Home Study

We did it. We made it through the home study process. We submitted all the paperwork and we’ve had all the interviews. The only thing we need is the official paperwork, which we expect to have in a week. 

This process has been remarkably fast. Our caseworker said it’s almost unheard of to get the background checks finished in three weeks. We got the paperwork packet on January 12, 2018. I mentioned to a few people that I really wanted to be done in two months. They said not to hold my breath. A month and a half later, we are done. I truly think God moved miraculously with the background checks coming back so quickly. 

I’ve had a month and a half of at least some control in the process, but that all ends now. I can do my best to get the word out that we want to adopt, but I have absolutely no control over someone choosing us to parent their child/children (would you pray for twins for me?? ☺️). 

I know that we are surrounded by people who care about us, who will keep us in mind if they hear of a situation. In fact, our case worker said we are particularly fortunate to have so many friends out of state! I know that we have an amazing support system in place. I’m just so anxiously excited to meet the prospective birth parents who want to be part of our family. I’ve had a gut feeling that time is short until we have a baby in our arms. I still need patience for however long it takes. 

If you hear of anyone who is looking into adoption, please tell them about us! We might just be the perfect fit. 

See more of our story here.  And you can email us for more information at MakeUsParents1@gmail.com

Girls Trip

I had the opportunity this last month to take a girls trip to California with J, and it was a blast! We headed on the road to Vegas around noon so we could see the city that night. I’ve never been there before, and I’m glad I went. Now I know that I don’t really want to go again. There were a few things I liked though. Eating at In-N-Out is always a favorite! And the buildings were truly beautiful!

The water show at the Bellagio was cool!

 There were several things I didn't like about Vegas. It is called Sin City for a reason, but I didn't really know how badly my senses would be accosted with the demeaning of women. It really bothered me, so much so that I know I'll never be going back to the strip again.

The next day was better, however! J and I went to the Hoover Dam for the first time. It was absolutely massive. It's truly amazing how they were able to construct it. The heights were a bit scary at times, but it was so cool to see!

This was inside the power plant.
Those turbines continued another
40 feet under the ground!

So glad we didn't have to drive this bridge!

 After the Hoover Dam, we drove on to California! The main reason we made the trip at this time was specifically to go to an event with our favorite podcast hosts! The show was so much fun. I laughed so much. And finally being able to meet them in person was such a thrill. My favorite part is that they knew who I was as soon as I said my name. I've talked to them so many times on the phone, it truly feels like we are friends.

The party has begun!

We were in the second row! It was so fun to be so close.

We enjoyed meeting Jason Gray. His music was such a good fit for the show.

We met them!! Here are Brant and Sherri! Seriously, I'm still so excited to have met them. 

After the show, it was time to make our way to Laguna Beach to stay with J's family. They had a lovely home just a couple blocks from the beach. We spent a good portion of our day in California on the beach with good food (Whole Foods is the bomb) and Brant's great book!

We really had such a good time!

As a thank you for staying at their house, J and  I made supper! I was quite pleased with how it turned out. And afterwards, we got to go bowling! It was so much fun! I'm truly terrible at it, but I love it anyway.  I happened to have a fantastic streak of 7 gutter balls in a row before they got the bumpers going for me. Hehe. I did have a few strikes that didn't touch the bumpers at all though. So, I think I got better with time.

We left the next morning around 4am, and I'm happy to say that I finally drove in California. And yes, I'm the one who chose 4am so I didn't have to worry about traffic. It was a long drive back to Salt Lake, but we spent a lot of it listening to our new Jason Gray cds. It's hard to beat a road trip!


P.S. You should totally check out Brant Hansen's podcast at www.branthansen.com

The Spiritual Impact of being an Empath

I know that this post might seem a little crazy to some, but I’m only going to describe my own  experiences. If you don’t think it’s possible to feel the presence of the spiritual world, you may not want to read further. 😜

As a young child I would have dreams. I remember a dream I had when I was around 5-6. It was all about my mom dying and becoming a ghost. It was terrifying. I can remember countless nightmares for you right now. Pretty much all of them had some element of the spiritual world. My most common dreams were about the end times described in Revelations. 

I’ve always been extremely aware of the  presence of the spiritual world. For me it is almost tangible, like a thickness in the air. Before I was adopted into God’s family at age ten, I remember that tangible feeling always containing the element of fear. 

As I grew in my faith I started learning how to protect myself from this spiritual fear. The absolute power of speaking the name of Jesus Christ is undeniable. The entire thickness in the air disappears immediately, and peace comes in like a smooth breeze. I started having more dreams about the greatest of God, of being in heaven with Him. I started feeling very clear words that God wanted me to speak to others. I’ve been in awe of how many times the words coming out of my mouth are not words that I want to be speaking. For instance, telling someone to not let me pressure them to do a project quickly, and all I wanted was to tell them to do it immediately! 

Being an empath means that I’m intuitively aware of my surroundings, and I think that is most interestingly represented with my dreams. I remember having a dream about the location of a book my sister hid from me. Low and behold, I checked there the next morning and there it was! (She wasn’t very happy with me! 😜) What I have become known for is the incredible dreams I have about pregnancies around me! Immediately, without any thought, I know of four dreams that sisters and friends were pregnant! Each time they had been waiting to tell me for various reasons. I’ve also had multiple dreams about pregnancies that accurately predicted gender! In fact, to date, I’ve only had one gender based dream that has not come to pass.

My favorite thing about being a spiritual empath is that God has named all my kids. You can read those stories in-depth here: Named By God

I’ve loved learning more what it means to be an empath. Would you consider yourself an empath like me?