We're Moving

Well, the blog is moving.  Same title, just from blogger to wordpress.  You can find all these posts and more over at www.afterthechapel.wordpress.com.  Please join us over there.   Why you ask?  Well you will have to go to find out!

Pop

I'm sitting in my living room, and I keep hearing this little pop coming from the kitchen every once and awhile.  Its my favorite sound.

That pop is the sound of a job well done.  As I sit here, there are jars of Tomato Juice sitting on the kitchen counter (pop) sealing. I did 11 more pints tonight.   I am starting to HATE tomatoes.  Mine are almost done, but my  father in law's look like they are going to keep giving.  And I will keep canning.  Good thing I love tomato juice.....

pop.

Up We Go Into the Wild Blue Yonder.....

This weekend was Strassenfest here in Jasper.  If you have ever been here you would know Jasper has a large German Heritage.  And each year there is a large German festival which is really just a lot of beer and great German Food.  

We were out of town Saturday thru Sunday morning, so Friday night we decided to eat our way around the square.  We had corn on the cob, chicken  hearts, pulled pork, lemon shake-ups, cotton candy, a giant cream puff,  and sno cones.  

Before our eating binge, we went to the Remax Balloon Race.  Hot Air Balloons.  I really got to try my new camera out and it was awsome!   I love the sweep panorama feature.  Here are some photos:  

  

Pretty Neat!

Please keep Joe and I in your prayers this week.  We start our Foster Parent classes on Saturday!

Have dancing shoes, will travel

Two weddings in two weeks!  We have been traveling all over the countryside dancing the night away and eating cake.

The first wedding was Joe's cousin Andy and his new wife Kate.  Great food - really long best man speech.

Second wedding was our friends Kelsey and Jim.  It was wonderful to spend a little time with the girls from college, and to see Kelsey so happy.

I also got a new camera, and am now going to wow you with my skills - actually, the camera takes great pictures, but its got nothing to do with me :)

Here is one of my first photos.    I like how you can see individual beard hairs on Joe's face.

Michael and Jodi at the wedding.  Somehow they got to sit in front of us.....always thinking they are family ;)

Kate and Andy.  It was a beautiful service

After we blew bubbles.

Wedding #2 - Kelsey and Jim - I got to meet Amanda's new boyfriend Scott

Primping

Here's the groom Jim.  He is a very lucky man.  I'm in the background trying to pin on Adrian's flower.

Got to spend several hours with Sara and Matt - so good to catch up.

Joe likes to take pictures of his feet.  I can't believe I havn't noticed how wore out his shoes are.

College friends- Darla, Adrian, Jenni, Kelsey, Sara, Amanda

They danced in - it was pretty spectacular.

Kelsey - have fun in Mexico!

In other news, I have been canning, sewing, knitting, and trying to stay in the house as much as possible.  Its been so stinkin' hot here, I can't stand to go outside.  We had Strassenfest here this weekend and we walked in the parade with some friends and had a great time - but now I just feel nasty from being out in the heat.  I hope fall comes quickly!  

Mrs. I-have-too-much-produce

Everything in the garden has come ripe all at once.  This weekend we canned

• Pickles
• Tomato Juice
• Pizza Sauce
• Salsa

And we still have more tomatoes to go.  I think I will can some whole tomatoes on Tuesday.  I have to take tomorrow off and do some housework - this place looks like a tornado went through it, but at least we don't have rotting tomatoes everywhere - it was touch and go for awhile.  Good thing I have such a  good Sou-Chef :)

Its Kinda Like that Rainbow....

What rainbow?

The one at the top of the blog.  It always gets me.  I feel like there is something just sitting out there in the sun waiting for me, but I can't see it.  I have to wait until the sun sets, or whatever it is moves out of the glare so we can stand face to face.  I know its there, I just can't see it.

Thats how I feel about Foster Care

17 posts later.....

17 posts ago I was telling the world that I couldn't have kids.  And tonight I popped another round of clomid (which tastes nasty by the way.), and when I say popped I mean stuffed a handful of pills down my throat, and I can't wait for this all to be over.  I am so tired of feeling crappy, getting up every morning at 6:30 to take my temperature (it helps you chart your exact date of ovulation - in my case non-ovulation), and having to take the dreaded pregnancy test at the end of every cycle - but because I am so in tuned with my body knowing what it is going to say.

Please don't think I have become a bitter person who is giving up - if this round works I'll be ecstatic!  But I have found hope in something else - Foster Care.

Remember Joe and I went to camp?  Well, we were in this giant auditorium with all these kids and this praise band singing, and I was just sitting there thinking about kids and how I would like to do foster care someday.  The singer got done with the song and started to tell us how he grew up in the foster care system.......

I don't believe in signs.  I do believe in direct missiles from God, and this is what this was for me.  My heart stopped beating, and I couldn't stop thinking about it.  So I told Joe that night I wanted to quit the drugs and be a foster mom.  He said, well, why don't you pray about it.

And pray we have!

  Last week we had a meeting with a lady at DCS, and in Aug we start our classes to become licensed foster parents.  Then we go through a huge background check and they will start placing kids in our home sometime in the next 5-6 months.  We still have a lot of decisions to make like what age groups we want and such but I feel like everything is falling into place.

Then God through one in just in case I wasn't convinced.  Last nights newspaper, front page headline read "County in need of more foster homes."  I guess there are only 4 foster homes in Dubois County, and 35 foster kids - which means a lot of kids get sent out of county and have to change schools and what not.  It had this great story about a foster mom around here who has been doing it for 5 years and has had 40 kids go through her house!  At one time she had 9!!!!!

Please don't think I've lost it - my house is not big enough for 9, but I really can't wait to get some little kiddos in here and hug them and show them that they are special, even for a day.  And if a day turns into 360, or forever I will be happy with that too.

Do I think we are never going to have kids that have Joseph's curls?  I have no idea.  But I do know that we are right where we need to be.

Will I ever get over that wondering if I'm pregnant?  Yes, when I hit menopause.

Will we still do this if this round of clomid works?  Maybe not right away, but yes.

Will I get my family of 7?  You bet.

Will we ever do fertility treatments again?  I really don't know.

(This series of questions is a little homage to my doctor, who always talks in questions.  Don't know why, but I still like him.)