Thanksgiving sickness and gratefulness

I have been really sick for the past couple of days....really yucky sick, but mustered my way to the computer to pay a couple of bills and check my e-mail. There is only so long I can lay in the bed. As Little J says....."are you ever going to get out of the bed again, mommy?"

While checking my e-mail, I began to cry as I saw a picture of and read a letter from our friends who are currently in the Philippines bringing home their precious daughter (who is case you've never read this blog before is M's best friend from her orphanage).

Read along.....

Hello everyone. I am finally awake enough to sit down and write. We have been going nonstop and by the time we get in we are out of it. We are having a wonderful time. It has been the most eye-opening, exciting, beautiful, sad, and blessed experience that I will remember for all time. God has truly blessed us with a beautiful daughter. Our emotions have been overwhelming most of the time, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

During the ceremony that MFH had for us she mentioned how long this journey had been and how she felt God was preparing our family as well as using J as a blessing to the many younger children at MFH. She truly has a gift with the smaller children. It is amazing the watch the older children care for the smaller ones. They are so polite and loving. It was so very hard to leave. We spent as much time as we could there as it was just a precious time.

On Tuesday we visited Tagatay a province that have beautiful mountains, volcanoes and lakes. We ate a mountainside restaurant outside overlooking a famous volcano with a lake inside another volcano. All around it was beauty. All over the areas of water there were fish pens where they leave the pens in the water then they check them for their catch. Pineapples groves were everywhere. We ate this soup that we can't remember the name of. The broth was pretty good, it had cow meat, cow bone marrow, yummy, cabbage, snow peas, and carrots. I simply could not eat the marrow. We have learned to love the rice mixed with Soyah sauce and Calamansi (very tiny lemons) that are very potent very good. J practically drinks it.

We went shopping at the Mall of Asia. The biggest mall in all of Asia. It was amazing. I were able to buy her two pairs of rubber shoes (tennis shoes) and a pair of school shoes for $40, which just one pair at home would have cost that. We got her two native dresses that are simply beautiful. It was a long day as it takes a long time to drive anywhere. The constant stop, go, stop, go of traffic has been the only thing that has really made me sick to my stomach. We are visiting ICAB today, which is the board that made the final decision for us to have J and then we will shop a little more. Several of the clothes we took are too small. Please pray for us as we continue to bond with J. She is very quiet, but she will be fine. The houseparents say she is quite the jokester, so we can't wait for that side to come out.

We love all of you and can't thank you enough for all of your prayers. God has truly blessed our lives with wonderful family, friends, and our THREE wonderful children.