hard work

today was ADOPTION TUESDAY. which luckily coincides with election tuesday here in nashville. jon and i got up (relatively) early, even though we both had taken the day off. we had to go to our beloved doctor, Dr. Holmes, to get checked out.

i was pretty nervous about this visit, because there's been this guy on tv who was too fat to adopt. granted, he weighs 500 pounds. but, i thought, maybe the rules have tightened since fat people can die young and all. but, luckily, we both got "good" ratings from Dr. Holmes, and were cleared for the next step.

we then attended the first three of thirty required hours of pre-adoption eduction. we went to a phenomenal class that quite frankly freaked me out. it was called, "nurturing boys," and it was scary, scary, scary. don't get me wrong. it was the most my brain has absorbed in at least 4 years. we learned all about the development of boys. i have never thought more highly of my friends who are parents of boys than in the two hours i was at the class. boys are complicated and complex, and i don't know how on earth i am going to raise one.

after a brief lunch, we went to get fingerprinted, where you think of everything you've done, and whether or not your prints were left behind a place that could have been later investigated, CSI style, for a crime.

and then we had to go to the police dept. to figure out if we had a record in nashville. luckily, we're clear.

finally, feeling scared out of my gourd, i went to vote for nashville's mayor. except the mayoral election is now a BDD to me. i mean, i'm about to have a kid in the nashville metro school system. and i certainly care about everything a mayor can or can't do for a city. so, with shaking hands, i pushed the red vote button and prayed that others had voted not in their own interests, but in those of their kids. because their kids and my kid will be classmates and even best friends, and i really need the schools to be good.

anyway, i'm feeling pretty weighted down with the idea of being a parent. to all that may read this who are parents - i don't know how you do it. and i don't really feel worthy to do what you do, especially since we're picking up where someone else left off. but i feel like i'll bet you feel - that it's all worth it in the end, that you'll figure it all out when you're in the middle of it, and that God really will not give us more than we can handle.

new addition...

We have been really busy lately...with home and work...and adoption. Yep...we're expecting. A 14-year-old. He'll be 15 in November. And he's amazing. And we're thrilled...and nervous...and anxious.

Denis lives in Moldova. He goes to Internaut 2 (that's an orphanage). He loves math, science and reading. He loves to play what I think is a baritone. He's adorable. And I'm pretty sure that God wants him to be part of our family. He already is, really.

Denis, along with his friends Gleb and Yuri (that's the American spelling) have been our sponsor-kids for about 3 years. This year, when Jon and I visited Moldova, we both felt that God was asking us to make a bigger commitment to each other and to Him by being obedient. Even though we're not really even old enough to be Denis's caretakers. Even though we can't always balance the checkbook or keep up with the laundry (that's me), or always have a real dinner that doesn't consist of take out or cheese and crackers. We don't even know if Denis will end up in our home. We do know, though, that if we're obedient in taking the step, we're doing what He wants us to. And that makes us pretty excited.

Yesterday, I was walking out of the movie theater, and there were all of these kids, and I automatically thought, "wow. I'm going to have one of those really soon. YAY!" Crazy, huh?

So anyway...just wanted to keep you posted. We're adopting.

it starts...

so we're joining the bandwagon. this is our first attempt at family blogging, so bear with us. we have two dogs, max and maggie, and a house in nashville. that about rounds us out.

there's nothing really exciting about us, but we are pretty busy, and at times, we can be pretty funny. we're not very funny when we're very busy, unless we're delirious, and then we're hilarious...

recently, we returned from 11 days in Chisinau, Moldova. i think we both found our hearts there. jon's been 7 times; i've been twice. last time i went was not so good, but jon convinced me to give it one more go, and i think i had a better time there than at a luxury resort.

don't get me wrong - it wasn't about comfort. cold showers, no showers, 100 degree weather and no a/c...hawaii, it ain't. but i found purpose there...a reason to live that i haven't found yet. somehow, the sleep that comes on foam mattresses after holding children who don't regularly get hugs is very, very sweet. and the words exchanged when you don't know the language mean a whole lot more than normal.

so that wasn't very funny. but it's pretty raw. hope everyone is well!