Food and Fun Were Had By All

These days, my dad spends a couple of hours every day inside of a hyperbaric chamber. It looks kind of like this:


On the inside, it looks kind of like this:


He is in there with other people, and they get to watch movies. Not the best time of his life, but not torture. The doctor said that spending time in the chamber has saved his leg, so I'm sure he won't complain!

All of this time in the chamber, though, means my mom is driving him out to Dallas every morning, and then she has to keep herself busy for a few hours. Yesterday, I went to hang out with her, and we had a lot of fun.

First, we found this:


There isn't a person in our family who can resist that light. After we consumed our weight in hot glazed goodness, we went on over here:


Oh my. I have always wanted to go to Central Market, but I have been content with Market Street, since we have three within ten miles. Well, no longer. How have I lived in the metroplex without knowing how great it really was? My mom and I walked around forever looking at vegetables and cheese. We even picked up my dad, loaded him up in his wheelchair, and headed back for lunch!

I am in love. They are having their Hatch Fest right now, and although I was scared to try it at first, we had a blast trying all of the samples. My favorite was the Hatch pesto. Yum! I am just sad that I waited until two weeks before I move to find it. Oh well. If I go everyday I can get in at least 10 more visits!

It's On...the Market

I really do have great aspirations to become a more regular blogger very soon. I have been very busy this week, though, mostly because a sign much like this one went up in our yard a few hours ago!


I am always a little particular about the way things are arranged in my house, but now I feel like people will be stopping by every day (hopefully) and judging the food I have in my pantry and the way I hang my towels. It's a little stressful. Plus, I watch way too much Designed to Sell on HGTV, so I keep walking around thinking about knocking out a walls or adding water features to entice buyers. I probably won't reach for the sledgehammer. But I think a water feature may look nice in the living room.

Why My Friends Call Me Weird

I have a confession to make. I am EXTREMELY stressed out! Why, you ask? Is it because I am moving very soon and have not started packing? Nope. Is it because my last day of work is tomorrow, and I have to leave the best job EVER? Nope.

Ya'll, fall TV starts very soon, and I have not made my schedule yet. How will I function if I do not make sure that my shows do not overlap and if I do not double check to make sure everything is being appropriately recorded by the DVR?

Sigh. It keeps me up at night really. Am I the only person who does this? Usually, I start by visiting all of the network websites. Frankly, since cable shows have started getting better, it's a little hard to balance it all, but I manage. I make a list of everything I want to continue watching from previous seasons, as well as anything new that looks promising. Then, I make a weekly chart and plug everything in to make sure it's all going to work.

The DVR will record two things at once, but occasionally three things come on at the same time. I promise you I don't watch that much TV, but I guarantee you that if I only watched three shows, they would all come on the exact night and time as each other. So, really, the weekly chart is the most important step. If you mess this up, you'll regret it all the way until sweeps week.

Finally, I look up all the season premiere dates and times of things I watch and write them on my calendar. Then, I just sit back and wait for the fun to start.

Anyways, I am sure you can relate, and now that you have read this you are off to start your show chart. Anyone? Seriously, anyone?

A Door Closed

At the beginning of the summer, we became aware of a birthmother who might need to make an adoption plan for her baby. We let her know, through family, that we were open to adoption if she decided that was what she felt was best and left it at that.

About a month later (three weeks ago), we received a call from one of her family members stating that she had decided she wanted to move forward with an adoption plan and that she wanted us to adopt her baby.

After that, the next few days were a blur. I met with the birthmother and her cousin, went to the doctor with her, and began to get an idea of what our adoption plan would look like. At that point she was already 32 weeks, so we knew we had to act fast.

Over the last few weeks, we have prepared to bring a baby into our house in a short amount of time, gotten our things together for a homestudy, talked to lawyers, and everything else that is involved in an adoption.

If you read the last post about us moving, you know that these past weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind.

Long story short, the lawyer called today and said that the birthmother had reconsidered and will be parenting her baby.

So, today I am sad. I am sad that I will not be bringing a baby home next month like I thought I would. I am sad that I will never know the baby I thought may be mine. But I am hopeful.

Because, ultimately, adoption is not about us. It is not about our feelings and desires. It is about providing a home for a child who needs one. It is about being a parent to a child who needs love and a family to call his or her own. Any parent knows that raising a child isn't about you, and adoption is no different.

So, today, I pray for the baby. I pray for the birthmother. I pray that the short time that the birthmother considered adoption changed her and inspired her to try to be the best mother she could be. Ultimately, we were in her life for an extremely small amount of time, but I hope that it made her consider the type of life she wants her baby to have. If we helped her in any way to improve her life and the life of her child, then the pain is worth it. Because, ultimately, it's not about us. Sometimes God places us in situations that can bring pain and heartache. Places we don't understand. But He knows exactly what He is doing. So, although we don't know exactly what our role was in this situation, we pray that God uses it for good.

Please be in prayer for this sweet baby and the birthmother. They have a long road ahead, but I hope that it is one filled with hope and new beginnings.

The McLife Goes East

Well, friends. Today is the day. Today is the day I tell you one of the reasons I haven't been posting so much these past couple of months. And it's a doozy. Are you ready?

We are moving. Not just moving. We are moving. It is with excitement, as well as some sadness, that we are packing up and heading east. To Mississippi that is. You heard right. This past weekend Mike accepted the call to serve as Pastor of Spiritual Development at Hernando Baptist Church. Hernando is here:


As you can see, it's not exactly just a quick trip away from the large metropolis that we have called home these past 27 years. Except for those four years in Waco, which is definitely not considered a metropolis.

As sad as we are to leave our family and friends, we cannot wait to embark on this new adventure! We feel that this is exactly where God has called us to live and serve, and we can't wait to see what happens in the next few years.

Don't worry, though, I am probably going to do this to our roof.


That won't be obnoxious at all, will it? Anyhow, I'm sure the posting will get a lot more frequent around here now that I have so much to talk about. More information to come!

Tastes Like Summer

I have lived in Frisco for awhile now, but today I truly became a Frisconite. A Friscan. A Frisconian. Today was my first encounter with The Snow Cone Lady. And I hope it will not be my last.

Now, I have heard tales of the Snow Cone Lady before, but never had I experienced the goodness. When I walked up to the window I am pretty sure I heard angels sing, and I knew just what to order. A Grape and Cream Snow Cone. Ice? Good. Grape? Good. Cream? GOOD! And let me tell you what, there was no skimping on the cream. And that's important in my world.

Now, the SnowCone Lady has been at this for awhile. She started way back in the 80s when VCRs were 500 bucks and everyone knew who Alf was. She was on the side of Main Street for years and years and almost caused the city to shut down when her hut dissappeared last year. Not to worry, she is in her very own building now over on Elliott by Babe's Chicken. You should totally go check it out. And get the cream.

PS: If you Google Frisco Snow Cone Lady you will see that she has a facebook and a myspace. Apparently, Mary the Snow Cone Lady is a Taurus and she is In a Relationship. Go Mary!

Summer is Coming to An End

It's been a slow blogging week here at The McLife. Really, it's been a slow blogging summer. I did want to give you an update on my dad. I should have taken a picture of him using his walker when I was over there a few days ago, but I forgot. I'll get him next time (did anyone else just think of Inspector Gadget?).

So far, it looks like he's doing really well. He went home after 8 days in the hospital, and he has been hobbling around just a little bit on his walker. For the most part, I think he's been chillin' in the recliner watching Bones and NCIS (it's a hereditary trait). There is a small spot on his leg that the doctor's are watching carefully to make sure it's okay. The back of his leg kind of looks like a map of train tracks, but that's good because he loves trains.

Now, we just have to wait for him to start another round of chemo. And pray that the surgery got all the cancer! Thanks for all your prayers!

On the blogging front, with fall coming I suspect I will have lots more things to write about. Pumpkins, cooler weather, football. Okay probably not that last one. But the possibilities are endless.

A New Journey

If you have read my blog or know me in "real life," then you know that the journey that Mike and I have been on in the past year and a half or so is certainly not what we planned. However, through this time, we have learned that the life God has planned for us can be so much better than we ever imagined.

Does that mean life doesn't hurt sometimes? No. But it means that we deal with the pain and keep moving forward. We keep moving forward knowing that the path we are on is the one that God has planned for us all along. The one that brings us closer to Him. The one that will bring glory to His name. The one that will bless us more than we could have ever imagined.

We have no doubt that God has brought us to this season in our lives for a reason. And we are so happy to announce that we have taken steps to begin a new journey...the journey towards adoption.

We feel very strongly that adoption is God's plan for us, and we know that He knows the exact details of that plan. It is so comforting to know that God has known from the beginning exactly what our journey holds, and we cannot wait to see where it leads us.

We would love your prayers as we go through this season of our lives. Please be in prayer for the baby God will place in our family, and for the birth mother and her health and peace of mind as she makes her courageous and selfless decision. Also, please pray for us as we navigate unknown territory. We cannot thank you enough for joining us as we prepare for our journey!