This is a loaded question right now. Because A LOT has been happening lately. Seems like things kinda all came at once, so I'll break it into 3 sections, adoption, house, and job.
"What's happening with the adoption?"
Although it may seem like we are at a standstill, we are not. We are one of the first families involved in a new paperwork process called the "PAIR Process." This process is a good step to protect orphaned children, so we are fully supportive of it.... however, it means things are going to take a bit longer to process.We are moving through the steps of getting our PAIR approval letter right now. We are hopeful to travel on our first trip in December and second trip by January or February. This might be a bit optimistic, but that is what we are hoping for based on some timelines we've seen. Other good news is that Zoe Nazrawit hit 10lbs and is doing very well! We are praising God for her continued growth and good health!
"What's happening with your house?"
We sold it. Pretty unexpectedly too. And nope, it wasn't for sale. It's a really long and crazy story, but to save time I'll just put it this way, Mark and I have moved so much that we just figure that our houses are kinda ALWAYS for sale... for the right price. And someone approached us and was willing to pay the "right price" so we seized the opportunity. (Of course this all happened exactly 1 day after we finished painting Zoe's nursery. Haha.)
We are taking this house sale as an opportunity to get back into a home that is a more realistic size for our family (and my cleaning abilities.) We are excited about the opportunity to have a lot more flexibility. Hopefully this also means my student loans will be long gone a little bit faster now! We're moving over to the other side of Hudsonville to a great neighborhood that is close to our church. We are very excited about it and are hopeful this is the last move for at least 4-5 years. (I know what some of you are thinking... that I am just saying that right now... lol. But this time I think I might really mean it.)
So, here's the new place! And by new I mean BRAND NEW. After 6 moves since we've been married, Mark and I have never had a new house before!
"What's happening with your job?"
I got a new one! I am so excited to be moving into full time content writing and marketing for ManoByte, a social media marketing agency here in West Michigan. The best part? I get to work from home! I am so excited to get back to my "writing roots." This also means Eli and Zoe will only be in daycare part-time, which I am so excited about.
So, that's it! LOTS and LOTS of things are happening, but they are all very good things, so we are just thanking God for that! Please continue to send prayers for Zoe if you can, and I will do my best to keep you all updated with how things are going!
Until next time...
