Today is October 31. That means tomorrow is November 1.
Another month has passed by. And it has been a quiet one.
I am not sure what is going on in the adoption world, but things seems to have gone pretty quiet again. So quiet, in fact, that I feel like I can hear my own heart thudding in my ears sometimes. There is no real way for me to accurately express to you how I feel reaching the end of another month and feeling pretty certain that we have not moved much, if at all.
I am so exhausted from it.
I am so frustrated with it.
I am so confused by it.
I am so over it.
Really, that is just the tip of the iceberg.
But I know that God is bigger. He is greater in every way. And I trust that He is working in our lives, even though I cannot see it.
And I am asking you to pray. Please pray that somehow we will get an update tomorrow that reflects movement. I don't know if my heart can bear another month at number 31. There is one more day for God to work a miracle. Please join us in praying that He does.
Still, we ultimately trust in the Lord, in His unfailing love and mercy. We fix our eyes on Him and trust Him to get us through this.
Only He can.
"But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His unfailing love."
Psalm 33:18
Love,
Baylor
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Thankful Thursday: Last Night's Success!
Whew! My first trunk show as a Noonday Ambassador has come and gone! And it was so much fun!
For the last few weeks I have been running around like a crazy lady trying to get everything ready for my Noonday Launch Party. It all came together last night in a beautiful way. Surrounded by women I love and respect, I was able to take a huge step in moving forward with this new venture. I am so thankful that the Lord has put such sweet and supportive (not to mention beautiful!) ladies in my life. We had such a good time looking at and trying on jewelry, talking about the artisans, how the different pieces are made and what Noonday really stands for. It was an incredible evening.
For the last few weeks I have been running around like a crazy lady trying to get everything ready for my Noonday Launch Party. It all came together last night in a beautiful way. Surrounded by women I love and respect, I was able to take a huge step in moving forward with this new venture. I am so thankful that the Lord has put such sweet and supportive (not to mention beautiful!) ladies in my life. We had such a good time looking at and trying on jewelry, talking about the artisans, how the different pieces are made and what Noonday really stands for. It was an incredible evening.
Most of the table the night before.
I couldn't fit it all in the frame!
Shimmery treasures!
ALL from Ethiopia!
Perfect date night jewels!
Lovely ladies shopping and trying on!
Beautiful friends adorned in Noonday!
I so meant to take more pictures, but I got completely caught up helping all these lovely ladies. Hopefully next time!
Thank you all so much for coming out to make my launch party a success. You have made me feel like I can do this!
And if you couldn't come or are one of my far away friends, you can still place an online order toward this show! Just select my name from the Ambassador drop down menu at checkout and then enter "Baylor Knott Launch" in trunk show field.
Love to you all!
Love,
Baylor
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
More Fingerprints
It has been just over a year since Adam and I were last fingerprinted for our adoption.
Ahhhhh... memories.
One odd thing about the adoption process: Your fingerprints expire.
So on Monday of this week, we went to get refingerprinted by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in order to keep our adoption eligibility current. You fingerprints are good for 15 months, but Lifeline asks you to start the renewal process a little early to avoid any lapse in eligibility.
Even though having to get refingerprinted means that we have been waiting for over a year, it still felt good to be doing something for our adoption. It has been a year since we really had to actually DO something. Now, I am not saying that I miss the paper chasing, but it did feel nice to be proactive.
Now we just wait for our clearance to come back. We are not expecting any issues, as we have not committed any crimes within the last year. Yay us! Once our clearance comes back in, we just forward it to Lifeline and then we are good to go for another fifteen months.
We are still praying hard to be matched with our children on or before Christmas of this year, and we ask that you would please come alongside us in that. Courts have reopened from the rainy season, but we have not heard anything yet. Please pray for MONUMENTAL movement this month. As the end of the year creeps ever nearer, I grow more and more uneasy that we might see the beginning of 2014 before we see our children's faces. That is a reality I am just not ready for and one I am praying against with all I have.
Thank you for continuing to walk with us down this looooooong road. You are being the hands and feet of Christ in our lives just by sticking with us. And we cannot wait to celebrate with you when these darlings finally come home.
"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God."
Psalm 20:7
Love,
Baylor
Even though having to get refingerprinted means that we have been waiting for over a year, it still felt good to be doing something for our adoption. It has been a year since we really had to actually DO something. Now, I am not saying that I miss the paper chasing, but it did feel nice to be proactive.
Now we just wait for our clearance to come back. We are not expecting any issues, as we have not committed any crimes within the last year. Yay us! Once our clearance comes back in, we just forward it to Lifeline and then we are good to go for another fifteen months.
We are still praying hard to be matched with our children on or before Christmas of this year, and we ask that you would please come alongside us in that. Courts have reopened from the rainy season, but we have not heard anything yet. Please pray for MONUMENTAL movement this month. As the end of the year creeps ever nearer, I grow more and more uneasy that we might see the beginning of 2014 before we see our children's faces. That is a reality I am just not ready for and one I am praying against with all I have.
Thank you for continuing to walk with us down this looooooong road. You are being the hands and feet of Christ in our lives just by sticking with us. And we cannot wait to celebrate with you when these darlings finally come home.
"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God."
Psalm 20:7
Love,
Baylor
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Ready for Launch!
I posted a little while ago about embarking on a new adventure in starting my own business. Well, now that the Chicago Marathon is behind me, I am able to really focus all of my extra time and energy into launching my Noonday Collection empire (ha!).
Things are officially getting started with my launch party this coming Wednesday! Check out some (seriously, just a few!) of the BEAUTIFUL pieces you can add to your collection accessories while supporting men and (mostly) women around the world as they work to sustain their families through their creativity and talents!
Click on any of the names below the pictures to be taken to the page for that piece. If you want to go ahead and place an order, please select my name as the Ambassador at check out and enter "Baylor Knott Launch" in the hostess field! Thank you!
Things are officially getting started with my launch party this coming Wednesday! Check out some (seriously, just a few!) of the BEAUTIFUL pieces you can add to your collection accessories while supporting men and (mostly) women around the world as they work to sustain their families through their creativity and talents!
Click on any of the names below the pictures to be taken to the page for that piece. If you want to go ahead and place an order, please select my name as the Ambassador at check out and enter "Baylor Knott Launch" in the hostess field! Thank you!
This gorgeous, sparkly piece is made with love by our artisans in India.
I absolutely love this necklace; it is the perfect complement to a cute dress or jeans a fall top.
And it is even cuter in person. Trust me.
Love this stand out yellow piece!
Made with lots of love in Uganda, this is the perfect pop of color for all those fall neutrals we love so much.
I have extra love for this piece, because it was made in ETHIOPIA!
Noonday's Ethiopian pieces are all made rom upcycled artillery left over from the civil wars and conflicts this country has struggled through over the years. I love that these artisans are taking something that was once a symbols of conflict and turning them in to something beautiful!
Made with love in Ecuador
This beautiful piece is made from cut, dried and dyed tagua seeds.
I cannot wait to get my hands on this one!
Made with love in India, the Goldrush adds sparkle to any ensemble!
This one is seriously gorgeous. One of my favorites to wear!
Made with lots of love in Uganda.
You WILL get compliments when you rock the Ruth!
Made with love in India.
These glittery earrings pop!
Check them out in gold here.
I LOVE these statement earrings. I wear them all the time.
Light catches the silver threads and makes them shine!
Made with love in India
You read that right. Bullets.
These beautiful earrings are made with lots of love in Ethiopia from upcycled artillery.
They are also available in gold.
These were my first Noonday purchase and are my go to choice for earrings.
Made with lots of love in India.
You can wear these beauties with anything.
Super cute colors and patterns!
The perfect fall accent piece.
Made with love in Uganda from embira seeds with paper bead accents.
This bracelet wraps around to fit your wrist.
I love this one!
Violet beads with horn accents. Love it for fall!
Made with love in Uganda.
Made with love in India.
This is a beautiful piece that looks great with any color.
Oh, how I love this scarf! Cozy is the perfect name for it.
Made from Alpaca wool by our artisans in Peru.
Bright colors and soft fabric make this a great accessory to spice up your day!
Made with love in Guatemala.
There are tons of beautiful scarves, earrings, necklaces, bracelets and more, but it would turn this already long post into the longest post ever if I shared them all. So check them out HERE.
Remember, if you want to make a purchase, please select my name as your Ambassador and enter "Baylor Knott Launch" in the hostess field. Thank you!
If you are in the Birmingham area and would like to come try on some Noonday pieces while enjoying some tasty treats and beverages at my launch party this Wednesday night at 6:30, please let me know. I would LOVE to see you there! Leave a comment below or email me at baylor.noonday@gmail.com and I will send you the details!
"And if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness and your night will become like the NOONDAY."
Isaiah 58:10
Love,
Baylor
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
The Race!
Four months ago, I set out on this journey to train for something that seemed completely impossible to me. Running 26.2 miles without stopping seemed completely beyond my physical and mental capabilities.
But I did it.
I ran the WHOLE marathon. No walking. I could cry just typing those words.
Here is the story in pictures.
Waiting to board the plane at the Birmingham airport.
Lots of butterflies at this point!
Picked up my race day packet at the Expo.
So excited, but so nervous.
I got overwhelmed just walking in to the Expo. There were so many people inside, and everyone was so excited about the race the next day.
Once I had that number in my hand, it got real.
Yikes!
The course map.
Check out how long it is!
So glad I am not familiar enough with Chicago to fully grasp how far this is.
26.2!
Ahhhh!!
After the Expo, we were off to explore Chicago for the day!
We enjoyed some breakfast and then hopped on a boat for the famous Chicago architecture tour.
Here we are getting ready to depart.
Love this family!
Enjoying being on the water with my favorite man.
Added bonus: We got to spend time with one of our faves: Francisco!
And then I FINALLY got to meet Amy!
After about 15 months of emailing, Facebooking and texting, we finally met face to face!
This girl has such a special place in my heart, and I am so thankful for her friendship.
In the cab on our way to the race!
It is still quite dark outside.
Waiting in our start corral!
Such nervous anticipation right now.
And we're off!!
This is around mile 11.
Still feeling good at this point.
This is mile 25.
Don't let that smile fool you.
Right after I passed my family, I hit the WALL. Marathoners talk about hitting a wall somewhere at or after the 20 mile mark. My wall came just after we hit 25 miles.
And it hit hard.
I wanted to stop so badly, but I had already come so far. At this point, it was completely a mental game. I told myself that I had a decision to make. I could decide to be the person who almost finished the race and then stopped to walk, or I could be the person who finished the race. I made the decision to finish the race. And I am so glad I did.
We did it!
So excited to have run with Team World Vision.
Clean water for 26,000 people on the African continent from TWV!
I love this man so much! Thank you, darling, for loving and supporting me over the last four months as I have trained for this race. I absolutely could NOT have done this without you.
Enjoying some Ethiopian food the day after the race! It was delish!
Here's hoping we get to do this again in Ethiopia!
We might have been moving slowly, but we got our medals engraved!
Yay!
This whole experience was so much more than just running a race. It definitely started out as just trying to run a certain distance, but along the way, I learned so much, and I think I really changed as a result. Training for and running this marathon has helped build up not only physical strength and endurance, but mental strength and endurance, as well. God has used this time to build up His strength in me and and grow my faith in and reliance on Him. I think I was ready for the physical challenge when I started training for this race, but I was not ready for the mental and emotional challenges. Overcoming these different barriers and obstacles has been an incredible experience for me, and I am so grateful to have had this opportunity.
I have talked all along the way about how all of this training and running has paralleled our adoption journey. Well, running the actual race proved to be a parallel in its own class. There were moments along the way that felt awesome, when I felt like I could keep going forever. But then there were moments when I would have given ANYTHING to just be able to stop. I was in pain, and I had been running for SO LONG. It only made sense to stop. But I couldn't. I had to keep going. I had to finish the race before me. It was such a clear picture to me of what we are enduring right now.
But here's the best part. There came a time when the race ended.
When I rounded that last corner and saw the finish line, my eyes filled with tears. Tears of relief, tears of joy at the fact that I had finished the race laid out before me. God had gotten me through it. It was over. I cannot really explain to you what that felt like. But when I think about it, I get choked up and completely overwhelmed just like I do when I think about stepping off that airplane in the Birmingham airport with my children in my arms. I know that in that moment all of the hard work, the pain, the tears, all of that will be completely worth it. And I cannot wait.
"Not that I have
already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on
to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and
sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I
do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on
toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in
Christ Jesus."
Philippians 3:12-14
Love,
Baylor
Thursday, October 10, 2013
18 Months In
Boo for being able to write this post.
Today marks 18 months since have started the adoption journey.
Wow. (Or as my mom would say, "Wowie kazowie!)
This is another day I never really thought would get here. When started this whole process, the wait time from application to placement (baby in your house) was 12-15 months. Sitting at 18 months with no end in sight is not exactly what we thought would happen.
But here we are.
And we are here because this is right where the Lord has us. I know that.
It seems providential to me that this day comes right as I am preparing to go to Chicago to run in my first marathon. Training for this race has been a mirrored reflection of what we are living while waiting to bring our children home. It has been so difficult and demanded so much of me in every way possible. Just like this adoption journey. Twenty six miles is way farther than I ever thought I would go. So to is eighteen months.
But God has been working in my life through both of these challenges. He has been growing my faith and trust in Him. He has shown me, time and again, that when things get hard and I feel like giving up, I need to press in instead and lean on Him to bring me through. So I am beyond thankful that the Lord orchestrated for me to be running this very literal race while simultaneous running this spiritual race.
Still, it is hard to be here. Eighteen months is a long time.
There are certainly days when I feel like giving up. I am so tired of waiting. Exhausted really. Sometimes, I look around and I kind of can't believe this is my life. I know it is what God has called us to, and for that reason alone it is an honor. But I am ready for my children to come home. Ready to have a little one sleeping against my chest while I write to you. Ready to have to put off writing till another day because my children need me.
Just ready.
But I know that the Lord knows who our children are. And I will wait for them as long as He asks me to. I hope it isn't too much longer. I am ready to know their faces and their hearts.
Please, Lord God, let this be the last year that we do not know who our children are.
"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."
Psalm 27:14
Love,
Baylor
Today marks 18 months since have started the adoption journey.
Wow. (Or as my mom would say, "Wowie kazowie!)
This is another day I never really thought would get here. When started this whole process, the wait time from application to placement (baby in your house) was 12-15 months. Sitting at 18 months with no end in sight is not exactly what we thought would happen.
But here we are.
And we are here because this is right where the Lord has us. I know that.
It seems providential to me that this day comes right as I am preparing to go to Chicago to run in my first marathon. Training for this race has been a mirrored reflection of what we are living while waiting to bring our children home. It has been so difficult and demanded so much of me in every way possible. Just like this adoption journey. Twenty six miles is way farther than I ever thought I would go. So to is eighteen months.
But God has been working in my life through both of these challenges. He has been growing my faith and trust in Him. He has shown me, time and again, that when things get hard and I feel like giving up, I need to press in instead and lean on Him to bring me through. So I am beyond thankful that the Lord orchestrated for me to be running this very literal race while simultaneous running this spiritual race.
Still, it is hard to be here. Eighteen months is a long time.
There are certainly days when I feel like giving up. I am so tired of waiting. Exhausted really. Sometimes, I look around and I kind of can't believe this is my life. I know it is what God has called us to, and for that reason alone it is an honor. But I am ready for my children to come home. Ready to have a little one sleeping against my chest while I write to you. Ready to have to put off writing till another day because my children need me.
Just ready.
But I know that the Lord knows who our children are. And I will wait for them as long as He asks me to. I hope it isn't too much longer. I am ready to know their faces and their hearts.
Please, Lord God, let this be the last year that we do not know who our children are.
"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."
Psalm 27:14
Love,
Baylor
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Back with a Big Announcement
I think this is the longest I have gone without blogging since day one on April 10, 2012. Yikes! I can tell you, without a doubt, that I have missed writing. BUT I have a good reason for my hiatus. I have been busy applying for, training for and launching my own business!
OK. So, saying it like that kind of terrifies me a little bit.
Here's the skinny.
I have partnered with Noonday Collection, an awesome U.S. based company that comes alongside artisans from all over the world, mainly women who have been marginalized by their own cultures, and works with them to create beautiful accessories that are then sold here in the U.S. Noonday Collection often pays these artisans more than DOUBLE what they could earn in their own economies. And as a result, these talented artisans now have access to education and healthcare in addition to earning a living wage for their work.
So what does that mean?
Well, I have become a Noonday Ambassador, someone who locally sells this merchandise in order to continue the support provided for our artisans. What this means is that you, yes you, can host a trunk show in your home (AKA have some of your friends over for snacks and wine), and I will tell you all about Noonday and then give you a chance to shop around and try on some beautiful accessories. All of this while providing a true pathway out of poverty for God's children around the world!
PLUS, as the hostess of a show you can choose to get a percent of the sales toward free jewelry or donate that same percent toward your or a friend's adoption. Pretty awesome, right?
Some of my samples arrived in the mail today, and I am going to share them with you soon. But for now, you can head on over to my site and check out what Noonday has to offer. Just make sure you select my name as you Ambassador when you check out. :)
"And if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness and your night will become like the NOONDAY."
Isaiah 58:10
Love,
Baylor
OK. So, saying it like that kind of terrifies me a little bit.
Here's the skinny.
I have partnered with Noonday Collection, an awesome U.S. based company that comes alongside artisans from all over the world, mainly women who have been marginalized by their own cultures, and works with them to create beautiful accessories that are then sold here in the U.S. Noonday Collection often pays these artisans more than DOUBLE what they could earn in their own economies. And as a result, these talented artisans now have access to education and healthcare in addition to earning a living wage for their work.
So what does that mean?
Well, I have become a Noonday Ambassador, someone who locally sells this merchandise in order to continue the support provided for our artisans. What this means is that you, yes you, can host a trunk show in your home (AKA have some of your friends over for snacks and wine), and I will tell you all about Noonday and then give you a chance to shop around and try on some beautiful accessories. All of this while providing a true pathway out of poverty for God's children around the world!
PLUS, as the hostess of a show you can choose to get a percent of the sales toward free jewelry or donate that same percent toward your or a friend's adoption. Pretty awesome, right?
Some of my samples arrived in the mail today, and I am going to share them with you soon. But for now, you can head on over to my site and check out what Noonday has to offer. Just make sure you select my name as you Ambassador when you check out. :)
"And if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness and your night will become like the NOONDAY."
Isaiah 58:10
Love,
Baylor
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