Happy Belated Father's Day! Prepare to LAUGH!

Just found this video & it's a MUST POST (Abbey & I have watched it over & over - HILARIOUS)! This is dedicated to you David, definitely living the "Dad Life" - you go above & beyond to seek God, minister to, & provide for this family......we don't take you for granted & God sees every little sacrifice!! Happy Father's Day - we love you! :)
*Pause playlist on left before watching

Contrast.....

While spending some time on the internet this morning I came across these two items within 5 minutes of each other.....they made me stop and think about the sharp contrast of reality in this world......one man's reality is a $75 million dollar mansion, and one is literally receiving the shirt of another's back....

I read the article out of curiosity about the selling of the mansion with no emotion, but I watched the Rwanda video with tears and a true longing in my heart to love "the least of these"...........

Yahoo Headline: "America's Most Expensive Mansion Sells" (click to read article)

*pause playlist on left to watch

Both Hands Foundation

We are sooooo excited to have found this fairly new fundraising opportunity through the Both Hands Foundation, a partnership of Lifesong For Orphans......scripture tells us in James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keeps oneself from being polluted by the world." So often in the adoption movement we have a strong conviction for the orphans, but unintentionally overlook the widows.

Through Both Hands Foundation, both the orphan & widow are ministered to. In a nutshell, sponsorship letters are sent out by the adoptive couple and some of their close friends/family. Think the traditional "will you sponsor me as I play golf/run a 5K/walk in a walk-a-thon for a specific non-profit...etc?"......the difference here is people are financially sponsored to spend a Saturday working on a widow's home & all funds raised go toward a family's adoption!!

A quote by Billy Graham sums it all up....."God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with".........

We have just discovered this opportunity & are still researching the possibility, but I highly recommend clicking on the Both Hands banner above for more information. VERY EXCITING - truly a God inspired idea!

Order today......Help bring Zoe home!

We got our OFFICIAL approval letter this week with our agency, Lifeline! All orders from my Initial Outfitters website will help us bring Zoe home! Click the catalog above to view the catalog which has an extensive line of personalized gifts....there's something for EVERYONE on your list! The "Products" tab will take you to a shopping cart. Email me if you have any questions & have fun shopping!! *Remember all of your upcoming wedding, graduation, & Mother's Day gifts!

Tebow....The Rest of the Story....

Choosing life is not always the most popular decision as we've seen from all of the controversy surrounding Tim Tebow's Super Bowl ad.........click the picure to watch the 10 minute follow-up video about the Tebow family's decision not to abort....

Mac Powell of Third Day Adopts....

Several months ago, Mac Powell (lead singer of Third Day) & his wife Aimee completed a domestic adoption. They added a beautiful son, Emmanuel.....click the picture to read the short article about them!

We will bring praise!

Wow.....can you believe that 2009 is over?!?! Sooooo much has happened this year that let us know God is NEAR!! What a privilige it is to be called sons & daughters of God & we look forward to more of Him in 2010! Please take a few minutes to watch the video on the left screen......it will bless your heart as it reminds us that regardless of circumstance, GOD is LOVE & IN CONTROL!

We are still waiting on our official approval letter from Lifeline - again HIS timing is PERFECT!

HAPPY 2010.....thanks for all of your continued prayers & support!!

Desert Song Lyrics

v1This is my prayer in the desert, when all that's within me feels dry, this is my prayer in my hunger & need, my God is the God who provides.....

v2This is my prayer in the fire, in weakness or trial or pain, there is a faith proved of more worth than gold, so refine me Lord through the flames....

Chorus: I will bring praise (x2), no weapon formed against me shall remain, I will rejoice, I will declare, God is my victory & He is here....

v3This is my prayer in the battle, when triumph is still on its way, I am a conquerer & co-heir with Christ, so firm on His promise I'll stand....

Bridge: All of my life, in every season, you are still God, I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship

v4This is my prayer in the harvest, when favor & providence flow, I know I'm filled to be emptied again, the seed I've received I will sow

Closer.......

As we write, we are feeling sooooo much closer to actually bringing our baby girl home. Since we moved over the summer, our social worker had to come do an updated home inspection last week & at that time we officially turned in ALL (did you hear that ---ALL!) paperwork to her! We felt like doing some serious cartwheels around the house!

Our family profile scrapbook is FINISHED and ready to print tomorrow. We should be officially approved with scrapbooks printed and ready for birthmoms by Thanksgiving. This time last year, we were nearing our trip to Disney & soooo thankful for the baby steps we had taken in this quest........a year later we are almost ready to begin "officially waiting". No, it's not a quick process, but will be worth it all when we bring our Zoe Grace home! (And yes, our wait from here could be 6+ more months).

Prayers are soooo greatly appreciated.....we are thankful for the love & support thus far! Everyone feels a part of this journey & that makes it so special to us! We still have around $10,000 to save/raise, so if you feel led to support us in this way, please contact us by phone, email, or mailing address as listed.

We are not there yet, but we are definitely CLOSER than we were!!! Stay tuned........

Book Santa Portraits Now......

Attention Auburn/Opelika friends! Book unique Santa portraits NOW with our friend Chere. You can also order them as this year's Christmas cards.......her sessions are limited, so give her a call! Click here for location/booking info (go to "Gallery", then "Santa Claus is Coming"). HAVE FUN!

Change of Seasons......

Fall brings many new things.....as do all change of seasons. There's just something about crisp morning air (we've had lows in the 50's this past week), long sleeves, brilliant leaves, and...... Auburn Football!! There's nothing quiet like living in a college football town - Auburn is THE BEST! One weekend ends, only to begin anticipation for the next. There's a constant "buzz" around town, with plans being made and preparations taking place.....fun to be had! This town & University hold a special place in our hearts because God really came into our lives here........He has walked with us, grown us, and brought us from season to season......bringing so many new things. Let's pray for grace to slow down & enjoy each season.....& the special things God places them!

Bad Hair Days.....

We are so ready for some sunshine here in the (not-so-sunny) south!! Our football game Saturday night even had to be evacuated and delayed about an hour due to a torrential downpour. Anyway, Abbey & I were playing with our Yorkie, Mocha, & decided to let him model how we all feel lately with the humidity! :)

God's got this!!

Since turning our lives over to Christ in college, we've always believed in worshipping Him with more enthusiasm than we ever gave worldly things before. It's soooooo good to know that HE is the one in charge of this adoption process (timing, finances, etc)! This is a favorite song right now & reminds us of just how big HE really is!
*pause our playlist at the bottom of the page & enjoy!

One that chose life......

Ok...so rap may not be your favorite music; despite that watch this video!! A true story from the point of view of Nick Cannon, whose mother decided not to abort....pause our playlist at the top left of the page & watch (very moving!)---Then,pray for birthmoms who face this life-and-death decision DAILY.....oh, that they will CHOOSE LIFE! :)

Family Portraits

Our friend Chere did an awesome job with portraits for the family adoption scrapbook we have been building for birthmoms to look at! We had soooo much fun & wanted to share a peek with you:) Check out her website here.

We have a winner!!

Congratulations to Meg Cutter on winning our raffle drawing!! She chose the $350- Best Buy card as her prize - This will give her lots of options! :)

Our family profile is almost finished - it has been soooo much fun creating a digital scrapbook of our famiy! I have now found a new hobby!!

We appreciate all of you dearly.......we are ALMOST in our waiting phase & every ticket bought in our latest raffle has brought us 1 step closer to our goal - bringing sweet Zoe home!!!

Raffle Update

Our latest raffle has been extended until August 1st & new prize choices have been added! Stop by A.K.'s Coffee Co. or click on the ChipIn link to enter.......the winner will choose ONE of the following prizes:

Canon EOS Rebel XS Digital SLR Camera
*10.1 megapixels
*2.5" LCD Display







Dell Mini-10 Netbook
*Intel Atom Processor Z520
*10.1" Widescreen
*1GB SD RAM Memory
*keyboard is 92% of traditional laptop

$350- Best Buy Gift Card

IPOD Touch
*8GB - stores over 1,750 songs
*3.5" multi-touch screen display





Wii Gaming System
*includes sports disc with
golf, baseball, bowling,

tennis, & boxing



TICKETS - $5.00 EACH or 5 FOR $20.00!

GET STARTED!

1.)Click the "Chip In" button on the left to be taken to the SECURE PayPal link. (deadline will be extended to Aug. 1st)

2.)Use your credit,debit card, or checking account to pay securely through PayPal. Enter the amount you wish to donate - we will issue ticket numbers according to the amount entered (each ticket is $5.00 or buy 5 tickets for $20.00)

3.)Watch for your email confirmation from us including your raffle number(s).

4.)Drawing held August 1st-watch for your notification by email!!

***BLOGGERS WHO POST A LINK TO THIS RAFFLE WILL RECEIVE 3 FREE RAFFLE TICKETS! Email me if you're interested in participating!
jlane633@charter.net

Order Now......Support the Zoe Fund!

*Click pictures to enlarge

Now taking orders for "Names of Jesus" canvas art. Each individualized piece is on a 12"x 16" black canvas with distressed paper accents. A beautiful addition for a wall hanging or side table. I am accepting orders by email at: jlane633@charter.net. The $50- price goes directly toward the adoption of Zoe! Feel free to contact me for any additional questions & thanks for your continued support! BLESSINGS!

A glimpse.......

Here is a glimpse of families who have walked out the adoption call - isn't it beautiful!!!

Another Winner!

Our latest raffle winner for a month of free A.K.'s Coffee is..........Ms. Betty Wilson.....congratulations & enjoy!!! Thanks again to all of our faithful customers/friends who participated! You are a great joy to us!

Our final homestudy is close (the goal is for next week). The plan is for all paperwork to be completed by the end of May when we will apply for grants & complete our Family Profile scrapbook. How exciting! We truly appreciate your continued support - GOD IS GOOD!

"red, & yellow, black, & white....."

We wanted to share a blog post of a friend regarding his experience with inter-racial adoption. We have a huge heart for adoption across racial lines - there's such a desperate NEED even in the U.S.! Click the picture above for the link!

Now that's a lot of red envelopes!

A quick follow-up about the Red Envelope Project which was a grassroots effort to send empty red envelopes to the White House in support of LIFE:

"White House confirms it got 2 million red envelopes-President's mail worker claims letter campaign 1 of largest in 35 years

Posted: April 06, 20098:21 pm Eastern
By Chelsea Schilling© 2009 WorldNetDaily

The White House mail office has confirmed it received a "deluge" of as many as 2.25 million red envelopes symbolizing the empty promise of lives snuffed out in abortion in a massive campaign that was larger than most White House mailing movements in the last 35 years.
White House mail worker "Steve" has handled letters for 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. for more than three decades. Every single package and letter destined for the White House goes through his office.
Asked if he has seen a flood of red envelopes bound for the White House, Steve chuckled.
"Uh, yes," he said emphatically. "Believe me, they made it here."
Steve said while Obama has been occupied in Europe, his administration has noticed millions of red envelopes on behalf of aborted children.
"Quite frankly, there was definitely a deluge of mail coming through," he laughed. "I had to handle them all."
"I've been here 35 years, so I've seen presidents come and go," Steve told WND. "This campaign ranks up there with the big ones.""

25% of Sales for Zoe!

Click the picture to shop for MARY KAY cosmetics through my cousin, Kathy Martin's, website. **25% of sales March15-April 30 will go to The Zoe Fund!** When checking out, simply type "For The Zoe Fund" in the comment box. YEAH!!! Thanks so much Kathy!!!

Let it snow!

Only in Alabama can you have a tornado touch down 3 miles from your home one day (73degrees) & 24 hours later wake up to this.......................
Abbey & Mary Kathryn sledding on campus

Snowman on AU President's lawn We ran into Aubie in front of Samford Hall

Abbey calm for the moment......Meg going WILD!

1 of many snowball fights

Now we're inside getting warm, the sun has started peeking out & everything will melt before you know it but............ WHAT A FUN DAY!! (And yes, it is supposed to be 70 degrees again by mid-week)!

Now on DVD...

*click the banner above to visit the Fireproof website & view the movie trailer
Everyone who knows us knows we are HUGE fans of this movie! If we begged & you still didn't see it while in theaters, rent it today!! Produced by a church in Albany, GA, Fireproof and the accompanying bestselling book, The Love Dare, have been a huge unexpected success! Read CNN's article on it HERE.

120,000 sent & counting......

Click the envelope to read about this simple, yet profound statement supporting LIFE!

Only God.....!

If you haven't read "Our Story" in the right margin, please do so to get the full picture of this amazing journey we're on.......As you'll see, it all started with God leading us to begin this process, and confirming, in part, by using the name Zoe. The family who had the adopted child named Zoe on stage at "The Call,D.C" has started an adoption foundation to help Christian parents in the process. We've been blessed to share our Zoe Fund logo with them!!! We had the logo designed simply for our fundraising, never dreaming it would travel across the nation with this precious couple as they share the heart of adoption with so many! CLICK HERE to read their latest newsletter & HERE for their website. We're constantly amazed that ONLY GOD could put all of this together!