Giving Thanks...

(on the fence in our backyard this week...Wild Turkeys!)

This week I give thanks for lots of things...

First and foremost, my health and my family's health - thank you God! Especially that my sister's breast cancer has been in remission for 6 MONTHS now. YAY!

I am so grateful that Steve and I are both employed and able to put food on the table and pay our bills. I know a lot of families have fallen on tough times this year.

I am thankful for all the old friends I have stayed connected with - or reconnected with thru Facebook - and for the new friends I have met in Spokane this year.

I am also thankful for this beautiful house we were able to move into in August, and the two mini-vacations we were able to take to the Oregon Coast this year. I am thankful for our loving pets Luna and Killer (who turned 12 this week!), and for the beautiful spirits who visit our yard daily in the form of deer, turkey, and quail. I am also grateful for finding a terrific aqua class with a great teacher nearby, so I can burn off steam (and calories) every few days. Hooray!

I am thankful for our new social worker "N", and the agency she works for here in Spokane, that helped us complete our new homestudy. Through her diligence and commitment, we were able to complete the process in only three months. I am also thankful to my agency in Colorado, CCAI, who helped step me thru the process of applying for my I-800A. Thank you to my friends Linda, Beth, Megan, and Betsy who provided personal references for me (again!). My I-800A application was mailed out to Texas last week.

I am thankful for so many of my adoption community friends, who met their beautiful children this year, and by sharing their successes, motivated me to submit my Medical Needs Checklist for the Waiting Child Program. Marcy, Amy, Laurie, Kim, and Kris J. - I am thankful for each one of you! Thanks also to Beth, Holly, Dana, Kris F. and Lillian - all adoptive moms themselves - who regularly provide me with the encouragement to keep moving forward and stick with the program, knowing that my daughter IS out there.

I am thankful for all the generous folks out there who - even in this time of economic hardship - are willing to give a few of their own dollars to help out those less fortunate. The generosity I saw at the food bank drive, and at the adoption agency auction last week, renewed my sense of hope in humanity. Thank you.

I am also thankful that Steve's mom will be able to join us in Spokane for Thanksgiving this year...I haven't seen her since March 2008. It will be so good to spend some time with her.

...and of course I am thankful for Steve. He is an amazing daily presence in my life. Even on the toughest days, he helps me remain centered and reminds me of all the good things we are blessed with in our lives...including one another. It only gets better from here baby! :)

FINALLY, I am thankful (in advance) for the rollercoaster ride that sure to ensue over the next 12-18 months, and all the folks who are willing to take this ride with me...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!