It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas

I can't believe Christmas is only 10 days away!! The weather is definitely feeling Christmasy...snow and cold. Very cold actually...-15 last night. EEKS! We went to the outdoor mall that is very close to our house on Saturday. It was fun to walk down the sidewalks, listening to Christmas songs, see the gleaming Christmas lights, and see the kids ice skating. All we needed was some hot apple cider! Last year at this time I was dreading Christmas. We didn't put up any decorations or a tree since we were in the apartment. It just didn't feel like Christmas or "the happiest time of the year". I remember telling my parents that I didn't know what I'd do if I had to spend another Christmas in Colorado. It's amazing what can change in a year. Don't get me wrong, we still want to move and really wish we could celebrate Christmas with our families. Unfortunately Andy still is too low in seniority to take Christmas off. This year we put up decorations and the tree and it really feels like Christmas. We are also in a much better place with us still being in Colorado...we have good things here and are very thankful for them. Good jobs, good friends, good health, and plans for our future if we should end up staying here.

Last week when I was reading the paper, I saw a picture of our instructor for our foster to adopt classes. First thing I thought was "oh she must be receiving an award"...nope, she was crossing the street and was hit by a car. The driver took off and she later died. I was floored and all I could say was oh my gosh, oh my gosh. Kathy was an amazing woman and very inspirational. She established a family center in an area of Denver that desperately needed it. They had programs for girls to help build self esteem, tutoring programs, foster parent classes, job training, etc. Kathy used to be a caseworker, she taught social work classes at the college level and was a woman who just loved to help others. We were supposed to go to our make up class this past Saturday but they bumped the class back a week due to her funeral being that day. I'm so sad for her family, the community, and all those who never got a chance to learn from her. Her son, Steve, was also one of our instructors...I hope he is able to carry on his mom's teachings.

We have officially switched to a new agency for the foster to adopt program. YEAH! They are amazing. They return calls, return e-mails, and are more than happy to answer questions. We have almost all the paper work ready to be sent in to them. They said our classes should carry over. Hopefully, we'll start the homestudy after the first of the year and have it completed by the end of January. This agency works with all the counties in Colorado which means we'll have way more options. They also have an international adoption program as well a domestic adoption program. If at some point we decide to switch to domestic adoption, we won't have to redo everything. YEAH! We are so excited and so ready to start the foster to adopt journey. We have picked out the convertible crib, car seat, and even found a possible child care center. We are going to start working on turning the guest room into the baby room. We really never thought we'd get to the point where we'd be buying a crib or getting a room ready for a baby. Andy is even excited to go to Babies R US!!

We had some exciting news from my sister and her husband. Phillip got into med school and they are moving to St. Maarten's. Yes, St. Maarten's..island located below Puerto Rico and it's very warm there! They are moving in two weeks and have a lot to do before then. We are excited that this journey is beginning for them. It will have it's ups and downs but it an experience that they will never forget. I'm sure it's going to be hard being a warm tropical place while the rest of us are in the cold, snowy regions. I think we'll be planning a trip there in the near future..of course some of that depends on when/if we get a placement but I'm sure we'll figure something out. Congrats Phillip! Best wishes to Laura and Phillip on a safe and speedy move!