Family Pictures

I know it's been a while.

John's son, Kevin has been out here for the summer. We had our pictures done 2 weeks ago and Jyll has given us a sneek peek on her blog. Click on the link to check it out... http://jyllsphotography.bigfolioblog.com/category/1372

John and I have been looking really hard at adoption lately. One thing that has really intimidated us is the cost. A domestic adoption in the states can cost anywhere from $7,000 to $20,000. An international adoption costs about twice that.

It all seems really overwhelming for a newlywed couple. We still haven't finished furnishing the house and haven't paid off the furniture we owe on now. Not to mention plane tickets to the states to see our families which are about $2,000 a peice. It seems like every cent we save is spent too soon.

There are things like the Adoption Tax credit and military subsides that we plan on taking advantage of, but most of those can only be filed for after the adoption is final.

Some of the sites I've been reading have mentioned fundraising as a way to raise money for an adoption. I don't know how many people read this, but would anyone be willing to donate to our adoption fund. I'm not asking for money now. I just want to see if this would be well recieved before I mention it to John. He's very much a man in the way that he won't want to accept money from other people. All comments on my blog are moderated so if you don't want you comment published I won't, but please make sure you mention it.

Cherry Blossoms

John and I went to the Cherry Blossom Festival in Nago, Okinawa. I figured out how to make my camera do some pretty good things, so here are some pictures I took.

This is my favorite photo of the Day.

A pig skin filled with fried rice. Pork is a very important part of the Okinawan meal. They'll even cook the pigs blood in some dishes, like a delicacy.

Very nice Japanese girl in traditional Kimono let me take her picture.

Swan Ice Sculpture. There was a contest.

John and I posing near the Torri Gate.

GIANT Banyan Tree in the City Square. If you look closely there are people at the bottom.

I like this picture of the stairs to the top of the hill. There were TONS of people there.

John looking up at the banyan trees whose roots had taken over the pathway.

John chilling at the top of the hill.

A little shrine in the woods. They're like Everywhere!

The main shrine about halfway up the hill.

People praying at the shrine. They threw money in the box, rang the bell, clapped thier hands twice and bowed thier heads. It was kind of cool to watch.

See I told you I could make my camera do cool things

The Torri Gate about halfway up the hill.

The view of the staircase going up

More cherry blossoms

Not a cherry blossom but still pretty

These super strong men were shaking the heck out of this carrier thingy

The local baseball team

Crane Ice Sculpture. My personal favorite. I don't know which won.

So there you are the Bridges' adventures in Okinawa. My next post will be about the Love Motels.

Withdrawals

Okay.. So I forgot to pay my Internet bill last month. So they shut off my Internet service.

I truly thought I was going to die!!! Then the thought crossed my mind that I may have an addiction. Na! No way.

Any way Its back now.

I'm still Here

I know it's been a while since I updated. I've had a lot going on.

I received my first calling since returning to church. I am the Assistant Visiting Teaching Coordinator. Basically I help put together reports that go to the District Relief Society President. So if you haven't done your visiting teaching, you better get crackin'! JK.

On a weird military note...I checked my PO Box obsessively waiting for my December Ensign to come. I never received it. At least not in December. I checked my mail last week around the 9th or so, and lo and behold, there is not only my January issue but also my December issue. I love the military postal system.

In other, more personal news...John and I have decided to start a family. John is unable to have any more children himself without invasive surgery, so we've decided to pursue adoption. I know this will come as a shock to some. Especially considering my past experiences with adoption.

I have known since I was a teenager that adoption was in my future. I actually did my sophomore law presentation on adoption laws in Kansas. I never thought that I would be a birth mother though. I always knew I would be an adoptive mother. Just like I always knew that my first child would be a girl. I didn't need an ultrasound to tell me.

We aren't financially ready to begin the process, but I am learning all I can about adopting while living here in Okinawa. One of the things I've stumbled upon is healthy positive words to combat the stigma of adoption. My favorite phrase is Forever Family in place of adoptive family.

This phrase makes it much more plain to me that I need to go to the temple. I want to have those blessings. I want to be able to give my children a FOREVER FAMILY. I believe in an eternal family and I know that without the blessings of the temple we cannot have that. In the December issue of the Ensign, there was an article about Temple Blessings in a Part-Member Family. I believe that this "coincidence" was the Lord talking to me, through the Church magazine.

I am so grateful for personal revelation. It happens every day, you just have to listen.