So Much....

to catch up on...

Middle of October to Middle of November my parents were here and remodeled our kitchen... incredible amount of work but SO amazing now. Thanks Mom and Dad! What a tremendous blessing this has been for us. We are almost completely done now.

The kitchen before…

During remodel…

Dad working hard...

Mom making things "pretty"...

For Thanksgiving we were able to get away for the week with The Forresters, The Pendergrasses & The Palmers. We had a great time and even got a little snowed in. Jeremy and I ended up losing our keys at the end of the trip and it was a fiasco but God brought us through but not without a little struggle on our part.

Us at the falls in Maryland for Thanksgiving…Aaron & I carving the turkey…

Thanksgiving dinner…

This is about what Sparky has been looking like for the past couple months. He has a hurt knee and has been milking it for everything he is worth. Can’t go up stairs or jump so is getting carried and getting very, very spoiled. This is him in my electric blanket. Poor guy.

Christmas tree shopping took place when we returned from Thanksgiving. Jeremy and I went to the tree farm with friends but ended up going to several lots before finding our tree. We need a pretty small one so we had to shop around. Everything have been decorated for a while now and beautiful.

Our partially decorated tree... Not sure why I didn't get a picture of the finished product...LOTS of Christmas baking & cooking in general has been taking place at the Pegg home. With the new kitchen, I just can't resist! It is so much more fun and so much easier to spread out, make a mess and clean it all up.

So much room to spread out...

Lots & lots of fudge...

We are having a major snow storm as we speak. We haven't had this much snow since we lived here. They are calling for 14" and I think we just might get that. May get snowed in for the weekend... guess I'll have to do some more baking!
On the adoption front... it is still just waiting. We don't have to update any paperwork until May so we just get to sit back and relax until then. We continue to pray that the kids will come very soon. We appreciate your continued prayers.

Merry Christmas Everyone! I pray that you are all enjoying it and remembering all the blessings God has given us, including the precious birth of his dear son, Jesus.

Happy Birthday!

PS: Happy Birthday to my favorite Father In Law - Duane!!! I hope you have a wonderful day today and know how much you are loved from this side of the United States!!!! Love you!!!

The Long Wait

Hmmm.... I'm not sure which is longer.... you waiting for me to post something new on my blog or us waiting for the kids. I'm kidding obviously but at least you don't have the problem of trying to keep up with my blog! : ) Anyway - once again I must apologize for no updates.

On August 27th (our Anniversary), a letter was written in Colombia approving us and our paperwork to become parents of Colombian born children. We actually didn't hear until several weeks later but it is just like God to have something special like that happen on our Anniversary. You gotta love the way he works. So what this means is we are "officially" waiting for our children instead of our paperwork. Yippee!!! There is still much to do but at least we are much closer!

What is still to do? There will be more paperwork to keep updated as we go and paperwork to prepare to take with us to Colombia. There are still a lot of funds to raise but we are trusting God for every penny. There is another bedroom to prepare. There is Spanish to learn. There are books to read and parenting dvds to help us prepare. But most of all... there are prayers to go up for protection and blessings on our children as they wait and that they will be able to come home as soon as humanly possible. They say the wait is about two years. Lord, please speed up that process!

So for now we wait, prepare, get things in order, etc. God is just making us better people in the wait and I'm so thankful for that!

I will have updates soon on all the activities going on at the house! Parents are here, walls ripped out, dust everywhere, a new kitchen coming soon! Thank you Mom and Dad for this HUGE blessing. We truly appreciate this gift!

15 Years...

...ago today, I married the man of my dreams. I can't even believe it has been that long. Seems like the time has gone by so quickly. I am so thankful for the wonderful man the Lord blessed me with. He is everything I never knew I wanted... everything that I needed and more!

Every day he makes me feel special. Every day he makes me feel loved. Not every day is a great day but I know at the end of it, he will still love me. I'm not sure you can ever really know what it is like to be treasured by someone until you are. Jeremy is such a treasure to me and also makes me feel the same. His gentleness amazes me, his laugh makes me smile, his amazing blue eyes melt my defenses, his voice soothes me, his love captures my heart.

What a blessed woman I am! Jeremy - you are and always will be my favorite boy ever. I love you more than words can say!

Missed you today! Hurry home so I can beat you at Tony Hawk! : )

Translation

I got word from our agency that our paperwork has all been translated. They are now in the ICBF office. We/they don't know how long they have been there but at least we know they are there! So that is good news. Now we just need to pray that they get approved very quickly through this office so that we can be in the waiting stack for our children!

It isn't a lot of news but at least it is good! : ) Thanks for praying!

SORRY

I'm sorry to those of you who read this blog. I haven't been good at keeping it updated and I'm sure that doesn't make you want to read this. I will try to do better at keeping this up to date.

First off - there really isn't any new adoption news. We are still waiting to hear from our agency that all our paperwork has been translated and that it is all OK. Once we hear that, we will officially be in the "waiting" stack for our sweet children. Other than that, there really isn't anything exciting to share.

I do want to give you all an update on the fundraisers that took place for us over the summer. I have yet to give the results of these and I apologize for the delay. There are so many of you who have helped us throughout this process and we are SO thankful!

Thank you Kim & Paul for selflessly sharing your anniversary with us and raising over $500 to help in getting our kids home! We were so blessed that you would remember us in this way! You have been a great inspiration in our lives growing up and again now as we see you love each other and us through your marriage! We are thankful for all of your friends who gave!

Thank you Kathryn & Wayne for blessing us with the yard sale fundraiser! Their goal was to raise about one plane ticket for us and I think we more than accomplished that. We were able to raise around $700! It was a great success! Thank you to all of you who donated items, helped set up, tear down, make goodies and hot dogs and chili! It was so much fun spending the day with you!!! Thanks Mom & Dad for helping with this too! We felt so loved!

Thank you Jamie (my sister) for blessing us with all proceeds of your sales in June with your Mary Kay business! She was able to raise about $125 for us! Thank you sweet sister. I love you dearly and can't wait until you can be an auntie to my kids! They will love you as I do.

More than anyone though, I have to continue to thank God for helping us through this process. The journey is long and can be trying at times but as his word says, he never gives us more than we can handle. The truth in that statement though is we really don't need to "handle" it. He's got it and our part is just giving it over to him. As we continue to do that and wait for our precious children to come home, we constantly thank God for all of you who have loved us and are continuing to support us through the wait.

Hope for Mazey Yard Sale

If anyone is available to stop by, we'd love to see you....

YARD SALE FUND-RAISER
SAT. JULY 18, 7 AM-2 PM
6487 NEW RIVER RD.
FAIRLAWN
Below 11 West
Huge Multi Family
clothing, furniture, books, misc.
items. Hot dogs & drinks.

Directions: Head toward Dublin on Rt 11. Go past Sheetz, turn left on New River Rd where C&L Campers is. Follow New River Rd to 6487. It is a white house.

Thank you Kathryn & Wayne!!!

Sweet Ellie Girl

Our sweet Ellie girl passed away on Saturday night, Sunday morning. She was such a sweet & mild mannered dog. Thankfully she went in her sleep. She had been sick for a couple months & wasn't getting any better. Unfortunately, we were not with her. We were on vacation & a friend was looking after her. We felt so bad to not be with her & that someone else was with her when she passed. We are so thankful for how he handled it & also the vet. The emergency vet really blessed us but picking her up from the house for us (since we were several hours away) & allowed us some time with her to say goodbye.

We'll miss you Ellie girl. Sparky misses you too!

"Mary Kay 4 Mazey!" Fund-Raiser

I know many of you already have MK beauty consultants or maybe don't use Mary Kay at all but I wanted to let you all know about this. A blessing from my sister, Jamie...

"My Mary Kay 4 Mazey!" Fund-Raiser

Dear Friends, Family & Valued Customers,

As some of you know I recently began my own Mary Kay Business. One great advantage of doing this is that I have the freedom and versatility to conduct my business as I wish and it gives me great opportunities to enrich women's (peoples') lives and hopefully make a difference in some way.

As many more of you know my brother-in-law and sister, Jeremy & Pamela Pegg, are in the process of adopting children from Columbia. They have been extremely blessed by many personal donations already, but they still have many expenses to look forward to. For more detailed information about the Peggs, visit Pam's Blog at http://hopeformazey.blogspot.com/. (this is not a hyperlink)

I would like to give all of you an opportunity to be a huge part in blessing these "Parents-In-Waiting"!

For every paid order received, from June 8th until June 25th, My Mary Kay Business will donate all the profits to Jeremy & Pam for their adoption expenses. You simply get fabulous, on-trend products that you want and need and My Mary Kay Business will donate to The Peggs on your behalf.

Check out the many tips, ideas and hot, new trends in skin care and color on my personal website, http://www.marykay.com/jamiekgeorge/default.aspx. Even more New Products and Promotions will be introduced on June 16th. There's something for everyone whether it's for Yourself, a Father's Day gift, Graduation, a Bridal Party Look, a Birthday gift, a Vacation Treat or even a Christmas gift if you're really on-the-ball!

I will be placing orders on the 16th and 26th for this fund-raiser. I accept Checks, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express & Cash (in person). If you are local, in the Portland Metro Area of Oregon, we can arrange for pick-up or delivery of your purchase. The out-of-town purchases will be mailed to you. This is an opportunity only available through me, your Independent Beauty Consultant, and is not an official Mary Kay company-wide campaign or promotion.

Thank you so much and I look forward to participating with you in Mary Kay Ash's "Go-Give" spirit!

Sincerely,

Jamie K. George

Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant

503.710.8780

jamiekgeorge@marykay.com

http://www.marykay.com/jamiekgeorge/default.aspx

Kindness of Friends & Strangers...

Last you heard we were under the gun for making a large payment to our agency for the completion of our dossier. The payment was actually due today & I'm so happy to report that the entire check is in the hands of my agency & God provided every penny that we needed!!! God is SO good. We didn't even have to figure it out, we just kept praying & trying to leave it in His hands. He already had it worked out for us. For those of you who have supported us in prayer, with financial gifts or buying a t-shirt... words can't even express how thankful we are. Thank you for allowing God to use you to bless us through this process & for helping us get that much closer to bringing our children home!!!

With that said, I want to share with you the kindness of strangers. I'm not really even sure the story other than they are friends of a dear, dear friend. In the last two weeks we have received checks from two men that we don't even know. One with a beautiful adoption story of his own... his sister was adopted from Korea. The other, I have to admit, I know absolutely nothing about. He just mailed a check & that was that. Both of these gifts brought me to tears as did almost every check we received from all of you!

This got me thinking... who does that? Who just drops a check in the mail to someone they don't even know. Obviously these two men do. I have always considered myself to be a pretty generous person & honestly, it is hard being on the receiving end during this season of life. It is humbling but it is also really a wonderful thing. To know people are out there who are willing to give when they hear a need, to reach out to people they don't even know. I want to be more like that.

Who does this remind you of? Jesus did just that... his entire life on this earth! He consistently gave with no expectation, knowing no one would ever "deserve" what he was about to give them. He gave the ultimate gift knowing many would never even acknowledge it. His love was perfect! Perfect love casts out all fear. I had some fear surrounding this payment. I received perfect love in the kindness of strangers, all of our friends & family. I never needed to be afraid of what God had in front of us. I just needed to trust that he would completely take care of it & stop trying to control the situation myself. I know I'm a stubborn person & sometimes things have to slap me in the face before I get it. I'm so thankful the Lord has patience with me & understands my humanness.

Ways you can be praying...

• usually takes about 2-3 months to translate the dossier, pray this will go much faster
• learning Spanish
• that our trust in God would not waiver through the remaining expenses (travel, in country & post adoption expenses) that is more than we have paid for everything so far
• we would continue to have peace through this process & can handle the things that are coming
  

Thank you, thank you, thank you... so much for loving us!!!

How much do you really want to know...?

Since my last post several things have happened. We received our invoice for the sum of money that is due at this point. We have a 15 day time line to pay this. We have really felt like it is not up to us to figure it out and God has really shown up. So many people have dug deep and given to us freely. You know who you are and we couldn't be more thankful! Even people we don't know. God is amazing in his provisions!

We also received our travel packet. This is full of information on the next steps of the adoption. I must admit, I began ready this booklet on Friday morning before work and got really overwhelmed and a bit discouraged. I really thought the paperwork and most of the stuff was done but I found out it isn't. Uggh. I got home from work and proceeded to read this 58 page document entirely. Every detail, everything written out. I finished with more questions. Yes, it answered many questions I had but left me with quite a few too. I guess reading something can't really even come close to experiencing something. I was hoping this packet might put some of my fears, anxieties & questions to rest. It did for a few things but also raised a few more. There were details about preparation for our trip, our stay in Colombia, information for after we return, additional reading materials and forms. Details about what to expect from the children, our need to learn Spanish... etc. The list goes on. All this to say... I can really use your prayers. I want to have joy and peace in this whole process. I'm very excited about being closer to getting the children but I feel like a thousand road blocks just got put in front of me. You know the saying... "knowledge is power?" Well I now have more knowledge about international adoption than most people and I'm not really feeling all that powerful. I am relieved and thankful that my God is with me through it all and my dear, sweet husband. I couldn't do this without them.

This is really a faith journey. I feel my faith being put to the test daily, almost minute by minute. The funny thing is is that God is so faithful. I have no doubt that he is going to provide for EVERY need we have, he is going to see us through all of this ... my faith doesn't seem to lack in my God. I just tend to have trouble relinquishing control even though he has proven faithful. I tend to question myself through these things. Sometimes I'm not sure if it is OK to feel the way I'm feeling. I guess it is probably normal but sometimes I feel so hung up on it. I know that God can handle my frustrations, my fears, my failures, my doubts... sometimes I just don't handle them so well.

"Each of us must decide where we're going to put our energy when the battle grows fierce." "God, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which You have called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:13-14). Help me to forget all past failures - or even achievements - and to focus on pressing forward with You now."

The BEST Kind of Wait!!!

The post that I've been waiting for... we now have our dossier submitted to Colombia!!! What does this mean? All the paperwork that was needed is completed. We now have a rather sizable payment to make but God has been SO faithful and we know he is going to provide it. So now we wait... not on papers, not on deadlines (with the exception of this payment due) but for OUR CHILDREN!!! Could be up to 18 months but we are praying for it to come much more quickly. We hope that you will pray with us too! We have lots of things to do while we wait... learn some Spanish, read books on parenting, fix up their bedrooms, pray in the finances for the in country and traveling fees and just have fun together.

Speaking of fun... we just got back from Knoxville TN yesterday. We traveled there for a wedding that Jeremy shot. Joanna and Aaron were able to come too! We had a great time walking around downtown, trying new restaurants, window shopping & going to the movie. It was a fun little getaway.

I'll keep you posted as to what comes next. We will be receiving a package in the mail soon that will tell us about traveling and what things will look like when we go to Colombia!

Hmmm...not what we hoped for

We received word yesterday that we did not get the grant from Shoahannah's Hope. We are disappointed but still believing God will be faithful to provide the remaining adoption fees. We are doing our best to be prayerful and patient as we have a large sum due in a few short weeks.

We also received an email from our adoption agency that two papers need to be redone for our dossier. One was too old and the other had too much information. So we will have to get these notarized and apostilled again. Hopefully this won't take too much time.

Not the best news today but this is where we are at. Trying to stay as positive and patient as possible. Trying to hear from God about what is us trying to take care of it and what is allowing Him the time he needs to provide. That part of waiting is a part I really don't care for. Hmmm... Any words of wisdom? I'd love to hear them...

Knowing & Trusting...

Have you ever been so excited about something that it makes you feel sick to your stomach??? That's kind of how I feel. Tomorrow we will submit our dossier (adoption paperwork) to our agency. I can't even tell you how relieved I feel to finally have our paper work done! It has been a long haul but I couldn't be happier. We received our final papers in the mail yesterday all authenticated so we are good to go! No they go off the agency, then they go to Colombia for translation & approval... so now we wait.

Do you ever wonder why you even expend the energy to get anxious? Well today I did. I have been a bit anxious about the finances that it will take to submit these papers and just not sure where it would come from. Don't get me wrong, I KNOW God provides & knows exactly where it is coming from but sometimes I just can't shut my brain off to just trust. Today I got to talk to my dad for a while & he & Mom had already felt lead to send us some money for this part of the process. What a blessing! Poor Dad... I started crying on the phone! If you have ever been on the other end of the phone when I'm crying, it isn't pretty... I can't talk at all. Dad thought he had lost the connection with me then realized I was crying. Anyway - thank you so much Mom & Dad for being sensitive to the Holy Spirit! I can't tell you how blessed we feel!

We are still waiting to hear back from Shoahannah's Hope to see if we will receive a grant. Please pray that they will find favor in us. We are hoping and praying for this! We continue to covet your prayers and are so thankful for all our friends and family! We so appreciate your support!

Spring Fever...

Does anyone else get inspired by spring and the sunshine? Last weekend I went to some of my favorite nurseries just to look at all the beautiful flowers that I wish I could plant now. It is still a little too cold here for planting but looking gets me excited!

I am feeling better so we got to work on some things around the house. I picked up a load of gravel and Jeremy spread it in the driveway. I got a few junipers for the front yard and some black mulch. I love black mulch... I think it helps the plants really pop out. I weeded some of the garden and back yard, then the front yard, planted the new plants, took up all my periwinkle that wasn't doing too well at spreading and changed some things.

I replanted the periwinkle in my pots by the front door and just got things looking better. Looking forward to doing the hanging pots but those will have to wait for some more consistent sunshine.Today we finished tearing out the floor in the upstairs hallway. It looks so much better already. We need to decide if we will paint it black like we did in the bedroom or do something different. But at least now it is all prepped and ready for whatever we decide to do.
Anyone have any good ideas?

We are now getting ready to relax, eat some chili and enjoy the Red Sox game! Go Sox!!!

Last, but certainly not least.... Happy Birthday Caleb & Alethia! I can't believe they are two today. Jeremy and I love them so much and are so thankful they are part of our lives! They called me today and it is so fun to hear them talking! I hope you both have a wonderful day!!! We love you!!!

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you feel the love of our beautiful Savior & are able to reflect on all He has done for us!!!

Mailing

Other than being home today sick, things are very good. Today I am mailing off all the papers that need to be authenticated (apostilled) in the state of Virginia. Once we receive these papers back, we are finished with our paperwork! Pretty amazing. We then mail them to our agency for approval and translation, then on to Colombia. Very exciting!!! This is where the process gets fairly expensive. We continue to thank you for your prays and support for this process.

Jeremy returned this last week from a short visit home (Oregon) to see his brothers, Mom, Dad and other family members. We also have a new niece (Jake's) that Jeremy wanted to see. Her name is Ember and she is beautiful. I'll share pictures with you soon...

Authentication...

I just thought I'd give you an update on where we are at in our paperwork. We are so close I can see the end in site. We received the final documents we were waiting for last week. Our final sets of fingerprints. We have a couple things yet to be notarized. Once I get these last pieces notarized, I can send them all off to be authenticated. Once I receive all of the paperwork back from authentication, I can submit everything to my agency for review and translation. Once translation is complete, they will send it to Colombia for review & approval and then we get put in the stack to wait for our kids. So we are very close to being done with all the busy work part of it. It feels like it has taken forever to complete and I guess it has but at least we are almost done.

We continue to ask for your prayers for the financial end of this process. We are waiting for word from Shoahannah's Hope to see if we are approved for the grant we applied for. This would be a huge help. They are able to give you a small percentage of adoption fees but anything is better than nothing! We have quite a few things coming up that require medium to large payments.

If you haven't had a chance to check out our t-shirts yet, please go to

♫mazeyrecords.bigcartel.com. All proceeds go directly to the Mazey fund. We greatly appreciate your orders and passing it on! Thanks so much!!!

My Man...

Today is a special day. A day I am very thankful for. It is Jeremy's birthday! Let me tell you a little bit about my man... Jeremy is wonderful. He is caring, compassionate, so passionate about the things that he loves, very creative, a joy in my life daily. He is funny, very sweet, has beautiful blue eyes and a sweet smile. He is the guy that can melt my heart with just one look or kind gesture. He in my best friend and my favorite boy in all the world. I am SO thankful for him and all his goodness.

I have known Jeremy for a good majority of my life but 16 years ago was when my life changed for the better. Jeremy and I started dating, were engaged and got married all within 10 months. I think our parents wanted us to wait a while but we were sure. On August 27, 1994 we were married and that has been my best decision so far. It has been a privilege to go through life with him and to have him as my daily confidant, friend, love & my home. I love him more today than yesterday and hope that that will always continue.

If you don't know Jeremy, I hope one day you can meet him. Happy Birthday Honey!

PS: Happy Birthday to Joanna, Tricia & Katie today too! You are all special people in my life!!!

Little Bits

So I thought I was done with the paper work but after reviewing everything and talking with my agency... we have a few little bits left to do. We went and got more fingerprinting done, passport pictures taken to hand in with our paperwork & now have just a couple remaining tasks. Unfortunately, a little more waiting on papers too. But we continue to be in good spirits and are getting more and more excited about getting closer to bringing our children home! Thank you, as always for your prayers and support!

We finally got a good snow yesterday! It is so pretty. We got about 5 + inches and it is still nice and white outside.

Papers

I'm am so excited to say that we are at the very end of our paperwork. We did receive our letter back from Homeland Security and all went well with our fingerprinting. I am in the final stage of gathering everything together, getting the appropriate pages notarized and then apostilled. But we are very close. Once this last step is done, I will submit everything to my agency for final review, make any corrections needed & then off it will go to Colombia! I can't even tell you how excited I am to be almost done with this part of the process. God has been SO good & we are believing that he will provide that is still needed.

I was able to get a grant application in to Shaohannah's Hope & am awaiting word on that. I should know in the next couple months. This would be a HUGE blessing. We know God will provide though even if we don't get this grant.

Check out our shirts & sweatshirts at www.mazeyrecords.bigcartel.com if you haven't already. All the proceeds for the shirts goes right into our Mazey fund. We are grateful to all of you who have helped support us in this area. It is a big blessing.

This weekend I went with my friend, Joanna, to Alexandria VA. She was speaking on a panel to college students at a Campus Crusade for Christ Conference. She did a great job! We had a lot of fun walking around old town Alexandria. We also got to have lunch with Jenny Furey & see Theresa Smith! It was fun! Hope your Valentine's Day was fun!

Waiting for Word

We are still waiting for word about our finger printing. I have also completed the paperwork on a grant. Just need to send a few things off to them and then we wait to see if we will get that or not. Not sure how long exactly all this will take but we have learned that waiting is just part of this process.

In the mean time, we are doing our best to enjoy the time we have together. Today we had the day off together and went to Salem, Jeremy took some pictures, we got some coffee, went walking at the mall & had dinner at Panera. Now we are about to sit down and enjoy a movie. The wait isn't so bad. : ) We are thankful for all the time we have together.

Finger Printing

We are now officially in the Homeland Security Database. We went to West Virginia this morning for our finger printing. We got up at 4:15am & drove there for our 8 & 9am appointments. We were the first ones there so it was pretty quick. They didn't make me wait until 9. It was a pretty dreary ride - rained the whole time but we are glad to mark one more thing off the list!

Appointment & Other News

We have our homeland security appointment on Tuesday in West Virginia. This is for our finger printing. Please pray for good weather & quick appointments! Thank you!

Today we said goodbye to our dear friends, Chris & Suzie Skinner. They have moved to North Carolina. We had a party for them last night & it was so fun to see all the people who love them so much all come together. We pray that their new life there will be blessed. Jeremy traveled down with them to help... he gets to say goodbye tomorrow. BUT it isn't really goodbye... just see you soon. We will miss the day to day relationship with them though. Love you guys! They have an amazing story... log on to www.chrisskinner.org to read about them.