Happy (boys stop playing football in the living room) Thanks (Jerry, will you please tell the boys to stop) Giving (STOP IT NOW OR THE TURKEY DIES)

It's Thanksgiving at the Williams house which means one thing - FOOTBALL. Yes, we are a football family and we bleed MAROON AND WHITE! GO DAWGS. Ahhh, can you hear those cowbells ring? As I type this post Jerry has switched the TV no less than 1 million times waiting on the Egg Bowl to start. What is the Egg Bowl those of you NOT from the Magnolia State may ask? It is the battle between Mississippi State University and their beloved bulldogs and the team from the north, ole miss (notice all lowercase letters). Jerry is afraid that the game might start without him hearing the brilliant commentary. You know things like "Well Joe, if they want to win this game the will need to have a strong defense and quick offense and score some points." DUH, do you think! I hate it when they spend 30 minutes stating the obvious. So, I was thinking about what I was thankful for and I decided to post about three things that weren't the obvious. Please don't think that I am not truly thankful for the blessings of our home and food and such. I am often overwhelmed at just how much God has blessed our family, but I wanted to think of things that were not so obvious, but unique to me. So here goes...

I am thankful that when I was a child and prayed and asked God to make me like Snow White so the animals would come to me that in many ways He did. We love animals and they add so much joy and happiness to our family. Pogo has helped Jake to learn the roles of a parent and why discipline is necessary and that it is pleasant to give and receive affection. This weekend little Pellet got into the garbage and ate something that required a visit to the vet and some meds and several hours of worry, but she is much better.

I am thankful that after almost 2 decades our best friends from college are STILL our best friends. We had a house full of laughter and fun and children this weekend. We would have never imagined all those years ago what our lives would have been like or the adventures we have had together over the years. We have came a long way from the Ripley house with one bedroom and watching Aladdin for 1000 times because it was all we had.

I am thankful for my iphone. Seems superficial, but in this age having the capability to communicate with the world has been precious to me. On that phone I can contact my sweet hubby anytime or place, I talk with my children every morning on our ways to school, on that phone I heard our referral for Abby, then on Thanksgiving Day I checked the email on that phone and there were new pictures of Abby. I have obsessed over each one enlarging and looking at every pixel of her precious smile.

Three things that mean a lot to me. What are your things? God loves us in such unique ways. He knows us so intimately and loves us that way. His love is not just a blanket love for mankind, it is a unique and personal love for us by name. So as the Egg Bowl kicks off, the dogs are piling up around us, my boys are getting totally engrossed in the game, my iphone by my side and I'm thinking about plans to head to our friends over Christmas break - we say Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours - GO DAWGS!

Oddly Familar

This feels oddly familiar. Here I am again typing my thoughts while waiting for a plane trip to meet our new child. So much has changed and then again so little has changed. Jon was born 13 years ago, Jake was adopted almost 2 years ago, I still look amazingly young for my age (insert laughter) and Jerry is still sitting in his chair watching football! Really, life has been a whirlwind for several years. One day we were minding our own business, then WHAM - Jon was born. Life rocked on for almost a decade, then WHAM- we met Jake. Life came to a screeching crawl for 3 years, then FINALLY - Jake's adoption was complete. And now... we are setting up plans for a January flight to Ethiopia to meet our sweet Hiyab. A GIRL! Who knew there were so many types of hair bows!!. What hasn't changed is our heart for family and adoption. Actually, I was just sitting here thinking about how I could just stay at home, raise my kids, adopt more and help other families adopt. Who knows what God has up His sleeve. Anyway, we are here again, both familiar and unfamiliar. International adoption, but to a new continent. A child to add to our family, but a daughter this time. Re-painting rooms, one is now "cuddle" yellow. Thinking of a packing list, this time there will be no snow or ice. Booking coach seats on at least 3 flights.... actually this part hasn't changed, but if fasting really works we should be sitting in first class (Jerry, put down that hamburger!!!!!) Oddly familiar - yes, but still excitingly different, and still in love with the journey!