His Heart

Two days late... One day early...

ccdt_hisheart@yahoo.com (C.C. and Double T) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 23:20:00 +0000

Anniversary roses were delivered to me this evening two days late...

That's okay, though, because the delivery guy was one day early and VERY handsome!

Aaaaahhh... all feels right with my world again.

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

Wordful Wednesday ~ Missin' them...

ccdt_hisheart@yahoo.com (C.C. and Double T) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 21:29:00 +0000

Welcome to Wordful Wednesday,

as hosted by Angie @ Seven Clown Circus!

Our babies are still at the boarder's since D.T. has been going in early and staying late at night to make up the hours he missed last week. He did stop by, though to see them for a few minutes, and they were SO excited!!!

Um, at least, I think they were excited. Goldie seems to be saying something, and Ben... well... things seem to be a bit of a blur for him. ;-)

D.T. did pick Ben up to cuddle a little. Gosh, I miss them so much! D.T., too! I mean, I miss D.T., too. Just one more day...

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

2 more days...

ccdt_hisheart@yahoo.com (C.C. and Double T) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:00:00 +0000

...until Christmas Eve!!! I know most people get excited about Christmas Day, but for me, this year... Christmas Eve is the day D.T. will leave home and drive up north to meet me here! I am SO excited!!!

Not much else going on. Doing a few little things around the house, going with my parents to Dr.'s appointments, the pharmacy, and the store. Spending A LOT of time online. That's about it.

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

Happy Anniversary...

ccdt_hisheart@yahoo.com (C.C. and Double T) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:56:00 +0000

13 years ago today...

I married...

the best man in the world!

... and I would do it all over again in a *heartbeat*!

Happy Anniversary, D.T.!

I love you!

**
Today, I choose joy in the most amazing and handsome husband God gave me!

Your love has given me great joy...
Philemon 1:7 (NIV)

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

Not Me! Monday!

ccdt_hisheart@yahoo.com (C.C. and Double T) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Not Me! Monday!
as hosted by MckMama!

This has *not* been a very interesting week for me. I have *not* slept on the couch every night this week, I will *not* be separated from my husband today, on this, our 13th wedding anniversary, and I did *not* mistakenly send my husband back south last week with my daily injections in his duffel bag, and not even care that I will not have them for another week! Nope! Not me!

How about you? Has your week *not* been dull or exciting?

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

Things...

ccdt_hisheart@yahoo.com (C.C. and Double T) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 01:00:00 +0000

...I miss about home and cannot wait to get back to. :-)

1. My husband!!!
2. My bed
3. My dogs
4. My car
5. My living room recliner
6. My bathtub and the background noise
of the bathroom fan while I take a bath!
7. My messy kitchen sink
8. My overflowing dirty laundry
9. My always-runs-all-night-long bedroom television
10. My unfinished changing table project
11. My stack of unread books

I love my parents, and I am enjoying my time here with them. Even so... my life may not be perfect, but...

there's no place like home!

Perfect or not... what is your favorite thing about home?

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

This and that...

ccdt_hisheart@yahoo.com (C.C. and Double T) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 14:03:00 +0000

It seems that I don't know what to write about when I am out of my normal routine.

FOUR more nights until D.T. is back here. I cannot wait!

I never thought I would miss work so much, but I do. Yep, this is a little too much vacation for me. :-)

We did Christmas cards yesterday. Not mine. My parents. I'm not doing Christmas cards this year. Last year, either, for that matter. So... MERRY CHRISTMAS, everyone! :-)

How about your family? Do you still send Christmas cards???

Oh, and how many inches of snow do you have at your place? We could have a contest and see who has the most! We have a lot, but not as much as D.T. does! Strange... and he's the one down South! ;-)

***
Today, I choose joy (no, I haven't forgotten about joy) in the lovely neighbor who agreed to snow blow our driveway here since my dad could not do it, and I certainly could not do it either! :-)

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

Timing...

ccdt_hisheart@yahoo.com (C.C. and Double T) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 13:52:00 +0000

~~Sometimes,~~ I often wonder what God's clock looks like. We recently learned that we had finally been matched up with two different birth mothers to have our profile shown. Now, that doesn't really mean anything other than two birth mothers will look at our album along with the albums of other prospective couples who match up as well. Then, the birth mothers decide if they are interested in meeting us or seeing our actual home study.

Goodness, this is a long process. Our contract with the agency is for 30 months, and 12 have passed by so far. That means we potentially have 18 more months to wait. Then, at the end of those 18 months, if a birth mother has not selected us, we will move on to another agency. Of course, we could always look at other agencies in the meantime, but that would cost money (a whole lot of money) and would involve us going through the whole paperwork process we have already done all over again. That doesn't sound like fun to me. Actually, I think I'd rather have all my fingernails ripped out than to go through all that paperwork again! Ahem.

The reason I decided to write about this today in the middle of all the chaos going on in my family life at the moment is twofold.

First, I think I have a little glimpse of why nothing has happened yet. I mean, can you even begin to imagine the last week of my life if we had already received a placement?

*shudder*

Second, I wanted to share with you a video of the home associated with our agency. If you would like to see it, you should click over *here* to visit some friends of ours. It's actually kind of weird for me to watch this video because I've met almost everyone in it, including some of the birth mothers. It seems... well... surreal to me. It makes me emotional. It grabs on to me. I've asked God over and over... why here? why now? why this place? why this agency? I've asked Him, can't we look someplace else? And, every time, He says, no, wait, not yet, or some other version of what I don't really want to hear.

I guess, then, we'll just continue to wait. Gosh, I hate that.

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

Blah...

ccdt_hisheart@yahoo.com (C.C. and Double T) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:23:00 +0000

Well, my dad came home yesterday on a new medication, and my sister left an hour ago to go back to her home 4 hours away. It is just me and my parents. That feels weird. I miss D.T. and the dogs. I miss my routine. I miss my bed. I will be here until after Christmas to help out and get everyone settled and a little more healthy.

Right now, I just feel *blah*.

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

Thoughts...

ccdt_hisheart@yahoo.com (C.C. and Double T) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:55:00 +0000

D.T. is at work early today making up hours. My dad *may* get to come home today, on a new medication that *seems* to be working. I am the only one awake in the house right now. I am trying to figure out what God is trying to teach me in all of this. I dropped the intensive grad class I was supposed to take in January. There is just no way I could concentrate on reading the books I was supposed to finish before class. It will wait until later. My sister leaves tomorrow. I miss my dogs and my husband. I don't know what else to say.

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

Can I just say?

ccdt_hisheart@yahoo.com (C.C. and Double T) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:54:00 +0000

This sucks! For those of you who are just newly joining me on my blog, welcome to my place of honesty. Really. It sucks!

My dad is still in the hospital. My sister is here now. D.T. just left to go home and work (read: make some money.) I can count on one hand the number of times we have been separated from each other in 12, almost 13 years of marriage... when he went in to the army, when he went to tax training for work (twice), and now.

Oh, and Monday will be our 13th anniversary, and we won't be together. Bad luck? (I really don't believe that.)

I'll say it again. This SUCKS!

Okay, now I feel better. No, that's not true. I don't.

I promise I will return in a better mood sometime later today or tomorrow. Thank you for listening and for not getting annoyed with my *suck*-y mood.

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

Back in the saddle hospital again...

ccdt_hisheart@yahoo.com (C.C. and Double T) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:10:00 +0000

**UPDATE - He has been admitted to the hospital, and we are still waiting to get more information from the doctor.

More v-tach (ventricular tachycardia) in my dad's heart this morning. Pacemaker/defibrillator shocked him (it did what it was supposed to do!). Called ambulance. WONDERFUL people!!! They put him on a monitor and gave him meds to make his heart rhythm what it should be. Now, we are waiting on tests and the doctor to give us a better idea of what is happening. I need a little excitement anyway, huh? :-)

Please continue to pray!

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

Home.

ccdt_hisheart@yahoo.com (C.C. and Double T) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 19:29:00 +0000

We're all home. Well, to my parent's home, that is. My dad, too. This all feels like a 72-hour bad dream. He is feeling pretty well. We made the rounds to the pharmacy, etc. to get prescriptions filled, and now... for some rest.

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

Update

ccdt_hisheart@yahoo.com (C.C. and Double T) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:59:00 +0000

Surgery went well for my father. He felt very good afterwards, although he has some pain now at the site of the surgery since the initial medications wore off. We are hopeful that he will be able to come home tomorrow. Thank you for your prayers!

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

Please pray...

ccdt_hisheart@yahoo.com (C.C. and Double T) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 11:02:00 +0000

...for my father who is having sugery this morning to have a pacemaker put in.

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

Miracles DO happen!

ccdt_hisheart@yahoo.com (C.C. and Double T) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:56:00 +0000

I don't have any pictures to prove it. *Drats!* I guess you'll just have to take my word for it. Guess who decided *on his own* to sleep in *their* bed last night instead of *ours*???

What a good boy!

He did decide he would rather be with us at 4 a.m., but even so. Be still, my shocked heart! Six hours in his own bed! Think we'll have a repeat performance tonight? We could only hope!

***
Today, I choose joy in a little more room in the bed last night! ;-)

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

Mckgiveaway!

ccdt_hisheart@yahoo.com (C.C. and Double T) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 01:08:00 +0000

Want to win a computer???

Check out MckMama's blog!

Wordful Wednesday ~ what you can get for $35???

ccdt_hisheart@yahoo.com (C.C. and Double T) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:07:00 +0000

Welcome to Wordful Wednesday,

as hosted by Angie @ Seven Clown Circus!

What can you get for $35?

If you guessed a teeny, tiny 5-ml bottle of eye drops, not much bigger than my dog's nose, you're the winner! Ding, ding, ding!!! Good grief. I'm used to paying $10 copays for medication, so this one threw me for a loop. Not that I didn't have the $35, but still! Apparently, there is no generic version of these Bausch and Lomb steroid drops of gold.

No, Ben! You can't eat it. It's too expensive!

At least I know I'm not crazy. You see, I have really bad eyes, so I go to my eye doctor quite frequently, and usually, there is either nothing wrong or nothing that can be done. Today, however, I was validated. Remember back here when I had pink eye? Well, the $4 antibiotic drops my regular doctor gave me then seemed to do the trick. Unfortunately, my very capable (note the *sarcasm*) immune system had other ideas and decided to attack the pink eye virus in my eye (I'm sure I'm explaining this wrong) and left behind 30 or so nice little white spots on my cornea. The eye doctor called them infiltrates. I guess you could say I've been infiltrated. Ha! Like I said before, at least I know I'm not crazy. There really is a reason my good eye has now become worse than my bad eye!

D.T. didn't know what he was getting when he married me. Broken and pricey! Ha! ;-)

***
Today, I choose joy in the knowledge and wisdom God gave to our doctors to help make our lives a little better! Oh, and I really am grateful for our insurance! Without it, the drops would have cost $80-some dollars.

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

Tuesday Tidbits...

ccdt_hisheart@yahoo.com (C.C. and Double T) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:24:00 +0000

Welcome to the chaos I like to call my mind. Ha!

***

Time to break out the Advil. 800 mg! I've got a killer headache this morning!

***

What to talk about? What to talk about?

***

We celebrated Mos Nicolae the other day. It is a Romanian holiday where the brother of Santa Claus visits all of the children (and in this case, adults ;-)), leaving small presents, candy, or fruit next to their clean shoes which they have set out the night before. A fun tradition!

***

We were gone WAY long running errands after work yesterday, and I felt really ~~bad~~ guilty that the dogs were locked up in their crates for so many hours. So... we decided that we were going to try leaving them out for the morning when we went to work today. A very brave thought... had it actually worked. As we started to leave, the dogs went absolutely crazy, barking like mad dogs! We told them to go upstairs to the window, which they did. Except when we went outside, we could hear them barking and howling (Benjamin) like we were abandoning them or something. So, in the crates they went. I don't know if they feel safe in there or what. We just wanted to give them a little freedom. I guess not. Maybe we'll try again another day.

***

No news on the adoption front. That is getting a little old... and fast! Oh my goodness, I just realized what today was, and I would be remiss if I did not mention... it was ONE YEAR ago today that we submitted our album and profile to the adoption agency. One year, and we have had NO interviews, and I believe our profile was just presented to a birth mother recently for the first time. Of course, nothing has come of that, but still. One time in one year? I'm just not feeling good about things.

Some friends of ours came up the other day for a Christmas show at our church, and we had a little time to chat over lunch. We talked about our joys and frustrations, and I shared that I don't understand what God is waiting for. My mentor shared with me a thought which I found rather interesting. She said that (my paraphrase) perhaps God is waiting for us (or me) to take care of some things He's called us (me) to or for our circumstances to change in some way. We talked about some specific things, too. The thing is, I think she may be right... and that SCARES me. The things we were talking about (sorry to be so vague) will really require a lot of faith. And not just in theory. In ACTION! You know... faith without works being dead and all.

We talked about that, too. I said that it seems like God is asking me to have faith and trust Him in EVERY area of my life. Not just one. Sometimes, I feel like saying... Give somebody else a chance to trust You, LORD! It's okay. I'll share. Not really. I mean, I know that He wants me to surrender all of my life to Him, and not just part. It's just not easy. That's okay, though. I don't want things to be easy (remind me I said this, okay?). I want to GROW in Him. I want to learn and know more of HIM!

In the meantime, I am praying specifically about some things we could change and asking God to confirm His promise to me. I think I'm starting to be a little like Gideon, and I'm not so sure that is a good thing!

***

Today, I choose joy in my new duvet cover. Superficial? You bet! You know, little joys and blessings. I just LOVE the feel of the material! :-)

***

Hmmmm... I guess that's about it for now. I'm really starting to like Tuesdays when I can get it all out of my brain! :-)

What's going on in your life?

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

Friday Photo Flashback ~ 1993... I think

ccdt_hisheart@yahoo.com (C.C. and Double T) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:42:00 +0000

Welcome to Friday Photo Flashback,

as hosted by Alicia at More Than Words!

I'm pretty sure (Why do I always start out with those words? What is wrong with my memory???) this picture was from my junior year of high school. So, sometime the end of 1992 or the beginning of 1993.

I used to not like the way I looked, but now I wish I still looked a little more like that. I actually don't mind the perm in this particular picture.

***
Today, I choose joy in my Father's strength. I really need it right now because I am definitely not feeling strong on my own.

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

Wordful Wednesday ~ the Blessing of Giving!

ccdt_hisheart@yahoo.com (C.C. and Double T) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:31:00 +0000

Welcome to Wordful Wednesday,

as hosted by Angie at Seven Clown Circus!

Now, you see it.

Now, you don't.

We've been working very hard the last few months to DOWNSIZE a bit in our little town home. First, it was our living room furniture. Now, it is our kitchen table. We have come to love the SPACE it creates very much! :-) We want to get a smaller kitchen table, but D.T. said he'd like to enjoy the open space a bit more before then.

So, now there are two newly married, young couples who have living room and kitchen furniture, and we are the ones who are most blessed! We remember what it was like to just be starting on our journey, (WOW! Almost 13 years ago!!!) and we are grateful to God that He has blessed us in a way that we can now pass it on to others. We pray that He will continue to bless their marriages over the years as much as He has blessed ours!

***
Today, I choose joy in the act of giving... God's gift of His Son for our salvation, and the gifts He blesses us with every day.

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

Mid-Day Meditations ~ Romans 8:16

ccdt_hisheart@yahoo.com (C.C. and Double T) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:26:00 +0000

Romans 8:16

For His Holy Spirit speaks to us
deep in our hearts and tells us
that we are God's children.

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

Tuesday Tidbits...

ccdt_hisheart@yahoo.com (C.C. and Double T) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:45:00 +0000

Today's post is brought to you by the word:

random [ˈrændəm]
adj
1. lacking any definite plan or prearranged order; haphazard

So much to talk about. So little time.

Vegetarian?

I think not. We bought SO much meat at the butcher's shop over our Thanksgiving road trip.

That is something we miss about the north. They have good butchers up there. Not so much down here. We bought so much

that, after we vacuum sealed it, we brought about a third of it with us and left the rest in my Gram's freezer.

While at the butcher, D.T. discovered that they had a type of meat product that they also have in Romania. They gave him a sample.

Needless to say, we bought some, and he was very happy! :-)

***

I missed our puppies and am SO glad to have them back. They were very tired when we picked them up after work last night.

They always are after they come home from the boarders. I don't think they sleep at all while they are there. Might be 'cause they miss this kind of bed.

;-)

***

I slipped on black ice the other day while packing things in our car to come home. I must have forgotten where I was. We're not in the south anymore, Toto. Ice, C.C., it's called ice. You have to be careful on stuff like that!

***

We are going on a diet. Our goal is to lose 20 pounds each by the end of April. That is 1 pound each week. Achievable, I think.

***

Have you ever really stopped to look at the mountains?

I think the most majestic and interesting part about them is not how high they appear to be,

but rather, their movement...

the peaks and valleys,

and the points at which they come together.

Just pondering. I love to look at the mountains.

Today, I choose joy in the beauty and mysteries of God's creation.

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

Mid-Day Meditations ~ 1 Peter 1:3-8

ccdt_hisheart@yahoo.com (C.C. and Double T) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:58:00 +0000

1 Peter 1:3-8

His divine power has given us everything
we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him
who called us by His own glory and goodness.

Through these He has given us His
very great and precious promises,
so that through them you may
participate in the divine nature
and escape the corruption in the world
caused by evil desires.

For this very reason, make every effort to
add to your faith goodness;
and to goodness, knowledge;

and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control,
perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;

and to godliness, brotherly kindness;
and to brotherly kindness, love.

For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure,
they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive
in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

Untitled.

ccdt_hisheart@yahoo.com (C.C. and Double T) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:27:00 +0000

I wrote this yesterday. It just came to me in about twenty minutes. I think that the meter and rhyme seem a little bit off, but somehow, there is nothing I want to change.

***

Whatever are You thinking, LORD?
What do You have in mind?
I spend my days just wondering
How I can seek and find
Your answer to the desires that are lying deep inside,
The wishes that somehow will not fade within this heart of mine.

I trust You, LORD, to do what’s best,
To work Your plan, to give me rest.
I seek Your joy, Your hope, Your peace,
I love You, LORD, whate’er the test.

I may not know the path ahead
I may not know where it will lead.
The twists and turns seem torturous
Around the bend, lies the unknown, the faceless.

As the days have turned to months and years
Through all the hurt, through all the tears
You’ve proven that Your love is enough
That Your promises are true, that Your Word is the stuff
Where my faith finds its substance, its essence, Your presence,
Your Word is the place where my longing soul finds contentment.

C.C. / His Heart © 2009

***

Today, I choose joy in the salvation of my ever-present God, freely offered to me through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

His Heart

Two days late... One day early...

Wordful Wednesday ~ Missin' them...

2 more days...

Happy Anniversary...

Not Me! Monday!

Things...

This and that...

Timing...

Blah...

Thoughts...

Can I just say?

Back in the saddle hospital again...

Home.

*Update*

Please pray...

Miracles DO happen!

Mckgiveaway!

Wordful Wednesday ~ what you can get for $35???

Tuesday Tidbits...

Friday Photo Flashback ~ 1993... I think

Wordful Wednesday ~ the Blessing of Giving!

Mid-Day Meditations ~ Romans 8:16

Tuesday Tidbits...

Mid-Day Meditations ~ 1 Peter 1:3-8

Untitled.

Update