Incredible Night

 

As many of you know we had a Spagetti Benefit dinner at Silent Auction yesterday at the Wesley Chapel fire dept. We had no idea exactly how many to expect we just knew it could be somewhere around 200 people and so that is what we planned for. The night was a huge success.....between 5-7pm we raised over $2,500 and there is more to come to be added to that figure because several people who couldn't make it are mailing a check straight to the agency on our behalf!! How amazing! I had hoped we would raise around $1,000 that night but turns out it was more than doubled. God is good and we felt so humbled by everyone pouring out their love on us and our family. We had the help of so many wonderful friends and family that volunteered and it took each person giving of their time and energy to make it possible. There were about 150 people that came through and almost all of the silent auction items we had donated by local businesses were bid on. There were lots of kids there including Maylena who ran around and played on and inside of the fire trucks that the fire dept so generously allowed them to do and didn't mind at all. Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures of the event and neither did any of the other volunteers there because we were busy from the time we got there to set up at 2pm until about 9pm that night it just never stopped. If anyone took some photos that came to the event I would LOVE to have them emailed to Brittany_695@hotmail.com. The only photo we have is this one Billy took while playing with the kids around the fire trucks. Its Maylena on the left and Teagan and Aidan the kids I nanny for.
   We are so thankful to everyone who came and gave so generously to make this possible. You went above and beyond and blessed our socks off!! We even had people there we didn't know who came to play a part in our adoption journey...how cool is that?? It just goes to show when everyone comes and gives a little it can add up to A LOT. We made a finger print tree that Billy penciled on a paper and each person that attended put their fingerprint and first names to have a very cool keepsake from that night.  I will post a picture of it next time I do blog update. For now we are still in the waiting but God has been right here with us.

Puzzle Fundraiser Update...

    Here is a photo update of our Puzzle Fundraiser! How cool that we only have 74 pieces left to go on a 1,000 piece puzzle. Thanks to everyone we know and even some people we don't even know that donated to help us out with this. I will be a little glad to have it completed and my dining room table back in working order and able to have people over for dinner again :) Plus it will be a great addition to the nursery wall to have it framed and hung in there.
    Maylena and I took a last minute opportunity to go to Charleston for the night on Friday to celebrate my birthday and mother's day and just have a great girls weekend before baby brother is part of the family. We have never had a trip just the two of us and I know for sure I will treasure the memories we made for a lifetime. We are trying to take each day and live in the moment because we are not guaranteed our next breath or moment in time. We can get so caught up in the busyness of life that we forget what in life is worth living for....God and our families. That is what matters.
    With the spaghetti benefit dinner quickly approaching I am very excited and can't wait to see how God blesses our family that day through the help of others. We have worked hard to put together a great set of silent auction items that were donated by local vendors and it will take place this Sunday night May 17th from 5 to 7 pm as a drop in event that is family friendly. You can read my last blog post to get all the details. We have silent auction items from: Massage Envy, Shakeology, Moe's, Sweet Frog, Stone Theaters, Riverbanks Zoo, Lazy 5 ranch, Outback, Lowes, Starbucks and more. It will be a very fun night and a great time of fellowship. Hope to see you there and invite anyone you want!!
    I am trying very hard to be patient during this process of waiting but it is very addictive to pull up the Christian Adoption Services website of waiting families and monitor the status of everyone on there. I look at it almost every day and it is always exciting to see updates. In the last several weeks, like less than 2 months there have been 4 or 5 families put On Hold which means they are matched with a birth mother and waiting for the baby to be born and receive placement and then one couple it just automatically said Its a Girl, that means they didn't have much waiting to do that more than likely a baby was born and then the decision was made to place the baby for adoption and it was pretty immediate. Its like each week about 2 families go on hold it seems. And that is so exciting! It really gives you the feeling that this adoption thing works and one day it will be us that says On Hold and then It's a Boy!! So cool.