Karwoski Life

Obviously we knew heading into this adoption that the paperwork would be extensive (and rightly so) but phew, it’s been a busy couple of weeks making our way through the mountain of questions, forms, and applications. It’s been ‘fun’ looking up financial information and discussing our childhoods, parents, and personalities. One thing we’ve taken away so far…how blessed we are with our loving and supportive families.   We giggled when going through the personality traits of our parents, and how we grew up. Trying to imagine our parents being violent or abusive…but in reality, we know there are so many who have had to cope with these types of unstable and scary home life situations. It didn’t take long for us to realize how good we’ve had it.   Of course we’ve always known how lucky we were to have such supportive families – but to see their traits checked off on form really brought it home. Words like loving, kind, gentle, fun, compassionate (well, if you were bleeding ...

Bah! I said it…er wrote it…out loud. There it is, in black and white for the world to see. (Pause for a drink and a breath) Matt and I are in the very early stages of planning to adopt. We have had a few meetings with an adoption agency, we are gathering the necessary information, and we are making plans to get this ball officially rolling SOON. It has been a very long and winding road to get us to this point, and honestly I never thought we’d get here. Adoption isn’t what we started out hoping for. It isn’t where we thought we’d end up. But here we are – gearing up for what will surely be a life-changing experience for us with hearts full of hope and excitement. The topic of adoption has come up in the past, but we quickly dismissed it for one reason or another. Matt and I have had our fair share of insecurities about whether or not adoption would be a good option for us. Who would look at our family profile and pick us?? It was a burning question that we probably still have ...

This week we received word that one of the other stroke patients who was in China at the same time as Matt has passed away. This is the second passing from the group that we know of. All week I’ve been reflecting on our time in China, and thinking of the folks who were a part of that experience. We came from all walks of life, all stages and ages to a foreign place in search of healing and hope. While none of us came away with the miracle healings we had prayed for, I have no doubt we all came home changed. It’s still strange and surreal for me to think about the fact that Matt spent 3 months in China. Looking back at pictures I can’t really believe we were actually there…in China. It was 6 years ago, nearly exactly, that we were preparing for Matt’s big trip. We were hopeful and excited, nervous and a bit scared. We had sacrificed so much to get there – as did our families. We were taking this great leap of faith in hopes of brighter days ahead. And truly, our days have been brighte...

As we approach the start of a new year, it only seems natural to spend a little bit of time reflecting back on the year about to close. While 2013 didn’t bring with it all that we hoped and dreamed it would, there were certainly many, many good times to be thankful for. Just last week, I was looking through my photos from the year and smiling at all the fun we had. It comes as no surprise to anyone, I suspect, that I like to take a lot of pictures. I love to look at them and share them and reminisce about good times with friends and family. I apologize if this comes off as braggy... But for me, it is healing, and humbling, and simply good to look back and realize that despite the tough times, disappointments, heart ache, and uncertainty – Matt and I have had a great year. We have a great marriage. We have wonderful family. We have the best friends. We love our home, our animals, our adventures, and above all else – each other. So bear with me, as I post a little recap of some of...