GREAT things.

Our mouths were filled with laughter,

our tongues with songs of joy.

Then it was said among the nations,   

 “The Lord has done great things for them.”

The Lord has done great things for us,   

and we are filled with joy. 

Psalm 126-2-3 

HE HAS DONE GREAT THINGS. 

Sometimes I forget this. Sometimes I allow my lack of faith (aka my worrying and doubting) to control my mood. Sometimes my attitude reflects the fact that I don't trust. Sometimes I forget that JOY is a CHOICE. Sometimes I forget to praise and thank our God who is so good and loves us so much. 

He has surely done great things. And I am filled with JOY. Let me just have a little show-n-tell with you so that you can see all the great things He has done. I'll end it with some great things about our Eric. 

We got to hang out with these AWESOME students this week for multiple Christmas parties! I absolutely LOVE them. So honored with the privilege we've had to love on them, invest in them, and disciple them!  Would not change time with them for ANYTHING in the world! 

First thing... me and my hubby have successfully completed 4 years of marriage! WOO HOO! He took me on an ALL DAY date!!! That says something right there peeps - I know 4 years isn't too long, but my hubs still wants to spend ALL day with me! That just makes me giggle. We went to Waffle House. Shopping. He bought me scarfs because I love them... I would literally wear one everyday if I could. Movies. Smooches. And laughter. It was a great day. He has done GREAT things in our marriage. It's fun. 

One of my favorite people, Kelli (and her fam) gave me this AWESOME gift for Christmas!! Birthdays. Anniversaries. Awesomeness!!! I absolutely LOVE it. I cannot wait until I can get it hung up! He has done GREAT things with this friendship. So thankful for the Knicks. 

Today Jacob had an itch to do a puzzle... so we put Eric's puzzle together. It's complete with the names of YOU... the people who have loved and supported our boy since you heard about it! We can't wait until we can show him and tell him about each name on the back of the pieces!!! We still have a few blank ones if you are interested! $10 each. Just got to the DONATE button on the right side of the screen and fill out the info. 

The completed puzzle. 

Can't wait to hang it up in Eric's room... or wherever we decide to hang it!  

God has done great things - 

Our medical form was accepted, all of our pre - adoption paperwork has been approved, the final letter from the US/Alabama has been sent to immigration, and Eric has applied for his passport!!!!!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!! 
Our social worker said it is a Christmas miracle that everything was processed so quickly!  Love that! Our God is a God of miracles. Whether or not it was in MY timing, this story that God is writing continues to show His awesome power and His perfect-ness.
So now we just sit back and wait on the Article 5 Letter from the US Embassy... and then travel dates!!! Please pray for that letter (I really don't know what it is exactly... just know we need it).  Pray that the travel dates are set up QUICKLY so we can go get Eric!!! 

We certainly know the power of prayer - it moves paper work. It brings our case to people's minds. It speeds up approvals. It comforts our son. It keeps us sane. It is essential. 

Some GREAT Eric things: 

We sent Eric a package with a blanket, a shirt, and 3 lb bag of Jolly Ranchers about 2 and 1/2 weeks ago.  I thought it was lost. But... finally on Tuesday, he got it!! He was so excited about the Jolly Ranchers.  The next day, we asked him if he'd eaten all the candy. He said he and a few friends ate ALL of it!!! Holy moly. 3 POUNDS!!! Wowzers. He really likes Jolly Ranchers. 

Last night we were talking to Eric. We were explaining what we know of the process when we come get him and what we have to do once he gets here.  We told him he would be able to change his name.  I asked him what he wanted his name to be (thinking he would answer "Eric Emmanuel Morgan") and he said... "Umm... Mikey Morgan."  Haha! He said he didn't really want to be called Eric... but liked Mikey.  He said it sounds like his favorite skateboarder dude. Nice.  What do ya say??? We just told him we could talk about it 

later... maybe Mikey could be a nickname??? I just giggled. Love it! 

We've been excited to hear about what all the orphanage does/allows for the kiddos around Christmas.  Several groups of people have gone and given gifts out there. They've had several Christmas parties and were even taken out to eat at a restaurant one night. Eric has REALLY been wanting some Nike Jordan sandals (the old school kind with Micheal Jordan on the one-strap flip-flops). We didn't want to send them down there in case something happened to them, so we said we would get them for him for when he got here. He was okay with that but still really wanted them. So... one night we talked to him and he was SO excited because one of the groups that came brought him the very sandals he had been wanting!!!! Yay!! I was so excited that someone blessed my boy in that way! He was thrilled. He said Ms. Natalie from Florida brought them. So... I don't know who you are - Ms. Natalie from Florida... but I THANK YOU! You made my boy's day! 

We love finding out more bits about our Eric each night. We look forward to talking with him all day. Although we don't always know what to say, we run out of questions some nights, have super long and excellent conversations some nights, don't know how to explain how much we love him, and we are new to this whole parents of a teenager thing... I love our family. I'm beyond excited to live life with my fellas. To pray over them and with them. To play video games, basketball, arts & crafts, board games, and everything else. To cook dinner together. Whatever happens... I'm just excited that we get to be Eric's parents.  I just love him. 

That awkward post - fUnDrAiSiNg

Fundraising... it's an awkward thing. It just is. 

Many people stay far from it, but it seems God has called us Morgans to be life-long FUNdraisers! Woopie! With the adoption... we have some experience at it! Fundraising salaries is what I like to call a HEAD-FIRST DIVE OF FAITH! Here we go... S.P.L.A.S.H.

We have discussed this, prayed about it, and gotten advice from others about this whole issue of fundraising.  I've come to some conclusions:

It's Biblical - Paul did it (asking and working), Jesus did it (working and relying on others' gifts), priests did it (relying on others' gifts and God's providence), and the disciples did it (working and relying on others' support)... just to name a few. 

It looks different for everyone - some may just rely on donations from others, some may work/sell things to raise additional funds, some may ask, some may pray, some may call, some may make personal visits, etc. 

It's The Church's job to support missionaries - The global church is responsible for supporting those in the field. Support could = financially, prayerfully, in tangible ways, visiting, sharing their stories, etc. Paul, in his letters, always made sure to thank those churches and individuals that gave and supported and emphasized that doing so was glorifying God and increasing kingdom work. 

It's ministry - If loving others, going to the ends of the earth, and serving are all considered ministry... why isn't fundraising? Because it involves money doesn't mean it's the 'secular' part of ministry.  It should be done with the same passion, motivation, and prayer that other ministry is done. It's all for Jesus in the end, right? 

It's necessary - Just because people are doing God's work full-time doesn't mean they should mope around and complain about not having any money! That's just silly! Missionaries should strive to be fully-funded! If God has given individual's goals to achieve... why wouldn't He help them honor those goals? It doesn't seem right for people who are relying on support in some way not to be fully funded - whether that's because of laziness, lack of faith, or fear. If God has called someone to the mission field... we should call of Him for our raised funds! Funds are necessary for life - for food, housing, transportation, kiddo's needs, etc. 

So... with that said, I want to give you a run down of what's going to be happening WHEN we start with Praying Pelican Missions. FYI - People can begin giving/supporting us now. The money will not be released to us until we start, but we would love to have a base of support for when that happens (AKA... when Eric arrives). Here's the dealio: 

We've truly been blessed to have Praying Pelican give us each a small salary ($12,000/year), with the possibility of earning more based on team recruitment, to help us with daily living expenses while we focus on serving.  Praying Pelican requires us to raise the remainder of our salaries directly through support of family and friends.  Financial support can be given as a one-time gift or as a monthly gift. Nugget of info - signing up for mission trips with us also supports us - win/win right there! Everything that is given in support will go towards our personal living expenses/necessities.  Without such support, we would not be able to go after this awesome task that God has put in our lives.

Jacob and I will do our part too! Jacob plans to do some major carpentry work... kinda like Jesus. He's going to make lots of furniture, pallet art, and maybe a few clocks. I plan to do some interpreting for some college classes... because that's my fav, sell Origami Owl jewelry, and help with the pallet art! Stay tuned for some of our crafts!!! 

How can you get involved? There's 3 ways to support our ministry: 
#1 GO ON an AMAZING mission trip with PPM! Check it out here!! 
#2 Pray!!!!! Please pray! 
#3 Give financially (if you feel led, instructions are below)

ONLINE: 

• 95.5% will be given to us. 4.5% is used to cover credit card fees and processing fees by Praying Pelican Missions.
• Give Here! 

OR 

• Go to http://www.prayingpelicanmissions.org/donate  
• Scroll down until you see "Anna & Jacob Morgan" 
• You can select Donate to do a one-time donation or select the amount you want to subscribe monthly.  You'll be asked to fill in your information once you click on the option you prefer. 

CHECK:

• 95.5% will be given to us. 4.5% is to cover processing fees by Praying Pelican Missions.
• Write check to Praying Pelican Missions (do NOT put our names anywhere on the check.) Include a note with the check stating: "Support for Jacob and Anna Morgan" and your email address to receive a receipt via email or your mailing address to receive a receipt by mail.

Mail to:

Praying Pelican Missions

4899 Miller Trunk Hwy, Suite 216

Duluth, MN 55811

• Once the check is received by Praying Pelican Missions, it will be processed within 7 business days.  A receipt will be sent to you after the check has been processed. 

A Happy Post - Good times!

A happy post. We all need those! 

The past few weeks... although filled with anxious thoughts and prayers for that dern medical form... have also been filled with really great stuff! 

Over Thanksgiving break, we got to see our family! I didn't take as many pictures as I wanted to, but it seems like when you live out of town and come home... you are running all over the place to see everyone and hug every neck. So... sometimes my photography skills lack. 'Tis life.

Us with mom

Us with Nanny and Pawpaw.  

When Nanny saw this she said "Wow, I've turned into a little shrimp!" Haha. 

She also said no one told her it was Thanksgiving! So, I told her it was a surprise Thanksgiving party for her! She liked that... whatever works! 

Love them. 

Then, me and mom headed up to Nashville to meet lil' Grant and see my besties!! 

It was a fabulous time! 

Have you ever seen more handsome fellas? 

That night we went out to eat and I told Isaac Henry I was his date. He liked that. 

They said all the way to the restaurant he was saying, "Anna. date. anna. date." 

Yep... I like him. Pretty cute couple I might say. 

We finally got a family picture with Jubi in it!! 

I love our family.

I can't wait until Eric is smack dab in the middle of it! 

Soon... I hope.

When we got back home, we had our College group Christmas party.

These people are awesome! 

I know I've talked about them often... but they really are amazing. 

I've never seen such love... such unity... such transparency in a group that's so different. 

We played Dirty Santa... and Jacob got his beloved Christmas Tree Cakes! 

He's a happy man. BUT... he's so generous these days... he took all of them to SHARE with our new pelican friends at training!  

 Last week we were blessed to go to Praying Pelican Missions training. Although we haven't officially started with them, they want us to be equipped to do ministry WELL when we are able to start. So thankful for people around us having favor on us during all our chaos! It's good! 

Clearwater, FL for training... yep, I'll take it!  

We had fun. 

Thankful that we love each other enough that we are actually EXCITED about working for the same organization, in the same home, going to the same country, being on the same emails... it's good! 

Wanna laugh? 

Okay... we saw a pig... on a leash... walking down the street! Good stuff people.

Love doing life with this man. 

We also got to celebrate a marriage... one of my favorite things! 

It was a lovely occasion! 

Here we are with the lovely couple - Amber & Patrick. Patrick is a youth pastor as well.

There's just some things that only a youth pastor and his bride can understand. I've loved getting to know them and hope to continue to encourage them in their ministry. Pumped to see what all God does with them!

Here's Jenna.

I love thee. Don't know what I would have done without her in Troy this year. She is a blessing. I know God has LOTS planned for her. Love her heart - for Jesus, for girls, for missions, and for intentional relationships. She rocks! 

 Yay for good times. New things. Great friends. Family is always good. 

Thanksgiving - a tear jerker for sure!

Jacob shared this video during our youth service last week. Right after he pushed play, he whispered in my ear, "Umm... this might make you cry." SERIOUSLY? Might make me cry? I was blubbering like a crazy woman. I couldn't stop. This is so precious. Then he proceeded to tell the youth how thankful he was for me... just showing off and being a great husband.  All the while... I'm in the back of the room playing an impossible game of "GET A GRIP" with myself... I was losing.  Youth were snickering at my loss of control... oh well. Sorry if I made you cry... I sympathize with you!

We are so thankful for adoption and what it means to us. Although I wish, more than anything, Eric was here to celebrate Thanksgiving with his new family this year, it's okay. I threatened many times that if he wasn't here by __________ (insert event) that I would need to be put in an insane asylum. Well... that hasn't happened yet... thank the Lord... not that I didn't need it at times. Eric is still not here, and I'm okay... we're okay... because we believe in a God bigger than time and location. I am beyond thankful for my son regardless of where he is. Yes, life will look different when he actually gets here. Our grocery bill will increase, our sleep will decrease, and the "interruptions" of life will look a lot different... but we can't wait. I can't wait to trip over video game cords/controllers, to have discussions about doing homework, to explain to people that yes... he is my son, to get NO sleep during sleepovers, to spend hours at a ballpark for practice and games, and to cook for 2 very hungry gentleman... who both love candy and meat. Life will look different... but I am so thankful... so so thankful.

I am thankful for waiting (wow... that's tough to say). I am thankful for the learning that comes with it. I am thankful for Jacob... no words here. I am thankful for our family and friends and church... I have struggled with conveying our gratitude to them since day one... Eric's adoption is forever a testimony of the love and community of you all. I am forever grateful to my God - provider, sustainer, keeper of my sanity, lover of my emotional heart, and defender of orphans. I have learned so much since last Thanksgiving. We had no clue what the year would hold and ALL the red tape and PAPERWORK that we would encounter.  We banked on the idea that Eric would be here by this year's feast. God's timing is perfect and not a moment late.

Thankful and expecting great things this year...

Happy Birthday Eric!!!

This weekend was AMAZING! Thanks to some fantastic friends and family - they had an Adoption/Birthday party for Eric! The party was on Eric's actual 14th birthday.  We wish he could have been here to celebrate with us, but... let's just say that next year's birthday party will be HUGE!!! 

As usual... I'll tell you about the day through pictures: 

Eric's birthday cake! 

3 of my bridesmaids... still besties!! They drove from Huntsville & Nashville to come and celebrate Eric with us! They are the absolute best!!! The other 4 bridesmaids were greatly missed - one is in Africa, one has a 2-week-old boy, and 2 are in Texas. They all sent sweet messages... I just love them. 

I'm 14 months (and years) pregnant! Paperwork pregnant that is. 

Look at all this food!!! This was just one table! There was a ton.  We didn't know how many people to expect. We sent out invitations BUT it was a football Saturday... and kind of a unique idea - having a party for someone who isn't here yet. 

BUT... as we have been MULTIPLE times throughout this adoption process... AMAZED US! 

I honestly don't know how many people came. The house was PACKED... you literally couldn't walk! So many people love Eric (and us)... and don't even know him yet. It was so humbling.  I looked at Jacob at one point and said... "I'm so overwhelmed."  I couldn't let myself really think about all that was happening because I would have broke down in tears. Thank you for coming and loving our son! 

My sweet niece JoJo. 

JoJo helped me blow out Eric's candles.  So sweet. She kept asking where Eric was and then would answer herself, "Oh... he'll be here in a minute."  

Later we were watching the Auburn game... miracle @ Jordan-Hare... and we went NUTS when that touchdown happened. Jojo did NOT understand what was going on, but she looked at her mom and asked, "Oh, is Eric coming soon?" :)

Eric got SO much stuff!! It was incredible - clothes, gift cards, sports stuff, games, and so much more!! Sooooooo blessed! Eric has no idea how much he is loved! 

 And these... 

These are "Labor Socks." Created by some of my besties and me. They are to be worn at every birth/adoption. They have already been work by Lindsey Jo for Isaac Henry and Grant's arrival.  Now... they will be worn in Belize on our Gotcha Day!!! I can't wait to wear these socks and write Eric's name on them!!! (Don't worry... they've been washed!!!) 

 And the amazing hostesses decided to get Eric an iPad!!! He is going to be in heaven!!!! This boy is going to be overwhelmed he's not going to know what to do! 

The hostesses - Ms. Linda, Mom, Mom-in-law, Ms. Julie, Katy, and Ashley (sis-in-law)

So blessed by and thankful for these ladies!!! THANK YOU!! 

Mom and 2 of her sisters!! So glad they got to come! 

Me and my bestie, Em

Me and Mom, Eric's Grann. 

So blessed by this lady - for hosting the party, for working so hard to get things ready for our transition, and just being the best mom/Grann ever!! 

Such a fantastic weekend!!! Can't even explain how amazing it was!! 

Thanks to everyone! 

Our Eric - i LOVE this boy!

Seriously... talking to Eric is our BIGGEST J.O.Y.

He is the best. We look forward to our nightly convos with our boy. We laugh. We learn about each other. We try to figure each other out. We come up with questions to ask. It's the most amazing thing.

I wanted to share a few funnies about our family convos... Yep! Our family!

So, one thing that CRACKS ME UP is when Eric doesn't understand something we are asking him or doesn't know what to say he says, "WHAATT??" Obviously, we will teach him some manners later... you know "ma'am?" or "sir?"... but for now "WHAATT?" is hilarious to me!!! Let me paint the picture  for ya - you know in "The Christmas Story" when Ralphie says the cuss word? He says he heard the cuss word from his friend Schwartz - so Ralpie's mom calls Mrs. Schwartz to tell her of the awful thing her son has done. When Ralpie's mom repeated THE word that Ralphie said, Mrs. Schwartz screamed, "WHAATT?"... Well... all that to say is that Eric sounds like that woman... "WHAATT??" I love it...

Each night we ask Eric if he had thought of anything to talk about/ask.  We just want to give him the opportunity to ask anything he ever thinks of. The other night he said, "Yes, I thought of something... can we get a third dog?" HAHA! WHAATT?? We asked him what he meant and what kind of dog he wanted.  He waited for a minute and said, "Ummm... a pitbull?!"  Haha! He said that he had seen a lot of pictures of pitbulls on the Internet and he thought he might want one! We suggested that he just get warmed up to Walter and Jubi... and we could take him to the pet store to play with the pitbulls.  Oh Lord... (note: I don't have anything against pitbulls... but can you imagine Walter, Jubi, AND a pitbull?)

Saturday night we called Eric and we were talking about different stuff. I asked him if he had ever roller-skated (he had... but he doesn't like rollerblades), go-karted (never), or played laser tag (nope, but he's seen it on the Internet). We have a place in Birmingham that we can take him with ALL those things... CAN'T WAIT FOR FAMILY FUN NIGHT!!!  Somehow we got on the topic of 4-wheelers. Jacob asked Eric if he had ever seen/rode a 4-wheeler. He said he hadn't... but he had seen pictures of ATVs online.  Jacob told him that Eric's grand dad (Big D) has a 4-wheeler he could ride. Eric's response was "WHAATT?? SERIOUSLY?!?!" Haha! It was priceless! We told him that we could take him out to some land and ride him around on it... he was PUMPED! Really... can't wait to do all these fun adventures with our Eric. He's also seen paintball, dirt bikes, and airsoft guns online... yep... my husband is ready to revert back to his teenage years.

Seriously... we have the coolest kiddo EVER. I can't wait for him to be home.

Things to pray for:

• We need Eric's medical forms ASAP!!! Pray that we get it THIS WEEK!!! Once we get the medical, then we can get the Article 5 Letter... then we get court dates!!!! PRAY FOR THE MEDICAL FORMS! 
• Pray for Eric this week. It's his birthday week. I can't even imagine what goes through his mind/heart... not ever having a true birthday party or someone there to truly celebrate HIM. Pray for comfort, love, and for assurance that we are coming for him.
• Pray that he is here for Christmas. This is a huge prayer and our goal.  We hope he is here for the holidays. We know God is capable of moving the paperwork mountains and He is able! 

And here's some pics so you don't forget what we look like: 

Love & Marriage... 10 Things I've Learned

WARNING: This is about to get REAL... and a little sappy. (I've found a new freedom in blogging... not sure where it came from... but we need some REAL TALK people... so buckle up).

This is one of my FAVORITE wedding pics. No big deal... just singing Backstreet Boys to each other... "You are my... fire. My one... DESIRE." Oh yeah!

I love being married. I really do. It's great. It's definitely not perfect... but's it's so good. Life with my best friend, my leader, my biggest fan. Yep. It's good.

BUT I want to throw some things out there that no one told me before I got married. In our Bible studies with the youth/college, we taught about marriage - we believe it's good to study it before you do it... like a test... a FOREVER test. Good to know what you are getting into before you plunge in! So... here's my wisdom:

#1 - Getting married doesn't eliminate your insecurities... it MAGNIFIES them. 
Us girls... we have some issues. When we see a picture of ourselves or think about ourselves, most times negative words come to mind - FAT. yellow teeth. chunky legs. flabby belly. frizzy hair. weird face. glasses. not enough. TOO much. short. tall. gross. knobby knees. pimples. hairy face. strange shape. ________ (fill in the blank).  Usually we are not reinforcing what God says about us "Let the King be enthralled by YOUR BEAUTY" Psalm 45:11.
So... I thought that when I got married all of those crazy thoughts would go away or at least get better because I had someone - someone to think I'm beautiful, to want me, to be with me, to tell me nice things. Before we got married, I did a 5-month boot camp workout - no cokes, no desserts, exercise EVERY day. I was intense... and fit. Still had major insecurities though... but I thought getting a ring on my finger would solve that... wrong. It magnified them. I compared myself to other girls even more... fearing that the same thoughts were going through Jacob's mind - she's prettier, skinnier, more fun, sexier... WHATEVER. Although he wasn't thinking those things... I feared that I wasn't enough.
I HAD to learn to STOP putting my identity in my looks and what I ASSUME others are thinking (even my husband)... it's inconsistent and temporary.
STAKE YOUR IDENTITY AND WORTH IN JESUS!

#2 - Getting married doesn't magically erase past sin or shame... it affects the PRESENT. 
Anybody perfect??? NOPE!! We all have skeletons in the closet... some a little scarier than others, but we all have them. So... don't judge... just learn.
I had some skeletons before marriage... skeletons that Jacob knew about. But they haunted me. I was terrified... marrying a youth pastor with my issues? Probably not a good idea. How would I talk to girls about staying pure throughout school? How could I? How did I have the right to? I carried my "junk" around like a ball and chain... I was ashamed. I don't know why. I guess it was because I had not forgiven myself and thought I wasn't worthy or "clean enough" to be doing what I was going to be doing. I was wrong.
I carried shame into our marriage... and put up HUGE walls between me and my new hubs. Walls that he could CLEARLY see. Thankfully... my husband loves me enough to talk with me about them. I spilled it all - the shame I had and the fear I had that he may one day leave... because it's happened to others. Breaking down my walls... brick by brick... happened/is still happening because my husband loves me and sees me as beautiful... not as dirty and because my God is doing a MIGHTY work in me.
He has forgiven me. He calls me REDEEMED. LOVED. ACCEPTED. CLEAN. PURE. HOLY. BELOVED. BRIDE. WHOLE. ENOUGH. RESTORED.
Why would I believe anything less about myself?

#3 - Getting married doesn't terminate all sexual temptation... the Enemy is sneaky. 
Although this is not fun or churchy to talk about... sexual sin is destroying the Church and society! DESTROYING. Secret sins... sins that no one can see... sins that can be hidden... temptation that is lurking in every commercial, TV show, website, and billboard.
Lust. Pornography. Lies. Thoughts. Actions. All these things are KILLING marriages. We must MAKE war! Spouses have to be able to talk about things with each other. If you aren't talking about these things to your husband/wife, the CLOSEST relationship you can have on this earth, then WHAT ARE YOU DOING? The Enemy doesn't want to make you sad, or give you temporary pleasure, or mess up your marriage... HE WANTS TO DESTROY YOU. Stand your ground. Fight hard! It's worth fighting for! Secret sins.. ESPECIALLY those that are sexual in nature are crippling and devastating.
We are MORE than conquerors! Romans 8:37

#4 - Getting married doesn't satisfy all of your expectations/dreams... you gotta talk about them! 
In my head... when I became Jacob's wifey... I thought he expected me to be SUPERwoman. House spotless. clothes washed. yummy homemade food each night waiting for him when he got home. catering to his needs.  bed made. underwear folded. always happy. the PERFECT wife. yada yada yada. I couldn't do it. I felt squashed under all the expectations I THOUGHT he had of me.
Finally... I just had to tell him... I CAN'T DO IT!! I can't live up to the perfect wife - the house will get dusty. I am not the best cook. I will do laundry once a week. I have limits...
He pretty much looked at me like "Where did you get that from? I never expected all of that from you? I married you... for you." Oh... so I was suffocating myself for expectations I THOUGHT were placed on me! ASK. TALK. BE HONEST. Your spouse will never be your parent and you will never be theirs - good or bad. Your spouse is an individual and has lots to offer... learn what those gifts are!
Stop putting your fantasies or expectations that cannot be reached on your spouse. They will fail... they are human. You will fail them... we mess up. Marriage isn't what Hollywood portrays... it's better than the movies when it's filled with honesty and HUMAN-ness... not impossible ideals.

#5 -  Getting married doesn't mean you can continue to live a life of independence and on your own schedule... you are a team. 
I'm pretty independent. I'm an only child and have always created my own schedule and lived my own way. In college, I did my own thing, volunteered for everything, was never home, and always on the run. When we got married, I thought I could keep doing my thing... filling up every minute of every day with MY stuff. Yea... doesn't work that way.
I learned really quick that decisions about agendas and volunteering need to be decided TOGETHER. It shouldn't be telling the other what you are doing... it's talking about it together... figuring where it is best to invest your time and when it's best to be home. This was a hard lesson for this hard-headed independent gal to learn.
BUT... when things are decided together, when you support what the other is involved in... home is a happy and healthy place to be!

#6 - Getting married doesn't require you to stop dating... nope... you gotta fall more in love.
I've never struggled with this one. I LOVE dates with my hubby. When he asks if he can take me on a lunch date, on a dinner date, on a lay-at-home-all-day date... I still get giddy. I love spending time with him.
IF you are not currently dating your spouse... do something about it! If you never spend quality time JUST Y'ALL... you need to change that. Your relationship with your spouse should come before any other commitment or any other relationship (including you children). The only exception is your commitment to the Lord (that does not mean if you are in the ministry your job comes before your spouse).
Date your spouse... until the day you die! Fall more in love with them each day.  It's true... I love Jacob far more today than I did on our wedding day. I didn't think it was possible... but dating each other throughout our marriage has made the difference.

#7 - Getting married doesn't mean you stop hanging out with your friends... you'll go CRAZY! 
I see many couples who just get in their married bubbles and stay there. Okay... I love Jacob but if I didn't have my friends, I would go insane!!! There is something that only girl friends can do for us girls. We need each other. We need laughs, inside jokes, long nights of talking, sappy movies, yelling for no reason, pictures together, and time together. Boys need boy stuff - guns, hunting, fishing, video games, trucks, and... all that other stuff.
Don't cut yourself off. It's like a girl in high school who has a boy friend... and is obsessed with him.  One day they break up and she looks around and realizes that she's distanced all her friends. Although you WILL NOT break up because... heads up... MARRIAGE IS FOREVER... don't distance your friends... continue to love them well.

#8 - Getting married doesn't end the fun... it makes it more meaningful! 
When Jacob and I go out to eat at restaurants, we always try to guess who is married and who is dating. The couples dating are smiling and chatting and talking lots. The married ones are usually the ones sitting... in silence... glancing up every few minutes to make a comment... and then focusing on their food again... not smiling much. I DO NOT WANT THAT TO BE US! I love to laugh with Jacob... I actually think he's funny... and boy, does that bring him joy! Fun in a marriage is more meaningful than laughter anywhere else... my opinion. It builds trust, love, and hope.
One of my favorite things this year was going to Charleston this summer with the hubs. It was a crazy trip... filled with lots of hiccups and detours, but I LOVED every second of it because it was with Jacob!
Don't ever stop having fun together! Do things that only married people should do - wink. wink. nudge. nudge. Ha!

#9 - Getting married shouldn't burden you with lists and responsibilities... it should encourage respect and a look from a different perspective. 
Honey-Do lists. Wish lists. To-Do's... be careful. I know my man... he does NOT like to be told what to do. Actually when I "tell" him what to do it makes him want to do it LESS. It's not because he doesn't love me... it's just because he feels like I'm bossing him around.  We have to be careful how we treat each other.
Yes, BOTH spouses need to help out. BOTH spouses have to do their part. BOTH spouses have to support each other and the family. BUT how we approach those responsibilities need to be thought out.  Don't boss each other. Don't hold it over the other. If you are a busy body like me, don't expect your husband to never want to sit down or breath or slow down. Some people like to sit and do nothing (still don't understand this concept). Learn how to approach each other!
****** I've learned a trick! It's my favorite thing EVER!!! If you want your hubby to do something or change his mind about something but you don't want to bring it up because it might cause an argument... but you REALLY feel strongly about it - PRAY! Tell God! It's awesome... and hilarious... when you hubby "comes up with the idea" on his own!! Haha! Really it's because you asked and believed! :)
Disclosure: Careful what you ask for!

#10 - Getting married doesn't stop you from dreaming... now you dream together.
NEVER.STOP.DREAMING. Before, my dreams were me-centered. What I would do. Where I would go. What my dream job was. Who I wanted to become. I'm learning that when you dream together they are even better, more powerful, and more fun! I would have never dreamed I would be working as a missionary with an adopted teenager.  That's so much better!

Us Morgans Lately

We've had a fun, non-stressful weekend... and I liked it. It was one of the few weekends we weren't traveling or didn't have a ton of stuff planned. It was nice!

Friday night we went to the local high school games. It was homecoming. It's always amusing to me how different each school does Homecoming.  And I will forever think my school did it best... I'm bias.

I think we are pretty cute! :) I like us.

After, we hosted 5th Quarter for the youths.  It was a great night... I'm probably gonna blog about it later in more detail. It was good stuff. 

Today was a fun day. Jacob preached in the morning service. Love hearing my man speak about what God's been teaching him. You can't get any better than listening to the hubs talk about how much he loves the Lord and desires to follow Him... however crazy we may look. Yes. So thankful that I get to do life with him.  I am also planning to blog about marriage... so get pumped! :) it's one of my favorite things. 

This just in - Grant has arrived!!! He has been birthed by his precious momma Lindsey Jo.

We are Uncles again! haha! Lindsey Jo was the first of my besties to get pregnant and I was so frazzled and excited when she told us she was preggers, instead of saying I can't wait to find out if it's a boy or girl, I said I can't wait to find out if we'll be Aunts or Uncles! Oh bother... but either way he and his bro Isaac Henry are the cutest little lads around! 

Jacob and I had a photo shoot with our pups! Look at how cute they are! 

I'm telling ya... they have brought more entertainment to our family than any TV show, video game, or movie could have. They are hysterical... and a tad bit dumb. And yes... they did dig that LOVELY & HUGE hole in our backyard. Impressive, huh? 

And lastly... I am finally ready to start decorating Eric's room. This is a huge deal. I am usually SUPER impatient with everything in life... but I know me, and I knew if I decorated his room months ago it would have made me even more anxious, worried, and stressed about him not being here. Now is the time. I know he will be here soon and I am ready to get his room done.... designed just for him. The first decorations: 

Simple... but profound. And... I bought a Black Opps II poster (it's a video game) at Eric's request at Walmart yesterday to add to the decor. I know... beautification at it's finest. 

More than ever I'm ready to get him home... not just for my heart but for Eric's even more.  He is worried we won't come. He's fearful that his case worker one day is just going to say, "They aren't coming for you." It breaks my heart. I wish I could erase any doubt, but I can't. He has waited, been let down, and been hurt before... and I just pray and hope he sees and knows this is different... this is forever. 

He's had to go to the doctor for a few things lately and I wish more than anything I could have gone with him... to sit in the waiting room with him, to go to the back with him like other mothers do, and take him for ice cream after the visit was done. But I couldn't.  He does his homework and studies for tests... I wish we could be there to quiz him on his Social Studies and his Math II questions. I wish we could take him for pizza or buy him a CD after he aces the tests. I know it will come... but I just want his heart to believe and know we ARE coming! NOTHING... NOTHING... could keep us from going to get him. 

On a happy note... here are some things we learned lately:

He wants Walter to run with him while he rides his bike... that should be interesting. 

He has asked for v-neck tees, a pair of skinny jeans, and Crocs... what a man! 

He loves the old school Michael Jordan sandals and high top tennis shoes. 

He loves Jolly Ranchers (Grape), Snickers, Hershey kisses, and Twix bars. 

His friends are all happy for him... but I'm sure they are going to miss him. 

His dance group (yes... DANCE group) is performing to "Moves like Jagger" and "Treasure" - LOVE IT!

He is tired of eating beans and bread. 

He has never had his own birthday party - oh... THAT WILL CHANGE! 

He has only eaten ice cream once! 

He loves music. 

Love getting to know our Eric. Seriously... cannot wait until he is home! What a glorious day that will be!