Full of Joy

This is 6 year old Mercedes.  Our new "adopted daughter" of sorts.  We are her "sponsor parents".  Mercedes lives in Peru, and this picture melts my heart.  I wrote Mercedes for the first time today and am so looking forward to connecting with her. Chuck and I chose this special little girl because she was born on October 21, which was our baby's due date.  We wanted to celebrate the life of our unborn child by supporting another child in need.  I think our baby in Heaven would be pretty happy about this. 

Today I am officially a thirty-year-old woman!  I know I turned thirty yesterday, but I was still 29 for half of the day.  Today I am completely thirty!  I have been a little upset about leaving the twenties behind, but as I've thought about it- what's to be sad about? A lot of my twenties were wrought with heartache, pain, loneliness, and great loss.  Why would I want to stay in that decade?  Hello 30!  And Hello Jovie!  Meet my 30th Birthday present from my absolutely incredible husband. I have wanted a puggle for several years and was completely shocked when Chuck surprised me with my very own!  He came home one day the week before Christmas and told me he had a surprise for my birthday but he needed to tell me about it early.  I thought he was going to tell me about a trip or something, but then he said, "I am going to get you a puppy!  I've been talking to a breeder and we can pick her up before Christmas Eve." I, of course want...