adoption

Adoption has always been a subject that I heard about, but it was never present in my life.  I didn't grow up in a family in which adoption was typical. I didn't have friends that had adopted.  So the whole idea of falling in love with a child that was not blood related was rather foreign to me.  I commended those who chose to love the mother and father-less, to take them in as their own, and provide a new future for them.  It wasn't until meeting Cameron that I started to see the other side of the coin and see it all happen.  You see, the heart for adoption runs in Cam's family. 

This past March, my in-laws started to pursue their second adoption from Taiwan.  This little girl was 11 at the time (now, 12).  I was able to witness the emotional tolls that waiting to hear any news took.  I listened as they started thinking of a name for this little girl.  I saw the care packages that were sent to her so she could get to know the family. I saw the genuine love that this mother and father had for this little girl without ever meeting her and yet they called her theirs.  How remarkable it has been to see this journey!

The time has come where they made the travel to the other side of the world to pick up their daughter. I've been following my mother in-law's blog about their adventures in Taiwan and can't help but feel pure joy that this girl is coming home.  Although it is a new home filled with a new name, foreign language, culture, surroundings...she is loved by so many already!  If you want to follow the story of where it all began, check it out. 

Meet Callie:

 

wintery bliss

Let's be honest, I dislike snow...and the cold...and being so bundled up that I feel like a walking marshmallow. I never wanted to move to Michigan, I never wanted to go to college in Michigan, and I certainly did not want to stay here after graduating college.....that is, until I met this dashingly handsome boy.  I was quickly told that if I were to marry him,  the chances of moving away from west Michigan greatly plummeted to about 0%. Oh, Sacrifices.


Since I'm stuck in this continuous snow globe for about 5 months out of the year, I had to put my efforts into finding a reason why this wouldn't be completely dreadful. So, I packed away my pessimistic attitude, and this is what I've found:
I've come to love looking from inside my cozy home {see above picture} out into a whirlwind of wintery bliss. 
I love going to local coffee shops to sip on a frothy latte to stay warm {Rowster has the best hands-down!}.
I love curling up in my "reading nook" in which the love sofa is surrounded on 3 sides with windows.
I love playing in the snow with Cameron, but only for a short time before I am completely chilled to the bone. 

These simple things make the winters a little more bearable for my southern soul.  As much as I hate to say it, Grand Rapids has become home to me...it's where Cam and I started our journey together, full of firsts and lasts, familiar surroundings and unforgettable adventures. Although I will never rejoice over snow, I can appreciate the beauty in which it provides and know that it wouldn't be home without it.

 
 

 

{Jen Doornbos Photography}

dull date night? never.

Every Wednesday, Cam and I make a point to have a weekly date night.  Sometimes this consists of going out to dinner, driving around looking at Christmas lights, maybe double dating with friends, or even just staying home for some good ole fashion cuddle time on the couch.

Last night, we decided to go downtown to HopCat, a local bar, for their $6 burger and beer deal. After driving around the same block a couple times trying to find a parking spot, we settled with parking a few blocks away and made the trek through slushy roads to HopCat.  The food was fabulous, the drinks were refreshing, and the company...well, was entertaining.  The conversation ranged from our day at work, to systematic theology, to Cameron  proclaiming, "I'm sexy and I know it." Shortly after this statement, I just had to snap a picture as proof that this man is sexy and he knows it. See....

{I just never know what to expect from him....he can be completely reserved, or full of sarcasm, or just plain funny. He keeps me on my toes and that's why I was/am so intrigued by him. I'm so thankful I get to spend a lifetime with this man.}

Back to the date night story.....

We went home after that and exchanged our Valentine's gifts for each other.  Now, I would like to take the credit and say that my blog post helped him score a winner (and that may be the case) but I can't help but mention, he picked out this necklace all by himself.  Naturally, I planned my outfit for today to coordinate so I could parade around the halls at work showing off my new, super hip accessory. Fabulous, right??

Happy Valentine's Day to us! 'Twas the best one yet {because we're MARRIED}.

the future tribe

Anyone that knows anything about me, knows that I love little humans.  Babies crying is like music to my ears. Toddlers imagining and creating sound effects to fit fills me with joy. The questions...oh, so many questions...challenge me to see the world in their little perspective. Some may find it completely bizarre how much I adore children and that has made me ask so many provoking questions as to why I feel this way and where does it come from.

I've always loved babies ever since I was a toddler treating my baby dolls like they were real...diapers, feeding them oatmeal, you name it, I did it.  As I got older, I started treating the family dog as my new little subject. He would be fed water out of a bottle and I would try to cradle him like a real baby and could not figure out why he wasn't content.

When college came, I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life.  Deep down, I knew I didn't have a desire to be a business woman, or have a successful career but in today's day and age, that is what was deemed "admirable."  Anything outside of that, I felt was considered a "cop out" or frowned upon.  So on many occasions, I would sit and stare at all the majors offered and try to pick one that even remotely sounded appealing/doable.  I hated all the options given....I wanted to get married and have babies. That's all.  So the journey through psychology, advertising and public relations, pediatric physical therapy, back to sports psychology, and eventually exercise science was a long and grueling time for me.

Graduating college didn't possess the same excitement for me as for most people.  I didn't feel that it had brought me any closer to my goals in life, it did not fill a passion in my soul, it merely seemed like going through the motion of what is expected and as a back-up plan if I ever had to be a career woman.

Well, after obtaining a degree in which I am not utilizing, acquiring student loan debt, I am married to a rockstar husband. Great. Baby time, right?  Well, not quite.

I've been made to feel guilty from society about wanting kids right away. There always seem to be this magic number floating around about how long you should wait to have kids after marriage, what the proper income looks like, and so on. Nowadays, people are getting married later, having kids later and fulfilling their own desires before deciding to settle down.  I, by no means think this is selfish or wrong, but it's not the route I ever wanted to take.  I enjoy the time I get to spend with Cameron, alone, just the two of us and I don't intend to wish that away. My heart just longs for sweet children to call us mom&dad, to be able to disciple and raise up God fearing children, to be able to experience all the lessons that children can teach us. I think being a parent is probably the hardest "career choice" I could make, but I am so ready to to tackle the good, struggles, and exhaustion that I can only imagine comes with the job.

This desire is deep rooted in my being. The more I study the word of God, I know that it isn't wrong for me to want to be a stay-at-home mom. I am not just some freak of nature wanting to have lots of kiddos. It's not obsessive  for me to be thinking about how well the next vehicle we buy will accommodate car seats, or how I would help provide financially while still being a full-time mama, or even the methods we would use with parenting. It is purely natural for me.

Not a day goes by that I don't hope and pray that the Lord blesses us with our own little tribe and often times than not, I hope that this day comes sooner rather than later.  I believe God's timing is greater than our own and I hold fast to that as society tends to influence the "right" time or as I sometimes fall into the trap of my own timing. I can't wait to see how the Lord uses this desire of mine...whether it be to create our own little humans, adopt,  show Christ's love to those who don't know him, ect. For I know that whatever it looks like, I will be fulfilling God's great plan for me and he will be glorified.

hints for the hubs

Valentine's Day....Hallmark Holiday...Whatever you want to call it...

Here's a glimpse into the past Valentine's day for Cameron and I:

Year 1:
We had just met a week (at most) prior to that. We had been "chatting" {which was laced with poor attempts of flirting}...It was 12:01am on Valentine's day and Cam text me and it read something like this...."Well now that it's officially the next day, will you be my valentine?"---completely cheesy? yep. was I completely giddy? you betcha. That was basically the extent of our cuteness for that year as I spent most of the day at the doctor's office being diagnosed with a plethora of illnesses. Real fun.

Year 2:
Well, I had high expectations for this year. We were now engaged and romantic things are always planned for Valentine's day when you're in love, right? So in my mind, I thought everyone especially my soon-to-be-husband knew this. Wrong. I kept waiting for some surprise, some event, some words of adoration...But to Cam {and most men for that matter} this was just another day for a broke college student. Finally, at about 9:32pm I spoke out in a snide sort of way "well, happy valentine's day."  I was mad-- not rightfully so--but in that moment, I selfishly felt justified.

Year 3 {this year!}:
To avoid any mishaps/ communication errors like last year, I prompted Cameron by asking if we were going to be doing anything for Valentine's Day. We discussed and decided something small and under $15.  Me being me, I love to give gifts--expensive ones-- so the very next day I bought Cameron a special surprise for $14.87...UNDER BUDGET.  And since I'm pretty sure my hubby doesn't pick up on my faint hints throughout the year, I'm going to help him out and create a wish list:

{*Ahem* Cameron, pay close attention to the following examples}

1. Statement necklace or earrings in bright colors.
 Forever 21-$12.80
The Buckle- $10

Forever 21-$8.80

2. Mittens that are fleece lined--all others get caught on the huge rock on my left hand ;)

3. Owl Mug
Anthropologie- $14 *Hint: sometimes you can find some like this at TJMaxx!

4. Yummy Tea-loose leaf or harney & sons cinnamon spice

Feel free to stray from the list if you have a better idea, just thought I'd inspire you in case you were struggling!