Family Vacation, the Here

GRANGEVILLE, ID--

We made it.  Phew!  That was a long drive, punctuated by a few...problems here and there, but overall, a really good drive.  I am glad that we didn't have to go much further, though, as we were all ready for the drive to be over.

Tomorrow morning, we start biking.  And by "we", I mean Hoffbeast.  And maybe Rex.  Rex will certainly bike for part of it, but he won't start off right away, and he may only do half or so...we'll see.  Either way, Daddy's dream of biking across the country is back on, after a six year hiatus.  SIX years--so hard to believe that it's been that long since we've been here, especially since Hoffbeast and I both remembered things so specifically as we were driving through today.

My favorite thing we saw today?  The motel parking lot in New Meadows, Idaho, where Rex and Neil both learned to ride their bikes on the same day in 2009!  If the circumstances had been a bit different, I would have had the boys get out and pose with their bikes in the exact same location as a favorite pic I have from all those years ago.

Our room tonight is wonderful--so spacious!  It's so great, in fact, that we are going to attempt to alter our housing for the week and stay here for one more night.

And now, let the Hofffamily Biking Adventure 2K15 commence!

Show Hope 10-year anniversary weekend!

What a blessing is the ministry of Show Hope!  Our family has benefitted twice now from grants given by Show Hope as we traveled the road of adoption.

I remember sitting at the Steven Curtis Chapman concert in September 2002.  Rex was just two months old, and Andrea and I headed to the concert--it was one of my first evenings away from Baby Rex, and it ministered to my soul.  The whole concert was amazing from start to finish, and most of the night was spent searching every nook and cranny of my purse for an extra tissue.

Nicole Nordeman opened.  She was fantastic.  Steve Saint appeared onstage with Mincaye, one of the Auca Indians who had speared his father and 4 other missionaries.  It was astounding.  And then, a video...When Love Takes You In.  I remember weeping and telling Andrea that I couldn't wait until we were at a place where we could adopt.  Less than a year later, we would attend our first adoption seminar, and we were off and running...in our hearts anyway.

Steven Curtis Chapman explained that night about how his daughter, Emily, had wanted a little sister and had prayed that her parents would open their hearts to adoption.  The prayers uttered by a little girl a decade-and-a-half ago has led to thousands of children being helped home through the ministry of Show Hope, as well as all the other adoption initiatives with which they are involved.

A few months ago, we received an invitation in the mail to attend the 10th anniversary weekend of Show Hope.  At that time, we had recently received our pregnancy diagnosis, and any thought that we would be in a place to travel to Nashville over Memorial Day weekend was....not there.  I didn't even consider the possibility, so I tossed the invitation, knowing that having it sitting around the house would just make me sad that we couldn't go. 

A couple of months later, as my pregnancy was stabilizing, and I was beginning to feel better, Hoffbeast suggested that we consider traveling to the weekend.  Let's just say that it didn't take a lot of convincing.  I was so excited--and here we are!

This afternoon, we drove to The Factory in Franklin, Tennessee, an old, long-ago-shut-down factory that has been converted to an amazing retail, dining, and learning space.  There, the offices of Show Hope are housed, and as a lover of all things behind-the-scenes and headquartersey, I loved being there!  Plus, I was able to meet in person a couple of the special people who have helped our process along there over the years.  The Chapmans were there, too, but unfortunately they took off before we were able to get much more than a handshake in.  Hopefully we will get a chance to talk with them in person tomorrow and introduce them to Tom--we are so thankful for the the grant that we received from them for our Indian adoption, as well as the first one we received prior to traveling to Ethiopia to meet Neil.

And I really hope I can tell Mary Beth that she traveled with me to India--because I'm not sure that she knows.  (Any of you reading along on our India travel journey knows that I began reading her book on the plane on the way there, and it was a constant companion for me during our whole trip.)

So, without further ado...photos of our day...

Let's just say that there were....a few people there.  It was hot and crowded, but they kept us well fed and hydrated.  :)  The daddy took the kids exploring while I waited in the hour-and-a-half line.

 It was worth it, though!  Once inside, I got to meet my Show Hope friend, Jaimee, in person for the first time!  Hoping to catch a little more time with her tomorrow...

 Their office comes equipped with a swing!  Now THAT'S a fun office!!  (Hoffbeast and I were both dreaming about HLIC's new office while we were there.)

 Maria's "SEE" flower adorned every corner of the office.  What a beautiful girl whose life has been used to bring Jesus great pleasure--both while she was here on Earth and now that she is in Heaven with Him.

 Afterwards, we spent some time with "Rusty", the Factory's metal man...so interesting!  He was HUGE, and the building of him took six years!  As we understood it, all the parts used to build him came from the factory itself, and he stands now as a memory to what the building used to be, even as it has been refurbished and is now used for completely different purposes.



 I am getting bigger every day!!  :)  Feeling good and really trying to enjoy these days...

 Last up for the night, frozen yogurt...yummy!



We are so grateful for the family God has given us!  Each of our children is so special, and tonight as I put Beth and Neil to bed, I reminded them that if I could have chosen any kids in the whole world to be mine, I wouldn't have chosen any differently.  God is so good in His choosing.



iPhone Views from the Road to Florida

Kara and me in front of Andrea's place that she shared with our interns when we lived in Louisville.  Her apartment was just a long stone's throw from ours, and Kara had never seen it.  Such fun to show off our old 'hood.  We really miss Park du Valle.  It was a wonderful place for us to live! 

Next, we stopped to see Mrs. Whitlock.  She said that it was a blessing for her that we stopped.  We felt the same way.  Jeff lived with the Whitlocks during our first summer in Louisville, so they were around him when he was wrestling with the idea of proposing to me.  :)  She has cancer now but is doing very well.  She is my new hero right now...told us that when she got the call from the doctor, she went into her room, cried, asked God why, gave it to the Lord, and was done with it.  After that, she has claimed healing (whatever form that takes) and is trying to lean into Jesus as she marches through this trial.  Praying for her and visiting with her was one of the best parts of our trip so far.  We love you, Mama Whitlock!

 Big Red...an old friend.  :)  I used to love this drink when I was growing up, but now?  Well, it's not really that good.  But for nostalgia purposes, I love it!  Had to get some while we were driving through Kentucky!

A view from the back seat from somewhere in southeastern Tennessee!