Please help me decide where I should go during my "leisure travel" at the end of my German trip. I'm basing my final choices on places where I can use my Marriott points for a "free" hotel...We are doing two international adoptions after all and I've got to contain the costs! Here's my list...Leave a comment and vote for what you think I should do! Merci! Danke! Gracias!
Option 1: Paris all the way, July 1-5
Option 2: Paris for 2 nights, the French Riviera for 2 nights, back to Paris for 1 night before my flight home
Option 3: Vienna (never been!) all the way, July 1-6
Option 4: Dublin (never been!), July 1-5
Option 5: Prague (never been!), July 1-5
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Bud's getting better
It's been a rough week for Little Bud but he's getting better. He's keeping his food down and a bit of his old spark is back. He still seems quite tired. I'm sure as he eats and drinks more, he'll build up his energy.
This weekend will be packed. We're going to a baseball game Friday night. Saturday, Brad's performing with the rest of the Seussical cast at a local festival. I will enjoy milling around there until he's done. Then, we're going to see Iron Man Saturday night. Brad's really excited about seeing this movie. He had to drag me to the theatre to see the first X-Men movie but as it turned out, I really liked it a lot. So, I'm much more open to comic book films than I was several years ago.
We saw I Am Legend on DVD this past weekend. Brad saw it in the theatre when we were in Tennessee for Christmas...I did not. It was ok. It's hard not to like Will Smith but the film itself wasn't great. Maybe it was more impressive on the big screen?
This weekend will be packed. We're going to a baseball game Friday night. Saturday, Brad's performing with the rest of the Seussical cast at a local festival. I will enjoy milling around there until he's done. Then, we're going to see Iron Man Saturday night. Brad's really excited about seeing this movie. He had to drag me to the theatre to see the first X-Men movie but as it turned out, I really liked it a lot. So, I'm much more open to comic book films than I was several years ago.
We saw I Am Legend on DVD this past weekend. Brad saw it in the theatre when we were in Tennessee for Christmas...I did not. It was ok. It's hard not to like Will Smith but the film itself wasn't great. Maybe it was more impressive on the big screen?
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Kitty Kare
Here's my (Missy's) take on the kitty issues. Little Buddy is doing ok. We are trying to get him to eat some different food and take some meds. I'm hopeful this will help but I can definitely tell that he's under the weather. As for Pierre Clovis? Well, I don't know what possessed him to scratch off his fur where I had applied his flea treatment. So, when I came home yesterday, there were wads of black kitty fur all over the house and he had this ugly bald spot at the base of his neck. Needless to say, we're calling him "Baldy" for now. Otherwise, he seems fine.
When it rains, it pours. You may have read yesterday or today that Vietnam has said that it will shut down adoptions to the US come September 1. Our case is already in progress so we will get to complete our adoption but my heart aches for families who will not get matched to a child and will miss the deadline.
When it rains, it pours. You may have read yesterday or today that Vietnam has said that it will shut down adoptions to the US come September 1. Our case is already in progress so we will get to complete our adoption but my heart aches for families who will not get matched to a child and will miss the deadline.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Cat Care 101
Little Buddy's got some urinary issues.
And Pierre Clovis got himself a bald spot trying to get flea treatment off his back.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Mother's Day Came Early
Brad gave me my Mother's Day gift Friday afternoon...an iPod Nano!!! I can't wait to play with my new toy. It's really cool. Of course, the first thing will be uploading all my Zeke photos. But Brad tells me I'll be able to put music AND movies on there. It will be so sweet for my trip to Germany this summer and on the flight over to Vietnam (not so useful on the flight back when we have the baby). I've had a Shuffle since my China trip in 2005. I love that thing. It's my constant companion when I run...speaking of running.
A big ole shout out to Brad's brother Trav and his wife Melissa! They ran their first half marathon last weekend!!! They both had great time! I hope to run another half marathon before we go get the baby. My knee is better but finding time to train is always difficult. In case you forgot, my sister ran a half marathon late last year. So, now that Trav, Melissa, Wendy and I have all run half marathons, Brad is feeling the pressure. He's always been a bigger runner than me so I'm sure he won't have any problems.
A big ole shout out to Brad's brother Trav and his wife Melissa! They ran their first half marathon last weekend!!! They both had great time! I hope to run another half marathon before we go get the baby. My knee is better but finding time to train is always difficult. In case you forgot, my sister ran a half marathon late last year. So, now that Trav, Melissa, Wendy and I have all run half marathons, Brad is feeling the pressure. He's always been a bigger runner than me so I'm sure he won't have any problems.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Vietnam Adoption in the News
If you haven't seen it, click here. I would say that the article "buys" the US government perspective too easily. Knowing what we know about adoptions from Vietnam, it's our understanding that the vast majority of adoptions are on the up and up. And I feel confident that our agency is working with legitimate people in country. Our agency STAYED in Vietnam when the adoption program shut down several years ago and continued to do humanitarian work there. Virtually no other agency did this.
No prospective adoptive parent (PAP) I've ever encountered would want to knowingly be a part of anything illegal. In the rare cases where PAPs couldn't complete an adoption because a birth family changed its mind about a child after the US did its investigation, the PAPs wished those children and their birth families all the best while grieving their own loss.
So, what does this article mean to us? Well, there's nothing there we haven't heard for months now. We are so incredibly blessed to have a baby who is in a province where there are no reports of problems with illegal activity. Also, the concerns in the article focus on abandoned babies. (And just because a baby is abandoned does not mean there was anything illegal going on.) Our baby was relinquished by his birth parents. We will have documents outlining who they are (we even get a photo of them!) and why they gave up custody of their baby. Even BEFORE we got a referral, we prayed for our baby's birth parents. We continue to pray for them as they've made an impossibly difficult decision. We have a profound respect for our child's birth parents and they will always be an important part of our child's life story.
I say all that to tell you this: Our case continues to be fine. PRAISE THE LORD! We've had no problems with our case. In fact, we hope and expect to take our next big step in the next few weeks. That will put us in the final waiting stage before we travel. We'll be waiting at that point for US approval. I have also been praying that God would prepare the hearts of the US officials who will handle our case...that they would be open to giving us a quick approval, at least an on time approval (within 60 working days).
We've had good news this week. Several people we know in our online adoption community are in Vietnam right now, getting their babies from the same orphanage where Zeke is. Another gal got an approval for her baby who is in Zeke's orphanage. We also learned this week that we probably won't have to do the DNA test before we can get our approval.
I can't even adequately articulate how much we have felt God's presence in every step of this journey. He has made clear to us this path. If I told you all the confirming circumstances and signposts from God, you might think I was making some of it up because it's just too incredible and amazing!! But it's true! From working out the finances of this adoption when they seemed absolutely impossible to giving us little "winks" along the way (remember the names in our Sunday School classroom?!?!). From overwhelmingly positive reactions from family members to answered prayers throughout this process. It's a path strewn with love.
Our youth director prayed this past Sunday night that I'd be able to relax and enjoy this waiting time. With the good news we've gotten this week (no DNA testing, the expectation of filing our I-600 soon, and approvals for other babies in Zekes orphanage), I have a new peace and more joy and anticipation than ever before!
(Thanks for reading this LONG post!)
No prospective adoptive parent (PAP) I've ever encountered would want to knowingly be a part of anything illegal. In the rare cases where PAPs couldn't complete an adoption because a birth family changed its mind about a child after the US did its investigation, the PAPs wished those children and their birth families all the best while grieving their own loss.
So, what does this article mean to us? Well, there's nothing there we haven't heard for months now. We are so incredibly blessed to have a baby who is in a province where there are no reports of problems with illegal activity. Also, the concerns in the article focus on abandoned babies. (And just because a baby is abandoned does not mean there was anything illegal going on.) Our baby was relinquished by his birth parents. We will have documents outlining who they are (we even get a photo of them!) and why they gave up custody of their baby. Even BEFORE we got a referral, we prayed for our baby's birth parents. We continue to pray for them as they've made an impossibly difficult decision. We have a profound respect for our child's birth parents and they will always be an important part of our child's life story.
I say all that to tell you this: Our case continues to be fine. PRAISE THE LORD! We've had no problems with our case. In fact, we hope and expect to take our next big step in the next few weeks. That will put us in the final waiting stage before we travel. We'll be waiting at that point for US approval. I have also been praying that God would prepare the hearts of the US officials who will handle our case...that they would be open to giving us a quick approval, at least an on time approval (within 60 working days).
We've had good news this week. Several people we know in our online adoption community are in Vietnam right now, getting their babies from the same orphanage where Zeke is. Another gal got an approval for her baby who is in Zeke's orphanage. We also learned this week that we probably won't have to do the DNA test before we can get our approval.
I can't even adequately articulate how much we have felt God's presence in every step of this journey. He has made clear to us this path. If I told you all the confirming circumstances and signposts from God, you might think I was making some of it up because it's just too incredible and amazing!! But it's true! From working out the finances of this adoption when they seemed absolutely impossible to giving us little "winks" along the way (remember the names in our Sunday School classroom?!?!). From overwhelmingly positive reactions from family members to answered prayers throughout this process. It's a path strewn with love.
Our youth director prayed this past Sunday night that I'd be able to relax and enjoy this waiting time. With the good news we've gotten this week (no DNA testing, the expectation of filing our I-600 soon, and approvals for other babies in Zekes orphanage), I have a new peace and more joy and anticipation than ever before!
(Thanks for reading this LONG post!)
525,600 minutes
Yesterday was our 1 year LID anniversary for China. Can you believe that?!?! It doesn't seem possible that the time has gone by so quickly. So, 1 year down, how many more to go? Who knows...
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Capital Travels
After today, I will only have to make one more trip to the capital city this legislative session. This makes me very happy. I've had to make far fewer trips this year than in past years. This also makes me very happy. It's been a long, slow session this year and everyone, including the lawmakers are ready for it to end.
I'm hopeful that by the next time I come up here, in about three weeks, we will have filed our I-600. That may be a little optimistic but we'll see!
I'm hopeful that by the next time I come up here, in about three weeks, we will have filed our I-600. That may be a little optimistic but we'll see!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Miracles
Adoption is a miracle. I've said it before: I'm in awe of this process. I'm also in awe of the power of prayer. Thank you for praying over this adoption with us.
Our church has a prayer shawl ministry. Women who work in the ministry make shawls for new moms and blankets for babies. A woman who adopted a child years ago made my shawl and Zeke's blanket. She chose to make them using beautiful green yarn, the perfect color for the nursery and my favorite color. She gave them to us shortly after we got matched to our baby. As she knitted, she prayed for us and the baby. Before we got the blanket and shawl, they had been draped over the alter in the church, blessed by the pastors and the congregation prayed over them. What an amazing ministry.
On a lighter note...
What do you think? Should I resist the urge to buy Zeke some stuffed animals? I've already bought him some, of course. I LOVE the soft beanie babies. I stumbled upon a huge selection of cheap BBs at one of the local Hallmarks today. They had all kinds and sizes but I like the mid-sized ones that are extra soft. I didn't buy any but I think I'm going back tomorrow and will buy a couple.
I have all his toys and stuff animals (we don't have THAT much stuff yet) set out in the nursery. I've got the bedding set up. I've got all his blankets (and my shawl) draped across the crib. I go in there, touch his things, pray for him and imagine what it will be like to have him in his room at last. *sigh* I pray that it's soon!!
Our church has a prayer shawl ministry. Women who work in the ministry make shawls for new moms and blankets for babies. A woman who adopted a child years ago made my shawl and Zeke's blanket. She chose to make them using beautiful green yarn, the perfect color for the nursery and my favorite color. She gave them to us shortly after we got matched to our baby. As she knitted, she prayed for us and the baby. Before we got the blanket and shawl, they had been draped over the alter in the church, blessed by the pastors and the congregation prayed over them. What an amazing ministry.
On a lighter note...
What do you think? Should I resist the urge to buy Zeke some stuffed animals? I've already bought him some, of course. I LOVE the soft beanie babies. I stumbled upon a huge selection of cheap BBs at one of the local Hallmarks today. They had all kinds and sizes but I like the mid-sized ones that are extra soft. I didn't buy any but I think I'm going back tomorrow and will buy a couple.
I have all his toys and stuff animals (we don't have THAT much stuff yet) set out in the nursery. I've got the bedding set up. I've got all his blankets (and my shawl) draped across the crib. I go in there, touch his things, pray for him and imagine what it will be like to have him in his room at last. *sigh* I pray that it's soon!!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Tunes, prayers and other random thoughts
I discovered a new tune while in Vegas. It's "Work That" by Mary J. Blige. Fun times. It played on a loop outside the big mall on the strip known as "Fashion Show."
Last night, I was at church to help with the youth group like I normally do on Sunday nights. (Brad was at rehearsal for Seussical the Musical. It's his last theatrical endeavor before the baby arrives. I couldn't audition because the production takes place during my Europe trip.) I had out my "brag book" full of baby photos. Our youth director, Julie put it in the middle of the table, had all the youth leaders put their hands on it and she prayed over Zeke and the entire process. I just cried because it was so moving and well, I just needed that...to hear someone else pray in such earnest over our baby and the adoption process. It meant a lot.
We watched a good movie over the weekend on DVD: Jindabyne. It's an Australian film that delves into the issue of loss. It's appropriately slow and quite sad and Gabriel Byrne and Laura Linney turn in excellent performances. (I don't know why but I just dig Gabriel Byrne's acting skillz.)
We're going wild with anticipation over the big movies coming out soon:
*Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (at last!)
*Iron Man
*Prince Caspian (the next Chronicle of Naria turned into cinematic goodness)
*Dark Knight (Christian Bale as Batman...does it get any better than this?)
Last night, I was at church to help with the youth group like I normally do on Sunday nights. (Brad was at rehearsal for Seussical the Musical. It's his last theatrical endeavor before the baby arrives. I couldn't audition because the production takes place during my Europe trip.) I had out my "brag book" full of baby photos. Our youth director, Julie put it in the middle of the table, had all the youth leaders put their hands on it and she prayed over Zeke and the entire process. I just cried because it was so moving and well, I just needed that...to hear someone else pray in such earnest over our baby and the adoption process. It meant a lot.
We watched a good movie over the weekend on DVD: Jindabyne. It's an Australian film that delves into the issue of loss. It's appropriately slow and quite sad and Gabriel Byrne and Laura Linney turn in excellent performances. (I don't know why but I just dig Gabriel Byrne's acting skillz.)
We're going wild with anticipation over the big movies coming out soon:
*Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (at last!)
*Iron Man
*Prince Caspian (the next Chronicle of Naria turned into cinematic goodness)
*Dark Knight (Christian Bale as Batman...does it get any better than this?)
Friday, April 18, 2008
iWeekend
Is it really Friday? Seems like the week went by quickly...could be because of the Vegas trip.
(By the way...yes, Brad really did pay $14 for gelato in Vegas...you know, gelato is one of those things that usually isn't THAT expensive, so we didn't ask about the price when we ordered...that's what you get for buying gelato at Cesar's Palace.)
It was such a treat to see our friends Jen (aka NerdyMom) and Randy in Vegas...We shared photos of Zeke with them and got to see new pics of their beautiful kids. What fun!
Brad and I are smitten. We really love the iTouch from Apple. I'm the first to admit. I'm not an Apple fan because as a journalist working in radio, I exclusively use PCs but wow, the iTouch is cool. Jen had hers in Vegas (or was yours an iPhone?)...it makes my "crackberry" look like an abacus.
Have a wonderful weekend!!
(By the way...yes, Brad really did pay $14 for gelato in Vegas...you know, gelato is one of those things that usually isn't THAT expensive, so we didn't ask about the price when we ordered...that's what you get for buying gelato at Cesar's Palace.)
It was such a treat to see our friends Jen (aka NerdyMom) and Randy in Vegas...We shared photos of Zeke with them and got to see new pics of their beautiful kids. What fun!
Brad and I are smitten. We really love the iTouch from Apple. I'm the first to admit. I'm not an Apple fan because as a journalist working in radio, I exclusively use PCs but wow, the iTouch is cool. Jen had hers in Vegas (or was yours an iPhone?)...it makes my "crackberry" look like an abacus.
Have a wonderful weekend!!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Baby milestones
Zeke turns 6 months old tomorrow. Happy half birthday, baby! Dear Lord, please let us bring him home soon!
Next Wednesday marks the one year anniversary of our LID (log-in-date) for China. Has it already been a year? We received news from our agency recently that once China matches babies for families that were logged in March, 2006, the process will speed up, or at least stabilize. What does that mean for us? Possibly that we would go to China in late 2010 instead of 2012 (my current prediction). But who knows. I continue to keep my dreams about Lily tucked away in my heart until her arrival is closer.
Thank you, as always for sharing this journey with us. Your support keeps us going.
Next Wednesday marks the one year anniversary of our LID (log-in-date) for China. Has it already been a year? We received news from our agency recently that once China matches babies for families that were logged in March, 2006, the process will speed up, or at least stabilize. What does that mean for us? Possibly that we would go to China in late 2010 instead of 2012 (my current prediction). But who knows. I continue to keep my dreams about Lily tucked away in my heart until her arrival is closer.
Thank you, as always for sharing this journey with us. Your support keeps us going.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
One of those days
I don't know what it is but today is one of those days when I feel especially emotional about the adoption. Normally, I'm really good about keeping my feelings in check, not getting worked up. But today, as I skimmed some blogs of families who have gotten back from Vietnam with their babies, the ache in my heart reached a new peak. I just want to hold our precious baby. I'm not in a heap of tears but the pain of the wait is particularly heavy...
Brad comes home today!
Brad comes home today from Vegas. I will be glad to have him back. I never sleep well when I'm home alone.
No baby news...again, at this point, no news is good news. Now, come mid-May, I will be hoping everyday for the call from our case manager saying that it's time to file our I-600. This will put us into the last waiting phase. It also will reveal what's in store for us as the new DNA requirement is implemented. We continue to pray that this process will actually speed things up for us and enable us to bring the baby home sooner than expected!
No baby news...again, at this point, no news is good news. Now, come mid-May, I will be hoping everyday for the call from our case manager saying that it's time to file our I-600. This will put us into the last waiting phase. It also will reveal what's in store for us as the new DNA requirement is implemented. We continue to pray that this process will actually speed things up for us and enable us to bring the baby home sooner than expected!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Vegas Redux
We had a WONDERFUL time in Vegas. I assume Brad is still having a good time. He doesn't come back til tomorrow. I got home yesterday evening. I even had smooth flights coming and going. The weather was absolute perfection. Just being outside in warm weather was the best part of all! I had a blast doing some shopping and seeing the sights. I still can't believe the number of people who bring their kids to Vegas. I can't think of a less kid-friendly place. We stayed at Circus Circus again but this time, they put us in a newly-renovated room. It was actually very nice. The whole experience was so much more pleasant this year. Maybe because I had adjusted my expectations. At any rate, it was delightful!
By the way, Brad's flight did get delayed last Friday BUT it turned out we got to the Vegas airport within 10 minutes of each other and were able to take a taxi together to the hotel. It was lovely!
By the way, Brad's flight did get delayed last Friday BUT it turned out we got to the Vegas airport within 10 minutes of each other and were able to take a taxi together to the hotel. It was lovely!
Friday, April 11, 2008
Murphy's Law...
...says if Brad's flying, some craziness will happen. He can tell you stories about cancelled flights, late flights and re-routed flights. It appears today will be no different. American Airlines has cancelled beaucoup flights so they can make sure MD-80's don't spontaneously combust. A minor detail. We suspect Brad's flight from Dallas to Vegas will be cancelled. Does this mean that, once again, I'll be in Vegas my first night without Brad?!?! He's *supposed* to get there before me, check in to the hotel and be there to welcome me when I arrive. I'm on a direct flight on another airline. Please pray that we both get there safely and on time.
I probably won't blog while I'm there because I'm not taking a computer. (Some one-armed bandit might try to take it!) Will update everyone on the trip the first chance I get!
I probably won't blog while I'm there because I'm not taking a computer. (Some one-armed bandit might try to take it!) Will update everyone on the trip the first chance I get!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Flooding...again?
Yep. Looks like there's flooding again throughout the area after heavy rainfall over night. Ugg! I may be filing national stories on it today...stay tuned!
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Vegas Weather
Looks like it's going to be in the 80's this weekend in Vegas. YES! Flip-flops and tank tops will be the order of the day when I'm not in one of the two meetings I'll be attending. It's rainy here so I'm eager for the Vegas sunshine! Hope your week is going well.
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