R, R & R

In case you were wondering, that stands for Respite, Rest and Relaxation (hopefully...). This weekend Ronnie and I are going to take advantage of a much-needed break from our kiddos and go away. Just the 2 of us. Alone. After a very difficult last week with our behaviorally challenging 5 year old, Ronnie and I realized that after 5 months of fostering these 2 kiddos, we have never been away from them. Then it dawned on us that there are other foster families within our agency who are able and willing to do Respite Care for foster children. Then we also found a wonderful marriage conference outside of Houston that we wanted to attend. All of these epiphanies seemed to form together into one genius idea: Let's Get Away! So after a brutally honest conversation with our Case Manager, she made some phone calls and found a family to watch the kids. We also found out the conference offered a military discount, which made it somewhat affordable. And we had some wonderful family members who sent us some moolah to help pay for hotel rooms and meals. How blessed are we?!

So in just 2 short days, we drive away (3.5 hours away to be exact) as a couple of long-lost lovers hoping to reconnect in just 4 short days. What I think I'm looking forward to the most is just having uninterrupted adult conversation with my husband. We do date nights about every 2 to 3 weeks, so we have time alone, but we are always watching the clock, wondering how much longer we have before we need to pick the kids up and get them home. Being alone with little responsibility seems like a novel idea at this point. We'll see how we handle it... I'll check back in with you on day 3:) I'm also looking forward to going to a conference where we get to reconnect and just talk about how to foster our marriage rather than just foster children.

Last night I went to bed feeling sick and woke up this morning feeling even sicker. Ever since I quit my job and decided to stay home with the kids, we have all been sharing a rotating sickness in the house. It goes from person to person and never quite leaves completely. This last bout really messed me up and I was without a voice for about 2 weeks. There are still parts of my singing voice that haven't yet returned, which has been a challenge when helping lead worship at church. But just as that sickness ended, it seems that it's back and I'm frustrated beyond words. I don't know if this is a spiritual battle or if my body is just completely worn down from the daily struggles of parenting traumatized children. Whatever the case, I am praying against this sickness, praying for complete wellness during our weekend getaway, and cramming Zycam down my throat like there is no tomorrow. Please Lord, take away this sickness and help me to feel well!

I'll write an update after our weekend away. But before I sign off, I just want to say Thank You. I truly believe that God puts certain people in your life at a certain time for a certain reason. And he has placed multiple people in my life that have called me, texted me, messaged me or spoken to me this week with words of wisdom and encouragement. You all know who you are and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Foster Parenting and Infertility can be incredibly lonely places, so it's very comforting when those friends come to my rescue at just the right time. Thank you, friends, and thank you, God, for these loved ones you have blessed me with:)

-Heather