Happy Birthday Mom!

Today we celebrated my Mom's 64th Birthday (she does not look it). Brody our nephew helped her blow out the candle on a wonderful chocolate cake. We went to a family favorite Logan's, they have the best buns/rolls. The sun was shining and it was a fun get together. Love you Mom!

Meeting update and a Serious Dog

We had the agency meeting on Monday evening. There must have been 60+ couples in the room and it did get warm but not too heated. Meaning: It got warm with all those bodies and the news was frustrating. There will be some additional monies required to be paid by each waiting family but no one got to the screaming (angry) point. Why do I describe it that way, well it is hard to wait and some folks have been waiting for years, very emotional. Rich sorta put it best "it is what it is" so we will be paying the fee and asking more questions. I know that our questions will get more and more intense and detailed as time goes by. Adoption agencies are non-profit companies that walk a thin line regarding how much they can have in reserves. Without the additional fees they feel at risk of closing because no one can guesstimate how many families will enter into the process this year. The speaker Dick mentioned that there are 500 waiting families, that's a lot of people hoping and praying for a child. Just imagine all those kids waiting too, they deserve a Forever Family as soon as possible.

We did have a nice end to the evening because we got to meet a lady who has been blogging about her Russian adoption, Joy (click on her name to go to her blog). I read her blog all the time, you should go and check it out too. She got the best possible news in the world!!! We also met another couple from Lincoln Park who are very nice and just behind us in timing.

So why the Doggy pic? Well Molly McPoo was born in January of 1998 and I was thinking WOW she is 77 years old in dog years this month. Happy B-Day poops. I think she looks pretty good for a senior canine. Not sure if she is mad in this picture or just looking very serious? I am still trying to get a picture of her when she smiles, honest she smiles.

Holiday Pics (edited pics no longer avail - site OOB)

Check out the pics, click on one to see it bigger. My favorite is the Group on Thanksgiving Day. We had a great Christmas except for a very fuzzy flat tire on Christmas Eve. Rich got me a pair of those lined Crocs and I have been wearing them almost every waking hour, so comfy hehe! New Year's Eve was fun. We went to a Euchre Tournament, thanks Pete and Tammy your house is gorgeous and your friends are super cool!

Less than a week till the "waiting families" meeting at the agency and we are hopeful that it will be proactive, positive and nowhere near as whiny as the letter was. We'll post after the meeting and fill everyone in.

2008 is almost over!

Yeah! I think like many other people, Jolynn and I are glad to see 2008 go and are looking forward to 2009. We haven't posted in awhile because there hasn't been too much news to post.

However, we did get a very cryptic letter from our agency over the weekend. The adoption process is pretty much like a roller coaster ride. And at times it can be one of those old wooden roller coasters that gives you a rough ride. I'm trying to be positive about things coming up in '09 but I would be lying if I said I wasn't concerned about what was said in the letter. The letter reflected the same negative outlook on the economy that we see every night in the news. Every industry, including the adoption industry is affected by the slow economy. Which translates into slower processing which means longer wait times etc. I don't want to go into too many details at this point because we do have a meeting in a couple of weeks. And I don't want to speculate on things only to say that I'm hoping that this meeting will be a "state of the agency" type of meeting and nothing more.

So for now, I'm going to stay positive and wish everyone a Happy New Year!

Great Quotes and Merry Christmas

"Worry is a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around a center of fear."



"Every experience God gives us, every person he puts in our lives, is the perfect preparation for the future that only he can see."



both written by Corrie Ten Boom

I have these quotes framed and hanging in our home. They are helpful for me. I thought I would share them because there is so much about this International Adoption journey that prompt me to say them to myself. The waiting is the hardest part. I start the "what ifs" that seem to be a waste of time but difficult to stop. So for now I talk with Rich who is so much better at finding patience and not speculating. I also Pray. We are in good hands with our Agency and have faith that we will hear something in the New Year.

We want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. Give big hugs and big smiles. Take lots of pictures and send them to us. We love to see the Christmas albums.

Bunny Christmas Ball

We had a great Thanksgiving. Tried a new Brussels Sprouts Dish that was really good. If anyone wants a copy just let me know.

Brenda (Rich's sister) gave us an ornament for our tree. It is really cute and says "Some Bunny Loves You". When she gave it to me I cried a little and she teared up too. Corny, I know but I really want to Thank you Bren.

In adoption news we are updating some paperwork and waiting as patiently as possible for a referral.

Turkey Time

In less then two weeks it will be Thanksgiving. My favorite time of year except I can't stand the cold. Rich loves it, soon he will be skiing. What I love is cooking and having folks over to the house. Here is a picture from last year (everyone has their eyes open) and also one of Rich getting ready to ski the K-12.

I wish everyone could come and stay with us. I am not too sad about Bunny not being here because the holidays will just make the time we have to wait go by faster.