First, our spaghetti dinner was a huge success. And by huge, I mean HUGE! A much bigger success than I could have ever imagined. We filled up the Farm Bureau building with family, friends, and fun. To be honest, it was one of the best days of my life. When you are a single parent, you get used to handling things yourself. It's not that others wouldn't help if you asked them, or even if you didn't ask, but in order to convince yourself that you can make it on your own, you just do things yourself. This tendency has made me a much stronger and more independent person, but sometimes it's a little, well, really a lot, overwhelming to try to handle things yourself. The day of our spaghetti dinner, I didn't handle one single thing myself and it was very humbling to find out just how much help we ended up with.
It all started weeks before the actual dinner, which was originally scheduled to be held in our church basement. Then, two very dear new friends offered to donate the rental fee for the Farm Bureau Building in Williamstown, which could accommodate a much larger crowd. Then, friends and family volunteered to cook, bake, craft, sew, and serve. My mom made adorable pillow-case dresses to sell and my sister made adorable matching bows. I had desserts of just about every variety coming from all over the county and beyond. A few days before the dinner a wonderful kind-hearted lady I work with took it upon herself to get donations from several local businesses to cut down on our costs for the dinner. Thanks to her work we ended up with salad donated from Edwardo's, salad dressing donated from Wendy's, spaghetti noodles donated from Larosa's, and a gift card for paper products donated from Walmart.
And the good news just kept on coming. My mom and my sister and her kids were able to come up for the dinner. They helped set up and serve and clean up and keep me sane (if I said, "what if no one comes?" once I said it a million times!). The kids, led by Jeremiah, made signs for the dinner. These are two of my favorites.
I didn't have the heart to tell him he spelled sister wrong. He was mad later when he realized it, but to be honest I think that just makes this even cuter!
And to redeem himself and show off his spelling abilities, he got Ethiopia and orphan right on this one!
When it came time to actually start getting ready for the dinner, the ladies from my church swept in and took over. After I stood around watching them work for a while, they pretty much said, we got this, and you're just getting in the way - go out there and visit with people! They cooked, served, smiled, and cleaned up like a team of super heroes! Thanks aren't enough - but thank you from the bottom of my heart to Lori, Robin, Samantha, Linda, Carol and Jodi. You ladies are the best! And they brought their families who cleaned off tables, washed dishes, folded up chairs, swept the floors, and loaded all the stuff back in everyone's cars.
For a girl who is used to handling things herself, it was all a little overwhelming. I don't know if I have ever felt more loved and more a part of a community than I did that night. And it's still not over. I continue to get checks and notes of encouragement from people who couldn't come, but want to donate to our adoption. I went to my mailbox at school on Friday and found a check from a co-worker - and it is just one of many. We are humbled. We are grateful. We know that there aren't enough words to express our thanks - but thank you to all of you just the same. Dalaney is one lucky little girl to be coming home to this community.
The high from our spaghetti dinner still hasn't worn off, but we have added the high of a court date as well! We will be leaving on March 13 to fly to Ethiopia to meet my daughter and attend her court date on March 19. That would be thirty short days from today - not that I'm counting, or excited, or anything like that. Included in this high would be my son, and Jodi and Grant. We got a fabulous deal on tickets, so not only will my best friend be going with us, but her son, Jeremiah's best friend, will be going as well! Thank you Lord! I can only imagine what an adventure this trip is going to be.
So, now that we have a court date, and hopefully a loose timeline for when the baby might be coming home, barring paperwork difficulties, I can't seem to stop myself from buying baby clothes. I think I get this urge from my mother. I'm pretty sure she hasn't left the house since we started this process without buying some sort of baby item. As a result, I have a variety of clothes from 3 months to 3T. So it's not like I need to buy baby clothes, but I really, really, really want to buy baby clothes. ALOT. Most often I buy things on clearance - this girl likes a bargain - but every once and a while I see something I just have to have. I'm trying hard to resist, but let's face it, I have no resistance against the cuteness of baby clothes.
These are two thing I just coudn't resist.
I mean come on - it's a hot pink baby trench coat.
I had to have it.
And it was on sale. I took that as a sign.
And this one is so soft and comfy looking.
I just imagine this color is going to be awesome against her beautiful skin and huge brown eyes.
Lastly, two favorites from my mom and my sister.
Can you guess which one is from Aunty Tabby?
She might be a little excited about having a new neice.
So, that's where we stand. Dying of excitement and hoping this is the fastest thirty days in the history of the world!
