Category Archives: Links

Click on the title of the blog post to view the entire entry.


Girls Night Out with Anjelah Johnson!

August 29, 2010 – 8:37 PM

Last night I met some girlfriends at Zanie’s to see Anjelah Johnson do a little stand up comedy, and it was great!  She did a little Bon Qui Qui for us . . . which was pretty much awesome . . .

I’m not usually a big stand up comedy fan because I don’t particularly love crudeness or poking fun of other people.  Anjelah, however, has a very clean show & I would definitely go see her live again.  I didn’t realize how much I needed to just get out and have fun and laugh until I was there.  The past few months have been kind of emotional and a little more stressful than usual, and it was SO good to just laugh for 2 hours!

So . . . . in other news . . . . we leave for Ethiopia on SATURDAY!!!  Only SIX more days until we’re on our way to get our boy!  It will be a busy week, but we’re soooooo ready.  And guess what I got for my birthday?  This little gem!  Except mine has three heartstrings & all three of our boys’ names on it.  I love it & I’ve been wearing it ever since it came in the mail.  It came from Lisa Leonard Designs.  Her stuff is really cute.

Okay, I’m tired so that’s all I have for tonight.  I hope you all have a great week!

By Katie | Also posted in Adoption | Comments (2)

fun at the airport

August 27, 2010 – 6:19 PM

This afternoon we joined a big group of people at the airport to welcome the Bonner family.  They are HOME, and their family is finally TOGETHER!  Their son “G” is one of our son’s Hannah’s Hope buddies, and we were able to get to know him and play with him a lot when we were in Ethiopia a few weeks ago.  We just LOVE him, and it was SOOOOO good to see him again . . . this time here in Nashville!  I had to fight tears the whole time we were there because seeing him made me miss our little guy terribly.  Two weeks from today we’ll be at the airport again – this time on the other side of things – bringing our boy home.  I absolutely cannot wait . . . it’s making me crazy!  Here’s the Stavnes family.  They live in the area and just got home with their son a few weeks ago.  He is adorable!

Of course Lucy Lane and her crew were there!

Riley & Cole were excited because I checked them out of school a little early to join in the fun.  I can’t get a “normal” picture of Cole for anything right now – he is just plain crazy!  I think it was good for them to get a little taste of what they’ll experience in a couple of weeks so they’ll know what to expect.

And here they come!!!!!  Vanessa was overcome with emotion, and who can blame her???  Their journey has been a long one filled with many unexpected twists and turns.

There was a big crowd there to celebrate with them (including the Peters family) . . .

Lots of love and attention . . .

Here he is playing peek-a-boo with Brad.  He remembered him from our time at Hannah’s Hope (who can forget that big goatee?!?!)  Welcome home little guy!  We love you so much & can’t wait for a playdate really soon!!!

By Katie | Also posted in Adoption | Comments (5)

Moses

July 17, 2010 – 7:07 PM

Brad and I are blessed to know Travis & Maggie of Global Support Mission. I’m so thankful for the work God is doing through them in Uganda and other parts of Africa. I saw this video a couple of nights ago, and little Moses has been on my mind a lot since then. I’m praying BIG things for him today.  This is an amazing story of hope, and I love these quotes from the video:

One of the things that makes me happy is to know that living HIV+ is not something that kills people….Most people give up on the kids….They give up and wait for the kid to die….One of the things that excites me very much is that this kid is given a chance to live…..A chance to be respected…..A chance to be treated like a human being……A chance to be fed and provided with medical care like any other human being….He has a future…..He’s living with dignity…..He has hope again…..What matters is that he has life.

There are entirely too many children across the world like little Moses.  They’re neglected and basically left to die.  I’m so thankful that he’s been given a second chance at life.  I’m praying that God heals and strengthens his little body.  I’m grateful for organizations like Global Support Mission who help give hope and life.  If you’re not familiar with them, check out their website for lots of great information, some other videos, and to see how you can partner with them.

By Katie | Also posted in Africa & Ethiopia, Media | Comments (0)

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” – Proverbs 27:17

July 1, 2010 – 2:22 PM

Meet Jenny & Elissa.  They’re a couple of my really good friends.  Because of our crazy schedules, we don’t get to spend as much time together these days as I would like.  However, they are a very important part of my life.

I knew Jenny when we all lived in Memphis and went to church together.  (Brad actually performed Blake and Jenny’s wedding ceremony.)  They moved to Nashville shortly after we did (or before – I can’t remember?), and we reconnected when they started coming to Green Hills Church.  I met Elissa about three years ago when she started coming to church as well.  Somewhere along the way, we started a Bible study together.  We called it our Monday Morning Mocha group, and meeting up with them was a great start to my week.  We did Beth Moore’s Esther study together, and then we read Jen Hatmaker’s “Ms. Understood” together.  During our study of that book and the discussions that ensued, God really began to burden my heart for orphans.  These girls (and one other friend, Mandy) were a part of my journey to adoption from the very beginning.  They would listen to my passionate rants and were supportive of what God was stirring up in my heart.

Fast forward to today, and Elissa has spent all week in the same city that our son lives in now – Addis Ababa.  Yep, she’s there right now with Visiting Orphans, and they’re getting ready to head to Uganda for a week.  Before she left, the three of us got together to make some bracelets for her to pass out to the kids (along with a bunch of other goodies).  It’s been fun to watch Elissa get ready for this trip, and I know she will come back with a changed heart and perspective.

I’m thankful to have friends who are passionate about caring for “the least of these.”  I’m thankful for friendships that sharpen me and push me to be more like Jesus.  Elissa, we miss you & can’t wait to hear all about your trip when you get back!  (Oh, and to top it off . . . Jenny’s husband Blake will be traveling to Addis Ababa in a few weeks with Visiting Orphans and Ordinary Hero to host soccer camps for orphans and street children!).  What is it with all these people going to Ethiopia?!  I love it and can’t wait until it’s our turn!

By Katie | Also posted in Africa & Ethiopia, Green Hills Church, Media | Comments (0)

what a fun day!

June 30, 2010 – 4:52 PM

Here are some things that have made this day so much fun:

1) I got a Facebook email this morning from a friend who’s in Ethiopia right now.  The subject was “your boy” (which is enough to make me smile in and of itself!).  It read, “Spent time with your boy today.  PRECIOUS.  Got new pictures and video of him being S.I.L.L.Y!  Too cute.  He is just too cute!!!!!!!  Such personality–and SO SWEET!!!!!!!! He is so full of life and personality!!!”  WOW!  I just sat at my desk with tears streaming down my cheeks.  I have to believe that God lined up our referral and her trip so that she could love on our son and give us a report on how he’s doing.  Every little bit of information we can find out about him and Hannah’s Hope is a little gift while we wait . . . and pictures and video . . . I don’t have words to describe how much those will mean when we see them!  THANK YOU, friend!

2) Remember me talking about my Ethiopian Starbucks barista friend?  Well, I went into Starbucks the day after we got our referral with pictures in hand ready to tell her all about it.  Much to my dismay, I was told that she was out of town for a while visiting family in Seattle.  Well . . . she’s back, and I ran in today to show off my boy and chat with her for a minute.  And GUESS WHAT?!  Her mother is from the same city as our son . . . Mekele!!!  AND, she speaks Tigrinya because her mother taught it to her as a child!  Incredible.  To make my smile even bigger, the store manager handed this to me . . .

I’m so thankful for sweet friends celebrating with us.  The Nipper’s Corner Starbucks is my little home-away-from-home, and I just love all the employees there.  Thanks Ang and the gang for being so excited with us and for our little gift!  It means far more than you know.

3)  I had our “Next Steps” call with our case manager today.  I really didn’t learn much new information about our timeline because we’re sort of in a time of “limbo” (since we got our referral so quickly).  We’ll know a little more in the next couple of weeks as our dossier arrives in Ethiopia and our file is opened in the court system.  It was just really encouraging to talk about travel and court because I sometimes still find it hard to believe that we’re even really to that point yet.  I did learn that we can make a photo album to send over for our little guy so he can get acquainted with our family.  We will also make one for his birth mother and send it over with a letter written to her from our family.  I can’t even begin to think of what to say to her yet, but I’m praying that God will give me words that will speak peace, comfort and assurance to her heart.  I’ll write more on that later. 

Please continue to pray that our dossier arrives quickly and that they are able to obtain little man’s birth certificate quickly. Those things are necessary for our file to be opened.

As I’m sitting here typing this post, I’m reminded of this time two weeks ago.  We were about to receive a call that would forever change us.  We’re so incredibly blessed, and we appreciate your prayers and support so much!

By Katie | Also posted in Adoption, Africa & Ethiopia, News | Comments (1)

2 things:

June 27, 2010 – 7:30 PM

1) We went to our local African adoption fellowship group for the first time tonight, and there were SO many people there!  It was almost overwhelming, but I was really encouraged to see first-hand the amazing community that’s available in our area for adoptive families.  A HUGE thank you to the Johnson family for hosting.  It was great to see all the little Ethiopian kids running around!  Oh, how I long for the day when we can take our little guy there!  I was especially excited to meet the Bonner family who is adopting a 3.5-year-old boy, too!  They live about five minutes from us, and our little guys are probably buddies at Hannah’s Hope – how COOL is that?!?!  Once they’re both home, they can continue to be friends!

2) I got an email today that MADE MY DAY.  It was from a friend who was at Hannah’s Hope earlier today meeting her boys for the first time.  She said she recognized our little guy right away and said his name to be sure.  According to her, he lit up and smiled, nodded his head, and warmed up.  She said he does seem to be reserved and that he wasn’t being pushy (good boy!).  Any little tiny bit of information we can hear about him right now means the world to me, and I’m so appreciative of her taking the time to write and let us know how he is doing.  It also makes me want to jump on a plane and go to Ethiopia right now!

That’s all for now.  I decided to rearrange the bedrooms upstairs yesterday to start making room for little man, and it’s a complete disaster up there!  I’m off to see if I can undo some of the damage that I’ve done!

By Katie | Also posted in Adoption, News | Comments (4)

tears of JOY for my friend

June 27, 2010 – 2:11 PM

Check out Andrea’s latest post and see the most precious image of her holding her baby boy while he sleeps.  He’s having a tough day, so please say a prayer for him.  He’s been through a lot in his 10 short months, and he’s not feeling well.  I can’t get over the fact that he’s finally in her arms and how beautiful he is!!!  Congratulations to the Young family!

By Katie | Also posted in Adoption | Comments (0)

wait: \wāt\ v., to remain or rest in expectation

June 26, 2010 – 9:32 PM

I’m not sure I’ve ever felt quite as distracted as I do these days.  It’s been 10 days since we got our referral for our little boy, and my mind seems to constantly spin thinking about him, his birth mother, what time it is in Ethiopia, how long it will take for our file to be opened in court, what he must be feeling, whether he’s adjusting okay to living at Hannah’s Hope, etc., etc.  We’re part of the listserve for our agency (a yahoo group for AGCI families adopting from Ethiopia), and I’ve been getting to know some of the other families and reading lots of their blogs.  I’ve tried and tried to figure out our timeline from here, but as I should already know by now, that just isn’t possible.  I’m learning {again} to rest in the promise that God is writing this little one’s story, and I am not in control.

The most common question we get these days is “So, when will you bring him home?”  While that’s certainly a valid question, we don’t have an answer quite yet.  What we do know is that our “Acceptance of Referral” documents arrived at AGCI and will be processed on Monday.  Our dossier is making its way to Ethiopia and will get there toward the middle of next week at the earliest.  At that point, the process of opening our file will begin.  Some preliminary information has already been sent to get the translation started, but the dossier is needed to move forward completely.  (Typically the dossier is in Ethiopia well before a referral is given, but our situation is a little different since we got our referral the same day that our dossier was approved.)

Also, as I mentioned in an earlier post, our timeline could be affected by the court closure for the rainy season.  I don’t know yet when they’ll close (it seems to vary from year to year), so we’ll have to wait and see how quickly everything moves along.  At this point, I’m thinking it’s unlikely that we’ll get in beforehand.  However,  if I’ve learned anything in this process, it’s to never make assumptions about time frames!  I definitely trust God’s timing, but there’s also a longing in my heart to get him home as quickly as possible.

Speaking of getting little ones home, my friends Andrea and Marcy are in Ethiopia RIGHT NOW getting ready to meet their kids for the first time!!!  I have had butterflies in my stomach for them all day, and I’m so excited for both of them!   Brad and I went to high school with Andrea, and it’s been so fun to reconnect with her on this journey.  She and her family are adopting a 10-month old little boy named Isaac.  Marcy, on the other hand, I’ve never met.  She contacted me when she heard about our referral to let me know that she’d be sure to love on our little guy some while she’s at Hannah’s Hope (SO sweet!).  She and her husband are adopting two little boys, ages 2.5 & 3.5.  It’s likely that her oldest son and our guy are buddies!  It means the WORLD to me to know that both of these sweet friends are checking on him and loving on him.  I can’t wait to hear what they have to say about him, too!  Well, that’s it for tonight.  I’ll be sure to post an update when we know more.

By Katie | Also posted in Adoption, News | Comments (4)

AND IT’S OFF!

June 22, 2010 – 11:55 PM

{Our referral acceptance packet, that is}.  We completed all of the documents, had everything notarized, and put it in the mail today . . . exciting!

It’s amazing what can happen in a week (or in a day).  Last Tuesday we weren’t even on the waitlist yet.  Tomorrow will mark one week since we got waitlist numbers AND a surprise referral!  The past week has been a complete blur, and I’m soooo tired.  It’s worth every bit, though, when I look at the sweet face on the refrigerator, or on my desktop, or in my wallet, or in the notebook that I carry everywhere I go . . . you get the point – I have his pictures everywhere!  Here’s a rundown of the week:

Wednesday (6/16) – Took Riley to summer camp, took Cole to VBS, taught my ESL class at NICE, picked Riley up from camp, picked Cole up from VBS, got call that our dossier had FINALLY been approved & got waitlist numbers (siblings – 38 & boys – 41), danced around the house all afternoon relieved that we had made it that far, got referral call & totally freaked out, went to small group in a daze & celebrated with friends, couldn’t seem to fall asleep because of excitement ….

Thursday (6/17) – Riley back at summer camp, Cole back at VBS, printed out referral acceptance forms and began completing them, made calls about international pediatrician review & letter, still couldn’t sleep that night because my mind was going in 100 different directions ….

Friday (6/18) – Riley back at summer camp, Cole back at VBS, faxed and emailed all medical documents, etc. to international pediatrician’s office, picked Riley up early from camp, went to Cole’s VBS program & cried when the kids sang “Mighty to Save” and I learned that their lesson that day was “God Gives us Family,” worked on “Adoptive Parent Transition Plan” (no small task), had phone call with international pediatrician to discuss our little guy’s medical information, went to the park with Brad and the boys for a MUCH NEEDED picnic and some fresh air …..

Saturday (6/19) – Photography session at 8 AM, drove to our social worker’s house in Smyrna so she could sign a form for our referral acceptance packet, worked on more referral paperwork, photographed a WEDDING from 3:30 – 9:00 PM, crashed when I got home – completely exhausted …..

Sunday (6/20) – Went to church with pictures in hand to show off little man, enjoyed worshiping and celebrating with friends, tried to rest some that afternoon, went to Target to buy a couple of small toys for Andrea to give to our guy when she’s there picking up her son next week (!!!!), went out to dinner at Mafiaozas to celebrate Father’s Day with Brad and the boys, stayed up until 1:30 AM finishing our “Adoptive Parent Transition Plan” (ugh!) …..

Monday (6/21) – Dropped Riley off at summer camp, grabbed a coffee traveler from Starbucks for my ESL class, stopped by post office to mail some Show Love shirts and the package for Andrea to take to Ethiopia, taught my ESL class, went to bank to deposit money into adoption fund account, picked Riley up from summer camp, hung out with Jenny & Elissa to make bracelets for Elissa to take on her trip to Ethiopia and Uganda (more on that later), had quick phone call with Julie, our case manager at AGCI, emailed transition plan to Emily at AGCI, photography session at 6 PM in Hillsboro Village, worked on editing a photography session because my client can only be so patient! …..

Tuesday (6/22) – Riley at summer camp, worked on editing session some more while Cole interrupted me 127 times because he was “bored” (which isn’t allowed at our house – there’s always work that can be done!), Brad and I had our transition plan call with Emily from AGCI (Wow!  LOTS of good information and facing the reality of what all our little guy might be dealing with emotionally and psychologically when he gets home – more on that later, too), picked Riley up, we all went to the bank to have referral documents notarized, mailed referral packet (YAY!), took the boys to the library because I had promised, finished editing session and posted online, updated “fees” page on this blog (more on that later, too), and now I’m writing this post! ……

….. and all of that while trying to do all the other normal stuff like clean house, do laundry, cook dinner, pay bills, play with the kids, etc. etc.

I thought after we got on the waitlist that we’d have a little bit of a breather, but God had other plans (and I’m SOOOO thankful for them)!  It’s been a whirlwind week, but it’s all good because it’s worth every single minute of it.  I’ve got lots of blog posts swirling around in my head.  Hopefully I’ll have some time this week to get them on here, so stay tuned! . . .

By Katie | Also posted in Adoption, Family, News | Comments (1)

melt. my. heart.

June 20, 2010 – 2:51 PM

I saw this picture on Facebook on Tuesday (pre-referral excitement craziness), and my heart melted. This is my sweet, sweet friend Heather. She and her husband, Kelly, were in Ethiopia on a mission trip last week.  While there, they worked with The Forsaken Children.  To learn more about their journey, check out Heather’s Blog and Kelly’s Blog. And did you notice that shirt Heather is wearing?! It looks kind of familiar to me!

Also, I’ve been meaning to post this video all week.  It documents the day THIS family met their daughter, and I love it because it shows the amazing relationship the “special mothers” at Hannah’s Hope have with the children under their care.  I’m so incredibly thankful for these women, and I’m grateful that our little man is receiving so much care and love in the middle of a very sad and confusing time in his life.  There are two things that ease the ache in my heart and the anxiety that comes with having to wait to get to him.  One is the knowledge of the immense love that God has for our son and the fact that He’s right there with him.  The other is the wonderful care and love he’s receiving from his special mother(s).   As you’ll see in the video, this is not merely just a job for these ladies.  They truly love the children and constantly have to say goodbye to them.  I know it must be so bittersweet for them, and I can’t help but believe that they will have many jewels in their crowns in heaven!

Lastly (but certainly not least), HAPPY FATHER’S DAY to my dad, my father-in-law & my amazing husband!  I’m so thankful for the influence these men have in my life and in the lives of my children.  I love all three of you very, very much!

By Katie | Also posted in Adoption, Africa & Ethiopia, Family, Media | Comments (4)