HOPE FOR MAZEY

Celebrating Twice

2010-08-27T20:48:00.010-04:00

16 years + 1 year & countingToday we are celebrating 16 years of marriage. I can't even begin to share how much Jeremy means to me. We've had some hard times but I have to say as long as I'm going through them with him, I'm OK. We have always come out OK. This whole process has been one of those difficult things but we have done it together and I'm so thankful. I love going through life with him. I could probably gush about him until everyone is rolling their eyes and gagging so I won't. I am just truly thankful for the man that God has blessed me with.
Today is not only the anniversary of our marriage, it is also the one year anniversary of our papers being approved in Colombia. So we officially have been "waiting" for our children for one year. We are happy about that. Every day that goes by brings us one day closer to holding them in our arms. We can't wait!In the last couple of months we have had our home study amended, edited and sent in. We have traveled to West Virginia to have our fingerprints done bio metrically again. Not sure why they expire... really doesn't make sense to me, but it had to be done so we did it. So home study is done, finger prints are done, anniversary is here and now we just get to wait again... mostly. I received a letter from homeland security today stating that our home study was missing a couple vital bits of information so we'll have to get that corrected and sent in but really shouldn't be any big deal.

So while I am thankful for every minute... every second I have with Jeremy.... I/we are so looking forward to our precious little children coming home. We thank the Father every day for keeping them safe and well cared for until we can see their sweet little faces. As always, we are so thankful for your prayers, love & support!!!

Home Study

2010-06-12T10:19:00.003-04:00

We have a follow up/updating home study on Monday. It is with the same agency but with a new lady. So hoping that all goes well. Working on a few other bits of paperwork for updating as well but other then that, nothing much going on.

Jeremy is in the busy session on his business and we are very thankful for that. We also leave for vacation toward the end of June so we are really looking forward to that.

More Paperwork

2010-04-09T16:16:00.006-04:00

I guess we get to do some more paperwork. It will be a year of waiting in July and some of our papers will expire. My agency told me to go ahead and get started on updating them in May but I decided to get started in April instead. You just never know how long some things will take. We get to have another home study visit, update our medical & financial records, do more finger printing and some other things. It shouldn't be too bad.

Jeremy and I have been really praying over the finances for the adoption and just keep praying for God's favor. In the last few weeks, out of no where, we have had a couple friends send us checks for the adoption. What a blessing and a encouragement from God that He has not and will not forget us. The adoption and all the finances are in His hands. One of the checks was exactly the amount that our home study revisions will cost. God is SO good. I so appreciate how He uses people to bless others and can tell them exactly what is needed.

Some exciting news about Jeremy's business... Enigma Productions. Aaron (Jeremy's business partner) & Jeremy have moved into a building in downtown Radford. It has been recently renovated and is really cute. Just perfect for the guys. They are having a Grand Opening on Saturday, April 17th at 10:30am. There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony and little party after. Hope you can join us! It is so great to see where the Lord has taken them. To see them step out in faith & get this building! It's very exciting!

As always, we appreciate your prayers, love & support!

Grateful

2010-01-29T22:38:00.004-05:00

As each day goes by and we continue to wait, I am grateful.
Grateful for the time with my husband.
Grateful for the love that we share.
Grateful for the love that is growing for our children.
Grateful for the time to prepare.
Grateful for the friendships we have.
Grateful for the continued blessings from the Lord.
Grateful for the hope that we have.
Grateful for our God that loves us enough to chose us for this purpose.

So Much....

2009-12-18T23:59:00.037-05:00

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!

2009-10-23T13:37:00.001-04:00

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

2009-10-23T13:24:00.002-04:00

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...

2009-08-27T22:29:00.005-04:00

...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

2009-08-22T15:16:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-12T19:30:00.008-04:00

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

2009-07-16T13:04:00.003-04:00

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

2009-07-02T15:13:00.006-04:00

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

2009-06-10T21:09:00.003-04:00

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...

2009-06-02T19:30:00.004-04:00

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...?

2009-05-24T23:37:00.004-04:00

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!!!

2009-05-19T19:55:00.003-04:00

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

2009-04-28T18:54:00.003-04:00

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...

2009-04-23T20:56:00.004-04:00

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...

2009-04-11T14:41:00.012-04:00

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

2009-04-06T12:53:00.004-04:00

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...

2009-03-23T13:34:00.002-04:00

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...

2009-03-16T19:37:00.005-04:00

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

2009-03-02T19:31:00.004-05:00

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

2009-02-15T14:37:00.005-05:00

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

2009-01-19T19:19:00.004-05:00

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

2009-01-06T12:49:00.002-05:00

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

2009-01-03T14:58:00.002-05:00

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.

Hope in a New Year

2008-12-31T19:25:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year... almost!

A new year can represent a new beginning to some, resolutions to others & just another year to try again.

This year ... I have hope.
Hope for Mazey.
Hope for even more love for my husband, friends & family.
Hope for new ways of showing them.
Hope for the future & the family that that represents to me.
Hope in my God... he provides all our needs, he knows, understands & answers all our desires in his timing.
Hope to further understand who HE is and who he wants ME to be.
Hope to not take things for granted!
Hope for those who need answers... God has what you need.
Hope for all of you to hope for something too!

Many, many blessings this 2009.

Mazey Records

2008-12-19T18:13:00.014-05:00

I'm so excited to finally get to post this! Jeremy has been inspired to create some designs to raise funds for the adoption. He has created "Mazey Records". The label is fictitious at this point, however, we do have one band that is about ready to "sign" with us.

Please check it out... http://mazeyrecords.bigcartel.com/.
We hope to have more items & designs later.

"Child of Light"

Mazey Records is a creative way for us to cover adoption expenses while also allowing our friends & family to play a part in bringing Mazey & her brother or sister home.

Also, if you are part of the Facebook world or would like to be... head over to http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=55618312183#/group.php?gid=55618312183&ref=nf to join the Mazey Records group.

HUGE thanks to Aaron, Bret & Sam for helping us with the details & to all of you for loving and supporting us! We are so blessed!

Please pass it on... tell friends & family! Thanks so much!

Good News

2008-12-15T21:52:00.003-05:00

Just thought I'd post this real quick... our agency did receive their Hague Accreditation! Thank you for praying!

Things are going well with everything. We are just waiting to hear when our final fingerprinting is and we are almost done with everything.

More news coming soon.

End in Sight

2008-11-24T22:24:00.002-05:00

It has been quite some time since I updated this blog. There has been much going on. I celebrated my birthday in October, my parents were here for three weeks and we went on vacation with them to see my great aunt and second cousin, I read a book my second cousin wrote... "Going Home", have been doing lots of work at the church and have had some progress on the adoption paperwork. We had a great time with my parents. They helped us out a lot with doing work on the house. Preparing for a remodel when they come back again. : )

Jeremy and I both completed our psychological evaluations for the adoption and are awaiting the results... yikes! We actually have our interview on Monday for this. We have also received our completed home study in the mail. This enables us to send a copy to complete our I-600a... the very first official piece of paperwork we had to have in as well as send it to the other places it is needed. There are a few more things to do and then we can submit the whole kit and kaboodle to our agency for review and translation. I will be so glad to have this piece completed.

Our dear, sweet friends, Courtney & Luigi had their first little baby boy on Saturday. His name is Mateo. Congratulations! We are excited to meet him but aren't sure when that will be. In the mean time, we hope to see lots of pictures.

More updates to come!

What's Happening

2008-10-18T20:08:00.007-04:00

Here is the adoption update that I promised. Actually got several things done this week. You may be wondering why it is taking me so long to get everything done... well life & I have a very full time job that has kept me pretty busy lately. So I'm chugging along as best I can.

So this week...

I received a letter from my home study agency actually stating our acceptance as future adoptive parents. Good news! She had already told us verbally but now we have the proof. : ) So we are approved in Virginia. She is now writing for the International part of things.
I received an e-mail stating that people who had completed their I600-A will in fact be grandfathered in to all programs... so that is more good news. We completed our before the April 1, 2008 deadline.
I sent off paperwork for psychological evaluations on both Jeremy & I. Not sure how long all that takes but at least it's out there.
I also sent off all the paperwork needed for both Jeremy & my birth certificates. These should come back fairly quickly.

Here is some cold hard proof of what was accomplished this week...

Still more to do on my list but at least my list is getting smaller!!!

Other exciting news for this week...

We will be finished with our bedroom remodel before Thursday! Thank God!
Mom & Dad arrive on Thursday!
My father-in-law, (Duane) has a birthday on Thursday (23rd)!
We get to go on vacation soon!
My birthday is coming up... even if we just sit around all day... I love birthdays!

One more bit of evidence that I'm a dork... at the Ladies Night I took every one's picture. I'll spare them the embarrassment, but here's one of me...

The line dancing didn't go so well but we still had fun!

Little, Tiny Trip

2008-10-17T18:07:00.003-04:00

Jeremy & I were blessed on Tuesday night to take a little trip to one of our favorite areas... Lake Norman, NC. We have vacationed here a couple times & LOVE it! So we took a little, tiny trip on Tuesday after work & came home Wednesday evening. Here's a shot of...

my favorite boy in all the world...

and YES... we LOVE Starbucks too!!!

OK - I know most of you have done this... taken a picture of yourself. I have no reason to, being that my husband is a professional photographer, but I was being goofy (the side that only my really close friends usually get to see) ... and I did it anyway....

Yours truly...

Please don't judge me for being a dork...! : ) You were bound to find out some time.

Anyway - hope you all have a great night. I'm off to a Ladies Country Western Night at church where we will be instructed by video how to country line dance... should be so much fun. At least we can all be dorks together.

Adoption update & bedroom remodel coming up next. As always, thanks for your continued prayer & support!!!

This is HUGE

2008-10-07T16:14:00.002-04:00

Please, please be praying and if you have time, log on and sign the petition. This will affect Jeremy and I directly as we filed a I-600a. Details below. Please leave me a comment if you have questions. Blessings!

From my agency... Children's Hope International...

The Joint Council on Intercountry Children's Services (JCICS) is an organization that supports international adoptions. Most of the international adoption agencies in the US are members of Joint Council, including CHI. This organization is encouraging CIS to allow families that began with an I-600a to continue with that status, even after the free extension. We had originally been told that after the free extension ran out, families would have to file the new I-800a, and thus, would need an agency with Hague accreditation at that time. Joint Council is proposing that if a family began with an I-600a, they should be able to complete their adoption with an I-600a.

So this is a VERY GOOD THING, and I'm hoping many of you will want to participate by e-mailing Joint Council, signing their petition, and e-mailing your senators and representatives about the importance of this. Go read their Position Paper first and I think it won't be difficult for you to know what to put in your letters. This would be a HUGE help to adoptive families and to the agencies who don't yet have Hague accreditation. Thanks!

Julie

http://www.jcics. org/5WaystoHelp. htm

5 Ways to Help Us

1. Today, please read the Joint Council Position Paper on I-600A
Renewals at www.jcics.org.

2. Today, send an email in support of the Joint Council Position
Paper on I-600A Renewals to Joint Council at advocate@jcics. org and
the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute at
mark@ccainstitute. org
a. Joint Council will deliver a petition supporting an immediate
resolution, including all emails, to USCIS on October 18th. To be
sure that your email is included, please send your email no later
than October 16th.

3. Today, go to Adoption for All: the Fairness for Families Petition
and sign the petition.
a. Joint Council, in collaboration with Adoption For All organizers
David Yurkovich and Dianne Pearce, will present the petition and all
signatories to Congressional leaders on October 18th. To ensure that
your signature is included, please sign the petition no later than
October 16th.

4. On October 14th, 15th, and 16th, contact your Congressional
representatives, both in the House and Senate.
a. Joint Council is working with Members of Congress and seeks their
participation in resolving this issue.
b. You can find your Senators' phone numbers and email addresses at
www.senate.gov.
c. You can find your Representative' s phone number and email address
at www.house.gov.
d. Include the following in your calls and emails.
· A brief explanation of the situation.
· "I/we understand that USCIS is actively engaged in seeking a
resolution to the I-600A issue. I/we respectfully ask the
Senator/Congress person to contact USCIS and express their support of
efforts to find an immediate resolution to the I-600A Extension
issue."
· A kind `thank you'.

5. Stand ready to expand and intensify your efforts if needed.
Joint Council may contact you with a revised Call To Action if needed

Okay, so, we wanted help, and JCICS is once again helping adoptive
families. Please visit their website for more in-depth information
and answers to your questions and concerns.

http://www.jcics. org/5WaystoHelp. htm

More Progress

2008-10-05T21:11:00.002-04:00

A little more progress to report... we completed our training today - finally! All DVDs are watched and all tests are taken. One more thing to check off the list. Mom also has helped us out by requesting one of the documents that we needed. Thank you!

Thank you to all of you who have been helping Mom & Dad out on the cookbook fundraiser idea she had via Facebook! We are very blessed and overwhelmed by your support!

Love & Blessings.

70s....Facebook...Update

2008-09-28T23:04:00.006-04:00

Tonight we went to Aaron and Joanna's house for a 70s party. We all dressed up. Some looked pretty good, some looked downright disgusting, but never the less we had fun. I was very surprised at how many styles from the 70s are back in the stores. If you are a Facebook person, log on and check out the photos on Aaron's profile... http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=31212574#/profile.php?id=31212574. If you aren't a Facebook person, now is the time to join in the fun. I have been able to find a lot of old friends this way and now it is easier to stay in touch.

Update...
Our first draft of our home study is complete and we have been approved by our social worker for children. So that is a good thing. There are still quite a few things left to do but any progress is good. We appreciate your continued prayers for this process and the finances for this journey.

Blast from the Past

2008-09-11T20:19:00.005-04:00

My mom has been going through old photos, sorting, logging and scanning them in. She sent me this one. I think it is so funny. Obviously taken in the 80s. This is me with my sisters, Jamie & Carrie, my grandma and my parents. I don't really remember what was up with the "Go Kiss A Moose" t-shirts but I think our grandparents got them for us.

Enigma

2008-09-09T19:43:00.003-04:00

Check out Enigma Productions new website.... Jeremy & Aaron's business.

http://www.enigmapro.com/

You just might see someone you know...

Home Study

2008-09-08T21:41:00.003-04:00

Our final home study appointment was last Friday so we can check that off our list. It went very well. We had a nice visit with our social worker and our house checked out fine. Feels good to get some things done. It will be a while yet until we get the written version of the home study to proof but at least it is underway. Thank you all for your prayers!

Ode to Jeremy

2008-08-27T18:17:00.009-04:00

Today, 14 years ago, was the best day of my life. It is the day that I married my sweet husband, Jeremy. Back then I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and I'm so glad we did it. We were just a couple of kids but life together just gets sweeter. Jeremy makes me laugh, smile, cry (usually in a good way), love more and want to be a better person. He is an amazingly talented, passionate, kind, gentle, tenderhearted, godly, honest, sweet-sweet man. I am honored to get to spend my life with him. I can't wait to see what is yet to come...

Wish you were here, Jeremy, but I'll see you this weekend!

Grace

2008-08-20T20:32:00.003-04:00

Last week was a challenging one for me, I think for Jeremy too. I got a little overwhelmed by my huge list of things yet to do for the adoption process. I feel like I can see Mazey but I just can't get to her. I am feeling much better this week. My parents are helping me out with a couple things that really need to be done... 1) getting a sealed and apostilled copy of our marriage license & 2) researching grant information for us. Thank you both! This is such a blessing to us!

We are on our last home study visit. Our social worker will come visit our house for this one. All other interviews have been at her office. This is scheduled for the first week of September. This step will be done after that so that is great!

Recently my hubby and a couple of his buddies, Aaron and Sam, went on a little road trip. They went to some record shops in Tennessee, New Orleans, Georgia and back home again. Here is a link to some of their adventure...
http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2008/08/paste-reader-tours-coolest-record-stores.html

For those of you who may be waiting on a promise from God... I know sometimes the wait can be SO hard. I have had several people tell me lately that the wait will be so worth it. I do know this but sometimes a reminder is all we need to snap out of it. I'm just so excited to see what God is giving us that sometimes it is SO hard to wait for it and do what we need to for it. I pray that God will give us the patience and endourance for this... and you too, for whatever you may be waiting and believing for.

Catching Up

2008-08-04T20:01:00.004-04:00

I am way behind here so there is lots to catch up on.

Jeremy and I went on vacation in July and had a great time. We rented a little cabin that set right on the edge of a little lake. The fireworks were right over the lake so we were able to just sit on the back porch for the 4th. We swam every day and just had a great relaxing time.

We have had 3 home study appointments and just have our final one to complete for the adoption process. This is the one where she comes to our house. We have a few things we are waiting on before we are able to book this appointment but for the most part the home study has been very painless. Other than that, we are just working on other little pieces of the adoption process and little by little, plucking away at it.

My dad was here for a visit. Well, technically not really for a visit. He came out to work on a patio project that we were doing at the church. He is back home safe and sound and probably never wants to answer my phone calls again after all the work and heat we put him through. We had a great time with him though and are so thankful that he came.

I'll have to post pictures soon but have run into a few technical difficulties. So until then, I just wanted to post a quick update.

Thank you for your continued prayers for our adoption process, the finances for this and for our agency to receive their Hague accreditation. They were recently denied because of a paper missing for one state. They are working hard to rectify this but we would appreciate your prayers for this process to continue to go smoothly.

Blessings!

Our Little Bit of Heaven

2008-06-25T19:19:00.008-04:00

Here are some pictures of what we have done in the back yard this year...

This is the clematis that grows like crazy every year.

tomatoes & strawberries

Corn!!! We are so excited to eat it when it is ready!

Four kinds of lettuce. One didn't make it for some reason.
We have been making salads every night!
It is so fun to just pick it from the garden.

Wistera

This is the part of the back yard that we just redid.

A bouquet of flowers from the garden.

Good Things

2008-06-21T16:10:00.003-04:00

I think sometimes we can get far too caught up in what is going on in our lives. I am praying that the Lord will help me focus on the good things... people who are a blessing in my life, a God who loves us unconditionally, flowers growing, visitors, sunny days, etc...

We have had an eventful and great week. Our dear friends, Parker, his wife Anna and their two children, Cora and Mia were here visiting. Parker used to live with us way back when and we love him like family. Now that he has a family of his own, we love them just as much. We had so much fun with the kids and just hanging out. After having the kids in our home, we are even more excited about having our own Mazey. We love you guys. Jesus bless you as you continue your journey to your new home.

We had our first home study interview Thursday. We both felt it went really well. We got along with our social worker very well and the two hours flew by. It was actually fun and felt like we were just having a long visit with a new friend. Our next appointment is in a few weeks from now. We have a few assignments to get done before then, most of which I have done already but there are a few appointments we have to wait on.

We completed another module in our training materials today. We both still have to take the test but that won't be too bad. We have one more module and we'll be done with that step as well.

Sometimes the road to adoption can feel like you are all alone but I have felt so much peace about it lately and know that you all are praying for us. So thank you for your prayers, love and support. We both appreciate it more that you know.

Have a blessed weekend!

Yet To Come

2008-06-07T22:38:00.005-04:00

Giggles. Little pig tails. Grubby faces.
I love yous.

Tiny laundry. Snow days. Story time.
Birthday parties.

Bed time. Bath time. Family time.
Vacations.

Boo boos to mend. Hugs & kisses. Tears to wipe away.
A child in my shopping cart.

First day of school. Teaching her to drive. Graduation.
Giving her away.

Being called Mommy & Daddy.

An Old Favorite

2008-06-04T21:15:00.005-04:00

Weight

At what point does one admit
That they are the things that they do
The things that no one sees
The words that nobody hears

I am the words I write
I am the songs I sing in the car
I am the curses I mumble
I am the dreams in my sleep

I am a childless father
Married to a beautiful mother
That simply lacks an infant
In a home with empty rooms

But there are flowers in my front yard
Flowers that I admire
Flowers cut and put in vases
Flowers that support the weight

Of butterflys and hummingbirds

Written by Jeremy Pegg 2005

Some Progress

2008-06-03T20:35:00.004-04:00

I have a few updates to share. We have started doing our training DVDs that have to be completed before our home study is completed. We have watched one DVD and took the online test that goes with it. Luckily we both passed. You can't miss more than 3 questions. We have three more DVDs and tests to take and we'll be done with that phase of things.

I also submitted our home study application last week. Our social worker called me today to set up our first appointment. We are scheduled for our first interview on June 19th. It will take about an hour and a half. We have to go to their office in Roanoke. There will be three interviews at their office and then one where she comes to our house. I'll find out tomorrow if we have to do anything more than that. It will be really nice to get started though. So that is what is happening on the adoption front.

Jeremy & Aaron's work schedule with Enigma has been crazy. Five weddings in the past two weeks. Lots and lots of work but God is really blessing them and we are all very thankful.

We also booked our vacation today. We will be going to Forest Lake Thousand Trails in North Carolina for the week of the 4th of July. My parents got us a membership this last Christmas and this is the first time we'll get to use it. We booked a cabin since it will be in the middle of summer and will be really hot. Luckily they have AC. I can't wait! It should be really fun!

Wits End

2008-05-23T21:51:00.006-04:00

There are some days when hope feels so far away. The dream of something else other than what your reality is at the given moment. On the other hand, I have so much to be thankful for. I have an absolutely wonderful husband, a home that I love, a good family, good friends, a job that I love and a garden that is growing. I know sometimes you just have to keep keeping on, some days are just harder than others.

I read this this morning. Maybe it will bring some encouragement...

May 23

They were at their wits' end. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. Psalm 107:27-28

Are you standing at "Wits' End Corner,"
Christian, with troubled brow?
Are you thinking of what is before you,
And all you are bearing now?
Does all the world seem against you,
And you in the battle alone?
Remember --- at 'Wits' End Corner"
Is just where God's power is shown.

Are you standing at "Wits' End Corner,"
Blinded with wearying pain,
Feeling you cannot endure it,
You cannot bear the strain,
Bruised through the constant suffering,
Dizzy, and dazed, and numb?
Remember --- at "Wits' End Corner"
Is where Jesus loves to come.

Are you standing at "Wits' End Corner"?
Your work before you spread,
All lying begun, unfinished,
And pressing on heart and head,
Longing for strength to do it,
Stretching out trembling hands?
Remember --- at "Wits' End Corner"
The Burden-Bearer stands.

Are you standing at "Wits' End Corner"?
Then you're just in the very spot
To learn the wondrous resources
Of Him who fails you not:
No doubt to a brighter pathway
Your footsteps will soon be moved,
But only at "Wits' End Corner"
Is the "God who is able" proved.

Antoinette Wilson

Do not get discouraged --- it may be the last key on the ring that opens the door. Stansifer

Watching Things Grow

2008-05-16T23:23:00.006-04:00

I LOVE watching things grow. This will sound silly but I'm so excited. Jeremy and I planted a garden almost 2 weeks ago. We planted corn, 5 kinds of lettuce, carrots, (thanks Duane!) wax beans, cucumber & 4 kinds of tomatoes. This morning I watered them all and they were all barely sticking out of the ground. This evening, when I got home from work and watered them again, the corn and beans were sticking a couple inches out of the ground and the other things had grown too! Amazing - just like that! I am so excited to see how quickly they are growing. We are looking forward to going out there and picking our own vegetables. Happy growing!

Pics from my Storytelling Trip

2008-05-14T21:18:00.011-04:00

Pictures from my trip with Kim to North Carolina...
story telling festival.

Me & Kimmy

Kimberly Weitkamp, Len Cabral, (both professional story tellers) & me
(They both look great, me not so much... but they are the ones on the stage.)

We had so much fun! If you ever have a chance to go to a story telling festival...go. It is your chance to feel like you are 5 years old again. It was great.

Monday

2008-05-12T20:43:00.006-04:00

Mondays are a day off for me. Sometimes a day off can be more work than an actual working day but today, I was able to have some friend time. I got to go walk and talk with my friend, Shelly, then we worked out together. (much needed for me) Then I got to spend time with another friend, Tricia. We talked a lot and watched a chick flick together. That is one of the best things to do in my book. So it was really nice to be with friends.

However, I'm still feeling a little out of sorts today. Maybe it is this stinky weather or maybe I am being overly sensitive. I don't feel wonderful and I have gotten my feelings hurt twice today. You know when sometimes you just can't shake things off, well that is how I've been feeling. Anyway - it is just one of those days.

We received our adoption training materials today. It is a giant book and a 4 disc DVD set. Seems like a lot but I guess we can never be too prepared. So we will have to get started on this stuff soon. I think that is all for today.

Mother's Day

2008-05-11T23:08:00.003-04:00

My blogs seems to be few and far between. Since my last entry, several things have happened. We have been completely redoing our back yard... new plants, mulch, sod, walkways and even a garden. It has been a ton of work but so rewarding now that it is finished. I'll post a picture as soon as Jeremy takes one. Now it is time to sit back and enjoy the spring and summer. It's a beautiful thing.

On the adoption front, we have submitted more papers to our adoption agency. They will be sending us all our training materials. We have to watch some DVDs and do some reading, then take a test. Our results will be sent to our agency. Not sure how I feel about that but I guess you have to do it. I have also completed (almost) our application for our home study. It will take about 90 days to complete the home study, give or take. That will be a huge bulk of what we have left to do. It will consist of letters, interviews, a visit to our home, etc. So that is where we are right now. God has provided the money that we have needed so far so we are so thankful for that. God is good... all the time.

So, today is mother's day. For me, this year, it is a day of reflecting on who my own mother is to me and my grandmas. I have been so blessed to have wonderful parents and grandmothers. One of my grandmothers passed away five years ago but she is still very close to my heart and sometimes I think I can feel her looking down on me. I think certain things would make her proud, happy or sad. She was my best friend and I'm thankful for every moment the Lord gave her to me. My mom left me a sweet voice mail yesterday saying that she can't wait to wish me a Happy Mother's Day next year. That will be nice. My mom has been a godly example to me all my life and has shown me so much support over the years and I'm so thankful. Thank you Mom - I love you! My other grandma is a precious woman. She is very near 90 and is still trucking on. She has been so loving and supportive to me over the years. Her generosity has taught me to be generous in much and in little. I'm so thankful for that. Today I also think and pray for others who are hurting on this day due to losing a mother, grandmother, a child, not having a good childhood or from not having a child. I know the pain can go very deep and mother's day can make the wound fresh again. Lord, please give them all your grace and peace.

Happy Mother's Day to everyone! It is an honor to have you all as examples in my life.

Telling

2008-04-25T21:52:00.005-04:00

Right now I am sitting in a hotel room in Laurinburg, NC with my good friend Kim Weitkamp and watching HGTV & eating cheetos. (Kim just told me she thinks they smell like vomit - nice!) We are having a great time. Kim is a professional storyteller. We are at a festival that goes throughout the weekend & is at a beautiful historical site with a great old house & beautiful grounds. Today they bused in 1400 students for a field trip to listen to the "tellers". This is an amazing, eye opening experience into a whole new world that I never knew existed. I have been able to meet a lot of great people. It is so fun... for the day you just get to go from tent to tent and listen to people tell stories. This is the life! If you are interested in more information, visit www.justkissthefrog.com.

Yesterday was Kim's birthday & we went to a nice restaurant for a late dinner after arriving at the hotel. We enjoyed great food & both laughed so hard we cried & today at lunch we were both sharing stories that brought genuine tears. You might be thinking that that doesn't sound like much fun but believe me - we are having a great time.

I know none of this is related to Mazey but thought I'd share where I'm at right now. I'll do a Mazey update soon.

A Little Behind

2008-04-12T10:52:00.006-04:00

I'm a little behind with my updates here. Time has gotten away from me. There isn't a lot to report but I'll let you know what is going on with the adoption stuff. We received our papers back from "Homeland Security" (the I-600A that we submitted a few weeks back). Everything was in order so everything is good with that. We need to get our home study completed and our fingerprinting done to fully complete that step.

I am daily learning to trust God. Sometimes I don't get why it is so hard for me. Finances are something that I struggle with, just wanting to "figure it out." So in the last few days I have been wrestling with my will to want to control this and knowing that I need God to be in control. The adoption expenses are more than I know how to handle or more than I could ever just figure out. I know God is faithful and always has been. Jeremy and I have been more than blessed over the years and if we have ever been left wanting, it has been our doing and not the Lords. So I have to daily give this burden to the Lord. Thank you all for your continued prayers for this.

I am getting more excited as the days go by. It is hard to imagine what life with look like at the end of all this. How a child will turn our life upside down, as I know they will. I know it won't always be easy but I'm excited for the adventure.

Deadline

2008-03-29T18:19:00.002-04:00

Today I was able to mail in some very important papers. We had a deadline of getting our Homeland Security papers in by April 1st in order to be able to move forward with our agency.

There were a few panicky moments leading up to sending these in on time as well as a few overnight packages. Thanks Mom & Dad, Jamie, Eric & Michelle for helping us get what we needed! We appreciate your support!

Ways you can be praying...

that our agency will receive the accreditation they need
that we will continue to move forward in the paperwork process & with the Home Study
that God will continue to provide the finances for this adoption

A Few Answers

2008-03-26T22:25:00.003-04:00

Some of you have asked specifics about Mazey. We are only a couple papers into the process so far. We have the opportunity to select a "waiting child" (usually an older or special needs child) or wait until the end of all the paperwork and submitting our dossier. At that point we would wait for our "referral". They would then do their best to match us with a child. I hope that makes sense.

What have we asked for? A healthy little girl, 0-6 years old, whose American name will be Mazey.

Child of Light

2008-03-24T19:53:00.002-04:00

It has been 13 years, 7 months and some odd days since we were married. We have always dreamed of having a family of our own. The Lord often works in ways that we don't understand and I can't pretend to say that it has been an easy road for us. Sometimes our desires come in forms we did not expect or anticipate. This road has lead us to adopting a little girl from Colombia and we will name her Mazey: Child of Light.

We thank you for your prayers and invite you to come along with us on this adventure. We know there will be ups and downs but we believe and have faith for the final outcome... our child of light.