Love is in the Air

Can you tell I'm in the mood for warmer temperatures? I'm ready for some color, some flip-flops, flowers, birds chirping, etc, etc, etc. I'm SO over winter! This weekend looks cold and wet (maybe even some ice) so I guess we will stay home and dream of warmer days ahead! :)

I received so many comments, emails, and facebook messages from friends and family after my last post. We are so grateful for all of your support and loving comments! We also learned some people have adoption stories in their families that we didn't even know about! I just want to say thanks to all of your comments, thoughts, and especially your prayers!

Last week, I saw the cutest project and had to try it myself. Tatertots and Jello made the cutest Valentine's Day decorations with nothing more than cheap frames, scrapbook paper, and marbles. I tried a few of my own and love the way they turned out. They are SO cute on the mantle in front of the mirror!!! It was SO cheap and easy! Can I just say that I LOVE the blogging world!

Adoption

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5

I debated on whether or not I should even blog about this, but it's weighing heavy on my heart tonight and hey, it's my blog! :) As I've said before on this blog, Rob and I have been trying for over a year to get pregnant with no luck. We have ALWAYS thrown around the idea of adoption and feel as if we are being led down this path. God continues to put things in front of us that we feel are leading us towards adoption. There are SO many children who need a loving home and we feel that we could give this to a child. At this point we are researching potential agencies and deciding what path we want to take. There are many factors that weigh into this decision (which agency, location, how long it will take, how much it will cost, etc).

We have really only shared this with the people closest to us (i.e. family and friends). The first question out of a lot of mouths is "Can you not have kids?" Well, we don't know. We have not been "diagnosed" with any problems. I really find it sad that people have it in their heads that you can ONLY adopt if you CANNOT have children of your own. Why is it so strange that people would WANT to adopt children? I absolutely HATE that there is this sort of stigma with adopting, as if that were only for people who can't have children. In fact, a few agencies that we have researched make it a requirement that a couple be infertile before they will adopt a child to them. To me, that's absolutely crazy! Why would we put a requirement like that on saving the life of a child who is already born and needs a chance at a good life?

The reactions that we have received from our family and friends have been from one extreme to the other. For the most part, everyone has been very open and excited about it (which in turn makes us excited). We have had a couple of negative comments and we deal with those as they come. I am definitely growing a thicker skin these days and learning that other people's opinions really don't matter. I can listen to opinions and take them in, but in the end, this is ultimately a decision for Rob and me.

We look forward to this chapter of our lives and if you have any prayers to spare, we would definitely appreciate you sending them our way!

We are open to any advice, suggestions, donations, or comments that you have to share. If anyone knows or has experience with a certain agency, we are definitely listening to you! If you want to tell us that we shouldn't adopt or we are making a mistake, please keep those comments to yourself! :)

Happy Birthday to ME!

Friday was my 29th birthday! Yup, 365 days until I turn 30!!! :) Last year at this time we were in Walt Disney World celebrating my birthday so this year was going to be a little low-key. Rob surprised me though. He got with our friends and set up an evening at The Station 2 at BridgeStreet. Scott and Meredith and Matt and Stephanie were already there when we arrived. We ate dinner and listened to great music.

Scott and Meredith got me Monocco movie passes and After-Sun Lotion. (We are all in "beach" mode because we've been planning a beach trip. HA! We are SO over winter!)

Matt and Stephanie got me the cutest MONOGRAMMED cutting board! Too cute!
Rob also ordered me a cookie cake from The Great American Cookie Co.

When they asked him what colors he wanted the icing he chose red and white. While ordering he decided to have them add "RTR" to the writing. Funny story behind this: Scott and Meredith are HUGE Auburn fans (even though Scott is an Alabama grad). Scott absolutely HATES when people use "RTR" instead of saying or typing out the words, "Roll Tide Roll." So, Rob thought it would be funny to add "RTR" for Scott's benefit. Meredith picked up the cake and when she saw what Rob had done, she had them go back and add orange and blue to the cake. Hence, why my cake looks so strange. It actually had nothing to do with me! HA! ;)

Here are a few other pics from the evening

Rob got me PrintMaster Platinum which I'm very excited about. I've been wanting to create my own stationary, labels, etc and this will help me with these projects! I can't wait to get started!
My parents got me this adorable sweater that I can't wait to wear.

Ialso needed some new houndstooth earrings because my old ones broke. Apparently my brother was listening to me and got me these
I had a wonderful birthday and for now I'm going to just enjoy being 29 and try not to think about how close I am to 30!

COLD week! (and Dreams of Summer)

This week in Alabama has been COLD! I seriously do not remember it ever being this cold and I have now decided that living in the north is definitely NOT for me! Most of the week was spent in the teens and single digits (yes, that's COLD). It snowed Thursday and Friday, which we all know shuts the south down. Rob and I have barely left the house, so instead we just relaxed in our sweats and watched Netflix movies and it was awesome. I get bored easily but not this weekend. Staying in and watching movies has been so relaxing and nice.

We did, however, eat out with friends Saturday night at Phil Sandoval's, which was yummy as usual. Good company always makes it more fun! There was also lots of talk about beach vacations which only made me long for Summer even more than I already did.

Of course beach talk also brings up the dreaded "D" word - yes dieting! Rob and I bought groceries today and it's on! The holidays are over so there is NO excuse any more! We will see how this goes! Our August beach trip will be here before we know it! During these COLD temps, I will just long for this!

December Crafts

I've been meaning to blog this, but just keep forgetting. Domestic has never been my middle name, but I thought this Christmas I would give it a try. I researched Paula Deen's website and cookbooks (you can't go wrong with some Paula Deen) and tried my hand at peanut butter cookies, pecan clusters, peanut and pretzel bark, chocoloate gooey cookies, and peanut butter balls. Yes, I'm extremely proud of myself! :)

I found these little red and white tins at Target (gotta love the dollar bins). I have a BIG extended family and it is impossible to buy everyone a gift. So instead, I put together these little tins and filled them with goodies. I made the tags with Word, cut them out, punched a hole in the top, and tied a ribbon through them (yup, it's that easy). They ended up being really cute!


We also tried our hand at honey butter to give as gifts, which was a HUGE hit! I found these adorable "Ball" jars at Wal-Mart. I made these tags on Word too and I found the ribbon at Dollar General. I was very pleased with how they turned out!

Now I can definitely become domestic with my new KitchenAid mixer. Thanks Mom and Dad! Now they can have all of the honey butter they want!

Happy 2010!!

We spent New Year's Eve with our friends, Scott and Meredith and Matt and Stephanie. We enjoyed a great steak dinner, snacks, drinks, Wii games, and fireworks! We had a great time and hope that 2010 continues to be like this!

We played games on the Wii and the later into the night we got, the funnier the games became. See for yourself! This was a doubles tennis match. As you can see this group isn't competitive at all! ;)

At the end of the night Scott and Rob decided to play the Summer Olympics and competed in the 100 meter dash! Check out the intensity on their faces!! I just keep watching this video over and over because it absolutely cracks me up! These two are quite the pair! ;)



Here are a few other pics from the evening:

We had a great time, which we always do with this group! 2009 definitely blessed us with these "new" friends!

Though 2009 did not go exactly as I had hoped or planned, I still realize how blessed I am. Not only do I have the MOST patient and understanding husband, I also have an amazing family and great friends, both new and old! I am looking forward to 2010 and to what God has in store for us!

Here's to a GREAT 2010!