First Week of School.......

So the last 20 out of 23 posts in the last 11 months have been related to our adoption.  Strickland Sentiments (the blog) has been around 2+ years before we ever announced God's plan for us to adopt.  I just realized I am letting this be only about that....when there is so much more in my life, in my other three blessings lives, and what God is teaching me and showing me.  I should focus more of my attention on that and then perhaps the waiting won't be so hard.  (As if you believed I couldn't talk about it at all!)

Anyways, Tuesday was a first for me.  Since I have been a mom (9+ years ago), I have either been working or being a mom full time.  Yesterday all 3 of my kiddos went to school (Pre-K, 1st, & 4th) at the same time for the first time (of course Pre-K is only 3 hours, but none the less) and I didn't have specific obligations/work.  I know that I have a lot on my plate coming up---MOPS, half marathon, Hannah's Refuge fundraiser, substitute teaching, volunteering at the school, etc.)  but for this week, I am just a stay at home mom wondering what to do when no one is asking me a million questions or telling me what to do.  Please don't get me wrong.  I have A BILLION things I need to do.  My house is not clean.  My files are not organized.  My work is not done.  And yet I kind of acted "lost" today and still just kind of wasted my time online (surprise, surprise).

So please pray that I adjust to a routine of being without my kiddos in the mornings and use the time to be productive and God honoring (which probably means more Bible reading/reading and less facebooking).  My procrastination characteristic hasn't changed.....so I am sure to start al of this "productiveness" next week.  Thanks for listening!



Chris praying for our kid's day and year....I am so grateful he is such a
 helper with our kids in the mornings and a part of their daily routine.

 

 So I got them each in a "traditional" front porch shot and a different pose that shows off a bit more of their personality. I love my kids!  And so far they are loving school!
                                    

Am I blessed or what???  :) 

13 month Waitiversary & a "little" encouragement

Today (even though there are only 30 min left in the day) marks our 13 month wait to meet our daughter.  It is getting tough to be patient.  It is getting tough to remain unobsessed with other's stories and trusting our own path (or God's path?).  SO.......

Meet Bek. 

Bek is our friends Jen & Trevor's son.  We met Bek for the first time at Christmas 2011 only it was via a photo.  Since then we have prayed and waited and wished and prayed some more to get this boy home to his forever family.  He became a dual citizen on July 2, 2012 and one month later we finally met him face to face.  You can read about Bek and his siblings at my friend's blog: Team Chase: 5 and Counting {our blessings}.

Why I am I sharing this?  Because meeting Bek gives me encouragement.  Although my friends did not wait as long as we have on the "wait list" to see his face for the first time......it was long for them.  They have their own story, and it has many ups and downs, including a long 8 month wait from referral to home.  But I know the Chase's believe with every fiber of their being that he was worth the wait.

Chloe IS too.

Please pray for steady movement.  For referrals, for those in the middle of the process, for Ethiopia, and for our sweet Chloe wherever she is. 



YOU are my sister!

Congratulations to the winner of the Thankful Blocks from Blessings Unlimited:

HEATHER KRIETE!

I should also take this time to thank Heather (credit Heather) for the design of our Run 2 Love 4 Love T-shirts.  She has been a huge help in putting on our race both years, along with some very other special friends.  Actually, Cassie Kriete & Melissa Gerdel are the two that pushed us to put on the race again and the three above ladies have to commit to putting it on with me each and every year. :)   I shared how successful the 2nd Annual race was HERE.  Besides the amazing ladies above I would like to give thanks to Andrew, Chris & Tayra, Gussie, Sally & Dennis, Sandy, Pam, Leslie, Dave Armstrong, Andy & Ashley Adrian, Bob & Christine

Me, Cass, & Miss sporting Heather's shirt design at the race this year.

I am just so grateful for sisters.  Not official blood relation sisters (although I have one and I love her to pieces).....but "In Christ" sisters.  Those that push you to be better, those that encourage you when you are throwing yourself a pity-party, those that mentor you along the way.  Some are little sisters, some are big sisters, others may be twins (Cassie).  Some our little "big" sisters, meaning they are younger than me, but their wisdom is far better than mine and I am challenged by them quite often (Missy & Christina).

So I have been so blessed to have so many sisters in my life and I want to give a shout out to some of them right now:  Christy, Heidi, Shanna, Melissa, Stephanie, Jen, Rachael, Sally, Evelyn, Dana, and Jessica (Along with the 4 above that I love!)

That is just the beginning of my list of In-Christ sisters that I have.  Especially where I am right now, I have tons of sisters that encourage me and hopefully I encourage them.  I am hoping and praying that this upcoming year will be a year of growth, risk taking, and truly helping our fellow sister because WE ALL NEED ENCOURAGEMENT!!!

Below is the blog I read that pushed me to write this "thank you" if you will.  I read it and got fired up about how we are suppose to treat each other, and let each other in our real lives and struggles, and be big sisters to little sisters AND for those of us who seem to be big sisters to admit we need big sisters too!!!  Please read it and be encouraged (although I do not believe you will get through the 2,002 responses on this particular blog post---talk about hitting a nerve on a needed subject area).  If nothing else you will either thank God for the different blessings you have and that your life is not as hard as it may appear OR you will be so grateful that you are not alone with the struggles you have. 

http://blog.lproof.org/2012/07/big-sisters-and-little-sisters.html

P.S.  I read Psalm 25.  It is good.  Real good.  I have accepted the challenge to memorize it.  I have only 5 verses down (needing bigger nudges to do this in a timely fashion).......Who is with me?

One year waiting & utterly blessed.......

Today marks one year on our wait list.  I know I sound like a broken record, but when we started this journey I never imagined us making it to this point.....but here we sit (or stand depending how you look at it).  The good news is our number has changed since last month.  We are now number.............................................................................

These shoes were the perfect pic for our new number.  Dirty shoes but not totally worn down shoes.  It may still be a long road until we see Chloe home, but we are going to keep on trecking, walking, running, {insert any of your own "moving forward" verbs here}.

Please pray for continued referrals, quick turn around for those between referral and court and between court and bringing child home. 

I just want to share how blessed we are because we are on this journey. God is teaching us a lot about His patience with us, His all encompassing love, His joy and excitement for when we come to be apart of His family, and so on and so on. May I not be blind to the other things God is trying to show us.

Of course one of the biggest lessons (which I like to believe I already knew---but it was 1000% confirmed this past year) is that we ARE so blessed.  Blessed to have the privelage to  even be on this journey, blessed to meet others that share the same passion and calling (James 1:27), blessed to have christian family and friends who are so supportive both emotionally and financially, blessed to have God's people who are literally helping to "bring Chloe home".  Blessed to see God work in so many different hearts and lives.  God is good all the time! And all the time God is good!

Once you figure out how blessed you are the only thing thing that can spill over is gratitude.  Gratitude for all that God has done.  Not the least of these being adopted and saved into His family.

OK, I am going to admit that I am going to be done with the monthly giveaways, I pray that doesn't mean friends will stop reading the blog.   I just don't know how long of a wait we will have and I can't keep putting my efforts into them.....But perhaps when we get our referral, I can have something fantastic to celebrate with!!!

So for our final giveaway we are giving away these Thankful Blocks from Blessings Unlimited.

How to win them:

1.  Visit my consultant Debbie's Blessings Unlimited page above and leave a comment about what item would you feel blessed to have.  (Seriously I have a Blessed necklace, a Phillipians 4:8 bracelet, 3 gorgeous ornaments that I use all year round, a nativity puzzle for the kids, and the One Thousand Gifts Family Gratitude Journal---I LOVE their stuff!)

2.  Follow Blessings Unlimited on twitter and leave a seperate comment that you did so (I linked to twitter from Debbie's page).

3.  Become a follower of our blog and leave a comment that you did so.

4.  Share our blog on facebook and leave a comment that you did so.

5.  Leave a comment about what you are most grateful for or how you have been blessed this past year.

*** The deadline will be 7/12/12.  I will draw a winner Friday morning.***

Blessings to you and thanks for listening to our sentiments!

THE WINNER IS...........(In more ways than one!)

I thoroughly LOVED reading each of your "looking back" moments.  Isn't it good to see that we are not alone in learning lessons from God?  I hope you read through them all.  Each friend has such a testimony.  Thank you to each friend who commented.  I wish I could give each of you one of the necklaces.  But alas, I can only give one.  That winner is...........

                                                               JEN CHASE

Well this would be a good time as any to ask all the rest of you to join Chris & I as we join Trevor & Jen THIS Wednesday night in prayer.  They have a birth mother interview on Thursday in Ethiopia at 7:30 AM, which is 11:30 Wednesday night here and we need to boldy pray that the interview goes smoothly and perhaps there very long wait to bring Bek home will come to a final celebration time on Thursday when they get clearance from our Embassy to GO PICK UP THEIR SON!!!  (Very appropriate for Jen to win this week, as "Faith in God's Timing" has been one of her major lessons in this journey as well)  They became a waiting family December 2010, recieved their referall November 2011 (after 10 1/2 month wait), and hopefully will be picking Bek up June 2012 (7 1/2 months after seeing his gorgeous face). See Bek and read all about their specific prayer requests HERE.


Also, there was actually a referral this past week which is a huge praise, b/c they had come to a complete stand still.  We are now #38, which may be what you thought we were already, but in early spring we had actually climbed the other (wrong) direction and I didn't have the heart to change my number.  So PRAY that more referrals could come THIS week!!  I would love some prayer warriors on Chloe's behalf.  We would love to see who she is!!!!

****Also a huge shout out to The Adopt Shoppe for donating the necklace.  Since then she has printed my adoption verse on one: The Lord will fight for you.  You need only to be still. Exodus 14:14.  So that is my choice and I am just going to go buy myself one.  :)  Hoping for a new number by our 1 year waitiversary in 3 weeks.