Wow, I just realized the last time I wrote anything about our adoption journey was in January of 2020 — almost THREE years ago! That makes sense, for the most part, since our little family has just been clicking along living life day-to-day. But leaving things with updates about where we are on our journey, or lack there of, isn’t the full picture of adoption. Adoption isn’t just how our family was formed, it’s part of our family every single day. So, this is my attempt at holding some space for adoption in our family and in this digital space. We often say that we don’t want Brighten to be able to remember finding out she was adopted because it’s just always an ongoing conversation. And it truly is, so let’s continue the conversation here, too.
Read moreTop 5 Questions I'm Asked About Adoption
In honor of National Adoption Month, I wanted to share the top 5 questions that I’m asked about our adoption journey(s).
Read moreWhat was it like?
How in the world are we just a few days away from Brighten's first birthday? In some ways it seems like yesterday that we were packing our car and heading to Texas to meet our daughter. In other ways it feels like Brighten has always been a part of our lives. Jason and I keep joking that we are having a birthday party for Brighten to really celebrate ourselves and the fact that we kept another human alive for a full year :) I joke, but in all seriousness this has been the most sanctifying year of my life.
Read more5 Books I Read Preparing for Our Adoption Journey
Today marks one year since we found out that there was a little girl who would be born the next month in Texas who needed a home. What we didn't know is that we'd find out a week later that we were going to be her parents, and she'd be born exactly one month after we found out about her. If you'd like to read our story of Brighten, click here.
Read more5 Things I Want You To Know
Today is the last day of National Infertility Awareness Week. I've been working on putting this post together for the duration of this week, and honestly I'm nervous to hit the "publish" button. I'm nervous that it will be too direct, too opinionated, too much for some people. But my prayer is that if you choose to read this, you'll have a greater understanding of my story, and potentially stories that are similar to mine. My hope is that my words can bring us together, not divide, and that we can all rest in the unique plans that God has for us.
Read morePride & Identity: Striking a Balance
My, how life gets crazy quickly. In 6 months we have traveled to Texas, met our daughter, brought her home, went back to work, traveled to the West Coast twice, finalized her adoption, put our house on the market, taken our house off the market, and updated all of our international adoption paperwork. Whew, things have been busy. I began the year inspired to post something on my blog at least twice a week. I did that for all of one week and then fell off the bandwagon. Whoops! But here I am again, attempting to do better.
Read moreBrighten's Storie: Part Four
This is the part you've all been waiting for - Brighten's birth story. I would like to preface before I begin that the next and last two parts of Brighten's Storie will be amazing, but also not a complete picture. Jason and I aim to be transparent, and we have been from the beginning of our adoption process, but this is the point where we make a sharp left turn and our story intersects with Brighten's and Birth Mom's. There are parts of Brighten's story that are for her to share or not share when she reaches an age that she can make the decision, and Birth Mom's story is her's to share or not share if she so chooses. So, buckle up, because this is the best part yet, but know that there are a lot of details that will be left out because this is from my perspective as an adoptive mom, as Brighten's mom, and it's only one fraction of the full, incredible story. If you ever have questions, I'll do my best to answer them if you email me here.
Read moreDo you have children?
This morning I went to the post office to mail off a Mary Kay order. I usually go to the post office in the area where I work, which is a more urban area of Birmingham. I love it there. There's a man who sits outside and opens the door for me and everyone who walks inside. The guy who works the morning window knows my name and that I work at Grace House. It's got a small town feeling, but yet, it's not. Also, I love that they'll tape up my boxes for me without charging me extra! I used to go to the Homewood Post Office and they'd always make me either buy tape for $4, or use the Priority tape, then I'd have to pay extra postage. Anywhoo...
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