Rolling with the Good Times

While we were at the beach not only were we able to rest and relax, but it was really a great time to catch up with family and friends. As mentioned in our beach post, our friend Bratton, or as he would say,  "Uncle Bratton", really made a large effort to come over and spend sometime with us and with Destiny. I know that really meant a lot to us and I'm sure Destiny enjoyed having him there too. Although at times, I really felt like I had two teenagers.

After we left the beach, I got in touch with an old friend that God had placed in my life since 8th grade. I really didn't ask to be friends with her. And at times, I didn't want to be friends with her, but she just wouldn't leave me alone and God wouldn't let me move her out of my life. So, at somepoint I came to terms with it. Since I moved to Auburn, we really lost touch. It's high time that I start focusing on friends and family. So with that being said, I was able to get in touch with her and we met up with her two sweet babies and husband.

From the time we saw each other it was like I never left. We honestly picked up where we left off and it was nothing short of God's crazy way of keeping relationships kindled. I could have spent the whole day sitting there and telling stories of how stupid we were in our teenage years. Honestly, it really made me think, " What am I going to do if Destiny does half the stuff I did?" And of course what does she say as soon as we get in the car..."Stephanie I want to make a friend like Miss Keri and have crazy stories like you two do." Oh lawd here we go!

But honestly, it was a great time! I really enjoyed seeing her and her family. I can't wait for them to make a trip to AU!

Love this beautiful child!

Yes, we are about to do a front roll in a bowling ally...just another thing I can add to my list of adventures with Keri Brooke.

I love Ayla looking at us like we are crazy!

Beachin' It Up With The Family of 3 Now!!

As you can see, we have updated our look a little bit. We have added "Google AdSense" to our blog. Supposedly we are going to get money for people clicking on the adds placed on our page. I'm sure that it isn't much, but every little bit adds up!

We had a little fun in the car on the way to the beach. It was an 8 hour drive...we might have lost our minds a little!

As you can imagine, after last Thursday, we really enjoyed ourselves at the beach. We were grateful for the generosity of family members to allow us to stay at their condo while we did had a little R & R. We didn't end up getting to the condo until late Thursday night. In fact, just as the sun was setting. So we ran out to the beach to snap a couple of pictures.

I loved this one!!

Someone was happy about finally being at the beach!

Family Photo

Destiny's first seashell

After watching the sun, we finally got to eat at LuLu's

Then we finally made it to the hot tub!

It was most certainly a long day, but it was a day I will never forget!

The next day, Uncle Bratton came for a visit to help celebrate! Words really can't really express how thankful we are for the friends and family God has placed at this point in our lives .

Talking about boys with Uncle Bratton

Someone decided to Parasail. We were so proud of Destiny, she was really scared, but she still faced her fears and had a great time!

Bratton checking out the beaches

Lazy River Time!

After the fun-filled day at the beach, we went to the Hangout to eat.

Saturday rained a little so we decided to go to the souvenier shops!

If you can't tell from our pics we had a blast!! We can't wait to go back!

Custody Court is OVER!

We are officially parents of a bright, young teenager. We can't express how relieved we are to have all of the recent pressure off of us and to know that Destiny will be safe. It is quite the daunting task to prove that at the ripe age of 26 and 28 we are fully capable of being parents to a teenager. Then there is always the fear of the unknown.
We left for Cullman on Wednesday night, the night before. So that we were able to take our time on Thursday. I do have to say that it was a very quiet ride to Cullman. I think we were all nervous and playing out several options in our head, or at least Josh and I were. Destiny mostly jammed out to her ipod (the typical way a teenager deals with stress- ignore it!) Once we got to the hotel, we were able to swim a little to work off some nervous tension. We woke up early Thursday morning to start getting ready.

I have to give a quick shout-out to Amy Hutto for donating several clothing items, one of which is the one that she wore to court. It fit her like a glove and really helped her have the confidence she needed that day...THANKS!! (see pics below)

As we started toward the courthouse, it felt as though every mile added another ton of pressure. Josh's mom, Peggy, and Destiny's brother, Timmy, drove up that morning and met us at the courthouse. It was nice having familiar faces around. They put us all in one room and were calling one court case at a time. After waiting 45 minutes, our case was finally called...much to mine and Josh's surprise "Lady" never showed. It breaks my heart to see Destiny go through something like that. She had taken the time before the court date to write her mom a letter to express how she still wanted to be a part of her life...and "Lady" didn't even bother showing up. In all honesty, we all knew it would be better for our case if she didn't show, but it kills me to see her heart broken. Josh and I will continue to fight for a healthy relationship between her and her mom to be sustained, but for now, Destiny will have to learn to cope with the decisions that her mom has made.

After the judge knew that "Lady" didn't show to contest the petition, it all went fairly quickly. He asked Destiny's Guardian Ad Litem's suggestive living arrangements, which he said with "The Woods". The judge then made his final decision to sign the order making her 100% ours! The rest of the conversation was about how Destiny was really looking forward to going to college. We should get our copy of the order sometime this week! Needless to say, we left there with grins from ear-to-ear.

Destiny continues to adjust to the idea of permanency. We found out this weekend that no one has had full custody since Destiny was 5. So I'm sure it will take a while for it to all sink that we, nor she, will be going anywhere.

It is nice to be able to schedule trips and to continue to make solid progress without that thought in the back of all of our head's, that she may not be here. No more of that! So truly the joys and challenges of raising a teenager are about to begin.

We had a lovely trip to the beach and were able to meet up with some family and friends. Be sure to check back later on in the week to see all of our pictures and hear about our recent adventures!

Are We Ready For God's plan?

As many of you have seen on Facebook, our Easter was a busy one. I felt like I was in a whirlwind the whole weekend. It was nice to be with family during such a stressful time. It momentarily took our minds off of the craziness that is about to hit our family.

As I am telling people to pray for us and to keep up in good thoughts as we journey through this chapter of our lives, I have heard a specific question being asked a lot. "Are you emotionally prepared if the judge decides to give Destiny back to her mom?" I figured this would be a great platform for our answer.

When Destiny came to us, in the most unusual way. It couldn't have been anything but a "God Thing". We most certainly were not prepared to raise a teenager; however, God made a way for us to not only be the role models that she needed in her life, but he also softened hearts and welded her into our lives. Destiny, is more and more a part of this family as time goes on. Just this past Sunday, I was watching everyone hunt eggs and it just became so very clear that Destiny just fit. I wish I could say that Josh and I have this decision in the bag, but just as soon as we plan, God laughs. I certainly did not plan on having a teenager at the ripe old age of 26, God laughed, and here I am with a 15 year-old that I couldn't possibly image my life without. I pray everyday that we will continue to make an impact on her life that will last longer than the years that she would even need a guardian. So I guess my short answer would be no, I am not prepared to give away a part of my life that I cherish so dearly. However, if it is God's will, then Josh and I can do nothing about it but let God carry out his plan. We have high goals set for Destiny in the future. I hope that no matter the outcome of this court, she will find it in herself to reach those goals.

Josh and I have been busy this week preparing paperwork and lists, but more importantly we are preparing our hearts and minds for the things to come. As mentioned on Facebook and earlier posts, we welcome all prayers and good thoughts that we will be able to take God's plan, no matter what it is,  with our heads held high and with strong hearts.

Needless to say, we are going on a beach vacation right after court. We all can't wait to get down there. This will be Destiny's first trip to the beach, that she can remember, so we are going to "swim, swim, swim, and tan" as she says. I will be in a car with a paw paw driver and a teenager for 6 hours, so keep the prayers coming!

Court Update

Today we finally received a call about Destiny's court date. We were supposed to receive a written notification 2 weeks before, but no they tell us today that our court date is Wednesday. So a wave a nervousness and chaos hit our household. After a few moments of talking with Destiny's Ad Litem, we noticed that Destiny's mom probably had received a notice either. Now we did not want any reason for her to be able to come back and cause this case to linger any longer than it has to. So to make a long story short, we were able to move the court date to April 19th. So that he mom will have enough time to receive the notification and be able to attend the hearing.

April 19th will be the first day of our first family beach vacation. So we will leave the court and leave straight to the beach. Boy oh boy will we need to have a vacation after all of this. Regardless of the decision of the courts we will all need a little break away!!

So over the next 2 weeks we ask that you please add us to your prayer list. This will be a tough journey for all involved. Over the next two week we plan on preparing not only Destiny but ourselves either outcome. We also will be doing everything in our power to have everything we will need in order to show the judge that we are the best fit for Destiny at this time. Please pray that we say the right things, have the right materials, and above all that our family will finally be complete!

We went to Easter service tonight and took this picture...Check back for more Easter pictures on Monday.