A Year of Gratitude #24

 

A Year of Gratitude #24: Will, Adri, & Dax

 

In May of 2011-- Yelp Elite Event: Hair

I truly believe that people come into our lives for a reason, and usually it's when they're meant to be there. If they leave, it's because they served their purpose and whatever lesson they were supposed to teach you, was completed. Some people never leave, and those are the people I consider to be my true friends.

I met Adri through Yelp. I was in MI with Gus's adoption and she sent me a message asking me about adoption. She and her husband Will were avid Yelpers and she had become an Elite '10 member and was looking around at other Elite '10 profiles... and stumbled upon ours.

I don't remember if my Yelp profile said we adopted, or if she asked why I was checking in at MI places but lived in NC... either way, somehow, the topic of adoption came up and through email we chatted.

Then after we were back in NC and had been home for a while, she messaged me again and asked about getting together. I wasn't sure what it'd be like, since I didn't know her in person, but I figured it could be fun. We planned on lunch at the Carolina Ale House (my favorite place to eat in NC). However... I came down with a horrific case of food-poisoning that morning.

We had made plans before and had to cancel for some reason, so this was the rescheduled meeting. I couldn't not go... sick or not, because I had already canceled once, I didn't want her to think I was a flake. So instead, Steve and I took Gus and we headed to the Ale House.

I don't remember much from our lunch because I was so focused on not throwing up at the table... and I eventually had to run to the bathroom and I did throw up. All over myself and the floor of the bathroom. It was embarrassing, horrific, and I was crying.

THANKFULLY they understood that I wasn't myself and after I apologized a thousand times (she assured me that there was nothing to apologize for), we decided to try it again. This time we invited them over to our house for dinner.

It was so great!!! They got to interact with Gus and we talked about his adoption, and adoption in general. The night ended too early (11pm) and we could have spent hours more talking with them. We (as a couple) had chemistry with them and instantly clicked with them... it was awesome.

Will and Adri were our first and only (so far) couple friends. They had us over to their place for the next get together, and then they came over to ours several times after that. Our friendship continued to grow and blossom and we were their biggest cheerleaders when it came to adoption.

 

Will

 

Adri

We've done many fun things with them and each time we had a blast. We all went to the NC Hollerin' Festival together this past June and had a great time together.

 

Steve and Will

 

Me and Adri

 

Their "famous" sleeping picture <3

They're wacky, zany, funny, and witty. They love each other so deeply and obviously. They bring joy to others just being around them and they're so sweet. They're my favorite couple and I was so sad to leave them.

It's one thing to be a parent and have other friends that are parents... but adoption is an entirely different beast. Unless you're in the adoption circle, you have no idea what it's like. Will and Adri are our only friends that have adopted and have been our biggest cheerleaders too. We share a connection with them that we don't share with ANY BODY ELSE. It's sacred and something I hold so close to my heart. The conversations we've shared, the tears, the fears, and the celebrations... are all cherished memories and parts of what make me love them so much.

 

Hill Ridge Farms (October 1, 2011)

 

Goofballs enjoying their roasted corn

 

Hee hee hee

 

:-)

 

I absolutely adore them!

Will and Adri had started their adoption process and quite quickly were matched with an expectant mother. The emom shared that she was pregnant with a girl and she was due within a few short weeks. They were ECSTATIC!!! They prepared and got excited for their daughter and just couldn't believe that their dream of being parents was FINALLY coming true after so many years of anguish and pain. Well... the story didn't have the happy ending that they deserved... the emom had decided to parent, but had the baby and didn't tell their agency. They went weeks waiting to hear something, only to find out that she had had the baby several weeks earlier and decided to parent.

Talk about devastating. There are no words for something like that... no card can fill the void, no flowers, or food can make up for the loss. All I could do was tell them that I was praying for them and that THEIR baby was out there... somewhere.

This is where the adoption world is unique. Unless you've opened yourself up to the possibility of coming so close to your dreams coming true, only to have them snatched out of your grasp... you just don't know what it's like. Well, they were able to get back up and thankfully, try again. They could have given up on their dream of being a family, but they gave it another shot.

A few weeks after the door to a daughter closed, another opened... this one was for a son. They were blessed with a baby boy, Dax in November and when I found out about him I cried. They deserved him as much as he deserved them and now they're a complete unit of three. They are the White Family and what a beautiful family they are!!

We found out about Dax just as we were preparing to move. God's timing is always different and unique, and I'm just thankful that we were still in NC long enough for them to be blessed with a baby and for us to meet him.

 

Adri, Dax and Gus :)

I'm sad that we're not living close enough to them for our boys to grow up together... but I'm prayerful that we'll see them again soon. I miss them so much, but thankfully, Adri blogs too and I can at least keep up with them via her blog and on Facebook.

I'm thankful that they're in my life and I can call them friends. They're two of the most outstanding people that I've ever had the privilege of knowing, and I am so grateful that God brought us together.