Well here's for the first Blog entry. Erik and I are doing great out here in Fernley. I stay home with Abigail and Sam and am learning how to cook like a pro! At this moment we are a little unsure at this moment about what is going on with Erik's job. Erik wasn't in the usual, structured GM Training program that his company runs. His director just quite a few days ago. This is the Director that hired Erik and was basically training him himself to run one of his stores. This Director's region consisted of mostly Northern Nevada. We had assumed we would end up somewhere in Nevada but now the region has also changed to almost all Northern California and Fernley. Erik is fearful that the new Director may not be as motivated to get Erik into a store. Maybe we will end up in Fernley forever!
We have also decided to adopt a child from Ethiopia. We have always wanted to adopt or do Foster Care but didn't know if that was the way that God would best use our lives. After having Abigail (figured we should practice on our own first!) we pretty much decided that we weren't capable. We were barely surviving as it was! Then along came Sam unexpectadely and I knew we were really in for a tough time. As we discovered with Abigail I am especially vulnerable to hormonal changes. I had a pretty rough post-pardum depression that I never really got out of till just before I got pregnant with Sam (what luck!) I remember thinking to myself "I can't even handle regular life as it is, I'm never going to be able to serve God." Needless to say, the thought of reaching beyond our own little nuclear family had almost completely left our minds.
God has been so faithful to work on the both of us. Both in the physical and spiritual realm we have been blessed beyond measure. God has blessed us both with the patience and understanding we needed to deal with the stress of Erik's new job, moving away from our family and friends, and daily life with our two beautiful but high-maintenance little angels. We both started looking at a third member of our family about the same time a few months ago. We both also have the conviction that we are done having our own, yet our family is incomplete. We just know that it is and that God is giving us what we need for another (as in: physical resources, family stability, faith and peace). He is amazing!
So here we are, ready to begin the next phase of our family. We don't know what is going on with Erik's job, where we will end up, or when we will have a new member of our family. We still want to do Foster Care but this is the direction we are being led right now. I think I look at that as being the "serving God" arena of our lives that we will need much more preparation for. This adoption seems more like a blessing from Him in completing our family. It looks like it is the next step toward Foster Care but only God knows. A year ago we wouldn't have imagined we would be looking at adoption either. We can't begin a Home Study for either Adoption or foster care until we are settled on where we will be living for a few years. So I guess its time to start waiting!
