Meeting My Brother

~A little backstory on my life~

I thought I would take advantage of our snow/sleet/ice day from school and share about my adventure last weekend. 

As mentioned before, I (Kim) am adopted, and was adopted at an older age. I spent a lot of my younger childhood days with my birth mother, but never knew my birth father. About four years ago I got a Facebook friend request from my birth father. He found a baby picture of me that my birth mother had sent him years ago and just searched for me online. Twenty-nine years ago when he found out my mother was pregnant, he did not believe I was his, but upon seeing my picture now, there’s no denying it. The O’Brien genes are strong :) We’ve talked on the phone a few times but I have not met him yet. I hope to soon. 

Along with finding out about my father, I found out I had an older brother, Chris O’Brien, and a younger sister, Lexie.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go meet my brother, Chris. We have been Facebook friends for a few years since learning about each other. He and his wife Ariel live in Arlington, Massachusetts, but this weekend they were going to be in Wilson, Arkansas, which was only five hours north of us. As it turns out, he is an amazing singer/songwriter and would be playing some songs in Wilson as a part of a musical series the town was hosting this year. Not only would I get to meet him, but also get to hear him perform. I was pretty excited! 

Of course, I was nervous since the moment we planned to meet. Would they like me? What would we talk about? Would it be awkward? What will we do?…..

Gareth and I packed up early Saturday morning and headed north to Wilson. Earlier in the week we made a tentative plan to meet for lunch, but no specific details. About ten minutes before driving into town, Chris told us where to meet. No pressure or anxiety here…..NOT. Later after the initial meeting, I told him I knew he was my brother because he was already annoying me before we even met. I like to have a plan, and the whole-not-knowing-where-to-go didn’t help. Haha!

Gareth and I arrived first at The Wilson Cafe. We found a table and tried to act normal. Not every day do you meet a brother you’ve never met. Just a few minutes later Chris burst in the cafe with a huge smile on his face and gave me the biggest hug. All the anxiety went away.

See, I told you the O’Brien genes are strong!

Not only did I meet Chris, but his lovely wife, Ariel, and her family came too. All eight of us sat down for lunch. Immediately, Ariel made me feel at ease by telling me the history of the cafe and explaining her dad’s job. He is the town planner and he is helping restore Wilson to emphasize the historical importance of it. Wilson is rare because of the Tudor-style buildings. It really is a neat place and you can read more about it here. 

Lunch was great and we spent the rest of the day hanging out and “catching up” as much as we could. Only twenty-nine years to make up for…. 

It was so interesting to chat about our lives and how much different it was growing up where we did and with whom we were raised. In many ways we had similar experiences, and not all were good, but it’s a part of our story. Our stories have made us who we are today, and you know what, we turned out pretty okay ;)

Everyone made Gareth and me feel so comfortable! Ariel’s family was gracious to let us spend the day at the home they were in. They provided our meals and even a room to stay the night. 

The show started at 7:00. Chris played and sounded even better than the CDs I have played over and over to get to know him. Seriously, check him out and buy his albums :) #shamelesssisterplug

After the show we hung out more, laughed and talked until we were too tired to stay awake. The next morning we all ate delicious pancakes, had a tour of the city, and headed back to our respective homes. It all came and went so quickly. It still seems unbelievable when I think of it, but I’m so thankful for the opportunity we had! I couldn’t have planned a better meet-your-brother-day if I tried. I will cherish the memory always and can’t wait until we plan our next get-together.

Hello, 2014!

The year is finally here!
This year our family will grow!

2013 was a year full of adventures, as well as learned patience. An average-to-long Hungary adoption takes around a year and a half, and we have been in the Hungary program since February 2013. Even though our first instinct was to want a referral now, we know that God's timing is perfect, and that springtime may be best for lots of reasons (Spring Break, Summer Break, summer bonding, etc.). We can feel that the time is close. We don't like telling people, "We're still waiting" or "We don't have any updates right now," but at this time, that is the truth, and God is teaching us to wait and be patient. 

And for now, we will recap on some big events toward the end of 2013.

In early November, we both ran in our first marathon relay race! Gareth's sister, Gabrielle, and brother, Allen, were on a team (called Sea Turtles Run) with us to finish a 26.2 mile race.

On Thanksgiving Day, we received a $1,500 grant from the Reclaimed Project! God gave us an extra reason for gratitude that day:)

In December, Gareth finished his Graduate Degree from Delta State University. He has a Master of Education in Independent School Leadership.

He is now a Fighting Okra alum.

Over Christmas we sold close to 200 Mississippi ornaments. It was a God thing, because we were just trying to make good use of the burlap scraps during the door hanger fundraiser. Little did we know that so many of our supporters would purchase these, helping us raise $1,000 toward our goal!

People also gave us donations as Christmas gifts. We even got this anonymous card!

 Thank you! You know who you are and you are a blessing to us!

Last year, we held fundraiser events, applied for grants, traveled for conferences and appointments, and received generous support from friends and family. We couldn't have imagined a year so amazing!

Thank you all for following us on this journey. Thanks for buying our shirts, bracelets, door hangers, and ornaments. Thanks for just plain giving us money and praying this whole process through with us.
So what's the next step?
We are praying to be matched and get a referral within the next month. (Once we get a referral, it will be two months until we travel.) It is all in God's timing and we are trusting in that! Please pray with us!

Happy 2014 to your family! I pray that it is a beautiful year for you!          
With love and gratitude, Gareth and Kim