Clearance.

I'M OFFICIALLY CLEARED TO TRAVEL!

After one final run-around from the health clinic, I have gotten the A-OK to travel to China in 10 DAYS!
So relieved and excited and anxious to see where God takes me spiritually on this trip! I AM SO EXCITED. The countdown has officially begun.

Also, today marks 1 1/2 years until our wedding date. It makes everything feel so much more real. This is crazy exciting, but also pretty nervewracking as well, seeing as how there are a TON of things to prepare for! And I'm not even talking about the wedding. That's the LEAST of my worries. I'm concerned more about that part after the wedding is over. You know, LIFE? Yeah. But I know everything will work out in God's time and in the way that He has planned for us. :)

On a somber note, I want to express my sincere condolences to my friend Sonja and her family. Their sweet little baby, Jaxxon, passed from this earth suddenly on Tuesday. I can only imagine he was an angel too perfect for this damaged world. Sonja, Nelson, and big brother Connor will always have a special angel to look down on them from this day forward. May the Lord walk with them and comfort them during this time of unimaginable grief.

Hmm.

It's been a week since I last posted.

First off, the baby squeal went to baby squeal heaven two days after we...erm...received him. He's buried next to the fence with the baby duck. (Baby animals suck at staying alive!)

Tomorrow is my last exam for this semester. Tomorrow is also the day that I find out if I've been cleared to travel, health-wise. :\ Thanks to my stupid mitral valve issues, I may not get cleared. I don't even want to think about the possibility of not going to China in 11 days.  We shall see, I guess. Prayers would be greatly apreciated.

On a lighter note, tomorrow will 1 1/2 years until I marry the love of my life. Not that I'm counting or anything. :)

Today.

Good: Made it to class on time when I thought I wouldn't.

Bad: typhoid pills I had to start today have made me MISERABLE all day.

Good: Got to spend the day with Lawrence and Sam.

Bad: Sam decided to gift us with a baby squirrel. (at least he was gentle!)

Good: Had a wonderful time at my last youth meeting before the trip, and felt so humbled and blessed as they sent me off by praying over me. I love them all!

Bad: I'm gonna miss them when I'm gone!

Good: The squirrel was still alive when we got home!

Bad: We don't know what to do with it.

Good: it's been an overall awesome day filled with the best people. So blessed and thankful to have each and every one of them in my life. :)

Grumblings, Part 2.

What happened to part one, you don't ask?

Blogger ate it. Yay, Blogger!


Probably a good thing it got eaten. I said some not-so-nice things due to my level of STRESSED OUT-NESS lately.

I still think these not-so-nice things in my head, but in my head they shall stay.



In other news,

I frowed up on Saturday. This is news because 1. I never throw up. and 2. The epicness of said-barf was so extreme that even Lawrence was impressed. *takes a very gross bow*

Yeahhhh. I'm the barf queen.


-awkward moment where I realize I just told everyone I barfed-



ANYWAY.

Also, I leave in 19 days.


Down to the wire, we are.

I also have to come up with the *Surprise!* money to pay for my required "HIGHLY recommended" immunizations before I go. Because that big ol' "all inclusive" lump of money I shelled out for this required trip in the first place wasn't enough. That's cool. I see how it is. Gotta throw another extravagant party for [insert university president's name here] after all.

Grumble. *breathe*

BUT THAT'S OKAY.

Yes, [Insert school's name here] may or may not have completely screwed the pooch when it came to mentioning the plethora of hidden fees associated with this required-to-graduate trip.

Yes, because of that I will now be unable to graduate from said school after I have taken the aforementioned required trip.

YES I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED ABOUT THIS.

But as disappointed as I am, I'm still even more grateful that I'm getting to go to China. I'm still excited about waking up in Beijing for two and a half weeks, surrounded by a group of pretty cool people and an even cooler (And cuter) group of Chinese orphans. I'm getting to accomplish one of the top three dreams of my lifetime, after marrying the love of my life and going to China for a second time to actually bring HOME an orphan. (ONLY 7 MORE YEARS!!)

So yeah....There's disappointment. There's stress. A lot of stress. But there will be excitement, and a LOT of joy. I know everything happens for a reason. All of this is in God's plan.

It's gonna be great.

Bam-A-Lam.

Today has been quite a day.

Got to sleep in, which was nice. This week has been awesome for sleeping in. I could do Easter break every week....

I had originally planned to just lay in bed and play Mass Effect all say, but the raging pain in my head shouted that I was not allowed to do that, and that I needed sunlight and action instead. Soooo I went to Cleveland and hung out with Mom. Every day I am reminded of how blessed I am to have her in my life. I love my mom like there is no tomorrow. She's the bomb diggity. :)

It was around this time that I got two different, and exciting phonecalls. One was exciting enough, but the second one I still haven't fully recovered from. God is moving. He knows the plans He has for me. I can only pray that He continues to work in these situations. I will go where He leads, no matter how different or how scary it may be. I'm so excited.  I hope everything works out so that I may share more. For now, cryptic is best. :)

On a more somber note, a young girl lost her life on Keith Street this evening. I don't know the exact circumstances, but the scene was troubling. We passed through not long after it happened and saw the coroner's vehicle taking her body, and I've been rattled ever since. I pray comfort and peace for her family and friends during this unimaginably tragic time. My heart is heavy for a young life lost.

Tomorrow starts the weekend, and even though this week has been crazy easy, I'm still ready for it. Can't wait to see my honey and my puppy! And really excited for worship this Sunday.

Life is good.

Woops.

Obviously I haven't been keeping up with this thing like I planned.

Easter weekend will do that to you, I suppose.

Speaking of, Easter weekend was awesome this year. St. Peter's Good Friday service was so moving that I literally don't have decent words for it. It was beautiful, crushing, reverent, somber, hopeful, all of these things. It felt wrong to speak, even after it was over. The crucifixion of Christ never felt as real as it did in the nave last Friday. I was so glad to have gone.

Easter Sunday was pretty legit as well. Packed house, and quite festive. I was also privileged to hear one of the most beautiful and amazing stories I've ever heard, courtesy of Mrs. Beth. I love her. She's beautiful on the inside and out. :)

Today I (FINALLY) got to see Lawrence in a suit. It was sexy. And by sexy I mean "Omg I want to see this every day of my life melt me into butter" sexy. Good thing I'm marrying him. MUST SEE MORE SUIT-WEARING.

Now I'm in the final hours of my four-day-long Easter break. It's been a much needed period of rest.

It's also 25 days until I leave for China.

25 days.

I'm suddenly not as ready to go as I had thought. It's beginning to seem very, very real now.

Even more real now, because I JUST GOT MY CHILDREN ASSIGNED TO ME!!!! One little boy has joined a foster family, so I won't be seeing him while I'm there. Kinda bummed, but glad he is with a loving family. The little girl IS still residing at the foster home, so I will be able to interact with her a lot! I'm so excited, I've been reading her story since I found out I would be going to China. I know God has something in store for the both of us. I don't expect to be the same person when I leave China as I was when I arrived.

I'm so excited so excited so excited SO EXCITED. BABIES! CHILDREN! CHINESE KIDS! WOO!

Okay so maybe I AM ready to go.



....I need to go to bed. Actually, I need to read for my class tomorrow evening. But I have time to do that tomorrow. BEDTIME. MUST GO.

KTHXBYE.

Thursday on a Friday

I'm pretty sure the highlight of my day was getting to spend time with my mommy. It makes me happier than anything. I have the best mom in the world, no lie. She makes everything better. I love her more than anything.

Of course, another highlight was my snuggle nap with my buddy Sam. I know I talk about him in practically every post, but that's because I love him so. He's my good boy. ;)

Nothing much for tonight. It's sleepy time.

Good Friday service tomorrow...well, THIS evening. I'm excited. Love St. Peter's. Not a better church out there.

Until tomorrow, peace out.

Wednesday.

Wednesdays are my favorite.

Why? Because today....

...I sent off my passport and visa application. I hung out at church and got to make and bring food to some o my favorite people. I went deaf at youth. I stuffed more Easter eggs than I can count. I threw my iPhone in the garbage. I found it in the dumpster covered in garlic sauce and pizza grease. I sucked a bug up my nose. I went to BW3s with some awesome people and laughed till I was sore.

Now I'm lying in bed while Sam hits in me in the face with an oven mitt.


I love Wednesdays. 😃

Dog Parks, Passports, and Wooden Boxes.

First off, as a side note, it's midnight and there is a bird chirping incessantly outside my window. Y U NO GO TO SLEEP, BIRD.

Anyway.

Today we took Sam to the dog park so he could have a playdate with his girlfriend Inca (And so we could hang with Mariah while our lovebirds played). I'm pretty sure we're going to have to re-name him Simple Sam. If he wasn't staring at you with his beady yellow eyes and supplying you with an amazing slobbershower, he was trying to eat water (and poop), and cheating trying to cheat on Inca with members of both sexes. Obviously, Sam isn't picky.

It was a lot of fun though. Simple Sam has managed to go from being the awkward puppy that tries to bite everyone, to the awkward boy who everyone wants to be friends with. I'm so proud of our boy...Ha!

After we took Simple Sam back to Lawrence's, I headed home and procured some more supplies for our new photo-shipping endeavors! Woop woop! There are some pretty cool things going down at Lawrence J Photography these days. Proud of my man for coming up with such great ideas, and very proud that I get to work alongside him.

Also, MY PASSPORT FINALLY CAME. *CARTWHEEL* *PARADE* *WEIRD-KAZOO-NOISEMAKER-THING YOU GET AT PARTIES*

...Not that I'm excited about this, or anything. Pfft.


YESIAM


Gonna get that, along with my Chinese visa application, sent off tomorrow. Then the last major hurdle will be immunizations....that I keep putting off.

Guess I'll man up and do it Friday. Maybe. *Shudder*


Anyway. It's closing in on 1 AM and I have class in the morning. Bright side?  TOMORROW IS ALSO YOUTH GROUP DAY!

It's the little things.

True Story.

There will never be anything on earth that smells worse than cat poop.



Fact.

Testing, 1...2...75.

I need to get (back) in the habit of keeping a journal before I take my happy butt to China, where a daily journal is required. Obviously, you know how much I'm going to hate writing about being in an amazingly beautiful country, surrounded by tiny little Asian babies. 

So here it is...Ch-ch-check it out. It's my IDEAL goal to write in this thing every day. It is my realistic goal to blog at least every other day. Definitely every week. If I fail to do so, hit me with blunt objects until I pound something out. 

If you do this sort of blogging thing and you feel so inclined, follow me. If not, lurking is good too. Just don't do anything creepy. I'll come after you with scissors.