Connor's Bedtime Thoughts

Sometimes Connor isn't as tired as he should be at the end of the day, and he just lays in his bed and we talk. Most of the time, he just asks us questions, he always says, "I just want to know everything." For the past two nights he has been terrified of going to heaven. He has said, "I don't want to go to heaven. I want you to go with me. Jesus is going to make me die." Yeah, try to reason that out with a four-year old.

On a lighter note, tonight's question for us was, "When did you buy this house?" Greg said, "Right before you were born and you were still in Mommy's belly." Connor then asked, "How did you carry it home from the store?" We laughed pretty hard and tried to explain that you don't buy everything from a store. You never know what kind of questions you'll get at bed time from a curious little four-year old.

The Adkins Family Goes Green

Back around Christmas, I really started to thinking about the environment. I am far from the "tree hugger" type and my idea of "roughing it" is staying at a hotel not named the Sheraton or the Hilton. I started thinking about it after watching some environmental documentaries, and basically just really pondering what I was teaching Connor and the legacy I was leaving behind for my children. I also was horrified at the health statistics I had been reading about cancer and respiratory problems caused by enviormental factors. Then, I started learning about everything from a religious perspective. I think Christians sometimes have the mindset, "Jesus is coming back, so who cares if we use up the Earth." I have learned that this attitude is just terribly wrong! God has given us stewardship over his creation, and whether or not you think all of these statistics are a lie (if you think this, please do some research), you still need to take care of what God has given you. I've learned that everyone can do something, even if it is something you think is insignificant. I never in a million years thought Greg would jump on board. I must admit, in the beginning, everytime I recycled something he called me a hippie. I would tell him to turn off a light, and he would say, "one light doesn't matter." Even he is making a change! I'm really proud of him!

The Adkins family is a crazy busy family living on a pretty tight little budget, so I will share with you the changes we've made:

1- First and foremost, we have set up a recycling center in our garage. We have gotten some free recycling bins, but I also went to the dollar store and got some cheap trashcans as well. Connor thinks it's a game to figure out where things belong in the recycling center. He also is constantly asking about trash, "Can I recycle that?" We make trips to the recycling center in Powell when our bins get full and he loves throwing all the stuff in the giant dumpsters. If a four year old can do it......

2- We have cut our energy consumption! We haven't had our thermostat on in weeks because it has been beautiful outside. We only have lights on when absolutely necessary. We have unplugged all of those "phantom power" sources such as toasters, can openers, cell phone chargers, etc. We only have something plugged in when it is in use. We have our entertainment center and computer on a powerstrip, and turn the whole thing off when not in use. We have been trying to wash our clothes in cold water, and hang dry when possible. We are also in the process of changing over all of our bulbs to CFL's. It is an investment, but absolutely saves money over the long run! We're doing a few at a time!

3- Water- I cannot part with my long,hot showers. Call me selfish. That is my time every morning. I'll come around eventually! I'm trying to teach Connor to turn off the water when brushing teeth. I'm also trying to remember that you only need the faucet turned on enough that a pencil size flow comes from the faucet. You don't need the water full force when washing hands or brushing teeth.

4- Food- I'm trying to buy as many organic products as our grocery budget can afford. Yes, they can be pricey, but I am willing to cut other areas of our lives to not put chemicals in my family's bodies. Yesterday, I bought a gallon of organic milk on sale at Ingles for only $4.69. I would highly recommend, if you do nothing else, replace your meat, eggs, milk, and produce with organic products. Also, now that Spring is here, we will begin to buy products that are locally grown.

5- Coffee- I am addicted to coffee....very addicted. I have started to only buy "Fair Trade", "Triple Certified" coffee. Starbucks does not brew this kind of coffee unless you ask. Bad for me, good for Greg's wallet as I try to break my Starbucks addiction.

6- Driving- We have have tried to combine our trips, so we're not driving so much. I'm in West Knoxville every Sunday for church, so I try to save my errands out there for Sundays. Greg and I have done a lot better about riding together to places, and enduring each other's errands while we're out instead of running them seperately. It has definitely taken more patience on his part! We will still work on decreasing our driving, but it's hard to take alternative transportation with kids. You will never see me with my child on one of those seats that attach to the back of your bike. So dangerous!

Our future goals- We hope to begin composting eventually. I will also try to increase my purchasing of organic products as I run out of the ones I have. My next goal is to replace all of our cleaning products and toiletries with safer, more natural products. We are also planning to buy a water filter after payday, so I can cut out the bottled water. More than anything, we will just try to buy less and consume less, simplify our lives a little. That means saving more money, which equals more to give away.

So, that's how our family has gone green! Are you up for the challenge?

Connor Quote of the Week

This is the conversation that took place tonight as we were pulling into the garage:

Connor: "I love you, Momma!"
Mommy: "I love you, Connor Andrew Adkins!"
Connor: "No, Momma! Don't call me by all those names....that means I'm in BIG FAT TROUBLE!"

A Year of Change

This weekend will be the one year mark of what I call my "Year of Change." One year ago, I had the closest, most real encounter with God than I ever have in my life. One year ago this weekend is when I felt the calling to adopt, and basically everywhere I turned for an entire week, I was shown God's presence. I have not been the same since. In the past year, my entire relationship with God has changed so much. I don't even know how to describe what I've been through.

A few weeks ago, Mark asked our small group to come with six words that described our life so far. My six words were: "Trying too hard to impress others." My whole life has been wrapped up in myself, the car I drive, the house I live in, and the clothes I wear. I was always trying to impress my teachers, parents, friends, students, and bosses. As a naturally competitive person, most of my adult life has felt empty and filled with discontent, always striving to keep up with "The Joneses." The past year, I have finally found peace and contentment, honestly because I finally feel like I am trying my hardest to live out God's purpose and plan in my life. I am less concerned with myself and what others think, and more concerned with showing people God in my life, and trying to be faithful in doing what I'm called to do. In the past year I have tried so hard to cut out the negativity in my life and everyday conversations. I've prayed for God to bring the right people in and take those who will bring me down out, until I am strong enough be a better example to them. I drive to and from work everyday in silence, spending time in prayer, praying for my family, my day, my actions, and my students. I am learning to take care of God's creation and trying to teach my son the same, not because it's the cool "Hollywood" thing right now, but because it is what He made for us, and we have destroyed so much of it in our selfishness. I am learning that I don't matter, but what I can do with my life does. I am learning how to be a much better wife, even though I am still far from perfect. I still haven't figured out how not to be tired, I'm still working on that!

I think what I have realized more than anything is that I feel like I finally have a purpose that is bigger than the money I make or fitting in, but I know that I will always struggle to overcome the mindset that our culture has imprinted on my mind. I have been overwhelmed with the realization of the temporariness of our time here on Earth and feel such a strong push to use every moment of my life for a bigger purpose. I know God has put me in my job for a reason. Everyday I get to work with underprivileged children, and I feel like I do a really good job of connecting with them, teaching them, and loving them. I know that not everyone was created to be an inner city teacher, so every day I kind of feel special that I was chosen to do this. I am so excited to adopt a little girl who needs a home (maybe a little boy someday too, shhhh....don't tell Greg). I don't understand why I was chosen to do this, sometimes I feel a little unworthy of such a huge calling. Everyday I find some new reason to be terrified, and everyday I hear, "I know what I'm doing, just relax." All these things in the past year I have discovered in humbleness, and my prayer is that people see that it is genuine, and in no way a platform to raise me up higher than themselves.

So much has changed in a year, and I am so excited to see what this next year will bring. I am open to whatever I am called to do, even though that scares me a little. I am hoping to continue to grow and looking forward to see what I can write next year! This year, I have spent a lot of time working on myself, so I am hoping that this next year, I can work on building more meaningful relationships and spending more time with people I love. Mark asked me what my new six words were, and I told him I didn't know yet. The more I've thought about it, the more I hope the six words for the next part of my life are "Always seeking His plan in humbleness."

Now That's Fast!

We got word today that our dossier has arrived in Taiwan. It was A LOT faster than we expected! They are hoping that the orphanage will have it by Monday. When you are so used to waiting forever for everything in adoption world, that kind of turnaround is amazing!

Still..... a lot of waiting to do!

On Our Way to Taiwan!

From: Angela Beemer
Date: April 8, 2008 11:17:19 AM EDT
To: Greg Adkins
Cc: Stephanie Carpenter
Subject: Dossier

Greg and Jessica,

We are pleased to announce that as of today your dossier is on it's way! We are excited and praying for you and your family!!

Thanks,
Angela

Angela Beemer
Administrative Assistant
Shiloh Adoptions

One Year Later

Last April, we made the decision to adopt. At that time, we planned to adopt from China. Today, almost one year later, we have changed our course a little, but we mailed off the last of our documents to our agency. We mailed off the copy of our I-71H, a letter we wrote to Claire's birthmother, a photo album, and of course, a very nice little check to pay for our program fee.

Making the photo album this week is one of the hardest things that I've ever done. I was up so late every night trying to portray our family as accurately as possible. People are so visual, and I knew that if it was me making this painstaking decsion on picking the perfect family for my child, the pictures would be so important to me. I know what a wonderful home we can provide and how much love that we have to give. I know how much we laugh and how much we all love each other. I know that we value happiness, our closeness as a family, and our relationship and faithfulness to God above all else, but how do I show this in pictures? I prayed so much that God would lead me to create an album that would be everything that Claire's birthmother needed to see, so I feel at peace that God will take care of the rest.

So, it's done. It's out of our hands. Our paperwork will be on it's way to Taiwan to begin translation soon. The long, long wait begins. Thank God we have a four-year old, who is so sweet and goofy to keep us entertained through this wait of 18-24 months. He is currently, as I type this, showing me his mad "jumproping skills." They still need some work!