Noth'in but love

What an amazing weekend we just had!

• First of all, Doug and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary. Friday night we had a family night with the boys! We exchanged gifts (kind of a family tradition) and took the boys to dinner at a cowboy/western restaurant which they loved, surprisingly enough! Saturday morning I dropped the boys off to Sarah and.....well, the rest of the weekend was heavenly. Doug and I ate out, sat by the pool, shopped and just enjoyed one another's company (I'll spare you the details on that one). We talked a lot about the last 15 years and how blessed we both feel to have one another, the boys, our friends and family....and of course, we talked and dreamed of our baby girl.
• Second of all, Sarah organized and sponsored a yard sale at her home on Friday and Saturday in honor of our adoption. She enlisted the help of all the friends and family members she could think of. She asked everyone to drop items off to her home that they were looking to get rid of. She made sure to mention that all the proceeds of the sale would go towards a donation to her niece's orphanage. There was an overwhelming response. She was able to raise over $1000.00!! Both her and Norah worked hard all weekend to make this sale a success. They did an amazing job. Doug and I are so full of gratitude toward the both of them. I've said it a million times before, but I'll say it again.....I HAVE THE BEST SISTERS IN THE WORLD! Doug and I will hand carry the money to China with us when we travel and will proudly turn it over to our daughter's orphanage director. Orphanage donations are a mandatory part of the required adoption fees. It's one fee I have no problem paying. The money is given directly to the Social Wellfare Institute that houses the children being placed. It is used to help improve the conditions of the facility, employ nannies, and provide food and clothing for the children. Our daughter will have benefitted from the donations of the families who have traveled before us and her "sisters" will benefit from ours. It's a good thing.
• And finanlly, I went ahead and hopped on Rumor Queen just a few moments ago and read the following: I’m seeing multiple agencies who are giving their clients the idea that the next two months could cover more days than we might be expecting them to cover. She went on to mention that the hint is that the next batch of referrals COULD cover through the 13th!! Although early rumors tend NOT to be true, there is that glimmer of possibility that our LID will be included in the next batch of referrals (due to arrive in the next 2 1/2 to 3 weeks). So, hang on folks, the roller coaster ride is about to get extremely exciting. I for one will choose to keep my hands and heart inside the ride at all times, until it comes to a complete stop!

Love to all,
Mary

P.S. I know the pictures are horrible, but they are the only ones I have from this entire weekend! They were taken on Doug's cell phone...Jacob took the one of Doug and I..we look a little rough....I guess that's what 15 years of marriage will do to you (ha ha).

P.P.S. I chose the Eric Clapton song out of desperation. I couldn't find another song that fit the post. I have to remove the music thing from my blog, it's too much to try to manage. Anyway, this was the song we danced to at our wedding. Isn't that sweet?!