The beauty in the unknown

Friends….Summer break is so close, I can almost taste it. We have 2 weeks to go!!! All of us are getting antsy about summertime. It is starting to finally warm up here, which means pools, sunscreen/bug spray, and marshmallows over warm fires at night… it is so very close.

We have a BIG trip planned in the beginning of June to Colorado to visit some dear friends and family. One that is getting more exciting to us everyday. We were unlucky enough to have a mess with our flights last summer, and we all ended up with enough flying credit to fly to CO and back this summer for free. At the time I wasn’t happy about it, but now I am ecstatic!

We are also in the middle of a bathroom renovation. Every moment of this process makes me love my handy husband even more. I am so thankful for Justin’s skillset, and the fact that we are just crazy enough to do this on our own. I am going to document this as we go.. so stay tuned for picture in the next few weeks… or months.

Also, we just finished our home study update, which allows us to be valid for another year. There are so many things that we are praying for this time around. Some things that are the same, and some things that are very different. We have an opportunity on the horizon that could potentially put our family onto a different path than when we first set out on. I can’t fill you in on the details yet, because frankly we just don’t have enough information. However, please be praying specifically that if this door is to be opened, that God will allow it to open clearly, fully, and quickly.

The Beauty in Not Knowing Whats Next:

Often in life I have plans for my/our life that is etched in my mind to the most finite of detail. In my mind I have a set process to the way things are “supposed” to go. I know that once I do “that” then “this” will happen. Well the beauty in this great world we live in is that sometimes what we were going for doesn’t happen and we end up doing something completely different, but somehow it’s just right.

Justin and I’s marriage/life has been this way from the beginning. I feel like every time we make plans for our life and future, life has a funny way of throwing a curve ball in our directions. However, every curve ball has led to greater things. Even if I didn’t see it at the time. Even if the path was so much harder than I imagined. The end result was  worth the temporary pain.

Although God does have a will for our lives, we have the ability to freely choose what we do with ourselves.  I tell my children this everyday… “You can be ANYTHING you want to be. The options are endless.” Even though I look at their beautiful faces, and see how I want them to live and grow up, as they get older they have to freely choose a path for themselves. I think that is how God must think of us. God speaks in the Bible that he knows the plans he has for us in Jeremiah 29:11. He sees the path before us as we walk along it. He sees the choices that we make.

                                                                                                                                                                So, the questions I ask myself  “Is there beauty in not knowing the future? Is there beauty in not knowing how the plans turn out?” Everyday life is made up of a series of choices that I make which bring me to a certain place where an unknown something can intervene for the better or worse. I never know what is next, although all the time sometimes I wish I did!

I am learning this on a daily basis. Finding the beauty in our unknown….

Our unknown adoption timeline

Our unknown past health scares

Our unknown job situation over the years

Our unknown moves across the country and then 1/2 way back

Our unknown results from the daily choices that we make

I have to tell myself frequently to not worry about the unknown. I have to just know God has control. I still have to make choices. I still have to work hard. However, if I operate in faith, walk in the spirit, trust the process….then somehow I end up at the end of every unknown being thankful for all the steps that got me to that very moment.

I hope you learn to love the unknown… I know I am!

 

Seasons…

I am so excited to say hello to spring. Although, today is a balmy 54F and windy. 😦  I can’t wait for all the trees to bloom, green grass to spring up, and the warm, warm sun to shine. This winter was cold and long. We are literally counting down the days until Spring Break. We are all looking forward to a couple days at the beach in Florida. This Florida girl can only take so much cold weather.

The kiddos are doing good, overall. Ethan has had a strong 3rd grade year. He is blessed to have one of the kindest, loving, and most gracious teachers. She has challenged him and pushed him. It is the best having him right across the hall from me. This rough and tough boy broke his finger a few weeks ago. We are all now taking bets on his next injury! Will it be the head again, or finger, maybe a foot injury? There is absolutely no telling with him.

Weston has had his fair share of ups and downs lately. He is in full preteen mode, which isn’t always the easiest thing to navigate. With his residual post-Lyme issues from time to time, it just seems to complicate the matter. Justin and I have been reading a lot of different articles and books on the subject lately. It has also been comforting to know from friends and family that we aren’t the only ones walking this current path. He is such a sweet boy, and he really has a good heart. He, like so many boys his age, struggle with friendships, emotions, trying to fit in. At the same time, he has some of the very best of friends, has a great sense of humor, and loves his sister so much (currently more than his brother :), and he still loves to hang out with his parents (what the what?). So we press on through this season. We are lucky that he wants to talk with us about anything and everything.  It is a season that is not for the weary, yet I wouldn’t change a single thing about it. There is so much good in this season.

And friends, these two boys can look at me with one smile and still completely melt my heart! Being a mom to Emma and these two boys is the best job in the world.

snuggles

Starfish find

Carlos Bakery

Our only snow day

 

Emma is doing fantastic. She has shined through middle school. I am so proud of the young lady that she is becoming. We are well into high school planning mode. She has made her high school schedule, has cheer tryouts next week, and she is already an inch taller than me.

I remember when she was only a few months old, and I saw a dad with his 3 year old daughter on his shoulders walking into Blockbuster Video (I am dating all of us now). I kept thinking that one day she will be big enough to be on her daddy’s shoulders. Those days are long gone, and now here we are, well past toddler years and soon to be entering high school.

 

Young mama’s, don’t blink. Really just treasure all these seasons. They are so very special and go by so fast!

 

I wanted to also give a quick update on our adoption. I have had a few people ask us, and the kids in the past month. We are well into the waiting game. We are currently in the middle of updating our home study. This process has to be done on a yearly basis. So… we are checking those boxes once again. We will be completing this over the next few weeks. My dear friend Kelly sent me this article yesterday, and it spoke right to this season and my heart. I know God has a very special little girl for our family. No, we don’t have a time table to her arrival, but that is OK! It seems like the waiting is so long! However, our trust in God and his perfect timing is what gets us through these long days. In the meantime, Justin and I are updating paper work, working on grants, still building our adoption fund at youcaring and adopttogether, kicking around the idea of creating a t-shirt, and praying/trusting in His timing.

Has it been easy? Absolutely Not!                                                                                               Worth it? A million times, Yes!

We have also decided to take a break from our etsy shop. We are keeping our Facebook/Instagram open and are working on orders on a case by case basis. The table company has really just taken too much of our time away from our family. Justin is amazing at building, but we also have full time jobs and 3 great kids who need us. Please don’t ever feel like you can’t reach out to us with something you would like to have built. Just know that it might take a little longer. We love you all and love that we get to still be a small part of your family in this way.

If you ever have questions about adoption, please ask away. We aren’t experts by any means, but we have been in this process long enough now that we do a decent job at navigating it. Our prayer has become that through our process, maybe it will spur on the thought of adoption into some of your lives. Please let us know 🙂

 

 

 

 

In The Waiting…An Adoption Update

Hi friends! We have had a lot of questions lately about where we are in our adoption process. We have been so busy in the season of life that I haven’t given y’all an update in a while. So, here we are…. in the waiting. It’s an interesting place to be in for sure. We have checked those boxes, as my dear friend Amanda would say. By the way, if you don’t know Amanda, you should definitely get to know this sweet friend of mine. She walked into my life at the most divine time last year. She has prayed for me, supported me, and listened to me as we worked through the ups and downs of this adoption process. You can follow her newest amazing adoption journey here.

As I was saying…checked those boxes.  We started this journey a few years ago. It began with a lot of prayers as we were searching for the right country to adopt from. That in itself took some time because we thought God was calling us overseas to adopt. However, we changed course, and came back stateside in our journey. Then we worked our way through the home study, which you can never fully appreciate the work that it requires until you actually go through one. We learned a lot about ourselves. We un-buried a lot of our past, and came to a lot of realizations about what we wanted for our family through that process. It took longer than we thought it was going to take, but I am so thankful for those months.

Now, we are in the waiting to be matched phase. We are live with our agency, and our book is being shown to potential birth parents. You can see our profile here. We are fiercely praying for our sweet baby, and her parents as they make this decision. This part of adoption is the scariest and the hardest for me. There are so many unknowns, and if you know me I am a planner and I keep a tight schedule for our family. None of this can be planned or scheduled. I know that God is using this time to refine me in so many ways. I can feel his presence over our family. I hear him say “Trust Me!” every time I find myself feeling stressed or frazzled.

In this process, I am nesting as well. Who would have thought?!?! It is amazing how a female body goes into this so naturally. I am finding myself cleaning, moving furniture, painting, and preparing. I have been collecting baby items (Shout out to Jessica and Kris), and making a list of things that we still need. It is also amazing that by the 4th baby, you just need a lot less.

We are (not so) patiently waiting for the phone call that will set the Halleck6 into full motion.

We wanted to update you on where we stand financially. We have 3 big announcements!!

1. WE MADE OUR PUZZLE GOAL!!!! Thank you to all of our friends and family for helping us.We can’t wait to hang this in her room.
2. We received a grant from Chosen for Life in the amount of $3,100.
3. Our side hustle( aka table company), Autumn Awakening, is helping us reach our goal. Keep spreading the word!

Here is where we currently stand:

homestudy: 1,200   √

application fee: 250   √

Social Service Fee: 2,500 (mailing out August 1st) √

adoption fee upon placement : 13,500… Still needed ~ $10,000

attorney and 3 post visits: approx. 2,550 √

Total: approx. $20,000 (not including travel)

I have a few more grants in process/finalizing the end of this month. We are hoping to receive a couple more to help us lower the final number needed. If you want to share our AdoptTogether fund (tax deductible) or YouCaring fund, you can do this by clicking on the links and it will take you straight to our page.

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Life…

Life has been fun and our schedule has been full. I think the beginning of school has been challenging for all of us this year, but we made it through the first 9 weeks with our head above water, so that is a win. Weston is playing tackle football, Emma is cheering for the middle school sideline team, and the high school competition team. Ethan has been a trooper and cheered them both on at every game and competition. He gets the award for being the best brother for sure. Justin and I have built 2 tables, 1 desk, and a plank wall through Autumn Awakening the last couple months. He is still loving his new job! It has been fun to see him in this new environment. I have a sweet class this year, that can also be challenging at times. I have to say, the best part of my day is that I get to start every morning with my co-teacher, Karin. She has become a dear friend over the past few months. I am also trying to make purposeful ‘friend dates’ with some girlfriends. Life is too short to not make time for your girlfriends! With all of this, I am also trying to slow down my life in preparation for this new baby about to enter our family. This is probably the hardest part.

We love you all, and are so thankful for you. I have been reading through Psalms 62 this past month. I have been praying over these words:

1. Truly my soul finds rest in God;

my salvation comes from him.

2. Truly he is my rock and my salvation;

he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

In the waiting… my soul finds rest!

Keri

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cost of adoption is far more than a number.

I hear these questions all the time. “How much is adoption?” or “Wow, I could never do that?” or “Why would you spend that much money?”. Most of the time I smile and nod and try to answer those question to the best of my ability. However, in the reality of it all, adoption is expensive. Adoption is so very hard. Adoption is vulnerable. Adoption is….

Adoption is also so much more than a number on a the financial report. Adoption is a life. Adoption is giving so much more of ourselves than we could have imagined. Adoption is heart wrenching and heartwarming all at the same time.

I can’t tell you how many times I have cried just thinking of our future little girl and her mother. The sacrifice that her mother is giving for her daughter to have a different life. It is so very hard for me to comprehend the selfless decisions that she is making.

It is also hard to think that very soon we will be in a hospital holding our little girl for the first time.

As we wait for our match, will you please pray for us. We are working diligently on our table company. We are staying pretty busy with it, but can always use more business. We are also trying to close up our adoption puzzle fundraiser. We have an additional 350/500 pieces to finish it out. You can join us on that journey here.  We are also waiting for grants to come through (fingers crossed).

For those of you who are numbers people…

homestudy: 1,200   √

application fee: 250   √

Social Service Fee: 2,500 (mailing out August 1st) √

adoption fee upon placement : 13,500

attorney and 3 post visits: approx. 2,550

Total: approx. $20,000 (not including travel)

So, to answer all those questions 🙂 Yes, this is a lot of money. Yes, this makes my insides cringe and my palms sweat. However, I know that we are on our way, and we have come so far. To be honest, our total is far less than a lot of people pay for adoption. We are so blessed to have incredible people at an incredible agency walking along side us on this journey. We are so very excited to one day hold a newborn baby girl, look her into the eyes, and say welcome home, you have been loved by so many people for such a long time. It is all worth it. Every single bold step.

 

 

 

 

Life and Adoption Update!

 

You can read about our current family 5 or skip down if you want to go straight to the adoption update…. No Judgement Here!

Well, it has been a while since I have signed on. Our life has been full of mostly ups and some downs this past year.

I can start by saying that Justin accepted a new position at Athens Church. He is now the Upstreet Director, and he is so excited about it. It has been an adjustment for sure. He does love all of the great people that he gets to work with everyday. And, the best part is that his old teammates are just around the corner from him. This will definitely be a season of change for him.

Keri (me) 🙂  I am doing good. I am teaching 3rd grade again this next year. I love my team and am thankful to work alongside such wonderful people. This summer is full of many projects that need to be completed. I love having a checklist, so this is right up my ally. Painting, furniture building, a little bit of work, and most definitely traveling.

The kids- they are all doing well, for the most part.

Emma will be starting 8th grade this year. My sweet baby girl. She is doing fantastic in school, made the middle school cheer squad and high school competition cheer squad. I can tell you that cheer is an expensive sport. HOLY COW! However, she loves it and is working hard to raise 1/2 of her own funds through her Etsy shop… shameless plug 🙂 She is sweet & sassy. She still gets up early every Sunday morning so that she can be with her “kids” at church in the 1st grade group that she helps lead. Her heart is so pure.

Weston keeps impressing us with the way that his brain works. He is so creative and innovative. He still has the absolute best smile. This year was a challenge for him. The start of 4th grade was rough- more home than at school. In January, he was diagnosed with Lyme disease. I will go into more of that later, but lets just say it was the trial of trials. Overall, he had a good year. He finished the year winning 1st and 3rd at district in Science Olympiad, and his team made it all the way to State. He was so proud of himself. It was great to see the light in his eyes again. He is starting tackle football this fall. I am terrified. He is over the moon excited. I told him that he would have to wait until he was 10 to start playing. He has been waiting (not so) patiently since he was 6.

Ethan is finally moving up to the big school this next year. He is still the biggest ball of sunshine I have ever seen in a child. He is so full of fun and adventure. He loved everything about 2nd grade. I didn’t think it was possible for a child to love school as much as he did in 1st grade, but he was once again blessed by another fantastic teacher. Y’all, she inspires me to become a better teacher. She is loving, kind, and she really challenged all of her students every step of the way in 2nd grade. Ethan was in class with his very best friend for the 3rd year in a row. Fingers crossed it continues through 3rd grade.

Our family took a crazy vacation to Hawaii. We have been saving and with the help of our friends (their condo) we were able to go. Justin was asked to officiate our dear friends vowel renewal. How can you say no to that? It was the most breathtaking place I have ever been to. There were so many new adventures that we had, and memories that we will truly hold for a lifetime. We are already planning our next trip… 2020! Stay tuned.

 

 Lyme: the dirty little bacteria

That dirty little bacteria invaded our family again. It was such hard news to take with Weston, but at the same time a relief. We were literally battling it out everyday this past fall with him. His personality was changing. He was struggling to complete

the simplest of task. He was completely anxiety ridden. He wouldn’t let anyone hug him or want anyone to touch him. He would shrivel up if you got too close to him. It was a trying time for all of us. We were watching our son fall apart at home, and wondering what in the world was happening to him. We even put our adoption on temporary hold, because we didn’t think it was possible to complete it and focus on another child when our son was falling apart. But, thank God for our doctor in Atlanta. We took Weston in January and he was diagnosed with Lyme, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Lyme Virus. It has been a long few months, but we are seeing so much improvement in him. Even better is that he sees the difference and feels better everyday. He searches out for affection again. (insert ugly cry here) Our son is coming back, and it is oh so good. He isn’t out of the woods yet, but he is well on the road to recovery. I really need to write a book about Lyme and how it has affected our family. That’s for another day and another time. But, for now, look at that smile. He is back y’all, and it feels so good.

 

Adoption:

It has been a while since our last update. But…We ARE HOMESTUDY APPROVED. We were holding out sharing this because we wanted to make sure we were good with Weston and other aspects of life that hit hard in late September through the spring. And boy are we good now. God has been so good to us and has walked with us along every decision and step we have made. We have our wonderful agency in Florida that we are working with for a newborn little girl. We are so ready for her to be part of our family. We also still need about $15,000 dollars in the next 3 months. This number is so big and scary. But we know it is completely possible.

How are we are working on that number…

In the process of coming up with $20,000 for our total adoption we hit several different areas hard.

We started a furniture company, AutumnAwakening, with all of our profits going towards our adoption. Our goal is to build and sell at least 10 tables. This has been a great start for us. If you need a beautiful farm table, desk, barn doors, or special project please let us know. We are so proud of our work, and it is amazing seeing Justin shine in this new venture.

 

 

We have had several people ask us if there is a way they can give that is tax deductible. The answer is YES, there is. With the help of Adopt Together, you can donate to our adoption and have it be tax deductible. There is a link below at number 4.

 

We still have our puzzle going as well. We have a beautiful puzzle that we are adding names to the back of each individual piece or group of

pieces. Each puzzle piece is $10 and this will be framed in her room. This way, our friends and family can always be a part of her homecoming. We have 150/500 pieces that have already been funded. There are still 350 pieces available for $10 a piece. You can be part of this! You can go through our new Adoption Site that is tax deductible @ Adopt together

 

Here is a breakdown of how we are working at completing our funding. Justin and I are very open in our adoption, the cost, and the ways we are trying to achieve those goals. If you have any questions, please ask.

Financing our Adoption Goals:

1. Puzzle- total $5,000 (150/350 pieces completed)
2. Table goals (at least 10 tables) – total $5,000 (3/10 tables sold)
3. Our own personal funds- at least $4,000
4. Tax Deductible giving @ Adopt together
5. Grants- $6,000 +

~Applying for (and hoping for even a fraction of the amount):

• Chosen for Life
• JSC foundation
• Show Hope
• Lifesong (matching)
• Boatner Family Foundation

Please consider coming alongside us with our puzzle, sharing our table company with your friends and family, and praying for our newest arrival. It’s going to be a wild ride to Halleck6 in 2017.

September already…

This summer is quickly making its exit, and I couldn’t be more excited for fall. I have to say that we LOVE LOVE LOVE the fall around here. There is something about cooler temperature, the wind blowing, leaves changing and literally pumpkin everything that makes my heart smile. Although this Georgia summer is holding on strong, I am bent with anticipation of taking out my boots and putting away my flip-flops very soon.

Our little family of 5 is going full speed right now. We are jumping around every night to something different. I love it and hate it all at the same. It’s like a bad relationship I love when we are there in the moments seeing our babies shine and then by the weekend I am hating every single mention of practice or games. So.. for now I am raising my head high and choosing to love every..single..minute of every..single..game… on every…single…night.

Tonight, I took a little break from the busy. Remember when I mentioned that I have the greatest co-leader in the world for my college group? Tonight, Louie Gigglio was speaking at the IgniteUGA event here in Athens. We had lined up to meet our college girls there and go. As I was leaving, Ethan comes running into the room with Harry Potter and with his big green eyes asked if we could read just 1 chapter before I left. Y’all that was it. I called Katie, backed out of tonight (she soooo graciously stepped in full-time), and I curled up on the couch and we read. Tonight, Ethan won!!! He needed to win tonight. He needed his mommy and I was more than happy to stay with him. (girls- don’t take that the wrong way, I did miss you terribly).

The verse that has stood out to me this past week is :

Isn’t this the greatest reminder of who He is. I love that Isaiah is telling us (me) to put our (my) trust in God fully. He is telling me to not be afraid. I don’t think Isaiah can be any clearer that this right here. My trust needs to be fully grounded in Him!!! Hold onto that this week. Put your trust in him… the big and the small.

 

Adoption Update:

We are nearly finished with all of our paperwork and I can’t hardly believe it. The county should be coming out to inspect our septic (?) to make sure it works in the next couple days… ummm it does work, but who I am to tell them. Then, we send in the final paperwork. That’s it! It just blows my mind. All this work is finally coming to a close… only to bring about a new different kind of work 🙂

We are also at a place where we need your prayers:

1. That our paperwork is approved and we are given the green light asap
2. For this baby girl and her family.
3. For the Halleck5 as we work to become the Halleck6
4. For our financial goals

Once this final paperwork is submitted, we are in real need of hitting our financial goal soon. We don’t have the time line of when this beautiful little baby girl will be making her arrival, but we do know that we need to be prepared for her at any given time. Our puzzle is starting to take shape. There are still so many pieces to sponsor. Check out our YouCaring site for more info and share it. We would love your support 🙂

https://www.youcaring.com/the-halleck-family-608596

God has been so good to us. He has led us down this path and has held our hand every step of the way. We are confident that he has this part too. Thank you for loving our family so well. You are part of her story too!

Until next time~

One piece at a time…

We are back into the hustle and  bustle of school and fall sports. School is in full swing and the kids are all involved in their separate activities: Emma- cheer, Weston- baseball/catcher, Ethan- football. I just picked up a new college group of freshman girls- who btw seem amazing. I am so lucky to have a great co-leader, Katie. I am so excited she is on this journey with me. She brings such a calm demeanor to my crazy. Justin is coaching Ethan’s team with his good friend Stephen. They are having a blast. It really is fun seeing the two of them in action. Justin also just returned from 6th grade Bootcamp and he and the AC student team are in the middle of planning for fall VR. So.. basically I am saying the Halleck5 are B.U.S.Y.!!!  But, we are loving every minute of it. It’s one of those seasons in life that is flying by quicker than we can blink. I literally had to catch my breathe after reading  back through all of that.

*Also, this is not to say that it has been easy… we are multitasking with 5 schedules and there are days when 1, or all 3 kids, or both parents have had complete breakdowns trying to keep up..haha!- I laugh to say sane. Seriously though- look how cute they all are!

 

For those of you who know me, know that I tend to be a control freak. However, married to such a hottie, a full time job, 3 kids, 2 dogs, a cat and a bunny tend to loosen any one person up. I have gotten better- time has been good to me in that respect. However, this adoption process has brought back a lot of those feelings and tendencies. God has been laying on my heart lately to completely put my trust in him.  Every prayer, every moment I feel overwhelmed…  I hear him softly whisper  “Trust me, I have this!” It’s such a wonderful feeling to let go of my stress and my worries to him. Who better to have my back than my heavenly Father who loves me so much.

Speaking of adoption…A lot of people have been asking about our adoption and where we are at. Here is the update:

We are a good portion through out home study paperwork. We should be completed with the bulk of it this week as well as our fingerprinting. Then, we are almost done! I can’t even believe we have made it so far. WooHoo! I am not kidding when I say that a homestudy is like a 2nd job- especially with 2 agencies with different paperwork. So worth it, but..so…many…boxes…to…check! Our hopes is to have it completed by the 2nd week of September!!! Also, our favorite saying right now is “Check That BOX!” However,  you have to do it and imagine that the Price Is Right music is playing behind you! Try it… go on.. Feels good, Right? #somanyboxestocheck

We started a puzzle fundraiser last month and it has been such a blessing to our family. We have seen God already work through our family and friends in ways we would have never expected. We have raised about $500. This is a large amount of money and we are so thankful. Each piece is so special to us.  We still have plenty of pieces if you would like to contribute. Here is the link to our YouCaring Site:

https://www.youcaring.com/the-halleck-family-608596

                              

Thanks for loving our family so much. We can’t wait for all the wonderful surprises this next year is going to bring us.

~With Love

 

 

 

The Adoption Puzzle is Here!

Adoption, Marriage

July 24,2016

 

We are publicly kick-starting our plans to adopt and giving you one of the two ways in which you can help our family grow. The other way will be coming to you in the next post 🙂

The Puzzle Fundraiser!!!

Y’all know that adoption is not cheap. Justin and I are intentional stewards of the money that God gives us manage but no…we don’t have $25,000 laying in the bank for adoption. With time we could save that amount on our own, but through praying about this for the past several months, we feel a strong call to invite others to help us financially in bringing our baby home. In our self-sufficient society, we hear God asking us specifically to make ourselves vulnerable in this way!

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…” James 1:27

If there is one glowing theme that has been showing up in our prayer, it’s that God is writing a story here and we are simply along for the ride and need to hold on tight. Sometimes I feel like we hold on a lot!!! This adoption is not just a means of growing our family. It can be a way to bring our friends and family together to answer God’s call to care for a child in need of parents.  For many, perhaps even yourself, this will be the only chance to care for a child in this situation in an up close and personal way and we invite you to come alongside us in this journey.

Here’s how it works:

• We have designed  a beautiful 500 piece puzzle- See above
• Each piece can be purchased for a $30 donation or more
• You can buy one or many puzzle pieces
• Your name and personalized message (optional) will be written on the pieces you purchase scaled to size

After the puzzle is completed, we will frame the puzzle between two pieces of glass and hang it in our daughter’s room. This will be a wonderful keepsake to see all the people who loved Baby Halleck, even before she was ever born!

How to Donate:

• Click on the Donate button and pay securely through YouCaring.com
• Write a check or donate cash and hand deliver to Justin and/or Keri Halleck
• Mail a check to us (email us at kjhalleck@gmail.com for our address)
• We are currently working on a way where your donation can be tax exempt. If you would like to know about this, please email us at kjhalleck@gmail.com.

Let us know if you have any questions!

We are very excited to begin this portion of the journey as we work through our home study  with our agency! This step is helping us to understand that adoption is going to be real some day…hopefully sooner than later!

 

 

Rise Up

I’m going to be honest. I am in LOVE with Andra Day and her song Rise Up. If you haven’t heard it… (what’s wrong with me… of course you have heard it).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwgr_IMeEgA

Listen to it and be motivated to conquer anything that life throws at you today. I feel like this has been my mantra the last week/month/years. This health journey the last few years has been full of its ups and downs. Sometimes more downs then ups… until recently. I am feeling like a new person. I have energy again, my brain fog is starting to decrease, and I can actually finish tasks that I haven’t been able to complete for a long time. I recently joined 9round kickboxing gym (which I haven’t been able to actively work out for some time- my heart couldn’t handle it until recently). Let me tell you I love it. I am on the path to healthiness!!! I still have bad days mixed in, but those days are spread out thin by all the good days in between. Little by little I feel like I am stealing my life back from Lyme Disease. I am so thankful for Dr. Anderson and Longevity Health Center. I don’t know where I would be without him. Life > Lyme

This summer has been very intentional for me. I have been intentional on not doing anything. For the first summer in forever I have intentionally not been in school, taken classes, worked on anything work related (for the most part). I have allowed myself 2 months of rest.  My body needed the rest. My children needed me to be “with them” and my husband needed me to be.. just be. And friends it has been so so so very good. I have read, relaxed, and enjoyed my life. I have been able to make plans for our family and our future. We have been to the pool, eaten Zombie donuts (ummm.. they are amazing), spent time in Florida, gone to the beach with my family, spent time camping with friends, gone to theme parks and slept (a lot). It has been so needed.

*Adoption Update*

We also spent a lot of time (aka paperwork) on our adoption. With 2 agencies… trust me it adds up.  Justin and I went around and around about when to start our home study. We are looking to buy a house before the year is over (we have taken the last couple years to slowly pay off debt… not super fun but totally worth it). We finally decided to go ahead and start our home study and if we need to have an update completed with a move- then we will have to do it and just eat the cost of it. At least we can get a head start on being added to the list…. Oh the list!!!! Here is how this is looking for us. We are hoping to be finished with our home study in September/beginning of October. Then we go on a list. Our portfolio will be presented to birth parents in Florida. We could be on the list for a few weeks to a few years. We just don’t know. This is the hardest part for me. I am such a planner.. and there is no plan to when this will happen. But, God does. God knows this child. He knows the timing of when she will come to our family. In the meantime we pray for her. We pray for her parents through all the scary moments that are ahead of them. We pray for our children as they anxiously await for her, and we pray for us as we prepare to be parents to a baby again. Will you pray for us too?

We are working on adoption fundraising to begin soon. Adoptions are expensive. We are looking around $20,000 (and this is on the least expensive end)! Did your jaw just drop? I know, trust me my jaw hit the floor!  We are going to be working on grants like it’s a second job when our home study is complete. Emma has a really great etsy shop being set up where we are making and selling jewelry. One being a stamp necklace (HOPE- pictured below) where all proceeds go to to the adoption. I will attach the link in an updated blog in the next week. Her heart is so big! We are also doing a puzzle for baby girl Halleck’s room… more info coming soon on that. The least of my worries has been this side, the financial,  of the adoption. Isn’t that crazy? I know that God has this.

That is what is happening in the land of the Hallecks (check out some of our favorite pictures from this summer- obviously we take ourselves pretty seriously). I hope you have had time to rest and reflect on how good life is, and more importantly how great our Heavenly Father is.

~With Love

 

 

The start of something new…

Autumn has quickly become one of our very favorite seasons. There is something so peaceful and beautiful about the leaves changing, football starting and the air turning brisk in the evenings.  We have had so many beautiful things happen in our life in the fall- marriage and babies being the number 1!

But, as much as we love all those things, fall also brings a sense of death. Let’s be honest, trees are only changing because the leaves are dying, everything eventually turns brown and the cold winter months are on the horizon. That has mimicked our lives as well. As many wonderful things that have happened in the fall, just as many heart wrenching things have happened as well… loss of jobs, moving away from our Florida ‘home’ and health issues.

It really is amazing to me how different both perspectives are on this same time of year. I have been reading a passage of scripture in Isaiah 43:19 the last few days, “Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new.  It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?”, and oh my how it has been speaking to my heart. God uses all of these experiences to mold us into the person that we are supposed to be. It is truly is amazing.

There are so many “brand-new” things on the horizon for the Halleck family. I feel like we have been in one of the fall seasons (the last few years to be honest) where parts of us are dying and the wind has been carrying us to and fro. BUT… God is bringing new life to our family in more ways than one, and this season is changing over to something beautiful and peaceful.

Let’s start with me (because this is my blog 🙂

Today I finally received the best and worst news I have heard in the last 5 years…  I was told today that I have Lyme disease (more specific Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever). This is something that I have had for about 8 years- we think. It was such a relief, because I have been battling so many health issues over the past 8 years. Each time it has been misdiagnosed and more/different medicine has been given to me with out any long term change. It also is in direct relation to all of my medical issues that I battled last year. I am considered in the chronic stage, which means that my recovery has to be aggressive and will last through the next 6 months. I am praying that I will have complete healing and I truly believe that I will. God has put a wonderful alternative medicine facility in my path that I will be under the care of this year. There was a brief moment of anger today when I thought.. “Everything last year could have been avoided if someone would have tested me from the beginning! I have had all the symptoms from the beginning!”

However, I know that I am in the best hands for healing now, and my hopes is that I can help someone else in the future. My favorite quote from Dr. Anderson today was “Keri, I am so sorry that you have been so ill! But, this year is your year and we are going to help you get well again!” I could have leaped across the table and kissed the man. I didn’t! Justin was there.. it would have been awkward for all of us I am sure.

Anyway, now I am going to be taking a regiment of 10 medicines/vitamins every day (thank you Jesus for alarms), and I have to completely take soy, gluten, and dairy out of my diet (insert ugly cry here). But.. having my life back is so worth it. Here’s to a new me (or the old me back again). Eek!!!

Now onto what our children would say is the most important… WE ARE ADOPTING!!! Justin and I have been praying for a time such as this for YEARS. We have looked at so many agencies and different programs over the last few months. We have been initially accepted into an agency in Florida, and we just found another agency here in Georgia to complete our homestudy. We are at the very beginning stages of this process and I am sure we are going to be hitting bumps along the way (like most adoptions do). Please pray for our family through this, and pray for this new baby girl that will be (hopefully) joining our family in the next year or so.

Until next time…