And 2 Years Later...Still Hopeful!

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul,

And sings the tune without the words,

And never stops at all.

-Emily Dickinson

Just a quick thank you to all of you who are still supporting us in our adoption journey. It's been a long road so far, but we know the end will be a huge blessing!

One More Bathroom Picture

Love it!

Home Makeover: Bathroom Edition

The bathroom remodel is done! After Michael and David gutted it, Michael and his dad put it back together. We appreciate all of the help and it is now very beautiful and completely functional...just in time for school to start. (Thank goodness!)

Here are some before and after pictures. I promise the shower was clean...it's just stained orange because we have hard water. :)

We kept our old vanity and put new hardware and a new sink on it. It is the only thing in the new bathroom that is the same.

We used two different shades of gray- a lighter one on top and a darker one on the bottom.

As you can see, Michael does very good work!

Accessories

After the dining room was painted, Mandi did a little shopping to spruce it up. She couldn't find any curtains she liked, so she bought some fabric and her mom helped her sew these valances.

Okay, so maybe Susie did most of the work and Mandi just watched and learned!

Mandi did find these very cool candlesticks and boxes at the new antique mall (The Crow's Nest) in Wabash to help complete the room.

And yes, the bathroom demolition and remodel begins this weekend! Woohoo!

Home Makeover: Dining Room Edition

We had planned on remodeling the bathroom this summer, and we will do that soon, but we got all wild and crazy and decided to paint the dining room too. Here are some before and after shots:

What do you think of the red? We really like it. Come back soon and check out the new bathroom!

Still here; still waiting

I got these little shoes at a garage sale last weekend. Aren't they cute? I figured boy or girl doesn't matter because they would go with any IU outfit!

Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Washington D.C. 2010

I (Mandi) went once again to Washington D.C. for a fun-filled weekend with my students. It was an eventful trip that ended much later than expected because our bus broke down, but we ended up getting the day off school! Here are a few pictures.

Mandi on the Metro (subway)

Mandi and Tyson with Elmo

Mandi and Elmo in front of the Capitol Building


Tim, Mark, Mandi, and Tyson in Annapolis

Mother's Day

I just wanted to show off the flowers I got from Judy (Michael's mom) and Roy for Mother's Day this year. It was very thoughtful and they were beautiful!

Spring Break '10

We made a quick trip to Bloomington this year for Spring Break. We stayed at the hotel in the IU Student Union. The weather was beautiful and Mandi had a wonderful time showing Michael around campus and dragging him through various extended shopping opportunities.

The Union

At Cafe Pizzaria on Kirkwood

Michael entertaining himself with bathroom humor while Mandi was shopping
(Notice: He wasn't wearing a Purdue hat. We had to search high and low to find one without!)

Showing our love for all things peanut butter

Who knew they had Reese's vending machines? Where can we get one?

Sweet relief!

We just completed our home visit with our second adoption agency, based in Fort Wayne, this afternoon. The lady who came to meet us was very friendly and funny, so it made our visit much easier. It wasn't at all like our home study with our other agency that lasted 4 hours and consisted of interviews and an in-depth home inspection. Since that was already complete, she was able to just sit down with us and chat about whatever we felt like. We asked her several questions and felt really good about all of her answers. This means we will now be on 2 adoption waiting lists and will have a chance for more birthmothers to choose us!