Surprise Party

I've told you my mom is amazing, right!? Well, she was amazing again yesterday. Actually, my whole family was a huge support yesterday. I can always count on them. I had been talking to mom on the phone Friday and it just kind of slipped out, though I am trying to stay positive, that I was not having the best day.

Dan had had a very bad day at school which included a kid going into a seizure right before the bell and due to this he hit his head on the floor and was unconscious....the story is long. I will just say the kid is o.k. now and is having medical follow-up this weekend.

This same day I was told, by a very short and curt email, that my advisor had been wrong regarding having a spot for me in the Nurse Practitioner program. After they reviewed the applications they recieved before the priority date (I didn't have mine in by the priority date) they were full. hmmmm...just a month ago she advised me not to accept another schools offer due to they would definetly have a spot for me after their initial interviews.

o.k. pick up and move on.

So my mom called as I was sitting on the floor writing out my fingerprint re-do paperwork, checks for costs to update our paperwork, and an explanation of my financial updates that have changed since last year.

Well, guess who showed up on my door yesterday. These three beautiful ladies. :)


Mom had told my sister, grandma, and sister-in-law about my day and they all got together and came to our house by surprise and brought gifts they had bought and had been holding on to. They felt we needed them now. :)



My sister-in-law had a sweater made for Lauren with her name crochetted into it! It is absolutely amazing. I cannot wait to put it on my sweet little girl. My mom had bought this amazingly soft lamb that is definetly going on the plane to China. Lauren will love it! Grandma had bought me a Chinese figurine back in Michigan and it is beautiful. But, more than these wonderful gifts, was the gift they gave me by being their for me on a difficult day. They are the best. I love you guys!!

A Very Full & Fun Day

Yesterday was a full and very fun day. I started my day at an Elmo party for Mr. Birthday #1 who was turning two! We all wore read and there was Elmo everything. Bubbles were also very big at this party. :) Unfortunately, Dan had to miss this party because he was teaching one of his Saturday Physics classes.



Dan & I then met up with our Social Worker, Nancy, at A.J.'s and did our homestudy update over coffee. Nancy is such an awesome lady. I was feeling a little down about the adoption process lately and it felt so good to sit and talk with her.

She talked about how she was seeing a couple after us that was just home from China and she was doing their post-placement paperwork. We talked about how some day she will do one of these for us and for some reason, it helped me a lot to think about that. I guess it made it feel a little more real. We also talked about the slowing in China and she didn't have any information as to why, but she did state she has been doing a lot more homestudy updates lately. She also said she is doing more Vietnam adoptions now. Couples are choosing not to adopt from China now, due to the long wait time.

Anyway, our visit with Nancy was very therapeutic. For those of you who have to update your Homestudy soon, just know it is a very simple process. She pretty much just confirmed there were no changes. Any changes that have occurred, she just made a little note of them. Nothing to stress about at all. In fact, she didn't even have to come to our home since she had seen it already.



After our homestudy, we were off to party #2! Our Nephew turned 1 this week and he had a big party at his home. He thought his cake was more fun to play with than to actually eat and he had lots of fun with his cousins and friends. I have never seen so many babies at one place! :) It was really nice. I got my baby "fix" while there. :)

Newest Addition!

My best friend since 5th grade, who is really like a sister to me, just had her little one! Welcome to the world little man!! I can't wait to smother him with kisses on my next visit!! :)

Feeling a little like Noah

After reading about the recent 2 day referral batch, I am feeling a little like Noah. Noah built an ark during a drought and while he built this ark, I'm sure many people looked at him like he was crazy. I also, may look a little crazy, I just bought a brand-new crib, my house is filled with cute pink clothes and items that say "Lauren", and one room in my house is completly bare except for its pink painted walls, a hill of stuffed animals and a pack-n-play crib. But, no, no baby lives here.

So, after this ark was built, Noah gathered all kinds of animals like God told him to do. I myself have gathered papers, personal references, hand-me-down clothes from friends, a walker and exersaucer that is crammed in one of my closets, and all kinds of "China" books and bags that can be found throughout the house.

Then, Noah got in the ark with all these animals just like God told him to do. Then...he waited. The Bible says he waited 8 days for the flood to come that God had promised him. I CAN imagine some of the thoughts he may have been having during these 8 days because I too have been waiting. Waiting on a promise that I will have a little girl named Lauren some day. But, this is not the end, just like it wasn't the end for Noah.

After 8 days the floods came and God's promise was fulfilled for Noah. For all of us that are waiting...have hope that we WILL have our daughters in His perfect timing.

Springtime In China

Here are some fun Spring pictures taken yesterday in China! Spring is in the air for our little girls!

Slow...and Slower

I didn't believe it when it was a rumor, but now it has been confirmed. The CCAA sent out only 2 days worth of referrals this week. For those of you who do not know what this means, it means that our adoption process just got slower than I could have ever imagined. However, things change every month and you just never know what to expect. It used to be that you could expect a months worth of referrals to be sent out each month, then it became 3 weeks worth, then 2 weeks, and now 2 days. This means we have waited a month for 2 days worth of referrals to be sent out. I am sorry to all of those who thought they would be getting their referral this month and to all of us who wait with no end in sight.

So..this means...We are taking a trip to Michigan this summer! :) We didn't go last year because we thought we would be traveling to China "any day now". Well, my best friend just had her 2nd little guy, Gabe, and I am going to go see him!! I also have family there that I would love to visit with. So...Lauren WILL someday be in my arms and I will rock her to sleep and read her bedtime stories and we will camp and go to Disneyland and she will absolutely adore her awesome Daddy....but until that someday happens...I will enjoy my days that are just packed with blessings.

Newest Purchase

I was out yesterday buying baby shower gifts, and I have made it a tradition that whenever I go baby shower shopping, I buy my Lauren something. Well, I picked up this cute pink hat this time. I can just picture her dark hair and eyes peeping through this hat someday. :)

Our Wedding

I have seen this post on Kathy and Kayce's blogs and thought I would post about my wedding as well! I love weddings and mine was the best day of my life.

1. Where/How did you meet? The Super Bowl XXX was here in Phoenix and Dan and I were working at the "Players Party" where kids from the DARE program got to meet the players. I was working with Larry Centers from the AZ Cardinals and Dan was the "megaphone man" :) His job that day was to move kids from one player to another. Well, he saw me from afar and came up and asked me out! I had never agreed to a date with a perfect stranger before, but he seemed special. :) On our first date we found out we went to the same small college together and just hadn't run into each other yet!
2. How long have you known each other? 11Years
3. How long after you met did you start dating? 2 or 3 days
4. How long did you date before you were engaged? 2 1/2 years
5. How long was your engagement? 1 Year
6. How long have you been married? We're going on 8 years!
7. What is your anniversary? June 12, 1999
8. How many people came to your wedding reception? 200-250
9. What kind of cake did you serve? It was a 3 tiered cake, one was chocolate with chocolate raspberry filling, one was vanilla with a vanilla filling and one was a different kind that I can't remember. It was really good!



10. Where was your wedding? At our church we had been attending as a couple throughout our dating years. We were Sunday School teachers there for the 2nd grade class and still think back on those days and how fun it was to teach together.
11. What did you serve for your meal? It was a buffet of all kinds of fish, meats, salads, etc. I didn't eat any of it. I just remember the beautiful ice sculpture in the middle of it. I had always wanted an ice sculpture at my wedding :)
12. How many people were in your wedding party? 10
13. Are you still friends with them all? Yes
14. Did your spouse cry during the ceremony? No, neither of us are really "criers"
15. Most special moment of your wedding day? I loved the feeling when they pronounced us man and wife and I looped my arm through his, it felt so good to be one finally.
16. Any funny moments? Our first night together...we walk into our room and there is moaning and screaming from the room next door! Now this is a very nice and prestigious hotel and we are supposed to be in the bridal suite! So, we turned on the t.v. really loud and Dan took the pins out of my hair...until it was quiet. Not quite the romantic start to our evening that we had planned! :)

17. Any big disasters? We had forgotten our 11x16 picture of us that was serving as our guest book. (The guests signed the picture and we have it hanging in our hallway today). Well, my brother jumped in his car and flew back to get the picture, he arrived back just in time for the first guests. :)

18. Where did you go on your honeymoon? On a Western Caribbean Cruise
19. How long were you gone? 7 wonderful days
20. If you were to do your wedding over, what would you change? Not a thing!
21. What side of the bed do you sleep on? Right
22. What size is your bed? Queen
23. Greatest strength as a couple? Our relationship with God and our friendship. Dan IS my soul mate.
24. Greatest challenge as a couple? hmmm..we really haven't had any, I guess you could say our slow family planning process, but I feel we've stayed really close through this whole process as well.
25. Who literally pays the bills? Definitely me. In fact, I am going to do that after I finish blogging today! :)
26. What is your song? "I will be here" by Steven Curtis Chapman
27. What did you dance your first dance to? It was a beautiful Waltz, We took lessons and did the Waltz as our first dance.
28. Describe your wedding dress. See picture
29. What kind of flowers did you have at your wedding? See picture.
30. Are your wedding bands engraved? I had Dan's secretly engraved with "My Forever Love Is Yours". I showed it to him the next morning when we woke.
31. How old were you when you got married? We were both 25. Dan turned 26 on our honeymoon!

Dyson Giveaway!

Hurry! I just found out about this contest and the deadline is April 4th! Go to my link here and then sign onto "Mr. Linky". One of us is going to win this Dyson!! Oh, how I need it! O.K...go to..www.5minutesformom.com

Night On The Town!

Last night we hit the town with Grandma! She is in town from Michigan and Dan, my sister, grandma, and I went to the Symphony! It was so fun! Grandma has been a piano teacher for over 40 years and is just amazing. Music has been a very big part of her life. I always love going to the Symphony, but it was even better having Grandma there. This was her first Symphony and she was so excited, it made my night! :) Hopefully, we can go another time before she heads home.

By the way, the concert was absolutely beautiful. It included a solo violinist and one of the best Cello soloists I have ever seen. It was truly amazing to hear them. Aghhh...what a good weekend. :)

Party At Our Crib!!

We finally went out and bought Lauren's crib this week! We have had it picked out for a long time, but didn't want to buy it until we were through the last review room. It's a "built to grow" crib, which means is will convert into a toddler bed, then a day bed, then a full size bed. She can take this to college! :) I couldn't find an exact picture of it to show here, but this is pretty much how ours looks except we got it in Cherry wood. It will be delivered in 6-8 weeks. I'll post pictures when its here! :)

Thank You Don & Connie (Lauren's grandma and grandpa) for this beautiful gift. We love you!!

Searching

I met a co-worker of mine today who is adopting from Guatemala and we of course started telling eachother about our stories. She has gone to see her son and is waiting to go back and pick him up. She showed me his picture that was attached to her badge and then started to tell me her latest news from her adoption agency. Gosh, knowing how hard it's been on us adopting from China, you won't believe this!

She was just told this week that her sons bio-mom does not have a birth certificate and for some reason they HAVE to have this. So, they are trying to locate the midwife who delivered the birth mom 42 years ago! If they cannot locate this midwife, then the adoption is off and they will have to start completly over!

I cannot imagine being in her shoes! Once I have held Lauren, there is no way I could ever let her go!

I pray they find the midwife soon.

Rock On Team Hoyt!

For all of us fighting for our daughters through the muddle of papers, fees, and waiting ...I encourage you to read and watch the video of this incredible story.

http://cjcphoto.com/can/

Josh Groban!

Last night a friend of mine called and offered me free Josh Groban tickets!! Dan and I were just coming back from hiking, so we showered quickly and we were off! It was awesome! I've always wanted to see him in concert. I was really surprised at all the young girls going nuts! It reminded me of the video's I see when the Beatles were big! :) The opening act was a lady singer from Africa and she had us dancing and singing to African songs. Lots of fun and tons of energy! We were a little tired come this morning, but is was so worth it!

Happy To Be Back!

Sorry it's been so long since my last post! I've been sitting through many hours of lecture, orientation, and signing up for benefits and the whole shibang! :) I tell you though, I love my previous co-workers and patients, but it is good to be back at Mayo. It's awesome to be a part of such an amazing health care orginization. I'm pretty excited!

Just thought I would drop a note and let you know I'm still here!

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Today is my mom's birthday! We celebrated as a family yesterday by going to the Renaissance Festival. We saw jousting matches, heard a harpist play and even threw axes and used a crossbow! I forgot my camera unfortunately, so I can't post any pictures of our fun...HOT (99degree) day. :)

Now, about my mom...she is the most selfless,loving,thoughtful, and strong person I have ever met. I am so thankful that God chose her to be my mom. I am so grateful I have had her to model after.

Mom was born in a little town called Cass City. She had me at 21 and my earliest memory of her is her laying me down for naps and playing "Marcy" songs softly on the record player while she cleaned the house quietly. Mom married her high school sweetheart, who broke her heart five children later. So...after many tears...she packed us all up, rented a U Haul and drove from Michigan to Arizona...with $500 to her name. Her perseverance is incomparable.

When Dan proposed to me, mom wanted me to have the wedding I dreamed of and wanted to pay for it the way she thought was "proper". Mom worked weekends at a miserable job for a year, without complaining once, so she could pay for my beautiful wedding.

In life, you can always count on my mom to be there and to make the right decision. She has taught me to be strong and to never waiver from my beliefs and values. She has taught me to trust Jesus. She has modeled for me what a beautiful women is.. one that is modest in dress and follows God.

My mom is truly my hero. I love her beyond words can say and am so Happy to Celebrate HER today. Mom...life has not given to you nearly what you have given to it. You leave an imprint everywhere you go. Thanks for making this world a better place. Thanks for being my mom and friend.

My Virtual DNA

I saw this on other fellow bloggy friends sites and thought it was pretty cool! It's pretty accurate as well!

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Our 1 Year LID Anniversary!

It's been quite the year. We've painted Lauren's room, picked out her crib, followed others "Gotcha" days and cried, met awesome bloggy friends from all other the world, felt numb from emotion, felt overwhelmed with love for our daugher who we've never layed eyes on, went on many "last trips before children", and learned so much about the Chinese culture,etc.

This is such a special time in our life. The waiting period. We celebrate 1 year today since we were officially logged in at the CCAA!

Happy Birthday Steph!!!

It's one of my favorite bloggy friends birthday today!! I think many would agree that Steph has made our waiting period much more bearable. She is the one who started the secret pal exchange for March L.I.Ders. Also, you can always count on her blog to be filled with the most up to date info. on our adoption process.

I had the honor of meeting her and her D.H. over Thanksgiving and she is such a special person. Beautiful inside and out.

Steph you are going to make a great mommy and I am so glad you can spend your birthday with the peace of knowing your dossier is in the "matching room".

Happy Birthday Steph!!

Stork Alert!

More families today saw their daughters face for the first time! The following is a note from our CHI coordinator:

The CCAA updated the CCAA/Agency Communications Tool overnight with the following news for Department 1:

" The CCAA has finished the review of the adoption application documents
registered with our office before March 31, 2006.

The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before October 24, 2005."

I will have our Beijing staff verify with the CCAA that all
our March 23 through March 31 dossiers have been approved. April 2006
dossier families, you are now being reviewed by Department 1.

Ann Tollefson
China Program Director

What this means is that all my March bloggy friends are in the matching room with me now! Welcome Everyone! :)

This also means the CCAA has completed up to L.I.D.'s of 10/24/05. Remember, when they get to March 7th --that's us! The wait continues to lengthen, it is now up to 16.5 months. That's o.k., we are getting closer everyday!

A special congratulations goes out to Steph and Kayce! You are FINALLY out of the review room!

Changes

If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and
stupid.
--Philosopher Epictetus

I've had this quote on my fridge the last few months and will be reminded of it often these next few months. I've made some changes in the last month and am excited and nervous at the same time. The first change is that I've applied to ASU's Nurse Practitioner program and am taking the GRE test on March 10th. I hope to be admitted and start in August. ASU's program is primarily online, I will only need to attend class downtown once a month. I am going to go part-time this first year since we should be getting Lauren soon.

This change led me to wanting to change jobs to get my tuition payed. So, last Friday I had an interview at Mayo Clinic Hospital. I worked at Mayo prior to my job now. I start there March 19th. Not only do they completely pay for my schooling, but they have better health benefits and a $10,000 adoption reimbursement. Yesss! :)

We are also, like many of my fellow March LIDers, starting the paperwork process again. Fingerprints, home study visit, money, more money, and then re-sending our I-171 H form.

In middle of these busy changing times, we've decided our old 2000 Neon is no longer suitable as our second car. So, we are going this week to buy a 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Beautiful Morning Walk

Bailey, Danny, and I enjoyed one of our favorite Saturday morning traditions today. We went for a walk at Bailey's favorite "Sierra Verde" neighborhood near us. Then we sat outside at A.J.'s and had breakfast together. Ahhh. life is good.

Matching Room

Pictured above is the Matching Room, where our dossier is currently. I have linked a site below that tells what happens in the mathing roomm

http://www.chinaadopttalk.com/2006/12/07/how-the-matching-room-works/

Review Room Celebrations

The girls from work surprised me this week with this beautiful bouquet of pink and white flowers. The card read, "Congratulations! You're at your last stage!" I have been so amazed at the support I have gotten from my co-workers all through this process. I am so blessed.


Also,while Dan & I were at the FBR last week, my mom and sister came to our house and laid these adorable gifts on our table with little notes attached. I especially love the little hat and matching shirt that says, "I love my dog". :) Soo cute! Thank you Mom & Kristy! You never cease to amaze me with your thoughtfulness!

FBR OPEN

We're off to the FBR Open tomorrow. I don't watch golf on t.v. and I don't play golf yet, but I love to go the the FBR. It's so relaxing to walk the beautiful greens and hear the soft wave of the "golf clap" all around.

Jeff Quinney pictured in the bottom picture is from ASU and he has made it to the 4th Round. I'll be cheering for him!!

Left Behind

I feel like I've been freed from prison only to look back and realize my friends were left behind. My excitement will be truly fulfilled when all my March bloggy friends join me in the Matching Room. Hang in there guys! I'm pulling for you!

Out Of The Review Room

Oh my gosh!!! WE have news!! Our Dossier is through the review room! It has been so long since we have had any information to be excited about! Our Dossier has met it's final approval! Our next step will be to go to the matching room!

The following is the CCAA update:

The CCAA has finished the review of the adoption application documents registered with our office before March 22, 2006.

The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before October 13, 2005

The picture to the left is of dossiers in China waiting in line. Our's could very well be one of these!

Secret Pal Revealed

Well, I found out today that Stephanie from California has been my Secret Pal! I could not have asked for a better Secret Pal! I mean, who makes homemade teddy bears for their secret pals! :) She is such an amazing person as well. I had the pleasure of meeting Stephanie and her husband, Drew, over Thanksgiving weekend. They are both very special people and I feel so fortunate to have made such a great new friend.

Thank You Stephanie!!

Back Burner

Well, I have to admit...I've been feeling a little rebellious lately. Our fingerprints expire this month and I haven't done a thing about it. This wait,
lack of information, and hanging by a red thread..it's definetly not for the faint hearted.

However, I have felt a sense of relief by putting my thoughts and plans of adoption on the back burner temporarily this month. During this time I have decided to start working toward my Nurse Practitioner degree. I'm pretty excited about this! It's been a 5 year goal of mine, so I figure why not now! Dan is excited as well. He is finishing his last year at Glendale High and will teach summer school this summer and then private tutoring until Lauren arrives. Change is good. God only knows why it has taken us this long to start a family, but I know looking back it will all be perfect timing..His timing.

Sweet Secret Pal

Well, it's the last month for our Secret Pal Exchange, and look at the sweet gifts I received! The little China girl is musical and soo adorable! I love the Chinese Mother Goose Book. It's really colorful and I know Lauren will love both of these precious gifts. Thank You Secret Pal!! I can't wait to find out who you are next month! :)

Friend From Michigan

I know it's been awhile since I last posted. I have been having fun with my best friend from Michigan! Jen and I met in 5th grade and have been friends ever since. Jen's expecting and her husband sent her out to Arizona to relax before baby #2 arrives. We saw a movie, went to a dinner play, ate Tepanaki, and treated ourselves to a spa day at the Golden Door Spa....aghhh...it was wonderful! It's been a long time since we have been able to sit and talk one-on-one. Jen is really like a sister to me and we are only 3 days apart, so we are almost twins! :) Anyway,it was really nice to have Jen visit and Dan and I are hoping to get back to visit her and her family in July.

13.1 Miles

We ran the P.F. Chang's Half Marathon today and I've never had so much fun while experiencing pain. :) There was so much to see while running that it went surprisingly fast. We saw a couple running in full "Superman" outfits... boots, capes, and all! I also saw a man running in his bath robe. Very interesting. :)

It was a long, slow walk back to the car afterwards, but we met many awesome people and really had a good time. We plan to make a tradition of running it each year. We noticed they have a kids 1-mile run as well...I think I know a little girl who may run in this someday! :)

Well, we have the day off tomorrow. Yeah! Hope you all are having a great weekend.

Rested & Renewed

We're back from our "Winter Wonderland"!







The Red Setter Inn was beautiful as usual. Each time we would come in from the cold,the fireplaces would be roaring and hot cocoa and treats would be waiting.

We met a really nice couple from England that was staying also. They told us they were going to "try out" skiing with us the next day. When we got there and saw them with their 190 ski's and decked out to look like Swiss Alp models, we had a feeling they were a little better skiers than us. :) We didn't see them the rest of the day. We have a feeling they may have been on different slopes than us. :)

We had an absolute blast. We usually ski one day and rest the others, but we were having so much fun, we skied 2 days this time. We also did some hiking and enjoyed the Jacuzzi tub in our room. For dinner one night, we ordered pizza and sat in front of the fire.

Each morning Jim would make one of his famous gourmet breakfasts. We were so sad to hear that Jim and Ken, the owners and builders, have sold recently. It will never be the same again without them.

Well, I see while we were gone our dossier moved up in line! Congratulations to those who received their referrals this month! 2007 is off to a good start!