Sooners Go Bye Bye

Ok, so y'all have totally overwhelmed with with Facebook messages, emails, texts, comments, etc. about the adoption news. I was home with a sick girl when I posted about it and spent the rest of the day falling in love with our sweet friends all over again. I'm sure more info will come but right now there's not much to say as we have some paperwork and training to get out of the way.

On another note, last Saturday I sort of bribed the girl to hang out with me. Dave was working and the Lady Bears were playing none other than the Oklahoma Sooners. So I offered her the lunch of her choice if she'd go to the game. Good deal, right?

I ended up just using my ID to get in instead of buying (better) tickets but we actually kind of lucked out and ended up in a different section than the norm. Basically, that's just saying we weren't behind one of the goals. So, you know, winning.

It worked out great because we got to see BG set the NCAA record for blocks - men OR women - right in front of our very eyes. Super. Awesome.

And, let's be honest, it never hurts my feelings to see Sherri Coale lose. Not even gonna try to lie about it..

One random thing that has happened at every single basketball game is my making friends because of the hat one of my sweet friends gave me in honor of the first football game last fall. (Side note: you know you're a football fanatic when you get game day presents.) I absolutely love it and could rob a bank while wearing it because NO ONE ever recognizes me. 

And, while I got a lot of compliments on it during football season, basketball fans literally hunt me down (this time in the restroom) to ask where I got it. In fact, I ended up handing out my own business card so they could contact me and get in touch with my talented friend. Since I've never really met a stranger, it's not a problem. Just shocking. And really embarrassing for my girl.

After the game - and much indecision - the girl decided on Chick-fil-a for lunch. For a girl who only eats carbs once a week, it was manna from heaven. While I was eating carbs, we decided to head over to 3 Spoons as well. Just seemed like the right thing to do. Besides, the girl had a bit of a sore throat...

The rest of the day was rather uneventful - laundry, cleaning, cooking, etc. - but I was super thankful to have spent several hours with just my girl. She melts my heart. Every time. Plus, she's really funny. And witty. And makes me laugh. A LOT.

Which is why I decided to try to make her laugh that evening with this little exchange. Seems she didn't find it quite as funny as I did.

But that's ok because I guarantee you she's sent at least a few people whales since. She just can't admit I'm cool. In a really nerdy kind of way. :-)

Come Sunday morning, I was REALLY thankful we'd spent some fun time together because an illness was upon us. But that's a story for tomorrow.

Eleven Thousand Minus One

I've written and rewritten this posting a thousand times in my mind. We have news - what we consider to be big news - and want to share it but (I) also want to ensure this news isn't misunderstood in the process.

Here's the short story: we're having a baby.

But I'm not pregnant.

And don't intend on being either. Ever. Again.

Given those parameters, our intentions may now be quite clear. But, in the event that they're not, let me explain...we are hoping/dreaming/planning to adopt. This year. In fact, we attend our first class in February to get the ball rolling.

How's that for a New Year's resolution?

Now that you have the short story, let me explain a bit more.

Remember when we lost our baby (almost) two years ago? And I went on and on and ON - for crying out loud - about how we still wanted another child?

Well, about a year ago (after my emotions had healed enough to have an actual conversation about the subject), Tonto immediately told me he thought/felt we should adopt. And I shut him down. Immediately. And with force.

You see, I wanted to have a child the old fashioned way. Or so I thought. And I wanted a newborn. For sure. Or so I thought. And, to his extreme credit, he immediately told me we could do whatever I wanted. Regardless of cost. Or inconvenience.

Yes, I have a very good husband...but that's another story. :-)

Anyway, in the ensuing months, I never really had a peace about it and honestly felt like our having a child was never going to happen. I could not imagine being pregnant again. But there was no way on earth I was going to admit defeat. I'm stubborn like that...

 I also did not want to go through losing another child. That thought almost paralyzed me. And, yes, you can tell me the odds of that happening again aren't great. But I will also tell you the odds of losing a baby after it has a detectable heartbeat is less than 20 percent. Yet, I still watched that baby's heart stop via ultrasound.

And, truth be told, I do not do pregnant well. At all. I am not one of those women who enjoy pregnancy even a little. And that's actually a bit of an understatement.

As divine intervention would have it, there were adoption stories abounding around me throughout 2012. And my heart was forever broken for these children whose parents did not want or could not care for them. Now, I won't sugarcoat it for you - I do not understand that type of parent. And I may not this side of heaven. But what I do know is that these children deserve parents. Ones who really want a child - like we do - and will take them in and give them a forever home. 

My heart was, in fact, broken for these children. Beyond repair.

And, on December 23 (the day Taylor and I left for Louisiana with my parents), I woke up and told Tonto I was all in on adoption. And, since we hadn't spoken about it in almost a year, he looked at me like I'd lost my mind. And I really don't think he thought I was serious.

But I was. And I am.

We have a ton of love to give. And I don't need to give birth to this child because, if I'm being totally honest, I've carried them in my heart for years. I just didn't realize it until recently. And so our journey has begun.

And now that I've explained what this is, please allow me to explain what this is not: this is not Plan B. I do not ever want this child - or anyone else - to believe they became part of our family because we couldn't have another biological child. That has been refuted (obviously) and could be replicated. But it's just not what we want or feel is where we've been led.

We firmly believe there is a child out there who has been chosen for our family - and was from Day One - and we cannot wait to meet him or her. We don't care about gender. We don't have a lot of preferences and I've even give up on my newborn. Our parameters will show that we're willing to take a newborn, baby or toddler.

And, yes, there are many children older than that who need homes. No denying that fact. This is just what is right for our family.

And so...there you have it. Our big news. New adventure. Long ago planned journey.

When I first spoke with our agency, I was told there are currently 11,000 children free to be adopted in Texas alone. This only solidified what I knew to be right for us. And though we cannot save all of these children, what I know is that come 2014, my hope and prayer is that this number is...

11,000 minus 1

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

Playing Catch Up

So...it's been a while. Again. And I honestly have no excuse except that last week was long. And rough. And involved a fair amount of tears. So let's be honest - you probably didn't want to hear from me anyway.

That being said, I'm going to catch you up quickly on what's been going on with us. But - first - let's just look at the cuteness this one left on my phone. Also, can I have her hair?!?!

Color. On my nails. Yes, that's blog-worthy news because it's been at least 10 years. Not sure what I was thinking as I'm already over it. But one has to try something new every decade or so.

This sweet boy is still the best snuggler known to man. Or canine.

And this sweet boy is doing a lot of exercise in preparation of the county show.

We've attended what seems like a lot of basketball games. But they're super fun so why not? We also saw the men beat Okie Lite yesterday as well. And I'm heading to the Ferrell on Saturday morning to watch the Lady Bears take care of OU. According to Taylor, I'll be alone since it tips at 11am. Winning?

Bruiser has begun on some supplements to help his scrawny little self grow.

Said supplements are apparently very salty and he ended up with "water belly," which is basically uber bloating after inhaling one's entire water pail.

He exercised some of it off, though. In hilarious fashion.

And we saw a couple of movies - "Red Dawn" and "Pitch Perfect" - on Saturday with these cuties before heading to Samurai for hibachi. Sooooo good.

On Sunday after church we learned that the little fella also had fleas. So in addition to more exercise to relieve the water belly, he had to get a bath. And then he got a quick shear to make sure his skin hadn't been affected. Needless to say, he had a ROUGH day and just wanted to kick us out of his pen.

Yesterday we were all off so before hitting the basketball game, Tonto steam cleaned my carpets. And if you know anything about my OCD tendencies (that's not an exaggeration by the way), you can only imagine how attractive this man is to me at the moment. 

Swoon...

Today we're all back at work/school and are again trying to get back in the groove. So thankful for a three day weekend, though. Would be even better if they were all that way, right?

Happy Tuesday! :-)

Taking Down the Longhorns

While wrapping up Christmas vacation, I decided to enact a bit of Forced Family Fun. You know, when you make your teenager accompany you to an activity, politely request them to actually engage, and expect something other than constant texting. :-)

We, of course, made it worth her time by making a giant big breakfast before heading out to the chosen activity - the Baylor men's basketball game. The opponent? Those rascally Longhorns.

Our friends Natalie and Will were in town for the game (yay!) and we finally got to meet (in person anyway) one of our favorite future Baylor football stars - Jason Osei. He's from London and is super funny, y'all. Remember the name.

Nat and I quizzed him about all the differences between England and the US before asking for a pic. Really - such a nice guy.

It was a very stressful game but, in the end, the good guys prevailed.

And scenes like this truly never get old to me - praying after the game.

We also had a fantastic victory dinner at Poppa Rollo's. Seriously the best pizza on the planet. And, yes, I went back to my moratorium on carbs the following day. Because soon it was time to get back to the real world with work, workouts, volleyball practice, goat exercise...and on and on and on...

BUT, I am thankful to have been able to take off so much time to hang with my peeps. 

Incredibly. Thankful.

So much color...

Those who have seen me since we moved in August have all probably noticed that I've been tired for four straight months. That's really no lie. And I'm hoping this picture will explain a bit. Also, let me assure you this only a sampling - not a comprehensive photo.

After we celebrated New Year's, I was still left with almost a week before I had to go back to work. And I was determined to finish painting. You know, except for touch-ups needed once in a while.

Our half bath got a new coat of paint, new switchplates and hardware on the cabinets. Love, love, love the finished product. And not just because it's now D-O-N-E.

After finishing up that evening, Taylor and I headed out to the farm to take care of Bruiser. And were treated to an absolutely breathtaking sunset. This really doesn't do it justice but it was the view from B's pen. Lucky little dude, huh?

The next morning the girl and I had plans to head to Temple so she could spend a gift card at Macy's. Trying to be conscientious, I dropped by the NICU to get my driver's license out of Dave's wallet (where it had been since NYE). Well, after trips to Macy's and Wal-Mart, I pulled it out of my pocket, marveled that I hadn't needed it at all and promptly LOST IT.

Yep. Must have slipped out of my hand and fallen to the floor instead of finding its way back into my pocket. This meant a trip to the DMV, searching for various alternate types of documentation (of which only one was needed despite the website indicating a need for at least three - thank you, Lord!) and a new picture which features me with straight hair.

Needless to say, no one will recognize me from that pic for the next six years. But at least it's done. And my address has been updated. Woo hoo!

When I finally got back home, it was time to tackle the last project - the gameroom. It has one piece of furniture currently but one of these days we'll figure out exactly what we want in there and get it done. In the meantime, Taylor left her mark.

And after three days, debating about whether to add an accent wall or not, and a whole lot of paint, it was finished. And I am soooo stinkin' thankful for that, friends.

There really wasn't much to do at this point in my little vacation other than to find another Baylor sporting event to come. Which we did. And it was awesome. Which you'll find out tomorrow because this post is already way too long. :-)

Ringing in the New Year

So, I'll go ahead and apologize for these pics because I had to take screenshots of all and didn't crop out the headers. And now I'm too lazy to go back and do it. So, while I apologize, I'm not really willing to do anything about it. Just keeping it real. :-)

Anyway, before we could ring in the New Year, there was a big football battle brewing in our home. You see, I'm a fan of RG3 no matter what and Tonto is a lifelong Cowboys fan. So there was a bit of friction. Which I did not help by donning this shirt. 

Yes, my hair was darker. No, it's not that dark anymore. I just can't do it, y'all. 

And let's not get started talking about Robert's most recent injury. Or his knucklehead of a coach. Because the conversation will be long. I promise.

We headed to Barkin' Ball for New Year's Eve again but this time we had friends along for the ride. So. Much. Fun. 

See - Tonto was excited!

But apparently he wasn't all that hip on taking a picture with me. :-)

The lovely Brenda and I found some super sweet stuffed pups. So you know it became a photo op.

 It was a great evening for the grown ups and teen alike as she was hanging with her two besties. And looking absolutely adorable!!!

 

Our New Year's Day meal was less than traditional but my girl had been begging for meatloaf. It's sort of my (only) specialty.

We spent most of the first day of the year doing absolutely nothing except watching football. It was glorious. But before the night drew to a close, I was already taking down Christmas decorations. Though I do love them, one of my favorite holidays (and not because we go all out celebrating) is Valentine's Day.

But there were a few big projects I needed to finish before going back to work. More on that later...

Holiday Bowl Domination

Ok, so here's where things get a bit sketchy - and more random - in the post Christmas recap process. Apparently I just put my camera down and forgot about it once I returned to Texas so what I've mostly got are phone pics. This may be good for y'all, though, because it meant we're gonna cover a whole lot of material in a small amount of time. :-)

As soon as we got back to my parents' house, Tonto (and Rambo who had come along for the ride) grabbed his girls, picked up some Bush's chicken tenders and headed to BLORA for Nature in Lights.

We actually began going to this amazingly awesome light display when Taylor was just a wee tike. We hadn't been in a few years and they've added some items. All of us had a BLAST and it was perfect because there were very few people there at the time.

The snapshots are few because I really just wanted to soak it all in. And I was also really thankful to finally be celebrating the holiday with my peeps.

The next day was a big one as our Baylor Bears were taking on the UCLA Bruins in the Holiday Bowl. I devoted most of my waking hours to bowl-related projects during the month of December and could not wait to see these guys take the field and show the world what Baylor football is all about.

I immediately donned my game day shoes for the last time this season...

...while Taylor snapped on her uber cool new BU Survival Straps bracelet.

In case there's any doubt, this is my football mantra. At all times. Not just on game day.

I also donned all of my lucky clothing items (even the one only a handful of folks know about) and got ready for my parents to arrive as we were having dinner and opening gifts with them before the game.

After some (more) amazing gumbo (chicken this time), we opened gifts and watched the pregame together before they headed home to watch the game.

Tonto and I were nervous as cats. Theses guys, however, were a bit more relaxed.

In the end, our guys just dominated UCLA. It was an amazing performance and I could not have been more proud of the team. Good, good stuff.

As I was coming off the game euphoria (takes a while to wind down, y'all), I was going through my phone and found these pics. Perhaps we look more alike than I usually think?

Friday was spent watching more football and just being generally lazy. Tonto returned to work on Saturday and the girl headed to a friend's house while my parents and I went to the Lady Bears game against Southeastern Louisiana, which is my mom's undergrad alma mater.

One of my friends sold me (at a very generous price) his season tix for the game. Let's just say the seats were AMAZING.

As was the outcome. Unless, you know, you were hoping for a big upset.

The Sunday before New Year's was pretty calm as well. T was still at her friend's house so the pups and I chilled. And the sweet girl went home. So that wasn't exactly the highlight of the day but she was sooo happy to see her dad. :-)

Besides, it was time to prepare for Barkin' Ball to ring in the New Year. But I'll save that for tomorrow.

Christmas Day

Christmas Day was, in my mind, exactly what it should have been - not hurried, full of good food, included a nap, and (best of all) ended with a sweet visit from family I hadn't seen in ages.

My girl and Maw Maw in the kitchen after a delightful lunch. Oh. My. Word.

After a nap (for some) and hanging out while checking social media (for others), my cousin and his sweet family came over along with his parents.

These may be some of my favorite pics that I've EVER taken, friends. Why? Because Tom and I grew up together. We spent almost every waking moment together for many summers. And these are our babies. Together. :-)

It really just doesn't get much better than this, y'all. I felt soooo blessed by this visit but soon it was time to head back to the Lone Star State. It was time to see my man, the four-legged kids, celebrate Christmas one more time, and cheer the Bears to victory in the Holiday Bowl.

But first there were a couple more pics to be taken...

...and lots of huge to be given. ;-)