All things new...

It is a new week with new events, new experiences, new plans, and new feelings. I am accentuating all that is new and leaving behind all the old. I am excited for all the new that is going to happen for us this year! It is such a great thing to know that there are going to be so many new things coming into our lives in this new year. I am focused and dedicated to live in the new and leave behind the old. It is so exciting for me to live daily with this perspective and not let myself be bogged down by my old feelings, old failures, old events, and old experiences. I hope to continue in this new mindset and keep myself guarded against anything other than that.

At our home, my parents have been down from NY visiting since Wednesday. It is so fun having them here and just being able to spend time with them. The past few visits have been so relaxed and laid back-- we make no plans, we have no agendas. Our only goal is to spend time together-- if that means that we go to the zoo, we go to the zoo and if that means that we sit at home and watch a move, we sit at home and watch a movie. I feel so guilty because I am working through most of the time that they are with us- it stinks to go to work each evening and leave them behind and then waste time sleeping the days away when I could be awake and spend my time being around everyone.

In our adoption process-- we are working to get our readings done for our home study and I have been working on my autobiography. We have come a long way  but we have a lot left to accomplish before we reach the next level. We can do it and we will-- we are definitely up for the challenge of getting everything completed. It is growing increasingly difficult waiting on paperwork from other sources. Roy's sister was able to request our marriage certificate and Roy's birth certificate from South Africa-- we are truly grateful. If we had requested it, from this side of the world, we would be waiting up to a year to receive the paperwork. We have been assured that her requests on our behalf will speed up the process-- we will only be waiting three months. Though it is only three months and we are grateful for the reduced time frame-- it is still three months. (Still working on patience.)

...Jill