All in a Year's Time

Wow, it has really been a year since we last blogged! Sad.  Well, let's get caught up and we will do our best to keep you more updated.  

This is the last year for us in a nut shell:

- Brittany lost her job in the beginning of May

- The next day we found out that our landlords sold our place and we had to be out within 3 weeks

- We almost bought a house at that time but then we felt like the Lord had something else planned for us

- We put most of our belongings in a storage unit and moved into the basement of our friend's house (we couldn't be more grateful for their kindness and hospitality)

- What we thought would be two weeks of basement living actually turned into about 2 months and we ended up staying in several different peoples' homes.  Yep, we were squatters. 

- Justin searched all summer long for jobs anywhere and everywhere.  

- Eventually Justin received an offer for a position at Air Methods in Denver, and we accepted the offer

- We moved to Aurora in the middle of August and lived in Brittany's parent's basement

- Brittany got a job working in an orthodontic office with her mom

- We found a great deal on a little two bedroom apartment and moved in the beginning of October

- We found out that we are very fortunate to have infertility coverage through our health insurance plan

- One of the best Infertility clinics is here in Denver and is only 15 minutes away from our house

- We had our consultation in October and started all of the preliminary testing to find and verify any of the problems we were having - hypothyroidism, PCOS, and extremely low progesterone

- Brittany got pneumonia at Thanksgiving - booooo

- Christmas in Colorado was wonderful - all of the Ruckers were here!

- They found some undefinable dark areas in a couple of the x-rays and scans during Brittany's testing

- Brittany had to have surgery in February to diagnose those dark areas which ended up being A LOT of scar tissue that was pulling her ovaries out of position - they removed the scar tissue and everything is all put back where it belongs :)

- After the surgery healing was all done they found a GIANT cyst on Brittany's right ovary - that postponed the IUI treatment we thought we were going to get to start - that was a really rough day

- Three weeks later the cyst was still there but had gone down from 55mm to 18mm - still can't do the IUI - lame sauce

- Today we went back for another cyst check - still there - BUT, it is now down to 11mm and is small enough that they will allow us to try an IUI treatment!

It has been a really long roller coaster of a year for us.  We have certainly been blessed and strengthened though.  We know that Heavenly Father has a plan for us and that He has guided us to where we are now.  We are very excited and hopeful for what may come in the following year.  

But I won't wait that long again to let you know what's happening! 

And here are some photos from the last year also! Sorry, they are all phone pics so they aren't the greatest quality!

Justin's company had a company "BBQ" at Coors Field - this is us in the Rockies Dugout!

Justin got to take a helicopter ride for fun at work.  This is his view of the Broncos Stadium! 

Us at an Avalanche hockey game

Zoo lights at Christmas time! 

Nuggets game with the whole family at Christmas!

On our New Years Eve date!

In our Broncos gear for the Super Bowl

"What's Mine is Yours"

My good friend shared this video with me the other day

and I just cried and cried.  

It touched my heart in so many ways so I had to share.

I have close friends that have experienced the things that

are sung about here and as you know, we hope to be

able to adopt a beautiful child.  

We pray every day for that wonderful birth mother 

that will make the decision to allow us to raise her child.  

We know that it is not an easy decision.

  

The children we are blessed with, in any form, really are not ours.

Our Heavenly Father loves us and them so much 

and he trusts us enough to let us be their parents.  

What a huge blessing. 

I'm sure those of you that are parents now understand 

in a way that I don't quite comprehend yet.

Anyways, I'll stop jabbering.  I hope you like this song as much as I do. 

- brit

Fort Hall Bridal Fair

We spent last weekend at a bridal fair in Fort Hall at the Shoshone-Bannock Hotel.

It was a beautiful event center.  It's kind of in the middle of no-where
but I guess that works for some people.

We put together a new display for this show. We built the wall to display
our big prints and I built the  buffet table we put to the side as well.
Needless to say, we were suuuuuuper busy the two weeks leading up to the show.
But it was definitely worth it.  I think we will get some great clients from this show!
We also made some new friends with some of the other vendors and are
beginning to join forces so that we can grow our businesses together!
It's going to be a fabulous year!

Hope you like the set up!

Juice

So Justin and I have been juicing since the middle of February... and It's been interesting.  We started with a 10 day juice fast and we were pretty successful I would say.  Justin lost about 18 pounds in that 10 days and I lost about 8.  We kept juicing for a few meals a day and then just made sure we eat healthy snacks or meals when we do eat.  So now we are trying out a second 10 day juice fast.  We are on day 4 and Justin is down another 7 pounds and I'm down a few more pounds.  I may have cheated once or twice though... :) shhhh, don't tell Justin. Anyways, we'll keep you posted on our weight loss and healthy choices.  

Have a Fabulous day!

-Justin & Britt

Wonderful Moment

I had a unique experience this morning.  It was like an emotional deja vu.  Hmm, maybe it's better described as a deja vu of emotions?  Here's what happened--I was taking a quick break at work.  My mind was clear and I was of course thinking about the progress on our home study.  Excitement has been a constant companion since we started this journey--so much so that I almost try to push in a fearful thought here and there to make sure I'm not just in a stupor of denial.  Like the denial that this is going to be a difficult process, with disappointment and frustration around every corner.  Am I supposed to tbe this excited?  Shouldn't there be a resevoir of worry and trepedation?  I let my mind play out some  'What if...?' scenarios, and I try to feel for my level of concern, doubt, worry, etc. and nothing sticks.  It's like my mind, my heart, is set on something so pure and good that the darkness of those thoughts are literally driven away--all the negativity have no ground underneath them and they vanish away.  Ok, I did get a little side tracked but that's what this new experience feels like day-to-day.

I'm at work, just giving myself a couple minutes to relax and I'm suddenly filled with a beautiful image and this incredible feeling.  I see myself sitting at my desk, so filled with joyful anticipation to see the end of my workday--all because I can come home and spent time with Brittany and our child.  In the next second I recall statements of friends who are fathers expressing that same feeling of joy. 

I wish I had a massive container in my spirit to hold that emotion in.  I want to feel more of it and store it and jump into it but the experience is gone so quickly.  Thankfully I don't come crashing down into some pessimistic reality--probably because I enjoy reality.  I'm back to that excitement.  It reminds me of the alternator on my first car when I was 16.  I was on my way to seminary in the dark and suddenly the yellow, drab glow of my headlights surged crystal white.  I felt like I was in a much newer car, with much more expensive, high intensity headlights.  Unfortunately the bright light at that time was the alternator firing for the last time, sending a surge through all the electronics of my car and then causing everything to go dead...anyway I guess that isn't a good analogy at all.  Maybe if the surge happened for a split second and then all the electrical components in my car went back to normal--with headlights that were bright enough to press on to seminary.

I hope that experience visits me often as the Story of Us continues.

Justin          

The Start -- Both Feet on the Ground

This is the beginning...but it still feels like an arrival, like a destination.  I know that's true for Britt and I.  We have been incredibly excited for the start of our adoption journey.  You could argue that this process really started back when we started--childhood, adolescence, dating, courtship, marriage, etc.  We'll cover the earlier areas of our lives, but I think it all began with us--Brittany and I.  When we were a 'we,' an 'us,' together.  I'll never forget the night on one of our dates when Brittany asked me what my thoughts were on adoption.  As memorized as I was (and still am) by Brittany's beauty and sweetness at that moment, I had no hesitation about my response to her question.  'Of course'  'Why wouldn't we?'  That conversation reverberates through our marriage today.

We always imagined ourselves as the 'big family' at church each Sunday with children filing out of the big van (although Britt would rather replace 'van' with let's say Suburban or Expedition).  Adoption was and is, in our minds a given.  Not because we anticipated the struggles we've experienced in starting our family on our own--but because it's something we always knew we would do.  It's an experience we wanted to participate in as future parents, something we wanted our families to celebrate with us.  Bringing a child into our home and family and into our hearts.  Adoption was always part of our family plan--now, more than ever we look forward to starting the process.

So now here we are...fulfilling what really is a dream for us--putting our hopes and prayers and every ounce of who we are and who we want to be into this journey.  Throughout this process we invite you to share with us, to participate with us, and reach out to us.  We have the best parents and siblings that anyone could ask for but we know that there is a missing piece--a child of our own to love and nurture within the bonds of our great families.  It's time to add to the story of us.

Love,

Justin & Brittany