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!