Day Dreaming

When I day dream about Prim being here (which is often yet never while driving) I too often think in pinks and purples and shoe sizes. I wonder if her hair will be long enough to put in bows and if not, how I can get them to stay anyway. I look on all kinds of websites, looking at clothes and shoes and just waiting for her next update to have a better idea of her size. I even ponder if they have a STOP HILLARY tshirt in her size to match mine. I can't wait for the girly things that automatically come with having a daughter. Dolls, easy bake oven, sparkly finger nail polish and tiny earrings. I already have her "style" in mind from seeing her pictures and I see her as a purple (my mom will be thrilled), bright colors and hip little girl with attitude!

Love

Last nights bible study still leaves me thinking...We are currently doing a study by Rob Bell-someone whom I imagine is very popular with the gen-xers. He is young and casual although somewhat melodramatic, but most weeks I enjoy the message (although I still laugh at the burning of the forest to make a point). Moving on....last nights message was entitled "Bullhorn" and to paraphrase, spoke of those "bullhorn" Christians who seeks to share God's message by standing on a street corner shouting hell and damnation for all to hear. The discussion led to the question of can this type of evangelism bring people to Christ and does it hurt Christians as a whole. It was interesting to me to hear every one's thoughts on this subject. It really is true that for most of us, this kind of evangelism (and many would not even call it that) is tough to swallow. Without going into our two hours of discussion, I think what I came away with is that Christians are the problem with Christianity. We can't blame anyone else but ourselves for the stereotypes and it's something-in my opinion-that will never change. I would say it would take a miracle, but the miracle has already been given to us in Jesus and yet still we falter and continuously fail. J said something last night that could potentially be at the root of the problem of our reputation-if you will-as Christians. Love. Do we know how to REALLY love? The Bible is explicit about how we are to love God and those around us. Very specifically He tells us that you can love God, but if you do not love his people, you are a liar and a hater of God. It's true. How many times do we see Christians on television holding signs that say "Fags burn in Hell" . How often do we see Christians standing in front of abortion clinics with banners painted with the images of aborted fetuses and screaming hate speech at those walking inside. Justification in the name of God does not make this right. A quote that I love from Christianity Today said that "Madness in the name of God is still madness".

Do we really know how to love our neighbor as ourselves? Do we truly understand that to love another person is to love God Himself? How do we change the fact that we loathe the young man on the street corner begging for money with beer on his breath? How do we love the friend that betrayed us in our most vulnerable hour? How do we love the man that beat his wife to death yet repents his sins? How do we love ourselves when we understand in all of our nakedness that we are irreparably flawed? The answer is simple but the purposeful way in which we handle this great gift given to us by Christ will take tremendous effort every day of our lives-at least for me.

Today my prayer will be that for better or for worse, I will love my neighbor remembering that they too were made in the image of God. I will find the beauty in everyone I meet, even that bullhorn guy who annoys me so.

Tennis Super Stars

Many of you know that I've taken up tennis thanks to much prodding from my good friend, Meredith. The nudging started before we even moved here but as soon as we set foot in California she began a nonstop blitz campaign that eventually had me playing in a competitive match after only one tennis practice. Needless to say I'm hooked and by hooked I'll give you this visual: me, in bed at midnight, the lights low while I furiously read through Tennis for Dummies. I'm sure it's not the romantic scene H was looking for, but I wore two pairs of socks the next day at practice like the book suggested for extra support and I felt like a super star!! Today was our usual Wednesday match and although we lost, I can honestly say that we held our own and I had a great time getting a whoppin' by women twice and three times my age. A few courts down Meredith was kickin' butt and taking names. Her shots at the net were amazing and everyone enjoyed watching her quick returns. She is truly a tennis super star and I can't wait for the day we can play together on equal footing.
G has been a trooper these past few days. He's had horrible allergies and just so congested and sneezey. Today he woke up from his nap to say that his ear hurt and I knew he must have an infection. Luckily our pediatric office is terrific and I brought him in right away. These are the times as a parent when you hate to be right. He has a raging ear infection and it's probably been around for quite a few days. It just goes to show what a great boy he is and how he can play and have fun and still manage to smile through the pain. We should all have such a good attitude.
Needless to say the night is coming to a close with hots baths, medications and the filling of 'ol faithful Vicks humidifier. I look forward to watching American Idol. I know some people have expressed that it's cruel and unusual punishment and that it's degrading. Personally, every person in American has seen the show, yet tens of thousands show up to willingly be humiliated on national television. I don't get it. I just know that I laugh until I'm in tears on most nights during auditions...

Birthday Boy

Last week G turned 4!! I can't believe how time is flying. There don't seem to be any outward changes until I really look at pictures and see how his face is just a little more mature and his smile is a little bit different. For his birthday, we took him and four friends to a pottery painting studio. They had a great time and enjoyed the finished product. We went back to our place for cake and then it was bouncy house time! Nothing like hours of jumping in the cold to burn off the sugar:) We ended up having the birthday party marathon because the kids didn't leave until around 4pm and we starting at 11:30. We hope that it was a special day for him! I'm including some picture-enjoy!

Blah, Blah, Blogs

I've given in and have decided to blog our adoption journey. It's actually been so incredibly fun reading other online journals as families prepare for their adoption so I'm going to give it a try!
Right now we wait with anxious anticipation to travel to Thailand. The process has gone (*gulp) smoothly up until this point but we feel like our next hurdle will be the hardest. Waiting. And waiting....and more waiting. It's hard to imagine that every day Prim grows bigger and we continue with life here as normal. G talks about her every single day and is so excited to teach his baby sister how to do this and that and repeatedly tells me that when she is bad she has to go in time-out, too. Hmmm....
We hope you'll enjoy reading this journal and it's our goal to continue to post when we're in Thailand. Thanks to everyone who supports us. It's only by the grace of God that we've had the patience and persisitance to endure this process.