What We Wore Wednesday and a Foster Care Update

On Monday, we got the opportunity to attend a Foster Care Review Board Meeting for E. 

A Foster Care Review Board Meeting advises the juvenile court on progress toward achieving a permanent home for a child or children involved in a dependency action and in an out-of-home placement. There are 5 volunteer board members. The well-being of these children is the highest concern to these board members. I am so grateful to them for the time and effort they put into insuring that each child can find a forever home.

I am also grateful that Josh and I as foster parents where able to be there to be a voice for E. To express our concerns, our opinions and also tell them how great E is doing in our home and just how much we love and adore her. They asked us if we would have any interest in adopting her. Josh and I both shook our heads right away at the same time and said most definitely!

Our Case Manager also showed up to the meeting too which was a HUGE blessing for us, because she bragged and bragged to the board about Josh and I and also told them about how E is growing and thriving in our home, how happy she really is and how she calls Josh "Daddy" and me "Mommy". She called our home the perfect home and expressed that she wishes that we could take in more children to love and care for. She express to the board that she has been a Case Manager for a long time and that she believes that there is a forever home out there for each child.

The board was also very elated that we were there as E's foster parents supporting her and fighting for her. She is worth the fight in every single way. Every. Single. Way.

E's Mom is still no where to be found. She has been in contact with her Dad, but presents no interest in trying to get her children back. She has missed numerous visits, court hearings and other important meetings. It's sad. Very sad. I pray a lot for her.

Towards the end of the meeting, the "head" of the board pointed to our Case Manager and said:

"Mom obviously has no interest or desire to get her children back. It's been months. There has been no contact and no effort on her part whatsoever. The board's final vote is to have the Mother's right severed as quickly as possible and get these children in permanent homes. Homes that are going to love and care for these children like they should be loved and cared for."

The next step in all of this is for the board members to present their opinions and final decision to the Judge and then the Judge will make the final call. (fingers crossed)

After the meeting was over, the head of the board came around to us, shook our hands and thanked us for all that we have done for E and for stepping up to the plate to make a difference in these kiddos lives. 

I was ecstatic after leaving the meeting and cried like a baby on the way back to work thanking God repeatedly for His faithfulness, His goodness, and His love throughout all of this. Some days I ponder and think about how we got here...how we got to this point in our lives. I never thought in a million years that I would be a foster Mother fostering these sweet wonderful children. I have been praying and praying fervently for over a year to get pregnant. I guess the Lord had different plans for our family. I am so so thankful that Josh and I listened to the promptings of the spirit to become foster parents. That we accepted this call to serve Him and love and serve His children. All of it is because of Him. All of it! I am so grateful for Him and His wonderful plan for our lives. He is so good!

I hope you will stay tuned and continue to follow us on our Foster Care journey!

What is God doing in your life? I would love to hear about it! Comment below.

 

(me) skirt: thrifted // top: thrifted // jacket: Ross // necklace: F21 // watch: Target 
(e) top and dress: thrifted // shoes: gift

Testimony Tuesday: Emi from C&E

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do you believe in miracles?

we do.

We had an experience which made us believe in them even more.We are newlyweds who just got married on the first of june, 2012.

After returning home from our honeymoon in june, we had one week to open all of our wedding gifts, pack up our things, and move to california. needless to say it was a hectic week. the night after we got home, we had a family party and opened all of our wedding gifts. It was a crazy night as we opened lots of presents, wrote down lists of thank yous, and sorted them into piles to take with us, to store, or duplicates to return.

The day after this gathering, I noticed that my wedding ring was not on my ring holder...or on my hand! These are the only 2 places it would usually ever be, so I was shocked to not know where my favorite thing was. In 8 months of having it during the engagement, that had never happened once. I thought I must have set it somewhere in the house or somewhere as we had opened gifts or packed up. I was sure we would find it.

Well, that week went by with all of our family members searching high & low for it. Finally sunday came when we had to move, and we left heartbroken and with a bare left hand. I still had hope that it would be found, but as the days went on after we moved it seemed less & less likely. My cute parents searched every night for it and my dad kept calling me with more and more questions about what I remembered. My parents both looked through all the garbage, gifts, and everywhere they could. They would not stop looking!

Meanwhile, my new husband had every excuse to be furious with me about it...but he was handling it so well. Instead of making me feel guilty about losing our most prized, special and expensive possession, he just took it like a gentleman and made me realize that we still had our love which was most important thing!

We were just missing the symbol of it........

Well, exactly one month later on friday the 13th, that all changed.

the ring was found!

you won't believe how:

The night back in june when we had opened all of our gifts, I had somehow unknowingly taken off my ring amidst all of the unwrapping and packing. Everything was sorted into piles, and the ring was with some items we returned to bed bath & beyond the next day...I had no idea as I made those returns that my RING was inside the box with all the gifts!
Right at that moment, it could have been gone forever. As they processed and restocked the returned items at bed bath & beyond, the ring could have fallen out, been taken by an employee or customer, or endless other possibilities. But instead, it ended up inside of a mini cupcake tin which was restocked on the top shelf of the store.

A few weeks later, a lady named jilda went to bed bath to get a mini muffin tin to make her son some muffins he had asked her to make. As she chose her pan, she reached up to the highest level in case they had any different sizes. She happened to grab the tin the ring was in...coincidence? I don't think so! She came home and discovered a diamond ring loose inside of the muffin tin. She had no idea how it got there or what to do with it.

Meanwhile, my dad had gone to have his hair cut by our family's favorite hair stylist. She is our good family friend and does all of our hair...so she was asking my dad about how we were, and he said great except for the sad loss of our ring. she had just seen the ring when I was in to get my hair done before the wedding, so she knew what it looked like. She asked him when we lost it, and he mentioned we had been opening wedding gifts at the time.

The next week, megan's coworker jilda came into the salon and was talking about how she had found this ring at bed bath & beyond and didn't know what to do. She was having a jeweler come into the salon that day to tell her the price in case she were to sell it.

Megan overheard this and remembered her conversation with my dad...she said that although it was a longshot, she knew someone who had lost a wedding ring. She remembered we had been opening wedding gifts, so she thought it might be possible that it was found at bed bath. As the jeweler arrived, megan called my dad to check if we had ever found the ring. He said no, and she said that her coworker had found one that looked like mine. The jeweler advised them to have my dad send a picture of the ring to them to identify it.

I was coming home from a tiring friday of work in LA when my dad called me and casually asked me to send him a picture of the ring. I had no idea why, but we hung up and I sent him a picture. 5 minutes later my hairstylist megan called me out of the blue and gave me the best news I've ever heard in my life- she said,

"emi this is megan blanchard...i have your wedding ring! your dad is on his way down to get it right now!"

Obviously I was in shock! I had zero context, but I started crying from happiness the second she told me...I really hoped I wasn't dreaming!  Later I got the entire story and we put it all together. We have gone over it hundreds of times since and still can't get over it. The ring is now safe and sound at home in Salt Lake City, and we will be coming home to visit in 2 weeks so I can get it back on my finger then. I am so excited to have it back and in SUCH DISBELIEF at the series of events which came together and got my ring back to me.

This story is such a miracle and it makes the ring even more special to us---we will tell this to our children and grandchildren forever!

This story may not seem like a big deal since it is just about a material thing, but the more we thought about how it all happened the more we realized what a true miracle it was. There is no way that this could have happened randomly, and it's such a testimony builder. Heavenly Father proved more than ever that He truly is involved in the details of our lives and can make the most unlikely things happen! What a sweet reminder of the fact that our prayers are heard, no matter how small our problems are. If it's important to us, it's important to Him!
There's no way to deny that after this experience!

These two were happy to be reunited!

Thanks for having me, cute Kimberly!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Testimony Tuesday

Good Morning! It's that time again for Testimony Tuesday!

Today Kerri is visiting us from Love Always

Guys...she is seriously AMAZING and she is here to share her testimony with you.

You can feel through her words the love that she has for the Lord.

WARNING: Be prepared to get chills all over

Hey! I'm Kerri
I blog over at Love Always

This is me and my cute Husband.

and this is my testimony....

I contemplated sharing one of those- oh wow miracle stories of mine.
because i figured i should since it is testimony tuesday.
then i really started thinking about a testimony and how it is gained.
testimonies are not born from the once in a while big miracle moments.
those moments are special situations when he decides to come down and write his divine signature on your heart, just because He loves us.

a testimony is gained from little moments- and not all at once.
those everyday tender mercies that we receive because of the Lord's love for us.
they nurture our soul and allow a beautiful faith and confidence to continually grow in our hearts.

for example- last sunday night, i was on the verge of tears at the thought of enduring the monday ahead of me. scratch that. the verge had come and gone. i was in tears.
the dreadful monday.

chalk full of classes, studying, appointments, and an opening and closing shift at work.
i am 9 weeks pregnant right now which means i have about 2% of my normal energy.

i honestly didn't think i could get through the 18 hour day.

i prayed. i prayed that i could just make it through the day.
and guess what? i did.

throughout the day, i found little comforts.
finding a new song i could listen to that seemed to re-energize me,
venting to a doctor about all my pregnancy symptoms,
work wasn't as busy as usual, and i was able to get in a quick nap,
and biggest shocker of all, i was in a happy mood all day.
i randomly felt like giggling or hugging a stranger
my husband hardly recognized me
because I've been quite sick and sluggish the past month and a half.

these sorts of things happen to me whenever i am humble enough to turn to the Lord.
they seem small, maybe even sound insignificant-

but praying and asking for divine help; although it doesn't necessarily make life perfect-
it does allow to me to live my days with my eyes open a little wider and i am able to recognize the small blessings i am always receiving.

my testimony is not based on the big huge miracles that have happened in my life,
although those didn't hurt ;)

it is a compilation and a combination of all the love i have felt and all the blessings i have received from my Father in Heaven; and all the love i have consequently felt towards the Lord and so many of the His children on this earth, the love that is undoubtedly rooted in Him.

thank you so much for having me Kimberly!



Want to participate in Testimony Tuesday?!?!
Email me if you are interested!
bostonksox@gmail.com

Quote of the Day:

"Our hope is not in any one election...

The most important election in your lifetime is your election into the household of God....