Seven Years of Wedded Bliss

November 27, 2004 was the happiest day of my life because I got to marry my best friend Bill.  We met at Target when I was just 17 and he was 19 so we dated for seven years too.  Bill was transferred to the particular Target that I worked at just for the summer before my senior year at high school.  He was from a different town and school so it makes me smile to see how God's hand was really in this plan of lining us up to meet each other.  Bill was working undercover security at Target and I was working in the jewelry section so he was hanging around there a lot.  I remember very clearly having a strong feeling that I needed to get to know this guy.  He always says he saw a beam of light around me as I was folding clothes in the store one day.  (I told you this might be cheesy).  But what we felt and saw was true because the rest is history.  We were together since then and everyday our relationship grows.  I am so thankful for Bill and I love being his wife.

*Warning many pictures ahead!*  I always pictured a Christmas wedding and that is just what we did.  It was over Thanksgiving weekend but Christmas was up everywhere so it was the start to the holiday season.

I loved the traditional look of my dress:

My bridesmaids wore red:

Here is our whole wedding party:

I always pictured a fur lined dress but they didn't have that, however I did find a fur lined cape that I wore over my dress:

We took pictures at a local greenhouse where their poinsettia show had just begun that weekend:

We set up the tables the day before with christmas boxes filled with chocolates for favors and it is hard to see in the picture but everyone also had a set of jingle bells to ring when they wanted us to kiss:

Everyone also left with a christmas ornament that had their place card in it: 

This is the card holder my dad made for me:

Here is our beautiful cake with Mickey and Minnie under the mistletoe as our topper:

Father/Daughter Dance, My dad passed away 5 months later so this picture is very special to me:

Uncle Jim playing the accordian for the chicken dance and some polka, a tradition in our family

Just Married!

We had a fabulous day and I wouldn't change a minute of it.  I love looking back over our album and video  (especially the part where Bill gets choked up during the vows :) so sweet.  We are still so grateful for all our family and friends who supported us that day and continue to be a support to us in our marriage.  

Thanksgiving Thoughts

Yay!  I just finished working this evening and that means Thanksgiving is here!  We are leaving tomorrow to travel home to family in Chicago and I am very excited and thankful to have this quality time to spend with them.  I am very thankful for my wonderful husband and best friend Bill.  I am very thankful this year for our family and friends who continue to be such a great source of support for us.  I feel very blessed to have a roof over my head and food on my table to eat everyday.  I am thankful for my job and Bill's job.  I am thankful for our health.  I am also very grateful that God opened our hearts to adoption and is providing us with the means to do so.  I am thankful for God providing me with patience as we wait (most days anyway :)!).  And I am grateful for God's love and grace.  With that alone my cup runneth over!

I was so surprised tonight when I got to work to see these flowers on the desk in the Pilates studio.  It had a card with it that said "Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude.  You are an amazing and inspiring instructor.  I am thankful for you"  What a sweet gesture of appreciation!  The funny thing is though there wasn't a name of who sent it.  I don't know if they wanted to remain anonymous or if the florist forgot to put the name on the card.  So it has me wondering who it is so I can thank them.  Definitely warms my heart to know that people enjoy my classes.

I hope you all enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

Venting

I just have to vent this evening about a situation in our area.  There was a missing one year old baby boy  reported yesterday.  It was all over the news all day.  The mother went to sleep and woke up and said the baby was gone.  It was all very fishy from the beginning because there was no forced entry.  It breaks my heart to tell you that he was found dead a few hours later and the story has been unfolding since.  Today the news announced that the mother admitted to beating little Tyler because he wouldn't be quiet in his crib and then disposed of his body.    

I am sure you that are parents out there are broken hearted at the thought of how someone could ever do something to hurt your child.  I am sure there are moments that get extremely difficult but it would never be a reaction to hurt your child.  My heart is heavy this evening because I know what it is like to wish to be blessed with a child so much that all I can do is cry out to the Lord this evening and ask why!? There are many people out there who would love and parent a child if they could and yet there are those parents out there who can and yet choose to make extremely poor decisions.

I just wanted to ask you this evening to pray for baby Tyler, to pray for his family that will miss him and to pray that God be with his mother.

What You Can Do

As you may have noticed my main focus lately has been National Adoption Awareness Month.  I posted recently about the history of how it began but an important question then is how can we support it?  I have found many great websites about this topic with lots of suggestions so here are just some of my favorites:

1) Support Adoption Foundations like the National Adoption Foundation and the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption as a couple examples 

2) Learn positive adoption language. This will help end the myth that adoption is second best. By using positive adoption language, you’ll reflect the true nature of adoption, free of stereotypes.

Below are some examples of positive and negative adoption language.

Positive Adoption Language      Negative Adoption Language

Birth Parent                             Real Parent

My Child                                  Adopted Child; Own Child

Make an adoption plan               Give up your child

To Parent                                 To Keep

Child Placed for Adoption            An Unwanted Child

Court Terminated                      Child Taken Away

3) Purchase an adoption bracelet for yourself or someone you know who has been touched by adoption. All profits from an Adoption Prayer Bracelet go to a non-profit which helps birth mothers, children, and adoptive parents.

4) Pray for Adoption

Dog Gone Tired

Bill is probably not going to like that I am sharing this photo but that is what happens when you nap at 5:30pm.  Kahlua and Oreo love snuggling and now that the weather is getting a little colder what better way to spend an evening.  So since everyone is sleeping does this mean I don't have to make dinner? :)

 

Oh and I caught this photo this weekend.  I didn't know where Oreo was and this is where I found him.  He has been sleeping under his bed lately.  Hmmm maybe he gets that from Bill who sleeps under his pillows (see above photo). He He

History of National Adoption Awareness Month

History Lesson

Sixteen years ago President Clinton proclaimed November as National Adoption Month but its origins go back further than that back thirty five years for that matter. Back to then governor of Massachusetts, Michael Dukakis who announced an Adoption Week for his state. Soon thereafter the event went national with Gerald Ford. 

Adoption advocates realized, however, that more time was needed to raise awareness about the need for adoption and to hold adoption related events. So, in 1995, President Clinton made the event a month long observance.

Last year President Obama started off National Adoption Month with a proclamation: "Giving a child a strong foundation; a home, a family to love, and a safe place to grow is one of life's greatest and most generous gifts. Through adoption, both domestic and international, Americans from across our country have provided secure environments for children who need them, and these families have benefited from the joy an adopted child can bring. Thanks to their nurturing and care, more young people have been able to realize their potential and lead full, happy lives."

That statement about giving young people the ability "to realize their potential and lead full, happy lives" seems especially cogent after the recent death of Apple founder Steve Jobs. Most of the articles I read memorializing this man who changed the way the world experienced computers, listened to music, made and enjoyed movies, and realized the purpose of their phones, mention adoption only in passing. As an adoptive mother, I have asked myself whether Jobs would have achieved what he did, had the vision, confidence, and work ethic without the environment his adoptive parents provided during his formative years. 

The iconic image of a apple with the bite out of it is such an apt metaphor for how Steve Jobs approached his life. I believe what the pundits have said about Jobs being remembered alongside the likes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. 

The theme for National Adoption Month for 2011 is "Build Capacity to Make Lasting Change". No doubt that adoption made a lasting change on Steve Jobs life, as well as the rest of the world. And so, we should all ask ourselves how we can facilitate adoption so all kids can realize their potential.

article from Margie at adoption.com 

November is National Adoption Awareness Month

"Build Capacity to Make Lasting Change"

This is the theme for National Adoption Month 2011.  Each year, November is recognized as National Adoption Awareness Month. While all adoption-related issues are important, the particular focus of this month is the adoption of children currently in foster care.  I think this month is very important to look at how we can all help make a difference in our world by giving ALL children a chance to thrive.  Now it is not saying we should all run out and adopt, but raising awareness can bring to light that we can all make an effort to understand adoption facts from myths, learn positive adoption language, know the great need for placement in our country and internationally, and support adoption foundations.   

I will be posting more information and things you can do throughout the month so stay tuned!