When "Thank You" just doesn't seem sufficient...

 On July 30, 64 amazing golfers came out and supported the Laymen's Cup 1st annual Golf Tournament. It was hot. Surface of the sun hot. And yet these 64 people picked up their clubs, hopped into their carts and headed out onto the beautiful Glen Oaks Golf Club course to play. They were there to play for a cause near and dear to my heart...our adoption.

The Laymen worked tirelessly for the months leading up to the tournament. Finding sponsors. Getting raffle prizes and donations. Advertising. All of the things it takes to make an event successful. While all of the Laymen did a fantastic job, I'm going to say an extra special THANK YOU to Wes. Wes went above and beyond in his efforts to make this tournament a success. It
wouldn't have gone as smoothly and been the success it was without his effort. Wes - You ROCK! Truly, Wes, thank you. And to Patrick and Kemp, Thank you!

I also wanted to post a huge THANK YOU to our sponsors. These companies sponsored holes, donated prizes and helped us raise funds towards our adoption. What is awesome about this is they took a chance on a new tournament, not knowing how big it would be. If you're in the market, check out these businesses!

What is the Laymen's Cup you ask? It's a podcast put out by Shaun, Wes, Kemp and Patrick, that discusses theology (but not in a boring way) and their mutual (read obsessive) love of coffee. Strong coffee. Manly coffee. Check them out on iTunes in the Podcast Section - Laymen's Cup, at www.laymenscup.com and on Facebook and Twitter @laymenscup. Tell them I sent you!

We are still chipping away at the total needed to bring our baby home, but this golf tournament didn't only help financially, it gave me hope again. Something that had been hard to find for a long time. They say that hope is a dangerous thing, that it could lead to disappointments, but I realize that I feel better being hopeful than discouraged. Yes, there have been many discouraging things - some as recent as this week, but I'm going to focus on the fact that we have amazing friends and family that helped make this tournament an overwhelming success! So...I'm going to keep hoping, keep praying, keep chipping away at that financial challenge until we bring our baby home.

Radio Silence

Yes...we are still alive. We didn't fall off the planet of enter the witness protection program...yet. I just decided that the whole "full disclosure" thing I promised was harder than I expected. Some things I didn't want to share. I didn't want pity, or that puppy dog eyed head tilt that people do when they've heard bad news about someone.

So...what's been going on? In March, we got a call about a little boy who needed a home. Long story short, we interviewed with a panel of about 12 people for an hour, and waited a stressful weekend to be told that another family had been selected. Hannah was crushed. I felt numb. Shaun was disappointed but tried to lift our spirits. It wasn't something we had gone in search of, it was presented to us by someone, and it wasn't through our agency, but DSS. It still stung. To say we were disappointed would be quite the understatement. It left me feeling numb and unsure if this was something I wanted to put my family through again.

It's three months later. I've put dusted off my pride, put on my big girl pants and decided to - finally - revisit this blog.
Here's what's new. Hannah just finished 4th grade. I can't believe she will be 10 next month. Time, please slow down!

Shaun's podcast is holding a golf tournament to benefit the adoption. If you know of someone who would like to sponsor a hole, be a title sponsor, or if you'd like to play in the tournament, contact the Laymen's Cup at laymenscup@gmail.com.

A sweet friend from church is holding a Noonday Collection Trunk show, also benefiting our adoption. Noonday Collection is jewelry made by artisans around the world and is beautiful. You can shop online to benefit the adoption and these awesome artisans!
https://www.noondaycollection.com/pws/BethanyWike/eventstore21509/AMUS/default.aspx

Thank you for your support. Thank you for caring.

Thank You

Friday night we ended our online silent auction. Thank you to the following people who donated items:

Amy F.   www.amyshomecleaning.com
Letricia B.   www.plusadayphotography.com
Melanie L.  www.facebook.com/blueponydesigns  and http://melanielocke.arbonne.com
Ginger H.   naturalhelps4health.myshaklee.com
Amy P.
Jenn W.
Cevan S.
Jennifer H.

Claudia B.
Nicola S.
Nicole H.
Kim L.
Naomi D.
Jamie F.
Jin W.
Laura M.
Mary N.
Adam F.
Lindsay F.
Mary Beth G.

We are so blessed by the amazing friends and family we have. This auction raised just over $1,000! Words can't express how thankful we are for everything you all have done for us! We love you!

Patience and Home Appliances

Hello lovely readers. Wanted to fill you in on the newest goings on. We are busy applying for grants and matching grants (those are nifty, they match whatever we raise!) and we are about to start an online silent auction! Wonderful people have donated the most awesome items towards the auction. Handmade items, gift cards, crafts, and all kinds of fabulousness! I'm in awe of their talents and willingness to help us! So, a huge thank you to you all!

I'll be adding people to the group on Facebook to be able to see and bit on all of the items on Thursday and Friday before it starts.

Other fundraisers are in the works, but we've had an unexpected speed bump.
Friday morning, the air conditioner in our house cooled it's last. Seeing as we live in NC and it's currently 90+ degrees every day, staying in the house wasn't exactly an option. Thankfully, my parents are letting us invade them until it's fixed. Remember the old saying, "company is like dead fish, after a few days they both start to stink!" Well, we are trying really hard to not be stinky fish!

Needless to say, I was upset. Ok, more than upset. It felt like a cosmic sign, maybe God was telling us to stop this crazy adoption idea and just go about our lives. I was pretty down Friday and even Saturday. Still don't understand His timing, or His plans, but I know that giving up on the child that is out there waiting for us isn't in His plans. Sure, it would be easier to throw up my hands and say, "Ok, God, I quit." We've tried for over a year and a half, you've thrown small speed bumps and now a large, expensive one our way. I'm done." Sure, it would be easier, but what about that baby who needs a family? Giving up on him or her because of an air conditioner? Seems a little selfish and stupid. Therefore, we are staying on course, speed bumps be darned! Just need a little patience.

I'm not a patient person. If you know me well at all, you've laughed at that because I'm possibly the least patient person ever in life. I strive daily to be a more patient person, but it's taking too long...
Want to know something that takes a long time and can make you nuts? Adoption. It can make you crazy in ways you didn't even know you could go crazy! What is my best and worst quality? Well, my  worst quality is that I..

Any-who...that's where we are. Be looking for the auction and please be praying for us! Specific prayer requests: Our AC, patience for me, our future baby, the birth parents, and for us to follow in God's will in this whole process.

Thanks for reading. Much love for you all!

Aren't we adorable?

New Photo of us! Thought I'd share!

Pretend This is a Clever Title, Ok?

It's been a while since I've updated you lovelies on our progress. I guess that's because there hasn't been much to update. We were thrilled when our homestudy was completed and approved. We felt like we had cleared a giant hurdle and it would be a smooth road to the finish line. We were way too optimistic. As it turns out, the hurdles are still in front of us.
We have decided to use a different agency for the remainder of our adoption process. This agency is located in Rock Hill, South Carolina. There is nothing we have to do over for the switch, as they will accept our NC homestudy. One of the main factors that led to this change is the difference in adoption laws between NC and SC. NC has a seven day revocation period. Meaning, for seven days after the birth mother signs the adoption papers, she can change her mind. Seven days of every time the phone rings wondering if it's the agency telling us that the birth mother has changed her mind. SC doesn't have a revocation period. Once the birth  mother signs the papers, usually 24-72 hours after the birth, it can't be revoked.
The hurdles come in the form of paying for the remainder of the adoption expenses. We are applying for several grants and even low interest loans, but those won't cover the entire amount.
Our first plan is an online silent auction. If you are a crafter, direct sales person, willing to purchase gift cards, have items you're willing to donate, please let us know. We hope to start taking donations as early as today, and be able to start the auction in a week or so, depending on the donations we get. It will be on Facebook. The items will be listed with a photo, and anyone interested in bidding will bid under the picture in the comments. Seems simple enough, right? I hope so.

Full Disclosure, we've been discouraged lately. Me especially. It seems sometimes that every time we think we are getting closer, it just seems far away. I'm hoping we can get people to donate to this auction and then get others to participate and bid.

Thanks for reading this. Thanks for your prayers and support.

Yet Another Update

Hello out there in cyberland. Just a quick update. Our homestudy has <FINALLY> been approved. What does that mean? In a word - Fundraisers. Grants. Loans. Gifts from long lost rich relatives maybe? We are starting the super fun process of applying for any adoption grant we can get our hands on. We are also working on some other ways to raise the funds.
Thanks for all of your prayer and support. I appreciate each time someone asks how the process is going or says that they are praying for us. I'll let you know more when we know more!