he has to pay child support. 

In the meantime I'm trying to help support mom, we're staying in touch.  We may go see the baby today, or maybe on Monday.  She still is thinking it would be in her best interest to have us adopt the baby, but open to keeping it if dad still refuses to sign his rights away.  My hubby says that if this doesn't go through, we're done with trying to adopt, and we just have to accept the two boys God has given us.  So much more goes into all of this, but as I said before, I will stick to the basics here.  I may try this blog thing again, but I make no promises.  And that's my "boring" life in a nutshell.

Well, I sent my initial applicatin to the adoption agency and my I600A to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services yesterday.  My hope is to have our little girl from Guatemala in our home by next Thanksgiving. Lord willing sooner, but I'm trying to be realistic here.  It's amazing, but I'd kind of shut off my heart from girl things, being the mom of only sons for the last 11 1/2 years.  My mom got me a statue called "Emma" from Isabel Bloom for my birthday (I asked for it) and I received it yesterday.  My oldest son was laughing because I was stroking the "hair" of the statue.  I wander through the baby section looking at little girl clothing (I can't buy any yet because she will be between 4-10 months when she comes home, so I need to wait ).   The next step is the Home Study.  It makes me a little nervous.  Actually what makes me even more nervous, I have to get a letter from my doctor stating that I'm healthy enough to have a child.  I believe I am, I just hate asking my doctor anything.  The man won't look me in the eye, in fact he sits with his back to me most of the time.  It's not personal, I know he does it to everyone, but it's still disconcerting.

On other subjects, my youngest just finished Math U See Alpha yesterday, yeah!  Not bad, he finished it in about 3 1/2 months.  I purchased Beta on eBay, but it's been 2 1/2 weeks and no sign of a package.  I've e-mailed through eBay twice and even got her contact information and left her a phone message.  No reply.  So I've gone one step further and opened a dispute with Paypal.  I hate to do it, but I have paid for something I haven't received and the woman won't communicate with me.  Frustrating, because I've never had a problem with eBay people before.  And he really wants to start his new book.  I figure if I end of getting a refund, I'll just go to the Math U See site and buy direct from them.  I haven't been able to find what I need on any of the other sites other than eBay.  I know I shouldn't be supporting them, but I was trying to get a deal.  And see where that got me.

My hubby is taking me out for my birthday this weekend (it's on Monday), I haven't decided which movie to go to, there are actually about 5 I would be open to see, and that doesn't happen much, in fact hardly ever.  Decisions, decisions.....

I packed up all of my maternity and nursing clothing today.  Kind of silly to keep them around, even if I had gotten pregnant again, they wouldn't fit me at this point in time.  So, I'm going to bless the local Crisis Pregnancy Center and bless those dear moms who have chosen to give their unborn children life.

But, in the midst of that, we are officially starting on the road to adoption.  My hubby gave the go-ahead last night, yahoo!  I told him I didn't need any birthday or Christmas gift, he gave me the gift of  a lifetime, or eternity for that matter.  I have to speak to the social worker again today to get some questions answered, and then my I600A will be completely filled out and on the way to the Orlando immigration office.  Then comes the waiting and the homestudy, the waiting and the dossier, and then some more waiting.  But oh so worth it.  It's amazing how I feel today.  Different somehow.  It's like a weight has been taken from me.  I don't feel like my body has failed anymore.  I don't feel like I'm waiting for the bomb to fall when that time of the month arrives.  We're not through it all, but it feels like there is hope now.  It was hard to find that before, after trying to get pg for 5 years this time, 3 1/2 years before, that's a long time to wait.  9-15 months doesn't seem to bad after all of that.  Please remind me of that later when I'm waiting.....  

We decided awhile back that if I was not pregnant by my birthday this year, we would quit actively trying to get pregnant.  We haven't prevented it since slightly after our honeymoon, I'm obviously not very fertile.  Lots that goes into that, but not going to get into it now.  Anywhoo, it's 2 weeks or so until my birthday...and I'm not pregnant.

Not a surprise, and truthfully, I'm not heartbroken.  It just is.  So we're considering adopting.  Because of health issues, there are 3 countries that are on our list that don't require extensive health testing:  Guatemala, Vietnam and China.  We're leaning toward Guatemala. 

But we want to make really sure that this is what God wants us to do, not what we want to do.  So, we're waiting until the New Year, and seeking God on His perfect will in this situation.  In the meantime, I enjoy the 2 beautiful sons He has entrusted us with, and continue to work on the Christmas stocking for the daughter I long to have someday.

Thanks to all of you who have still stopped by my blog!  I am doing better, but now awake due to my dh watching "United 93" and I woke up during the scary end part and now can't go back to sleep.  I don't know if I mentioned it, but that flight crashed less than 20 miles from our house (at the time) and less than 5 miles my father-in-law's hobby farm, so it hits too close to home.  Anywhoo, I decided to try this, I've seen it on several different blogs, my life doesn't seem that exciting when I look at what I haven't done, but oh well, that's kinda nice.

After actually completing it, I did highlight more than I thought, so for your viewing pleasure, here goes.....

HAVE YOU EVER...

01. Seen the Grand Canyon
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper

21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon

22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Eaten alligator (I do live in Florida!)
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster (I still hate them though!)
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Been to Austria
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe

47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero

58. Sang karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest

79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music –

87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Been in a marching band
93. Been on a cruise ship

94. Spoken more than one language fluently – not fluently but almost!
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children (in the process)
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Driven on the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Ridden on a boat down the Danube River
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone – does a nose count?

114. Dyed your hair – well, bleached it!

115. Shaved your head

116. Caused a car accident

117. Been elected to public office

118. Skipped all your school reunions

119.  Built your own PC from parts – well my husband did

120. Gone back to school

121. Read the Iliad and the Odyssey

122. Ridden a horse

123. Eaten Kangaroo meat

124. Had stitches

125. Toured castles in Europe

126. Had your picture in the newspaper

127. Eaten sushi

128. Sold your own artwork to someone you didn’t know

129. Published a book

130. Written poetry

131. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears

132. Fired a rifle, shot gun or pistol

133. Had major surgery – does a tonsillectomy count?  It seemed major to me!

134. Had a snake as a pet – as a matter of fact we do right now.

135. Gone on an African safari

136. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild

137. Visited more foreign countries than US states

138. Visited all 7 continents – only 3 so far

139.  Lived in a foreign country for more than a year

140. Been swimming in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

141. Been to Niagara Falls *(see below)

142. Lived on both sides of the Mississippi river

143. Sang in a foreign language in front of an audience

144. Been to the Berlin Wall

145. Taught a child to read

146. Been a DJ

I actually did more than I thought, I hope to back later this week for a "real" entry.

I saw this on "Life in a Shoe" and decided to end my hiatus for the moment and join in with at least my top 10 things you might not know about me:

(1) I'm less than 5 ft. tall, my dh is over 6 ft.

(2) I spent 6 weeks in Guatemela with YWAM between my junior and senior year in college.

(3) I wear an insulin pump, I've been a diabetic since age 10.

(4) I grew up in the Midwest, but now live in Florida.

(5) I always liked the heat, and abhorred snow and cold, even as a child.

(6) My hubby and I got engaged 16 days after we started dating (we were good friends before this).

(7) We've haven't prevented getting pregnant since our honeymoon , but only have 2 sons, would love to have more.

(8) I am a bookaholic.

(9) We sold our dog over the weekend, I don't miss her.  Isn't that horrible?

(10) I handle all the finances and marketing for my hubby's chiropractic office.

Not too exciting, but that's OK.

Yes, it's true, I have not been blogging.  I've thought about it, but I've been under a tremendous attack.  In my mind.  Getting off caffeine (again) did help, but I don't think writing to all of kingdom come about the specifics is going to help anything.

I'm not sure blogging is the best use of my time at this point of my life.  I spend way too much time on the computer, and I hate feeling like I "have" to make an entry or disappoint my adoring public (all 3 of you).   So, for the meantime, I will be absent, maybe to be back every once in a while, but not to put myself under pressure.

is on his way.  We have an inland tropical storm warning until 11 pm tomorrow evening.  Time will tell whether this will have an impact on us or not.  I'm not panicking by any means, but I  am watching.

I grew up in the Midwest, tornado central.  People wonder how I can live here with the threat of hurricanes.  My answer...I can plan for hurricanes, tornadoes I can't plan for.  Not that there aren't those here, but not like where I grew up....I love Florida!

I was tagged by Cricket313 so here goes:

ONE BOOK THAT CHANGED YOUR LIFE:

Mere Christianity by CS Lewis

This book really anchored my faith as a teenager.  I had grown up in church but didn't just want to believe because my parents and others in the church did.  This book resonated in my soul and spirit.

ONE BOOK THAT YOU’VE READ MORE THAN ONCE:

Just one?!  OK, Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard.

TWO BOOKS YOU’D WANT ON A DESERT ISLAND:

My Bible, the one I've marked up and made notes in

Swiss Family Robinson (I'm sure I'd find it quite useful!)

ONE BOOK THAT MADE YOU LAUGH:

Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery

ONE BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY:

Three Weeks With my Brother by Micah and Nicholas Sparks

ONE BOOK YOU WISH HAD BEEN WRITTEN:

A book to refute the stupid study that says taller people are smarter.  Puh-lease!

ONE BOOK YOU WISH HAD NEVER BEEN WRITTEN:

I'm know there are those, I just can't think of any at the moment.

ONE BOOK THAT YOU ARE CURRENTLY READING:

Just one?  OK, Managers of Their Chores by Teri Maxwell.  I can't wait to implement this!

ONE BOOK YOU HAVE BEEN MEANING TO READ:

I have 2 shelves of exactly (gasp!) 43 books still needing to be read.  Two books on hold at the library, 5 on request and 3 requested on Interlibrary Loan.  Have I mentioned I love to read?

FIVE PEOPLE YOU TAG:

I don't want to stress anyone, so please feel free to feel tagged, and let me know so I can read all those interesting answers!