One Step. One Mile. One Child at a Time!

Last weekend was the Nashville Country Music Marathon.  We had a team of 32 runners, and it was a HUGE success!!!  We started out with a goal to raise $10,000 to provide adoption grants through Room for One More... we EXCEEDED our goal!!! AND THERE IS STILL MORE MONEY COMING IN even a week later!  (currently we are up to $10,155) To speak for our team, we are SOOOO thankful to each and everyone who participated in the run with the Running for One More team!  From organizing t-shirt sales, collecting donations, writing thank-you's, purchasing a t-shirt or sponsorships to running the 13.1 mile half marathon, we couldn't have been more blessed!  But most importantly, we were able to share the plight of the orphan to everyone as we ran in our Running for One More shirts!

The day was wonderful.  It was nice and cool, which was perfect for running!  We made it past the finish line just before the rain hit.

I wasn't able to get a picture of our whole team as everyone left the marathon sight quickly to beat the rain, but here are some pictures I was able to get:

Bottom right corner: Becky, Angela, and me at our church getting ready to leave for Nashville on Friday the 23rd.

Top right corner: Becky, Angela, and me at the Nashville Country Music Marathon and Half Expo on Friday night

Top left corner: Becky, me, Tracie, Chantelle & Eric at the Expo on Friday night.

Bottom left corner: Becky, Christen, and me at Greg's parents house right before we headed off to the race.

Below: A collage members of Team Running for One More passing the 11 mile marker of the Half Marathon.

Below: A few of us after the race.

I had a wonderful experience, and, surprisingly, ENJOYED the 13 miles!  Crazy, I know!  The past 3 months of training and building lasting relationships and "talking adoption and orphans" have all been a very memorable experience and I plan on continuing!  I didn't just train 4-5 mornings a week at 5:30 AM to just quit!  We (Running for One More Team) are even talking about a race here in Cape in November... so if you live nearby, mark your calendars for November 6!  Dust the cobwebs off your old running shoes and get yourself to the gym to join us in November!... more on that LATER!

And you know I can't end without some Ella cuteness... so here you go:

Ella and Joe hanging out at Mimi and Papa's (Greg's parents) house last weekend in their Running for One More tees!

Together we have made a difference... One Step. One Mile. One Child at a Time!

John's Confirmation

May 1 John got confirmed into our church, La Croix United Methodist Church.  At the beginning of January, about 50 seventh and eighth graders from our church committed to taking the steps to becoming a member of La Croix.  They, including John (13, 7th grade), have gone to weekly confirmation classes over the past 4 months learning about the Christian faith, Methodist beliefs, memorizing the books of the Bible and various Bible verses, and participating in mission projects.  They also had to attend and take notes from a certain number of church services and youth group meetings.
Last year Sarah went through it, and this year John went through confirmation.  To me, it is a giant step of my babies growing up and serving God for their own.  The confirmation service is a very emotional time as each child gives their testimony at the Confirmation Banquet, and during the actual church service they all stand in front of the congregation and take their vows of becoming members of the church... but the most emotional part is when each parent gives a blessing to their child during the church service.  Going through the confirmation experience just last year with Sarah, I was prepared with John.  I was prepared for the tears and the heart-wrenching blessings.
The weekend was wonderful.  Confirmation is a big deal in our church, and I am so glad I got to witness John take such a giant leap in his relationship with Christ.  It truly is a blessing.

John, Preston, Emily (cousin), Sam, and Parker at the Confirmation Banquet, May 30

John (navy/white stripe Polo) at the Saturday night church service taking his vows

Greg & me giving John his blessing at the service. In the background, some of the other Confirmands 

(plus a beautiful shot of the lady sitting in front of Sarah blocking the camera's view)

John and Pastor Thomas, a great friend of our family's, after the service

And, of course, all the gorgeous faces of adoption (minus Anna Grace) that were playing after church!

We finished the night off with a party at the cousins' house!

(Emily is John's age and got confirmed also)

Kids' Table

Gorgeous dessert table

This was a night to remember, and I wanted to make sure to document it!

Running for One More

A Race against Time for 13 Year Old Boy from China

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., April 5, 2010 – Thirty-two runners are teaming up with local charity Room for One More to run in the Nashville Country Music Marathon & Half Marathon April 24, 2010. Room for One More is a non-profit organization dedicated to help orphaned children find forever families, encourage foster-parenting, and support orphan care worldwide. The sponsored runners will be Running for One More to raise funds specifically for adoption grants to help offset the financial cost of adoption for approved families already in the adoption process.

One such family, the Yagers, is in a race of their own to bring home a 13 year old boy from China. They were in the process of adopting 3 year old Drew when they heard about a 13 year old boy who only had a couple months before he would age out of the adoption system. In China this means he would no longer be eligible for adoption anywhere, would be returned to the streets, and never know the love of family. Now they are running against time to raise the additional adoption fees for Jaxon before he turns 14 on May 1. Since that decision, they've done extensive fundraising to cover all of Jaxon's expenses, yet they still need $6800.

This is one example of what motivates these 32 runners. Running a half-marathon is no short distance, but it doesn't seem too far when the result is changing the lives of children like Drew and Jaxon – helping to give them a loving family, security and a chance for a better life.

All donations and sponsorships to Room for One More for the Nashville Country Music Half Marathon will go directly to help children come home. Your support is greatly needed. Please help us bring Jaxon and the many other children like him into their forever families! Together we can make a difference one step, one mile, one child at a time.

Anyone who wants to get involved, sponsor an athlete, "Run for One More" themselves or get more information about orphan care and adoption please go to our website: www.roomforonemorechild.org. We can each do something, whether it is donating, adopting, fostering, mentoring, visiting orphans, or supporting families who are taking orphans into their own homes.

Room for One More is a local non-profit organization providing adoption information, crisis assistance, adoption grants, orphan seminars, and awareness and information for foster care and special needs adoption.

Ways to Get Involved:

• Run with us

• Donate online (http://www.roomforonemorechild.org/)

• Purchase a Running for One More t-shirt (http://www.roomforonemorechild.org/Store.aspx)

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter

Matthew 28

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
 The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."
 

While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.'If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Spring Fever

We are impatiently awaiting beautiful spring days in our household.  You know, days where Joe and Ella can freely roam outside without shoes or a jacket... THAT would be nice!  But instead, we rotate between beautiful, sunny, 65 degree weather to rainy, stormy, 35 degree weather.  Come on spring!

It was rainy all day long today.  Freezing cold outside, pouring down rain, and muddy.  BUT, yesterday was BEAUTIFUL!  I'm talkin' sunshine and about 65 degree weather!  Sarah, Anna Grace, Joe, Ella and I ventured downtown and Greg took John and James to baseball try-outs.  We definitely took advantage of the beautiful weather.  We walked up and down the railroad tracks and walked around by the river, and Greg and the other boys met us for lunch and a fun photo-op.

We walked by the river.

(Gorgeous, isn't it?)

and I took advantage of every photo opportunity :)

Joe and Grace jumped off the ledge...

And Ella watched them.

It was a little chilly by the water, so Ella huddled up.

More photo-ops... complete with their hair blowing in the wind

He will now oblige to getting his picture taken.

He's pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself :)

We also wrote our names in the dirt.

SIDE NOTE: Joe is learning letters and how to spell... He is fascinated when he learns to spell a new word!  (He can spell all his siblings names, too)

The boys met us after try-outs.

Just in time for family pictures!

We found this saying on the river wall and couldn't just pass it by...

everybody jump!

I took a few more pictures by the wall, and then we headed to lunch.

This little nook was found on our way to eat... it was the perfect size for AG.

Lil Miss waiting for her BBQ sandwich

After lunch we got ice cream

and I snapped a few more pictures before we headed home.

Needless to say, we enjoyed our sunny Saturday afternoon!

Some random tidbits:

• The concrete wall inspired me, our new theme for this blog is: All you need is love.
• In the process of the new blog "design" everything vanished... poof... gone.  And with it went the hit list, music, follower gadget, and everything else on the sidebar.  So, if you were a follower of this blog, you will need to add yourself again.  We are starting fresh. Tonight.

Update on the Country Music Half Marathon:

Marathon training is going great!  I am now up to 8 miles!!!  I will have an update on the Running for One More progress and fundraising later this week... that is a post in and of itself!

One last picture:

Blessings and Happy Spring!

Shari

Guatemalan Rockstars!

Music Music Music!
Joe and Ella share a special bond... and that is that they both LOVE music!
Joe plays the piano with his daddy ALL of the time.  He really enjoys it... and he is REALLY good!  He is good at listening to the different sounds of each key.  Joe also likes playing guitar.  He will use anything that is remotely close to a guitar- a stick, a violin, a hanger- as his guitar.
Ella is also VERY musical!  We got used to finding Joe in the piano room, but Ella has started to catch on, too.  She loves to sit on the piano bench and press the keys.  She has a great ear, too, because it really sounds good when she "plays" the piano!  She's also into singing right now.  Her favorites are "Old McDonald" and "Jesus Loves Me".  She walks around the house (or store or restaurant :) singing "Jesus loves me this I know.  For the Bible tells me SO!" So precious!

{PSALM 150}
1 Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.

2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.

3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,

4 praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute,

5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.

6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD.

*Joe is in a "no pictures" stage and refuses to have his picture taken, so Ms. Photographic gladly stepped up to take his spot. :)