Sunday, May 29, 2011

Memorial Day Weekend...


My brother, Casey and his wife, Hannah, and their 3 pretty girls came in town from Oklahoma this weekend.  We spent all weekend out at my Mom's house...visiting, eating, playing basketball and loving family time!






Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Good News - Bad News

We'll start with the bad....
Sunday evening brought some devastating storms across southwest Missouri.  Joplin got demolished by an F5 tornado and the news has reported countless heartbreaking stories and pictures.  Friends at work have family that have lost their homes and all that they've known.  They've said that the new's broadcasts don't even begin to do the devastation of Joplin justice.


Then another round of tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma late this afternoon.  More people losing their homes and more lives that were lost.  We'll continue to be in prayer over these people and ask God to bring healing to these areas.



On the good side...
Our medical exams are done for the adoption!  Jason met with the doctor today and things seemed to have gone well.  Our doctor will be completing our forms and then writing brief medical statements to sum up each of our physicals.  I will get my TB skin test read tomorrow and then the Dr. should be able to finish up.  Our home study is lacking our medical exam paperwork and reference letters.  It will be a celebration to get all this paperwork done and out of our hands!  We'll keep ya'll posted!

Calm after the storm...


Thursday, May 19, 2011

Prayer Requests....

I just finished up my medical exam for the adoption and things seemed to have gone well.  I have to go back in tomorrow to get my TB skin test and then return Monday to get it read.  Jason's exam is on Tuesday morning. We are just praying that things go smoothly here so that we can proceed on to the next step.  Once we get these complete our home study will be done.  We will then transition into working with our adoption placement agency. 

We could use some prayers this next week as we try to get things wrapped up in one area so that we can start in on another.  Thank you for the continued support, love and prayers!

Friday, May 13, 2011

Romans 12:12

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."

I read over this passage multiple times last night and realized I don't "do" this verse very well.  I thought about each part...Be joyful in hope.  Hope is defined as: "To trust in, wait for, look for, or desire something or someone; or to expect something beneficial in the future.”  Often times I let the things of this world weigh me down and can't see outside my little box.  I can't turn on the TV without seeing something devastating that is happening somewhere in the world.  I'm thankfully reminded that this world isn't the ending place or the goal line. 

Patient in affliction...patience is a weakness of mine anyways so if it has the word patient in the verse...odds are I struggle with it.  If I'm not patient with the good things going on in my life, Lord knows I'm not patient in times of pain and suffering.  Often times it's when I go through these trials that God is molding me and maturing my faith.

Faithful in prayer...I believe maintaining a committed prayer life is an essential part of walking with God.  James 5:6 states that "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."  It's encouraging to know that there is power in prayer and that God is listening.  Right now we have a child on the other side of the this world that needs our prayers. I'm anxious to see God work and to see what child He has chosen for us.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

BACK IN BUSINESS!!

When it rains it hails in the Flora house...last week we had more truck issues.  You would think this truck would be like new after all the work we've put in to it in the last 6 months.  After taking the truck back to the shop last Thursday our computer decided to die that evening.  Friday morning it appeared (and smelled like) our kitchen blender was smoking.  This nearly threw me over the edge!

Nearly a week later...here I am...back in the saddle! The last week has been challenging for us not only financially but mentally and spiritually.  We began having doubts on whether we would really be able to handle this adoption financially.  We looked into some other options for creating our family and it truly felt like all signs pointed to Africa.  I can truly say that the money side of this adoption terrifies me but we are going to have to figure it out. We are going to have to get creative, work hard and trust God.

Our last home study interviews were last Thursday as well (busy day :) )  We tied up some loose ends with our social worker and that was it.  She is waiting to get our reference forms/letters back from our references and then waiting on our medical exams.  Once all that is done and our paperwork is all together on our end we'll send it off to AFAA, which will be our child placement agency.

Would you believe that I still haven't done my autobiography??  My computer broke folks...I have a good excuse...well maybe.  Anyways we HAVE to knock those out and get all this paperwork together.  Our original goal was for everything to leave our hands and be mailed to AFAA by the end of June.  I'm thinking that can be pushed up a few weeks if we get in gear.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Hang with us...

We are still alive however our computer is not! We should be up and running in the next couple of days. Gotta love when things like this happen. We completed our home study visits this last week...will post more later...hopefully sooner rather than later!

Sunday, May 1, 2011

The Beginnings of an Addiction...

Although we've been working on some fundraising...Jason and I haven't been taking a backseat when it comes to our own finances and getting our baby home.  We wish we had $25,000 that we could write the check out for today and get this thing rolling...but we don't.  So we are looking for ways to save and have come across couponing!!!!

Now...I've been cutting coupons for awhile and try to match them up with our grocery list that week but it usually amounts to saving $3 or $5 if I'm lucky.  Then one night I watched "Extreme Couponing" on TLC.  These families would use buy crazy amounts of food and products, use a ridiculous amount of coupons and save insane amounts of money.  Insane meaning a grocery bill that totals over $1000 and then walking out paying $6.59 for the entire bill.  The idea of saving lots of money quickly got my interest!!

So, I've been dabbling in this couponing thing for a couple of weeks.  I can't believe how much time and energy it takes to make these on sale items and coupons match up BUT when I do I get addicted!  I'm light years away from getting $1000 worth of groceries for $6 but I sure have gotten excited when I've bought a name brand body wash for 89 cents or walked out of Walgreen's with $45 worth of stuff for $15.  (baby steps!)  Just be aware that shopping trips can be stressful and if you take your spouse try and be patient with each other.  :)