Ticker Time!

I finally got to add my adoption ticker to my blog! For ages and ages, I have been looking forward to the time when we would start our "official waiting" - the time when we would be put on the list waiting for a referral.

Today, I found out that we were actually put on the list A MONTH AGO!!! I did not realize it, but our home study was approved on August 19th and that is when we were put on the list! And our wait officially started.

I am so stinking excited!

So, I have added a ticker at the bottom of the blog (because I'm not sure that I will always be in the mood to see how long we have been waiting!). I know that time will go by and one day, not too far in the future, we will receive a call about a beautiful baby girl or boy who will be our child. I cannot wait!!!

For a long time now, I have not really felt like I could enjoy the excitement part of adopting. I think maybe I was still grieving, and was struggling with how far away it was...but now it is becoming real and I am ready to be a mommy! I feel like I have freedom now to dream and plan and look forward to it. I picked up my knitting tonight - a blanket that I started for our baby on the night that we decided to adopt. I had put it down for a long time, but now I am realizing that I'd better get busy on it because I am a SLOW knitter and I want it to be done before our baby arrives. Tonight I almost finished square number one (of 12).

Yes, my excitement sometimes shows itself in strange ways!!!

A Perfectly Lovely Saturday

It used to be a very well-known fact that Rachel did not get out of bed on a Saturday before noon FOR ANYTHING. The house could be on fire...and people would still be afraid to wake me up because I would be ridiculously cranky.

This morning (Saturday) I got up at 8am, had a piece of toast, strapped on my new running shoes (which by the way have almost completely cured my knee pain!) and headed out to a trail with a running buddy.

Anyone who has ever lived with me who is reading this post is gasping, I just know it.


It has been a good week as far as running goes. I ran 2 miles on Monday, 3 miles on Tuesday, 4 miles on Thursday, and 3 miles today. I think that is the most I have ever run in one week. I'm still loving it...but winter is approaching and I don't like cold, so we'll have to see what that does to my enthusiasm.

Today, Brad declared it "sweatpants day" (well, not officially, but he wore them all day long and kept saying how much he loves wearing sweatpants and how great it is that it is now Fall and he can sit watching football in his sweatpants all day...) and I spent some time scrapbooking and watching "I Love Lucy" (one of my favorites).

Around 4pm, I managed to persuade Brad to put on some real clothes (we have had the discussion many times about if sweatpants should be allowed out of the house...) and we headed to the park to take Daisie for a walk.

Next, it was on to Brad's parent's house where we watched more football and then had a bonfire. It was a perfect evening for it and his mom even brought home apple cider and donuts for us to enjoy!


After the walk in the park and playing with her "cousin", Dakota (Brad's parents also have a basset hound), poor Daisie was exhausted! We are looking forward to an uninterrupted night of sleep.


I was playing around with some of the features on my camera and managed to take this kind of interesting picture of the fire. I thought it was cool!

It's been a lovely day and now I must go to bed because Brad and I are helping in the Toddler room at church tomorrow and we are fearing for our lives :) Just kidding (sort of), but we will need our energy for sure!

Blessed by Another's Blogging!

Today I had an email from my Mom, reminding me of what lies ahead...that one day, the waiting will be behind us, and our little one will be home with us at last.

Tonight I talked with my mother-in-law, and heard the excitement in her voice as she talked about how wonderful it will be when our baby is finally with us.

Tonight I read an amazing post on an adoption blog that I have been following that made my heart soar and my eyes fill with tears. Yes, I borrowed her picture, and I hope you will take the time to read her post.

It is coming. The time is coming when we will hold our little one in our arms. It has felt like it is so far away, but I know now...it is coming. The Lord is so good, that in His mercy He is putting together our little family, in His own way, in His time. My heart is happy tonight, looking forward to that day. I am so blessed!

Attention Span

Has this ever happened to you?

You call up a business, and get their automated system. The voice begins to rattle off your options: "Press One for Customer Service, Press Two for Maintenance, Press Three for..." You know the routine.

It's at this point that I always give myself a pep talk. Okay, Rachel, listen carefully. You can do this. Don't get distracted - just listen to the options and find the one that you need. Just LISTEN.

It is usually around option four or five that I realize that my mind has drifted. I haven't heard any of the options so far! How does this always happen??? I hope against hope that the next option I hear is the one I'll need...but it never is.

What should I do? Should I press one or two and just hope it is right? Should I wait for the operator? But when I explain what I need, she might just tell me that I should have pressed option three, and then my secret will be out. I cannot pay attention to anything for more than 0.3 seconds. Should I explain to her that I tried really hard to listen but somehow just missed it?

I hang up and start again, promising myself that I'll pay closer attention this time.

And yes, this happened to me today. Again.

I Love How This Page Turned Out...

And I love this little girl!

(Niece Abbey when she was 4 months old)

So Encouraged

I am so thankful to be loved by some very wonderful people in my life. I could make a big long list of all of them, but that might take a while. Yes, I am that blessed. God is good!


Tonight was a wonderful night that really encouraged me. Brad and I went over to the house of a couple from our church who have two adopted children from Korea. Their girls are now in their twenties, but it was still so neat to hear their story and to see pictures of when they brought their children home. We found out that we have a lot in common with them and we laughed a lot. Plus the food was incredible!


Then I got home and checked the blog and my email, and I was reminded of a couple of things. I have some real friends in my life who will stick with me through the ups and downs and who are okay with me sharing or not sharing things with them. I know that they care and are there if (when) I need them. That is a rare and precious gift.


My Mom also wrote me a lovely email that lifted my heart. I am often very hard on myself and if I don't "have it all together" I feel like a failure. She is so good at gently reminding me that it is okay to not have it all together! It is good to come to the end of myself and to have to trust the Lord. What a relief that is to realize! I can sometimes get it together for like half a day, but after that... :) Thanks, Mom, for your loving words that really helped. You are the best mom ever and I hope that I will be like you when I am a mom.


Oh yes, and I must wish my Mom and my friend Kristy (aka Krispy!) a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! You are loved :)

A Little Bit of Real...

I was talking with a dear friend of mine tonight about being real with people. It is something that we've been talking about at church a lot over the last year and has been a recurring theme in many conversations I've had with people.  I've often thought that I do a good job of being "real" with people, but have been realizing lately that so many times, I put on a face, pretend that things aren't hurting or frustrating me, and try to be what I think people want me to be. Being real is not as easy as I once thought.

A glimpse into the "real" Rachel at the moment:

• Feeling moments of freaking out about the adoption.  Major fear that we are not doing the right thing or that it will not be what I expect.  So tired of waiting and so tired of empty arms.
• Thankful for a husband who is calm and steady, keeping me on track when I want to flip out.
• Often feeling overwhelmed with housework and trying to be the wife I would like to be, and then feeling guilty for being overwhelmed because I don't even have kids yet and I feel like I should be able to handle it.
• Tired of the extreme ups and downs in my walk with the Lord.  Finding consistency a struggle and longing for a closer relationship with Him.
• Feeling SO blessed with a job I love and co-workers and bosses who are kind, compassionate, and encouraging.

The "real" stuff isn't always bad stuff - but it's just that those more difficult things are easier to keep hidden.  The only problem with me is that I don't hide it very well when things are wrong, so people know I am lying when I say that nothing is wrong!

I am praying this week that the Lord will help me to tear down the walls that I so often put up so that I can have real relationships that are not just surface-level.

Four Years

Four years ago today, I joined hands with Brad and became Mrs. Rachel Hunt. As wonderful as that day was and as special the memories are, it really was just the beginning of what has been a true adventure. On that day, we joined our lives together, committing to spending life together no matter what was ahead. A lot has happened in the last four years that we did not expect - some good, some not so good - but we have laughed and cried our way through all of it together, and because of this our love has grown . It's been a fabulous four years and I cannot imagine life without my Brad.

Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart!

Where is the Paperwork Fairy When You Need Her?

**Since writing this post, I sat down with the paperwork...and proceeded to put our address in the wrong place. I should have known - the first rule of immigration paperwork is HAVE ANOTHER BLANK COPY in case you mess up the first one! Sigh. I will try again tomorrow. Paperwork: 1, Rachel: 0

Growing up, I was very spoiled - my dad always did any kind of paperwork stuff for me. I really took that for granted, until suddenly...I was an adult and I had to do it myself!

When Brad and I got married, we had 8 or 9 forms to fill out for immigration purposes (what with me being Canadian and all). We soon learned that filling out government forms is...an adventure, shall we say. It is hilarious to try to read through the instructions, figure out which parts pertain to you, what documents you need to send with the form, and where you send it. It is a miracle if they don't come back to you for some kind of correction.

This has actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Brad and I now have to fill out more immigration paperwork, but this time for the adoption. Thankfully because of all our practice in this area, I am not too intimidated.

My goal for tonight is to just get it done. We have to fill out a form called an I-600 which I believe is a petition for us to be able to bring an orphan into the States. The form itself is only 2 pages long, but the instructions are six pages long! Isn't something wrong if you have to take 6 pages to explain how to fill out a two page form???? Just a question :)

Too Funny For Words...

These are actual pictures, not altered in ANY way, taken by my sister, Joanna of her cat, Snickers. I think the first picture is a yawn, and the second is a sneeze. Every time I see them I just crack up!

I Never Thought I'd See the Day...

I never thought I'd see the day:

• That I would enjoy a 5k run


• That I would run a 5k in a downpour


• That I would win a MEDAL in a 5k....

Yes, you read that right. I won a medal! But before you get too excited, I'd better explain.

When Brad and I awoke this morning, we stood looking out the window for a moment, then turned to look at each other and burst out laughing. It was POURING with rain! I do not mean a little drizzle, I mean the kind of rain that makes me not even want to go to the mailbox because I know I'll be soaked.

Not running did not enter our heads (we already paid the money!!!) so we headed down to pick up our friends, Chad and Rachel. Rachel has been my running partner for the last few months and we were both so excited (mildly giddy). This was her first 5k ever and my 3rd. I think we were probably annoying the boys with our excitement, but we didn't even care!

Once we arrived for the race we met up with several friends from church who were also running and Brad's brother, Josh. Brad's mom (bless her heart!) also came out to cheer us on and take pictures. Now that is dedication!!!

Below is Brad heading out. He did so great and I was so proud of him! He beat his time for this course by over 2 minutes! His brother, Josh, made it in just over 20 minutes (holy cow!) and Chad also did great.

It was a hilly course, which made it a bit harder. The rain made it quite interesting. Squishy shoes, difficulty seeing, and being soaked to the skin was a new running experience for us!

As Rachel and I approached the finish line we were just trying to stay ahead of two ladies who we had passed not too much earlier. We were so excited to not be the last runners! And we were only passed by one walker (that is embarassing to type but he was walking really fast - I promise!). We got up to the finish line and saw that we had finished with a time of 36:50 which is 2 1/2 minutes faster than we'd run it before! We were very happy with our time and I was so proud of Rachel for how well she did. Having a running buddy made this race much more enjoyable than the other two I've run.

Due to the rain, or perhaps because not many people had signed up for the race...every single one of us ended up finishing first or second in our age groups! It was so hilarious, we could not believe it when they called our names! Rachel and I were so excited (can you tell?)

Rachel and I with our gold medals!

I think Josh came in fourth overall which is awesome!

Overall it was a very memorable day and so much fun. I am looking forward to doing some more training and another race in October!

Night of Laughter

I'd like to introduce you to some very special people in my life. Pastor Steve and his wife, Denise, moved here just over a year ago to work at the church. I didn't know it at the time, but they were to become dear friends to Brad and me. We are so glad they came! Working with them has been such a blessing.

Tonight a bunch of us got together for dinner to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary with a fabulous dinner at the Olive Garden. It was so much fun and I was reminded as I looked around the table of how much I have to be thankful for.

Pastor Steve and Denise

Brad and his buddy, Josh. Wow, I just realized that they both look very happy!

Me and my dear friend, Tamara (Josh's wife).

This is Pastor Glyn and his wife, Beckey. I have worked with Pastor Glyn for almost 3 years now (where has the time gone?) and we get along so well. I am so thankful to work with people who not only care about me, but take time to challenge me and encourage me in my walk with the Lord. Oh yes, and we laugh - a lot!

TOMORROW: Tomorrow morning is the big race! I am excited and not as nervous as I have been for my previous 5k runs. I got some new shoes this week and my knees have stopped hurting!!! I am so thankful and am making plans to increase my distance after this race. I think that mostly I am excited about the race because a bunch of my friends are doing it, too, and I get to run with Rachel. We have about the same pace and it is so much more fun with her. It's supposed to rain so that may add an interesting dimension to this race! Hopefully I will have a good report to post tomorrow!

This Week in a Nutshell

Happening this week in the Hunt household:

• Brad fixed the car! Yey! We are so grateful that his parents let us borrow their car for over a week and were glad to return it in one piece to them (it's always scary driving someone else's car!)

• Brad finished his online adoption training...before me! He has been rubbing it in continuously since his certificate arrived in the mail. I am hoping to get mine finished tonight, but I keep getting distracted with BLOGGING every time I sit down at the computer!
  

• Daisie had her special puppy surgery (ie we are now puppy-proofed) and had to spend the night at the vets. She is back home now and has assured us that it was not too bad of a trip (from what she can remember)

• Friend Rachel has been cleared for running and all are rejoicing!!!
• I have been having knee trouble from the running and am feeling a bit discouraged. They ache all the time and the race is on Saturday. Yikes!

Back to the Scrappin'

I am very behind in my scrapbooking. I'm not sure why, but until this month, I haven't really scrapbooked ALL YEAR! I decided that I would only scrapbook when I wanted to, not because I had to...it took me a while, but I'm back to it again!

Here are a few pages I've completed recently:

(This one's my favorite - it's about our trip to Seattle)

My big news of the day: I ran 5k in 29 minutes and 5 seconds! I have never broken the 30 minute mark before so I was very excited about this personal best :)

Houseguest

I'm pretty sure we have the cutest houseguest ever...

Meet Bella, an itty bitty kitty who was rescued by a friend a couple of weeks ago. My sister, Joanna, was going to take Bella to the humane society for her, but when I called the next day to see how the drop off went, she informed me that their family now includes two cats. I knew she wouldn't be able to say good-bye to this little one!

Joanna is away this weekend, so I am on kitty duty. She sleeps a ton and I really just get her up to feed her. So far so good...and Daisie has not yet tried to munch on her!

Brad announced early on in our relationship that he is not a cat person, but....you be the judge!

It's Been a Long Day

Do you ever have those days that just leave you so tired and emotionally drained that you can't possibly sleep? That's what I'm feeling tonight. I spent an hour and a half with my eyes closed, but sleep just would not come.

It has been a long day.

Today, a dear friend was having surgery to have a tumor removed. I spent the morning praying and pleading with the Lord to not let it be cancer. The call came a few hours later - no cancer! We are praising Him and feeling so thankful for His grace.

Today, my long-time friend and running buddy Rachel had to go to the doctor because of some high blood pressure issues. She was told she cannot run right now. We have been training for a 5k together for months and just ran that distance for the first time together on Monday. She has been an encourager and I have come to look forward to our runs together so much, not so much because of the running, but because of the company. I am so sad and disappointed that she will not be able to run with me.

Today, an older gentleman from the church who I worked with for a couple of years went home to be with the Lord. It was sudden, but not unexpected...if that makes any sense. I will miss him and am hurting tonight for his dear wife.

It's been a long day.

Weekend Laughs

What a lovely holiday weekend! On Saturday, we spent time with Brad's family (always fun!) and enjoyed a cookout and some very fun games. I don't know the last time I laughed so hard, and strangely enough it was brought on by the game "Scattegories"! Brad's family is very...creative!

Niece Abbey is getting so big and has started to crawl! What a cutie!

Niece Emma...always makes me smile :)

On Monday, I awoke to the sounds of many voices in my living room! I was happy to find that our friends, the Greens, had stopped by to see if we wanted to do something SUPER FUN like go to the beach! I have been wanting to go to the beach all summer and we just hadn't made it there yet. So, we packed up two vehicles (with everything we own - including the dog and everything she owns) and headed to a nearby lake.

When we arrived, I just had to take a picture of us with all the stuff. It was a pretty funny sight.

Daisie had a great time and didn't bark at all.
She was so pooped by the end of the day!

Funniest moment of the day - I was walking with Daisie and the girls back to the car, and suddenly I looked over and saw this. Poor Rachel had the job of pushing ALL of our stuff UP a great big hill! I laughed so hard because it just made me think of that little dog Max in the cartoon movie, "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" when he's trying to pull that great big sled full of stuff...I don't know, maybe I just got too much sun! Anyway, Rachel and I had a good laugh! She is Wonder Woman!

Feeling very blessed today to have so many wonderful people in my life!