Day 3!!~

                Mya is absolutely perfect!!  She is a Spicy Hunan girl!!!  We were told that she was a naughty girl in our referral and they weren’t kidding!!!  She loves to hit!!!!!!!!  She especially loves to get Mason and his glasses!  We will definitely work on all of this when we get home!

                We have experienced some institutionalized behavior from Mya and its sooooo hard for us to handle and to think that she has had to live that life for 2 years when she has really deserved a family.  Yesterday at KFC, we thought it was so cute that she took her napkin and wiped her own mouth and then wiped our mouths.  We realized today, that this is not normal behavior for a 2 year old and that she has had to wipe her own mouth.  Also, when we were putting her to bed last night, she rocked herself, like she has had to “rock” herself to sleep every night, when  really someone, her mommy should have been the one rocking her to sleep.  This is a very emotional blog entry for me to write.  The kids asked Josh this morning at breakfast, why is Mom crying again??  Josh proceeded to them that it is very hard to fathom the life that she has had to live.  So, we were breaking off pieces of food and she was feeding herself, but I am not doing that anymore, I am her Mommy and I am going to feed her and I am going to do everything else for her too!!  That is if she let me..right now, she is struggling with us doing things for her and that is extremely hard.  Josh and I just look at each other and can’t believe that some things that we ready in our required reading are actual coming to life in our story as well.  This morning on a tour of the 1000 year University, Mya wanted to go to our Chinese guide.  This was an AWUFUL feeling for me, but yet I know that this is normal but it saddens me because this is a definite sign of an attachment problem.  Not a problem that we can never overcome, but as of right now, that shows us she is not doing as well as we thought she would as far as attaching to us.  And, I know, that our guide looks like what she is used to but it doesn’t make it any easier.  

                Also, this morning, Mya wanted her Daddy instead of me and that tore me up!  She also wasn’t the same kid that we had the last couple of days.  She was really quiet and just wanted daddy, not me and not the other kids.  She wasn’t herself on the tour either, so I was worried what today was going to bring for us.   We went back to the hotel after our trip to Wal-Mart, which was fun, and Mya got down and was very comfy in her surroundings and with us and really got down on the floor and was wrestling with the kids and it was a fantastic time!!!!!  We prayed when we got up that God would have His hand on us and Mya and He sure has, Mya is really doing SUPER this afternoon and I give God all the praise for that!!!! 

                We are so blessed!!!  There aren’t even words to describe the feelings that our family has for this child.  She immediately felt like our child and never once felt like she didn’t belong!  I want to encourage anyone who may be on the fence about adoption, that God has commanded us to take care of and love the Fatherless and what an amazing feeling to do so!!!!!!  Again, we feel very privileged to parent one of Gods orphaned children!  What a perfect fit for the Clayton family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Having a lot of trouble downloading any pictures to this entry, will try the next one!

God Bless!!  Mindy

Adoption Finalization Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                Mya is our!!!!!!!!!!!  She is now officially Mya YiYao Shao Clayton!!!!!  Praise the Lord!!  God is so good and has been with us this whole journey!

                We are such a lucky family, to think that God “chosen” us to be Mya’s forever family and to parent one of His orphaned children!!  I count this as an honor to do so!!!

                We went back to the Civil Affairs Building for the final signing of the paperwork!  It was such a glorious occasion! 

                When we were done, we came back to the hotel and changed Mya out of her pretty dress and into something more comfortable!  We decided to get a stroller at the front desk of the hotel and take a walk down the street s of Changsha!  While this is not an easy task, we thought we would conquer this!  Along our walk, we came to a nice quaint convenient store where we bought soda, juice, toothpaste, cups, and Oreos!  We walked down a little further and found a KFC!!!  Awwwwwww, a little piece of home!  We went in and then wondered how are we going to order..good thing, the lady had a picture menu!!  We all had chicken sandwiches and fries and didn’t order any drinks because we don’t know how they are prepared.  We sat down and EVERYONE stared at us, which is not exactly a new feeling for us.  We went ahead and used the cups and soda that we bought and poured our own drinks..Now, I am sure that was fun for the people to see and tell their friends about!!!! 

                We walked back to the hotel and passed the store again and due to drinking our soda, Josh ran back in and bought some more! 

                Mya and I went up to the room and I was going to put Mya down for her nap.  Josh and the kids went for more of a walk!  While trying to get Mya down, we experienced her first “real problem”  She screamed and cried in terror, it really broke my heart.  It was terrible, because I don’t know what she is thinking and whatever she is thinking is in Chinese!  It took me about 45 minutes until she finally went to sleep and when she did, it was only for about an hour and she is used to sleeping for 2-2 ½ hrs.  But that’s okay because when she is sleeping, we miss her!

                While Josh and the kids were out, they found out what time all the children get out of school!   They were all walking down the street, alone, on their way home.  They all stop at this “park” really just a big concrete square and play.  They were playing with jump ropes and hacky sacks and such!  My kids had a blast playing with them!   They came home to get me and Mya to show us too and by the time we got there, the children had leftL  So we just decided to go to a “Westernized” Chinese restaurant next to the hotel. 

                When we got to the restaurant, I told Josh, I think we are in the wrong place..there were couches at the table and computers at every table and curtains to give privacy.  Not really a kid place!  They brought us our water and we, of course, can’t drink their water so we pushed them to the middle of the table.  Another waitress walked by and put them back at our place settings, she, I guess, didn’t like them in the middle of the table!  LOL  So I pushed them back so the kids would not forget that they couldn’t drink them and she walked by and gave me a heavy

 sigh!!!!!!!!  It was comical!  We got our food and it wasn’t exactly Westernized but it was fine.  It fed us and it wasn’t expensive like we thought it would be!

                Back at the hotel, we went to the hotel play room, which is right down the hall from our room!  Josh and I have been wondering at what point Mya would have her first “poop” !  Guess what, we got it!!!!!  Josh and I were so excited..I know that is not ordinary, but in her situation, we were super stoked about it!!!!!!!!

                Now it is bath time!  We already know that Mya hates her bath, but we have to do it anyway!  Yep, she screamed the whole time.  It’s awful, I feel terrible for her!!  Again, its bed time and she was screaming in terror again, so we just went to bed and cuddled her and sat with her and after about an hour, she went to sleep and slept all night.  She did wince a little in her sleep at bed time and nap time, I think she was having some night terrors, which really breaks our hearts.

                So if you could, please remember us and Mya in your prayers and pray that Mya will adjust as God would have her too!!!

Mindy

"Gotcha Day"

When I woke up very early that morning, it all seemed and felt so surreal!  I couldnt believe we were about to meet Mya for the first time and that she would be ours FOREVER!!!  Even up until we were in the van driving to our meeting place, it didnt feel real! 
     When I reached the building and went upstairs, another family had just united with their little boy for the first time....and whoa, now its REAL!!!  I have always seen pictures and read and watched other gotcha day stories and I was not at all ready emotionally for ours!  The tears came streaming down my face and of course, my kids told Daddy, "look Daddy, Mom is crying, AGAIN!"  Its very emotional waiting and waiting for your daughter to come walking through that door at any moment!
     We were pacing and looking out the window and pacing until our guide told us that the nanny had called and they were going to be about a half an hour.  Ok, now its time to relax, and try to enjoy this moment!  We were talking to another adopting parent, whom I had been in correspondence with his wife over our chat groug, Rumor Queen, and we were discussing our "new daughter" that were ready to arrive at any minute.  They were from the same orphanage so they came together!!!! 
     I looked out the window and saw 2 nanny's and 2 babies being carried in to our building...I Screamed and ran to the door!!!!!!!!  Then our guide said, no thats not them so I just neverminded.....Guess what...............IT WAS THEM, IT WAS MYA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
     She looked terrified!!!  I felf terrible for her and myself because all I wanted to do was get my arms around her and squeeze her and never let her go!  She was so scared and after about 5 minutes or so of trying not to overwhelm her and just talk to her, Daddy gave her a ring pop and that was amazing!!!!
She was still scared but started to warm up a little bit!!!!  We were thrilled with that progress!!
     The other little girl screamed the entire time that we were there..I felt awful for her and her new Daddy!
     I got to discuss with the nanny's any questions that I had and here is what I asked them:
1)  How do you comfort her when she is upset?   Just hold her/give her food
2)  Sippy cup or bottle?  both
3) Allergic to anything?  nothing as of right now
4) Her story?  I will let her tell her own story!
5) Potty trained - somewhat...we are keeping her on diapers due to the adjustment
6)  Favorite food- fried rice and whatever you are eating~ we have found out that she LOVES food!

    After some paperwork was done with our guide, it was now time to take our daughter home to the hotel and we were so super excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
     We got her back and she was sooooo sticky from her ringpop, so I stuck her in the bath and she thought she might like it until the water hit her head and she cried and cried until bathtime was finished then she was fine:)!  We put our clothes on her and she was a new kid!!!!!!!
     God has blessed our family in a way that I cant even describe!  She is totally amazing and we are Praising the Lord for this fantastic opportunity that He has given us!!! Thank you Jesus!!
God Bless, Mindy

ps..  BTW, she came in a fleece footy pajamas, quilted sweatshirt and sweatpants, and fleece lined pants and a very heavy winter coat...she was sooooo hot and sweaty!!!  Her pants were "Angry Birds"  the kids thought that was totally awesome!!!!  I am rejoicing for the outfit that she was brought in!!  She also brought with her, the blanket that we sent and also the Chinese baby doll, which I was so happy with...she, although didnt bring home her pillow that had our picture on it:(  That is ok!  WE GOT MYA!!!!!!

PICTURES OF MYA!!!!!!!!!!!

More to come...I have been at this for over an hour and I cant seem to get any of my pictures to download..enjoy these!

An hour away from meeting Mya for the first time!!!

I don't even have the words to describe how I am feeling right at this very moment. I'm sorry that I haven't blogged our day yesterday yet, but I will!
Last night as soon as we landed in Changsha, China, I began to cry. It is so overwhelming to think that we were now in the province as our new daughter! I also am very saddened and happy that last night was her very last night that she would lay her head down at the orphanage. Happy because we think the orphage is so horrible, but to Mya its all she knows and it is her comfort. We are taking her from everything she is used to and we , I think, are prepared if she completely hates us! I think I am ready!! Although, if she does react in a way that she is upset, then that tells me that she has been loved And That makes me very happy:)!
I am also mourning for her mother. The mother that gave birth to her. Although, I am sooo elated to have Mya as my daughter, her mother has to live with her decision everyday for the rest of her life. I respect Mya's mother very much for choosing to give Mya life instead ofe choosing the very easy choice of abortion. God has had His hand in this all the way back to when Mya was born on April 6, 2010!!!! What a wonderful day!! Mya shares a birthday with her great-grandma Shanks!!!!!
Please help us pray that God will ease all of our nerves and that we can enjoy every minute and every detail!!!!!!
I will post our "gotcha day" pictures later and while Mya is sleeping at some point, I will post about our great day that we had yesterday!!
May God bless you, Mindy

Day #2~

Today it is February 25th here, which is Mason's 9th birthday!!  What any better way than to spend your birthday than at the Great Wall of China??!!!!?  I had no idea what was in store for us!!  First stop, the restroom!!  Holy cow, I wonder if there is a squatty potty????   Hollie, I know you are waiting for this....YES a SQUATTY POTTY!! 

     Thankfully though, if you continue looking in stalls, we found a westernized toilet!!!!!!  Whoo, I wasnt exactly sure how that was going to turn out!!   We the proceeded to the cable cars..I didnt expect this either..not sure why, but here we go!!!!

 and here is our view!!!

The kids never even batted an eye, I thought and just knew that this would have been so scary but no one even had a problem!  It was so fun!  Now we get to where we begin!

here are some more pictures for you to enjoy our trip to the Great Wall of China!!

Seeing Mya's country's flag was very emotional for me.

Then we had to walk back down and believe it or not, that was not easy to do..one because its extremely steep and two because your legs are like jelly.

BTW, Kelly, no matter how many days we exercise, there was nothing getting me prepared for this!!

Right after the Great Wall, it was lunch time so it was Mason's pick since he is the birthday boy!  Choices:  Subway or chinese food..hands down, Chinese food!!  I was so hoping he would say that:)  Here's our meal!  We didnt care for the brown stuff but we LOVED the rice and orange..pork!

Now we go back to town and see the Water Cube and the Birds Nest where the indoor and outdoor 2008 Olympics were held!  That was really neat!



                                      Then it was time to go back to the hotel!  That was so fine with us, we were totally exhausted!!!!!  Our guide wrote down on a piece of paper a silk shop/mall that we could go to since the airport totally ruined-demolished one of our suitcases..so we had to buy a new one..that was a an experience.  First of all, Josh and the boys, this was their first time in a taxi and then we had to bargain for the luggage and get another taxi on the way out...That was a joke, everyone trying to get you to buy and hitting me on the arm and one lady grabbed Myles by the coat and tried to pull him in her booth and I looked at her real stern and said, "NO!!" and I grabbed Myles, although Josh was also holding his hand so he wasnt going anywhere, but still!  Heres a picture of our broken luggage and our new luggage!

We had a wonderful day, seeing what God has created and what God has allowed Man to create!  Thank you for all of your prayers and support!  God Bless!

Mindy

Our flights!! Day 1~

     We sat and waited for our flight for about an hour.  We didn't talk to anyone until just about boarding time.   When we did, a lady had asked us where we were headed and when we say China, everyone is very surprised!  We told her that we on our way to get our little girl!!!  So, another couple had over heard us talking and came to us and said, "excuse me, did you say you're adopting from China?!?  We have a daughter from China!!  Wow, again, God letting us know, He is with us!   We of course, shared stories and pictures of our daughter's and while talking, we found out that, they too, are CHRISTIANS!   Praise the Lord!    We had just met an extremely nice Christian adopting couple! WOW!  Small world!  We figured, that at our gate in Chicago, we would meet other adopting couples but we didn't expect it in St Louis!
    We got on our plane and, believe it or not, we were in the very last row.  The stewardess was talking to the kids and asking if this was their first flight and that she would take them to the cockpit and have their picture taken with the pilot! They were sooo excited!  She then asked them where they were going from Chicago and they said China and that we were going to get our little girl!  She was soo happy for us and excited!  She started crying and after all the flight instructions, she came back to see pictures of Mya!  She thought Mya was absolutely beautiful and started crying again and told us that we were the most exciting family that she has had on her flight in a very long time!  Se then proceeded to announce over the loud speaker, about our family and what were doing, and everyone clapped for us!  Priceless!!
   The flight~take off was real fun!  The flight was for the most part, pretty smooth, a little turbulence, but not much!  The landing was great!  So after everyone was done getting off of the plane, we went to the cockpit and the kids had their picture taken!!!

    We get off of the plane, and there was that wonderful couple waiting for us!  They slipped Josh a fifty dollar bill!  Josh told him no no, you don't even know us and he wouldn't take "no" for an answer!   What a blessing and God send!  They'll have no idea, how much they blessed our family!  So, Dawn, if you're reading this, THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!
     We get to our "going to Beijing" gate and wait for 3 hours.  It wasn't too bad!  We did keep seeing a beautiful little Chinese girl around 3 yrs old playing and wondered if she and her parents were on their way to get another child.  We met later on the plane, and yes they are on their way for another little Chinese princess!  
   I met in the check-in line, a couple from, I think Tennessee going to get their little girl!  It's so wonderful, the amount of children, who's lives are about to be bettered just by our flight alone!
   Then, on the way back from check-in, I met another adopting family, who josh had already met, and while talking to them, they are from Tuscaloosa, Alabama!  Where my family lives!  I told them that and what church they go to and that my sister works at the University of Alabama and, guess what, so does he!!! He is an ER doctor there!  Just amazing!  Oh and they are also believers in Christ!   God never ceases to amaze me!!!
     Well, right now, we are on flight to Beijing and are getting ready to go by the north pole, which the kids are very excited about!
     Our Beijing flight is very very long, but a very nice flight!  We have not had any turbulence, but it may be the size of the plane, not sure!  It doesnt even feel like we are on a plane, all except the noise level of the engines.  We have already had one meal and the boys had special meals  with chicken tenders and potatoes and applesauce,  Josh, Madison, and I all had the regular meal and it consisted of beef or chicken, white rice, salad, roll, and a brownie and it was, I thought, pretty good!!

    I will be back to let you know how the rest of our day went!!! 

God bless, Mindy

First stop~St Louis!

   
     Our first stop was St. Louis. Josh's Mom and Dad drove us and we of course had to go out for dinner!  What would be a good road trip without a good dinner!   We ate at Crackel Barrel and it was yum!

    Then it was time to go to the hotel. It was a cheap nice hotel that definitely did the trick!  I should tell you that I am a germ freak and I ALWAYS bring my own bedding....well not to China!!  So I have really had to overcome my "fear" and sleep on theirs..yikes, with some help from God, I did just fine!
     I immediately dug into luggage and started re-packing .  I have had quite a time packing for so many, but after, ummm, 2-3 hours I decided that before my head would explode and my back would break, that it was time to just go to bed.  Well, of course, I didn't sleep much!  But, really, that was ok because i had to get up at 3:45am anyway!  The kids and josh all woke up so  well!  We had a very uneventful morning in our hotel! Praise God!
                                                        
   

     We went to the lobby and waited for our shuttle! It was great, me, of all people, on time!!
    It was a blessing, we got in our shuttle, and the driver was playing our Christian radio station!  It was
again, God letting us know that He is with us!!!

                                                     

    Josh and my kids have NEVER flown before!  So why not, just jump in with both feet and have a 14 hour flight, right?!?  They, this morning, were pretty nervous and rightfully so!   I will be back to write about our St Louis airport and flight experience when we land!  God bless and please pray:)
Mindy

Getting Ready and Excited!!!!

     Wow, its been crazy around here!!!  Since I have been off of work, I have been busily organizing and cleaning and packing and packing!!! 

     Packing has been quite a chore.  Its wild packing for 6 people in two different climates for two weeks without knowing if we can utilize the laundry service.  

     My 12 yr daughter says "Mom, this isnt very many clothes, what are we going to do?"  So, I told her that we would have to take enough underwear and socks to last us our 12 days and re-use our other outfits!  Fun fun!

    We just finished packing up the van with all of the luggage and holy cow, it looks like we will be gone for 2 weeks!  Its crazy how much stuff you need to take care of a 2 yr old who comes with nothing.  Now, I am sure that I over packed because I always do.  But I look at it this way, as long as we pass through customs and immigration and airlines, we are doing pretty good!!!
 

    I have finally gotten a minute to sit down and blog some.  Right now, my husband is playing his "game" he is a gamer...LOVE IT...NO I DONT!!!!!  LOL   Anyway, I have a free minute to just sit down and relax..I am not sure I even know what that word means anymore!  But, guess what, I am going to learn it real  quick on our 14 hr flight to Beijing!!!  CANT WAIT!

  We are flying out of St Louis tomorrow, Thursday morning, bright and early!!  We are flying into Beijing and we are doing some sight seeing/touring!  That will be so much fun!  We are going to The Great Wall of China and all it looks like to me is " a whole lot of stairs!"  My friend Kelly, whom I workout with every morning and sometimes again in the afternoon, told me that while I think she is trying to kill me, that she is just getting me ready for "all of those stairs!!"  I dont think so Kelly, but thanks!!!! 

     Just to let you all know that I will be blogging everyday that we will be there and posting pictures!!!!!!!!  We have lots of friends and family that have told us that they will be stalking us!!!  I know how that is, we had friends go in November to get their little girl in China and we refreshed our computer all day long, hoping for an update and/or a picture!!!!! 
     Again, thank you everyone for all of your prayers and support!  We will need it!!!!

Mindy

Hello ALL!!!!

     WHEW!!!!!!!  I am exhausted!!  I have been non-stop planning, planning and more planning for this trip of a lifetime that we are getting ready to go on!!!  It is so exciting and overwhelming!  We have been in contact with an agent for flights and also our contact in China and he is taking care of all of our arrangements for "in-country" travel.  That consists of touring, plane tickets, our meeting "GOTCHA DAY" with Mya and ALL of our appointments!!!  I cant even wait for all of our appts, because that means that Mya is in my arms and is mine FOREVER!      

     In the mean time, I have been "nesting".   I have been through all of our cabinets and bathrooms and have re-organized everything!!!!!!!  Thanks to Pinterest, I have had all kinds of ideas!  This has felt so good getting rid of CLUTTER!!!!  I LOVE IT!  

    We are leaving on February 23rd!!  We are so excited!!  Josh asked the boys if they were ready and excited and they yelled..YES!!  I looked at Josh and at the same time, we said.."They have no idea!!!!!"  You see, Josh and the kids have NEVER flown before and its been years since I have flown and that was only  in the US...It will be very interesting!  God is in control and to Him give the Glory!

    As far as packing, I am doing so-so.   That is definitely overwhelming!  I keep reading about less is more, but I am scared..I Always over pack.  I am really trying not to do that but I am struggling:)  

    I will be blogging every day with updates and pictures so stay tuned!!!  

    Please keep us in your prayers as we are 5 days away!!!!!!!!  YAY!!!

Mindy

Thank you Sissy~Mama

My aunt called me this morning and told me about about a program on the Today Show that had been on and that it was online to watch...Well, of course, I went straight to the computer and it was on Half the Sky!!  This program is an amazing program and I feel blessed to say that Mya's orphanage has Half the Sky within it!!  Please take a minute to watch the program!! http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/46380849#46380849

Also...HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!  We are about 9 days from departure to get our baby girl!!!!!!!
 
                               

Travel plans~

     Trying to accommodate 6 people for a trip to China is pretty time consuming!  Our "go to" guy in China has been working hard getting all the information to help get our itinerary finalized!  I really truly appreciate him and the guy that is making our flight arrangements.  I have no idea where to even begin when we are flying into one city with 5 people and leaving from another city with 6 people so I am going to let him figure all of that out!  A lot of adoptive families use him and he gets really good deals!!!!  So, I am praying for God's will for the price of all our flights and hotels and I trust that God will give us a trip of a LIFETIME!!!!!!!!!  I am so ecstatic to get our baby girl!!!  We are getting her on 2/27!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

     I will update as soon as I get info!!  Please continue your prayers for our family!  

God Bless all of you!!!!!!

Mindy

I dont even have words~

                   



TA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We got TA (Travel Approval) today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Can you tell I am excited?!?  This is so huge!  We are on day 29 for our TA wait.  I have to be honest, it was the worst wait of the whole process.
     Let me tell you how it all came down!!!
     I was suppose to be home today cleaning out closets and cabinets due to me being in my 3rd trimester of my paper pregnancy, I have to start nesting!!!! Anyway,  Josh thought we should go grocery shopping...Ok, and I just had a feeling that we would get our call today!  We went and while we were driving down the road and mid-sentence, my phone rings and it says Madison Adoption Associates....YAYYY, I was so excited and Josh was so excited that, bless  his heart, he was trying to turn down the radio except it wasnt on!  Of course, I had to play it cool and answer the phone!!!!  I am not sure how calm I really was, but I tried!!
    We were actually by our bank at the time so we just went on in and discussed our money situation for the trip!  Very Exciting!  Everything seems to be coming together!
    I have a very good friend of mine, Kelly, that I asked to be by my side while I purchase our tickets because I am not sure how much of a level head I will have during this time...so thats where Kelly comes in!  I also have a very good friend, Janene on speed dial..Janene is a been there done that friend so she has told me that she is here for me to answer any questions I may have...hmmmm I wonder if I will have any questions...Only a ton!!!!!   
     Right now we were given some potential dates for our consulate date and according to that date, we will know our Gotcha date  (when we meet Mya for the 1st time!!!)   We possibly will get to meet Mya on February 26th, my BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!   What an incredible bday gift!!  I have had that incredible bday gift before, Mason came the day before and it is so awesome to share that with him as well.  Mason is so stoked that we could be in China for his birthday..I really dont think I will ever be able to top this bday for the rest of his lifetime..I mean really, in China for your 9th birthday!!  How cool!!
      I will update tomorrow when I know more and know our dates..hopefully we will know tomorrow!!!!
     Thank  you all for reading and praying and for all of your support!!  God bless!
Mindy

Thank you Daddy~

     Daddy bought us a "new to us" van yesterday!!  We had said that when we bought our Nissan Quest, that we would drive it until it was on its last leg...guess what, it was on its last leg!  I kept stressing how we or I would break down with the children and not know what to do.
     Last weekend, on our way to a friends adoption fundraiser, our van started vibrating while in idle.  YIKES, then it sounded weird when you accelerated and THEN the Service Engine Soon light came on...Never a good thing!  We took it to an Auto Zone and they hooked up the van to their machine and the gentleman said, let me go print off your list.  HOLY COW a LIST???  So I turned to the kids and said lets pray!!  So we did and we decided that if God wanted us to have another van, he would provide!!!
     So....this weekend, I went looking!!  I absolutely love car shopping!!!  While in the parking lot at the dealership, a friend of mine (with a Quest just like mine, same year) pulled up and she was also car shopping because her van was doing the SAME THING!!  How ironic!  My friend then proceeded to tell me that she had a friend at a dealership and I should go look there...OK!!!!!!!  I went and fell in love with my "New to me" 2006 Honda Odyssey!!!!  I have always loved this van and  now I get to have one!!!!!!!!  See, the Lord always provides a way, He is always there for us, and its our job to look upon Him!!!!!!!!!
     Thank you Jesus!!!!

     Mindy