R is for Ready!

The old adage that "no news is good news" doesn't hold true for me. When things are going well, it will be duly noted. Hard times, sad stuff... don't expect the written word from these quarters. That’s why it’s been so quiet here.

Now, however, the wind grows favorable again for Jackson's homecoming, as I knew it one day would, even when my heart wouldn't allow me to feel it.

We started down this leg of our adoption itinerary way back in 2006, and thought we'd finally ...well, to stick with the trip analogy: get there. Make it. Arrive the summer of 2011.

It really looked like we were headed that way when in early May, a new job for Alan dropped into our already full laps. Hidden in that good news was a major hiccup: the realization that we could not move forward on the adoption until we settled in our new locale and submitted a home study update.  Somehow, we managed to choose a home that would take us over three months to bring to closing. So the home study update was terribly, painfully delayed.

So the summer turned out quite differently from the one we’d envisioned when we submitted our paperwork for Jackson all those long months ago.  But we managed to keep busy…

First of all, by travelling to a wedding!  My beautiful niece Andrea married her love Matt in a gorgeous ceremony... always the perfect excuse to draw close to extended family. What a time of relaxation, joy, and FUN!  

We also cheered from the sidelines and prayed with exceedingly great joy as my dear Texas penpal and her family went to China and brought home their beautiful daughter. God is so very good! Welcome home Little One!

We said farewell (sniff) to the Harry Potter movie run…

And hello to Hurricane Irene.

And finally, after two months of maintaining separate households and another two months in a summer rental, we closed on our new home, tossed the welcome mat in front of a pile of boxes and called our home study agency.

So the adoption train is back on the track (am I mixing my metaphors, and does it really matter?), we are full tilt into a beautiful autumn with our sights set (once again) on China. The grip of despair has loosened on the part of this mama's heart that could not accept or stand the delay, no matter the circumstances that brought it to bear.

R is also for refreshed. I am. No, the house isn't perfect, but B is for Basement and Basement is for BOXES, so there's a place to sit upstairs, and we'd love to see you. Come for a visit.

But you'd better hurry.

We are getting ready to go to China, you know!