My Overthinking

Philly Area mom, Life forever changed by adoption

Together Called 2014 {don’t miss it}

We’re in trouble. We’ve got a lot to live up to.

Truly the best and most fulfilling getaway we have attended.

We really benefitted from the couples’ breakout time. To have an hour to sit and talk, uninterrupted with questions to challenge our conversation was like a springboard of growth and closeness in our marriage.

Absolutely the most powerful example of biblical unity and expression of the love of Christ.

Life changing, heart changing…

309260_566255240052822_1580952499_nWe were not prepared for how impactful last year’s Together Called retreat for preadoptive and adoptive couples would be. In fact, we were sorta floored by it all. 122 men and women from 14 different states, parents of 186 children, 108 of whom joined their families via adoption. Worship, fellowship, time set apart for husbands and wives to reconnect, messages of truth that pointed couples to the God who pursues them, and red carpet treatment—God used every element of Together Called to work in people’s lives.

Come to think of it…maybe we’re not in trouble after all. We trust that the One who called us together will do it again. We know He can and trust He’s already on the move.

On February 21st-23rd, 2014, adoptive parents will gather for Together Called 2014 at a posh little resort in Lancaster County, PA to hear from Atlanta, Georgia’s Beth and Stephen Templeton, faithful servants and parents of 3 biological children and 4 adopted children from Russia, as well as a handful of other speakers with expertise in navigating the challenges in adoptive families. We believe that like last year, couples will leave refreshed and encouraged with a renewed passion to serve God and the children they’ve been blessed with.

We’re already all abuzz with excitement to be a part of it. And, that’s going to get even more fun tonight when registration opens at 10pm EST. Room is limited, and we’re expecting it to fill fast. So, set an alarm on your phone for 9:50pm EST as a reminder, and warm up your typing fingers. We want you to be a part of this. I know that visiting the Philadelphia area in February was totally at the  top of your wish list anyway.

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The day my husband quit his job

He put on an ironed shirt this morning, nice slacks, belt, and shoes. He kissed me goodbye and said, “Have a good day” just like he did yesterday and everyday last week and nearly every morning for the last 15 years of our marriage.

But, today was different. There was a spring in his step and an extra spark in his kiss because today was not like yesterday or the days before. Yesterday, he quit.

When he told his boss he was leaving, his boss wanted to play the game, give him a counter offer, encourage him to stay. When Mark told him he wasn’t headed over to a competitor but leaving the financial industry entirely, I think he left him a bit dumbfounded.

Leaving the industry. The one he’s worked in for 18 years.

Mark explained the work, his role specifically, how he’s been called to it. He told him how he’s been raising support so that we could do this. We thought he’d think we were crazy. Instead, he told Mark he was jealous; Mark will be doing something his heart is full in. It’s what everyone wants deep down, above wealth, benefits, prestige and all that comes with all three of those. Everyone wants to do something they love; maybe life too often gets in the way.

Just like that, Mark left that conference room, and everything was different. We knew his days there were numbered, but we didn’t know that number until now. He had imagined what that conversation would be like, played it over in his head. Now, the imagined is simply history, a day that we’ll remember that marks when we put a stake in the ground and said, “This is where we are meant to go, and we’re going.”

He’ll end well over the next two weeks, still putting on an ironed shirt and slacks and kissing me goodbye each morning, making sure things that need to be covered are covered, putting closure on all he can. But, at the end of those two weeks, he’ll close up a cardboard box with the few personal affects that made a sterile desk and chair his workplace, and he’ll drive home one last time for us to start a whole new part of our lives, one He’s been preparing us for all along.

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Benefits of the squeaks

squeaky shoes 1

 (Miss Mushi shoes from Yochi Shoes)

They are all over China. Squeaky shoes. We bought pairs there in 4 different sizes. Then, on the plane trip home as we listened to a little boy pace the aisles wearing his new pair, we wondered if we should have used that luggage space for some more Chinese silks instead.

Fast forward 3 years and a handful (foot-full?) of squeaky shoes later, I can attest that I dig them after all.

Yes, I admit that the sound of a doggy squeaky toy squeaking every time she takes a step could get annoying and does tend to turn heads. BUT, the benefits make every squeak worth it. Because when I’m waiting in the pharmacy line and my little monkey does this…

squeaky shoes 2

or when I’m making copies and my little one decides smelling lollipops is more fun than pushing buttons…

squeaky shoes 4

or when I’m headed out to the car and get a phone call and take my eyes off of her for a millisecond…

squeaky shoes 3

or when I’m looking for craft supplies for my 9-year-old entrepreneur and realize my 4-year-old explorer is no longer right by my side…

squeaky shoes 5

yeah, that’s when I sing a rousing rendition of, “Oh, how I love squeaky shoes” because despite myself, I know exactly where she is. I can thank the squeaky shoes for that.

In fact, these shoes may have been designed just for her.

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