Surprisingly, we moved 2 spots this month! I thought we had only moved 1, but much to my surprise it was actually 2! I know it doesn't seem like a lot, but every spot counts!
The other fantastic news is that our agency says they are now aware of 20 other children that could become referrals over the next couple of months. This is SUCH good news! Our caseworker said that realistically she thinks 15 referrals will ultimately come out of these 20 children, so after those all go to the families ahead of us, we will likely be very close to the top of the list! She also said she anticipates our referral call will come sometime this fall. Because there were so few referrals the past two months I was so worried that we would go into Christmas without a call. After this news I feel pretty confident that we will have at least a picture of our little girl before the end of 2013. Who knows, maybe we'll even get to travel on our first trip sometime this year!
Outside of adoption stuff, we also have been very busy. Unfortunately, not all of it has been good busy though. We had to travel up to Traverse City to say goodbye to my beloved Grandfather at the end of June. To say he was a major influence in my life would be a tremendous understatement. He was very much like a father to me. He walked me down the aisle at my wedding, did the father/daughter dance, helped me get through college and helped care for my sister and I when my mother was ill when we were very young. He was truly an amazing man, and although he was 80, his death was very sudden. He was sharp as a tack and healthy as can be, so none of us expected him to die yet. They believe it was a very sudden heart attack and that he felt no pain, which is such a blessing. I am taking a lot of comfort knowing he is rejoicing with our Lord and Savior. I was also very honored to be asked to write his obituary (with the help of many other family members as well :-) So, if you are interested in reading it, it can be found here.
After that very hard news, we headed right off to Wisconsin Dells, which was a much needed break from all the sadness. I am so glad we were still able to get to our vacation plans after the emotional impact of Grandpa's death. It really helped me to just relax and enjoy my family. Eli had an absolute blast, and for anyone wondering, I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend the Wilderness Resorts at the Dell's, it was amazing.
I hope you all are enjoying these summer months, it always feels like they go by so fast!
Until next time...
