Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Adopted!

I just spent a wondrous weekend...long weekend...with long lost family that I never knew I had or lost before this very weekend.
I have been blessed in this season of my life with friends who are family...friends who love me for me...friends who can hear my secrets and love me still...friends who trust me with their secrets.  I am quite sure that friendships like these are the stuff of God...the Heaven on earth part...

I met Kristen and Rachel (and Chazi) via blogs and Facebook.  We have been writing and reading and sharing with each other for a couple of years or so....sharing our lives.  When we finally got to be in the same physical space on the planet it was so very odd.

I was a nervous wreck, afraid that they wouldn't like me in real life.  The same thing happened when I met my little husband.  We got to know each other via emails before we ever got to 'meet' and I was scared.  In both cases they met me with hugs and we started talking like we had seen each other just yesterday....and we talked the rest of the visit!

We are such kindred spirits...lovers of God, creators of cuteness and completely crazy at times.  It was a coming home experience....coming home to a place I had never been and a family I had never met...adoption!

Hope you guys are OK with that.

You're stuck with me now!

So, that is the story and here are some pictures, even though I was bit out-camera-ed!
From before the beginning....
Skippy Jo thinking he might like to go along.
1st stop on the 1st leg of the trip, with Stevie, to Amy's.
Say what????


I LOVED the look of these pears in Kristen's back yard.
I LOVED the taste of the pears from Rachel's back yard.

And this sweet Tucker of a dog.
On our way to a Renaissance Faire.
Chazi is the costumer!  Hers was AMAZING.
Here you can see part of her belt accouterments.

And here you can see her ears!
And that's sweet Toby, brother to the Tucker.



Kristen lives on the Provo River and these are views from our morning walks....
look at those mountains!
Kristen and her horses: Dustin, Hickory, Zion and Sophie.
I didn't get to ride them, but I did get to love on them.



Saying good-bye to the boys....with lots of Tucker kisses.
A drive up one of the canyons to Sundance.

Sundance, Cloudance, Leafdance....

And the Temple in Salt Lake City, which is really
too big to even try to photograph.
I got to see where the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performs...wow.

The next 2 are my favorite 2 photos of the trip.
Rachel hanging out of the car window taking pictures while 
Kristen is zooming along up the canyon...
with me hanging out right behind Rachel...
but we weren't screaming at this point.


And Kristen on the back of Hickory...
ahh, the love.

I had a magical time...the entire time....every minute. ..with my adopted sisters.
Next year.
Again.



21 comments:

Constance said...

Awesome pix!!!!!!!! Looks like you had a fabulous time - happy for you! :D

W-S Wanderings said...

Okay, BIG TIME visit-envy goin' on here! Visit-envy with a great,big, undignified pout, for good effect.

But mostly I'm just so excited that you guys got to meet in person. What a gift! Y'all must have had *such* a blast. Uh oh, there's that envy again.

And Kristen and Rachel have pears. I didn't know that they have pears. That was one of the secrets, right?

Donna said...

Wabi, we talked about the 3 of us jumping in the car and coming to find you! We really did....what fun, huh? My little point and shoot camera would be SO embarrassed around you 3 BIG guns! But we can deal with that....Wanna do it????

Donna said...

Hey you! Good to hear from you. You would have been clicking away out there. It is beautiful!

K said...

We had a celebration of a time. Nothing like wanted to take a beloved friend to see all the beloved things - to get you up and out of the house and into the Autumn. Rachel and I haven't spent that kind of time together for a long time, so it was amazing - like a three day slumber party without the slumber (add travel time to that). It was a seamless reunion - which is, of course, funny as heck since we'd never been together before. And Rachel's pears are ASIAN ones. I just ate one for desert - with smoked Gouda, of course - my pictures to follow -

Donna said...

It was all of that and I want some Asian pears and gouda! Didn't you love the picture of you on your horsey? I did...a lot. It makes me happy to look at it.
I can't wait to come back....let me know when.
Can't wait to see your pictures!

Rachel said...

Argh! I typed a huge long reply and the Internet went down just as I hit 'publish'!!!!!!!! Oh my stinkin' heck!! :D

To wait so long to finally meet you and then have the weekend go by so fast........

That photo of me cracks me up. I look like I have a comb over flapping in the wind. Funny thing is I have a photo of you in the mirror leaning out your window taking pictures. :D

Such a great weekend........ a year seems like an awfully long time to wait..... plan a date to come again and we'll put you on our calenders!!

MonchyB said...

Hey, I felt the same way, being adoptet, when I met Stevie&Mae and then the same feelings came out when I visited "my family" and some of their friends;)
Hugs!

Donna said...

Welcome to the family!

Donna said...

You know, I keep thinking about it and I think one of the best things was all the talk about God and being faithful and blessings to others....and it was all just natural.
Oh, and I didn't even put anything in about the baskets and bunnies since I didn't have any pictures....so much!!!!
A comb over????? hahahahhahaha. At least my picture won't be looking like a comb over...not long enough for that!

I guess I really just feel like we shared each other...our real selves, our whole selves and it was good. Still glowing. <3

Rachel said...

You hit right on it. There was no holding back. It was natural as you said and when you give of one's self like that, there has to be a feeling of trust that we obviously all felt! What an amazing and neat thing. A breath of fresh air and a gift from God.

Donna said...

And knowing that just makes me miss you more!

Rachel said...

I know. Me too!! You could become a Cougar fan couldn't you? ;)

W-S Wanderings said...

That would be one epic road trip! Imagine the adventures you'd have on the way - days of them.

We don't have gorgeous mountain views here, but we have lots of pretty trails to wander. With or without horses. The 'with' being for Kristen and Rachel, the 'without' for you and I. Enchanting autumn colours too. But no pears, dangit. Oh for crying out loud, now I have pear-envy too!

Sounds like you guys had such a fantastic time. Imagine, meeting IN PERSON! (Wait, should that be so hard to imagine?) Incredible. Just incredible.

Donna said...

I love having the possibility of something so incredible being out there...it could happen! It could. I love that possibility. I do.
And I'm sure Rachel and Kristen will share their pears! They are nice like that. :)
It was even better than I could ever imagine, the meeting IN PERSON! Really.

Donna said...

I like cats.

Rachel said...

We would totally share our pears and Gouda cheese. I'll bring the pears and Kristen can bring the cheese because she's a cheesy gal.

Baa-Me Kniits said...

I love the photos and it looks like you all had the most wondrous time together...You went to the Renaissance Fair!!! I love Kristen's photos every year of that Fair! Like I just said to Rachel, how wonderful to have the shared memories of such a special time together xx

Donna said...

Jenni, it was more special than I have words for. Kristen has not put her post up about the event yet and she will have words ... and pictures....she always says what I want to say way better than me! So, keep checking back on her blog.

Anonymous said...

Love the photos of Rachel and Kristen, and Sundance - Clouddance - Leafdance. It is fun to see my favorite things/people/places through your eyes. I wish I could have met you while you were here. Hope you do come again, and maybe then.

Donna said...

Thanks for coming to read my blog. Hopefully next time I will get to come to church with them and meet lots of their other friends!