we're attempting to get everything in tip top shape. everything includes work, our relationship with each other, our relationships with God, our home (inside and out), our finances, and our physical bodies. this past week and this weekend we successfully accomplished all of the following:- caught up on the work at our jobs - this is something that has been a daunting task. we've both been working overtime, nights, weekends, and working until 4am last night. it's just crazy.
- we joined the gym and are working to eat more healthfully. this is an ongoing battle and we want to set a good example for our child.
- created a plant bed in our front yard - we needed to get our yard in top notch shape for our profile photos and are working with a drought in the area, so hopefully these little plants will drink up the gift of rain over the next three days.
- hung all of the nursery art on the walls - each piece was carefully thought about, so that our baby's room would be filled with art work that would help him/her grow, find joy in life, love their family, never forget where they came from, be respectful of God's creatures and other human beings, and be excited for the future.
- were gifted the most amazingly wonderful changing table from our dear friends mark and kathy. mark found this piece for us at his work and has been working diligently to get it restored. we've just got a few finishing touches to put the a&w touch on it. it's so fantastic, i just cannot wait to get some pics up here to show you. (stay tuned!)
- spent time together at a matthew west concert on friday night. this evening transformed our lives in an emotional and spiritual way. matthew west's tour speaks of "the story of your life". will and i felt every song that comprised the album spoke to our lives and our journey to this point. the song "the healing has begun" was something that solidified the reassurance that we are on the right path. i know i've said it 100 times, but everything is speaking to me lately reaffirming that we are following God's plan. however, this song reminds me that even after all we've been through that God is not done with us, and through the adoption of this child we will have fulfilled a part of God's plan for our lives.
Matthew West Concert - The Healing Has Begun - YouTube clip
will and i both know that our healing has begun and we are well on our way to being where we'd like to be. while one's journey is never over, we at least know we are being healed and are on the right path. we're healing from emotional wounds where we felt we were "damaged" in not being able to have children of our own, we're healing from physical ailments that have plagued the both of us throughout the past 15 years, we're healing in our knowledge that God's grace is here for us.
we had so much fun friday night!
below are some snapshot segments from the nursery walls!
this is a series of three child like cut outs that hang to the right of the nursery window. these were created by artist sandy mastroni. these little girls are a symbol of the love that my sisters and i share for each other. although we are different in so many ways, we love each other unconditionally and are always there for each other. we want our child to always be reminded how important family is.
this is the series of artwork that will hang directly over the changing table on the wall across from the crib. each one of these pieces was created, or hand picked with a purpose. here's what we've got:
je t'aime - i created this piece from scrapbooking supplies to always remind our child how much they are loved. it's written in french to also be a reminder that there is more out there than what we see in our day to day life, and to be excited to go - see - and do.
harrisonburg map - this map was found in a box that my mom carefully packed for me with memoirs from college. will and i met at james madison university in 1996. we met, fell in love, and never left each other's side. we lived in harrisonburg until will graduated jmu in december of 1999.
"growing horns" - this print by Leah Duncan is a reminder of growth and of course my "sweet darling deer". this past week will screamed for me to "come quick" into the keeping room and look at the deer. there, in our back yard were a mother and baby deer feasting on our cherry trees. (some people would be upset about their trees, but we moved onto their land, so how irritated can you be?) i carefully tried to snap their photos without using the flash, just grabbing their shadows against the neighbor's driveway lights, but couldn't. i sat and watched them for over twenty minutes until they decided to move on to another place. there's just something about the deer that we gotta have in the room.
family portrait - by artist Jordan Grace Owens is a custom made set of moveable dolls framed on the nursery wall. the artist is going to create a baby to join the family once we send her word that our special arrival has joined the family. we hope this little family portrait will always remind our child of the support that they have from our family and the togetherness they will always feel in our relationship with them.
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