GPS

Seriously. I am thankful to have my own personal Englishman - whoever he is - to guide me around my new town. This morning 13 men showed up to help us unload the 2 moving trucks. There were so many people that they had to take turns waiting for a chance to bring a box inside AND they finished in less than an hour (I KNOW!). Today was BUSY, as you would expect. We are unpacking and it is actually less stressful than it was to pack up and move it all down to FL. I do need to get a microwave - I didn't realize how much I used one until we left ours in OH and realized that the microwave here was taken out (one of those above the oven kind), so that is on my list of to-dos. I realize that Christmas is just around the corner, but I'm having a difficult time putting on Christmas music because my house is a disaster! I am sure that once the house it put together that those overwhelming Christmas decorating urges will appear!

Courage

I am thankful for the courage that I was able to muster to drive a HUGE moving truck (the biggest size they had) PLUS to tow our pick-up truck behind it on a trailer. After 3 days of driving a big moving truck, I feel much more confident in it, but initially I was scared because I had NO clue as to what I was doing. :o)

Today we met up with my cousin, cousin-in-law, and aunt (and their respective families) for a fabulous and special Thanksgiving feast. Everyone treated us so kindly and we felt very welcome there. I hope that we will be getting together very soon.

After some mishaps with our trucks (don't ask) we FINALLY arrived at our new home around 10pm. Thank you for your prayers and well wishes for our safe arrival, they were much appreciated! We have unpacked a few things (beds) and look forward to the arrival of members of the Elder's Quorum from our new ward here to help us unload the moving trucks tomorrow morning.

Hotels

I am thankful for hotels. Hotels have been around for a long time. Joseph and Mary looked for a room open at the inn in Bethlehem. Tonight, Tyler & Jill sought a room at the Hampton Inn in Kentucky. I am thankful that they had a room available, especially one that allows pets, has a king-sized bed and a pull-out couch bed for the kiddos, and has a hot breakfast in the morning - all on the government rate. What a blessing!

We had drama today in leaving and didn't get out until later than we had planned and then 30 minutes down the road, Tyler's truck started having problems so we had to turn around and drive back (during rush hour) to get the truck fixed. We eventually left Dayton at 7pm (I KNOW) and drove a few hours. Hopefully tomorrow we'll be able to leave here and get going to our new home!

Well behaved children

I am thankful for my well behaved children. Today was a chaotic day - the day before we leave for Florida. I ran last minute errands before getting the kids from school. We got the moving trucks and - with the help of a few people - loaded up almost all of our things. I actually drove a moving truck (twice) and it was surprising fun. I didn't hit anyone and I managed to stay in my own lane for most of the time. This evening while the men were loading the truck, I took my 3 children to Las Piramides for dinner. They were so well behaved, it was marvelous. They ate their food, stayed in their seats, and were downright pleasant company. I am thankful that for during such a stressful time, my children (at least) have it together. Please pray that we'll get everything loaded up tomorrow and leave at a decent (by noon) time.

The world of adoption

I recently was asked to write a guest post on this blog about our adoption process. 2 years ago I would never have thought that I would be knowledgable about international adoption. When we began our journey to Ukraine in April 2008, we were opened up to the world of adoption. I began following blogs, forums, and went on adoption chats. I met so many amazing people and have read through their incredible experiences with adoption.

One thing I hadn't anticipated was the bonding friendships that I have made with several of these strong women. One such woman, Valerie, has been with me throughout our whole adoption journey. I am blessed that she only lives 20 minutes away from me. She is the one who introduced me to Keith. She adopted a little boy, Evan, who was cribbound in the same room as Keith in a small orphanage in Artemovsk, Ukraine. Her friendship has changed our lives. I have no doubt that God intended for me to know Valerie and for her to guide us to our son, and indirectly to find our daughter, Kristina, as well. You will never find a more generous person than Valerie. She has 5 children and is embarking upon another adoption in Bulgaria to bring 3 very special children home to her family. With all of this paperwork and stress associated with dealing with a Hague country, today she made an entire Thanksgiving dinner for my family. She said she wanted to be sure that we would get a real Thanksgiving meal because she didn't know if we would have one since we're arriving in FL on Thanksgiving Day. What a sweetheart! I am thankful for our adoption of Keith & Kristina -  for the blessings that they are in our lives - and I am grateful for the friendships that I now have because of this adoption.

Work

I am thankful for work. The "natural man" in me wants to relax and be lazy, but when I spend my time working - I feel great. I remember one year I went to help Tyler shovel our driveway which was filled with snow and a thick layer of ice in it. It was TOUGH, but it felt so good to do manual labor like that. I am also thankful for a husband who only knows how to work hard. He has been at our house all day today working on getting it ready so we can move on Tuesday. He inspires me to work harder and I am thankful for that, too.

Girl Time

I am grateful for girl time. Last night I went to a NEW MOON party with a bunch of friends. It was way fun! The refreshments, games, and company were delightful! The midnight release of New Moon was great! I am eager to see it again. It was so fun being with other twilighters and enjoying the movie. I am still recovering from the lack of sleep, though. I got home around 3am! Then I woke up around 11am and met some friends at EL TORO for a scrumptious lunch. I can always count on a plethora of girl time when Sarah comes to visit. I feel so spoiled by all our fun activities! What do you do for YOUR girl time?