Blog Anniversary!

So today is the one year anniversary of the day this blog launched. I've been thinking back over the changes I have experienced, and it still stuns me.

Trip to Ethiopia
Decision to adopt a 10 year old girl
Foster kids moved after spending over a year with us
Sell our house
Move out of state
Buy a new house
Start new jobs (both Chris and I)
Kids start new school
Lose adoption referral
Surprise pregnancy
Lots of remodeling projects
Decision to adopt our little girl
And we are another year older!

--And that is just our immediate family! It seems like everyone around us has had lots of changes too.

I am so thankful for all the new friends I have met this year through my trip to Africa, this blog, and our super-supportive adoption community. Between old friends, family, and new friends, we have survived all of these changes pretty well!

I also want to say a public Happy Blog Anniversary to one of my very special new friends over at Selah At Last, who started her blog on the same day as I started this one. We were strangers that day. But this last year has seen so many changes for both of us, and I completely believe that God intended for our lives to intertwine in so many interesting ways. Kimberly also went to Ethiopia this last year with her beautiful family. Her new son is only a couple of months older than our new daughter, and they will always share Ethiopia and adoption in common. A strange twist during this last year is that Kimberly and her family were planning to go work in the same school we considered working in this school year - in Ethiopia! It didn't work out for either of us, so we met in Portland, instead! Kimberly helped Chris and I weather a very stressful out-of-state house search. In fact, I don't think we would have survived without her, and I know we wouldn't have found the house we were able to buy. She was calm, always supportive (even through an inspection of a house we didn't end up buying!), and always made time to help. At this point I can't even remember how many houses we made offers on by faxing paperwork back and forth from Washington to Oregon. She always had our hearts and our family in mind. Her compassionate heart is so needed in this world. Her love for Ethiopia and anyone hurting, especially kids, is contagious. She and her family were the first people to reach out and welcome us to our new community (besides some very loving neighbors), and now our kids go to the same school! She is a precious treasure to all who know her, and I am so thankful that we were able to meet! So Happy Blog Anniversary, dear friend! I am excited to see where God takes you this year!

Here's to another year for all of us, especially all of the other willing hearts out there - and you know who are :) I am grateful to know you!!

Much love,
--Carrie