Jacob and Lydia: The Beginnings

There was a certain night that I knew was going to be special. It wasn't really very different than other nights we had gone out for dinner... but this time. Well, the day before had been a hell of an emotional roller coaster and this night was bringing the clearest sense of peace and belongingness that I hadn't felt... ever.

Orientation at University of West Florida 2015

I must warn y'all before you start reading this post that it is going to be pretty long. I just couldn't help myself this time!

 Okay.... what the heck Jamie!? Why are you turned backwards! Anyways, this was my group for orientation. 

These last five days have been super busy for me. It started out as a normal weekend on Friday. I drove myself to piano lessons, then went to teach a piano lesson. I filled up my gas tank, went to the bank and ran a few errands... I don't remember what they were but almost every Friday without fail I have something I have to go do. Saturday came and I woke up at 5 am to get ready to volunteer at a run that was going on in Pensacola called the Run 4 Hope. All proceeds from the run go to Christian charity organizations. My younger brother Levi decided to participate in the 5K run so he slapped on his boots and blue jeans and came along with us. My mom and I were working at a water booth at the one mile mark with other folks from our church. I've never volunteered at a run before so this was a fun new experience for me.

After the run there were food and drinks available for everyone and booths with information about the ministries the run was supporting. There was also a chin up bar where a competition got started to see who could do the most. I had fun cheering and watching everyone's neck muscles bulge and their faces turning red. The highest count was twenty two! Levi did eleven.

After the run I went to the farmers market and bought zucchini, cucumber, a cantaloupe, corn, and a spaghetti squash. After the market I stopped at Reynold's Music House in downtown Pensacola, did a little shopping at Target and TJ Max, then met up with Mom, Dad, and two of my younger brothers to go to the same adoption picnic we attended a year ago before we had met my four foster brothers. (I mention it briefly in this post here.) This time it was at the beach so we had a lot of fun.

After the picnic I was dropped back off to my car because I had to pick up some contact solution which I had forgotten to get earlier in the day. When I finally got home the day was almost over but I spent about an hour going through the music for church the next day.

Sunday morning came and I accidentally got up a half hour earlier than I needed to. *sad face*. Sunday's are normally pretty tiring for me but this Sunday was especially exhausting. After church everyone rushed out of the building as quickly as possible because everyone was going to head over to the Smith's house for a big summer fish fry/going away party for the Anderson family. The food and drinks were delicious, and we had all sorts of fun playing in the water. I went kayaking, swimming, paddle boarding and jet skiing. There were other things to do like playing ring toss, giant hula hoops, knee boarding, and getting pulled behind the boat on the biscuit and trying not to get knocked off. I pushed little kids on the swings and showed them interesting creatures you could find in the rocks and sand/muck of the bay.

This is downstairs at the Smith's house. Their home is raised up on stilts so there is plenty of space below for ping-pong, foosball, pool, a mini basketball hoop, Mr. Ron's shop, and plenty of storage for water toys and floats and what not.

When the party was over we didn't leave... my parents kept on talking. The sun had long since went to bed and I desperately wanted to follow. Alas, I was stuck there with no bed in sight. I mean, I like a good party, but you can't stay forever! When we finally got in the van to head home I said in a pitiful voice "I sure hope I don't have orientation tomorrow!"

Being an Older Adoptive Sibling

Hello friends, it has been a while since I've posted on here.

Today I have something important to talk about. Although I can't share everything here online I must make you aware of the fact that we are no longer adopting the boys. Many things have contributed to this decision on my parents part and it is not my place to explain everything. Even so, everything I said before about loving being a big sister, about how I could see God leading us to these boys, all of that still applies. The time we had with them was hard but still a blessing. Maybe more for them than us, but I don't regret that time at all.

Having read different blogs and forums, I've noticed that people are always saying that nobody really talks about adoption that much. I wouldn't have known since all of these places were talking about it, but maybe I just stumbled upon the few rare gems. Since there is a need for more discussion on the subject I would like to share with y'all my story as an older sister in a local American adoption. I hope some of you other adoptive older siblings will find this story and get some encouragement out of it.

Easter 2015
We're just missing our older brother Zachary!

The Wizard of Oz

NOTE: This was written several months ago. I think even before we met the boys.

When I was very young we were at some friend’s house. A movie about the Wizard of Oz was put in and we youngsters did not sit still and watch it. Everyone was very wiggly including me. I was at the most four years old. I was annoyed with the other children because I couldn’t hear what Dorothy was saying or the Lion or the Tin Man. I sat close to the television and pressed my ear against the speaker. I couldn’t see but at least I could hear. Eventually the travelers made it to the Emerald City. There were scary adventures and some happy times too, I don’t remember much about it. I do know though, that was the day I fell in love with the Land of Oz.
                Some years later a remake of the Wizard of Oz movie came out and it was very popular. McDonald's began including dolls of the characters in the happy meals. Every Wednesday on the way to piano lessons we would stop at a McDonald's that was right next to a green BP gas station. We didn’t normally buy happy meals but since Mom knew I liked the Wizard of Oz so much she bought me the happy meals and I collected the dolls. I got the Tin Man, Dorothy, a flying monkey, and Glinda the Good. I was disappointed that they stopped giving out the dolls before I could collect them all.

We're Adopting!

Today was the beginning of a totally new part of our lives. We're adopting four little boys! I know I haven't said anything on my Facebook account, or in person, or on the phone, but yes it's happening. Three months ago we started the adoption process - home study, meetings, Mom and Dad had to go through adoption classes, phone calls, paper work. Before we knew it, all the preparations were made and we just sat back and waited. Before we knew it, we were matched with these boys.

        Today the paperwork was signed and we were matched to the boys officially and today we met them for the first time. They came straight from daycare to our house. I was so worried before this that they wouldn't like us. I was afraid they wouldn't like me because I was so much older than them. They pulled in a mini van with the case workers and Mom, Dad, and Savannah went out to meet them. I realized Jubal wasn't with them so I looked and found him with his face buried in his pillow and his eyes squeezed tight. He has been so wild with excitement today about meeting his new brothers, he has been singing songs lately about getting more brothers. "Today my new brothers come!" he says. Well, now of course he was shy. I took him out to the back yard where everyone was. He clung to me and kept his face mashed against my shoulder with his eyes closed. It wasn't long though till he got brave and started to play with the boys.

Alaska

I know y'all have been waiting for a while, do you remember that big news I told you about?
Well now, the time has come to tell it all.

Levi is in Alaska!

My little brother is off on a big adventure.

It all started earlier this year. My older brother is doing so well in Arizona with our cousin doing construction work that I guess word got around in the family. Now I am a little fuzzy on the following details so don't quote me but I believe it was that our other cousin in Alaska had heard what a great worker Zachary was. Someone mentioned that Zach had a brother and bam there you go, with a little more collaboration Levi was hired. So June ninth my little brother hopped on a plane headed for Anchorage to do commercial salmon fishing in Alaska.

Are We There Yet?

[Here is a collection of recent Facebook status's]

February 6, 2013

An answer to prayer today. It looks like we will be moving into a rental in Florida this Friday. I am a little nervous. Actually a lot. What does this imply for our lives? Is this God's leading? It is hard to tell since we were so grossly mistaken just a few months prior to this. But why was I praying for this in the first place if I am going to be doubtful of it now? I am excited about this though. It has been a while since we have had our own house. The questions is, will it be home? Sometimes I wonder, will this ever end? Will we ever know, or at least have a general idea of, what lies ahead? Surely God must be behind all of this - He never fails to have a reason or a plan. Tell me that there is no God? Well then I would go mad if I ever were to believe it.

"All things must work together for my [continued] salvation." [addition mine]

Like this rental house in Florida. My life needs salvation not just my soul. If this is going to be part of my life, it will be part of God's salvation and His blessing in my life.

We are Not Moving to Belize

photo credit

It was while we were in Louisiana that my dad got a call from work. His boss said that he couldn't let my dad go to Belize and work there. So that was the end of it. All in one phone call. All of our plans, work, and time we put into it, more than a year, all of our expectations, hopes, desires, and as we felt our duty, were all put to nothing in one phone call.

I notised my parents acting a little fishy and I wondered what was up. Mom told me we were going to stay with our friends for another day. Okay, yipee another day. I was definetly not looking forward to saying goodbye so postponing our departure was very good news for me. But I still wondered what was going on. The next day our parents told us. I was very dissapointed.

We decided to stick with our plans and to continue on to Texas

We're Moving!

[

The majority of this post is a copy of my facebook status today]

Well, I was going to make a blog post about this, but I'm just not up to the task of creating something well written and trying to explain everything. Simply put, our family is moving to Belize. If you've kept up with my blog and my own and my family's facebook status's or know us intimately you might have an idea why. If not, well I don't have time or know how to explain all the details.

Photo Gallery

[March 16, 2012 Well I guess I won't be adding any more pictures to this page because I've got plenty of pictures in my posts. I made this page before I knew how to put pictures in the posts themselves]

This is the remains of our house. You can see the red shed in the background. Most of the front half was destroyed. The windows were broken and we got water damage in result of the firemen's hoses. Dad called Scrapper Dan and sold him the metal pieces of whatever he could salvage. This is a later picture, you can see that Scrapper Dan has already taken the big steal frame of the house.

These are the goats and our big dog Remus. They had all ran off when the house was burning. Thankfully they came back. The goats like to dig around in the ashes and sniff at things. (They also like all the normal goat stuff like jumping on cars, playing king of the hill, and other goaty things.)

Second Hiking Trip, Meeting Mr. Jim.

So here is the long over due post about our second hiking trip in the Superstition Mountains in Arizona.
If you havent read about our first trip click here.

Like last time their were no maps provided to take with you on the trail so I took a picture of the big one at the trail head.



We started at the Peralta Trail Head. Here is the route we planned to take: start at 104,  L. on 104, R. on 238, R. on 107, R. to stay on 107, R. on 108, L. on 104, and back at the trail head.

The first time when it was all four of us we made camp for the night on 107 probably about a third of the way after where you can get off on 111.

A Hiking Trip and A Helicopter Ride

Okay well, I know it has been quite a while since my last post. Things get busy when you're travelling. We have made our rounds from Alabama, Louisiana, Arizona, Louisiana, and Alabama again... it seems like we've been all over the continent! I have missed our church and playing piano. I heard they are having a bluegrass concert this month and I will be missing out on it! :(

Well, let me tell you about one of two very  interesting hiking trips we went on. (short version)

Thoughts Before and After the Funeral

The last time I saw Grandpa alive on this earth. Going home to Alabama from his summer visiting us out here in the country.

Howard E. -------, August 28, 1927- November 14, 2011



All through out the first day that I had heard that Grandpa had died I thought there was something wrong with me. As if I was somehow a hypocrite and wrong to not be crying and going into a black hole of despair as I've always seen in movies and read in books. Isn't that the way you are supposed to grieve? Despite the fact that Dad told us, and has told in the past, that there is no one proper way to grieve, and that

Noveber 14, 2011

Howard E. ------, August 28, 1927 – November 14, 2011

Yesterday I woke either complaining about being tired, or saying good morning, I'm not sure which maybe the two in the same breath. Today I wake to heart rending sobs by the part of my Dad and the first thing out of my mouth is, "Grandpa died."

Gossip

What did I learn these past two weeks? Well, always think before you say something. Two weeks ago today I was about to write something stupid as my status update for facebook. It could have easily been turned around then gossip would have been flying about in no time. Thankfully my parents stopped me. But then I was grounded. Something I did not like.

Dad Had A Heart Attack

    Here's a picture of my Dad and the baby. We were at a Confederate Memorial park when this was taken.  

On Wednesday, June 29 I had a heart attack.  In fact, I later learned that I likely had several heart attacks over several days.  Here's how it all happened:

1)  I was sitting at a McDonalds working (I'm a software developer and can set up just about anywhere to work).  I suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold sensation all over.  Since I was sitting

Good News!

Children's Mercy
Hospitals & Clinics
http://www.childrensmercy.org/




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