I could just BURST!

Last night after our fundraiser while Derek and I were driving out to his parent's to pick up Griffin we talked about the night and how awesome our night was. We were driving out there with a grocery bag of money on my lap but it wasn't the money we were talking about. We exchanged stories about our friends, family and even sweet strangers . You see, last night was about SO SO MUCH more than the money, it was about community, it was about support. I got to experience the sweet sincerity of children as I went to clear some plates and 3 siblings, excited exclaimed the amount of money they had in the jar and as one child handed me the tip jar and said "here are the tips for Henry" I almost cried, right there in front of a family of strangers, I almost broke down. It was a beautiful moment I will cherish forever.

As I worked (and sweated) along side another couple who is adopting as well, it really hit me that this journey is so much more than I expected in so many ways. Has this journey been a breeze? Nope. Haha NOPE! Have there been moments where I thought I was going break? Yes, and I can guarantee there will be more of those moments. Has it brought my husband and I closer? YES!! Has it pushed me (sometimes not so gently) towards the loving arms of Jesus? YES YES! Has it opened doors to new friendships? YES. Has it helped me see things in a whole new way? YES. You see, this journey is dynamic and every day is different but today I am rejoicing in what God is doing and what he has done, we are working hard on bringing our boy home but we are not taking one single blessing for granted along the way. 

You are probably wondering how much we made last night...after all that rambling I would be too! DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!!!    >>>> We made $716.89 and a tooth (yes somehow a tooth made it into our bag, we laughed and cringed) in tips<<<<<< We will know more about how much we made from the buffet at a later time and I will share that number BUT $716.89!!! I am so grateful! Grateful for every last penny! Thank you all so much for coming out and eating, and a HUGE thank you for all of you who helped us clean tables, clean the restaurant and for those of you who prayed for last night! It was an amazing night! 

On the tip jars last night and the slips Derek handed out we advertised Trivia Night, so I am going to take a moment and explain what that is all about.

On May 30th from 6-10pm at Bismarck Baptist Church we are going to have Trivia Night. What this is, is 3 rounds and 40 questions on VARIOUS topics to test your knowledge. It is at our church but it is not church related trivia. The night is being run by Wild Trivia Tours and they do an awesome job! The cost for trivia is $25 a person or if you establish a team it will be $250 a team of 10-15 people. You do not have to have a team to come! Come as an individual and we can make a team :) This would be a great DATE NIGHT IDEA! Trivia is age 18 and up so find a sitter and join us! This could also be a great event to invite a bunch of co-workers to! Create two teams and compete among yourselves!

Check out the link below to find out more and to RSVP.

https://www.facebook.com/events/561050870703306/

NOW FOR A WHERE ARE WE IN THE PROCESS UPDATE:

We are getting SO SO CLOSE! We are just waiting and praying for our Home Study report to be completed, we have to redo 2 papers and then get our fingerprints finished! After all of that we wait for USCIS approval and then we can send our papers to be submitted! Our hope and prayer is that we can travel to meet our boy in August, it is coming fast! We are getting so so excited, I dream of the day we get to meet him, the day we can tell him who we are and show him that he is loved. Waiting is hard but as we wait we are preparing our hearts,our home and trying to learn some sign language :)  Last weekend we got some toddler bedding from a rummage sale and my heart was soaring at the idea of our little man sleeping in a bed covered safely in that bedding...getting so close....

Thank you for taking the time to read ALL of that and thank you all so much for your support and encouragement. We are blessed!