Evolution of our Fireplace

We have been in the process of renovating the living room since we moved into the house last September and it is finally FINISHED!

When we moved in there was a black wood stove on a tile pad in the middle of the living room. Coming out the top was a black pipe that curved up into our tall ceilings. It just didn't fit with my idea of the rest of the house...looked kind-of out of place. So our first order of business as new home owners was to tear out the stove. We did that with the help of Jason's brother, Kerry, and our nephew, Dylan, as you can see from the first picture.


Kerry then built a frame for the fireplace, routed a gas line to a tank below our back deck, and attached the mantle. This was a slow process which we pieced together over the next year. I wish I had thought to have Jason save a picture of our plywood box, but we didn't so I have nothing to show...

Finally, this November we got the rock ordered and hired a guy to come and rock in the fireplace. We LOVE the end result. It completely changed the look of the whole house. Suddenly this is the focal point of our living area. It really warms up the house, in more ways than one! Now with the push of a button (on a remote, of course) we have an instant fire! Below is the after picture.


We had a busy, but wonderful Christmas! We went to Harrison for our niece's (Allie) one year birthday and stayed to have Christmas with Jason's side of the family the next day. Then we had Christmas with my side of the family here on Christmas Eve. My brother and his wife even got to come for the week from Arizona. We had a wonderful time getting to visit with our families over the holiday.


We wish everyone a very Happy 2009. Jason and I can't wait to find out what God has in store for us this year!

In the dark... On rope...

So Heather has been telling me to contribute to our blog and suggested that I do a little write-up of a couple of recent caving and rappelling events.

Once in awhile, as time permits (in actuality - rarely) I'm a caver. I got started with a buddy in 1994 and caved actively until 2000 when we moved to Tennessee. When we moved back to Arkansas I ran into a few cavers and my interest was rekindled. I'm a member of the Boston Mountain Grotto of the National Speleological Society. Our grotto caves pretty actively, and I go when I can. This fall, I took advantage of a grotto training course in single-rope techniques and vertical caving (NSS Basic Vertical). It gets taught on demand every so often, so I couldn't pass up the chance. The organized caving world likes to have folks certified in vertical techniques before you join a trip with any vertical passage.

In October, I went to southern Missouri with our grotto and explored a couple of caves there. The main event for the weekend was a cave with 3 vertical pitches ranging from 15 to ~30 feet. Not exactly dizzying heights, but fun. Below is a picture of me waiting to head up the rope on the first pitch. You'll notice my caving fashion sense. Yes... Those are tights. Function before fashion folks - those tights dry fast, stay warm, and allow a grizzly bear-sized caver like me to avoid getting hung up.


A couple of weekends ago, my Basic Vertical class did our qualifying rappel. The NSS requires a rappel of at least 200 feet in order to finish the course. We headed to Hemmed-in-Hollow on the Buffalo National River. This is one of my favorite places to hike to. I've stood at the base of the falls and wondered what it would be like to rappel off the top - this was my chance. We rigged 2 main lines at 235 and 215 feet respectively. Below are a couple of pictures of me heading over the edge and in mid-descent. It was amazing.


In adoption news - there's no news. Heather has been doing what I call fuzzy math: she's tracking our progress up the waiting list based on where we began and monthly totals of referrals. We figure we're in the top 10, possibly top 5. We're hoping to get a referral call around Christmas or at the new year. Until then, we wait. I'm looking forward to getting our little one here and showing them the wonders of the outdoors!

Indian Creek Hike

We recently took advantage of our beautiful Fall weather and went for a hike through Indian Creek. We began at Kyle's Landing on the Buffalo and followed a trail till we came to a small trickle of a waterfall and Arkansas Cave, which is closed year-round due to usage by endangered bat populations. The hike was through some rugged but gorgeous landscapes. Jason climbed up the bluff a little further than I did...just to explore. Our goal was to make it to the Eye of the Needle, but since we were running out of daylight that will have to wait for a return trip.

I've attached some pictures of myself and Jason on the hike.
I also included one of the sunlight coming through the turning leaves and one of the swans who make Boxley their home. Enjoy...

Movin' on up...

I know it has been a while since I last posted, but our lives have been pretty routine during the past month. Work, school, work, school, etc...

This past Thursday we received the monthly waiting families letter from our adoption agency. I, as an "expectant" mother LIVE for these. This one, as usual, brought a flurry of emotion with it. In the past 2 months 8 more referrals have been made...that means we have moved up 8 spots on the waiting list. By my estimation that puts us about 7 places from the top. Now I hate to get my hopes up, but since there seem to be 8-10 referrals every 2 months that means that we could VERY LIKELY have our referral in December or January! Jason was overwhelmed to think that our child is most likely born and being carried around on their foster mother's back as we speak!

The wait seems to go on forever, and I know that it could likely be longer than this, but I am praying desperately that our referral comes soon! What an amazing Christmas present that would be!

Please help me as I pray for our child's health and well-being, physically and emotionally. I pray for the person who is caring for our child. And I pray for patience and that during this wait the Lord is preparing our hearts and minds to be parents.

Until next time...

The Buffalo River in September!

This past weekend Jason and I went kayaking on the Buffalo River with some friends. A much needed retreat!

We put in at Ponca and took out 10 miles down-river at Kyle's Landing. Unbelievable! That float just doesn't happen in September! We had a week of rain which made the float possible and the water couldn't have been more perfect!

Toby, Katie, Naima, and Rob went with us and witnessed as I had my first turnover EVER! And as Jason puts it...I liked it so much the first time that I did it again and again! That's right! I turned over three times. I'm just glad it was a warm, sunny day and not one of our January trips!

I'm including some pictures of our beautiful float. Unfortunately the picture taking ended shortly after it began because I had the camera and it got a little wet. The pictures are (in order of appearance): Jason on the side of the river taking a nap on our lunch, Katie paddling down the river, and Naima, Toby, Rob, and Jason gazing at one of the beautiful Buffalo bluffs. Not all the spots on the river were as peaceful as these pictures...just the right amount of rapids to keep the trip interesting!

I just hope that this is the first of many floats this fall!

Full Speed Ahead

Well, summer break is over and everything (except the adoption) seems to be moving at warp speed.

Our garden is producing peppers in numbers we can't begin to keep up with! The tomatoes have slacked off and are down to a manageable number.

School has begun again both at the University and in the public schools so I have stayed busy running between the two. I teach my first class of the semester tonight...Children's Literature...very fun!!! On top of all that I have gone back to school to work on my PhD. Seems as if I am crazy, right?!!!!

Jason is busy as well. This is staff training week for him at the science center...school programs begin next week and won't quit again until May. Busy, busy!

Why did we choose to adopt and why Korea?

Many of you have been asking lately what led us to the decision to adopt internationally...let me share...

From very early in our marriage we both have believed that we were intended to adopt. We have a strong desire to have children, but have never had the desire to have children that are biologically our own. The picture of a multicultural adoptive family has been very natural to us from the beginning of our relationship as husband and wife. The result is that we’ve built our lives one step at a time until we were ready to adopt and could meet the requirements to bring a child from across the world into our lives to love and share that life with. We both have a picture in our minds of our family as one of diverse appearances and backgrounds but with a common love for each other, and we find that mental picture very beautiful and appealing. We have both valued exposure to different places, ideas, and people throughout our marriage. Building a multicultural family through international adoption simply makes sense to us – more so than a creating traditional biological family. It is important to us to include the birth culture of our child in our family’s everyday life.

So this leads me to the discussion of why Korea? We did not arrive at this decision lightly. It was through much prayer and research that we finally settled on Korea. Some of the most appealing reasons are...

· The availability of healthy infants and toddlers - There are many children, also, with mild and/or easily correctable special needs, too. (Note that the wait for healthy girls can be considerably longer than boys.)

· Foster family care -Babies who are relinquished by their birth families for adoption are generally placed with foster families where they are well provided for in warm, loving homes until placement.

· Excellent medical care. Korea's medical care system is first-rate and comparable to the US and Canada.

· Timeframes - Approximately 12-21 month timeframe from application to arrival of our baby

· Less paperwork - Unlike other countries where separate dossiers are required, the Korean program accepts the US homestudy as documentation enough.

So...we are patiently waiting. Some days are harder for me than others. I recently came across a verse in Proverbs that I am trying to keep in my heart...especially on those hard days.
"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9
I have to remember that this will happen in the Lord's perfect time...NOT mine!

Lately though I have had a sense of urgency regarding this adoption. I can't explain my feelings, but it has been my constant thought all week. Please help me as I pray for our baby! Also, please pray for the birth mother...that she is taking care of herself and the precious gift she is carrying. What a difficult and selfless decision she is making. Please pray that she will have peace regarding this. And also...pray for the foster family that will care for our child until he/she is with us.

Until next time...(and I will try my best to make the updates closer together)

OFFICIALLY on the "official" wait list!!!

Great news!!! As of June 20, 2008, we are OFFICIALLY on the official wait list with our agency for a baby! What does that mean? Basically it means that we have completed all the paperwork necessary at this point to receive a referral for a baby. Now comes the tough part...sitting here waiting for the phone call that tells us we have a baby. Our agency has told us to expect a 12 month wait time. This is typically the max. amount of time we can expect to wait...it could be much shorter though. Currently, there are approximately 22 families, including us, on this list for South Korea. There have been 17 referrals so far this year (14 boys and 3 girls). I am hoping that pace either continues or picks up speed through the remainder of the year. If that is the case, I am hoping that our referral comes to us in early spring. Jason calls my thinking process for this "fuzzy math." But, it makes sense to me in my excitement to be a mother and in my crazy need to rationalize everything out.

Just wanted to share our news! I am changing the ticker at the bottom of the page to reflect our time on the wait list, since officially that is what our agency goes by.

We are pretty excited...and now WE WAIT...

Our 1st Squash!!!

Our garden is coming along beautifully! I get more and more excited with each new harvest...small though they may be. We got our first few yellow squash this week. There are many more blooms, so I expect there will be many more squash! By the way...they were delicious! We lightly dusted them in cornmeal and fried them for dinner one night.

Quick Update

Yesterday, Jason and I had our appointment with Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) to have our fingerprints taken. We drove to Fort Smith in the morning because that was the closest office to us...there for 10 minutes while they thoroughly scanned each finger into their database...and then left. This was part of the pre-filing process for our government...Just one of the many interactions we will have with them in the next year. But it also puts us one step closer!!!

Our Spring Project

For the past 3 months Jason and I have been working on turning our blank slate of a yard into a beautiful and productive garden. We started with our new home, void of landscape and full of deer. Working nonstop, every evening and all weekend, we have turned it into something that we love to work in and also just sit back and enjoy! Our garden is full of tomatoes, peppers (8-10 different varieties), red potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, carrots, squash, and zucchini. The herb garden off the deck steps is a few feet from the kitchen door for quick access. Our fruit rows include red raspberries, 5 varieties of blueberry, and strawberries. We planted a perennial bed on both sides of the driveway and filled the front beds with oak leaf hydrangeas, Korean spice viburnum, a river birch, and columbine. Please enjoy the pictures of our hard work! The pictures as you scroll down are...front of the house before, fruit rows going in, front of the house now from the top of the driveway, garden, fruit rows, oak leaf hydrangea bloom with Great Spangled Fritillary Butterfly, and blue salvia with coreopsis in the background.