Cup of Joe (for a cause)

Did you know that 68% of Americans drink one or more cups of coffee each day? How about you? Andy and I go through coffee very quickly in our house. We often have bags and bags and bags of various coffees sitting on our kitchen counter. Sometimes it feels like I'm restocking our coffee supply every week.

Honestly, in the last 2-3 years, Andy and I have become coffee snobs too. We just had a conversation yesterday morning that we're so used to drinking our fancy coffee on the weekends (because who wants to take time to grind beans on a weekday morning??) that when we drink the standard grocery store coffee during the week, we're often disappointed.

We recently discovered (by way of Andy's sister, Ahna) some delicious new coffee! Gobena Coffee is a company that helps with adoption fundraising for families. You can purchase whole bean, ground, or k-cup coffee from our personalized page and 50% of the purchase will come straight to us! We (mostly) all drink coffee, so this is a simple way for you to join us in our adoption journey. I can promise that the coffee is actually good too! Andy and I have had several varieties - Colombian, Hazelnut, Pumpkin, etc. - and love them all! Feel free to share this information with others who may be interested in supporting us. It is our hope, too, that as you sip your Gobena coffee you'll be reminded to pray for our daughter. Pray that she will grow healthy and strong, that she'll know the Lord from a young age, and that she is confident that she has value and is well-loved.

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Not much has changed with the adoption since last month, but we have officially applied for our home studies! We're currently in the process of submitting LOADS and LOADS of paperwork. This morning, I went to the doctor and got a full work up too. No detail is too insignificant at this point. We have until May 31st to finish our dossier. We'd appreciate your prayers as we work hard to get all the important documents in order and finished on time.

A slightly more tangible and exciting step we've taken is to paint our daughter's room! Because we likely won't have her in our home for another 3-4 years, we wanted to go ahead and establish it as her space, but in the meantime, it will need to function as a guest room. So, we've painted it a pretty green color, bought new curtains, and soon we'll be replacing the carpet and acquiring furniture!

The other night, I sat in the room and was filled with such joy at the idea of tucking my little girl in each night in that space. I can't wait to read books to her and play with her in that perfect little room. For all we know, this room is the most space she's ever had all to herself from birth to placement in our home! I love the idea of it being her spot - one of comfort, fun, coziness, and relaxation. I think back to my childhood bedrooms and I love them. Such sweet memories of playing in those rooms - of daydreaming, drawing, sleeping (I love to sleep!), and late night talks with my friends during sleepovers. My hope is that this room will be just like that for our daughter.

I'll post pictures soon!