Parent Profiles and Monarch Photography

Thursday Jacob and I attended our first FSA class at our adoption agency. FSA stands for Families Supporting Adoption and is made up of all sorts of people who have been touched by adoption in one form or another, whether it be adoptive families (or in our case hopeful family), birth families and adoptees. Our local chapter is the West Valley Chapter and they host mini-classes on various subjects.

This mini-class was on "Other Adoption Options". Several families in the FSA spoke to us about their past adoption experiences. One couple talked about Foster Adoption, another about a private adoption agency, two couples talked about adoption through private attorneys. Parent Profiles was also talked about, a lot.... After a lot of consideration Jacob and I have decided to sign up for Parent Profiles. Can't hurt right? I know we open ourselves up for scammers if we do that, but at the same time, we just feel like we need to do all we can to help our future childs birth family find us. (We've already been scammed just through our blog and an adoption website I belong to, but that's another post.) So we're going for it. Our profile will hopefully be up and running in a week or two.

Oh, and we are getting family pictures done on Tuesday. I can't wait! Our last family pictures were done by a friend of mine almost 2 years ago. That friend lives in Kansas still and we are in Utah, so having her do them again was impossible. My nephews mom Ashley is a photographer, and is fantastic! Her eye for detail is stunning! Seriously, check her out! Her company is called Monarch Photography. If you are needing photos for any reason, or just because, give her a call. Ashley specializes in weddings but can do really any photography. Seriously, she is fantastic! And I'm not just saying that because she's my nephews mom, seriously, she is fantastic!

Saying goodbye

Today we said goodbye and laid Melissa to rest. Today was Melissa's funeral services. I can't tell you how warmed I was to see how many people were there, and to know how many more weren't able to come. The chapel, and even part of the cultural hall, was filled to overflowing with love for Melissa and the wonderful life she led. The support for her loved ones, ecspecially her husband and daughter was overwhelming. My heart breaks when I think of the pain they are going through.

The service itself was beautiful. Very fitting for such a beautiful person. The graveside service afterwards was a perfect way to say goodbye. At the end we all wrote messages for Melissa on tags and tied them to balloons and let them go while we listened to "Sissy's Song" by Alan Jackson (fitting since Melissa was lovingly referred to as Missy). As I watched the balloons float up to the heavens and listened to the final words of the song "Don't worry bout' me", my heart was overflowing for the love I have for Melissa and grateful for the knowledge that this life is not the end. We will see her again. And as I stood there surronded by old friends, I knew it would be o.k.

Melissa, we love you and we miss you. You touched so many lives. You led a wonderful life that I know made our Heavenly Father proud. Rest in Peace my friend. Until we see eachother again. I love you.

Overhaul

Very soon our website will have a new overhaul. I am going to be adding lots and lots of pictures and it will be redesigned by Kelly from Modern Blitz Designs. She and her hubby are also hoping to adopt and her design company is a way to help raise funds. So since I have been looking for someone to do redesign our blog, Kelly was the perfect choice. When I told Jacob that I was thinking of having our blog redesigned he was unsure until I told him that I wanted to do this so it made our blog more easily navigated for anyone wanting to learn more about us, and I also told him about Kelly. He immediately thought it was a great idea and in his words, helping out another hopeful couple is an added bonus.

So, don't be surprised if you see in the next couple of weeks a lot of pictures and things and then an overhaul. *grin*

God Be With You Till We Meet Again

This is a post I had hoped I would never have to write. Two weeks ago a dear friend who I have known for many many years was critically injured in a roll over accident. She suffered severe head trauma and numerous other injuries to include a broken cheek bone/eye socket, broken arm, and broken ribs. She was in a coma for almost 2 weeks. With each new day we had hope. I was able to go to the hospital and be with her for a few minutes the day after the accident. The spirit that filled her room was beyond words. Such peace and comfort, knowing that the Lord's will, whatever that was, would be done. I wasn't able to go up again because a few days later I got sick and didn't want to get her family sick. I'm so thankful for that time I was able to spend with her.

This afternoon, Heavenly Father called her home, and my sweet friend answered. Right now, as I write this I am close to tears again, but I am also numb, in shock. Even as I sat in her hospital room tonight, looking at her body, knowing she was gone, I expected her to jump up and say she was fine. I sat there next to her husband, also a dear friend, not knowing what to say. I just told him I was sorry and expressed my love for them. He actually told me Thank You. I felt like I should have been the one thanking him for allowing me to be there. What do you say to someone who just had to say goodbye to the one he loves more than anything in this world. What do you say to their 9 year old daughter, who has to live without her mother. I thought forward to her daughter's wedding day and wondered who would be there with her in the bride's room. I was filled with comfort, knowing that whoever was there, her mom, would be there too. She is our guardian angel, looking out for all of us, but ecspecially her daughter and husband.

I keep remembering to the summer that I met my sweet friend. I remember walking home from school with her, on occassion, laughing and talking. I remember how we worked at the same place and we loved when we worked the same shift. We would take breaks and lunches together and just talk and laugh. One day she came to work and said she was thinking about writting to another friend of ours who was on his mission. I encouraged her to. She wondered again if she should. I told her I would get her his address if I had to, but that she should definately write him. Others encouraged her to write him too and she did. I remember the day she came into work and was so excited because they had been writting for some time and he was coming home soon. I was so excited for her. Several months after he returned home they were engaged and I remember the joy I felt for them (not that I had anything to do with them getting together, I wasn't the only one who encouraged her to write him, we just had conversations about it, and I remember those fondly). I remember standing on the sidelines at her wedding, next to her mom, and watching as my sweet friend danced with her dad, and as her dad, at the end of the song took her hand and lead her over to her new husband and placed her hand in his, in essence, giving her away. It was the sweetest moment, to this day I have ever witnessed at a wedding. I remember the day I found myself with a 3 yr old and no place to live. My friends invited me to live with them until I could find an apartment. She joked that she was like my mom and I was her daughter. She would laugh when she realized that if I was like her daughter, that made her a very young "grandma". Laughing while playing games, arguing about who did the dishes last. Watching conference together. Confiding in her, listening to her. Oh how I miss my sweet friend.

About a year after I moved out of their house into my own apartment, I moved out of state and lost touch with them. Ecspecially after I got married and hubby joined the Army and we moved to Kansas. I never forgot about my friends. I thought about them often and wished I could get in touch with them again. I did for a short time, but lost touch again. Life got in the way for all of us.

About a year ago I found them on Facebook. I was so happy. I couldn't wait to move back to Utah (we were living in New Mexico at the time, still in the Army) I was so excited to see them and all my other friends and family. Shortly after we moved back to Utah, they moved to St. George, 4 hours away. We never got a chance to get together.

A little before Christmas I messaged her and asked her for her address so I could mail her Christmas card to them. She messaged me back and gave me her # telling me to call her. I figured I would call her soon. Soon never came. And now she's gone. I still have their Christmas card sitting on my desk, no address, just their names. A haunting reminder that I didn't call her. Why didn't I call her? Life got in the way again. Now it's too late. I will try my best never to let life get in the way again, because you never know when soon, will never come.

So now I sit, filled with comfort of the memories I will always cherish of my sweet friend. Mourning the loss, greiving for her husband, her daughter and their families and all those she left behind. Another of her friends wrote, that Yes, I lost my friend, but they lost a wife, a daughter, a sister, a mother. My heart is breaking for them. Yet, I am rejoicing with the thought of the reunion she is having now. Surrounded by all those who love her and were called home before her. Surrounded by our Saviors love. Finally, at peace, in the comfort of home. I am so grateful for the gospel, and the knowledge that because of the atonement and love of our Father in Heaven and his son, Jesus Christ, we can see Melissa again.

To my sweet, dear Melissa, God Be With You Till We Meet Again.

You will be missed beyond measure.

back in the game!

One of my many hobbies that I absolutely love is stamping, card making to be exact. I recently joined a stamp club with my mom. Last night was our first meeting and it was really fun. It got my creative juices flowing again which is awesome because it has been way too long since I have spent any time crafting. We created 3 cards. I won't post them because they are going to people who read my blog.

I hope to get some more creating done in the next few days. Tomorrow I need to make a cake. We have been invited to dinner on Sunday at the house of some new friends from church. When I asked if I could bring anything I was told dessert. So, I figured this would be the perfect chance to make a cake. *grin* Not only that, but I get to try out some of the new cake stuff I got for Christmas. I'll be sure to post a picture of the finished product. It's been a long time since I decorated a cake. *big grin*

"You're never fully dressed without a smile!"

"Who cares what they're wearing, on Main Street or Saville Row."

"It's what you wear from ear to ear, and not from head to toe, that matters!"

And the results are in! Tammy has landed the part of Pepper! The bossy older orphan in her Jr. High School's production of Annie!!! Rehersals start Monday. I told her it was the perfect part for her. She said she didn't understand why everyone keeps saying that. *chuckle*

Tammy got a Call Back!

Tammy got a call back! She was so excited! Her teacher is super quick. She is also the dance teacher so she wanted to get casting done quickly. Auditions were yesterday, call backs today, and they find out if they got a part and what part that is tomorrow.

The teacher had everyone learn a dance and perform that dance along with read several times from the play. Tammy was asked to read for the part of Pepper 3 times! Pepper if the bossy older orphan. Tammy said and I qoute "Apparently I'm really telling people to shut up!"

Oh, and then she said that after everyone was done the teacher called about 6 of the girls up and looked at them while looking at the cast list (for about 5 minutes) and then said "thank you, everyone can go home now". It was just that one group of girls. That was it. And Tammy was in that group. So it's looking like she will be getting a part. :D I'll let you know what we find out! YAY!!

It's that time of year!

It's that time of year again! It's SCHOOL MUSICAL TIME!!

Last year Tammy found out the joy and fun that is theatre and acting (her dad and I were both in theatre and in the school plays, and Jacob was actually on the lighting crew in his high school).

In April of last year (I can't beleive it's already 2010!) Tammy was in her schools production of Grease! She played in the chorus and was also Frenchy. She did fantastic!

(Tammy is in the front in all pink with the striped pants)

Every year the school does a play in the fall and a musical in the spring. The play (Alice in Wonderland) was done in October and Tammy opted not to try out because it was right during the haunted house thats he was doing with her dad.

But she tried out yesterday for the musical. This year they are doing the production of Annie! She was so excited about the way the auditions went! She finds out today if she made call backs and then call backs themselves are also today. *fingers crossed*

In other news, we we had to postpone the foster to adopt classes through the state that we were supposed to start today. Jacob is starting school next week and with that and work he needs to get used to his new schedule before we can do the classes.

So we will be starting them in Feb. instead.