Day 17- 25

Day 25: 11/16/2010

Open your eyes to the world we live in.

I've started this book, Priceless by Tom Davis,

which focuses on the issue of sex trafficking in Russia.

Every minute two children are trafficked for sexual exploitation.

Day 24: 11/15/2010

After making homemade enchiladas and apple cake,

Jeff and I hosted our Every Child Has a Name meeting at our place.

I definitely am my mother's child and absolutely love hosting!

Day 23: 11/14/2010

A new coffee table trend?

Currently we are using our normal table as a temporary TV stand.

so what better thing to take the place of our coffee table

than an ironing board?

Jeff and I enjoyed eating lunch and watching the Bronco game

with our new piece of furniture.

Day 22: 11/13/2010

My friend William showed me how to make home-made popcorn.

He used to be in my Kindergarten class

and was also very proud to show me

his reading, writing, and math skills. It was a wonderful night!

Day 21: 11/12/2010

Jeff spent the evening opening his new tools

and helping around the house.

Unfortunately there is still a lot to do,

but I am so relieved it's not me with the power drill anymore...

and so is Jeff. Feel free to ask him about the hole in our wall.

Day 20: 11/11/2010

God has a funny sense of humor.

Although today was 11-11 (one of my favorite #s) I started the day by

locking my keys in the house and spilling coffee all down my top.

The day did end on a positive note with a movie next to my husband.

Day 19: 11/10/2010

We had our first official "Dillon Dinner Guest" tonight.

Ken, Jeff and I spent the evening enjoying good conversation,

a delicious meal,and the first snow of the season.

Day 18: 11/9/2010

Chard is on the menu... well at least for Sydney it is.

I made chard for the first time and was very impressed with the results.

I wish I could say the same for Sydney.

Day 17: 11/8/2010

Yoga and heals?

Although I had forgotten to grab shoes to wear into yoga,

Alexa was generous enough to let me borrow her flats.

I didn't have to walk into the studio in sweats and heals after all.

With love, to Russia

The last couple of days have been very emotional for me, and although there is no real trigger, I know where the feelings stem from- a little girl in Russia.

I knew when I started working in the adoption field I would have the chance to witness many miracles. I would get to see kids find forever homes, parents finally have a son or daughter, and be able to watch them grow up. (That's my favorite part of the job- looking at pictures of the kids as they come in. 6 months after adoption, a year after, two years... it truly is miraculous to see.)
I probably also knew that with the positive of adoption, came the negative. I understood how many orphans were out there and how hard it was to find good homes for these kids. But I guess I never expected God to move so strongly and break my heart so soon.

This summer God begin to speak to me through a little girl. With her little frame, olive complexion, and dark brown eyes came the heart of an innocent child. At only ten years old, she has probably been through more struggles than I will ever face. With no parents, no family, no home- she lives in orphanage with 50 other children. They care and love each other the best that they can, but the fact remains the same; it is still an orphanage.

As the week went by and I spent more time with her, I realized that God was stirring something inside my heart. I could barely communicate with her but still managed to make her smile and laugh. Hearing her say my name, asking me to watch her while she played, searching for my eye contact in a crowd- I knew this was a special child who was going to teach me a lot.

One day while driving, I looked in the back seat and saw this precious little girl sleeping peacefully and it made me wonder- What does she dream about? What does she hope for? Is it a family? ... someone to tell her she is special, important and loved? ... a mom? I quickly realized that I would probably never know the answer to many of those questions and even more regrettably, would never be able to give her those desires. But still I thought about what God's plan was for my life. Was I meant to try and make a difference for millions of orphans throughout the world, or just love one? Did God purposely put this angel in my life to teach me His heart for the orphan?

Since meeting her, my dreams often consist of her, my prayers always involve her and my longings often are just to hold her. I would do almost anything to be able to travel to her orphanage, hug her, smile at her, and tell her how loved she is by God and me. But I can't. I can only hope that a loving family would find her and bring her home. I can only wait on God to ease my heart ache and hope that He shows me His plan.

So that's what I'm going to do. Wait patiently and silently send my love to Russia...

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Dillon, Day 1-16

Day 16: 11/7/2010

Jeff has been officially relinquished of his duty to do laundry. 

No more black socks in the white load.

Day 15: 11/6/2010

Jeff made us breakfast and decided to create a new version of the chocolate chip pancake...

Reese's Pieces Pancakes!

Day 14: 11/5/2010

Starting to make a place into a home. 

Day 13: 11/4/2010

Fort Logan National Cemetery

We went to honor Grampy Don 

and also got to see my grandfather's final resting place.

Day 12: 11/3/2010

My husband bought his new wife flowers for the first time. 

Day 11: 11/2/2010

Flying Home.

Day 10:  11/1/2010

Beautiful Hawaii.

Our last day on the beach.

Day 9: 10/31/2010

A new tradition is born.

Pineapple carving for Halloween.

Day 8: 10/30/2010

Ring check.

Swimming in the ocean with our new rings probably wasn't the smartest idea. 

Day 7: 10/29/2010

An afternoon out by the pool. We had everything we needed:

A good book, sunscreen, a camera, and dare we forget to mention Jeff's "I-Pod".

 My old school husband makes me smile. 

Day 6: 10/28/2010

It took me half of an evening to figure out how to turn our stove top on.

New appliances come with new challenges. 

Day 5: 10/27/2010

And then the rain came... 

It rained like this for two days, but it was a great opportunity 

to lay in bed and read a book.

Day 4: 10/26/2010 

Jeff and I went to eat at the Hula Grill in Ka'anpali. 

It was a beach bar with live music, great food, sand beneath our toes,

and a great sunset.

Day 3: 10/25/2010

Jeff took this picture. 

Two tooth brushes, one tube of toothpaste from now on. 

 Day 2: 10/24/2010
Off to Maui!

Look how organized Jeff is. He has a manila folder for just about everything.

I love it!

Day 1: 10/23/2010

Our first stroll as Mr. and Mrs.

More pictures of this special day to come!

Our First Year of Marriage

As Jeff and I embark on our first year of marriage, it's my goal to try and take time to remember each and every day. This new and foreign ground should make for some interesting and definitely wonderful memories that we would love to share with all of you.  This memory  idea was started by my friend/employer Alexa, and although I am definitely not as talented as her, I hope you will enjoy experiencing Jeff and I's journey together.