happy mail.

today was such a happy mail day! no more hole-y rain boots. (: a must in New Orleans.

anyone heard of Roma Boots? I first heard about them from my friends in Romania. for every pair of boots sold, a new pair is donated to a child in need, sort of like Toms shoes. the neat thing about the boots though, is that the company works with Roma communities like the one we worked with on our trips to Romania. also, a percentage of their sales go towards helping the children break out of their cycle of poverty and despair. love it. the founder was born in Romania in an area much like the one I worked with, so you can imagine how excited I was to hear about this company.

anyway, I'm not trying to sell anything, I just found it all so neat and thought I'd share it with you.  (sounds like they're doing lots of good in Moore, OK right now too!) there's a video on the website that will give a little more insight.. romaboots.com. definitely worth watching. seeing all of the photos takes me back to that hospital. love that place.

thanks goes to Chad's parents for the wonderful birthday gift. his momma loves to spoil me. (;

watch: roma boots.
read: a holy experience.
listen: he is faithful | bryan and katie torwalt.

love..

wednesday without words: more from Brasov.

+ that's all for Romania. thank you, thank you, thank you. and thank you some more.

photos and voting and vacation, oh my.

sooo, I feel like I'm taking way too long to post these Romania photos. does anyone even care about seeing them anymore? ha. I'm sorry.

today Chad and Gideon and I voted. we didn't get stickers. little man was a champ through the whole process; I think he at least deserved a sticker. ah well. a Starbucks visit afterwards made up for it. at least it did for me. ( ;

tomorrow Chad and I head to Florida on our "manditory" family vacation. can't wait to see the Taylor clan! we're going to Disney World with the little ladies for the first time.. should make for a pretty great time. though any time with family is a pretty great time these days.

welp, I must go pack. here's some more photos. love you all.

Oktoberfest in early September.

 

oh hello there, reflection.

...

continuation.

from the hospital "rooftop" place.

one important thing to practice before going to Romania: flexibility. they actually stressed that before I went the first time. anything goes. at any time. without warning. like this big hole blocking us from going to and from the house.

celebrating Brooke's "21st" birthday.

+ more soon.

take time to reminisce.

you know those seasons or events that impact your life unexpectedly? those things that you know are so important to how you will spend the next season. and how you try so hard to remember it all.

so hard. all of those tiny details of such a big, important thing that you never want to forget. and eventually you have to get back to life as it was before- but with a new mindset- and you're trying to figure out how to make that work. it can be overwhelming.

and sometimes you get to a place where the memories so fresh, seem to start to fade a bit. and that can be sad. in my case, I started a new season right after a huge trip across the globe. a new job, for lack of a better word. I now spend my days with a little one year old while his great parents are at work. a sweet boy who is loved so dearly by so many. and so busy he keeps me.

and while you start a whole new, fun, learning experience on its own, you struggle to keep the memories, and all that God taught you before, fresh in your mind. but life has to keep going.

please, don't get me wrong. I am not walking around all sad and sullen all of the time.. wouldn't help at all. I think, probably, if you've been on a trip like that, you kind of get what I mean. this is just where my heart is at right now. because I keep thinking about sweet little Maria and each time, that brings back the memories of the wonderful trip and the beautiful heart ache that comes with it.

so, I am thankful for photographs. thankful for the fact that I can go back and look at them to stir up the smells, tastes, sights. and how it felt to hold those precious, tiny bodies curled up in my arms and resting on my hips. or the little hands that take hold of my shirt as to say, please don't put me down yet. feelings I never want to forget.

so, so sweet. I wanted to sit and talk with them all day.

+ be back soon.

praying..

crazy, the impact a tiny, little human can have on your heart in just a few days and how sad it is to think you probably won't see her again. this one grabbed a piece of me on the way out the door and is still holding on. I fell hard. unexpectedly. I didn't want to pick favorites, you know? they all need so much attention.

it has been a little overwhelming, feeling so much for a girl I hardly knew but felt I could love forever. hope she could feel how much I loved her and how much more her heavenly father loves her. every. single. day.

praying for you, sweet little girl across the world.


if it were up to me, I would have brought her home. no question. can I please just have her?

wednesday without words: romania through the iPhone.