Subsidy Shades

You may see them on famous people like Tori Spelling and her entire family or anyone who has attended the MTV Movie Awards because with in months of starting Subsidy Shades Robert and Melissa had their very own gifting suite!  What started out as a way to fund their 2nd adoption because the first had cost a small fortune, like most adoptions do, has turned into a successful organization.  What makes Subsidy Shades different is they continue to give back!  Helping other families raise funds to help pay for their adoptions!  What an amazing way to pay it forward wouldn't you say!  In addition to helping families paying for adoptions, Melissa has also been very involved with helping birth mother's feel special and loved by her and Subsidy Shades.
One of the current promotions they have going on is with Together We Rise, if you purchase these super cute Mickey glasses they will donate $1 for each pair purchased!  The money will go towards giving children in foster care a once in a lifetime trip to Disneyland to reunited with birth siblings.  How amazing is that!!!
I have personally received sample shades from Melissa and purchased them as well and I have to say I can't get enough!  They come in many styles for adults, men and women, and to many super cute ones for children.  Check them out here.  The best part is they are support affordable. 
Know that not only will you have stylish glasses at a good price but you will also be supporting adoption and foster care as well!

Where to go from here

I have spent a lot of time thinking over the past few weeks as to if it is maybe time to just bow out from the blog.  When I started this it was to keep family and friends informed about how our adoption was going.  It then turned into more of a, this is what the adoption process is like.  Even the first year was look how much Noah has grown and this is where things are at with the finalization of the adoption. 

Here we are just a few days away from Noah’s adoption being finalized for 1 year!  He is 19 and ½ months old and what is there really to talk about. 

Yes Noah is growing into an amazing little boy.  He is climbing onto everything, and most things he should be.  He has learned if he sticks his toes in the links on the baby gate on the steps he can get himself up high enough to get over it.  The dog’s cage has become his personal step ladder to get things we try to keep up from him.  The middle of the dinning room table has become his own personal winners block and he stands on it all the time.  I am pretty sure some day I am going to find him pulling on the blades of the fan above the table.  As much as these things drive me crazy I know it is part of him growing and they are exciting to me at least.  But do other people want to hear about it? 

We do have contact with Noah’s birth family but to be honest it is pretty minimal, so it isn't like I have that to talk about.  I don’t think it is any 1 person’s fault that contact has slowed down, but it has happened.  Our life is busy with 2 working parents and a 19 month old.  They are just as busy and have just as many things going on.  I wish we were in contact more but life happens I guess.  We don’t avoid each other and when 1 or the other reaches out the other always answers back.  I am sure distance has a lot to do with it and it makes it hard for visits and things.  I hope in the future we do get to visit with them. 

So this is where I am at, where is there to go from here?  I have met so many amazing people and know it is because of my blog.  But what is left to say?  What do people really want to hear.

Melinda 

I love my community

As most people did growing up I always talked about getting out of this town, and moving away to bigger and better things.  Anyone who grew up in small town USA or a small town anywhere knows what I mean when I say you feel like your suffocating.  Your parents know what you did before you got home, heck sometimes they knew what you did before you even did it.  As a teenager the beauty of a small town sometimes is overlooked for what it is worth.  Don't get me wrong I also think moving away to better things is a brave thing to do and staying is even braver.  I left for a few years and tried the big city living.  I have to say I failed at it miserably.  I was way to trusting of people, a quality from not having to be guarded living in a small town.  Don't get me wrong I met some great people while I lived away, and some that had impact on my life.  But big city life just wasn't for me and I moved back to small town USA. 

Right after I moved back I met Joe and we started dating.  Joe took to long to ask me to marry him, almost to long to be honest.  We live in a town we both swore we didn't want to live in.  I remember when we called the real estate agent about seeing the house his words were you know where that house is at right?  We did but went anyway and ended up buying it.  As karma would have it we live 2 streets away from the house I grew up in and in the town I swore I would never go back to.  As an adult I have a complete different view of it and as a mother another view of it.  Life in a small town can be good.  People help each other out in ways I think get over looked in the city.  Neighbors watch out for your children, keep an eye on your house when your out of town and know your name and your story, and care.

When Joe and I decided to adopt and finally told people and were willing to ask for help my eyes were opened up to that.  When we started to plan fundraisers to help with the adoption expenses my heart and soul were both so overwhelmed with the support and generosity of people, not only once but twice.  They we so great in donating items for our fundraisers plus coming and supporting us at them.  They were great successes because of it and helped with some our expenses.  For that I will forever be thankful and will always try to pay it forward when I can. 

A few weeks ago I was contacted about giving some information on how I organized our events and stuff, a friend from high school was planning the same type of event for a co-worker of hers, who had been diagnosed with lung cancer.  I gathered up the supplies I had left from our past events and shared with her what I thought could help.  I have to say when we got to the event this past weekend I was blow away!  The way the community came together to support this woman and her family was amazing.  The way everyone came together and donated so much time, money and effort to make it a success was nothing short of amazing.  All because 1 just 1 co-worker said I feel like I need to help this amazing woman and her family a difference was made.  Her idea snowballed and grew into something I don’t think anyone knew it could be but hoped it would be.  The community was able to raise over $10,000.00 on a Saturday afternoon to help with her medical expenses.  I think that is God’s work without question. 

I ask that everyone please keep her in your prayers for God’s healing hand to touch her now.  She has 4 young daughters and a family who love her very much!

So you see it wasn’t just because of how they touched our life and helped us to bring Noah to our family, but they are helping others.  There are good people in this world, and if everyone acted on just 1 thought they have like my friend did to help someone this world would be such a better place for all of us!

Love

Melinda

End of the year

As the year comes to an end and the holidays approach it is always hard to slow down and take time to think about the things that have happened over the past 12 months.  I just like everyone else never take the time to stop and “smell the roses.”  This year I feel like I need to.

This past year has been full of so many ups and downs.  Good times and bad, happy and sad.  We started the year out with so much hope for our adoption.  With every passing holiday we sat and thought will this be our last New Years as a family of two, then our birthdays and Easter and Memorial Day, our Anniversary.  By the time July had come around it was like oh no not another holiday.  Each passing one brought sadness and dread not happiness and joy. 

But I need to realize that the adoption was not the only thing going on in my life.  My father had not 1 but 2 health scares this year and 3 surgeries and by the grace of God he is cancer free and bouncing back from neck surgery.  My mom has been my biggest supporter and shoulder to cry on.  My relationship that had not been so great with a family member who was my best friend growing up is back and I am loving every second of it.  I celebrated the birthdays of 2 nieces and a nephew who are all over excited at the idea of a cousin. 

We had an amazing fundraiser for our adoption that always makes me emotional when I think about the love and support of so many people in our lives.  Those we know and love and those we don’t know so well but came to support us anyway.  To have our family and friends to work so hard to help us reach our dreams means more than any one knows.

During this all the one relationship that has gained the most is my relationship with God.  Maybe he had me travel the road I have over the past year so I would be walking one step closer to him and trust in him and his plan.  God knows my heart and he won’t let me get hurt any more than he thinks I can take.  He has also shown me it is ok to keep any news close to my heart until I am ready to share it and people will understand if I don't if they find out that we know something and didn't tell.  Emotions run very high for all parties involved in adoption and things are forever changing, day to day and minute to minute.  It is also our decision as to what type of adoption we want to have and that is ok too.

So as this year comes to an end I find myself still being hopeful about the entire adoption process but cautious about it too.  I am going to celebrate Christmas this year with a new light in my heart and hope too.  Hope that next year will find my family well, my friends well and life being better than every.  I will wake up Christmas morning not worrying that we don’t have a baby yet but that my family is together and doing well, but hoping is silence that maybe just maybe this might be the last Christmas with 8 people at my parents and just Joe and I at our house.  That maybe my nieces birthday present this year will be the baby she asks about every time I see her.  I am just going to trust that is all going to be ok, I have no other option but to do that.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Love

Melinda

Blessed

When we do the best that we can, we never know what miracle is brought in our life, or in the life of another

Hellen Keller

 

In the past year we have had a lot of “miracles” in our lives as we move along the road in our adoption.  I am always so amazed and taken back by the kindness of the people in our lives, if it be family, close friends, old and new, and people we simply don’t know.  Yesterday was no different!  We had an amazing turn out at our fundraiser and so much support from the people who love us and people, who really didn’t know us and might have just been there for the baskets, but that is ok; we hope our story and cause moved them as much as we were by them being there.  It also makes you realize that no matter what good or bad family is the best.  My parents are the best, they have done so much for us and yesterday was no exception, my dad made the most adorable wooden doll cradle, that some lucky little girl will be getting to play with, an amazing picture stand that my friend now has in her new home and all of this while pushing through his own pain, and being 5 days before major neck surgery, he is my hero!  My mom was just as amazing, helping me get baskets and get the word out and telling me to not worry about it when I cried that I didn’t think it was going to work, she is truly my best friend.  Also my brother who helped us as much as he could.  He is also just a few days away from surgery.  Keeping those two “down” was a struggle but they did well listening and helping in other ways.  My Aunt and Uncle worked their butts off selling tickets at the party and my Uncle made and donated an amazing wooden blanket chest for us to chance off.  My cousins who also helped!  Kelly your support has been amazing since you know what my heart is feeling right now.  Wendy, I told you last night what I had to say, so I hope there are no other words needed, because I can say them right now, I have nothing but I love you.  To a new friend who also gave us an amazing prize to chance off.  You have left footprints in our hearts that will never go away and I know that you will forever be a part of our adoption story and life.  If I am forgetting anyone I am so sorry just know we love you all.

After we got home last night and things settled down, I went upstairs to the nursery to just sit and think and reflect on the day.  It hit me that this baby, that we don’t know, has SO much love around it already.  The amount of love makes my heart overflow; I wish I could bottle it and send it to any birth mom that is considering us, so she could be assured of just how much her child will be loved.  The only thing I can do is pray to God that he lets her feel in her heart when she is thinking about it.  That she welcomes us as extended family and to allow us to share with her child the amazing family and friends we have.  I feel it in my hearts it is going to happen and when it does it is going to be so amazing.  Life is good and only going to get better!



 

Love to you all

Melinda and Joe

Party

I think this past week I have lost my mind and have taken on planning another fundraiser!  It has been 7 months of waiting as you all know from the last post, and we really want to be able to expand our search.  We know that God has a plan for us and a child hand-picked and he will help to lead us to that child, no matter where they may be. 

Last year when we planned to have a basket party so many times during the planning I thought I must be crazy to do this.  We were in the middle of our homestudy no less while doing that.  And being the "control freak" that I am, it was hard to put my faith and trust in people doing SO much to help us.  And that people would come and want to support us.  Like everyone you have those few memories that stand out in your mind forever.  I remember the day Joe and I got married, so many memories, like seeing him for the first time that day, finally being married, my dance with my dad.  One stands out for me, and there were no photos of it, and no one else there, it was just me sitting at the front of the room after eating and just taking everything in and thinking all these people are here to support us, love and celebrate with us.  That is the same feeling I had the day of our party last October as I looked out at over 200 people, alot of who I didn't know, that had come to support us.  It also taught me that you need to put your trust and faith in people, they will do what they say they will.

I pray that we have as many people reach out to help us this year again and as many people come to support us.  I can't find the words that will ever express how we feel about the things people have done to support us and help us reach our dream.  We pray for you everyday!

Last month Joe and I had to go to Pittsburgh for a class and stopped at a store to walk around for a little bit.  I found a bracelet with a charm on it that has "Dreams become reality one choice at a time."  I have worn that bracelet everyday since to remind myself that my choices will help me reach my dream of a child.  But I also know that we could not do that with out everyone's help too.

So to end I hope that we see you all there and if you would like to help please let me know.

 

Melinda