On Fundraising and How I Don't Know How to Say Thank You

I don't know how to say "thank you". I mean, yeah, I know how to say the words "thank you" and when to use them appropriately but I really don't know how to mean it. Don't get me wrong, I sincerely mean it when I tell people thank you for buying a water bottle, thank you for running alongside with me, thank you for sponsoring miles, thank you for praying for us...

It just seems so inadequate...
Like, not enough...
The words come out of my mouth or are typed out of Facebook but don't seem to convey our gratitude enough.

What I really want to do is have a blubbery shoulder cry and hug everyone that has donated, shared our posts, running, etc. But the PNW has this some sort of unspoken need for personal space that I don't want to accept or get used to...I like hugging. Don't worry, we will make up for the hugging when we go back to TN in a few weeks.

Ya'll...it is hard asking for help. It is a huge pride thing and not to mention embarrassing. We are putting it out there, bluntly, and saying we don't have it all together. We don't have the answers. We don't know how this is going to work out.

But, ohmygosh, we have been seriously blown away by the response of people. We decided to go into this whole idea of fundraising with no expectations. Ideas may flop...items may not sell...and we have to be ok with that.

But really...these are the coolest water bottles...and I'm not just saying that because they are mine...well, maybe I am.

I can't move people's hearts. I can only write things, post running selfies, pray that someone is inspired. I can't compel anyone to respond...only God can do that.

So when we say "thank you", although it may come across awkward, please, please know it is out of the most humbling gratitude knowing we can't do this alone...we can't do this without you.

"Thank you" for joining us on this journey!


“In the end, though, maybe we must all give up trying to pay back the people in this world who sustain our lives. In the end, maybe it's wiser to surrender before the miraculous scope of human generosity and to just keep saying thank you, forever and sincerely, for as long as we have voices.” - Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love

Drink Water...Bring Babies Home From Haiti

We are really pretty pumped about this fundraiser. Let me first say, the team at Liberty Bottle Works is AHHHHMAZING! They were super nice, incredibly fast turn around and made a beautiful product. I can't sing their praises enough. Liberty Bottle Works is a great local company that manufactures all of their bottles here in Yakima, WA, which we really liked. They are environmentally sound and family oriented, another bonus. We gave the art team our vision they came up with some pretty incredible designs that made it really hard to choose from but this is the one we went with.

 

We chose the Haitian proverb "Lespwa Fe` Viv" which means "Hope Gives Life" in Haitian Creole. It is a 24 oz aluminum bottle with black matte finish. We only ordered 72 so quantities are limited.

We are selling them for $20 (please add $5 for shipping). You can pay through paypal/cash/check. We will be in TN in April and bringing them with us, so if you are in the Franklin or Huntingdon area please do not pay for shipping. You can comment here on the blog, FB, email or text if you would like one.

Drink water...bring babies home from Haiti!
Thanks for your support.


Home Study

Currently we are in the "home study" process. This means I am pretty much drowning in paperwork. I have become best friends with the girl from Mail n More. Saturday we talked about how her dad is from a small town in Kentucky and has an accent like me and how she would love to adopt someday. I spent all weekend gathering and copying documents like birth certificates, marriage license, drivers licenses, etc.

This is a two...not peace.

Kelsey from Faith International Adoptions in Tacoma came for our home visit on Sunday. OMG...she could not have been more adorable. Super sweet, cute, total cheerleader (not an annoying one though, and honestly we are going to need "cheerleaders" during this endeavor) and best part...a hunter. I really wanted to frind request her on FB but Trev said it would be too creepy. It was so laid back and I felt silly for the hours I spent stressing about deep cleaning and every outlet plug being covered. She basically just hung out at our kitchen table and we talked about adoption. Then she took a quick tour of the house and that was all. TThe children slept through the whole thing
We still have a few more pieces of paperwork to return to her, reports from our physicals and waiting on our background clearances from every state we have lived in since age 18. Once all that is complete she will write her home study report and we will be ready to file the I800A. I am really hoping all this is done by the end of April.

Check back for another post this week. It is something we are super pumped to share with you!