A Long Way From Last Year

I never thought something as ridiculous as the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale would mark a milestone in my life, but when I got the catalog in the mail last week, it made me cry. (Bear with me - this is going to make sense in a minute.)  

Last year at this time, the Ethiopian ministry that sets the qualifications for adoptions issued a statement that two parent families were preferable, and that single women should only be considered for adoption approval as "a last resort."  I didn't know at the time that things would get worse before they got better as a single trying to adopt, but at the time, reading that in print was devastating enough.  In my sadness, I went to the Nordstrom sale and bought these shoes:
and learned the lesson that depression can be expensive. As lovely as these shoes are, I've always thought of them as my Last Resort Shoes. But last weekend, I wore them to a shower thrown by my lovely friends for my little girl.  My. Little. Girl!  Now I am designating these my Happy Shoes. It's hard to believe a whole year has gone by, and amazing to think about all the ups and downs (oh, the many downs) of the last 12 months that I thought had ended this chapter, and how, as corny as it sounds, all of them have led me here - the countdown to pick up my beautiful daughter, Ellis Hiab. 

So, I got the Nordstrom anniversary catalog this week. And when we get home, instead of self-medicating with Kate Spades and trying not to burst into tears before I make it out of the store, I am planning to take Ellie to the Nordstrom sale for her first pair of Happy Shoes.  :)  What a difference a year makes.