Well, we have enjoyed an extended autumn around these parts - sporadically anyway - until today. Temps have started dropping and we are expecting Winter Storm Goliath to hit us in the middle of the night tonight through early Tuesday morning. To say that I'm not excited would be the biggest understatement of the day!
In other news, we have enjoyed several days off for the Christmas holiday. We got to spend time with all of our parents and all of our siblings plus much of my (Tessa's) extended family. We laughed - A LOT - and ate some really great food (in moderation, of course). We cooked a turkey and a few fixings on Christmas Day. We brined the turkey which we both agree made it really nummy. On Christmas morning I got up and made homemade noodles to have for lunch and they were really good, too! I've been making noodles since I was a little girl, old enough to help unroll the handcut noodles that my mom and grandma were making. Now I use a noodle cutter instead of a knife but the outcome is the same! I look forward to teaching my kids this skill one day in the future.
We have work this week (Monday through Thursday) and then we have Friday off for the New Year's holiday. We plan to spend Thursday evening with some friends nearby celebrating and welcoming in the New Year in style.
Looking back over the last few days we both agree that while we have enjoyed getting gifts it is a much greater joy being able to give gifts to our friends and family. We hope that no matter how you have spent the last few days that you have experienced the joy that comes from doing something kind for someone else.
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and many blessings to you and your family for 2016!
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Happy Thanksgiving!
Well, fall fell hard around these parts last week and ushered in winter a little sooner than we would have liked. An early winter storm dropped 6-7" of snow on us on 11/20/15. Thankfully, the temps warmed up the next couple of days and precipitation turned back into rain and now most of the snow is gone!
This time of year we enjoy taking the opportunities that our community provides for various cultural and arts events - concerts and plays and other things like that. I have always wanted to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra in concert and this year Kevin bought us tickets to go so we enjoyed that event last week, too!
This week we celebrated Thanksgiving with family and friends. On Thanksgiving Day we visited with some friends who became family to me over twenty years ago. They loved me and welcomed me into their family (which now numbers well over 50 in just 3 generations!) and, when we married, Kevin also become just another one of the family.
On Friday we did just a little bit of shopping but mostly we just went to the pet store for a few of their sales on our essential pet items (cat litter, cat food, Greenies for Jack and a new toy and sweater for Jack) and then we went downtown to see Disney on Ice: Dare to Dream as another of our Thanksgiving traditions. It was a great show! I've seen several of them over the years and this one is way up on the list as one of my favorites.
Today, my mom and brother came over to 'do Thanksgiving' with us. Instead of doing a big meal (since we all had fairly big meals on Thursday) we just had some small finger foods and snack items while we watched Christmas movies. I'll plan to do the whole turkey and noodles and stuff on Christmas this year for all of us.
We have had some opportunities this fall for our profile to be presented to expectant families who are considering placing their babies for adoption. We have been presented 5 times and all 5 times other families were chosen. Each time gets a little bit harder to be told 'no' but we continue pressing forward - waiting and praying for the child(ren) that will one day be ours.
This holiday season seems different from previous years. Even though we are adults now we do still make "Christmas Lists" for our families with whom we exchange gifts. In years past we have always had a few things that we would really like to have, which someone else could actually buy for us. This year, these things are eluding us as the one thing that we both so desperately want cannot be bought. We feel humbled and even a little bit guilty that the things we we want most of all is for another family to make an enormous sacrifice by choosing adoption for their child and to choose us as his/her/their adoptive family.
We don't know what the future holds. I'm not sure that I really want to know until it happens. I do know that whatever happens will, in the long run, be a very good thing. Even if it doesn't look like the picture that we have in our heads, we know that it will be good.
Until next time!
This time of year we enjoy taking the opportunities that our community provides for various cultural and arts events - concerts and plays and other things like that. I have always wanted to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra in concert and this year Kevin bought us tickets to go so we enjoyed that event last week, too!
This week we celebrated Thanksgiving with family and friends. On Thanksgiving Day we visited with some friends who became family to me over twenty years ago. They loved me and welcomed me into their family (which now numbers well over 50 in just 3 generations!) and, when we married, Kevin also become just another one of the family.
On Friday we did just a little bit of shopping but mostly we just went to the pet store for a few of their sales on our essential pet items (cat litter, cat food, Greenies for Jack and a new toy and sweater for Jack) and then we went downtown to see Disney on Ice: Dare to Dream as another of our Thanksgiving traditions. It was a great show! I've seen several of them over the years and this one is way up on the list as one of my favorites.
Today, my mom and brother came over to 'do Thanksgiving' with us. Instead of doing a big meal (since we all had fairly big meals on Thursday) we just had some small finger foods and snack items while we watched Christmas movies. I'll plan to do the whole turkey and noodles and stuff on Christmas this year for all of us.
We have had some opportunities this fall for our profile to be presented to expectant families who are considering placing their babies for adoption. We have been presented 5 times and all 5 times other families were chosen. Each time gets a little bit harder to be told 'no' but we continue pressing forward - waiting and praying for the child(ren) that will one day be ours.
This holiday season seems different from previous years. Even though we are adults now we do still make "Christmas Lists" for our families with whom we exchange gifts. In years past we have always had a few things that we would really like to have, which someone else could actually buy for us. This year, these things are eluding us as the one thing that we both so desperately want cannot be bought. We feel humbled and even a little bit guilty that the things we we want most of all is for another family to make an enormous sacrifice by choosing adoption for their child and to choose us as his/her/their adoptive family.
We don't know what the future holds. I'm not sure that I really want to know until it happens. I do know that whatever happens will, in the long run, be a very good thing. Even if it doesn't look like the picture that we have in our heads, we know that it will be good.
Until next time!
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Football, Blankets, and Work
In the weeks since my last update Iowa has quietly started to close the door on summer and open the window to autumn. After the Iowa State Fair we had another warm snap or two and we did turn the central air back on a time or two for a day or two but for now we are enjoying open windows and warm blankets, if needed.
Work has picked up some for both of us. Kevin is working a little overtime at our regular job and we have picked up a couple of part-time cleaning gigs. Idle hands are the devil's workshop and all of that...
The weekend before Labor Day we were able to celebrate with my family as my uncle turned 70. We always have a great time together and this was no exception. Over the holiday weekend we took a vacation down to my old stomping grounds in South Carolina and then up to North Carolina to visit my dear friend and her family for a few days. It's always good to get to spend quality time with those we love.
Kevin is happy that the Gators are doing well so far this season and the Cowboys are holding their own as well. I don't follow football very much but I'm glad to be a Hawkeye fan when the mood strikes me.
We are probably done traveling for this year unless we are chosen to parent a new baby before the year is over. We anxiously await that phone call one day and hope it comes soon.
Until then - enjoy autumn wherever you are!
Work has picked up some for both of us. Kevin is working a little overtime at our regular job and we have picked up a couple of part-time cleaning gigs. Idle hands are the devil's workshop and all of that...
The weekend before Labor Day we were able to celebrate with my family as my uncle turned 70. We always have a great time together and this was no exception. Over the holiday weekend we took a vacation down to my old stomping grounds in South Carolina and then up to North Carolina to visit my dear friend and her family for a few days. It's always good to get to spend quality time with those we love.
Kevin is happy that the Gators are doing well so far this season and the Cowboys are holding their own as well. I don't follow football very much but I'm glad to be a Hawkeye fan when the mood strikes me.
We are probably done traveling for this year unless we are chosen to parent a new baby before the year is over. We anxiously await that phone call one day and hope it comes soon.
Until then - enjoy autumn wherever you are!
This photo is of me and my friend's new daughter before we left to come home from vacation.
She's a precious little thing and I love her, and her parents, soooo much!
Sunday, August 16, 2015
August Update
We have been having a great summer so far! This year has been quite different from last year as I (Tessa) have not had to work any overtime like I did last year. I have been enjoying a lot of sunshine (with sunblock and protective clothing, of course) and warm weather (which is MUCH preferred over cold weather!)
In early August I attended my hometown's annual festivities, Old Settlers, and got to see many friends and family that day. Kevin had homework to do that day so he stayed home with the pets. I had a great time fellowshipping with my family and watching my dad and uncles in the parade on their class reunion floats and in the color guard. We are looking forward to another gathering with my mom's family at the end of the month to celebrate my uncle's birthday as well as the end of summer.
Last week we attended the Iowa State Fair one night and while we were there we got to go to the For King and Country/Casting Crowns concert. It is always an awesome experience to worship in such a large group in the open air. Wee also enjoyed a few of our fair favorites-- the cheese corn brat, the walking taco, and the deep fried snickers. Thankfully, all of the walking around does tend to burn off the extra calories!
This weekend, I had the privilege of attending a baby shower for one of my friends who adopted her first baby in July. After many years of marriage and primary infertility and waiting to be chosen by a birth family they saw their dream come true and we are so happy for them. She had a lovely shower and received many great gifts. I even got a couple of good ideas from her! Instead of cards that will just get put in a box and one day probably thrown in the recycle bin they asked everyone to bring a signed children's book along with their gift. If you think about it, you'll spend about the same on a book as you would on a card but the book serves dual purposes and lasts longer.
While we rejoice with our friends as their families grow - especially those friends who have walked the paths we have walked of infertility and loss with grief and sorrow - we do still long for and hope for the day when we will be granted the privilege of parenting children here on Earth. We would again ask that if you, or someone you know, is pregnant and in a position of considering placing a child for adoption that you will consider us and reach out.
I continue my volunteer work with CASA and my first case is likely going to be ending soon so I am awaiting a new case assignment while I finish out the final steps of my first case. These cases can be so heartbreaking but the work is so rewarding at the same time.
Getting to Know Us:
If you could meet any celebrity, who would you want to meet and why?
Tessa: I would want to meet Julie Andrews. She is so classy and elegant and when she was able to still sing she had the most beautiful singing voice.
Kevin: I would want to meet Paul McCartney. I would love to hear more about what it was like being a Beatle and what it was like to know the other Beatles who have already passed away.
In early August I attended my hometown's annual festivities, Old Settlers, and got to see many friends and family that day. Kevin had homework to do that day so he stayed home with the pets. I had a great time fellowshipping with my family and watching my dad and uncles in the parade on their class reunion floats and in the color guard. We are looking forward to another gathering with my mom's family at the end of the month to celebrate my uncle's birthday as well as the end of summer.
Last week we attended the Iowa State Fair one night and while we were there we got to go to the For King and Country/Casting Crowns concert. It is always an awesome experience to worship in such a large group in the open air. Wee also enjoyed a few of our fair favorites-- the cheese corn brat, the walking taco, and the deep fried snickers. Thankfully, all of the walking around does tend to burn off the extra calories!
This weekend, I had the privilege of attending a baby shower for one of my friends who adopted her first baby in July. After many years of marriage and primary infertility and waiting to be chosen by a birth family they saw their dream come true and we are so happy for them. She had a lovely shower and received many great gifts. I even got a couple of good ideas from her! Instead of cards that will just get put in a box and one day probably thrown in the recycle bin they asked everyone to bring a signed children's book along with their gift. If you think about it, you'll spend about the same on a book as you would on a card but the book serves dual purposes and lasts longer.
While we rejoice with our friends as their families grow - especially those friends who have walked the paths we have walked of infertility and loss with grief and sorrow - we do still long for and hope for the day when we will be granted the privilege of parenting children here on Earth. We would again ask that if you, or someone you know, is pregnant and in a position of considering placing a child for adoption that you will consider us and reach out.
I continue my volunteer work with CASA and my first case is likely going to be ending soon so I am awaiting a new case assignment while I finish out the final steps of my first case. These cases can be so heartbreaking but the work is so rewarding at the same time.
Getting to Know Us:
If you could meet any celebrity, who would you want to meet and why?
Tessa: I would want to meet Julie Andrews. She is so classy and elegant and when she was able to still sing she had the most beautiful singing voice.
Kevin: I would want to meet Paul McCartney. I would love to hear more about what it was like being a Beatle and what it was like to know the other Beatles who have already passed away.
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Happy July!
Once again time has gotten away from me.
Summer is my absolute favorite time of year so I have been enjoying as much time as I can outside and enjoying the sun.
So, let me think what has been going on since my last post...
Kevin finished another class at school and had 12 days off over the Independence Day holiday and has now started another class. I am most looking forward to him finishing his degree in about a year's time! He continues to do well in his school work.
I am just coming to the end of my mid-year peak season at work and the great news about that is that we got through this season without having to work any overtime. I have also been busy with my volunteer activities as a CASA.
For Father's Day in June my dad and his wife came to town and we surprised him with a ride on the train up in Boone. It was a warm day but a very scenic ride and then we had supper downtown at Buzzard Billy's.
Over the 4th of July weekend we had the blessing of traveling to Texas to see Kevin's sister and her family. We watched our nephew play baseball and BBQ'd with the neighborhood on the holiday. We enjoyed some great food, a lot of good company, and lots of laughs, too.
We have been rejoicing recently with the news of several births, adoptions, and announcements of friends who will be growing their families by 2 new feet in the next several months. We are so very happy for all of our friends and we are looking forward to the hope of being chosen to be parents one day...hopefully soon.
This picture is from Independence Day - Happy Birthday, America!
Summer is my absolute favorite time of year so I have been enjoying as much time as I can outside and enjoying the sun.
So, let me think what has been going on since my last post...
Kevin finished another class at school and had 12 days off over the Independence Day holiday and has now started another class. I am most looking forward to him finishing his degree in about a year's time! He continues to do well in his school work.
I am just coming to the end of my mid-year peak season at work and the great news about that is that we got through this season without having to work any overtime. I have also been busy with my volunteer activities as a CASA.
For Father's Day in June my dad and his wife came to town and we surprised him with a ride on the train up in Boone. It was a warm day but a very scenic ride and then we had supper downtown at Buzzard Billy's.
Over the 4th of July weekend we had the blessing of traveling to Texas to see Kevin's sister and her family. We watched our nephew play baseball and BBQ'd with the neighborhood on the holiday. We enjoyed some great food, a lot of good company, and lots of laughs, too.
We have been rejoicing recently with the news of several births, adoptions, and announcements of friends who will be growing their families by 2 new feet in the next several months. We are so very happy for all of our friends and we are looking forward to the hope of being chosen to be parents one day...hopefully soon.
This picture is from Independence Day - Happy Birthday, America!
Sunday, May 31, 2015
May update
Whew! I'm just going to get this in under the wire! My apologies - I did not mean to neglect posting for 6 weeks. Somehow, time just got away from me.
May is always a busy month for us. My dad and I both have birthdays, Mother's Day, several graduations, and then Memorial Day. So, let me see if I can remember what we have been up to the last 6 weeks...
Kevin finished his second class in his Master's Degree (with 100%, mind you, Woo-Hoo!) and started his third class (which is going well). School does take up a majority of his non-work hours but it appears to be paying off so we just make adjustments as needed and I get some Tessa-time a little more often.
We were able to finish the project of installing new interior doors in our house. Out with the 1990s honey oak and faux brass and in with the white 6-panel and brushed nickel. I'm one happy homeowner! We are still working on getting the trim put back up because we had to paint it with chalk paint since it was finished with varnish and polyeurathane before but we did 2 rooms yesterday and I'm going to try to get two more done today.
We celebrated my birthday with a day off work, lunch out, and an I-Cubs game in the afternoon. It was cold (only in the 50s) and they lost but it was still nice to spend the day with Kevin just doing things we like to do.
Amid all of the parties and celebrations in May we were saddened when a neighbor boy was killed in a car accident the day before Mother's Day. It hit our whole neighborhood pretty hard. It's not supposed to be like that - parents aren't supposed to outlive their children.We continue to pray for the parents and older siblings of the boy.
And now for the getting to know us part of the post:
1) My favorite class in high school was ? and Why?
Tessa: Spanish!! I loved learning a new language. It actually made English make more sense as far as sentence structure and grammer. I do still speak and read Spanish although I am not as fluent as I used to be.
Kevin: Technical Drawing (like Drafting). I enjoyed the hands-on aspect of the class. It was a chance for me to express my creativity.
2) A hobby or sport that I have always wanted to try is_____.
Tessa: Para-sailing, hang-gliding, or sky-diving. Some of my favorite dreams were ones in which I was flying freely through the air.
Kevin: I would like to learn to play guitar. I took a few lessons many years ago but I didn't stick with it and that is something that I think I would enjoy.
Until next time...
Kevin and Tessa
May is always a busy month for us. My dad and I both have birthdays, Mother's Day, several graduations, and then Memorial Day. So, let me see if I can remember what we have been up to the last 6 weeks...
Kevin finished his second class in his Master's Degree (with 100%, mind you, Woo-Hoo!) and started his third class (which is going well). School does take up a majority of his non-work hours but it appears to be paying off so we just make adjustments as needed and I get some Tessa-time a little more often.
We were able to finish the project of installing new interior doors in our house. Out with the 1990s honey oak and faux brass and in with the white 6-panel and brushed nickel. I'm one happy homeowner! We are still working on getting the trim put back up because we had to paint it with chalk paint since it was finished with varnish and polyeurathane before but we did 2 rooms yesterday and I'm going to try to get two more done today.
We celebrated my birthday with a day off work, lunch out, and an I-Cubs game in the afternoon. It was cold (only in the 50s) and they lost but it was still nice to spend the day with Kevin just doing things we like to do.
Amid all of the parties and celebrations in May we were saddened when a neighbor boy was killed in a car accident the day before Mother's Day. It hit our whole neighborhood pretty hard. It's not supposed to be like that - parents aren't supposed to outlive their children.We continue to pray for the parents and older siblings of the boy.
And now for the getting to know us part of the post:
1) My favorite class in high school was ? and Why?
Tessa: Spanish!! I loved learning a new language. It actually made English make more sense as far as sentence structure and grammer. I do still speak and read Spanish although I am not as fluent as I used to be.
Kevin: Technical Drawing (like Drafting). I enjoyed the hands-on aspect of the class. It was a chance for me to express my creativity.
2) A hobby or sport that I have always wanted to try is_____.
Tessa: Para-sailing, hang-gliding, or sky-diving. Some of my favorite dreams were ones in which I was flying freely through the air.
Kevin: I would like to learn to play guitar. I took a few lessons many years ago but I didn't stick with it and that is something that I think I would enjoy.
Until next time...
Kevin and Tessa
Saturday, April 18, 2015
April Showers!
Today was the first time that I have smelled that wonderfully cleansing smell of warm spring rain...and it was rejuvenating!!!
We mowed the lawn for the first time yesterday and we are preparing to have quite a bit of landscaping done in early June. We moved to this house 3 years ago next weekend and always intended to do certain things outside and just haven't been able to make it happen. So, last fall when our neighbor was having some work done in her yard we got the business card from the guy who was doing the work and decided to have him do the hard part for us this spring. I am very much looking forward to some flower beds to plant and tend as well as my very own lilac bush and some lovely lawn decor.
This last week I attended CASA training for four days. I have a couple of more things to do before I can be sworn in as an Advocate but I am hoping to have my first case sometime in May. This will be a challenge brand new and wholly unique to me. I am certain that it will test me in new ways. New, but nonetheless good. Those of you who know me know that I love to learn new things and this is just my newest venture in my lifelong goal of learning.
Speaking of learning new things: It occurred to me recently that this blog is also meant to be an avenue by which people can learn new things about Kevin and I. I wish there were a way for us to allow comments or questions in this forum but at this time we are not able to do that. (It's a rule of our adoption agency, not a rule of our own.) So, I'm going to do my best to share new and (hopefully) interesting tidbits about us in each of my posts.
Here goes the inaugural attempt:
1) Who is your favorite superhero?
The answer for both of us is Spider-Man!
2) Describe one thing you appreciate about your hometown.
Kevin:I enjoyed that my hometown was less than a day's drive to the beach.
Tessa: I appreciated the close ties to both family and friends. The town was only about 2 square miles. Everyone knew everyone (and everyone's business) and looked out for one another. I had most of the same classmates from Kindergarten through 12th grade. My church family was very close - very much a second family to me - and still is even though I haven't lived there for many years. I was the third generation of my family to attend the same school district. I will always hold a strong tie to my hometown.
We mowed the lawn for the first time yesterday and we are preparing to have quite a bit of landscaping done in early June. We moved to this house 3 years ago next weekend and always intended to do certain things outside and just haven't been able to make it happen. So, last fall when our neighbor was having some work done in her yard we got the business card from the guy who was doing the work and decided to have him do the hard part for us this spring. I am very much looking forward to some flower beds to plant and tend as well as my very own lilac bush and some lovely lawn decor.
This last week I attended CASA training for four days. I have a couple of more things to do before I can be sworn in as an Advocate but I am hoping to have my first case sometime in May. This will be a challenge brand new and wholly unique to me. I am certain that it will test me in new ways. New, but nonetheless good. Those of you who know me know that I love to learn new things and this is just my newest venture in my lifelong goal of learning.
Speaking of learning new things: It occurred to me recently that this blog is also meant to be an avenue by which people can learn new things about Kevin and I. I wish there were a way for us to allow comments or questions in this forum but at this time we are not able to do that. (It's a rule of our adoption agency, not a rule of our own.) So, I'm going to do my best to share new and (hopefully) interesting tidbits about us in each of my posts.
Here goes the inaugural attempt:
1) Who is your favorite superhero?
The answer for both of us is Spider-Man!
2) Describe one thing you appreciate about your hometown.
Kevin:I enjoyed that my hometown was less than a day's drive to the beach.
Tessa: I appreciated the close ties to both family and friends. The town was only about 2 square miles. Everyone knew everyone (and everyone's business) and looked out for one another. I had most of the same classmates from Kindergarten through 12th grade. My church family was very close - very much a second family to me - and still is even though I haven't lived there for many years. I was the third generation of my family to attend the same school district. I will always hold a strong tie to my hometown.
Monday, April 6, 2015
Spring Break....and now back to school
I can't believe how time gets away from me between posts!
Kevin finished his first class of his Master's Degree Program on the 23rd of March (he got an 'A' thank you very much!) and had 12 days off for a sort of spring break before his new class started on the 5th of April. I have a hard time keeping track of what all of his classes are but I know that the last one was Strategic Management and this one is something about system security. I'm confident that he will do just as well in this class as he has done all along in all of his school work.
While he was on break we took the opportunity to do a few projects around the house. We have been collecting supplies for various upgrades when Menards put them on sale but we hadn't actually gotten around to doing many of them. So, Kevin helped my awesome uncle replace four of our interior doors with new, pretty, white 6-panel doors and brushed nickel knobs. While they were doing that I was upstairs taking down an old ceiling fan in our room and trying to install a new one. (Mind you, this was not my first ceiling fan and it won't be my last [I have 2 more bedrooms and the den which need new ones installed] but I say 'trying' because one piece ended up being broken beyond usability and I had to take almost all of it down and start all over with a new motor.) At the same time, my brother was helping us out by replacing a bunch of our old, worn out and mismatched electrical outlets and light switches. Meanwhile, Grammy (my mom) was trying to keep Jack out of trouble and out from under everyone's feet. We still have several projects pending but I will get them done before the end of April.
Now that spring seems to be here to stay we are looking toward getting our exterior landscaped the way we have wanted it for the last 3 years (WOW! Can it really have been 3 years since we moved in?!) I would love to get some dwarf lilacs planted and some tulips and daffodils, as well as some mums for the autumn. I enjoy several different kinds of annuals as well but Impatiens are my favorite.
When I post my next blog update I will have been through CASA training and will have updates to share on that front, as well.
Until then...happy spring! As we look forward to the hope of new life in our family may we all experience the fullness of the joy of the new life that comes with spring.
Kevin and Tessa
Kevin finished his first class of his Master's Degree Program on the 23rd of March (he got an 'A' thank you very much!) and had 12 days off for a sort of spring break before his new class started on the 5th of April. I have a hard time keeping track of what all of his classes are but I know that the last one was Strategic Management and this one is something about system security. I'm confident that he will do just as well in this class as he has done all along in all of his school work.
While he was on break we took the opportunity to do a few projects around the house. We have been collecting supplies for various upgrades when Menards put them on sale but we hadn't actually gotten around to doing many of them. So, Kevin helped my awesome uncle replace four of our interior doors with new, pretty, white 6-panel doors and brushed nickel knobs. While they were doing that I was upstairs taking down an old ceiling fan in our room and trying to install a new one. (Mind you, this was not my first ceiling fan and it won't be my last [I have 2 more bedrooms and the den which need new ones installed] but I say 'trying' because one piece ended up being broken beyond usability and I had to take almost all of it down and start all over with a new motor.) At the same time, my brother was helping us out by replacing a bunch of our old, worn out and mismatched electrical outlets and light switches. Meanwhile, Grammy (my mom) was trying to keep Jack out of trouble and out from under everyone's feet. We still have several projects pending but I will get them done before the end of April.
Now that spring seems to be here to stay we are looking toward getting our exterior landscaped the way we have wanted it for the last 3 years (WOW! Can it really have been 3 years since we moved in?!) I would love to get some dwarf lilacs planted and some tulips and daffodils, as well as some mums for the autumn. I enjoy several different kinds of annuals as well but Impatiens are my favorite.
When I post my next blog update I will have been through CASA training and will have updates to share on that front, as well.
Until then...happy spring! As we look forward to the hope of new life in our family may we all experience the fullness of the joy of the new life that comes with spring.
Kevin and Tessa
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Spring!..Almost
March started off busy with a fairly quite week tossed in just to mix things up a little!
First, spring has been teasing us just a little bit here in central Iowa but we are not complaining. We have thoroughly enjoyed the sunshine and the warmer temps. Last week, we both had scheduled the week off work originally so that we could go to Texas to visit Jon and Nicholle and the kids. We don't get to see them nearly as much as we would like to but they decided to come to Iowa and visit the whole family during the kids' spring break instead. So, we got to see them the first weekend of March here in Iowa instead. As it turns out, we were having better weather here than they had been having back home anyway so it all worked out pretty well.
After they left to head back home we spent our week off here at home just chillin' and enjoying the sunshine. We slept in. We took Jack for walks. We ran errands. (One of those was to return all of the pop bottles we have collected this winter. We ended up with ...... drum roll please..... $24 worth of cans and bottles!) We caught up on our DVR shows. We watched a couple of movies. Kevin did some homework. It was just a nice, quiet, relaxing week.
As that weekend came to an end we celebrated my brother's birthday with our dad. As we get older our ideas of 'fun' are really changing. We went out for lunch, came back to our house to watch movies, got some ice cream in the evening and then did it again the next day.
Wherever you are we hope that spring finds you soon!
Edited to add: I should note that the $24 worth of soda cans and bottles were given to us by friends and family. We use them to help cover our adoptions expenses.
First, spring has been teasing us just a little bit here in central Iowa but we are not complaining. We have thoroughly enjoyed the sunshine and the warmer temps. Last week, we both had scheduled the week off work originally so that we could go to Texas to visit Jon and Nicholle and the kids. We don't get to see them nearly as much as we would like to but they decided to come to Iowa and visit the whole family during the kids' spring break instead. So, we got to see them the first weekend of March here in Iowa instead. As it turns out, we were having better weather here than they had been having back home anyway so it all worked out pretty well.
 |
| Tessa and our nieces, Serena (above) and Linzey (below) |
After they left to head back home we spent our week off here at home just chillin' and enjoying the sunshine. We slept in. We took Jack for walks. We ran errands. (One of those was to return all of the pop bottles we have collected this winter. We ended up with ...... drum roll please..... $24 worth of cans and bottles!) We caught up on our DVR shows. We watched a couple of movies. Kevin did some homework. It was just a nice, quiet, relaxing week.
As that weekend came to an end we celebrated my brother's birthday with our dad. As we get older our ideas of 'fun' are really changing. We went out for lunch, came back to our house to watch movies, got some ice cream in the evening and then did it again the next day.
Wherever you are we hope that spring finds you soon!
Edited to add: I should note that the $24 worth of soda cans and bottles were given to us by friends and family. We use them to help cover our adoptions expenses.
Sunday, March 1, 2015
What a week!
Kevin started a Master's Degree program recently. It has been a bit of a shock for him as it is very different from the program he was taking at DMACC. He has papers due each week and classroom responses as well. On top of having homework due this week he picked up a flu bug from work and ended up having to stay home and recuperate for the last part of the week.
Meanwhile, I still went to work. I have some exciting new opportunities being sent my way at work and I am a little bit excited. I enjoy participating in projects more so that being in a production environment and it looks like I'm going to get some chances to move toward a full-time project position. For the most part, it means that I will not have to work overtime as much as I have in the last few years - last year specifically.
Friday night I got to spend a few hours with my mom. We both enjoy crafty things and there is a specific craft fair that comes to the area every few months and we make it a point to go each time. I even found a couple of items to purchase for a friend's baby shower next week.
Saturday evening we were invited to celebrate an anniversary with some friends and we tried out Fong's Pizza downtown. Originally, the thought of Chinese food on a pizza did not sound appealing. We were pleasantly surprised to find several things on the menu that we enjoyed. It was a fun night and a lot of laughs with good friends.
We are hopeful that this next week is a more healthy one for us and back to a normal schedule - work, homework, pets, and normal activities.
Speaking of pets: after we found that Mia's EGC had flared up again a couple of weeks ago we got her started on a regimen of oral steroids and she has improved dramatically again. At first I was having to hold her mouth open and force the pill down her throat but after just a couple of doses I just felt horrible because she has already been through so much. So, since she did not want anything to do with the pill pockets I decided to crush up each pill and mix it with a spoon full of wet cat food. I have to lock her in Jack's kennel while she eats it so that the boys don't get it but she takes it much easier and it has worked well for her.
Meanwhile, I still went to work. I have some exciting new opportunities being sent my way at work and I am a little bit excited. I enjoy participating in projects more so that being in a production environment and it looks like I'm going to get some chances to move toward a full-time project position. For the most part, it means that I will not have to work overtime as much as I have in the last few years - last year specifically.
Friday night I got to spend a few hours with my mom. We both enjoy crafty things and there is a specific craft fair that comes to the area every few months and we make it a point to go each time. I even found a couple of items to purchase for a friend's baby shower next week.
Saturday evening we were invited to celebrate an anniversary with some friends and we tried out Fong's Pizza downtown. Originally, the thought of Chinese food on a pizza did not sound appealing. We were pleasantly surprised to find several things on the menu that we enjoyed. It was a fun night and a lot of laughs with good friends.
We are hopeful that this next week is a more healthy one for us and back to a normal schedule - work, homework, pets, and normal activities.
Speaking of pets: after we found that Mia's EGC had flared up again a couple of weeks ago we got her started on a regimen of oral steroids and she has improved dramatically again. At first I was having to hold her mouth open and force the pill down her throat but after just a couple of doses I just felt horrible because she has already been through so much. So, since she did not want anything to do with the pill pockets I decided to crush up each pill and mix it with a spoon full of wet cat food. I have to lock her in Jack's kennel while she eats it so that the boys don't get it but she takes it much easier and it has worked well for her.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Inaugural Post
It has been so cold the last couple of weeks here in Central Iowa! I'm really not a fan of the cold but I do my best to persevere.
As this is our first post in this new blog I wanted to give an adoption update for us.
We are told that our home study report is complete but that we cannot have it just yet as we are waiting for one final piece of information to come in. It is not something that we anticipate would change anything but it is a requirement that a background check be received from each state that we have each lived in since achieving the age of majority. We are waiting for Alabama to return Kevin's forms but we expect them any day now.
That being said, our profile book has been turned in and we are eligible to be shown to expectant parents. To explain how that works: We completed a 'preferences' form that let's the agency know what kinds of variables we are willing to consider. These variables include things like age, race, sex, exposure to tobacco, alcohol, drugs, or viral diseases during the prenatal period. There are many more things that we had to consider but that gives a general overview. When an expectant family wants to view profiles the staff will compare the family's situation to the preferences that we have stated to determine if we should be shown.
That is where we are right now - just waiting for an expectant family to view our profile and decide if they want to meet us or not - and waiting for spring to arrive!
As this is our first post in this new blog I wanted to give an adoption update for us.
We are told that our home study report is complete but that we cannot have it just yet as we are waiting for one final piece of information to come in. It is not something that we anticipate would change anything but it is a requirement that a background check be received from each state that we have each lived in since achieving the age of majority. We are waiting for Alabama to return Kevin's forms but we expect them any day now.
That being said, our profile book has been turned in and we are eligible to be shown to expectant parents. To explain how that works: We completed a 'preferences' form that let's the agency know what kinds of variables we are willing to consider. These variables include things like age, race, sex, exposure to tobacco, alcohol, drugs, or viral diseases during the prenatal period. There are many more things that we had to consider but that gives a general overview. When an expectant family wants to view profiles the staff will compare the family's situation to the preferences that we have stated to determine if we should be shown.
That is where we are right now - just waiting for an expectant family to view our profile and decide if they want to meet us or not - and waiting for spring to arrive!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)