Race for Home 2010

We were so excited when Bethany Christian Services, the adoption agency that we worked with, sent out info about the Race for Home 5K.  We did not bat an eye before deciding to participate.  How could we not participate?  How could we not support the agency that helped us build our family?  How could we not help other families experience the same joy that we have been blessed by?  So we decided to sign up as walkers and raise some money.  We weren't sure that we were going to be able to actually walk in it since Gus can't walk yet and we weren't sure what the path was going to be like and if it would be stroller friendly.  But regardless, we were going to raise money and go participate in some way.  We decided that this was going to become a family tradition for us and year after year we would raise money and participate in some way. 

The moment that we arrived we were greated by such warm smiles.  For an agency that covers 17 counties in eastern Michigan and helped process over 120 adoptions in 2009 alone, I am always impressed that they know exactly who we are.  We did participate in an info night earlier this year to represent their domestic infant adoption program, but we never expected that some of the staff members that we never worked with would remember us.  And maybe it is because our son does not have a very common name that we are easy to remember.  I like to think it is because Gus is just so adorable that he is hard to forget.  (I may be a little bit biased.)  We heard quite a few voices yell, "GUS!" as they welcomed us.  The staff at BCS is really wonderful and we are so lucky that we got to work with them.

Dawn was Gus' birthmom's pregnancy counselor.  She was the one who first called to tell us that there was a match and she was the one who held our hands and prayed during the happy and the tough times last summer.  Yes, she is on MTV's "Sixteen and Pregnant" and is a superstar, but she was our superstar first!  She is absolutely amazing and I thank God for her!!

Louise was our social worker.  She came to visit us after Gus was born and walked us through the adoption process all the way through finalization.  Louise got married last fall and Gus was very excited to send her "drumsticks" (cooking utensils) for her wedding gift.  We thought that we were so clever!!  Louise was fabulous to work with and when we apply for our second adoption, we will be requesting to work with her again.  Not only is she super fun, but she lives close to us so it only makes sense.  (She is also one of those people that I feel that I could be great friends with but that would probably be tricky to have friends as clients.  We will wait until we are done adopting, then we will pounce and make her and her hubby be friends with us.)

We are so very lucky to have BCS as part of our extended family and can't wait to work with them again when we expand our family.  And you better believe, we will be getting the rest of our family and friends more involved in the Race for Home as time goes on.