“Not all those who wander are lost”- J.R.R. Tolkien.
That’s become the catchphrase for my life in the last few years, and particularly since last Fall. I know God wants more out of me because he keeps asking for it. Read this, pray this, visit me now. It’s not really so much demanding as it is exciting, like a scavenger hunt. He’s asking for a leap of faith. Trust me. Leave the familiar, the known.
Humans are funny. Even when we’re not happy, even when we’re unfulfilled by where we are, we’re still afraid to leave what we know. We don’t know where life is taking us. We don’t have all the answers. And yet we know that in order to be satisfied, we need to close our eyes and jump, trusting that he knows where he’s leading us.
This weekend, James and I took a big leap.
After 11 years of infertility and 2 years of the most wonderful marriage we ever could have imagined, on August 1, 2015, we officially began the adoption process.
Saturday afternoon, we sat together at the computer and submitted our application. I was so overwhelmed with happiness, I cried. Never in my life did I imagine that I would be so excited, so emotional, so incredibly HAPPY at this moment.
Monday morning, our agency told us that we are approved. We are now beginning our home study.
I know that there is a long road ahead, but I am so excited to be on it with my very best friend. ❤
Tales from the Valley 
Congratulations!! I hear you on the complete mix of emotions that comes along with submitting the first formal application. For us, we were also overcome with happiness, which is such a wonderful change after years of losses! I’m glad you are feeling the same way. 🙂
Also, the homestudy wasn’t too scary for us. It was like having coffee, talking about very personal things in your life with a really nice person. I hope you have the same experience.
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Thank you!! That is very encouraging. I hope it goes as well for us! Also, we had our first freak-out moment last night when we realized we probably can’t afford maternity leave if it happens next year… so we’re seriously praying hard and applying to higher paying jobs so hopefully we can have some money for some time off/bonding time. This is so definitely a leap of faith but we are trusting that everything will work out! ❤
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Tales from the Valley wrote:
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Hi Mom! I think those emojis don’t show up on wordpress for some reason.
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Congratulations! We just requested an application from our agency and started work on it; we’ll probably submit it next month, though our process will be a bit different since we’re doing international. We had a Skype call with the agency today; they were thrilled to hear that we are most interested in a sibling group of up to 4.
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Thank you Stephanie! And that is wonderful! Best wishes and prayers for a smooth process. ❤
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Congrats on this new step! Praying for you both as you start down this road!
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Thank you!!! We definitely need prayers for sure!! Right now we’re trying to find the right placement agency (we’re working with our local agency for a home study, but we’re adopting outside of our home state of Maryland so we need another agency).
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Prayers for you as you start this new journey! There are lots of feelings involved. Don’t forget it’s okay to feel all of them even if other people don’t understand. During this process, I think it’s very important for you and your husband to set aside time to talk about your thoughts, hopes, and fears about adoption. It was so much more comforting when my husband finally told me how he felt as opposed to saying, “I’m fine” so he could “appear strong” for me. Hopefully, the whole process is filled with sunshine and rainbows for you 😀 and you are holding your little one soon.
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