Abundant Blessings, Annoyance and What's up with Brangelina...

Okay, I'm not apologizing for not blogging for such a dang long time----I've really thought about doing it----I just haven't done it. Kind of like exercising or going to bed early or charging my phone----I mean well, but, it just hasn't worked out.

So, here goes, anyway. We went to the picnic with our regional adoption group and had a really good time. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a joiner. I do not have a lot of friends (probably the reason that only three people read this blog---and one of them is related to me) and meeting people just does not come naturally to me. Bossing people does come naturally to me, but that's why I'm good at my job and probably why I don't have a lot of friends. Anyway, I digress. I talked my hiney off. I asked questions of people I hadn't known for 10 minutes regarding everything from making bottles in China to what laundry is the best to use in Guanzhou. It was great. I loved it. Everyone was more than nice and the children were GEORGEOUS!!! I did notice something while at the picnic. Nobody can get angry the way a little Chinese girl can or look quite as adorable doing it. An unfortunate mommy did something wrong and total beauty became etched in very cold marble. The little chin went down. The bottom lip went out and those black eyes were like little daggers. Cute but very, very serious. I'm certain I would have caved. I don't know if the mommy did or not.

Abby's surgery went well. She spent one night in the hospital and is now back to bossing at full throttle. She is in a cast for the full length of her leg and will remain so for the majority of the summer and then graduate to a shorter cast. She is enjoying art projects and watching DVDs. Mostly she enjoys bossing her daddy. He's such a sucker. Heh, Heh, Heh.

While Abby was in the hospital Ben came up with the mail and told me that his fingerprint approval form had come in but nothing had come for the big reject, Moi. You know me, Trust and Verify Root. I had him bring me the mail because I didn't recall there being any "fingerprint approval form." Wow, it's hard being right all the time. There is no "fingerprint approval form" and I was holding our 171 in my hot little hand. Oh, that's right Kids, God is AWESOME. Remember the fingerprint tech telling me that my prints were destined for the reject pile? Yup, me too. But I asked the Lord to handle it and, oh boy, did he ever! I've never had my prints pass the first time---EVER. To some people it may seem like a small thing, luck (which I don't believe in at all) but, I saw with my own eyes just how bad those prints were. They were waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to dark. The woman said they would fail. God cares about what we care about. Even things as small as fingerprints. His are all over everything!!!

So, we mailed the 171 and the homestudy off to Great Wall and now we are good to go for 18 more months. It is NOT going to take that long, though. I am a little annoyed with GW because I cannot get anyone to respond to me. I've sent e-mails, regular mail, voice mail...all more than once. This is the first time I've really been disappointed with our agency. I don't want to drive to Austin....BUT... .

Here's another cool thing that happened! Meredith and I were sitting at "our Panera" (Yes, it is our special place and please don't park by me. You will regret it) about two Saturdays ago and I'm telling M how Ben and I have been stalking a dresser at Pier 1 Imports that we want to put in Maisy's room and use as a changing table. It's yellow with orange and green accents and has a bit of an Asian flair----perfect for the nursery. The problem is it's $459 buckaroonies on sale. Not my price range. So, my sweet little prayer partner says "I'm going to pray about that changing table." Are you seeing the theme yet? After almost three hours of laughing louder than should be legal on Saturday morning, shedding the occasional tear and talking, talking, talking we part ways and I go home. In the course of running errands I tell Ben to just turn in to Pier 1 so I can go in and "check on" the dresser. Usually, I send him in---but this time I went. Well, I couldn't find it. I'm a wuss about some things and I really had my heart set on that dresser dag nabbit... I turn around and there's one with the foamy stuff still on the handles. Still $459. The sales girl, who was probably wondering about my sanity by then (I mutter to myself when I shop and I'm always thinking that the salespeople might think I'm a shoplifter---which probably translates to making me look suspicious--LIKE A SHOPLIFTER) comes over and says, "Do you like that dresser." "Uh, yeah." "Well, I'm marking this one down to this price (she shows me the $199 price tag) because the corner is scratched." The dresser is currently in Maisy's room. It looks wonderful. We hadn't made it out of the Pier 1 parking lot before I called Meredith. God cares about what we care about.

And finally---what is up with Brangelina. Are those two people incapable of making a happy movie. I watched Changeling. Holy Cow. Mistake. Like my friend, Fairo, said, "I should have listened to myself when Myself said--walk away, stop watching, nothing good can come of this." But, Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Nooooooooooooooooooo, I kept watching. I think I am scarred. Last week I watched the Benjamin Button movie. Well, holy crap. What was good about that. I've never been one of those girls that thought Brad was all that hot, so I expect him to act (and not that he can't) but I think I need therapy after watching that darn movie. It's torturously sad at the beginning and worse than that at the end. And, frankly, the middle isn't all that happy either. These two people make bazillions of dollars and have six gorgeous kids. How about a happy movie?!!!!!!!!!!

I think I have covered all the news that's fit to print and then some. Bobby goes to Scout Camp for a week on Father's Day. Please pray for his safety and that God will use him for His purposes. Ben is preaching the Father's Day sermon at our church. Please pray that God will give him the message that He wants delivered. I continue to love my job and am thankful everyday for the wonderful people with whom I work.

Joy Unspeakable to You and Yours,

Amy