Silence....

It's been a full week since we've heard anything from Dennis. It's been really odd to not have anything to follow up on, forms to fill out and mail, or questions to answer. It's been silent. It's been hard.

In the silence, I certainly have heard a lot. I've heard all my thoughts and fears voiced in my head. I've heard all the questions that I've had come to the fore-front of my mind. I've also heard the Lord in his quiet way remind me that He is in control. I have been reminded of this:

Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God is with you,

He is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you,

He will quiet you with his love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.

My heart has been restless but I know that even in the silence, God is still at work. Patience and trust, even in the monotony of my daily routine is still the best preparation to courageously handle what is to come.

More?

Can you guess more what? That's right....more paperwork! Dennis received what I thought was our last packet of paperwork and called us. He said we're doing awesome but....oh no...not another "but". But, even though some paperwork doesn't truly apply to us, the State of Texas requires everyone to complete all paperwork regardless. So....that means we have a few more essays to write and questions to answer before our file will be complete. Then, we will hear from our caseworker.

While I understand that this is all part of the process and in the end, it will all be worth it, it does grow tiresome and somewhat challenging. I often wonder how many ways can I answer the same question without it coming off like a trite answer. We're also being asked to answer questions to how we will handle situations if we had children in middle school, high school and even college-aged students living at home. I don't know how we would handle these particular situations, except pray! While that is the best answer that Michael & I can give, we don't really think the State of Texas will. So, we have to work on our answers tonight so that we can get this paperwork in the mail and get the process moving.

I bought all of the child-proofing items for the house. Now, I guess we should put them all to good use!

That's about it from here. We're trying to survive the heat of Houston. Heat index of 102 today...and it's only mid-June! Yikes!

What????

More paperwork?! Yes, that's what you would have heard me say when speaking wtih Dennis yesterday...more paperwork. He called to let us know that he received all of our homework and that he was already reviewing it. He then went on to say that the paperwork that he had previously told us to disregard, was now required. Thankfully I still had it, so last night, we completed another 9 pages of paperwork and I mailed it out this afternoon. I'm sure this won't be the last time that this happens!

Dennis called me today to let me know that he has already signed off on everything and given our case file to a case worker. He didn't give us any details on who the case worker was but that they should be contacting us soon. Soon...not really sure what that means anymore.

We were told that we needed to get "moving" on the home inspections by the Fire Marshall's office and the Health Department, so I guess I will work on that on Monday. We also need to start child-proofing our house according to the regulations of the State of Texas. There is ALOT to do. We have already started working on one of the bedrooms, by getting the computer and desk out of there. We got a new computer and put it in our room, not my first choice of locations, but the only place that works for now. We're going to be able to give the old computer and desk to my sister and brother in law and now their 2 kiddos will have a computer of their own. We were glad that someone could use them!

Well, I'm off to review my checklists.....I just love being able to check things off! Happy Weekend everybody!

Homework Completed!

Yes, Michael & I were able to complete our homework on Friday night and mailed it out today. Whew! What a relief! Now, we just have to wait. Dennis said that he would review everything and give us a call to discuss the next step. I don't know how long it will take for a caseworker to be assigned to us. Hopefully not too long.

Time certainly has taken on a different definition for us. Each day, time means something different. We want more of it and then at the same time, want it to hurry up; then we don't have enough of it and wonder where it went! I'm sure most of you can relate.

So, we just wait.....knowing that every day has the same amount of time in it...we just don't know how slowly or how quickly the day will go.

Stay tuned for updates soon!

Oops......

It was 11pm on a Thursday, when I found myself gathering up our homework and assignments to send off to Dennis at LSS.....as I went through the checklist, I shrieked! OH NO! We didn't do Chapter 3's homework. How did we miss this? (maybe because we had 22 assignments to complete between the 2 of us!) MAYBE it will be an easy one and we can get it done real quick. All of a sudden I had that instant panic feeling of when I was in college, remembering that something was due the next morning and what was I going to do!? I have been so good about organizing everything, keeping up with our assignments, staying on top of things, never a procrastinator...I just couldn't believe that I missed it!

So I quickly went to Chapter 3, section 9 and found 6 pages that needed to be filled out. Not only were there 6 pages for each of us, but it was also one of the more intense sections we covered. Needless to say, it was now 11:15pm, Michael was already asleep, I still had a load of laundry in the washer that needed to be transfered to the dryer and our lunches weren't ready for the next day. The decision was made....the packet of paperwork will just have to be mailed on Monday.

Well, if this taught me anything, it's this. Things happen. Things get missed. Plans change and I just need to go with the flow. Our last session of training was all about change...and how our world will be changing in more ways than we can ever imagine in the months to come. So, I guess this was just a glimpse of my ever-changing world. Funny thing is...I woke up this morning, and the world hadn't come to an end....who would've thought?! (ha!)