I Love Snow

We got a little bit of snow this week. I couldn't be more thrilled.

Most people know two very important things about me.

1. I am like a fish, and need to be in water often, or I dry up

2. I love snow!

I am not exactly sure when my love for snow and the winter started, but as long as I can remember snow always promised adventures and excitement. To quote one of on my Favorite TV Shows, Gilmore Girls. " We go back snow and me. We have a beautiful history"..

The possibility of a snow day is always lurking behind those clouds.
I have wonderful memories of waiting for the telephone to ring at 5:30am and knowing that meant we didn't have school! We would all then go back to sleep. Later as a family we would bundle up to our assigned chores. The 4 of us would track through the snow and shovel our respective areas. The goal would be to create the biggest pile of snow possible, so Shawn and I could build a fort in the weeks to come. It was always guaranteed that Jim's Doughnuts were on the menu  for Brunch and Snacks! Dad would get his Tim the tool man Taylor Grunt on, pop his green blazer into 4 wheel drive, and go flying through the snow banks on his quest for the best doughnuts around. Once shoveling was done, it was imperative that we quickly made it back to the cemetery across the street from us to go sledding down "killer hill", while mom cross country skied. It had to be done then, or the snow would melt the next day and we would lose the opportunity to play.

As we got older, we would have crazy sleep overs being snowed in with my best friends. Or while we were in high-school we would pray an epic snow storm would hit while we were up at snow camp, so we could stay another day , just us staff. In College snow meant dorm pranks and movie marathons. 

And even now, a major blizzard means for 24 hours, I am guaranteed to not have to think about work.

Snow became a theme in Dan and My relationship. I can personally claim responsibility for the 15 snow storms that we experienced in 2011 (PS never challenge God on anything...) The first time Dan accidentally said" I Love you," was during a monster of a snow blizzard. The moment I realized Dan was a man I could see spending my life with, was on the side of a mountain, while we were skiing and snow boarding in the snow.
Oddly enough it even snowed for just a few minutes on an April Easter, the day we got Engaged in 2012.

Well today another bout of snow promise. 

This month has been absolute insanity. I had worked the past 28 days with only one day off. Well the Blizzard on Tuesday ensured me another sanity day off. Well due to the snow, it made some crazy changes into our schedule. We got a call on Thursday night from our case worker from DCF. She wanted to schedule a in home Visit Pre- screen right away, in attempts to help qualify us to start taking training classes next Tuesday. This adoption process got real, quick.
As you can imagine my stress and anxiety was sky high. Coming home and trying to turn our house into something impressive was a big task. Thanks to my mother and Dan, we got the job done.
*big exhale*

Right on time, we got a call from our case worker. Somehow she missed our house and couldn't find us. I ran outside to meet her, so she wouldn't miss it again.
While waiting for our case worker to turn around in the sea of one way streets of Beverly I stood and prayed. This was becoming very real and a bit over whelming. I stood outside in my short sleeve black shirt standing in the snow, waiting to take the next step of an epic journey in our life.

It was then I noticed it. I looked down and found one solitary snow flake had taken home on my shirt.  I was able to see the intriguing details of its design and creation. I was able to see the beauty of its clarity and size. That is when it hit me.

My God takes such care and precision when he creates the beauty of a solitary snow flake.

How much more time and love does he take in my life. He already has this entire story worked out for His glory. The beauty in these flakes help remind me how much he Cares about not only me, but the child(ren) that He has chosen for us in this adoption case. It was just the courage and reminder I needed, right at that moment. And all this lesson through one tiny snowflake.

I hope next time you see snow, you too will be greatly encouraged about how God cares for you.

I love the snow!

Trying to get our ducks in a row...

This picture couldn't be more accurate for our life right now. A lot has happened since last I announced that we officially sent in our application to adopt through the state. It took a lot of courage to actually place that envelop into the mail.

Well we waited and waited and waited. THEN..... the envelope was sent back.... we apparently had the wrong address. TALK ABOUT DEFLATION.  My heart sank like a set of 11 of 12 Patriots Footballs.....

So the good news, is we didn't back out.  I had to hunt down the address again, but once again we put the  envelope into the post office. Only to wait..... again,....

As I am learning the wait game will be part of our life for a while. 

So during the month of December, Other big things happened. 

I got a promotion! I am now working at the Torigian YMCA in Peabody as the Sr. Aquatics Director.
Its very crazy to look back into God's timing. This is the pool that I wanted to work at a few years back. But God's timing is perfect not our own. And due to God's timing, God opened doors for Dan to get a better job, me to leave the job I was unhappy at and now working at this pool with a higher position. Its odd. His timing is so odd...

I also decided to start a part time job. I fell in love with a product and decided it would be a fun way to make some extra cash for saving up for buying a house. I am now a Jamberry  Nails Independent Consultant. This is pretty much what happened and how I got hooked.

Check out my website here --> coffeytime.jamberrynails.net

Then after Christmas I met with my Dr. Again. So apparently because I am SUCH a rare find, he decided that I need to meet the extra specialist. Once I met the extra special "plumbing" Dr. he informed me that I am so special, that every stinken procedure they did to me this fall was only giving one part of the story. IN short, Feb 12th I get to have surgery again. Oh Joy. They are going in for search and discovery with about 5 different outcomes. They wont know what they are doing , until they actually take a good look around. So we shall see what actually happens.

The next big news happened on January 1st. Our Land Lord announced to us that he is selling the House and we have to move by April 1st.  So over the next 3 months we start the de-cluttering, packing, throwing away 8 years worth of roommates leaving things behind and prepping for what God has in store.  Do we rent? Buy? So many questions.

On January 7th we were invited to Jordan's Furniture to learn more about the application process. We were about to share this with another couple in our church who are interested  in fostering. This Blog has really opened up a lot of conversations with people about adoption and our job as believers. 

But then once again we heard nothing. Until today! We got a message from a case worker who wants to come and do our pre- screening ! They also want us to start our classes in February! Wow this is real.... like really real! So Now starts the game of phone tag as I attempt to be in contact with DCF .

I also then need to start deep cleaning! How clean does a house have to be for a home visit? I might need to buy stock in Pinesol....

Anyways. That is all for now. For those of you who have been asking what is ahead with us for the adoption process below I will paste in the steps before us!

Praying that God continues to make his path clear to us

~Katy

Step 1: Choose an Agency
To become an adoptive parent to a child in foster care, you can work with the Department of Children and Families (DCF) or one of the agencies with whom DCF contracts.  You can call MARE at 617-54-ADOPT (617-542-3678) or 1-800-882-1176 to get phone numbers for these agencies.  It is recommended that prospective parents talk to more than one agency to find the one that is the best fit before making the final choice.  Many of the offices and agencies will invite you to an informational meeting.  An application will be sent to you and preliminary screening will occur.

Step 2: Enroll in Massachusetts Approach to Partnerships in Parenting (MAPP) Training
After preliminary paperwork and screenings are performed and met with approval, prospective adoptive parents will be invited to attend a training and preparation course. MAPP training is typically held one night per week for ten weeks.  Intensive weekend trainings are often offered as well.   The course is designed to help families determine what child they can best parent, and also serves as a self-screening function.  It is designed to help you gain the best possible understanding of, and preparation for, parenting an adopted child.  This training will include discussions about the children who are waiting to be adopted and what behaviors they might exhibit as well as information about resources and support available to you as an adoptive family.

Step 3: Begin the Homestudy
The homestudy is a process and a document that involves a series of interviews with an adoption social worker as well as the family’s submission of documents. The family’s social worker makes planned visits to the home to become better acquainted with the family members, the household and the community. The final result of the process is a narrative report on the prospective family and what they are seeking in a child or sibling group.  This homestudy is shared with other social workers to find an appropriate match for a child and your family.

Step 4: Waiting for Your Child
Once your homestudy is completed and approved, your social worker will work with you to identify a child who is a good fit with your family. You can participate in this process by attending MARE adoption parties, reading the MARE Photolisting and watching for MARE media recruitment. 

Step 5: Matching and Visitation
When a potential match is identified, a family meets with their worker and the child’s social worker at a disclosure meeting to discuss the child in more detail and become familiar with his/her history and current issues.  If everyone agrees this looks like a good match, an initial meeting between the family and the child is arranged. If the initial meeting goes well, further visitation is arranged, including overnights, holidays, weekends, etc. The period of visitation varies from child to child, but typically lasts several weeks to several months. 

Step 6: Becoming a Family          
Following a successful visitation period, a child moves in with a family on a full-time basis. In Massachusetts, there is a waiting period of a minimum of six months before the adoption can be legalized. During this time the agency will conduct home visits to provide support and monitor how the placement is going.  It is not unusual to wait at least a year from the time of placement until the adoption finalized in court and ratified by a judge.