Happy Mikayla Day!

Hello?  Anybody still there?  If you are still hanging on with us even after a 3 month blogging break, you are amazingly faithful! 

On Saturday we celebrated a very special day for our family.  It was the one year anniversary of the day that we arrived home together, as a family.  I affectionately call it Mikayla Day. It is almost surreal to think about how quickly time has flown by.  Wasn't it yesterday that we were in Ethiopia just after their celebration of Christmas?  Wasn't it yesterday that they put this sweet little girl in our arms forever?  It hasn't been an easy year by any stretch.  I would  venture to say that it has been the hardest year I have ever experienced.  It has been a transforming year for all three of us, and change isn't easy.  We have stretched and grown in countless ways.  Even with (or perhaps, because of) these growing pains, this year has also been the biggest blessing imaginable.

In addition to extra snuggles, hugs, kisses, and prayers of thankfulness, we celebrated by heading out to a local Ethiopian restaurant.  The food and family time were great, and I love that we got another picture by the Christmas tree decorated for the Ethiopian celebration of Christmas.

One Year Ago

One year ago today I woke up as nervous as I ever had been before.  I knew my life was about to change forever because Brian and I were to meet a new member of our family.  One year ago we traveled across a busy city in a foreign country to meet a little girl who was already part of our hearts, a child for whom we had prayed long before we even knew her.  We stepped out of a van and walked up the stairs to a room with six tiny cribs.  One year ago, a video camera watched as we laid eyes on this sleeping beauty who was our daughter for the first time.  

 One year ago today, we fell instantly in love with our little Tamir.

Has it really been a year?  In so many ways it feels  like just yesterday we were in Addis for the first time.  In so many other ways, it feels like I have known Mikayla forever.  What a difference a year makes!

Mikayla Tamir, we are so thankful for the blessing you are in our lives.  We are so much richer for being your parents.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Today, we celebrate six years of marriage!  More so than ever before, I find it hard to believe that it has been six years.  A lot has happened in these 6 years:  2 houses, 5 jobs, 4 cars, 1 boat, two surgeries, 1 miscarriage, 4 nieces and nephews, countless weddings, and 1 Mikayla later, here we are!  Our journey has been a bit of a roller coaster, but we have had so much fun together, and I wouldn't trade a bit of it.  I am so thankful to be on this road with my best friend.

Brian and I at our rehearsal dinner 

The first words spoken at our wedding definitely reflect my feelings today as well:

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
 ² Worship the LORD with gladness;
   come before him with joyful songs.
³ Know that the LORD is God.
   It is he who made us, and we are his;
   we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
 ⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
   and his courts with praise;
   give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
   his faithfulness continues through all generations.
-Psalm 100

If it's Gotta End...Might as Well be in the Bahamas!

Once we boarded the boat after an awesome day in Honduras.  We were ready for Cozumel, Mexico.  Unfortunately high winds combined with a narrow shipping channel exiting port kept us in Roatan overnight forcing us to miss our port in Cozumel.  It was pretty disappointing, but we had two days at sea to relax and enjoy time on the boat.  We sailed Wednesday and Thursday before arriving in the Bahamas Friday morning.  Princess Cruises has their own private island to relax under palm treas and eat lunch on the beach.  We found a couple of chairs in the shade and parked for the day.  We took a the opportunity to explore the coastline and enjoy the sunshine and 80 degree weather.  Several hours after lunch, we returned to the ship to set sail for Ft. Lauderdale.  We still had an evening of dining and enjoying the entertainment on the boat before retiring to bed and returning home.  Best we can figure...if you have to go home, might as well spend the last day in the Bahamas!

It was a fantastic trip to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary (even though it's not till June).  Back to reality!

Grand Cayman

After setting sail from Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday afternoon, we spent a day at sea on the way to our first port. We arrived in Georgetown, Grand Cayman Island first thing Monday morning. After a brief walk around the town, we headed on Capt. Bryan's Stingray Adventure. We boarded a catamaran and set sail for Stingray Island, which is a sandbar near the barrier reef. There are hundreds of stingrays swimming around this sandbar, and they are docile enough to be fed, touched, and even kissed :)! After a stop at Stingray Island, we went to two other snorkel spots close by. It was windy and the water was rough, but the coral and animals were beautiful. After a long morning in the water, we raised the sails and headed back for Grand Cayman and a wonderful lunch at Breezes restaurant with a waterfront view.

One of the best parts of the day was meeting some new friends. We spent a lot of time with a fun family who had visited Stingray Island before. They were able to help us get and up close and personal experience with the rays!

A Five Year Treat!

Four weeks ago, I woke up to a black computer screen with white lettering that read:  Push the Button.  When I did press the button, a slideshow created by my husband started playing.  He had worked hard to plan a 7 day cruise to the Caribbean, and his slide show gave me all of the details, including clues about the "off the beaten path" adventures we would have at each port.  The reason for this surprise vacation?  We're celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary this year.  Even though our anniversary isn't until June, my spring break was the perfect time for us to escape.  We returned this weekend, and what better way to relive our fabulous trip than to share it with you!  Today, I'll share some general pictures of the ship and fun things we did on the boat.