Seeing the Light...

Well, we are finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. In many ways, much of our process is done, in other ways, the real work is yet to be done. To date, we have all of our paper work turned in and all of our meetings completed. Our assessor is currently working on our home study report and will submit it to her boss in the next week or two. Once approved by the agency, Joel and I will give it a once over and check it for any errors. Then it will be submitted to the state :) While all of that is going on, I will be working on our e-profile and photo book that will be distributed to potential matches. I have already submitted the text for approval and got back some great feedback. I'm working on the images now and am wishing I paid a little more attention in my Digital Photography during my undergrad...10 years ago...yikes :/ I wish I lived close to my brother, Clint, he's not only great at this kind of stuff, he is even more detail oriented than I am!

Once our home study is complete, we will be able to apply for some matching grants and scholarships. In the mean time, our awesome friends had an idea to put together a yard sale to help us raise some funds. The weather is finally getting nice again (well, not today, it's totally raining!) so hopefully we can have it soon.

The question we keep getting asked is..."When do you think you will have a baby?!" Of course we have no idea what will happen, but logistically, the earliest we are looking at is August. With Joel being gone in San Antonio for the month of July, it pretty much makes anytime before then impossible. With that said, God is certainly capable of doing the impossible! We are growing more and more excited each and every day.

We hope this update finds you all well! We appreciate your continued prayers and support :)

Fire Inspection...fail!

So things WERE moving along quite nicely. We checked our smoke detectors, got a new fire extinguisher, and even hung an evacuation plan on every floor (color coded, in sheet protectors... I might add), we even had a land-line installed AND still managed to fail our inspection from the good ol' fire inspector. Beyond annoyed is the understatement of the day. Apparently he was uncomfortable with our potential newborn needing to cross the street to make it to our "safe meeting" place in the event of a fire, so instead they will need to cross the highly trafficked alley?! Honestly, some of these requirements just seem silly to me. Is our society that worried about being sued for something that they make it so difficult to participate in what should be a great experience, like adoption? Ok, off my soap box.

On a lighter note, we did get to visit Ikea last weekend in Cincinnati. We picked up a few items for our baby's room. No, we don't have a baby lined up, but know that as soon as we are "paper ready" it can happen very, very quickly. The whole experience was a little surreal. I was overjoyed, but also nervous. Buying things makes it feel real. I admit that sometimes I feel like something is going to happen and it won't work out for some reason. I know those are unsubstantiated thoughts, but still fear creeps in. We have trusted God throughout this whole process, before we even considered adoption, and know that He will be faithful to complete His good work in us. For me, I know that includes motherhood.

So what's left, you might be wondering? We have our second meeting this Sunday at 4:30pm. Our meeting in conveniently located in an outlet strip. Yay! Shopping. Dave Ramsey :) After that, we will have one more meeting with our assessor, Robyn. She will then compile our report. We need to have the fire inspector come back (grrr!), get physicals and finish our coursework. We also need to start compiling our photo books that will be distributed to birth mothers who may be potential matches.

Joel has one more block to complete at school then he will have year 1 of med school under his belt! So proud of him!! As always, we thank you all for your prayers and continued support.

All our love,
Celeste and Joel

R&R...finally!

So thankful for a restful and productive day!! Joel and I spent some much needed time together. We did some shopping, got some Starbucks and went for a nice scenic drive with Brady in tow :) When we got back Joel studied for a bit and I knocked out a few items on our adoption to-do list. Later we completed one of our "online classes" and then hit Lowe's to buy some goodies we needed for our fire inspection. Now we are watching Skyfall and just relaxing. Wish we could have more days like this!!!

I'm especially thankful for my wonderful husband today. I am so proud of how hard he works for us and am so thankful for his kind and generous heart. He is already a great hubby and I know he is going to be a fantastic father. I can't wait!!!

Sending lots of love!!!

One Down, Two To Go...

First of three visits with our adoption assessor is in the books!!! We were very excited to meet our assessor today and really see where we were at in this process. I knew everything was going to be great the moment Brady jumped on her (and nearly knocked her over), to which she replied what a cute puppy!!  

She was very friendly. We actually laughed a lot! We basically went over every detail of our lives for the last ten years. It was painfully long to report every place of residence, job, school etc. I was almost embarrassed about how many times we have moved in the six short years of being married. Oh well, they all seemed like good ideas at the time. YOLO! I know, no one cool says that anymore... that's why I say it :)

She left us feeling very encouraged. She also let us know that this was going to wrap up fairly quickly, possibly as soon as mid April! Craziness!!!!! Unfortunately, there is MUCH to do from now until then. Time is sparse these days. Joel and I were thinking of taking a short trip to Chicago or Pittsburg over Spring break, but now we are going to be watching training videos and writing summaries to prove we watched them. Yippee :/ 

Starbucks is still great. I finally feel like I semi-know what I am doing. I know, it's not rocket science, but there is A LOT of things to remember... All with a smile, I might add. The customers are great, my partners are even greater. I love meeting new people and sharing with them the reason for getting this job. 

As always, thank you for partnering with us in prayer as we continue on this journey!
Sending our love,

A Good Long While...

Wow! It has been a good long while since my last post. It probably has something to do with the fact that my second job is in full swing. I'm really loving it so far and tomorrow is my last official day of training... yahoo!! Bring on the tips :)

As far as the adoption is concerned, we are deep into our home study and are in the process of requesting information from various agencies in Ohio and California. It's kind of crazy to look at all the things we have to do to get "approved". It makes me think, wow, I would have never thought to have the fire department come inspect our home and evaluate our evacuation plan?! I am trying to complete the paperwork little by little when I find time. Life has been pretty busy, but God has been gracious.

We are as excited as ever, but admit there have been some difficult/stressful moments. We thank you for your continued support and prayers. We both have some time off coming up in March and are looking forward to hopefully being close to wrapping up our home study, as well as getting some much needed quality time together. We hope you are doing well!! We love you all :)

Bless the LORD, O my soul, 

And all that is within me, bless His holy name. 

Bless the LORD, O my soul, 

And forget none of His benefits;

Who pardons all your iniquities, 

Who heals all your diseases;

Who redeems your life from the pit, 

Who crowns you with loving-kindness and compassion;

Who satisfies your years with good things,

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle. 

Psalm 103:1-5

One Step Closer...

Our agency approved our draft that needs to be submitted to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services! We sent it along with 34 others pages and documents! Our second of three packets is almost complete. We are waiting for just a few more documents. Next, we will be contacted by the Adoption Assessor assigned to our case :) We had to list MANY of you for various reasons, so don't be surprised if you get a phone call or something in the mail.

Joel is as busy as ever and suffering with a really bad cold right now, your prayers are appreciated! My first official day at Starbucks was this past Tuesday and I continue to be super excited about this opportunity.

Please continue to pray that we complete each step without complications. So far it has been pretty smooth, I am hoping it stays that way. I am trying to stay on top of the paperwork because I know that is what can hold things up. Again, thank you for all your support and encouragement! We love you!!

Coffee anyone?!

So, I guess the most recent update is that I got a job at Starbucks!!! I'm super excited to have the opportunity to meet some new people, work with some great people and reap the awesomeness otherwise known as "Starbucks Benefits!" Getting health benefits through them will mean that I do not need to purchase benefits through OSU, which is great because it's $3,000 a semester!!! That money can now go towards our adoption. The other awesome thing is that Starbucks offers financial support to help with adoption expenses and offers up to $4,000! I am super excited to have this opportunity and really feel the Lord's hand in all of it so far. I am not going to give up my nanny position, I'm just going to do both for a while :) 

As far as the adoption goes, we have submitted a draft of the paperwork that needs to be filed with the state of Ohio. They are really particular about how the form is filled out so our agency "screens it" for us before we send it off.  As soon as the draft is approved, we will officially begin our home study! 

This last week has been amazing. It's only been one week since we started our journey, but it feels like we have done SO MUCH. It's been awesome having my little brother, Louie, here with us :) He has been such a help and so fun to hang around with. I love him so much! Needless to say, I am feeling very blessed!

~Celeste