Please Get Me a Birthday Present

It isn't very often that I ask for a Birthday gift.  I've always been the person who says, when asked, "oh, no I don't need anything. Just your company is enough."  You know- gushy stuff like that.  Well, this year I am going to ask each and every one of you to get me a gift and not be ashamed of it.  You may think I am a snob as you are reading this.  You may even want to click the little red X sign right now, but hold on.....keep reading....this is something I really really really really WANT :) Please read the whole thing.

As many of you know Ryker is my joy.  He fills me up with so much love I can hardly stand to hold it inside.  My heart aches when he is away from me and oh my mamma heart leaps for joy when he gives me that cute little grin.  It is my hope and my prayer that other families will be able to experience the amazing miracle of adoption.  Tyler and I knew we wanted to adopt, so we would have gone to great lengths to make sure that happened, but on the financial side of things it can get overwhelming.  We felt such a relief when we found out about the Adoption Tax Credit.  Now, this didn't pay for every cent of the adoption, it didn't give us money to spend on fancy things.  It just helped to make adopting possible for us without going into a huge amount of debt.  This tax credit has helped thousands of families make what seemed impossible, possible.

Now, many of you also may know that I am a pretty conservative woman.  I don't preach politics, but I will say I am all for running this country like we run a business, so if you're like me read this paragraph.  If you aren't than you can skip it :)  An adoption tax credit (one time money) of $12,000 to help put a child in a home where they will provide for that child for the next 18+ years (Yes I say 18+ because otherwise statistics show the probability of children in foster care ending up on welfare is much higher than those in forever families).  Well, that $12,000 starts to look like a small number compared to the $5,000+ PER YEAR that child will end up costing the state because they are in the system.  So, yes this is a bleeding heart request, but 'common it's also a 'numbers don't lie' request!

So, back to my Birthday gift :)  I've copied an example of a letter below.  All you have to do is copy this-take out my personal paragraph-perhaps add your own, or just leave it simple.  Then send this along to you congressman and senators.  I also have a link to some facts regarding the Adoption Tax Credit in case you would like to learn more about it.  And I've even attached a link to all of the IDAHO Congressman and Senators.

I know this tax credit may not affect you at all, it may not even be something you are somewhat interested in.  BUT REMEMBER.....It's my Birthday coming up.....and I'm thinking this may be a much cheaper gift than the Horse I was planning on asking for.

I love you all!  Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Facts About the Adoption Tax Credit:
http://adoptiontaxcredit.org/faqs/

IDAHO CONGRESSMAN:
Crapo
Risch
Labrador
Simpson

Letter Example:

Dear Senator/Representative NAME:

I have the most beautiful blessing who came to my husband and I through adoption.  His name is Ryker and he is 18 months old.  Because of our strong desire to adopt we would have jumped through hoops in order to bring our son home to us, but when we found out about the adoption tax credit it helped to relieve some of the financial debt that we would have incurred.  It is our hope to adopt again someday, but might be unlikely if this tax credit completely diminishes. 

I am writing to ask you to support the adoption tax credit, which is set to expire on December 31, 2012. Since 1997, the adoption tax credit has helped tens of thousands of parents offset the high cost of adoption-like us, making it possible for those who adopt to provide children with loving, permanent families.

If Congress does not take action, the current adoption tax credit will expire at the end of 2012. The credit will be reduced to $6,000, and will only benefit the few families that adopt children with special needs and have qualified adoption expenses. Most families adopting children from foster care, intercountry adoption, and domestic infant adoption will not receive any benefit. Without the adoption tax credit, many parents hoping to adopt will be unable to do so, and others will face great financial hardship. The adoption tax credit is essential to ensuring that as many children as possible find the forever families they deserve and ensuring that those families are in a more stable financial position to provide an environment where children can thrive.

The adoption tax credit must be extended to help as many children as possible find the permanent, loving family they need and deserve. And for 2012 it should be made refundable again so that most adoptive families will benefit from it. I understand we are in an economic hardship, but I also understand the greatness of placing children with forever families rather than paying thousands upon thousands for them to stay in foster care throughout their childhood.

On behalf of the countless children waiting to be adopted, and the many thousands of families that stand to benefit from the adoption tax credit, thank you for your attention to this important issue.

Sincerely,

Brianne Gray

Nampa, Idaho

Briegray@gmail.com/208-914-0757

My Baby Brother is Graduating!

Tonight my baby brother will graduate from High School.  For so many reasons I am proud of this young man.  I am seven years older than my brother, Chase.  As soon as I was old enough to understand the difference between having a sibling and being an only child I began praying for a little brother or sister.  I remember desperately wanting someone to play with and someone to look up to me.

Unfortunately, I didn't take the role of big sister very well.  I soon figured out that I wasn't the center of attention and my selfish, bratty attitude came out.  When he began walking and getting into things I quickly figured out that I could blame things on him even when I was the culprit.  It often didn't get past my mom and dad, but sometimes it did.  I now look back and feel horrible for the times Chase took the brunt of the scolding rather than me - all because I pointed my finger.

Pretty soon we became the typical bickering siblings, but I tell you what as much as we fought I better not hear someone else say a bad word about him!  And he was the same way.  I still remember a note he left under my door my senior year of high school.  I had been dealing with a couple of boys who were being really hurtful toward me and one day after school came home in tears.  My brother slipped a note under my door that night telling me he was sorry that people were being mean to me and that he loved me.  He even offered to go beat them up.

Now, I look at this young man who has so much personality and so much potential.  He is such an incredible brother.  He's been more than helpful as we have begun our business venture.  My boys absolutely love him and it;s been so sweet to see how great he is with both of them.  A few weeks ago he could see I was feeling overwhelmed with Titus screaming and Ryker being a busy body.  He took Titus and walked around with him to give me some relief.

My brother is such an incredible young man.  He doesn't wear his emotions on his sleeve, but he cares deeply for people.  You wouldn't consider him a bible thumper, but he is a man who loves God and desires to praise Him.  He is so smart and wherever he goes he is able to ignite the room.  His personality seems to just overflow in any situation he is placed in.

I am so excited to see where God takes him and what wonderful things lie ahead in his life!  Congratulations Chase!  You deserve all the best in life.  I am proud of the young man you have become. I am proud to call you my brother.  Enjoy celebrating this wonderful night!

Memorial Day Thank You to ALL

My appreciation for memorial day seems to grow with each year.  As a child I loved this holiday because we would usually go to the parade or a ceremony where I got to see really cool looking men and women in their uniforms.  They looked like super hero's to me! When I was in high school I really enjoyed those ceremonies and parades even more because who doesn't love a man in uniform?  My appreciation grew deeper because I knew friends who had lost family members who were serving our country.  I also started to understand the stories my grandfather told me about his time overseas. My heart went out to those who were away and those who had lost their lives.  To me that was the most noticeable sacrifice.  This is when I began to notice that every time I saw the flag fly and heard our national anthem, or the sound of that lone trumpet- my eyes would begin to well up.

Then as an adult I married a man who serves his country daily.  Not by going overseas, but by night in our own city.  I realized that he was seeing and experiencing an entirely different town than I had grown to know.  Each night that I lay my head on my pillow he heads off to a call that would most likely be a night mare for me.  This is when I began to realize that the men and women who go overseas to serve our country don't ever return "uninjured".  The things they see are unlike anything I can imagine, the circumstances they endure are unlike anything I could cope with and the pain they have to overcome may not be in the form of their life lost or a limb missing, but their heart torn from the life they gave to keep us free.

I want to deeply thank those who are away from their families right now fighting for our freedom.  I want to sincerely thank those who continue living on without their loved ones, so that I may set food on free soil.  But right now I would love nothing more than to embrace the ones who have returned.  Whether they are actively serving or not, I now understand that the sacrifice they made was not shed the day they hung their uniform up for good.  No, what I now understand is that sacrifice is one that will forever live inside of them.  They gave so that we may be free.  I pray that they too are able to be free.  Free from whatever their hearts, minds and souls had to endure.  I will never understand and I will never truly realize what goes on as a soldier stands at the front lines, but I will always be thankful.

Mother's Day Weekend-Signing OFF!

My Mother's Day weekend was filled with lots of fun and many blessings.  We had such an exciting open house (Saturday Showcase) on the 12th.  It was really exciting to see all the people who came out to see the new improvements at Still Water Hollow.  I couldn't help but smile as I saw many of our couple's strolling around the property dreaming and picturing their special day here.  What a true honor it is to have a hand in helping create a beautiful and peaceful atmosphere for those making such a sacred commitment. We have always prayed that people would feel God's presence when they step foot on this land and when I heard comments like, "We just don't want to leave." "It's so peaceful here." "Everyone is so joyful." "There's just something about this place."  I knew that something was Christ and how exciting it will be to see those who don't know Him begin to experience His love in a real tangible way, here.

So even though Saturday was amazing it took a lot of time away from my kiddo's.  There were three days straight that they were being passed from one babysitter to the next and even a few weeks before that where my attention was always distracted from focusing on them.  My gift to them on Mother's Day was to actually be their Mother.  I shut off my phone, I didn't check my email, didn't check Facebook and just loved on them.  It was the most perfect day!

I have decided I am going to start doing that every Sunday.  There's nothing more that I want than to be a mom and when I spend so much time being distracted it's only hurting my relationship with my kids in the long run.  There were several times on Sunday that I thought, "Oh I should post that cute picture on Facebook of Ryker.  That's what a good mom would do.  I should update my status to "loving spending time with my kids on Mother's Day!"  That's what a good mom would do."  Then I realized a good mom would just do it!  She would live in the moment that that photo would speak of.  She would actually love spending time with her kids on Mother's Day so much that nothing could distract her from that- so that's what I need to start doing.  I get way too caught up in this social media world!  What did they do without email, status updates, blog posts, twitter feeds?  Were there still good moms out there even though they couldn't post anything about how much they love their kids?  YES!  I know this because my mom was an incredible mom and she never did those things while I was growing up.  The times I knew she loved me the most weren't when she told everyone else about it, but when she showed me how much she loved me by putting me first and all other things aside.

So, here I am blogging about the fact that I don't need to blog, facebook or twit my love for my kids.  Ironic eh? Well, I guess I'm just preparing the world for my social media faux paw- I'll be signing off every Sunday.  If there's an emergency you'll probably have to call me 5 times in order for me to answer.  It's not that I don't love you all-it's just that I love being a mom even more!

Warning Label on Friendship

If my friends could have read a warning label on me before entering into a relationship with me, I believe it would have read something like this....
Has tendency to plan projects while pregnant that she can not perform, therefore will ask you to complete them for her. Including, but not limited to; painting, moving boxes, deep cleaning with chemicals, staining and putting on large events.
When asked to go on a walk -will suggest her place, which may or may not result in the following; picking up rocks, removing cinder blocks, planting sod and cleaning.
Phone calls/texts will always be responded to, but there is no guarantee she will press send, call the right number, or remember where her phone is in the first place.
When Girl time is planned she may or may not remember booking a tour, which will result in you watching her two boys for her and girl time officially becoming babysitting time.
If offered dinner consult with your husband first. He may be asked to bring heavy machinery, move a house, or remove a Ram from atop a mountain. If your husband is gone for more than 4 hours seek new friendships immediately.
All of these symptoms have or will occur during your sustained friendship-but you will be loved, you will be appreciated, you will be respected & said friend will be forever grateful.

I'm so thankful for the friends in my life! I appreciate their patience with me & the love they show me! I'm a lucky girl :)

It Ain't Suga' Plums & Roses

Here's some great advice I have learned and continue to remind myself of.  There's no sense in complaining to others- half the time their thinking how they can one up you and the other half they are wishing they could talk about the good in life rather than the bad in yours.

I'll just be honest right now there is a lot I could complain about.  I'm sure you can imagine with two kids 12 months a part, a new business, a very large yard :) and just life in general my list of complaints can get quite long some days.  BUT just as I'm writing this I think about.....
The woman who has TWINS AND a toddler
A friend of mine who has been through more tragedy the last few years than I will probably see in a lifetime.
The one who goes to sleep each night aching for their little boy who is still thousands of miles away
The grandma who can't remember what day it is or what she was planning on doing 10 minutes ago
The mom who has a full time job, teaches at the University, has a speaking engagement at least once a month, stays up all night with her grandkids to give her daughter a chance to get rest and still manages to keep her home looking like it's out of a Pottery Barn magazine

The list could go on and on.  The fact is there is always something to complain about in life.  Like they say- Life ain't always suga' plums and roses, but by golly sometimes it's waterfalls and little white chapels.  Sometimes it's my lil man wrapping his sweet little arms around my neck and patting my back.  Sometimes it's someone telling me I'm a good mom.  Sometimes it's looking out my window at my oh so gorgeous husband on his John Deere.  Sometimes it's realizing my in laws love me like their own.  Sometimes it's a helping hand when I have nothing to give in return.  Sometimes life is so real and so close to heaven I can feel God's hand in mine and Him saying, "I trust you.  I trust you with all these precious things I've given you."

So why complain?  Why remind ourselves of the bad when there is OH SO MUCH GOOD! I'm reminded tonight that I AM LOVING LIFE!  I am so thankful for the blessings I've been given and in those times when I begin the play out the complaints in my mind I pray I will start crossing them off and writing down my blessings next to them. For that list is never ending each and every day.

BIG Easter Thanks!

Where do I even begin to thank everyone who helped me over the Easter weekend?  Well, I think I'll start from the beginning.  My husband, mom and dad were involved from the get go!  They jumped on board with this picture I had in my mind of creating a full weekend of activities for Easter.  Little did they know how much work would be involved :)  The picture God had given us was a weekend to be "Immersed in His love".  I truly felt like I was immersed in His love all because of some wonderful people who stepped up to the plate.  My parents went above and beyond to make sure that we had everything we needed to make this a special weekend.  They were behind the scenes helping plan the events, making flyers, running errands, purchasing candy for the eggs, making the coffee, putting together decorations, watching my kids, oh the list could go on and on.  My husband spent every day before work getting the grounds beautiful- mowing the lawn, trimming bushes, removing ALL the cactus, setting up chairs/tables, and much more.  My brother was out in the FREEZING cold scrubbing down the chairs.  He spent practically his whole spring break out here helping us get rid of ALL the cactus.  His lawn mowing skills were put to the test as he mowed our lawn, which looked gorgeous.  Grandpa Gray spent countless hours digging holes for the ivy, trimming bushes and trees.  All of this to make Still Water Hollow absolutely perfect for the weekend.

Tim, Erin and their kids pulled in early Friday morning (3am to be exact).  As they all rolled out of their van and into their beds to finish the nights rest they all had smiles on their faces and excitement for the weekend ahead. Tim and Erin made the weekend so meaningful with their testimony and Tim's message on Easter Sunday was so inspiring!  Audrey and Savannah helped take care of my boys while I accomplished tasks throughout the weekend and Lily made my boys giggle while I was busy.  Savannah captured some beautiful moments on Easter Sunday that I am sure have brought many of you joy as you look through the photo's posted on Still Water Hollow.  Overall their entire family was such a blessing to many of us.  We so appreciate their willingness to drive all the way from Oregon encouraging us and teaching us more about God's amazing ways!

Jake VP, Jake Englehorn, Troy Ferguson and Nell Hill took time out of their Good Friday to use their amazing talents during our Worship Night.  We had so much fun practicing, eating chili together and using music to celebrate that wonderful day.  Heather Beam also came early on Good Friday to make sure everyone who walked into that little white chapel felt welcomed and loved!

Tausha and Mary helped me tremendously on Saturday.  There were many tasks to complete to make the Couple's Night a success and they put the pedal to the metal.  Mary also shared that she will be a "Still Water Bride" this summer during the Couple's Night, which is now my favorite phrase :).  It was such a blessing to get to know her better and I was so touched that she was willing to help us make this event so wonderful.  I also really appreciate Tausha, who found someone to watch her three kids, so that she could spend pretty much all day out here.  She took such a huge load off my shoulders!  Not to mention it's always more fun to work when you have someone right by your side.

Gabe & Michelle Dean....WOW! They made THE MOST delicious dinner for our Couple's Night.  I could have gone back to the buffet line until they had to roll me out of the reception hall.  They spent so much time, energy and love into making the meal incredible and I heard many raves about it Saturday Night.  I think I can speak for everyone when I say that was one of the best parts of the evening.  Tim used his talents that evening to make us laugh, encourage us in our marriages and challenge us to ask God for more.  It was wonderful to look around the room and see everyone enjoying their spouses as well as the company at their tables.

My Grandma, Robyn and the Forrest family all spent their Saturday evening helping me by watching my boys.  There's nothing like placing your children in the hands of people you trust when you have to be away from them.  I know how difficult it can be to watch two little ones who are only a year apart and it means the world to me that they all were so willing to do so.  They also did a great job of wearing them out because they slept for 6 hours straight- I desperately was needing that 6 hours!

On Sunday Joan came out to help hide all of the Easter eggs for us.  She has such a heart for childrean and I know the joy in those kids faces must have been rewarding for her.  This was quite the task considering there were over 400 eggs, I believe.  Kapree also came to help hide the eggs and she made a last minute trip for us to help keep the flies away :) Shelly, Rhonda, The Weathers, Gayle, my Grandma and many others brought yummy desserts.  I wish I knew who all brought desserts, but just know that I am so very thankful.

This weekend was very powerful for me.  I've felt this huge desire to have events out here that bring Glory to God and that bring joy to families.  To see all the smiling faces, all the laughter, the friendships made and the happiness that exuded from each and every one of you who attended was the biggest blessing to me!  I'm so thankful that God showed up this weekend.  He made a statement and I truly believe that He showed how deeply he loves us all in the beauty he blessed us with.  Thank you to each and every one of you who felt God calling you to be a part of this.  You have no idea how deeply touched I am that you would step up and go above and beyond to help make this last weekend so meaningful.