My parents celebrated their anniversary this week. My parents have been married for thirty seven years. THIRTY SEVEN YEARS! This is amazing to me. I feel so incredibly fortunate to have been raised in my family. While obviously no parents are perfect, I have to say that I think mine are pretty darn close. I love them so much…which I know sounds weird. I know I’m a big nerd…but I can’t help it. I love my Mom and Dad. I love spending time with them, talking to them, and hate that they live so far away. I always want to be with them on my birthday, celebrate all holidays together, and just BE together as a family as much as possible. They make me laugh, they always have good stories to tell, and most of all they just make me feel so loved and supported. They have been there for me all my life; helping me rehearse lines for my plays, teaching me to cook, shooting hoops, trying to teach me to hunt, supporting me at my volleyball and basketball games, and of course my plays and band concerts, teaching me to drive, helping me figure out a plan for college, providing a loving home for me to grow up in, giving me a strong Christian foundation, and most of all just showing me love…all my life. They have supported me through all the tough times a kid usually goes through, all the teenage drama etc…and they have helped me weather the storm of Matt’s hemorrhage these past few years as well, with love, encouragement, humor and faith. I can’t say enough how thankful I am for them…how much they’ve done for me…how much they mean to me. They are awesome parents…they are everything I would want to be should I ever become one myself. So – Thanks Mom and Dad, for everything.
If you had been a customer of the Longhorn Steakhouse on Highway 19 in Palm Harbor, FL last Sunday night, you may have seen two couples walking through the restaurant, oogling a sweet baby boy on the way to their table. You may have commented on how cute he was. You may have thought he looked a lot like the woman carrying him. You may have wondered about the man in the wheelchair. But you likely would not have assumed you’d be witnessing this baby’s biological parents sit down to dine with his adoptive parents. It’s a scene I’ve been playing over and over in my mind as I recount the wonderful experiences of our trip to Florida. The magnitude of that moment, that evening, will never be lost on me. It was incredible to be a part of – and I’m so very grateful we had it. We had met up with Ethan’s birthmother, L, earlier in the day. She hadn’t seen him since he was a few hours old and was anxiously waiting for us outside a local mall. As soon as we saw each other the tears welled up in o...
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