Ho Hum

Ever feel like you're just waiting for the next big thing to happen...that's kind of how I feel. Just waiting. I'm in this colossal waiting room, waiting, on something, anything. And I have that feeling in my tummy. You know the feeling, that anticipation, like the night before you leave for vacation. That butterfly feeling, that nervousness, that excitement. Except, I wake up every day with the reality that I must wait some more. It's coming, I can feel it, but it's just not time...yet.

With that said, Tony and I have been enjoying life, trying NOT to live for tomorrow, but enjoying today. We have been enjoying driving Bulah. She's my baby :) hehe...the weather has been great and we have been driving her all over. The cutest thing happened the other night with her too. Tony and I went to the grocery store and when we came out, there she was sitting and waiting on us. We pulled our cart up to the back to begin unloading groceries and Tony started to giggle. (Ok, men don't giggle, so he started to, chuckle, yeah, chuckle) I looked over and asked him what was so funny. He said, we're unloading groceries into the back of a station wagon. A light bulb clicked and I was like, "Ahh,,,the grocery go-getter." hehehe. It was fun.

Otherwise, we painted some miscellaneous things this weekend. Tony scraped and painted the window frames, and I painted a child sized table and chairs. Then on Sunday, we painted Mamaw's house. Ok, well, I pretended to paint. Tony was sick with hives and allergies, so he gave his best effort, but just couldn't muster much help. Anyway, it should look great now that we're NOT helping!

Ok, well, I'm back into the full swing of school. We're prepping for ISTEP and getting into a routine. That said, I should go figure out what I'm going to wear tomorrow.

PRAISE TO GOD for blessing Rob and Mari with a new church!!! We will miss them TONS!!!!

We hope everyone is doing well. Please pray for us and for the reason for the blog....the adoption. My gut is telling me to pray harder than we ever have!!

The Latest Addition to the Family

By the title, you may be expecting something else. But to us, we strangely bond to other things and consider them part of the family. As you have seen by the previous posts, we (or at least I) have a problem with vehicles. We have several including:

• Rett's Jeep Liberty,
• the Jeep Grand Cherokee,
• the yellow Jeep Wrangler,
• the 1969 Nova (my first car),
• the 1972 Nova (long time project car),
• the S-10 (rusty, but 266,000 miles and running strong),
• my Grandpa's 1941 Buick,
• and as of yesterday a 1964 Nova Station Wagon.

Yes, we acquired another ride. Don't worry, the 1972 Nova is going up for sale, so it all balances out.

So here's the story....

When my parents purchased the gas station/garage in 1988, one of our faithful customers was a nice lady that drove a sweet, all original, Nova Station Wagon. The whole family (including Mom, Dad and Robby) loved this car. We always said we would love to have it, or one like it.

You see, Dad's first car was a 1964 Nova, Mom has aways wanted a Nova wagon, Robby just parted with his 1969 Impala Wagon, my first car (mentioned above and pictured in previous posts) was a Nova. We really liked this car.

There is more. This car also belonged to one of our best friend's grandmother. She was the original owner and the family took very good care of the vehicle. Unfortunately, the owner passed away. The car was put on the auction block yesterday. I felt totally guilty going to the auction. I hate auctions like this, where someone's loved one's possessions are being sold. I tried not to feel like one of the vultures in the crowd looking for a bargain. We had different motives, if the car was to be sold, I knew my family would love and care for it just as much as the original family.

Ok, long story short, we ended up with the car at the auction. I had mixed emotions. I was happy, yet also sad, because I know the family loved this car. I had to leave the auction to go somewhere so I paid for it and Rett and Allyson stayed around to the end to drive the car home. From what I hear it was an emotional time. But if any of the family is reading this, please rest assured, it will be loved.

So now the photos....

The back seat, mid-way through our clean up.

230 Straight 6 with a Powerglide.

Rett and Allyson drove the car to Rett's parents house as they awaited our arrival back in town. The auction was just about 30 seconds from her parent's house. About 30 minutes after they arrived they looked out the window and saw two men drooling all over the car (figuratively). The men spotted the car from about three blocks away. They wanted to know if it was for sale. Rett said no, she just acquired it. They said they got their times mixed up and were planning to attend the auction to purchase it. They pulled out their checkbook, Rett said no thanks. In addition to Mom, Dad and Robby loving this vehicle, Rett does too. She cannot wait to drive this to school. She and Allyson have already named it "Bulah" (not sure where that one came from). We have created a monster, she has been online surfing the web for parts and pieces to help restore it.

So, the plans are to tune it up, change the oil, service the tranny, fix the radiator leak and drive it "as is" for the rest of this year. We will acquire new front fenders, lower rear quarter panels (if available) and probably new carpet and armrests. We hope to have it repainted in about a year. We have a brand new set of tires at the shop to be installed as well. There are NO plans to butcher it up and install a big engine or etc... The family will just enjoy it as a nice cruiser.

Niner, if you are reading this, we will need to rent your garage again this winter. You asked for at least three weeks notice, here is a two month notice.

Also, if you know anyone looking for a project car, my 1972 Nova is for sale, send them my way.

Thanks for reading.

Happy 14 month anniversary to us!

So today we "celebrate" our 14 month waiting anniversary! Should we be happy or disgusted about that? Right now the time frames are at 21 months, but they creep up a month at a time each month. So next month, they will be at 22 months. It's just NEVER ENDING!

On a positive note, Kristy said this past weekend she saw a bunch of ladybugs!!! For those of you who don't know, ladybugs are a sign of good luck in the Chinese adoption community. I thought it was pretty neat that A) she saw them and thought it was special enough to tell us! and B) she saw them this time of year!!! Maybe, just maybe that means something big is on the horizon!! Ok, so maybe if we all close our eyes, and wish really hard, God will hear us and BAM! Abby will be on her way!!!

A really neat thing that Tony and I got to experience was the meteor shower this past weekend. It was Sunday night about midnight and I asked Tony if he was still awake. He mumbled something incomprehensible and I told him I was going to go out and see if I could see any meteors. He turned over and said he'd go with me. So there we were, sitting on our back deck, from 12:15 a.m. until about 1:15-1:30 looking at the night sky. It was warm, and just so nice to be sitting there together reflecting on life. I know it, so don't say it...once we become parents we'll fall into bed so tired we'll NEVER get up to look at the stars like that! Well, it was a wonderful experience filled with beautiful skies, shooting stars, and the love of my life. It was a nice salve for some childless wounds we have been dealing with.

Other than that, I'm now back to school and feeling tired and a bit overwhelmed. It too, shall pass! And hopefully, those ladybugs mean I'll get to SKIP school for MATERNITY LEAVE!! Hahaha!

Anyway...there are lots of things to thankful for. We are so blessed. There are many other struggling with things in your careers, families, relationships, etc. Just know, I am praying faithfully for all of you!

ANOTHER Vacation while we wait....

Ok, no complaints, vacations are always good, actually GREAT! But last year we thought it was going to be our last "child-less" vacation. This year we decided to vacation again at our favorite cabin in the Smokies (photos below).

Like last year, we deliberated about where to go on a limited budget. We thought about Vegas, Maine, and everywhere in between. We probably should have saved the $$$ for the trip to China that will hopefully take place sooner, rather than later. But if we did not get out of town for a few days we would have gone nuts.

So I will provide an overview of our trip with some photos....here goes....

SATURDAY...

I waxed the ol' Jeep. Rett cleaned the interior the day before and did a great job. It was clean and ready for the trip.

SUNDAY
We left early.
Here is a Ferrari parked at the gas station where we fueled up somewhere in Tennessee. Pretty cool huh?

Here is a photo of the cabin. The first time we stayed here, the cabin on the left was not there. Regardless, it is still VERY quiet and with the trees between the cabins it is still very private. It takes about 13 minutes to get there from the main drag...

That night we just stayed there. I grilled burgers on the grille, my first experience using charcoal (we have a gas grille). They were really good. I have since purchased a small charcoal grille.

MONDAY

Monday we went to downtown Gatlinburg and walked around. It was hot out but still fun. That evening we went to Nascar Speedparks and watched Jarrett race gocarts. Oh yeah, Robin, Duane and Jarrett were vacationing there for a few days on their way to North Carolina. We had dinner with them that evening as well.



We also had a visitor sometime during the night, they left prints....


TUESDAY

Tuesday we went to the massive outlet malls. We were kind of disappointed. In the past we have cleaned up and found many good deals. This year we were not as lucky, but oh well, it was still fun. We did get Kyler (our dog) a new collar at the Coach Store.

We ended up ordering Pizza that evening after watching some Magnum P.I. re-runs. Since we were on vacation and had nowhere to be the next day we went cruzing. We ended up in Gatlinburg again and played Hillybilly Golf. Bill and Mindy have higly recommended this in the past. After playing the course no other course will compare. This is built into the side of a mountain. It is great.

WEDNESDAY

We had no agenda for the day and just started driving. We went to a few shops in Pigeon Forge and made our way back to the interstate and went to Bass Pro Shop. We also visited the Smokey Mountain Knife Works (not a big knife person, but it is a must see) and found another "Life According to Jake" (Life is Good) Store. I purchased a t-shirt.

THURSDAY

We packed our bags and started the trek home.... There are tons of details I have left out but you got the basic details. Below are some more photos (I love to post photos).
View from the back of the cabin (above)
View from the front of the cabin (above)Can you find the Jeep?

View of the living room from the loft/bedroom. The black chair and foot stool were a new addition this year. It is quite comfortable. The photo was taken Thursday, that is why there is so many bags and luggage lying around.

Here is Rett hanging out in the loft/bedroom.

Thanks for stopping in and reading my long and "photoful" post. Have a good day.

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!

It's official!!! China has given us approval to adopt a baby!!!!! We have successfully made it through the Review Room! This is where the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) looks through our dossier (mound of paperwork) with a fine tooth comb to see if we're fit to be parents. It's scary that they think we are! Now, in the past, the CCAA can still ask questions up to about two weeks after you're out of review, but I am NOT foreseeing any trouble! I refuse to worry about it! God has been SOOO good! Thanks for calling me Sarah with the GREAT news this morning! I'm glad you check those message boards so faithfully!!!

Now, the question on everyone's mind...does this mean Abby will be coming home faster??? Unfortunately, this doesn't affect that time frame. The Review Room is an entirely different department. So, basically, we go back on a shelf and wait. We're thinking about another 10-12 months. However, this is the BIGGEST hoop to jump through! The rest (renewals of expired things, traveling, etc) is all cake!

So send up a quick thank you God for us making it through the Review Room without any questions.

And to Abby....hold on baby, we're one step closer to bringing you HOME!!!!

I will own one some day, oh yes...

As you may have figured out from the past couple of posts I enjoy cars. I have too many, and would like to have even more. One of my goals in life is to own a Jag. Actually it was my goal to have one by the age of 30. There have been many opportunities, but we have been reasonable and I continue to wait to fulfill that goal...


Well, Robby found a SWEET deal on a XK8 rag top. I was able to take it for a test drive. IT IS AWESOME AND A SUPER SWEET PRICE!!! (the one pictured above is not the actual car, but one identical...same color, wheels, etc...)


Rett said I could get it, the only problem (other than needing to sell a car or two to fund this) is fact that a baby seat will not fit in the back...they do make a Jaguar station wagon (pictured below).





What do you think, current jeeps, rag top or wagon?

My guest appearance on a nationally syndicated talk show!!!!!

Per previous posts, you know I am a talk radio nerd. Yes, we even traveled almost 2 hours to watch Glenn Beck (see the June 11, 2007 post). Well, Sunday Rett and I were on our way to Meijer and I, of course, had on talk radio. It was Motor Trend Weekly.

They were asking the question, "In 1999, what was voted the car of the millennium?" I knew it was one of two vehicles, the VW Bug or Model T. They gave an 1-800 number so Rett dialed fit or me. As I pulled into the Meijer parking lot, they answered, asked my first name and put me on hold. My ear to the phone and Rett's to the speaker in the Jeep, we listened.

The radio host said "And we have Tony, where are you from?"

I said "Richmond, Indiana."

He said, "Ah, the heartland." He then asked, "What was voted the car of the century in 1999?"

I said "The VW Beetle."

I was wrong. He said, "Oh sorry" and then there was an buzzer.

My brush with national stardom was over. I know this was a national show because the rest of the callers (I was the 2nd one by the way) were from all over the USA. The answer was the Model T by the way.

Speaking of Model T's, they only came in black. I have a black car, my 1969 Nova, pictured below (any excuse to post a picture, especially of a car).

Many of you may remember this Ride. It is my first car and I have had it since I was about 14.

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a good week. I am unwinding this evening after a long day which ended with a city council meeting, nothing too eventful. You can catch the re-run of my stellar performance at the meeting on WCTV Channel 11 if you are really bored. :)

Ok, I have bored you all to death and you will probably never read our blog again since I ramble about totally meaningless stuff....

Have a good week.

Ticked-off angry bees...

Well, it has been some time since we posted. So, here is a post just to say we are still around. Nothing too exciting is happening. I did get stung by a ticked off bee and was chased by several dozen of its angry brothers and sisters while mowing the grass tonight. Apparently they have built a mini-city in the yield sign pole at the corner of our property.


On a more positive note, we did have a nice time on June 30th with some new friends, the June "log in date" group. Several families from as far away as South Bend to Centerville, Ohio converged at the Spencer's in Richmond. All of us have log in dates of June, which means there is a good chance that we may travel together someday when we get our referral. I will see if I can track down a photo to post.


Rett has been working at Safety Town this week and next. I think she is having a good time although she may not want to admit it (since it is work on her summer vacation). She helps teach Kindergarten and 1st grade kids saftey on a mini-city (literally, small streets, buildings, signs, powerwheels and etc...). I have been having less than a good time at work this week. People are just mean and stupid sometimes. Enough said.


We did start helping my parents begin reorganizing the barn. I have a 41 Buick tucked away in the barn that I hope to get out this summer. Again, I will try to find a picture to post. My dad has a 41 International Panel, a customized Luv truck in there. My brother has an Opel GT and a 66 Catalina in there. We have several other cars, but they are stored at the shop. Here is a picture of Robby's Catalina.




Well, it is getting late and I have ONE MORE DAY TO GO!!! Thank God it is almost Friday. The end of this week can not come soon enough. Have a good morning/afternoon/evening/night depending on when you are reading this. Thanks for stoppping by....

Our 101st post :)---it's a doozy!

OK, so we've been laying low for awhile. We were super excited to hit the 12 month mark, but it wasn't as joyous as we thought. Not long after we hit that mark (exactly one week to the day) I read on our adoption agency's Yahoo group blog some pretty disappointing news. I was hesitant to write about it because of my four-in-the-morning-come-to-Jesus-post about how I shouldn't be selfish and always need everyone to encourage us. We shouldn't need everyone to always say, "It'll be alright." But, friends, family, right now we do.

The posting from our agency confirmed the rumors and our latest fears. They said that wait times would continue to increase. What it amounts to is backlog of dossiers + a shortage of paper-ready babies=only getting through a few days worth of dossiers per month. Just as a reminder to those who only pop in to read Tony's adorable posts and forget where we are in the adoption realm, we have a Log-in-Date of June 15, 2006. China is currently working on November 2005! What does all that amount to? We are looking at at least another 12-18 month wait. *sigh*

It's just SO stinking hard. I might have mentioned before that we feel like we're just "playing house" with buying clothes, organizing a play area, etc. And frankly, my darling, I'm over it. You just get to a point of thinking, "Do we want to have a daughter from China?" or "Are we just ready to be parents?" Honestly, I cannot speak for Tony, (well, I almost can) but if someone were to call us up about a private adoption right now (at 10:45 p.m.) we'd say, ok, let's talk to the birth mom! I don't want that to sound insensitive, it's simply a fact. If a little one needs a mommy and a daddy, we're ready to fill that role!

When we got in line for this roller coaster ride called adoption, we saw the signs about keeping hands inside the vehicle at all times, and that line jumping isn't a sport. But when we saw the signs that read, "Domestic adoption this way," we avoided them out of ignorance. Not only didn't it feel right at that time, we were TOTALLY afraid of domestic adoption. You know those worries, "If it's an open adoption, will I just be babysitting someone else's child?" "Can the birth family come and take away my child a month, a year, or 10 years down the line?" Now don't get me wrong, there are still lots of things we don't know about domestic adoption, but trust me on this one, education is key. The more we read and research, the less scary it is. It's a beautiful way to form families! It's still unknown territory, but we're definitely taking notice of those signs posted along the path now.

Does it mean we're jumping from the ship heading to China? NO WAY. It just means that adoption is bigger than China, and which way is God leading us? A year and a half ago the doors were opening left and right and things were going smoothly. The past few months have not gone as smoothly though. I know I can talk myself in and out of everything. "Rett, DO NOT let your faith waiver. How dare you doubt God's plan just because it's gotten a little painful!?" Imagine how history would have changed if Noah DIDN'T build that ark! So I waiver between that reasoning to, "Maybe God led us to this point to open OTHER doors. The orphan ministry is up and taking a foothold. Also, we're less fearful of domestic adoption. Maybe our child is right here in Indiana?" GRRRRRR. It's just so frustrating. Are we just being impatient? I'd almost say yes if we were on month seven of a 12 month wait, but we're talking years of doctor visits, surgeries, paperwork, and waiting...only to be another year or two?

What is all this ranting about? Somewhere in this world, God has prepared or is preparing a child specifically for us. It's just so hard to be patient. I get tired of walking around in a fertile world that was not meant for me.

Ok, enough poor Rett and Tony. We certainly do NOT have a disappointing life. We are blessed beyond words. God is good, ALL THE TIME...even right now as I'm whining!!

Thanks for listening.

Important Milestones

First, Happy Birthday to Rett. Her birthday was last week!!!!! I won't tell you how young she is...

Second, we had our ONE YEAR LID (Log In Date) anniversary on the 15th. When we started this process we were told the wait time was about 9 months. At the time, we thought we would be home and settled in by this time this year. But obviously we are still probably a year away from travel. Oh well, what can you do... We did eat Chinese food and purchased a doll for her to recognize our 12 months of "official" waiting.

Finally, Happy Father's Day to our dads!!!!!

Have a good week. Monday is just a few hours away. I can't wait.... :(

YA SICK TWISTED FREAK

Ok, if you take offense by the title of this post you are obviously not Glenn Beck fans. For those of you who do not know who Glenn Beck is, he is a conservative radio talk show host (and also has a show on CNN Headline News at 7 & 9 every night). For more info, check out his website @ http://www.glennbeck.com/home/index.shtml.

Now that you are up to speed, I will tell you why I am posting about Glenn Beck. Rett, Kristy, Richie and I traveled to Columbus, OH Friday night to see Glenn's stage show. The stage show is called the "Inconvenient Tour", poking fun at Al Gore's "The Inconvenient Truth". Needless to say it was GREAT!!!! Richie and Rett were not too thrilled about the whole thing, Kristy and I are the nerds that listen to talk radio. But once he came out, we all laughed for about 2 solid hours. It was great. No bad language, just real life situations told in a hilarious fashion.

We arrived in Columbus around 4:30 pm. We were able to park right next to the Ohio Theater. Once we parked we did the Rachel Ray thing and asked the locals where a good place was to eat. We found a cute little cafe a block away from the theater. After eating, we walked another couple of blocks to the Columbus Art Festival. It was pretty cool. There were hundreds of artists from all around the country displaying their creations. The picture is of us at the art festival along the river.

After we ate we walked back to the theater. We had perfect timing. We waited about 1 minute and they let us in for the show. We had decent seats (well, if you like really high places you could call them decent). Regardless, we had a great time.

AND THEN, when we were making our way out of the parking garage after the show we saw Glenn getting in a SUV and they pulled up RIGHT BEHIND US!!!! He pointed at Rett and Kristy (who were in backseat of the car waving at him). Cool stuff!! Richie thought the coolest thing was that we parked for free (not sure how that happened, but that was icing on the cake).

If Glenn ever comes to a city near you, you must go see him. In the mean time, catch his radio show on 930 am from 10-12:00 every day or his TV show on CNN Headline News.

Got Milk?

Here is a photo of Kristy sharing in the excitement.

WOW, am I selfish

So, I'm sitting here, awake, at 4:47 a.m. on Friday morning just contemplating life. Yeah, you heard me right...A.M.....I just couldn't sleep. I have been having trouble sleeping this week. Yes, it could be because I haven't gone to bed before 11 and sleep until after 9 (no comments from the peanut gallery, thank you). Anyway, so I got up to catch up on my Internet reading, and got to thinking.

I am one pretty selfish girl to constantly need reassuring that Abby WILL be home one day soon. I always need someone to pat my back, give me a sympathetic look, remind me of God's promises, etc when it comes to our pending parenthood. Where does Abby fit into this? Where does her birthmom fit into this? I mean, I earnestly pray that somewhere halfway around the world, someone is holding her birth mommy's hand as she gives birth...as she gives life to our daughter. I pray that someone is whispering in her ear that things will be ok. That the baby she just left on the steps to the orphanage, hospital, or grocery, will be loved much and told often about where she came from. I pray that her birth father got the chance to hold her, smell her, and feel her touch before he handed her back. Who am I to deserve all this support? What am I doing? I'm just sitting here waiting. I don't have a posh life, but I have one that is pretty remarkable. Why do I need to be told a thousand times that everything will work out?

And what about our Abby girl? Who is holding her close and telling her life will soon change, but that it will hold many adventures and love? Is she resting in her birthmother's arms feeling totally at peace? What about her maternal or paternal grandparents? Do they know about Abrielle? Is Abby's cooing reassuring to them that their daughter/son is making the right decision? Are they thinking into the future about her playing outside, or the occupation she will choose to help earn a living? Who is telling them that God has it all worked out?

It's amazing what clarity 5:00 in the morning brings. I realize, I'm one pretty selfish girl. One day, Tony and I will be parents. God willing, it will be to one remarkable little one from China. If not, it will be to another beautiful little one who needs a mommy and daddy. But until then, whenever you wonder how we're doing with the ever-lengthening wait, wonder about Abby's birthmom and dad. Wonder about her China grandparents and family. Wonder about her little heart and mind. Wonder, and then pray for peace for their souls. Pray that they have someone to pat their back, give them a sympathetic look, and tell them it's going to be ok.

Yeah, I'm just a big kid

So, for the record, there are some pretty exciting days coming up! And you, my wonderful friends and family, are a captive audience for me to remind you of them!

Jeremy's b-day (nephew) June 10
Bill's b-day (dad) June 12
Rett's b-day (me) June 12
Mackenzie's b-day (great niece) June 13
Mari's b-day (friend) June 13
1 Year Anniversary of our LID-June 15
Father's Day June 17
Marilyn's b-day (mom) June 20
Brian's b-day (friend) June 20

I've probably left somone out...and if that's the case, let me know! I know, I know, I don't do this for everyone's birthday, but since mine is in June, and it's OUR blog...I thought I'd post this! heheheheh

Don't forget to get all the daddies in your lives something special for Father's Day! And don't forget the daddies-to-be! (TONY and SHAWN-my nephew!)

So the official countdown? Only 8 days to go!!!!!! WHOO HOOO! Hey, I'm justified in my excitement. Two years ago, I couldn't even enjoy birthday cake on my birthday b/c I was fasting for my SURGERY the next day. And last year, I got the best gift ever by gaining permission to apply to China for our daughter (I turned 30). However, it was not a very tangible gift and since she is STILL not home...I want to celebrate my birthday right!!!

Happy birthday to all the June birthdays!!!!

Update--If you want to call it that

So...the rumors are trickling in about the next batch of referrals. Currently, the CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs) has matched families with LIDs (log-in dates) through November 1, 2005. The latest rumors say they are going to get through November 7, 2005. Yep, that's it...6 days worth of dossiers.

Want to put things in perspective? Our LID is June 15, 2006! That means only 220 more days worth of LIDs until they get to June 15! Pathetic. Referrals only come out once a month, and if they only get through 6 days a month, it is going to take another two years until we get to bring Abby home!

I could get really upset (ok, I already did), but a chat with a fellow June LIDer on our Yahoo group helped me put things into perspective. (THANKS APRIL!) We agreed that we should be thanking God for what He has done and what he WILL do...which is find safe and wonderful homes for many many babies! We also agreed to refocus on the CREATOR not just the CREATION. :)

On a side note, I had the craziest dream last night! I dreamt that we got our referral (YAY!) and it was for a little BOY! Needless to say, we were both excited and shocked. He was the cutest little guy who had turned one on April 29. Yep, my dream was that clear...even knew his birthday! Remember, just because we requested a little girl, we could be given a little boy! it's rare, but happens!

So if you think about it, send up a "Thank you God, for what you're doing in orphan lives!" I'll try to do the same.

I'm baaacckkk!

Tony has done a fantastic job at posting here. He stepped in to blog when my heart simply wasn't in it. He brought you some pictures and topics that, regardless of how trivial, you all ate up...AND asked for more! Really? Is our reality that interesting? Well, ok, you asked for it.

As you well know, things on the adoption homefront have been slow moving and, frankly, depressing. We did get our documents completed and submitted for our homestudy update. That was progress. We also celebrated our 11 month waiting anniversary. Currently the time frame is running about 19 months. But don't get all excited, every month that number seems to creep up. So every month when we have another month under our belts, another is added to the end. Insert cliche here about "good things come to those who wait, or all in God's time" yep, we know them all by heart. So when we started this gig 11 months ago, it was an 8-9 month wait. It appears it is currently another 8-9 month wait, and 6 months from now, it will probably an 8-9 month wait. *sigh* Also, in June/July, we need to start updating our fingerprint clearance for the FBI. Yeah, because fingerprints expire. Did you know that? Grissom never said anything about that on CSI. Then again, he never adopted.

Speaking of TV and adoption. We got a kick of hearing about your opinions of the King of Queens finale. Although we didn't watch, we heard that Doug and Carrie adopted from China. We also heard how you all were irritated that they made it appear as though it happened in a matter of days, that they were able to adopt an infant, travel the same day they received "the call", and their comments about parenting two different kids with two different eye shapes, or it being a given that you get pregnant once you adopt. Thank goodness you're educated and know those things aren't true! Thanks for listening and learning!

Anyway, we have had two other exciting things recently. My niece Kristy graduated from Ivy Tech with her LPN license/degree! We are SO proud of her effort! She already has a job lined up in pediatrics at Henry County Hospital, and we know she'll do well! She's adorable in her nursing hat too! I'll post her picture once I get another copy of it. Nurse! Too cool!

The other excitement came by way of stork on Mother's Day nonetheless! My other niece Nikki gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Koleson Michael on Sunday evening. That is the handsome boy you see above. While she was in the hospital, Tony and I got to spend some much needed time with Addison, who is her first child and our fabulous strrawberry-blonde great-niece.

Thanks for being patient with our random posts, but we don't post because we don't get COMMENTS! Kidding aside, some months this rollercoaster ride is pretty smooth. There are only few emotional bumps and turns. And other months, it's flat out scary and jumbles our insides. We do just have one little request. Please do not make the statement, "Just enjoy the time you have together." or "Enjoy the sleep you'll never have again." Although we know these are true statements, some days they are just too hard to hear. As my sister Renee said, "You can sleep when you're dead! We want Abby home NOW!" I know, I know, you'll throw that back in our faces the FIRST time I complain about being tired. But don't. Just don't. I don't think my psyche can take it! hhahahaha.

Robby Chillin' with Mayor Bart

Well, not too much has been happening. We did send off our homestudy update materials. The pool is down. We now have the neighborhood's largest sandbox, a 24 foot circle of sand. We have been working to "square off" the deck. We cut off the half moon shape of the deck to make it look less obvious that there was a pool (thank you to Dad for helping us modify the deck). We still have work to do, but the hard part is finished, I think.

Other than that, just business as usual, work, pay bills, work, mow grass, etc...

The photo above is Robby haning out with Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson. What a perfect photo.

I will have Rett post next time so that there is some interesting material...it is late, I had a long day topped off by a city council meeting. BUT TOMORROW IS THE CITY PRIMARY ELECTION AND I GET THE DAY OFF!!!!! There are a few benefits to goverment work.

Have a good one!!!

10 Month Waiting Anniversary!

Hello everyone. I hope all is well. I always like to post a photo just to make things interesting. We really did not have anything exciting to show so I dug into the archives and pulled out this photo of our mower...I know I am a goober. But it does have some significance. I FINALLY got to mow the yard. It seemed that every time the weather was nice enough to mow I had a meeting or something. So the yard has been treated once already and mowed. I was speaking with my neighbor tonight asking when we should do the next treatment of "weed and feed" and he said to wait for the TV commercials to tell us. If any of you know a better method let me know.

Thanks for all the comments on our last posting. It is always nice to hear from everyone.

We have been working away to accomplish the tasks on our long list. The local background checks are complete thanks to the Richmond Police Chief. Our doctor letter are finished. We both had to visit our doctors for that...(about $140 for two letters, what a bargain...thank God for FLEX accounts with our insurance). To celebrate our 10 month waiting anniversary, we strolled to the ever so beautiful and exciting city of Connersville. The purpose of the trip was to get our FBI fingerprints taken. This was done at the State Police Post. This saves us a trip to downtown Indy. The rest of the items will not be too difficult. The home study agency will complete some of the required background checks for us thankfully.

In other news, we were guests on Tony (Niner) and Treva's podcast this week. Here is a link. http://www.tntpodblast.com/2007/04/14/tntp-15-the-one-with-the-special-guests/ They produce this weekly and it is very informative and educational. We had a good time.

Rachel and Jason purchased a new Jeep Patriot. They brought it by to show us since we are such Jeep freaks. It is a cool vehicle. It had 100 miles (or so) on it and they let me take it for a spin. Driving someone's new vehicle is like holding their newborn baby (and as all of our friends know I rarely hold a baby that is less than a day or two old).

Other than that, we did the Easter thing last weekend and just had a grand time working the past two weeks. Saturday was Robby's birthday...happy belated birthday!!! Cammie's was a little over a week ago...happy belated birthday as well!!!! Also happy belated birthday to Missy and happy birthday Nikki today. (am I missing any other b-days, anniversaries, etc...?)

We received many comments regarding the unidentified object over the hotel across from ours (per the previous post/photo). The odd object was not a UFO or anything exciting like that (would have been pretty cool if it was). It was a restaurant on the roof of the hotel, made for a good photo though.

Well, I am going to sign off for now. Another busy week starting with a city council meeting Monday night. Have a good week (and for those of you that harass us about not posting, you better leave a comment or my next post will be about you AND will post a picture of you...and if you are wondering if I am talking about you, one of you have the initials S.L.)

The past couple of weeks...AND...what is this hovering over Indy?

Well, our posts have been few and far between. It seems all we get accomplished is work, laundry, pay bills, work, go to grocery, work, etc...

We were lucky enough to get out of the lovely Richmond for a few days over Rett's spring break. Since we are trying to save $$ for an adoption that we hope happens in the coming year, we decided to not take a fancy trip to Florida or etc. Instead, we reserved a suite in downtown Indy. We had a good time. We acted as if we were tourists. We shopped and ate lunch in the Mass Ave. district, went to the top of the monument at Monument Circle, shopped at Circle Center, ate at several cool restaurants downtown and more. On the way home we went to Clay Terrace in Carmel and did some other shopping in the Carmel and Fishers areas. It was nice to get away. We took the laptop and did not even check email. It was nice.

When we returned home, we were welcomed by Bill and Mindy's hilarious dog, Sandy. Sandy is staying with us while they go out of town for Spring Break. Kyler tolerates Sandy. Grissom, the fearless cat, hates Sandy.

When we checked our mail we found a large envelope from our home study agency. Since our homestudy if finished and is in China, we thought this could not be good. It was not the best news. The great ol' State of Indiana mandated new requirements for adoptions. We have to update many items every twelve months until the adoption is complete. What a bunch of crap. It is bad enough that ANYONE can crank out a kid without having to "ask for the government's blessing". Now we are punished because our adoption is taking longer than expected. Chances are that we will have to do all of this again next year. Here is what we have to do, AGAIN!

• FBI National Criminal Check
• Indiana Limited State Criminal Check
• Sex and Violent Offender Registry Check
• Local Criminal History Check
• Child Protective Services-National Criminal Check
• Physician Update Letter
• Copy of Driver's License
• Birth Certificates (ever so intelligent lawmakers, think about it, my birth info did not change over the past year)
• Marriage License
• Pet Vaccination Records.

So, here we go again...keep posted, we will tell you how we progress with these tasks AGAIN.

When we fired up the computer and checked email we had an email from our coordinator at our adoption agency. She quit. Lovely.

In addition, we have to start the process to get a new I-171 from the Office of Homeland Security, Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS). The Feds think that our fingerprints will change or something. So now we have to spend another day at the CIS office, getting new fingerprints and spending a small bundle of money (it costs between $400-500) for a new I-171.

Wow, this posting took a turn towards the pessimistic side. But oh well, with the wait getting longer, we have nothing better to do than do the whole "paperchasing" thing...

Other interesting stuff (well, interesting to me), I put new pads, rotors , brakeline and valve cover gasket on the wrangler. We took the top off and dusted it off since it sat all winter in the garage. It is ready for summer fun. I renewed our license plates and got the new "In God We Trust Plates". They are available for no additional charge. You just have to go to the license branch to get them. You cannot get them via the renewal notice if you renew your plates over the Internet or mail. We planted a tree in the back yard and will plant another one after we remove the the swimming pool (Thank you Randy and Kathy for offering to take this money sucking maintenance nightmare off our hands...they do not have the tree issues we have).

Well, it is time to get to bed. Back to work for the both us in just about 10 hours. I do not even want to think about the voicemail, email and other issues that may be waiting for me. I think I will do a few more thoughtless items such as browse ebay and watch race recap shows this evening.

Thanks for tuning in...I almost forgot, I did not even touch on the strange round object that we saw above the hotel across from ours (see picture above). I will not dive into that subject on this post...not that it has anything to do with UFO's or something...you would really think I have lost it...

Have a great week.

Another week...

Greetings. It has been another week. Nothing too terribly exciting. We did celebrate our 8th anniversary. We are old. To tell you how wild and crazy we are, we decided to eat at Bob Evans that evening. Yes, Bob Evans. But, you know, they have good food and it is just minutes from our house. We then took the dog for a walk and turned in early. We were both exhausted from hectic days at work.

Other highlights...we cleaned the house. Not a biggie (and yes we clean it frequently) but I am just trying to think of my highlights at home this week. You see, we often have numerous work and volunteer related activities after hours. So when we have several nights at home we try to be productive.

We did go out with our friends Rachel and Jason Friday night. Their cute little boy, Grant, hung out with us as well. He is a funny little guy. Robby and Allyson came to town and we had a good time with them as well. As an act of youth, we raced our radio controlled vehicles. He was getting major air with his Stampede jumping the grassy strip between the curb and the sidewalk in front of our house. Cool stuff.

So, I am signing off for now. It is almost 9 pm and I need to get to bed. I have something EVERY NIGHT this week starting with what will most likely be a very long city council meeting Monday. Oh well. It is still cold out and if I were home I would probably be sitting inside watching Seinfeld and Friends reruns.

Have a swell week.

Does anyone still read our blog?

So, it has been awhile since we posted. Many things have happened since the last post, but probably none of those things are newsworthy. We did get a little snow.

This week is our 8th wedding anniversary. Also, this week will mark our 9 month "log in date" anniversary. So, a couple of milestones. Rett is forewarning everyone that now she has exceeded the 9 month "adoption" pregnancy (the forecasted wait time when we started was 9 months) she is allowed to get cranky (per Pastor Rob). Lucky me. Then again, it is not fair that we will be pregnant for the gestation of an elephant.

For our regular adoption readers, you are aware that ladybugs are supposed to be good luck or something for referrals. I have come to the conclusion that they may be backfiring. I think the China adoption creature of choice right now should be a turtle or how about an inchworm? Let me know what you think. Hopefully we will get to the point where a cheetah would be the best choice because referrals will be coming so quickly. What do you think?

We will update in the coming weeks....sorry for the long delay between posts. We have been busy and had technical difficulties. Blogger locked our blog and called it Spam? Interesting....

For those of you that are looking for another local blog to check, we suggest:
http://www.olivero.us/blog/ We suggest that you listen to the podblast as well, it is very entertaining.

Until then, we wish you champagne wishes and caviar dreams...

Prayer Request

One of my favorite websites that I check daily is www.myadoptionwebsite.com and while checking it tonight, I saw a prayer request I could easily post here. Although I don't know the family involved, I DO know the power of God. Please check out the family website and see why little Brea and her little heart needs your prayers. If you don't have time to go to their site, just send up a quick prayer that God perform a miracle on her so that she doesn't have to be put on a transplant list. GOD IS GOOD!

Their website is: http://www.babyjellybeans.com/web/do/site/photo?ID=177630&parent_id=175411

Happy 8 Month Anniversary!

Happy 8 month anniversary to us! According to China's records, we have officially been waiting eight whole months on our Abby girl! Right now, the timeframes say the wait is 16 months so as of today, half of our wait is over! Let's pray that the wait doesn't continue to climb (though the rumor is that it will).

Send up a big "Thank you God" for helping us all (and that includes you) get through eight months of waiting! Pray for our daughter's safety, surroundings, and health.

We can't wait to meet you Abrielle!

A Murder, a Morgan, and a Dragon

So we have NOT updated in a couple of weeks, and I'm afraid that some of you have stopped reading the blog! ACK! So below are some pics and quick text about what we've been up to! If we get ambitious we'll use the photo program we used last time and modify this post. But for now, here's the scoop.

• We went to a Murder Mystery Dinner at our neighbor/friends' house. It was SO much fun! The Reader's Digest version is that we got dressed up in circa 1930's garb, took on another personality, had dinner, and solved a murder. This game is not for the shy...and you can see why by the pictures. It was a total blast and we hope to host our own murder someday soon! (By the way, neither Tony (Donnie) nor I (Allie) were the murderers!)

• We also got to spend some more time with the Brian and Nancy Williamson and their daughter Morgan. The picture shows just how absolutely adorable she is...especially in her Colts jersey! We just love her mean face, and we love spending time with all of them!

• Finally, we went to our local adoption group's Chinese New Year Festival a couple of weeks ago. We had a great time with Chris, Sarah, Amaya, and Paige too! We enjoyed food, crafts, and even a dragon!

Needless to say, we have had a great start to 2007! Now if we'd just get our Abby-girl home, life would be PERFECT!

SUPERBOWL CHAMPS!

Congratulations to the Indianapolis Colts...the 2007 Superbowl Champs!

You've restored some football respect to Indiana and we salute you!

WHOO HOOOO!

A year ago today....

One year ago today, January 21, 2006, Tony and I pulled into St. Luke's church in Indianapolis with nervous hearts and minds. We were taking a leap of faith and following what we though was God's nudge to investigate international adoption. It turns out, it WAS God's nudge. We were going to an informational meeting offered by Families Thru International Adoption (FTIA) to find out if we would add to our family through adoption. Just a week before this, I had conversations with my family about the possibility of adoption and read a front page spread about it. (God's messages are SO clear at times). We finished reading the article in the paper, looked up the informational seminar schedule, and committed to at least researching it.

Back to the parking lot...as we pulled in, I saw several other nervous-looking couples walk toward the entrance. At this point, I was getting excited and Tony just looked sick. The ever-practical side of him was saying, "We don't have the money to do this." When I drug that comment out of him, I broke down in tears. I couldn't go to this meeting without hope of where it might take us. After a brief conversation about reality vs. God's plan for us, we ventured in and navigated the maze of halls in the church we would soon come to know well.

The meeting held all the answers Tony was seeking, and the children I was longing to see. We had the opportunity to speak with a family that had recently come home and received some encouragement. Did I mention the children were from a variety of countries and simply beautiful?

Following the meeting, we met Robby and Allyson for lunch and lightly discussed what we had learned. I was brimming with anticipation to see Tony's real reaction, and he was using every ounce of reservation he could muster. Not two minutes into lunch, a family walked in with a child of Asian decent. Nudges and glances were being secretly passed. Others streamed in and remarkably, more adoptive families. Was it a sign?

Fast forward to the end of lunch...although Tony was still using his head, I was all heart. We were moving forward. We'd take it step-by-step and start with the application to FTIA and see what happened.

Alas, it is January 21, 2007 and we are (not so) patiently waiting on our Abby-girl. God was obviously moving in our lives a year ago. He has opened doors, fulfilled promises, blessed us with new friends, and challenged us beyond our wildest imaginations. I cannot wait to experience that same nervousness we had in the church parking lot when we see her picture for the first time and when we wait in that chaotic room for her to be placed in our arms. We'll look back and say, "God is good, all the time...and all the time, God is good."

Happy 7 Month Waiting Anniversary to Us!

A frame sits empty.
No face behind the glass.
The longing hits hard,
but this too, shall pass

I search for your face
on the street and in my dreams.
The closer it gets,
the further it seems.

I can't begin to imagine
all your face will hold.
The fears and the hopes,
the scars from the cold.

You won't look like me
Nor will I look like you.
My mind's eye does know this
fact to be true.

But one thing we'll share
in common with one another,
is the love from above
from our Heavenly Father.

I can rest tonight knowing
that GOD knows your face.
He'll keep you safe in His arms
till you fill the frame space.

So sleep tight little one
in God's sweet embrace
until that wonderful day
We get to see your face.

Love,
Mommy

Trane XL 80 Repaired (at least for tonight)

Ok, another post from Tony. I know folks probably prefer Rett's ramblings but I thought I would share how the furnace was fixed tonight (are you excited???).

Tonight we noticed it was a frigid 60 degrees in the house. Everyone knows I am cheap and try not to use the furnace to save money. In fact, we had such a large credit on our gas bill from last year (we were on the budget plan, same amount every month) that we have yet to pay a gas bill this year and still have a small credit for next month too.

Well tonight it was stinkin' cold in the house. I bumped up the furnace during lunch today and Rett bumped it up again when she got home from work. The furnace was blowing cold air. Not a good thing when it is 25 degrees outside. After a thorough analysis of the situation (staring at the furnace not having a clue), Rett handed me the phone. Her dad was on the line. I told him the situation and he suggested that I check the manual, it was likely a thermocoupler.

Luckily, the previous homeowner left us with a folder full of manuals for everything from faucets to the furnace. There was no mention of a thermocoupler in the manual, bummer... The next step was ask.com. There were only a few posts on the highly efficient Trane XL 80 furnace/heat pump system. There were solutions to our problem covering all scenarios (circuit boards, sensors, shorted wires and etc...). I had about resorted to getting out some additional thermal socks when I found a post on a HVAC help site. A lady had written in and wanted to impress her husband with her knowledge about their furnace's problem. Her furnace had the same symptoms.

Some nice person posted a reply to her question. He said it was possibly the flame sensor (I assume the same thing as a thermocoupler with a different name). He said to take some sandpaper or steelwool and lightly sand the sensor.

I grabbed some sandpaper (from my dad's Black and Decker Mouse sander, what a cool little sander) and made about three swipes across the ceramic flame sensor. I put the cover back on the furnace and went back upstairs. I bumped up the temp on the thermostat and ran back downstairs...IT WAS WORKING!!!!!!!

As I type this, the furnace is still working. Even if it quits, at least I know what part needs to be replaced. So for those of you that check the blog and are tired of seeing the cool autoshow pictures, you now know how heat was restored to the household.

So, as you can tell, there has not been much going on if all I have to blog about is the glorious warm air from the furnace. Well, the exhaust did break on my Jeep Grand Cherokee...my dad was nice enough to come pick it up and repair it Saturday (I had the stomach flu and felt like I was dying). I would have blogged about that repair but I did not participate in the repair since most of my day was spent in the bathroom...but thank you to Dad for fixing the Jeep.

Well, I am sure you are thoroughly bored by now so I will sign off...Have a good (warm) day...

Indy Auto Show

We attended the Indy Auto Show yesterday. Below are some highlights. Our Genius friend "Niner" (Tony Olivero) gets credit for helping us post the slideshow...

Post Christmas Post

Well, it is now Wednesday, December 27th. Christmas has come and gone. And gone from our home as of December 26th at 2:00 pm are all traces of decorations. Rett cannot wait to put decorations up, and it seems she cannot wait to take them down either :). I thought we were quick to take down our decor but our neighbor across the street had all her external decorations down by 10:30 am on December 26. (no, we do not keep close tabs on our neighbors, but this did catch our attention...)

I purchased three more highly decorative (green and red) plastic tubs from Meijer yesterday morning. I and ran across a sweet deal on small LIVE Christmas tree. Only $12.50. What a bargain. Now I need to decide where to plant it.

The green and red tubs continue to take over my great little shed in the back yard. If we keep it up at this pace, I will need a seperate shed for Christmas decoration tubs. Oh well.

So now what...I am off the rest of the week and do not return to work until January 2nd. Rett does not return to work until January 3rd I believe. I had four vacation days left. I try to save a few for this time of year since Rett is off work.

Today I think we are venturing to the big mecca of Indianapolis. There is always plenty to do over there. (Besides, I hate to stick around here because crusing around town reminds me of work...and I DON'T WANT TO THINK ABOUT WORK.) I think I have Rett convinced to attend the annual Indy Auto Show. We (or I) will drool for awhile over the new Jeeps and Jags then to the malls. We were extremely blessed and received many great gifts and gift cards (which is one of the reasons we are going to hit the malls).

Speaking of blessed, I read the book titled "A Waiting Child" about a three year old girl adopted from China and her desire to have a friend of hers find a home as well (I will not tell you how it ends so that you can read it and find out for yourself). The book was a real eye opener for me. The conditions of orphanages are described well. What got to me is how the older children have to learn survival of the fittest, have to compete for clothing, toys and etc... They have nothing...not even the clothes on their back are theirs. They literally have to be the early bird to get the best clothing.

We have so much JUNK. We do not need even a percentage of the crap that we work so hard to obtain. I know there are children in America (and other places) that have needs too. I was in line at Meijer this week (yes, we live just about 60 seconds from Meijer and do spend a lot of time and $$ there...) and overheard the check out lady telling a guy "....China, we have kids over here that need help." Thankfully Rett was not with me because I am sure she would not have bit her tounge like I did.

So with all of that said, I think my spending habits will change a bit regarding things that we really do not need. We are so lucky to have everything that we have and we forget that there are kids that would love to just have a family and could care less about all the gifts and possessions we focus our lives on to obtain.

Wow...that sounds kind of deep. Did that come from me? (There is some eye-opening literature out there besides the Auto Trader and Hot Rod Magazine I guess). Anyway, have a great week. I am sure the next post will come from Rett because my rambing postings are few and far between. I'll try to post a photo of the little Christmas tree that I purchased (I know you cannot wait...).

Merry Christmas

Third Day has a band member that is adopting from China as well. The following is the lyrics to one of their songs entitled, "Merry Christmas". Please take a moment to read it and then please pray for Abby and her birth mother.

There's a little girl trembling on a cold December morn
Crying for momma's arms
At an orphanage just outside a little China town
There the forgotten are

But half a world away I hang the stockings by the fire
And dream about the day when I can finally call you mine

It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

As I hang the tinsel on the tree and watch the twinkling lights
I'm warmed by the fire's glow
Outside the children tumble in a wonderland of white,
Make angels in the snow

But half a world away you try your best to fight the tears
And hope that heaven's angels come to carry you here

It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

Christmas is a time to celebrate the holy child
and we celebrate his perfect gift of love
He came to earth to give his life
and prepare a place for us
so we could have a home with him above

It's Christmas time again and now you're home
Your family is here so you will never be alone
So tonight before you go to sleep,
I'll hold you in my arms
And I'll tell you from my heart,
I wish you Merry Christmas

Let's CELEBRATE, I say!

• Today is Tony's 32nd birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!! He's NOT excited about it and will KILL me when he sees that I actually put his age in here! Anyway, here's a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to him! I love you Tony!

• Today is also our 6 month waiting anniversary on Abby! Only like 1, 245, 679 more months to go! WHOO HOO!

• Allyson also graduates from Ball State this weekend! CONGRATS to her for her hard work!

See, all good reasons to CELEBRATE!

What a weekend

We had one great southern weekend! Tony and I headed to Nashville, TN with my mom, dad, Renee, Ronnie, Robin, Duane, Randy, Kathy, and Jarrett. We had SO much fun! It was nice just being together and away from Richmond. We got to see family that are from those parts (hehe, that SOUNDS southern) and that made it even more special. We got to see cousins and their children that I hadn't seen in years! It was a fun time catching up.

We went to a great restaurant on Friday night called, "Cock on the Walk" and had fantastic food! I had the catfish YUM! The picture was taken in the lobby of the restaurant. They had tons of rocking chairs...even those that rocked left to right (TALK about sea sick!) Isn't the giant one a hoot?

We also had what friends of ours would call a hug from God this weekend. On the way down to Tennessee, I was thinking about how things will change (packing and traveling wise) when Abby comes home. I was just chatting with God about how it's SO hard to wait. How I wanted her with us NOW to be able to share with our extended family. I just asked Him to give me/us a sense of peace this weekend, and just enjoy the here and now.

Well, Saturday morning, we strolled down to the breakfast buffet that the hotel offered and what do you know? There was a family sitting near us that had two women that appeared to be sisters, one woman that appeared to be the grandma, a boy of about 16, and a beautiful little girl who looked to be from China. Well, after a 10 minute discussion w/ Tony about how I wanted to go and say something, and he thought I was nuts...I got brave, walked over, and said, "Is this beautiful girl your daughter? Or yours?" Her mom smiled and said, "Mine." I went on to explain we were a waiting family. They were SO nice! We learned that the little girl was named Calista and came home three years ago at 11 months old. She was SWEET...and LOVED Tony. Me, not so much.

So blah, blah, blah, we found out they were from Illinois and CHRISTIANS! That was very special. We spent about 20 minutes or more chatting and promised to pray for one another. When we left, I was bummed because I wanted to tell them Abby's name so they could pray for her by name. Then, fast forward to Sunday morning. We were running late, ran to the buffet again, and there they were!!! Calista immediately wanted to come over and say hello, so we chatted with them about their events from the night before. Then, I was able to tell them Abby's name and asked them to pray for her specifically. I promised to pray for Calista as well and I felt such joy and peace!!! God is SOOOO cool! It was just the hug we needed to top off our weekend.

Ok, I've rambled enough! Enjoy your week! Only 11 1/2 more days till Christmas break!! Is your shopping done yet????

TESTING....1.....2

Can you read me now?????

Good!

Now read the post below this one. It's titled, "Ahem..." It wasn't showing up..but now it is!!

ahem....

Ok all you lurkey turkeys....although I cannot believe you didn't post to tell us what you're thankful for, I'll let it slide. I just wanted to take a minute and share an email I received from a new friend and all around great person named April. We will ONE DAY travel together to pick up our daughters. I'm glad to have her on our support team!

I was feeling pretty down about a week and a half ago. I was in, what I'd call, a BAD baby funk. Our five month waiting anniversary was nearing, and instead of being excited, I just thought doom and gloom! Satan was saying, "Who cares about five months? Don't you get it? You'll be waiting for at LEAST two times that amount more!" and "Hahah, you this THIS will be your last childless holiday? Think again!" Man, that doubt got me going. I posted on our Yahoo group about my blahs and there they were to the rescue...April included. Here's what she wrote.

I felt so bad when you were bummed last week. I couldn't think of anything to say that didn't sound trite. So, I wanted you to know that God sees your pain. And, he does in fact answer prayer! Seek him Rett! Go to bat for all us waiting moms!!

I think waiting for ANYTHING is one of the hardest things ever. I had been dealing with an issue lately and I have read a ton of books to help me understand and to glean from their wisdom things that God has taught them. One thing, among a million, that stood out to me was , "God is more interested in changing me than he is in changing my circumstances." -Joyce Meyer. That is so hard. Ultimately, God cares about getting us ready for eternity, whatever that means:-) He wants to make us more like his son. But, as I have been reading and reading and reading books and my Bible. I am more convinced than ever about God's love for us- people. Over and over again in the Old Testament people did the most vile things and God would be ready to destroy them. Then, they would repent and he would reduce/change his punishment. He does the same thing for us. Rett, he loves you so much. He has plans for you, plans to prosper you and plans to give you a great future Jer 29:11. He is so proud of you that you want to love one of his children- an orphan. A little girl that you are going to introduce to the love of Jesus. You want to know why you are discouraged, because Satan is attacking you. Do you think he wants to see you joyful? No Way!! Do you want to know why? Because the joy of the Lord is our (your) strength. Nehemiah 8:10 When you are full of joy, you have the strength of the Lord. The other conclusion I come to is if you are depressed and miserable, you are weak. That is how Satan would like to keep you! Kick his butt, Rett!! You are so funny!

April help me put things in perspective. And I think some of her encouragement can trickle right down to you! The Joyce Meyer quote was the best. "God is more interested in changing me, than he is in changing my circumstances." Could this be true for you as well? Are you feeling kind of down about your situation? God hears your cries, sees your heart, and loves you totally. Just understand...He's all about changing YOU........NOT the situation you're in!

Have a great week everyone!

Gobble, Gobble!

Ok kids, Turkey Day is coming up! It's time to start thinking about our blessings!

So we've got an assignment for you, if you so choose to accept it. Just show us yours and we'll show you ours. Get your mind out of the gutter! We're talking about blessings!

It's simple. Just put what you're thankful for in the comments section. We'll add ours as you add yours. Get creative and be honest! It will do your heart some good and what's better than giving God praise?

Go ahead...be thankful...and tell us about it!

Happy early Gobble Day!!

Ladybugs and Referrals

Simply put, I have a great family. Here's an email I received from Kristy, my niece, earlier this week.

Rett,

I just thought I'd tell you that today in class, I was in my usual seat by the window when I look outside to see three ladybugs flying around the window right by me. Then, I looked by the ledge, and there was another one! Normally, I wouldn't really think about ladybugs all over, I mean, it's harvest and all, they're stirred up. But for some reason I believe they were put there to remind me of Abby and it was on my heart to pray for that beautiful girl we all are anticipating so much. So I did. And I just wanted you to know. I am thinking about your girl and I prayed SO much for her today. I can't wait to meet her.

Hope you're having a wonderful day! Ladybug hugs and kisses,
Kristy (aka Auntie Kiki, cuz you said I could be!)

Kristy was surprised to know that it is legend that when ladybugs are spotted, referrals follow soon after. The legend proved to be true! Referrals came out on Thursday. They got through 16 days of Log In Dates (LID'S) this month. (Last month they got through 18 days). That means we are still looking at a total of 14-15 months of waiting time. We have waited almost 5 months already, so IF THE CHINESE OFFICIALS keep up at this pace, we SHOULD receive our referral next September/October and travel 4-6 weeks after that. However, if we all band together and pound Heaven with some prayers, maybe we'll get to meet Abby sooner than that!!

Thanks for your prayers and love Kristy!!!

God is good...all the time, and all the time...God is good.

Under construction

We got a whim....ok, I got a whim...and decided it was time to start revamping Abby's closet. Now, mind you, we won't even be matched with our daughter for AT LEAST 10 more months, but, who cares? This makes us feel one step closer to her.

Tony was SO selfless and not only gave up his closet, he also assembled the system after the inside was repainted. WOW is all I have to say. As we began hanging her little dresses, skirts, jeans, and sweaters, it seemed even more real that one day a little girl would be living here. As you could have guessed, I got all choked up. But honestly, even Tony seemed a little reflective. It is just such a surreal feeling. Afterwards, he stood back and said, "That's a lot of clothes." I grinned, and he added, "But half of it is still empty." The way I see it, he gave me (and you) the green light to SHOP, SHOP, SHOP!

For those of you that live nearby, fully expect a tour of her closet on your next visit. For those who live afar, enjoy the pics. (I actually added a few more items after I had already snapped the pics. Man, this is FUN!--And I don't want ONE comment about the laundry we'll have to do with her!)

Also, we had a GREAT time getting to meet Morgan on Saturday, and getting to hear about Brian and Nancy's adventures in China. TALK ABOUT BEAUTIFUL! She is so cute!!! She is lucky to have such a wonderful family, and they're lucky to have such an adorable and spicy girl! (See previous posts about Morgan and the Williamson family)

Ladybug, ladybug....

A ladybug has been spotted! One of my students brought me the cutest and tiniest ladybug this morning. He found it in our classroom! I told him, "You know this is a sign of good luck, right?" He casually replied, "Yeah." It really made me smile. In the adoption community ladybug sightings are synonymous with incoming referrals. Lucky lucky mommies and daddies will be seeing their baby's face for the first time next week! (Typically, referrals come in toward the end of the month--around the 25th)

So here's to a little ladybug that brightened a teacher's day, a student's day, and foretold of great things to come!

(Thanks for the ladybug scissors Rachel! Abby will love them when she's old enough to use them!)

LID anniversary--#4

WHOO HOO...today we celebrated our Four Month Log-In-Date Anniversary. That means four months ago on June 15 we were officially "logged in" to China's database of waiting families. We are just waiting for our turn to be matched with a child. However, we as Christians, know that God matched us with Abby long long ago. We're just waiting on the rest of her life events to be orchestrated so that she can come home to her forever family.

We celebrated by attending church, eating at my favorite restaurant-Chili's, and then venturing to the orchard. It was a fun day and reminded us that Abby will have many adventures when she comes home. We can't wait!!

GUZ

Yesterday I (Tony) opened the mail box to find a large brown envelope. To my suprise, it was from "The Foreign Service of the United States of America - U.S. Consulate General, Guangzhou, Consular Section, Amcongen Guangzhou, U.S. Department of State, Washington D.C." (Say that 3 times real fast). Rett told me when I brought this in the house that I had in my possession the "famous brown envelope". In this brown envelope, among other things, was our GUZ number. Our GUZ number is our case number when dealing with the American Consulate General. Basically the letter states that "the BCIS (INS) recently notified the American Consulate in Guangzhou that you have been approved to adopt an orphan oversees. This means we are authorized to process your child's case as soon as his or her adoption is finalized...We look forward to seeing you hear soon for your child's immigrant visa interview."

So with that said, this makes us feel good. It is nice to get some encouraging news during this looong wait. This has nothing to do with the wait, but it is information we must have. In addition to the GUZ number we received the following documents that we must take with us to China:

• I600A - Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative
• Consulate General of the United States of America Medical Examination Instructions for Orphans Adopted by American Citizens
• U.S. Department of State Affidavit Concerning Exemption from Immigrant Vaccination Requirements for a Foreign Adopted Child
• U.S. Department of State Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration
• Form written in Chinese - oh wait - it is the Requirements for Immigrant Visa Application Photos
• A letter stating "Welcome to the Adoptions Unit in Guangzho!"
• U.S. Department of Justice Immigration and Naturalization Service Request for and Report on Overseas Orphan Investigation
• U.S. Consular Section Location and Surrounding Area Map (in China)
• U.S. Department of State Medical Examination for Immigrant or Refugee Application

Wow - that is a lot of paperwork that we will eventually need to complete, but that is a good thing.

As of this coming weekend we will have waited four months. Time flies. We are still hearing the wait for referral is about 14 months. Per the FTIA's latest post on 9-25-06, "Families who are currently receiving referrals from the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) waited approximately 14 months after the dossier was officially logged in to the CCAA." Just keep praying it stays at 14 months or less.

So we have been keeping busy to keep our minds off of the wait. In fact, this weekend we stayed EXTREMELY busy. We declined some offers (to do manual labor) and decided to get out of town and we did a good job of it... We did the following:

• ROAD TRIP #1 - Saturday we went to Metamora for their big fall festival and fought the crowds. Nice day for a drive and looking at stuff...
• ROAD TRIP #2 - Saturday afternoon/evening we piled in a van with some friends that live up the street from us and went to Cincinnati. We ate and then went to some haunted houses. This first was not a haunted house. It was a haunted bus ride through the woods. It was sweet. We rode in school buses with the roofs cut off. People jumped out of the woods, hopped onto the bus with chainsaws and etc...but the best part was being rammed by a fire breathing (literally, we felt the heat) bulldozer and fire breathing semi (shooting flames about 8-10 feet out of the exhaust pipes - AWESOME). Both vehicles rammed the bus and pushed the bus honking their airhorns and etc..., again sweet! Now we know why they told us to keep all hands inside the vehicle. The second place was your classic haunted school with a tight maze leading you through the freaky place.
• We ended up returning home from our Saturday evening adventure around 3:00 am Sunday, 11 hours after we left. Thank goodness we all lived within three houses of each other. No additional traveling home was required. But it was a blast go get away and do something different with some new friends, pretending we were "back in the day" with no worries.
• ROAD TRIP #3 - We woke up Sunday morning (about 5 hours after returning home) and traveled to Indy. We went to the COLTS GAME!!!! We have not been football fans for long, but had a blast. It was a good game, great seats, and LOUD! We want to go to every game now. It was a good time.

We returned home and tried to unwind from a BUSY but fun weekend. Now we are back to the weekly grind. We have a busy week again and tonight is the only night with us both home. Oh well, the weekend is around the corner. I think we will take it easy and get some rest this weekend.

Well, I (Tony) do not post often. I think my last post had to do with our crazy cat and dog chasing squirrels up trees in our back yard. So I hope you enjoyed the update. Let me know if you prefer the squirrel updates better.

Chinese Moon Festival

The Chinese Moon Festival is coming up THIS FRIDAY! Our agency posted some very interesting facts about this mid-autumn festival on our weekly update.

Celebrations, though still relatively new to the U.S., have been held throughout Asia for well over 1,000 years. This holiday is a time to reflect upon the bounty of the summer harvest, the fullness of the moon, and the myth of the immortal moon Goddess; Chang E, who lives in the moon.

The Moon Festival is often compared to a sort of "Chinese Thanksgiving" because of its spirit of gratitude and its inclusion of abundant food — including the popular moon cakes. Moon cakes are flaky, round, semi-sweet pastries often filled with bean or lotus-seed paste and topped with a duck egg,echoing the shape of the full moon. Many millions of moon cakes are gifted around the time of the Moon Festival.

Here is a link to Chinasprout.com as they have a link to order these:
http://www.chinasprout.com/htm/community.html?topic=staticpages&id=48

Here is a link for more information about the festival:

http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/midfallstory.htm

So Friday night, take a peek at the moon. When you do, send Abrielle a little hug and whisper her a wish. Hopefully, this time next year, we'll be holding her in our arms, staring at that same moon, and whispering a prayer of thankfulness to her China mommy.

Drama drama drama

Not everything in my life is emotional or a drama....wait, yeah, it is.. so I have another emotional moment to share with the world (and Abby too).

This weekend Tony and I were blessed to hang out with some neighbors of ours. Ben (7th grade) and Jordan (aka=Bologna) (4th grade) spent the night with us Friday night while their parents went out of town. WOW, we were nervous. (Ok, I was nervous, Tony was a rock) Regardless, we had a REALLY good time with them. They are fantastic boys with good heads on their shoulders. Did I mention how funny they are???? We laughed, we played, and we got whooped at Monopoly.

It gave us just a hint of what parenting will be like. I said a HINT. One example that I'm NOT so excited about is the fact that Tony (the dad) was able to sleep through the night peacefully. I'm sure this will continue once Abby is home. He's SUCH A MAN! I, however, worried about hearing the boys if they needed us, and slept VERY lightly. I fretted beyond belief. Is this a sign of what's to come?

Also, I did have a "my heart skipped a beat" moment. I was walking through the kitchen and saw the little guys shoes there. (ok, so they were not THAT little) Anyway, it was weird. I could see their shoes, and hear them laughing downstairs and it made my heart full. It was a little taste of what it will be like to be a family of three. Shoes will be everywhere and laughter will be in the air. It was quite the moment.

Anyway, it was a fun-filled weekend. We also got to spend time with one of my most favorite people in the world...my nephew Chris. He was in town from North Carolina and brought his girlfriend Elise. They make a sweet couple. He's SO grown up!!!

So, no Abby news to report. I'm still planning on posting pictures of the stroller. Remember, be happy with today and thankful to God for blessing you with it!!!