Waiting for the story to unfold...

Hmmm...I wanted to write a quick post about being in this moment--this small (although it doesn't feel that way) moment in our lifetime when we're just waiting to see her face.  The moment when I watch the clock to see if our agency is open yet, when I jump every time the phone rings, and at the end of each day when I realize that today is not THE day--but maybe tomorrow.  

We've been sitting as number 1 for only ~7 days and a lot of that was the Thanksgiving holiday.  It's a really fun place to be and also an excruciating place.  On the surface it's totally awesome to be the next one to get "The Call."  But underneath there's so much more...

While pondering these thoughts has been a huge part of this process--wondering where she is--is she at Hannah's Hope, is she at another orphanage waiting to come to Hannah's Hope, is she still with her mother?  How old is she?  Is she hungry, cold, afraid?  What is her story?  These thoughts are such a huge reality now.  This is the time that she is living out a part of her life that we will never know.  And while I get that is completely a part of the process--it grieves me...

And so we wait--with great excitement, with humbled hearts, but also with peace.  Knowing that through this all, God has put a desire in our hearts for a little girl on the other side of the world.  Some day soon the pieces of the story will fall into place...

Monday Makeover: Ugliest Bag Ever?

I was recently contemplating why by duffel bag is always so heavy, even when there's not really all that much in it.  It occurred to me that perhaps the culprit is my toiletries bag.  Just maybe those full bottles of shampoo, face wash, hairspray and contact solution weren't doing me any favors in my attempts to pack more lightly.

From a very practical standpoint, it's a great little (free with purchase) bag--quite roomy--but then, perhaps, a little too roomy.

If any of you have ever seen this lovely bag, I have often wondered what you have thought about it.  Why?  Because it is quite possibly one of the ugliest bags ever.  That is unless you love teal, peach, and a strange (but pretty) woman's face with encouraging words all over your bag.

Get ready for it...

Here it is...

Pretty cool, huh?  Yes, it is in fact so remarkably unattractive, that I took pictures to remember it by.  It has served me well these past 5 or 6 years.  Bon voyage big teal and peach bag...

Of course ;), I also took pictures of it's replacement.  A cute, yet conservative little number that tidily fits small refillable bottles.  And, can I just say, that my bag was actually lighter on our Thanksgiving trip to PA.  The new bag is a pleasure. :)

 

Ahh...the things you do when you're waiting for the phone to ring! :)