We're ADOPTING!

Hey friends! 

Couldn't be more excited for this new adventure. 

I did create a new blog using wordpress, so PLEASE go on over & follow our journey to our forever baby :) 

Here's the link....

Cheers to Plan A 

Much love to each of you! :) 

It's Fall Y'all!

To say I've neglected this blog is an understatement. I really really miss writing on here, but life is just packed out. I have so many things that I think.. "Man, I really want to write about that" but then I don't. Bad, Kailey! 

*** I will tell you that an update about how we are growing our family will come soon, I promise. 

*** School is still going fabulous. We are settling into a schedule, which is so nice. 

*** Dru and I are leading a marriage small group this semester, which is too fun. We are doing a curriculum called, Love & Respect. HIGHLY recommend it! 

*** My sister, bro-in-law, and sweet baby niece are doing fabulous. Their church launched last month. It is growing and doing great. 

*** Pumpkin spice lattes have made their appearance at Starbucks. I basically can't contain my excitement. 

*** I am reading a new book, You Are Not What You Weigh, pretty sure it's legit, but will definitely write when I finish it. 

*** Dru and I are still moving in the direction of organic, non processed eating. Proving to be difficult now that school is back in, but we are definitely doing our best. 

I think that it for now.... Catch you on the flip side :) 

Much love! 

KB

Trust without Borders

I wanted to share a song that has been on repeat here lately at Casa de Birkeland. 

It's called Oceans and it's by Hillsong, of course. 

Highly encourage you to youtube it and listen! 

Whoa. 

Here are the beautiful and challenging lyrics. 

"Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders."

DANG! Yes, Lord!

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now

So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior
[x6]

I will call upon Your Name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine

Happy Saturday... WAR EAGLE! :) 

KB

casting your cares

Took this tonight after my run tonight. I have had a few rough days, so I'm kinda digging myself back out of those thoughts of... why me? when is it my turn? where are my babies? when will they be in my arms? when will I get to prepare a nursery for our babies? 

All of these questions have been plaguing my mind. I just laid in the bed last night with tears just streaming down my face, thinking about my babies that WILL someday be in my arms. 

Somehow. 

Someway. 

They will get to us. 

They will be ours. 

And boy, will we love them! 

It's going to be so sweet, because of this journey that we've been on, when we are finally holding what we've prayed for for so long. 

I do know this, God is faithful. He has always been and He will always be. I have definitely learned how to cast my cares. I did it this morning, otherwise, I would have cried today at school and we just can't have any of that. 

I called out to Him and He answered. 

He took away my pain. 

That's the kind of God that I serve. 

Gonna rest tonight knowing who holds my heart and future. 

so grateful. 

KB 

oh, hey there!

School is here. And I've been a busy little bee getting ready for my new school babies. I wanted to share some pictures of my classroom and a few things that we've been up to. If you follow me on instagram then you have probably seen the pics. {I think I might have a picture taking problem, oh well.} 

my desk at the beginning of the day and then after. ha! 

favorite travel mug. perfect. 

 grabbin' coffee after school, otherwise I wouldn't have made it to dinner. 

got this idea from a blog that I follow. the kids loved doing it! very excited about starting our interactive math notebooks this year! 

new behavior chart for this year! hopefully I like it better than last year's. 

new planner :))) 

meet the teacher day! got to meet my kiddos! 

As far as Birkeland babies go.. We are still in midst of praying about what's next. George actually showed up on Thursday, but this cycle I have done a few things different. As most of you know, my periods normally kick my booty... sometimes it hurts to walk... I know, ridiculous. This time though, I have only taken motrin a couple of times. {We are trying to rid our lives of harmful toxins, plastics, and antibiotics, etc. Check out the healthy changes label for more info!} I have also been using the essential oil, Solace. I'm pretty sure between the oil, chiropractor visits, and taking HOT baths, the pain has backed off. Y'all don't even know how amazing this is for me. It is certainly life changing. 

I also found out yesterday that a sweet sweet friend of mine that I've known for a very long time is pregnant with a miracle baby. She has suffered many losses and this is certainly her miracle. She conceived naturally without help from medicine or procedures. She and many other friends of mine have mentioned a book called "Supernatural Childbirth"... I started reading it last night and I am almost finished with it. I am blown away by the power of scripture and the fear that we think we just have to live in. THIS IS NOT BIBLICAL. We are suppose to be able to conceive a healthy baby, have a ill free pregnancy, and get this... a pain free delivery. These are things that I will be praying over myself until I have peace about moving on to other options. We are called to pray for what we've been told is impossible or that it might just not happen. 

I encourage you to check this book out, even if you aren't ready to become a mom quite yet. It's extremely eyeopening and empowering. 

Happy Saturday & as always, thanks for reading! 

KB

a little lunch idea

Hi friends. 

I am enjoying my last few days of summer and really lovin' coming up with new ideas for lunch/dinner! I went to three grocery stores yesterday to gather all of the things I needed for the next week or so. I also needed some things for school, of course! 

Here is a little pizza I made for lunch. 

Whole wheat toast + mozzarella + roasted red peppers = YUM!

Much love! 

KB

smooooothies!!!!

{the post title is meant to be said like Cameron Diaz did in What Happens in Vegas!}

***recipe***

 about a cup of coconut milk, about a tablespoon of vanilla protein powder, handful of strawberries, handful of blueberries, half of a banana, and some ice

I am obsessed with smoothies these days... I am *doing my best* to drink one before I run & one after :) 

I've come up with two different recipes so far. I don't want to bombard my IG friends with pictures of food/smoothies, so I decided to post here on my sweet little web space :) 

***recipe***

cup of ice, one banana, 1/3 cup of oatmeal, scoop of vanilla protein powder, about 1 cup of coconut milk, cup of ice, 1 tablespoon (many a little more) natural peanut butter

*add organic honey to taste*

workout outfit tonight :) I love me some pink! 

Happy Monday night! Enjoy it! 

All things new.

Gosh, I'm finally getting this written on here! I've wanted to blog everyday, but I just couldn't get my thoughts together {in a good way}. The Lord is speaking all the time {through friends, random conversations, and my quiet time.} 

Of course, the sermon today was right on point. Part of it is exactly what's been going on in my heart. 

We sang a new song at Highlands written by the awesome John Larson.... & it's about making all things new. The song really touched my heart so deeply because that's what this summer has been all about for me. God has redeemed me and given me such joy.

Pastor Chris started a new series today.... can I just say that I look forward to hearing from him each Sunday? He's such a great teacher & he is living to further the kingdom. 

The message was about close encounters & Jacob's encounter with Jesus. 

{Watch tonight @ 6:00p.m. if ya can!}

Until you have an encounter with Jesus you can not fully understand His love for you. You must experience it. Not someone else, YOU. It's very difficult to love and trust Him if you've never encountered  His presence and love. 

I was in need of an encounter with Him this summer. I needed to meet with Him. I needed to know that He had not forgotten me. I needed to know that He had plan. BUT, I had to get there by taking control myself, so that He would be all that I had. It was said today, that either we must take the initiative, or God will allow events to happen that will bring us to our knees, so that He is all we have.

God did this. He allowed me to go through the events from February to April, through procedures and meds, knowing that none of them would get me the end results that I longed so desperately for. He knew. And even though I, so stubbornly & selfishly, made those decisions, He was ready, waiting to embrace me & forgive me for taking things into my own hands. {What a gracious and loving Father we have.} 

 I have encountered the Living God & He has made all things new. 

There were three points that PC made in part 2 of the message. They outlined perfectly what has taken place in my life because of this encounter with Jesus.  

1. A new strength. 

I am strengthened because I am not relying on my own power to get me through each day. It is the opposite of what we think. We think that if we try and try and try some more on our own, we will get more done. NOT TRUE! It's only when we rely on Him and are weak that we receive His perfect strength.

It says in Isaiah 40:29-31, "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; BUT those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. 

2. A new identity. 

When you have an encounter with God, you are given a new name. He has given me a new name. I am a new creation, a new wife, a new daughter, a new friend. I'm able to be all of these things because I encountered His presence. 

It says in Isaiah 43:18-19, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. 

3. A new joy. 

When you have an encounter with the Lord, you are filled with a new joy. A joy that is overflowing & unexplainable. I can definitely say that He has given me this joy. It is so deep in my soul and I pray that it can be seen by others. This is the gospel. People will wonder what is causing this joy... They will wonder & you will be able to tell them... Jesus did this. 

In Psalm 16:11, the Bible says, "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." 

Whoa.

Long post. 

Sorry about that. 

Props to you for reading all of it. 

The Lord is good.... So good.  

Hope each of you are having a blessed day... If you haven't spent some time with Jesus today, I encourage you to do it. You won't regret it. 

Much LOVE! 

I like adoption.

While I was reading stalking blogs, I came across the sweetest blog, One Happy Family. 

It's about a family's journey to adopt their son. 

The blogger posted this video she saw on facebook. 

Ya'll. 

I was crying my eyes out. 

Just the sweetest. 

Seriously, Jesus is all up in this. 

Watch it here. 

Much love :) 

with my whole heart

Yes, Lord... I do! With my whole heart. With everything that is in me. I am trusting and leaning on your Word and strength. 

I have been thinking so much about trust lately. The Lord has really been confirming in my heart that we are on the "right" track. That is such an amazing feeling considering where we've been over the past three years. I told a friend earlier today that I am so overwhelmed with peace right now, more than ever. And I'm beyond grateful for this peace. 

I also don't think I've ever been called before in my life to trust God like I'm being asked to right now. When you have a "plan" for your life and it doesn't go the way you envisioned it, then one of two things happen... you take things into your own hands and hope things turn out okay OR you listen to the Holy Spirit, rely on Him, and trust that His plan is the best. 

Don't know about you, but I'm going with the 2nd option. 

So, once again, He is continuing to speak to me and assure me that He is with me. Every step of this journey. 

I challenge you, wherever you are in your journey, to drop everything and just do a heart check. Make sure you are in the center of God's Will, doing what He would have you do. I'll tell ya, a sure sign that you are is there is a peace that passes all understanding... 

Get it now, it will rock your world. 

Happy Saturday night to each of you. 

Get your booty to church tomorrow and worship the One who saved us! 

Much love, 

KB

anniversary photos

So grateful to Penni Lauren Photography  for snapping these for us.

We had so much fun and obviously I'm very happy with all of them. 

Go check her site out... She's extremely talented! 

Let me know what you think :) 

gettin' healthy #2

Yes, here we go again! More healthy info, people... GET EXCITED!

One of my dear friends has been talking to me about sodium nitrate and the dangers of consuming food that contains it. Of course, I've been eating foods for who knows how long with sodium nitrate in them. Oh dear. Not a good plan. 

Since learning about this... {Side note: I LOVE lunch meat!} I learned that there are versions of lunch meat without nitrates! Can I get a HOORAY!? I was very excited to know that I can still enjoy lunch meat without this dangerous cancer causing chemical... WHOO WHOO! 

Here are some links so you can read up for yourself: 

Baby Hopes 

LIVESTRONG

Eat something green! 

Later gators! 

KB