20 Summers

This is the beginning of my 20th summer with this man. In August we'll celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. It's sweet and humbling to look back over the past 19 summers together and consider all we've been through.

To some, we've had it easy-breezy.

To others, they've walked the rough road of life alongside us.

Then there are the things that have really changed us, made us who we are and dug deeper than we ever thought imaginable that no one else even knows about. Don't we all have those kinds of life experiences? Do you???

To us, we've weathered the storms only by God's grace alone.

We have had some very magical moments, very sad heart-breaking seasons, tough decisions to make, many decisions we wished we didn't make, others we wish we had made and still others that were just what we needed to do.

We are very much showing our ages. Our early 40's have shown us how very quickly life goes spinning by. Didn't really see that in our 20's & 30's, but somehow when I turned the big 4--0 I realized that life is really FAST. Raise your hand if you feel the same......only over 40's can answer that!!

Aging. That thing just gets me. I hate the wrinkles and yucky skin texture on me, but PandaPop seems to enjoy them and even prefer them. Whaaaaa???? Yep. He sees them as a beautiful way that we are growing older together.

I know.  I'm blessed beyond measure with him.

We are very excited to enter this 20th summer as a family of four. Certainly not the family we had envisioned so long ago, but then who really knows what their family is going to turn out like? Not many.......if any.

I take so many pics on my i*Phone that I rarely get my nice new fancy pants camera out for anything except actual photo shoots. Love the color tints that the phone apps can overlay because......well....they are fun! This pic is from my phone today with just us four going to the store for summer craft supplies for me & the girls.

I love this photo.

I love this family of four.

I love this man.

It's Finally Done!!!

Wow!! I've been MIA for a month from the this blog and Blogger has gone and changed how to post! I bet you thought that my ADD meds had me SO focused that I'd never blog again. I thought that.  For some reason and I am just not into blogging anymore.  Busy with so many other things that demand my time more than the time it takes to do pics and think of something great to say.

I decided to go ahead and post for those of you faithful souls who've been around for the past several years and have vicariously walked this jagged adoption road with us. I felt the need to share PandaJOY's beautiful full face with you since all you've seen up til now are creative shots of her arms, neck, cheek, feet and other random ways of not showing her.

It's been over a week now, but we have gone to court and all is said & done with this little one. We are so done with the foster system. We are so done pursuing more children. We are so done locking up our medicines and having to report every single time I want to put a dang band-aid on the kid or give her Tylenol*. We are so done with bio visits!! (sort of.....we have to visit once a year til she's 18) We are so done not being a complete family.

WE. ARE. DONE.

My mind wasn't exactly sure what or how to think the day after we consummated the adoption. For eleven years I had ADOPTION spinning around in my head in some form or fashion. Now I can actually think about something else. Maybe, like........losing about 60lbs!! YIKES!! Yes, health is certainly on the agenda these days. Getting older is hard and I'm not really THAT old yet!

The Lord has shown me countless things through the past ELEVEN YEARS of pursuing adoption. It is our testimony as a couple.  Very hard road that PandaPop and I have walked, but it has not been alone. God has walked us every step of the way. He also used many people to pilgrimage with us.  Never did I imagine myself adopting, yet here I am at 41 with daughter from China and a half black, half white biracial daughter.

Boy, do we turn heads when we enter a room together.

We are Pandaleidoscope, indeed.

There is no way to properly say thank you to all of you who've prayed, held our hands, let us vent, been joyful with us and heart-broken with us all these many years in pursuit of our little family....so, THANK YOU is what I can say. Thank you.

Please leave a comment so that I know you've been here and have seen her darling face. I call her Cupcake because she just reminds of a cupcake with happy sprinkles.  JOYful sprinkles.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord Almighty, "plans to prosper you, not to harm you; plans for a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11