Do the Next Thing Posted about about 4 years ago

GAHHHHH. I don’t know where to start. I’m sorry I haven’t updated for almost a year, but it’s really hard to keep saying the same thing over and over. They say the definition of insanity is repeating the same action and expecting a different result. Am I insane? Maybe.You know what though? Things aren’t “the same.”  Since 2020, the world has seen a pandemic, and I think life has changed for...

UNSCRIPTED BEAUTY Our adoption just got updated to Paperwork Complete Posted about almost 5 years ago

5/14/21I am in the process of reimagining everything I had planned. I am walking forward, but the horizon is now empty, and our timeline is nonexistent. I am no longer sure where I'm going exactly because the destination seems to pull farther away with every step toward it. But life is always funny and complex and confusing and beautiful. Almost nothing else in my life went how I planned it, ...

God is Faithful Posted about almost 5 years ago

11/30/20It has been 7 months since my last update, and Asher’s 4th birthday was last Wednesday. I have been avoiding writing this one because it makes me sad to know we missed another birthday. We have been connected to him since he was only eleven months old. Every year, on his birthday, the four of us sit around a cupcake or a donut with candles stabbed into the top and sing “Happy Birthda...

"God is writing his story" Posted about almost 5 years ago

5/4/20First off, thank you for being on this adventure with us. We love and appreciate each one of you specifically for your prayers and support and encouragement. We hope you are all doing well and staying healthy.Second (off? on?), China has not been very forthcoming with information (surprise!), so we can’t get new photos or videos of our kiddo right now, but we’ve been told (for whatever...

Holding our Breath Posted about almost 5 years ago

10/7/19The word hope looks so pretty when it’s written in calligraphy on a background of rainbow-colored flowers. But I have never been more sad in my life than when I was in a state of hope. Hope is hard. Hope means that you do NOT have something. And when you’re hoping for something that your life will hinge on, it puts a hole in your heart. It can mean working, sweating, sacrificing, cr...

Lazarus, Jehoshaphat, and Joseph-- oh, my! Posted about almost 5 years ago

6/12/19When things don’t go how I thought they would go, and when my adoption process has taken two years (and counting), and my child is growing older and still doesn’t know us, I have a hard time seeing why God would allow our plans, our paperwork, and our relationships to develop any way but efficiently.  Why wouldn’t God want the good things that I want? Wouldn’t it be better if Asher were ...

HOPE! Posted about almost 5 years ago

8/1/18I once heard a comedian say that any time we "ugly cry" about something, we tend to fixate on a phrase and do a cathartic chant to ourselves (e.g. "Why? Why? Why?") until we are done sobbing.  He suggested that there was one phrase that we could put on repeat for any situation that drove us to tears: "I did my best." I think he's right. It's surprisingly universal. We’ve finally hit some...

Home Study Complete! Posted about almost 5 years ago

     5/17/18We were more than curious and a little nervous about this series of inspections that would bring a stranger into our home for the purpose of inspecting it.  I cleaned. A lot. And I prayed just about the same amount. I bought cinnamon rolls and made coffee. Sugary baked goods and caffeine make almost everything better.  Our house is already pretty kid-friendly and kid-proofed, so...

Paperwork in Progress... still... but there has been progress! Posted about about 8 years ago

Okay, so this journey that's supposed to take years is looking like it will take less than one year.   What a beast all this paperwork is!  I have so much to share since my last update, but alas, I can't move my status beyond "Paperwork in Progress."  I don't mean that things haven't been exciting-- sometimes I cry, bite my nails, or fall asleep with the computer on my lap.  I have become prett...

T-Shirts for sale! Posted about over 8 years ago

We are moving forward!  I just posted everything I have on Facebook today, so please help me get the word out to as many people as possible for support.  We only have 21 days in our campaign to sell these shirts, so order some Christmas presents and wear your support for adoption. :)  Here are the links for the 4 T-shirts we designed all by ourselves:Team Herndon Shirt  https://www.bonfire.com/...

Our adoption just got updated to Paperwork In Process Posted about almost 5 years ago

2/20/18Well, everyone, this process that is supposed to take years is happening very fast!  We heard a sermon on August 20th, and now here we are filing a digital TON of paperwork for a child who will potentially be living in our home as a member of our family before this time next year.  My heart races thinking about the permanence of the effect of my current actions.  Every deadline has a fac...