High Five for Friday

Hey Friday, friends. Sorry I left you hanging last week. H54F is back in full force, rawr. In true Stacy fashion, I'll probably throw in some of the top moments of the past two weeks since I forgot last week. Oops. It's hard to believe that the last Friday of January is almost gone and out the door. Only 11 more months until 2016. Am I getting ahead of myself? Probably.

1. Our friends had a little girl on the 17th. We made plans to bring over a pizza and meet her last week, and oh my word, she is the sweetest thing ever. She has that tiny little face that says, "I'm a newborn and it's sooo hard for me to stay awake." She's a sweetie. Did I say that already? Her parents are doing well, too.

2. Adam and I did our monthly Meals From the Heartland volunteering. This time we bought our future sis-in-law, Maggie to crash our date night. But Maggie wasn't the only entertainment for the night...oh no. At our station we had two young girls, I believe they were 6 and 9, and full of sass. We were asking them all sorts of questions though-out the night and they were eating up the attention. I'm not going to lie...it kind of made me pray for boys.

3. This week I went to one of those paint-and drink-wine-classes with a friend. We found a Groupon a few months ago and upon realizing it was about to expire, picked a day to go. It was so much fun and I definitely want do it again. My painting didn't really look like the example, but it was fun nonetheless. I just kept going back to the Bob Ross mantra, "Those aren't mistakes. Those are happy little accidents." Thanks for the motivation, Bob.

4.The weather has been holding strong to spring-like weather. And there are no complaints here. I don't know much about the little groundhog, but I hope he doesn't see his shadow (or do I want him to?) so it can be spring soon!

5. We've been working on the house just about every night the last several weeks. And it's getting better and better every day. While we're still a ways away from a working kitchen, it feels good to get a lot of the fundamental things (like, oh structural walls?) done right. While I would much rather have a working kitchen, it's kind of fun seeing it like a blank space. You can imagine it any way you want.

How has your week been? Leave a comment and tell me about it!

High Five for Friday

Happy Friday! It's crazy that it's already the middle of January! It's crazy, right? It has been a wonderful, sunny week. Check it out below!

1. I never thought I would be someone who would watch The Bachelor. Those dating shows? Just not for me. When my sis-in-law (well, almost) said she watched it, I thought I'd give it a try. So I watched the season premier a two weeks ago, actually, only an hour of the three hour premier, and I was hooked. Okay, so I didn't have enough patience to watch the entire show, but it was a fresh snow and Nellie was itchin' for a walk. Anyway—fast forward to this week—Adam was out of town working (which is good because he doesn't seem to care for it...weird, right?) so I decided I was going to watch it at the gym. This turned out to be the. best. idea. ever. There was no way I was going to get off of the elliptical and stop watching. So I'm officially a fan. Maybe even a super-fan. We'll have to wait and see.

2. So far this January, it's been cold. Like stupid cold. but this week, I can't complain. It's been sunny every day this week, and the temperature has even been rising. We're talking 40+ degrees today. It's feeling spring, even though we've got a couple months to go. Here's to hoping it stays for a little while.

3. We have a new roomie. I've mentioned it before, but Mkini has officially moved in with us. So far, so good. He's like a brother to both Adam and me and we really enjoy his company. Plus, it's making us even more motivated to get our kitchen finished. Now it's not just us who has to eat frozen pizzas and crock pot meals. I'm kind of waiting for a neighbor to accidentally recognize him as our adopted child (he's from Tanzania).

An oldie but a goodie. Taken around 2011. 

4. Two of our great friends will likely become parents this weekend! It's looking like she will be induced this weekend, and we are so excited for them. We'll likely be spending some time at the hospital with the new family of three.

5. RAGBRAI isn't for 183 days, but the route announcement is coming out next week. So I've been very determined this week to try and figure out the route. Why can't I wait until the 24th to figure it out ? Who knows. But I must figure it out. We're trying to get a bigger team together this year, and a lot of it depends on the course. I can't wait!

Last year on RAGBRAI—Los Gatos Gordos

I Am With You and For You

So, it's Friday. All of your regulars who read this know that Fridays mean H54F posts. I had full intention of starting my Friday with a H54F post as well. Until I read my devo for the day. It was one of those where you read it and wonder how in the world it is so applicable to your life? It's like God told the author that on January 9 I would be feeling this way, so she wrote it. How does it happen?!

We sent out holiday cards this year with some notes on adoption FAQs. You know, the basics that we get asked over and over (and over, and over), which is great. I love talking about our journey and the unknown-ness (is that a word) that comes along with it. What I've come across mostly though, is the astonishment from people when we tell them the length of time it will take. Every single adoption journey is different. Some people start out an adoption process with kiddos in mind, and some don't (raising my hand over here). The timing in every adoption journey is also different. While I can only testify to our case, with no specific kiddo in mind, I'm sure the other route is also a journey in trusting in God's plan.

I opened my devo this morning, since I'm trying to make a habit of it (see goal #1), to find a reading that hit me like a ton of bricks (side note: can you imagine actually getting hit with a ton of bricks. No way you'd make it out of that one. So it was actually more like getting hit with a nerf arrow or something.) I opened it up to the following:

I AM WITH YOU AND FOR YOU. When you decide on a course of action that is in line with My will, nothing in heaven or on earth can stop you. You may encounter many obstacles as you move toward your goal, but don't be discouraged—never give up! With my help, you can overcome any obstacle. Do not expect an easy path as you journey hand in hand with Me, but do remember that I, your very-present Helper, am omnipotent.

Much, much stress results from your wanting to make things happen before their times have come. One of the main ways I assert My sovereignty is in the timing of events. If you want to stay close to Me and do things My way, ask Me to show you the path forward moment by moment. Instead of dashing headlong toward your goal, let Me set the pace. Slow down, and enjoy the journey in my Presence.

Romans 8:31; Psalm 46:1-3; Luke 1:37

Okay, seriously?!?!?!

When you decide on a course of action that is in line with My will, nothing in heaven or on earth can stop you.

• God has a plan for us. We do not make our own plan. Though we have our own free will to make decisions, when we get on the path that God wants us on, we will get there. (Underline, bold, italics, the works)

Much, much stress results from your waiting to make things happen before their times have come. 

• Um, hello! This is a joke, right? This is me. I get stressed out for no reason at all. No reason. It's because I'm trying to make things happen before they are supposed to. Remember goal #3? This will help that one.

Instead of dashing headlong toward your goal, let Me set the pace. Slow down, and enjoy the journey in my Presence.

• Let go and let God. He's got this. He's blessed us with this life and He takes such good care of us. 

I know I've said this before, that God has seriously blessed us with patience so far through the process. Not every day, but for the most part. I often tell people that if we wanted to have kids right away, we would have tried to get pregnant. But that isn't part of our plan right now. This is our plan. And we will get there. Who knows when we'll be a family of three (or will it be four?). We don't know. And trying to figure it out isn't going to do us much good. Thank you, Father, for letting this be our plan. 

High Five for Friday

Well hey, there, 2015. It's nice to met you. After one day spent together, I'd say we're off to a pretty good start. Today's post is going to cover some resolutions goals I have for this year. If feel like when I use the word resolution, my resolutions are just asking to be broken. Is that just me? So below are my three goals for 2015. (note: I just wrote 2014, then deleted and wrote 2013. This may take awhile)

1. Spend more time in the word. Why is it that I find it so hard to spend time in God's word every day? Fortunately, my MIL* gifted me with Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young which is a daily devotional with at least two verses per devotional. It's just what I need to get this goal moving. I'm hoping that reading and understanding His word will help me to surrender myself more and more to Him every day.

2. Spend less time on the computer/phone/tablet, etc. With technically bigger than ever, I often find myself stuck on social media or a website in my free time. While I'm not condoning social media (hello Pinterest!), I don't want it to become a bad habit. I am at my computer all day, and often I'll come home and get right back on. I know we're not parents yet, but I'm trying to look at the habits I have now and try to see how keeping them would affect my parenting style. I don't want to be a mom who sees everything my child does though the eyes of my iPhone camera.

3. Be more patient. Sometimes I find myself getting upset quickly, especially if I'm stressed or overwhelmed and especially with my husband. He is one of the easiest people to get along with, but sometimes I can be a little sassy, which isn't fair. I am so grateful for Adam and I would like to show him that more often by toning down the sass. 

What are your goals for 2015? Do you believe that the new year can be a 'new start'?

*MIL is code for Mother-in-Law