Olympics

Over the past couple of weeks, Chris and I have developed a routine that is based off of the Olympics.  We simply cannot get enough of the crazy events.  We have planned our evenings around watching the events.  The routine consists of working for 8+ hours, eating supper, either riding our bikes or working out on the elliptical and staying up way to late...and then it starts all over again.

Some of my favorite events throughout the Beijing Olympics include swimming, beach volleyball, men's 10m platform diving (I know David Boudia's father), gymnastics, basketball and track and field.  I was also impressed by the opening ceremonies.  I work with quite a few people from China and they have been so proud of it.  It has been neat to talk to them about something that we have in common.  

My company has been in the news quite  bit lately.  As most people know, the automotive sector has been hit hard recently because people are changing their buying habits because they are fed up with the cost of gas.  This past week my company has decided to make a business decision to separate 600 salaried employees.  This has been a difficult time and my heart goes out to the employees that have lost their job.  My hope is that they will be optimistic and that they can find a position that fits their needs.

This weekend we are going to the lake to spend some time with my family.  We usually go on vacation with them sometime throughout the year; however, we are saving all of our time for our trip to ETHIOPIA!  

Colts football is back in season!  We are super excited to go to the games again this year.  The first pre-season game is Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.  It should be a good time.  We actually had the opportunity to tour the stadium last Saturday with some of our friends - shout out to Syd, Katie, Don, Liz, Anneliese and Emmeline.  Chis and I have also been riding our bikes recently so we also had the opportunity to ride the monon for 18 miles.  It was a nice ride.  

No news on the adoption front.  We continue to think about out little guys often.  We are so glad that August is about over.  We really don't want to wish our lives away, but we can't wait to hold him.  We love him so much already!

The Weekend

We had a great weekend. It got off to a great start because Chris came home from Florida. It is one of those things...I really enjoy my personal time, but I am always so glad when he is home and we can spend time together doing the things that we love. Recently, we picked up bicycling. We try to go at least 5 times a week. The past two Saturdays we have taken some long rides. This past Saturday we rode 23 miles. We have really enjoyed it for several reasons...the time together is invaluable, it is good for us, Chris's knee doesn't hurt (he has had surgery twice), it gives us time to think and see God's creation and it is the GREEN thing to do.





On Friday evening, I was able to meet up with some of my girlfriends from Manchester. I have been able to stay current due to all of them having blogs; however, it was nice to laugh and cry with them. We ended up eating supper at the Mexican place and then we went to Dairy Queen for dessert. I was able to show the girls the pictures of our little boy. I loved their reaction. It means so much when you have the support of friends. I am excited about seeing these ladies again in the near future.



My family was here this weekend from Ohio. I have always thought that photography would be a fun hobby so all my cousins joined in on the fun!

Here is Jordan hanging from a tree.







And Carly, who was wondering why I made her sit on the floor for a picture.





Aaron, loving every bit of laying on the grass in the sun so he couldn't open his eyes.





Ashlyn, sitting in the corner with me standing over her on a rocking chair.


And finally, Lauren, sitting on a blue ball.


Man do I love these kids. I have been able to watch all of them grow up and it has been so rewarding. All of them have different personalities and I always look forward to spending time with them. Family means a lot to me and I am so fortunate to have a close family on both my side and Chris's side. We are blessed.

The Life of Sarah

**My pictures would not post for some reason. I will try later.

For those of you who keep up with the X Games or MTV, the title of this blog comes from The Life of Ryan. It amazes me how interested I can be in the lives of people I do not know and will never meet. The Life of Ryan follows a skateboarder around his daily routines, with friends, gigs and his family. I also find myself watching HGTV house shows...I love seeing inside houses and dreaming or thinking about what I would do if I had the cash to spend 800K on a house. Actually, I can honestly say, I never want a house that would cost that much. I am happy with what I have and I would rather spend my money on something much more meaningful.

I have to do a shout out to my friend Ashley! She called me out today...I told her yesterday that I was going to post a blog last night. Oops! At least I know I have one stalker! I actually had the opportunity to visit with Andrew and Ashley yesterday at Dairy Queen over some ICE CREAM. It was fun catching up with them. They are expecting their first child and were updating me on all of the details! Love it!

Speaking of babies...my dear friend Abbe had her twins today! She had a baby boy and a baby girl. Mommy and babies are doing well. I plan to go to the hospital tomorrow evening to visit. She has been such a blessing to me and has been my cheerleader throughout our adoption. I praise God that her children are healthy!

Chris is currently in Florida for work. I have been keeping myself busy here at home. I am trying to get ahead on my class and just take some time for myself. I ran some errands yesterday and I also cleaned our house. It felt good to dust, vacuum, clean the bathrooms, do the dishes and wash the windows all in one day. I worked until 8:15 today in order to get caught up.

Since a lot of my students are leaving, I am not able to focus on the International portion of my job. I was able to catch up a bit and that makes me feel good. Chris and I recently changed churches. It is amazing what a difference that can make in life. We are so fired up about church. It is a great feeling. We are actually going to a new members class next Sunday. It makes us feel so good that we have found a place to call home. We are excited to get involved in our new church. It has a great mix of people which really fits us. God is good!

As far as the adoption goes, we received an email today from our agency. I was going to try and paraphrase it, but I think it is worded extremely well. It is kind of frustrating; however, we have to TRUST God and know that He has a plan.

Dear Families:

Ethiopia is now experiencing their annual rainy season, and this impacts much of their daily lives. Roads that were somewhat accessible before are now all but washed away, and transportation is challenging. We can all imagine daily life for those who must endure this season every year.

The judges of the Federal Court are now beginning their two month leave, and are expected to return in late September. Only a few more court cases will be processed this week. A few cases have already been scheduled for court in mid October. We do not expect to receive any new news of court dates until early October.

We realize that many of you are wondering what will happen during the next two months. It seems like an eternity to wait, most especially if you already have a referral. It is our prayer that the next two months, and beyond, will pass with ease, peace, and comfort, both for the children and for all of you waiting mommies and daddies.

The process with paperwork and getting the children to the places they need to be will continue, in as close to a normal process as possible. We will continue to send over your completed dossiers to our office in Addis. The orphanages will continue to receive children who need families, so referrals will still be given. Your dossiers will be translated and then submitted to the Ministry of Women's Affairs for approval. The paperwork to compile the dossiers for the waiting children will still be gathered and processed.

The travel dates for Embassy appointments will continue as normal, for families who already have court approval. The children will continue to be moved into the Foster Care facility, as space becomes available there. The second medical exams in Addis will continue as well. The point at which all of the paperwork and processing stops will be at the court. When the judges return in early October, they will receive all of the waiting dossiers/cases and will begin the task of scheduling court cases on their calendars.

We expect at some point that the Foster Care facility in Addis will become filled to capacity with waiting children. When this occurs, the children in the orphanages will remain there until the courts open again, adoptions receive approval, parents receive Embassy appointments, and travel to Addis to get their children. This will create open spaces at the Foster Care facility to begin moving in children from the orphanages once again.

Our Ethiopia program consists of between 150-160 adoptive families, on a continual basis. As of today there are:
1. 15 families on our referral waiting list (dossier complete). Practically ALL of those families are waiting to receive referrals of little girls.
2. 6 families have court dates scheduled for this week or mid October.
3. 49 families have referrals and are completing their dossiers, or are waiting for court dates in October.
4. 17 families have approved court hearings, and are waiting for Embassy/travel dates.
5. 70 families are in the dossier phase.

Please contact your case manager with any questions you have about the processes over the next two months, or about your adoption in general. Again, our prayer is that all the waiting will pass with ease and God's comfort and presence. The timing may never fit into the calendars we keep at our fingertips, but God is always there, and He is working out a perfect plan for each one of the children, and each one of you.

Based on the email, we will not really have any updates for the next couple of months. We have always known the WAITING would be the most difficult part, and it is hard to understand, but God will see us through. We have already been blessed abundantly and we need to remember that we are not in control. Please continue to remember him in your prayers. I am sure that our prayers are being answered and that he is feeling loved.

I did email our case manager to see if our son is feeling better. She said that she hasn't heard anything, which means he hasn't gotten worse. Hopefully, I will have an update on his health later this week.

Well, it is that time. I decided not to work on my class tonight; therefore, I have to work on it the rest of the week.