Today is not one of my favorite dates. Five years ago today Bubba's mom lost her battle with cancer. She was diagnosed early in 2008 with breast cancer and had just finished chemo about a month before our wedding. Then found out that it had spread throughout her organs and she fought it June 3, 2011.
I married a mamma's boy, and luckily won the jackpot of a mother-in-law. She would make me my favorite meal when we came over and was always willing to go adventuring. She was the most amazing 'Nana' to my nieces and nephews. It makes me sad that our future children will not have the opportunity to meet her. However, as I sit and feel sappy about her death, I realize how lucky our future children will be. They will not meet their 'Nana' but she left a lasting impact. The value she put on family lives on in our spending time together regularly. Her kind heart taught all of us to be giving with whatever we have extra of, time, money, prayers. Our future children will know their 'Nana' through who we are, their aunts and uncles, great aunts and uncle, great grandparents, and Louey and Oakley, who were Sheri's dogs that now claim Bubba and I. I am not sure who wants to teach our children her wandering ways since the interstate was not Sheri's chosen driving path and single lane highways offered lots of distractions, but I am sure everything else is covered.
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Summer has arrived. What to do, what to do, what to do? I have the best job in the world. For nine months I live a structured life with a regular routine. Then summer rolls around and I am free to do whatever I choose. I have time to do all those things I thought about doing during the school year. It makes me feel anxious to be a mother. I ponder all the possible adventures my child and I can go on and the projects that we can complete. The summer brings the garden to maintain, mowing (and more mowing since Bubba cut down trees and planted grass to make the yard bigger), and time to make it to our nieces and nephews summer activities. I look forward to spending time back in my craft room and delving into my new English textbooks.
April was a very mellow month for us. We were able to spend time with high school friends and chaperone prom. May has gone by quickly. We spent Mother's Day up north with Bubba's Aunt Sue. We moved her greenhouse and spent time visiting. We spent the next weekend working around the house. We are slowly redoing the perennial flower beds. Last weekend was a busy, fabulous weekend. We spent Saturday at the Omaha zoo with our nieces and nephews and extended family. Then Sunday our oldest niece was confirmed. It is awing how insightful she already is at age thirteen. This coming weekend is filled up with graduation, retirement party, and hopefully some flea marketing after the garden is planted. ![]() Spring sprung two weeks ago, and it has been snowy and rainy. The worst part about Spring so far though is the wind. Bubba has been experiencing the brunt of this weather. Yesterday he was putting tin on a roof and today he is lifting a garage. It makes me thankful that I can stay write this post, grade some papers, sew on giraffes or unicorns, and read my book. My favorite part of Spring is easily Easter. The darkest days lead to the joyous resurrection. March was full of joy for Bubba and I. We made a trip down to Nebraska early in the month for our youngest nephew to be baptized. Easter also served as a wonderful reminder for me to stay patient in this adoption process. As a society we have come to expect instant response and gratification. For Bubba and I becoming parents is our dream and having the patience to wait for the situation that is best for us can be difficult. Jesus's dying on the cross is a wonderful reminder to me how not getting what I want when I want it can lead to an even better ending. I was able to spend Easter with my miracle niece. Last year she spent four months in the hospital, went into cardiac arrest multiple times, and was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension.After being stuck inside all winter, my 21 month old niece was ready to be out and about. My mom, aunt, sister, niece, and I went to Oklahoma City for a vacation. We were able to help mom cross off seeing the Oklahoma City Thunder play on her bucket list. We also toured the capitol and visited the Oklahoma City Bombing memorial/museum. Visiting the capitol on Good Friday ended up being a smart plan with a 21 month old and the echoing of the dome, not many were working and neither house was in session. Off course as a group of five females we also put in time shopping. Bubba and I have been working on staying home more weekends and spending more time exploring Minnesota. However, we did go down to Omaha at the end of February and participated in the Bar Stool Open, which supports United Cerebral Palsy of Nebraska, with my three best friends and their significant others. After seeing Sister Act at the Chanhassen Dinner Theater for my birthday, we decided to go and see Beauty and the Beast, my favorite Disney movie. As a teacher January can get to be an extremely long month where sunshine is not always visible except through the classroom window, so this Groundhog Day a snow day is much appreciated. I of course have a list of things I hope to be able to accomplish with my time at home. Number one on my list to cross of is this post.
Christmas was slightly different for Bubba and I this year. We managed to celebrate the holiday with both of our families in one trip to Nebraska. In the past it has often been multiple drives down. We went to my aunt and uncle's house for Christmas Eve and was able to spend time with my extended family. Then we made it to Bubba's sisters to watch our nieces open presents Christmas morning. Bubba's brother and family came later that day and we spent the next 24 hours eating, playing, and talking. From there we went to my sisters to spend the day. I think it is safe to say that our niece was rather spoiled for her second Christmas experience. With our extra time at home we were able to spend a few days playing a mystery files game together on the computer. I am thankful that we are not overly competitive individuals and for the most part play well together while trying to solve puzzles. December also brought around a wedding for Bubba's cousin. She and her husband were married December 30th. January has come and gone. Bubba's excitement for the month was going with his uncle and cousins to a Black Sabbath concert. My excitement is that I am almost done with the libraries winter reading program -- read 12 books between January and March. Last January we went to LSS for an informational meeting on adoption and thus our journey on this adventure began. It seems crazy that it was already a year ago that we decided to finally be brave enough to set our dream of being parents in motion. 'This month's blog may be slightly different than the last couple, Jess has left me in charge, which is rarely a wise decision. Once again the holiday season is here. Like most people this time of year flies by with all that is going on. Jess had her 30th birthday in the middle of November. We went to one of our favorite restaurants with a few friends and some family. Bubba's family celebrates Thanksmismas because like most families, we are spread out, and find it hard to get together on actual holidays. We always try to pick a weekend that will work for as much of the family as possible, but with nurses and military people it can be a difficult task. This year the weather didn't cooperate, so we had about half as many people as in the years past, but we still had a good time. We where also able to get together with Jess's family the weekend after Thanksgiving, and spend some time at her sister's house. The first part of December has also kept us busy. We went to a musical at the Chanhassen Dinner Theather to see Sister Act, which was more fun than I thought it would be. Jess has been very busy the last few weeks finishing her schoolwork, grading her students work, and trying to get all of her presents made for the family. We are again going to be traveling for Christmas, to spend time back in Nebraska with both of our families. We want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and again thank you all for your support and prayers while we are on this journey. It is a great feeling to see all the support from everyone that reads, likes, and shares our story in hopes of helping us find a birth-mother. "He who began a good work in you will see it through until it is complete." -Philippians 1 : 6 Blogging is new to Bubba and I. We really wonder if we actually do anything all that interesting? Friday nights often consist of me falling asleep early (students exhaust me by Friday) and Bubba playing some type of game. How intriguing is that? But since our last post in August we have had some excitement in our lives.
August ended with a weekend trip up to the lake. We fished and relaxed. I caught a couple of fish and Bubba mostly drove the boat, which is really what he likes to do. My brother, his aunt, and cousin were more than willing to go trolling. School also started up. This year I have a section of 7th English and 8th English as well as a sections of 7th & 8th Reading. The lucky students have the opportunity to spend two hours a day with me once a week! I also have a section of 10th Social. September brought a new baby into the family. The little boy arrived while we were visiting his Nana. Bubba and I sent Nana on her way to Nebraska and we putzed around her place then went on a two hour hike at Banning State Park. It was beautiful and nice to have the time to enjoy nature. Family from Alaska was down to visit and we went to a pumpkin patch and apple orchard. Bubba went to a Halestorm concert with his cousins while I spent a wonderful evening in-front of my sewing machine. The month ended with Homecoming kicking off with a Color Run. Now, October was crazy! We were home for Halloween, but what fun we had. The first weekend took us to hang out with the cutest 1 1/2 year old twin boys we know. Then Bubba took off for Oregon with his brother and his brother's brother-in-law for a week long hunting trip. They shot some birds, Bubba has told me what type of birds,but really for me a bird is a bird and he is not typing this. While Bubba was gone Fall Break came and I was able to spend time with my niece and help set up for my best friends wedding. Of course Bubba had flight delays, but he made it in time for the wedding. The Bride and Groom looked fabulous and had a flawless celebration! It was great to spend time with my three best friends! We headed South again the next weekend for Bubba's sister. She was awarded the Kind and Caring award from her hospital. She was recognized along with others from across the state. We spent a fun filled weekend visiting a science museum and hanging out with family. November is now upon us! Bubba went to another concert, Shinedown, while I was off at a junior high knowledge bowl invitational. We have been able to spend our weekends at home so far this month. This has led us (really just Bubba) to painting the dining room and kitchen, and hopefully the room that will become a nursery. As the holiday season is upon we realize how blessed we are to have such loving and compassionate family, friends, and coworkers. We continue to hope and pray for a child of our own and appreciate all the support! Since our home study approval, we have been working on our outreach materials. We created business cards and have had friends checking over our website. August always seems to be a crazy month for us. This past weekend we helped Bubba's sister and family move into their new home and this coming weekend we have a memorial service for one of Jess's uncles. Of course both of these weekends see us down near our hometown in Nebraska.
August 2nd was our seventh anniversary. To celebrate we decided that we would do something just the two of us one night each week. We hope to get some fishing in, but so far just a walk and a bike ride. These seven years have flown by and we are sure that the years will move even faster with children. We are home study approved. What does that mean? It means that we are now able to adopt an infant from the United States. It also means we are starting our outreach to find the child for us. If you are interested in learning more about us follow our blog. If you know someone who is considering making an adoption plan please share our information with them.
“I didn’t give you the gift of life, but in my heart I know. The love I feel is deep and real, as if it had been so. For us to have each other is like a dream come true! No, I didn’t give you the gift of life, life gave me the gift of you." We appreciate all of the support we have received so far in this journey and welcome all thoughts and prayers through this adventure. |
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March 2017
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