Rollercoasters

One of my favorite movies is Parenthood. David and I saw it for the first time right before Baylee was born. We laughed, cried and made our parents watch it when they came after Baylee was born. Now, 19 years later, I can relate to the rollercoaster analogy even more. (If you haven’t seen this movie-WATCH IT!)
In the last year we have been told David’s job would end, get interviewed and given a job in Tampa, had the contract fall through, find someone who wanted to rent our house, have someone want to buy our house, change our plans back to moving to North Carolina, had to leave friends and “family” we lived near for 12 1/2 years, met my birth-father’s family (a total blessing to meet and know them!), move to North Carolina (after giving away 1/2 of our stuff!!! to fit on the moving truck!), rent a house site unseen and find out our landlady is a gift from God, get to spend more time with David’s family than we ever have!!! (and we LOVE IT!), have David’s job end after they allowed him to telecommute for 3 months (another blessing!), spend 47 days unemployed before David found work at Starbucks and seasonal work at Belks, learn to live on WAY less, work through paying our bills and having to ask for help from our family, having our landlady offer us a deal of a lifetime on this house and having a wonderful banker help us get everything in order, sending our first-born to college during all of this, having our niece start college near us and far from her parents-what a cool thing to get to really know her after only seeing her once a year, and on and on and on….
the culmination of this year almost to the day of when the people looked at our house and David got offered the job in Tampa, is that David is still working at Starbucks, we have not missed a meal or gone hungry, and we signed the papers to buy this house this week.
It has been such a crazy week that I haven’t even gotten to share this news with too many people! I am amazed and stand in awe of God’s goodness to us!
Two other things that are right up there for me….
After attending churches all over the county-and all of them very nice and have lots to offer families-we went to the Baptist church here in Maggie Valley and all of us really loved it. They have Vacation Bible School next week and we may try to go at least some of the nights.
Also, I have not blogged about my birth family because they are a treasure to keep close to my heart, but I wanted to share one thing that caught me totally off guard.
Growing up in Oklahoma almost everyone is in one way or another at least part Indian. There are many tribes courtesy of the Trail of Tears, and the state is rich with the heritage and culture of the first Americans. As an adoptee, all I knew about my background is what the adoption agency told me. They put on my records that I was English, Irish, Welsh, German and Scottish. Those of you who know me, know that I really am as pale as can be. If you have known me a long time, you also know that I have been curious about the art, customs and lives of the Indians in Oklahoma my whole life. In college one of my roommates was full blooded Commanche Indian. I loved attending Pow-Wows with her and drove her grandmother crazy with how to make fry bread, etc. When Baylee was born, she was given the most tiny pair of hand-beaded moccasins that we love and have kept for her children. One of the pieces of artwork that I did in college is called “White Woman at a Pow-Wow” with my pink hightops on my feet and a shawl around my shoulders. So, the other day when talking to my grandfather he tells me that recently they found out that my grandmother’s grandmother was a full-blooded Choctaw Indian.
I have made it through this year of crazy ups and downs and twists and turns, but have never been on the loop de loop rollercoaster. Well, this white woman just did some serious loops. It seems that all I have taken for granted before this year, to now include my background, has been sifted through and shaken up. I am not disappointed (remember the love of Indian things and people) but I have never been more suprised in my life!
I am still trying to fit all of this year into my little mind and wrap myself around it. Thanks to all of you who have joined me on this journey! And, I know that it is not over. All I can say is Buckle-Up and Enjoy the Ride!