It is here. The journey has officially started. As you read this Jeremy and I are either in class or sitting at home taking everything we learned in. And as I sit here this morning thinking about this entire journey I can’t tell you how incredibly blessed my husband and I are for this incredible opportunity.

Guys, we are going to have a family! I know, there is so much to still do but this feels right. I would have thought things would have become so overwhelming by now but as each day gets closer to holding little one the more exciting things become.

The State of Washington requires a person who wants to foster children to complete an  orientation class, complete all core training, be First Aid/CPR/BBP certified, have a home study and finally complete paperwork. In that specific order. And yet, here we are paving the path unconventionally, per usual. Our orientation doesn’t happen until Monday but we got to start training without it. We won’t have finished training but will have our First Aid certification come next weekend. By the 18th all training will be done and we’ll be on our way to our home study.

Tell me that we haven’t been given favor knowing that we are training out-of-order.

We have been down this path before when we lived in Portland. We were going to attend their orientation and find a way to foster Oregonian children. We lost our way. When I say we lost our way we really lost our way. Nothing was going right in our lives and it was really rough. We couldn’t even entertain the thought of having a family because we were a wreck. The training will teach us about how children in the foster care system grow up in trauma. Sometimes grief. And sometimes even loss. I think between the time of Portland’s orientation and today God helped instill in us gentler hearts. Hearts that are softer and kinder and of love.

Tell me that God prepping us to become incredibly loving parents isn’t a blessing.

Today we will probably learn about what the system is all about. Every state is different but I know that the system is there for a reason. Today we will get to know that reason so we are better suited to help a little one. And I can’t help but to think that there is probably a reason I wound up in the system as well. I remember my short time in the system as if it was yesterday. I remember how scary it was to sleep in a bed, in a room with a girl who was there because she beat the living hell out of someone else. I remember how anxious I felt when the social work drove me from the airport to a group home in Kaneohe. I remember how discouraged I was when the original social worker was a total douche. But, it was during my time as a child in foster care that I learned my passion was to help people.

Tell me that God doesn’t see the end goal.

Today is the start of a marvelous journey that takes this prodigal son and daughter full circle to healing. Today is the start of an unbelievable journey that I get to walk through with my best friend. Today is the start of a fantastic journey that will bring a little one home.

And, there is nothing I’d rather do then to be on this path. xoxo