A Day in the Lives of the Urbans

I had to laugh at the number of responses I got on that last blog post. Amazing how the blog lurkers will come out of the woodwork when you threaten to shut your blog down!! Actually I never intended to stop blogging. I love blogging! Someone asked what my true motives were for shutting down this blog. It's not that my husband was mad at me for spending so much time blogging and not cooking or cleaning (or packing or homeschooling). I wasn't trying to pull a publicity stunt to see how many comments I could get, (although I see that might work for those seeking to increase their comments-HA), I wasn't having a pity party.

We talk about being real in blogs. Here is me being real.

I have been trying to find a balance between being myself, sharing my heart, my family and my testimony.....and being safe, wise and protective. I am not a paranoid person. I probably should worry more, to be honest. Sometimes I wonder if I share too much. I have heard of people making their blogs private, blurring out faces, using code names for their family members. I have never had a desire to do any of those things. So in an effort to give the blog a little more secure feeling, I thought I would either go private, or switch blogs, delete the old one, and send out "invites" by email so I would at least have a name an email of who was following along. Make sense?

SO...when I got so many responses to my last post, the first thought I had was....OH MY GOSH, all those people know how much I weigh?! And my second thought was...AND they saw the contents of my car??

I have to tell you that your comments and emails I received were so touching! I was moved to realize some of the blog connections that I had never seen before, such as people meeting other people through this blog, several people had "met" us through the wonderful family we met in the Chicago airport, and are still following 7 months later! I was thrilled to hear from the librarian who has ordered books on international adoption after seeing the need, and that she has referred several adoptive families here as well. There was a nanny who reads it with the kids she cares for, and of course friends, family members and Reece's Rainbow families, lurkers who came out of nowhere. :) By the way, I love hearing from lurkers!

But it was this comment from Kristina, who said she has never commented before, that got me quite choked up and made me decide not to go private: "Lives and destinies have been changed or born because of Ava and your story, and I thank you for the chance to continue being a "silent observer" into the miracle that is Ava Urban."

If indeed lives and destinies are being changed through Ava's testimony, why would I stop that based on someone else's fear? We ask the Lord for opportunities to be His witness and His hands and feet. I look for those opportunities at the grocery store, at the soccer field, in the neighborhood, through the kids' friends. I hadn't thought that these opportunities happen in blogs too.

So thank you all for reminding me of this. I am not depressed, fishing for compliments, or over stressed. I haven't run out of time or stories (although my blog posts may become few and far between as we are getting settled in and homeschooling). I know the Lord is my protector and the protector of my family. I put my trust in Him.

We close on the house tomorrow, move on Thursday/Friday, get settled in over Labor Day weekend. The house is an absolute wreck right now, with cardboard boxes and dustbunnies everywhere (Have I mentioned how much I dislike cardboard? Particularly writing on cardboard with a sharpie marker...makes my skin crawl). My poor kids have no toys so they have been using my curtain rods for sword fights and wearing lampshades on their heads to play dress up. (Too bad I can't find the camera for all the tools on the countertops). I'm sure excited to be on 10 acres where kids can run and play outside and I don't have to worry about arrows going through windows or soccer balls breaking neighbor's fences. I'll be posting pictures soon!