Dutch Madness

Here are some photos from the Flower Auction outside Amsterdam. We ventured to the Hague where I'm spending tonight. We spent the evening on a dairy farm out in the lowlands. Very beautiful houses and animals and amazing land. There's water everywhere! We were two meters below sea level! Anyway, here's my short second video...this was in the marketing area of the Flower Auction today:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4946118004893960327

Space Cake in Amsterdam

This is what our cabbie told us to order at a cafe. He was teasing (I think) since Space Cake is chocolate cake with weed in it! It's really quite a beautiful place. The buildings are stunning. We are here less than 12 hours...only about 6 hours of sleep tonight. Then it's off to the flower auction in the morning, the Hague in the afternoon and overnight there too. I hope to produce another Miss Vid tomorrow. Have a good night!

Off to Holland

We wrap up in Brussels today and then it's off to Holland by train. Should be wonderful. Hope you all are doing well. I'm getting ready for breakfast...I suppose all of you are already in bed! Have a good night!

Breakfast in Poland, Lunch in Paris, Dinner in Brussels

That gives you an idea of how much we've traveled since this morning! It's been a wonderful day. I had my reunion with the wonderful chocolate of Pierre Marcolini as you saw in the video. The recorder ran out of batteries as I was entering the Grande Place here in Brussels so I didn't get that on tape...maybe in the morning. Here are some photos to tide you over til then. (Note: They are not in chronological order!) Photo 1: Missy sips a Coke with grenadine (cherry syrup) in a cozy little cafe on the Grand Place in Brussels. Photo 2: Missy in the Grand Place. Photo 3: My Brussels hotel room....ahhhh! Photo 4: Missy outside Gare du Nord train station in Paris this morning. Photo 5: Missy at the Paris cafe where she had lunch.

Video from Brussels

Click here.

Could this hint at a new career as a travel journalist?!?! One can dream, right?

Here are the photos for today!

Photo 1: Missy at dinner on the agri-tourism farm of Mrs. Anna Gas. That's Kristina, one of the organizers of the trip beside her. Photo 2: Missy, Jack Thurston (German Marshall Fund Fellow and a Brit), and Joy, a fellow journalist. This was lunch today at Leopold's place. Photo 3: The mountains of rural Poland...or is it really just Northeast Tennessee?!?! I didn't know if I was in Europe or Kingsport this morning! Photo 4: Missy hard at work filing her first story...from the hillside of a Polish dairy farm that recevied start-up assistance from Heifer International! Photo 4: This is Leopold.

On the Farm

We met a farmer today named Leopold Grabowski. He entertained us at lunch at his agri-tourism operation outside Krakow. He's 70 years old. He was very charming and invited us to have a look around. We had chicken and pork tenderloin at his place...delicious! Despite having wonderful food at every meal, I haven't been very hungry. Oh, I'm eating alright but not as much as usual. I'm chalking it up to the time change/jet lag because I normally have no problem packing it away! We are off to Paris early in the morning but we will take a train from Paris to Brussels. That's where we'll spend the rest of the day and tomorrow night. I LOVE Brussels. Many of us in the group are already conspiring to visit Pierre Marcolini, the BEST chocolatier in the world. One gal said it was like "Tiffany's" but with chocolate. I couldn't agree more! We concluded our day with a visit to an agri-tourism farm where we had dinner, a bonfire and accordian music. The old guy playing the accordian was great! At the end of the evening, he had us follow him out to the front. We applauded when he finished. As he walked down the steps to the parking lot, he struck up another tune. His wife kept going. He kept playing. I figured she went to get "the hook." I thought "This guy really believes all the world's a stage!" More observations:

*Having a conversation that requires a translator takes a LONG time. And by the time you ask the question, it gets translated, the person answers and the answer gets translated, you have forgotten the question you asked!

*Don't ask what kind of meat is in a Polish dish. If it tastes good, just smile and gobble it down.

*Brits will eat anything "between the nose and tail."

*Polish people give their children names that the children can't pronounce until they're 10 years old.

*Polish people name their dogs "Lucky."

*It's cute that Polish people call their homeland "Polsky" and they applaud on airplanes when they land on Polish soil.

I will try to upload some photos in a few minutes...or maybe tomorrow. Have a good one!

I'm here!!

After a long delay in Springfield, barely making my flight to Munich in Chicago, then having only about 10 minutes to spare before boarding my flight to Krakow...I'm here!! Praise the Lord...I made it and my luggage made it! And I've got the photos to prove it! The first photo is me in the main square of Krakow. The second photo is my hotel room here. The third photo...well, you can insert your own caption (hahaha!).

When I got to my hotel room, I showered and then hit the town with three other journalists in my group. They are super nice folks and really easy going. We just tooled around for several hours, split a dough-y pretzel, soaked up the sights and saw more catholic cathederals than you can shake a stick at! It's probably no surprise that my first purchase in Europe (in Munich) was a Coke Light!! I'm running on the caffeine from that delightful beverage. We'll be having dinner in a bit and I'll have to re-fuel with another dose of C.L. I feel like I already have a gazillion stories to tell...I'll just give you some highlights:

*I thought I had scored when we took off from Chicago and I was in a row of three seats by myself! Then, a lady came up and asked if anyone was sitting in the aisle seat. Wah-wah.

*On the plus side, the seat usurper asked me if I was an athlete. I had on a tank top so I'm hoping she was impressed by the "gun show!" HAHAHA!

*Polish spelling is funny: Alkohole, wegetarianiski (vegitarian)

*You have to be vewy, vewy quiet in cathedrals.

*It's hot here! And they don't believe in AC!! I will just have to sweat it out tonight.

That's it for now. Here are a couple more shots from today. More to come!

Missy Gets a French Welcome

Seinfeld in da House

Some quotes from one of our faves, Jerry Seinfeld:

*According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.

*Did you ever notice, when you are sitting at a red light, that when the person in front of you pulls up a couple of inches, you are compelled to move up too? Do we really think we are making progress toward our destination? "Whew, I thought we would be late, but now that I am nine inches closer, I can stop for coffee and a danish!"

*I was the best man at the wedding. If I'm the best man, why is she marrying him?

*Isn't it weird that we drink milk, stuff designed to nourish baby cows? How did that happen? Did some cattleman once say, "Oh, man, I can't wait till them calves are done so I can get me a hit of that stuff."

*It's amazing that the amount of news that happens in the world every day always just exactly fits the newspaper.

*My parents didn't want to move to Florida, but they turned sixty, and that's the law.

*Now they show you how detergents take out bloodstains, a pretty violent image there. I think if you've got a T-shirt with a bloodstain all over it, maybe laundry isn't your biggest problem.
Maybe you should get rid of the body before you do the wash.

*The Swiss have an interesting army. Five hundred years without a war. Pretty impressive. Also pretty lucky for them. Ever see that little Swiss Army knife they have to fight with? Not much of a weapon there. Corkscrews. Bottle openers. "Come on, buddy, let's go. You get past me, the guy in back of me, he's got a spoon. Back off. I've got the toe clippers right here."

*Where lipstick is concerned, the important thing is not color, but to accept God's final word on where your lips end.

*Why do they call it a "building"? It looks like they're finished.
Why isn't it a "built"?

*Would somebody please explain to me those signs that say, "No animals allowed except for Seeing Eye Dogs?" Who is that sign for? Is it for the dog, or the blind person?

*Men don't care what's on TV. They only care what else is on TV.

Oilily for Lily

Many of you know of my love for the clothing line from Oilily. It's based in the Netherlands but there are some boutiques in the states. It's mainly a children's line but they have really fun women's clothing too. I'm planning to raid the Oilily stores in Amsterdam and Paris. I'll have a hard time resisting if I find something lovely for Lily!! Check out the beach-themed website by clicking the logo. I can't wait for my trip...Please pray that I have a safe, smooth, on time travel experience. I have a tight connection in Munich where I'll catch a plane to Krakow. It's too bad I won't have more time to wander around the Munich airport. It's supposed to be one of the best airports in the EU. I just got my full itinerary today. It's going to be a whirlwind trip. We're going to travel some by train. I love going by train in Europe because you get to see so much of the beautiful countryside. I loved going around Germany by train...I saw some beautiful little villages perched on the sides of mountains. Most people sleep or read on the train. I was like a little kid, glued to the window, watching all the little towns slip by...ahhhh.

ONE MONTH ANNIVERSARY!

Today is the one month anniversary of our LID. YAY!! One month down, who knows how many more to go on this journey. The consensus among the rumor community is that the wait will extend to 3 years. Some people have asked if that means we will get a 3 year old child. The simple answer is no. You are not matched with a baby as soon as you are logged in and then wait to get to the front of the line and go get her. It means our baby hasn't been born yet. When our dossier gets to the front of the line, the CCAA looks at the babies they have available at that time and matches us with one of them. So, when our child is referred to us, she'll probably be 9-10 months old. We'll get her a couple of months later, making her about 1 year old when she's placed in our arms. So, that's how it works. Thanks for traveling this road with us.

Reunited!

During my Euro-excursion, I will get to visit a friend of mine from high school. Benedicte was an exchange student from France who stayed with my family in Tennessee for a couple of months when she and I were in high school. We have kept in touch over the years. Brad and I visited her and her parents during our Paris trip in 2000. Now, she's married and has the cutest little boy in the world (Exhibit A: the photo of Clemente and Benedicte). I am so excited to get to visit them while I'm abroad! They live a couple of hours outside Paris and have graciously agreed to make arrangements for me to take the train to their town. How cool!!

Paris, Take 1

Here's a photo of us in a Paris cafe in 2000. It was near the Louvre, I believe. It was September but still cool enough to require a sweater. Brad is giving me his camcorder toy to take with me. I hope to post video and blog entries while I'm abroad.

Ahhhh, Paris

The details are coming together for my upcoming trip. It's looking better and better all the time. I've got interviews set up with some local farm people here. I will take my sound from them and use it with the sound I gather in Europe to produce some cool stories! All the farmers/farm experts I've talked to so far say this is a very timely trip because the head of Ag for the EU was just in the state last week! I'm so excited...it's going to be great on so many levels. I've decided to stay on a couple of days in Paris after the official itinerary concludes. Thank goodness for Marriott points...I'm staying at this swankified hotel and it will cost me nothing!

In case you didn't hear...There was an earthquake near the city where my sister lives. She felt the building sway but there was no damage where she was. We're so thankful that she's doing well. Please continue to pray for her. Pray for those who sustained injury and damage to property during the quake.

MISSY IS GOING TO EUROPE!!!

This is SO wild!! I got an email last Friday from my editor at NPR. He only sent it to a few reporters in his region who he felt would be good candidates for a fellowship that would involve a one-week study tour of Europe. The fellowship focuses on agriculture issues and is put on by the German Marshall Fund. I found out today that I've been selected to go! The preliminary itinerary is amazing! Leave the states on Saturday May 26th and fly into Krakow, Poland on May 27th. Stay there for a couple of days, then it's on to Brussels, Amsterdam and Paris!! I'm so pumped about this!! I only wish I had known about it further in advance so I could savor the build up and anticipation (does that sound weird?!?!). We had a garage sale this weekend and we were going through some old stuff. We found this tiny hair dryer I bought in Steinheim, Germany when I was staying at a B&B there in 2003 that didn't provide hair dryers (heck, the toilet wasn't even in the room...as you can tell, it doesn't take much for me to feel like I'm "roughing" it). I told Brad we shouldn't sell the dryer because I might need it if I got selected for this fellowship...so, whip out the hair dryer, baby, cause here I come!!

Please pray I have a safe, educational, productive, wonderful trip. I'm so thankful God has given me this amazing opportunity!!

Happy Mother's Day

I hope all of you have a Happy Mother's Day! That includes mothers who already have their children and mothers-to-be who are still dreaming about their children. Hope you all had a lovely weekend!

It's a BOY for Misty and Joel!!

All the details are at their blog. We are so thrilled that our dear friends will be the proud parents of a baby boy come August!! God is so good and the timing is perfect. What a wonderful Mother's Day gift for Misty! This reaffirms our belief and hope that our baby is out there too. We're just basking in the joy of this moment!! Join with us in prayer as they prepare to welcome this special baby into their lives this summer!!

Thai Your Shoes

The only shoes my sister wears in Thailand are flip-flops. Although, she's training for a half marathon (like me!) and probably doesn't run in flops. Just a guess. She's doing well and thanks to everyone who asks about her and keeps up with her blog. This is a photo of her in the back of the little red trucks they use for taxis. Hope you're all having a great Tuesday!

More awards!

I found out today that two of my public TV programs and two of my public radio stories are finalists in a statewide competition! This is excellent news, especially since it means my station will pick up the tab for a night at the Ritz Carlton for the awards ceremony in June! That's when we'll find out if we're "just a finalist" or if we won. My two TV programs are probably the only finalists in the special programs category so one of my programs likely will win there. It's always exciting to get this kind of recognition!

Crazy Friday

I suppose that's the opposite of Lazy Sunday (see SNL digital sketch). It was a crazy day and I'm so glad it's the weekend! No big plans here, save battling the crowds to see Spidey 3. We were planning to go to KC this evening for me to pick up my regional Murrow award tomorrow at a luncheon but now have decided not to go since I have to be back here by 6PM Saturday. Not worth the drive. Take care and have a safe one!

Are you LOST?!?!

The writers and actors on TV's best drama: LOST gave us a great episode last night. Even Brad, a reluctant fan couldn't deny the cliff-hanger goodness of the program after the latest episode. For the uninitiated, it's the ongoing story of a group of people who survived a plane crash and are now living on a bizarre island in the middle of nowhere (literally!). In addition to the general island weirdness (polar bears on a tropical island?), there's another group of people who live on the island. They're a mysterious bunch known as "The Others." If you haven't been following the show, jumping in now may be a little difficult. But if you've got a rainy weekend, I definitely recommend renting the first two seasons on DVD. It's reminiscent of the "Twilight Zone" or the short-lived NBC series "Amazing Stories"...cool twists and turns...more questions than answers.

On a different note...If you missed the Colbert Report last night, he had this funny segment on NPR. Click here and enjoy a good laugh.

Look what she did to the cat!

Missy decided to have a little fun at LB's expense.

Watch how he liked it.

We are LID!!

Despite the bad news about possibly delays in getting a child referred to us, we got some excellent news today. Our Log In Date (LID) is April 23, 2007!!! This is the date our paperwork officially got logged in by the Chinese officials. It's a relief to (finally!) be in line...like for real...like actually with a number...like we're ready for our child...like anytime now, ok? :-)

Have a super weekend!

No Lily til 2011?!?!

Say it isn't so!! The latest calculations by Rumor Queen show that with an April, 2007 LID, it's firmly within the realm of possibility that we won't get Lily until 2011. This breaks my heart. Obviously, this wasn't the scenario when we made the decision to pursue China adoption back in November. We have learned that we can pursue an "interim adoption" from another country. We spoke with a woman Sunday evening from an agency that does Vietnam adoptions. They are working with a number of families waiting in line for China. Please pray as we consider all our options. We are NOT giving up on China. But we also want to become parents and if we can do that while keeping our place in line, it's a very appealing possibility. Remember, this journey didn't begin in November or last summer. It began in the summer of 2003...*sigh*

A dirty secret of some journalists...

Faced with the harsh realities of news, many of us journalists like to read what I call "trash mags" in our free time. It's true! One of the big treats I allow myself when we go on vacation is the latest issue of Us or People or Star. When I go to the gym and hop on the treadmill, many miles get whiled away reading one of these rags. At a wedding for fellow journalists this weekend, I was talking to some of my colleagues about this. They too were ashamed (tongue-in-cheek) of their indulgences but felt it was necessary to relieve their brains of stress by reading about the latest antics of Brittney (did I even spell her name right?) and Paris or the fashion faux pas of Jennifer Lopez. One journalist even admitted to using code when talking about buying the trash mags. She called it "getting the papers." How funny! I tell Brad that I feel like my IQ temporarily drops after reading some of these really obnoxious articles. But hey, it's fun!! Hope you take time to indulge once in a while!

Doors

God is always opening doors so we can peek through. We are peeking through some doors right now as we wait for Lily. We always ask God to lead our hearts. Please pray for us as we look to the future and the opportunities God lays before us.

We hope you've had a good week, despite the awful start. We continue to pray for Virginia Tech.

We're excited about having dinner tonight with a family that has adopted two girls from China. We think it will be a blast getting to know them and sharing a meal together. We're so thankful to have a community of adoptive families in the area because we're able to learn a lot from them!

Pictures from Vegas

Virginia Tech

As Brad and I watched the events unfolding yesterday morning from our Vegas hotel room, we immediately tried to call his brother who teaches at Tech. Thankfully, he was fine. It seems he was on campus when it happened but arrived home safely yesterday afternoon. Our hearts grieve for those who never got the reassurance that their loved one was fine. We are so sad about this and are praying for the entire campus and community. We got to visit Blacksburg/Christiansburg several Christmases ago. We thought it was a charming area. It's so awful what has happened. It puts everything in perspective.

Vegas

Vegas has been wild. I'm actually glad I'm leaving tomorrow. I'm sure it would be more enjoyable if we were here on vacation. But we have lots of meetings to attend. Plus, every time you go somewhere, you and your clothes get coated in smoke. YUCK! That's all for now. I'm on a hoopty computer at the hotel that will hardly type...more to come once we're back home. Pray for our safe travels.

And I am telling you...I'm not going...

We got news today from our agency that they are very sympathetic to all the cyber hand-wringing about the SLOW referral process. They say it's a lack of "paper-ready" babies...In other words, not all orphanges participate in the international adoption program so among the ones that do, they're getting babies "processed" as quickly as possible. But that's not keeping pace with the number of families applying for babies. The Chinese officials apparently are out in the country trying to convince more orphanages to participate. They have a financial incentive since all families donate $3000 to the orphanage that cared for their child. Our agency also did not deny the possibility that the wait could extend to three years. Their sensitivity to the waiting families was touching:

"We understand that each person in this process has a very personal story that led them here and with that, a unique past. Sometimes that past may be filled with disappointment, loss, or frustration. When faced with the challenges that can arise when adopting internationally, those feelings may return stronger than ever. We often encourage families to find a positive source of support to turn to in this process. But when you are constantly faced with the questions of When? Why? or Why not? the stress of not having an exact answer to those questions can really take its toll. In order to reduce anxiety and frustration, it is important that we educate ourselves and those around us to help strengthen that line of support. I feel that it is also important to be able to discuss your feelings in a manner that benefits you."

It's so great that we have all of you to share this journey with us. We are not giving up (think Effie from Dreamgirls: "And I am telling you...I'm not going!"). I've read comments from other adopting parents who say their friends and families give up on the idea or forget about it while they continue to wait. They get comments like, "Oh yeah. We thought you gave up on that adoption thing a long time ago." So, I invite you to dig in your heels with us as we pray and wait during what Brad calls the Lily Advent. And when we vent our frustrations, we just ask that you love us and listen to us. There isn't always an easy answer or an answer at all, something I made peace with a long time ago. So, keep the faith...We sure are.

We're approved!!!!

Just got word that our dossier has passed scrutiny at Great Wall! This means our dossier will go to China on Friday!! WHOO-HOO!! (Can you see me turning back flips?!?!) We will then get info about the referral process. I'll let you know what news comes from that later in the week/early next week. Thank you for your prayers on this journey. Remember, we've still got a long way to go before we hold Lily in our arms so prayers for patience, endurance, and strength are needed. One other note...We were assured by our regional reps today that once our dossier passes Great Wall scrutiny, we can be assured it meets China's standards and should not encounter any difficulties along the way. WE ARE GOING TO GET OUR BABY GIRL!!

Happy Easter!

We hope you have a blessed Easter Day! It's cold here but sunny.

We're gearing up for a trip to Vegas on Friday. We can't wait! The temps there are in the upper 70's/lower 80's! We'll be lounging by the pool for hours!

Chinese 101

In an effort to broaden our horizons, Brad and I have enrolled in Chinese 101 at the local university. We will begin classes this fall. In Spring,2008, we'll take the second level and in Fall, 2008, we'll take the third level. We plan to continue on this language journey until we get news that Lily has been referred to us. Maybe by then, we'll be able to ask her nannies at the orphanage what she likes to eat and what her favorite toys are.

This afternoon, we took a jaunt to a town about 1.5 hours away. We just wanted to get out of town, do a little shopping, eat at P.F. Chang's. While at the restaurant, a family came in with an Asian baby. She was so cute and the entire family seemed to be in love with the little thing. It was so sweet to watch. That will be us someday!

Please pray that God will intervene and speed up referrals (the process of matching babies to families). Right now, it's as slow as molasses. I feel optimistic that things will get better. But I'm specifically praying that God will work in very tangible ways to allow the CCAA to refer more babies to more families. I was reading a post from a waiting family recently about how heartbreaking it is for the babies and children who want a mom and dad more than anything. And here are all of us, wanting a child more than anything. And yet, the process is so slow, these children go to bed night after night without a parent to tuck them in. Pray for this situation on behalf of these blessed children. Some people have told us they are already praying for little Lily. We thank you for that. It means so much to us!

Dossier SENT to GWCA!!

This afternoon, we put our completed dossier in the mail to Great Wall. They will get it Monday, review it and if everything's in order, they will send it to China next Friday!! A few weeks later, we will get our LID (Log In Date). That's officially when our wait begins. Right now, it's easily looking like we'll wait 2 years from our LID. There's always buzz on the internet that the wait will shorten or lengthen. We had a prayer vigil at church today. I stopped by and prayed over the dossier, for our child, for her birth family, for the Chinese officials who will match us with her, for all of you, for our church and our community. I hope you have a blessed Good Friday.

Dancing in the street!

Brad's passport arrived today!!!! I had told my dad earlier today that if it was in the mailbox when I got home, I'd literally dance in the street. So, when I saw it there, I did a jig in the street...I hope the neighbors weren't watching! This means we can get our dossier to Great Wall in time for them to review it and mail it to China a week from TOMORROW!! This is so far ahead of our original timeline. It's very, very exciting. We can only say PRAISE GOD!

Speaking of God...

This is Maundy Thursday and our church is so great at providing us with a meaningful service to commemorate the last supper. The service always ends in total darkness and silence as we file out of the sanctuary. Brad will be a participant in the service tonight. We will have a prayer vigil tomorrow for Good Friday and then I'll sing tomorrow night as the youth in our church begin their vigil around a large wooden cross in the field next to the church. They sit out by the cross from Friday night to Sunday morning. They are highly visible from the nearby busy road. It's such a wonderful testimony to everyone who drives by! We hope you have a blessed holy weekend culminating in a joyful Easter celebration!

Not the Four Letter "S" Word!!

SNOW?!?! (What word were you thinking of?!?! *wink*) It seems snow is in the cards for tomorrow night and Friday. ARGH! I'm actually wearing a sweater today!

I love that several of you "outed" our SNL sketch playing in the background of the video clip. I hope it didn't distract you from our rock star kitty Little Buddy. Our SNL fan level is quite intense given that we have our own "middle school mix tape" of our favorite SNL sketches from recent years. A recent fave is Peyton Manning in the spot where he's a volunteer coaching some little kids playing football...With all the kids gathered around, he says, "Alright, I'll KILL a snitch! I'm not saying I have, I'm not saying I haven't. You know what I mean. Whatever."

We should get all our documents back from being authenticated Friday. YAY! Pray that Brad's passport arrives this week!!

An Easter Miracle!

We got our federal form in the mail TODAY! This is a full two weeks ahead of schedule!! If all goes well, we could have our dossier on its way to China the end of next week! This new development makes it very hard to justify holding our dossier for the entire month to see the May 1 waiting child list at the other agency. So, we're thinking we'll move right along. Very exciting to see things ahead of schedule. On the other hand...

News about the referrals of children is very disheartening. The Chinese officials (CCAA) have only referred children for families who completed dossiers in October, 2005. Yes, that's 2005. Some agencies are telling clients the wait will be at least two years...the dreaded three year possibility is being mentioned as well. I know God is in control. It's just hard to realize that after all we've been through, we could still wait THREE MORE YEARS for our child. I know it will be worth the wait. It's just hard...

Anyone interested in wallowing in the rumor mill with us should check out this website: http://chinaadopttalk.com/ The rumor forum is especially addictive.

Brad plays with his new toy

Prayer request for a teensy baby

The grandson of Jill, a friend of ours from church is not doing well. He was born just a couple of weeks ago as a preemie and a twin. He has a serious blood infection. Please pray that God will heal his little (tiny!) body.

Happy Thursday!

Hope you all are having a great day. Not much new here. We are currently debating whether to hold off a week on sending our dossier to China so we can look at another agency's waiting child list on May 1. (We're hoping to have our dossier ready to go to China the week of April 16th or 23rd.) Once we send our dossier, we'll be locked into working exclusively with Great Wall. While we chose to do that a long time ago, we're wondering if we might hold off one week to give ourselves a chance to look at the waiting list for the agency that had Dang You Bin's file. It may not sound like a big deal but it seems like a week's difference in sending your dossier could result in a longer wait at the end for your referral. On the other hand, we could find our child on that list on May 1. Ah, decisions, decisions. Pray for us as we decide what to do.

Update! Dang You Bin found his family!

We are happy to report that the little boy in my previous post has been referred to a family! We are very excited about this news. Thanks to those of you who joined us in prayer over him and what role we might play in his life. It seems we were called on to lift him up in prayer, something we gladly did. Please pray that he has an easy transition and that God will prepare his new family to provide the love he (and every child!) deserves.

Prayers for a precious little boy

We found this little boy on a "waiting child" list and he stole our hearts. His name is Dang You Bin. He is listed as a special needs child because of a suspected demformity of his jaw. There are three families besides us who are interested in him. We were very happy to hear this. Regardless of which family becomes his "forever family," we have been moved by his sweet face and ask that you join us in praying over his young life.

Bulletin...Bulletin

This just in! Missy has won a regional Murrow award for a Hard News Feature she did entitled Debating Sex Education. WHOO-HOO!!! Her story now goes on to compete for a national Murrow.

Tell the government not to raise adoption form fees!

Our agency sent this out. Please take the time to respond on behalf of adopting families like us and ask the government NOT to raise our paperwork and fingerprinting fees. I've already sent my comments. I hope you'll do the same.

Dear Families and Adoption Professionals:

Fees are increasing at USCIS, and there is very little time left to voice our objection. The following is an outline on how the increase affects adoption and what we can do, as a group, to stop the increase. Please feel free to forward this message to any agency, listserv, group or individual who can help to eliminate the fee increases affecting adoption. We only have a week left to act on this.

Fee Increase Proposal

On February 1, 2007, USCIS published a Notice of Proposed Rule Making in the Federal Register that would substantially raise filing fees for most types of cases. If the proposed rule is adopted, filing fees would increase by an average of 66% over current fees. The proposed rule is subject to a 60-day comment period that ends on April 2, 2007. At the end of the comment period, USCIS will review and consider the comments it has received on its proposed rule. USCIS will then send its final proposal to the Office of Management and Budget for review. The OMB will make a final decision on the fee increase and issue the final rule.

Timing of Potential Increase

Fortunately, the “adjusted” fees will not take effect until the public has an opportunity to comment. The comment period is 60 days beginning February 1, 2007, and ending on April 2, 2007. The increase in fees should not become effective until June 2007 at the earliest.

Adoption-Related Petitions Affected by the Proposed Increase

Form
Petition Type
Current Fee
Proposed Fee
I-600/600A
Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative
$ 545
$ 670
N-565
Application for Replacement of Certificate of Citizenship (used for name changes)
$ 220
$ 380
N-600
Application for Certificate of Citizenship
$ 255
$ 460

Biometric Services (fingerprints)
$ 70
$ 80
Together, Let’s Make a Difference!
Adoption is expensive enough already, and it is unconscionable to raise fees by up to 66% for adoption-related petitions. This can be fought, but it needs action by everyone in the adoption community. Please forward this e-mail on to anyone who would like to see the increase rejected. You action is needed quickly as we only have a week left to voice our objections.
Submit Your Comments to USCIS by April 2, 2007Anyone may comment on the proposed regulation. Those interested in commenting should take time to review the proposed regulation and formulate logical, potentially persuasive statements. Comments will be made public, as they will be posted as submitted at www.regulations.gov. One should NOT include any personal detail unless s/he is willing to share it freely. While no one likes prices to go up, simply complaining about the increase in costs is unlikely to have an impact.Comments must be received by April 2, 2007, and must reference the agency name (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services), as well as the docket number (USCIS-2006-0044). Comments may be submitted at http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main, the Federal Rulemaking Portal, or via mail or courier, in hardcopy, disk, or CD-ROM form to:
Director, Management DivisionU.S. Citizenship and Immigration ServicesDepartment of Homeland Security111 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, 3rd FloorWashington D.C. 20529
Conclusion Voicing your opinion makes you part of the democratic process, and this is how the U.S. government and legal systems are supposed to work. Although most of us hesitate to publicly comment, the government really does carefully consider the content of comments, as well as the sheer number of those responding. When USCIS introduced regulations to reduce the time for B-2 tourist visits from six months to 30 days, for example, there were more than 10,000 comments. That convinced the USCIS to shelve the proposal. Remember, the key is the QUANTITY of responses they get. It should not be difficult to get at least 10,000 of us to comment. Please take the time today to do this.

Whoo-hoo Weekend!

I'm ready for the weekend! Today started out sunny but it's now rainy. Blah! We are going to see a movie tonight. I'm not sure what we'll end up seeing. We have tickets to see Tuesdays with Morrie tomorrow night with our adoption friends from church (we need an official name for our group...LOL!). Before the show, we're going to our first meeting of the local group for families who have adopted or will adopt internationally. I'm excited to meet these families and learn from their experiences. Have a super Friday!

Storm Spotter Extraordinaire!

Yes, I am an official storm spotter!! I did a national story that aired yesterday on storm spotter training. And since I attended the entire storm spotter training session, I got a certificate. It was really interesting...and surprising that it's not always obvious when a tornado is about to form. We watched some cool videos of tornados by storm chasers.

Adoption update: We got most of our documents certified yesterday by the Secretary of State and got our birth and marriage certificates back from being authenticated! Slowly but surely we are getting things done. We hope to send our other documents for authentication tomorrow. Once that's done, we just have to wait for our federal paperwork and we'll be all set to send our dossier to China!! PRAISE THE LORD!!

A heartwarming story...

I'm a member of a local yahoo group about China adoption (I mostly read, I rarely post) and since there are no last names used in this story, I'm going to post it here. It's a very sweet reflection on adopting from China. Hope you enjoy it:

Today Kylah is 5! She is our first daughter adopted from China and opened my eyes to so much I had never known or seen before. What a blessing she has been in our lives. We started researching adopting in early 1999,and sent away for a packet from Childrens Hope shortly after. I remember the day it came in and I read how to prepare a dossier and was overwhelmed. It would be 2 years before we would pick that packet up again and start our adoption process. We were DTC (dossier to China) August of 2001 and received a referral Oct. 2 2002. At that point, 14 months to referral was unheard of up, the wait grew a little more than that over the months. When we received our referral in Oct we learned Yong Zhi Min was our daughter and that she lived in Yongzhou, Hunan and was born March 20 2002, the first day of Spring. Spring means new beginnings and that is what Kylah has brought into our lives. As you all know, we have brought two more daughters home from China since then and it often brings me back to how grateful I am that God planted the seed in my head back in 1999 while standing in line in a Build A Bear store in St. Louis on my oldest daughter Kaitlyn's 10th Birthday. We stood by a family who had just brought home a little one from China, and from that chance meeting our family has grown.

I am not an artist...but I play one on TV

I'm pretending to be artistic this weekend as I've begun assembling our photos for the dossier. You can submit up to 10. There are some minimum requirements and some "duh" instructions (like don't use photos with partially clothed people or alcoholic drinks) but basically you can be as creative as you want in selecting and displaying the photos. We browsed the craft shops today and I came away with enough scrapbook swag to create some nifty looking pages. We are going to photograph them so we can share them with everyone...once we send them off to China, we won't get to see them again! These are the photos the CCAA (Chinese officials) will use to match us with a child. Believe it or not, they actually try to find a child that looks like you. Our friends who are the regional reps for our adoption agency have one biological child, a Chinese daughter and are waiting to adopt their second Chinese daughter. Their first Chinese daughter, Reagan looks A LOT like the dad. Seriously!! They have similar eyes and facial features. They came to see Cinderella. After the show, he was holding Reagan and her little face was next to his. WOW! What a resemblance! Anyway, it's exciting to assemble our photos. After Friday's trip to KC, we started talking more about the nursery and decor. I also bought my first copy of Adoptive Families magazine. There was a great article in there about how you should start thinking like a couple that's expecting a baby...because you are!! How fabulous!

If you haven't yet, you should check out my sister's blog (link to the left). She's so good about posting photos and writing about her experiences in Thailand (Crystal--she got a kick out of your gecko comment!!). She's doing great. Brad and I sent her and her roommate an Easter Fun Pack, consisting mainly of chocolates. Wendy is convinced they're going to melt. We are fairly confident they'll be fine. We'll see!

Hope you are having a super weekend!! oxox

Back from KC

We had a great time in KC today. The visit to the CIS office was quite uneventful. There were only a few people there besides us. We went through a metal detector, presented our paperwork, then took a number to be fingerprinted. The fingerprinting was done electronically. That consists of wetting and drying your fingertips in an effort to get just the right amount of moisture on them to make for a good print.

We're hoping it takes no more than 4 weeks to get our paperwork back. We've heard that's the expected wait time these days. It's great news because as soon as we get this form, we'll be ready to submit our dossier. Whoo-hoo!

Before and after the CIS visit, we went to Cheesecake Factory. Pre-CIS, we split tex mex eggrolls and each had a chopped salad. We returned in the afternoon post-CIS for Brad to try the Tres Leches cheesecake. My mom made Tres Leches cake at Christmas and Brad was in love with it. Brad said the cheesecake was good but not as good as my mom's cake. I thought it was ok. I like something with a little chocolate myself. Here are a couple of photos of Missy today taken by Brad's cell phone camera outside Cheesecake Factory:

The Lily Advent

As I was enjoying myself in Jacksonville this week, Missy sent me an e-mail in which GWCA described the likely waiting time for applications coming in: at least 18 months, likely longer, as people rush to beat the May 1 deadline.

But it occurred to me that that period, however long it ends up being, will be a time of preparation, both in terms of our parenting skills, our home as well as our hearts and mind. That led me to describing it as the Lily Advent. In Sunday School, we've studied a book called "Manger and Mystery - An Advent Adventure." It's an Advent study, meant to rekindle the "reasons for the season." I'll just quote here from the first chapter:

The dictionary defines the word adventure as "a bold undertaking, in which hazards are to be encountered," "a remarkable occurrence in one's personal history," "a stirring experience." An Advent adventure is a risky and bold undertaking and, at the same time, a remarkable and stirring experience. It invites us to be awake, to expose ourselves to uncertainty about our destination. To welcome the surprises that unfold, to hear the old story in new ways, to look at traditional symbols through open eyes and hearts. To journey deeply through the season, wrapping our timeworn customs in new expectations.

Proud Mary

I had the chance this week to interview Mary Wilson of the Supremes (that's THE Supremes, as in Diana Ross). She was at the state capitol to testify for a bill designed to crack down on imposter Supremes. Apparently, there are lots of groups traveling around claiming to be the original Supremes. Anyway, she's like in her 60's. As you can see, she's absolutely gorgeous. She was also very gracious with her time in talking with me. She even sang a snippet of "Stop! In the Name of Love" for my story! What a lady! That's me, my graduate assistant, Mike and Mary in the bottom photo.

Brad is getting back late tonight from Florida. He has decided that I get to go with him next year. I'm not bitter about him leaving me behind in the rain and cold of Missouri this year while he frolicked in the warm, sandy surf on an island outside of Jacksonville...no, I'm not bitter at all.I just arranged to meet a friend for dinner and a movie at our arthouse cinema before getting Brad from the airport. Should be a blast! Hope you all have a super weekend!

Home Study Approved

I got an email this morning saying our home study has been approved by Great Wall. That means we just have to get the notarized copies and we're all set for our trip to Kansas City on March 16th. Brad left this morning for a business trip to Florida (poor baby!). Don't know what I'm going to do this week with all my "free time." I was excited to find out yesterday that The Painted Veil will be showing at the local cinema that shows arthouse films later this month. Whoo-hoo! Brad has already agreed to take me to see it again.

I talked to Weedy yesterday while she was at JFK waiting to board Singapore Air for the longest leg of her trip. She should arrive in Singapore this evening at 7:00PM EST and she'll get to Chiang Mai around 11:30PM EST. She said she'd call me when she arrives to let me know she got there.

Hope you're having a great Tuesday!

Feeling better

Thanks to everyone for the well wishes. I'm feeling better and I'm back at work today. After checking the website this morning, I discovered I was able to book an appointment with CIS in Kansas City on Friday, March 16. Whew! That date works much better for both Brad and me. So, that will be our date for sure. I guess they don't let you book more than two weeks in advance which is why the 16th wasn't an option yesterday when I was on their website.

I got the sweetest email from our regional reps with Great Wall. They came to see Cinderella and brought their two daughters: one biological, Ryleigh and one adopted from China, Reagan. Here's what the mom wrote:

"Ryleigh was so proud of her picture from Cinderella- she took it to church Sunday and to school on Monday! We can't thank you enough for the tickets, it was so much fun! Funny thing, too, the lady that sat in front of us has a daughter that went to preschool with Ryleigh one year and she didn't know we had Reagan. She asked us all about it and then ended up requesting an info packet from GWCA! It's so funny how things work out! I don't know how serious she was, but I was thinking about what a cool thing that would be if they ended up with a baby from China after we were there because of Reagan and Lily. I love fate! And how God puts the right people in our path at the right time!"

Isn't that the truth?!?! God does put the right people in our path at the right time. I'm so thankful for all of you.

The King & Queen

Brad & Missy

Missy & Cliff

Plodding Along...

I was off today for Presidents' Day but Brad had to work. I used part of my day to copy birth certificates and marriage certificates. I also combed through our dossier guide to see if there was anything I had overlooked. I think we've got a good handle on everything. The next major steps are completing the home study (visit three of four is this coming Saturday) and doing the I-600A form. I've got it filled out and printed off. But filing it with Citizenship and Immigration Services requires a day trip to Kansas City. We'll file the form and get fingerprinted. Of course, we always love an excuse to go to the "big city." Cheesecake Factory, anyone?!?!

It's gorgeous here today. In the high 50's/lower 60's. It's been an absolute gift to be off on a beautiful day. Hope your week is off to a great start!

Happy Chinese New Year's Eve

This Saturday, February 18, 2007, marks the first day of China's New Year! 2007 is the Year of the Pig. Oink! Oink!

The Painted Veil--A story about love for Valentine's Day

Run, don't walk to see this outstanding independent film. It stars Naomi Watts (luminous as ever) and Ed Norton (I'm now a devotee!) in a moving film set in China. Above all, it is a story about love. Of course, it was extra moving for us because several scenes revolve around a Chinese orphanage where Naomi Watts' character teaches the Chinese girls songs while she plays the piano. This film harkens back to older films that were beautiful in scenery and story. Please don't miss it if you have a chance to see it!!

New Pics of Queen Maisie (Missy) from Cinderella

This is how good our doc is...

ST. LOUIS (AP) - A renowned infertility expert has transplanted a whole ovary between two Californian sisters in suburban St. Louis. The step could allow certain cancer patients the possibility of having children after they fight the disease. Dr. Sherman Silber took a whole ovary from one sister, 31-year-old Maeapple Chaney and transplanted it into the other. The younger sister, 30-year-old Joy Lagos, went into early menopause following her treatment for non-Hodgkins lymphoma. The transplant should allow Lagos to have normal hormonal function again and possibly conceive a child. Silber made history in 2004 by transplanting ovarian tissue from a twin into her identical sister, a procedure he has repeated a half dozen times since then. He is director of the Infertility Center of St. Louis at St. Luke's Hospital in Chesterfield.

Yes, this is the guy who did our IVF cycle last summer. He rocks.

Cold Again...

After yesterday's reported high of 67 degrees, we are back into the 20's this morning. Blah! I'm heading to Jeff City tomorrow for the morning, then back to Springfield in the afternoon. We resume Cinderella shows tomorrow evening. It will be great to get back on stage again after having a few days off. Stay warm!

I'm off to get my physical for the adoption this morning. I'm sure it will go smoothly. Little by little, we're marking items off our checklist!

Cinderella gets props!

Here's an excerpt from the review of our musical that appeared in today's newspaper:

"Can't anybody just enter a room?" asks the puzzled king following several frenetic dance numbers early in "Cinderella," the popular Rodgers and Hammerstein musical.
You may have similar thoughts during the two hours of extravagant entertainment packed into the latest staging of the 50-year old work. Unlike the modest 1998 version, this "Cinderella" practically explodes with nonstop movement by a huge cast of nearly 80 performers.
The director and choreographer harness their energetic forces with customary skill, even if the simple story and pleasant tunes are sometimes swamped by all the animated razzle-dazzle.
In fact, an alternate title could be "Disney's Cinderella." One gorgeous set piece follows another like a widescreen, technicolor spectacular, making the original 1957 black-and-white TV broadcast seem pale and puny by comparison. The opening number alone, "The Prince Is Giving a Ball," could serve as the grand finale for some shows. The full-voiced and beautifully-costumed ensemble, led by the vigorous Herald, fills the stage as the pre-celebration begins.

By evening's end, when a lovely Faberge-like coach whisks the new princess and her soul mate off the stage, you feel both enchanted and a bit exhausted. The approach is perfect, though, for youngsters in the audience. There's never a dull moment, with plenty of sight gags and pratfalls to take up the slack whenever the music and lyrics fall short of the famed team's best work.
Heading the cast is a down-to-earth Cinderella who stoically takes abuse from her stepsisters, played in "Dumb and Dumber" style. The imperious Stepmother is more amusing than evil. The King takes up where he left off in "The Full Monty," with his pants off. The Queen is sewing on a missing button, allowing the king to work the situation for slapstick laughs. Both are concerned about the happiness of their son, Prince Charming. He has the show's most memorable song, "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?," which turns into a nice duet with Cinderella and is later reprised by the full company.
The Fairy Godmother adds literal sparkle, while the chef and steward lead the hordes of dancing chefs, court seamstresses, palace staff, coachmen, waltzing partygoers, and humanoid horses and mice that fill the stage to the brim.
The scenic design is tastefully colorful and proves a perfect match for the elaborate costumes which, in turn, are enhanced by evocative and imaginative lighting. There is a lively eight-piece orchestra.
**********************
It's always exciting to get such an overwhelmingly positive review. Lest you think our reviewer is a rah-rah supporter of all productions, consider some past reviews that have noted pitch problems by singers, poor costumes and off-the-mark interpretations. So, I'm very happy with his enthusiasm for Cinderella. I think Brad and I are both having withdrawal...We hardly knew what to do with ourselves last night as we sat at home and watched TV. Our next show is Thursday night.

From the "when it rains, it pours" department: Our dishwasher stopped working as did our doorbell. Last week, the heat/air blowers on our newer car stopped blowing, leaving us to warm our hands by the heat emitting from the defrost vents. Sheesh.

Home Study - Visit #1

We had our first home study visit from the adoption agency Saturday. Katie arrived 10 minutes earlier. That seemed to put a kink in Missy's plans to bake cinammon rolls.The rolls went in but 9 minutes later were clearly underbaked. Missy went ahead and iced them, served them, then promptly returned them to the oven for further baking.

The study itself went fine. It was just conversation about ourselves, why we want to adopt and what our marriage is like. Nothing to be nervous about.

Little Buddy sat in Missy's lap for a good portion of the visit. Pierre burrowed himself under the bed sheets.

Brad got choked up on some water and c-rolls. Evidently the expression on Katie's face was one of concern and fright.

We meet with her again next Saturday.

It's Opening Night!

We had a great crowd for the preview show for Cinderella -- now it's time for the first of 17 shows with a paid crowd. Enjoy these photos: