Living the Dream

Living the Dream

Monday, December 24, 2012

Our year in review

I always send a letter with my Christmas Cards.  It's tradition.  For YEARS I've sent letters. 

This year, I didn't.

I feel like I have blogged all year, and everyone that gets a card would just get a DO-OVER of my blogs, so instead, I decided to do it this way.

So MERRY CHRISTMAS 2012....

Hello loved ones....

What.A.Year.  We have rock, rolled and took some names this year. 

In January, we had a blood drive in Midwest City in honor of what would have been Laynie's 4th birthday.   It was fabulous and sad, all mixed together.  We had tears, vomit, fainting, laughter, and lots of blood at this event.  Sounds great HUH?  Oh, it so was....



In February, Lacey and I pinned and tagged 600 donated kids clothes and put them in the JBF sale to help Kip finish her 11 month/11 country donation goal.  We made the $2000 she needed, and again, God showed his faithfulness.  I applied to OU to go back to school, and got admitted.  Should say "committed", because WOW, little did I know.


March was a fun month, because it was time for TEAM HOPE to come together for the 2nd year in a row, and RUN the Wings to Fly 5/15k at Ft Reno.  It was much warmer than last year (Icicle run of 2011), and we had a FANTASTIC turnout of awesome friends to come and run in Laynie's memory....it was OUTSTANDING!!




In April, I decided I wanted to become a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for kids in the foster system.  I trained all month.   We also decided this month, that Lacey, Hallie & I were going to go to Haiti and experience one little tiny bit of the experience that Kip was having, on her 11 month/ 11 country mission trip.



So we had garage sales.  And people donated so much stuff that I had to take over Grammie's garage too.  It was intense, and ridiculous, and overwhelming and OH SO much fun.
On the Hallie front, she was chosen to sing in the Arts Festival Idol and just rocked it hard, and we were sooo proud of her...

Hallie's video

In May, I turned 51.  It was no big, as I've been 50 for a year now, and what's another birthday at the point in my life?   I say, just bring it. 

June we left for Haiti, and this video sums it up better than anything else I can say.   It changed us all profoundly, and made us stretch our hearts and be different people in the way we view things. 

our video of Haiti

I had my first colonscopy in July, and that made for interesting blogs.  We were also just weeks away from KIP BEING HOME, and lived in high anticipation of that.  It was during this time, too that I decided I wanted to throw my hat into the foster parenting ring, and took classes and impatiently waited for those kids to start dropping from the sky so I can HELP everyone.  We honored Laynie's day of getting her wings on the 10th of July and had over 70 people post pictures of their purple on her Facebook page.....It was overwhelming, and we felt the love so very much that day.....

KIP IS HOME!!!!

visiting with our favorite family/friends in the world while waiting for Kipster

In August I started back to school, Lacey started in her last year of grad school, Hallie started 8th grade, and Kip worked on re-acclimating to the world she left behind.  I anxiously awaited my fosters, changing my room weekly to accomodate whatever child I thought would be coming to the house, and just enjoyed life. 

Then in September my heart stopped beating for a few days.  The precious ginger that called me Aunt Laura, and  I had just seen a few weeks earlier at Kip's homecoming party, and had won 2nd in his age division at the Team Hope run earlier in the year....tragically drowned over Labor Day.  He was 16.

We will forever miss and treasure our time with Austin.


It forced me to realize how short life is, and how everything you know to be true, can change in an instant.  It made me understand how big God is, and how through even pain, He can be faithful.  So many unanswered questions, and sadness, yet, He gave us peace.  It gives me great comfort to know that Austin is with Laynie in heaven.   I have two precious angels in heaven....and I know I will see them again...



In October, Hallie got recruited for Club Volleyball, and decided to take her 6' frame and take that on.  She's learning more and more everyday.  The coach told us that he hadn't seen raw talent like hers since the Freshman of the Year at OU this past year, had played with them, back at the same age as Hallie.  Does anyone smell a college scholarship in the future??

Such Form.  :)


November dawned, and Lacey is gearing up writing her thesis, anticipating graduating with a masters in May,  working full time at Children's Hospital Foundation, spreading her Laynie Love all over the city, helping other sick kids.  Hallie is doing great things in 8th grade, taking all AP classes (just amazing), and Kip is working with Leukemia/Lymphoma society, working as a campaign assistant.  I'm just through my first class, working in my 2nd, when I get the call to take a foster daughter.  Then a son, and if you haven't read about our journey, just start at November 1 of this blog, the incredible journey we have been on.


As December blooms into 2013...the girls and I anticipate it with much hope and joy.  The blessings of our life, far outweigh the pain, and though the pain is there....there is so much joy along with it, that it lessens it somewhat.  Every day is an adventure, and we stand in wait to see what the Lord has for us.  We value and appreciate your prayers, and love and pray for you all in ours. 

Have a joyful and blessed 2013.



1 comment:

  1. Wow, you just proved you can summarize and write concisely too. Amazing to get the whole year of amazing life into this short piece. Those of us who've read the details all year needed a recap. I'd missed a couple of spots. Thanks, I love you and yours! It's a blessing to be part of your journey. Holley

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