Testing, Testing, One, Two, Three . . .

Anyone still out there? Chances are I'm talking to Dad who is my lone audience, but I'll take that chance. Lest you think its all rock concerts, let me get you up to speed. There hasn't been a lot of posting going on lately and that's not because we're following Hannah Montana on tour around America or something. Really, its not all that exciting around here. I'm not complaining though! We've settled into a routine of school, church, friends, and family and that's just how I like it.

Let me give a genuine piece of advice to future AP's and new AP's. This is going to sound obvious, but its not something I did right away. Make time for yourself soon and often once you return home. It was a Friday afternoon and I was exhausted at the end of a long week. I had been teacher, tutor, mom, wife, interpreter, referee, and much more. I was on the way to drop the boys off for a weekend retreat with their youth group when Robert called to say he was taking the other three to the dollar movie. It hit me that I had at least two and a half hours of uninterrupted "me" time on my hands. I can't begin to tell you how rare a commodity that is! I rushed home to a quiet, empty house. The cats, sensing the change in atmosphere, followed me into the darkening living room. I popped in a movie knowing I would be able to watch it the whole way through without having to pause it and tend to any emergencies. Just this little bit of time did so much for me.

Make time for relationships outside the home too. I thought I would come out of my skin the first time I was able to sit down across from my best friends Cindy and Kim away from the hustle and bustle of home. They couldn't talk fast enough to update me on what had been going on in their lives. And I was beyond anxious to share what had been going on with us. Girl time has been a precious thing for me and we're already scouting fares and hotel deals for our annual trip. Stepping outside of the the role of mom (adoptive or otherwise) is just necessary sometimes.

Kristina continues to adjust and adapt to life as a Landrum. I've been trying to put in writing the difficulties adjusting for all of us, but finding the words has been a lot harder than you'd think. I believe God is in the middle of a lesson with me, so when I figure things out I'll let you know. ;)

We've said before that we feel God was beginning something when He added Kristina to our family. The adoption was the start of something rather than the end. Do we hope to add more children to our family through adoption? Absolutely. But God is calling us to serve further in orphan ministry, and we are waiting for direction to that end. Please pray with us that the vision and vehicle for that ministry would be clear.