11 Days

The past 11 days have been blissful. I cannot remember feeling this relaxed. We started our vacation by going camping up in Flagstaff. Despite it being the coldest camping trip we have ever been on, we had a blast...


Bailey enjoyed herself as well...


An attempt to get a family picture by the fire :)


We played games including Star Wars Stratego and Yahtzee. I rolled a yahtzee on my first roll! (We laughed until we cried trying to get this shot)

Did I mention Bailey enjoyed herself? She was thrilled to find that our new tent had a door just for her! ;)

The wind was howling when we left and Dan got this shot of the tent flying away as we were trying to take it down.

Life is good!

Remembering Them

Life, every moment of it, is a gift...as I age I am all the more aware of this. The recent loss's of those close to my heart have also reiterated this. Today we remember those who have given their lives for our freedom.

Dan and I are retreating up north for a week of camping today. I am looking forward to enjoying a time of reflection, renewal, and fun :)

Unthinkable Tragedy

Steven Curtis Chapman

Please be praying for Steven Curtis Chapman and his family. Yesterday a tragedy happened that is simply unthinkable. For those of you not familiar with Steven Curtis Chapman, he is a Christian song writer and vocalist. He has adopted 3 of his daughters from China and has been very active in raising money for ophans in China. It was at one of his concerts that Dan and I were sparked with the idea of adoption. It was 3 years ago on Memorial Day that we heard one of his songs on the radio and his urge to adopt that was yet another sign that adoption was meant for us.

Yesterday Steven's teenage son was backing out of the driveway in a SUV and did not see his sister behind the vehicle. She was air evacuated to a hospital, however, she did not survive.

Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Thank You Kayce!

I received this beautiful hand-made bib in the mail today. What a nice way to start the day! The bib is absolutely wonderful, it's print is perfect and the underside is a soft, pink terrycloth. Equally as nice is the card that came with the bib. Kayce your words touched my heart and I am so grateful to have a friend like you. This journey to Lauren has allowed me to meet beautiful people like Kayce and I am forever thankful for this time in my life.

Generations....

In continuation of my last post, I want to share this letter my mom sent me today...


Your friend's story is beautiful. I understand Stephanie's tears. Yet it reminds me of another amazing story about a man, a woman, a boat and circumstances that were changed beyond their control.

It was 11:00 AM on November 11, 1911 at the Church of England in the village of St Austell, England. It was Albert & Mary’s wedding day! Soon after their wedding they planned to travel by ship across the Atlantic Ocean to a new place where they would make their home and begin a new life together. They’d made arrangements to travel on a brand new, beautiful ship. It would be the ship's maiden voyage and the news media would be at the dock to see the ship and all it's passengers off. It was all so very exciting! There was also much talk about the safety of this new ship - it was far superior to any built before. And the fine, onboard accommodations out surpassed any other ship of it’s time. Although Albert and Mary regretted leaving their families in England, they were equally excited to begin their new life together - in a wonderful new place. Their hopes were high as they made preparations for their new venture.

However, as sometimes happens, their plans changed and they learned they would not be able to travel on the beautiful new ship after all. Albert & Mary were disappointed at this news, yet they refused to give up hope. So they made new travel arrangements to sail, a bit later than planned, on a much older ship. There would be no news media with flashing cameras present when they set sail; nor would there be the elaborate accommodations onboard the ship. Yet, Albert & Mary would still be together and they would have a wonderful life in a new, exciting place. The day finally came when the young couple set sail on a ship that had traveled many seas to many destinations. The ship took them to Canada where they lived for several years before traveling once again to America. They made their home in Flint, Michigan. Although times were difficult in this new country, Albert & Mary’s dreams did in deed come true and they lived for many, many years in true happiness - just as they had always planned!

Albert & Mary were blessed with nine children. On February 6, 1927 their youngest daughter was born. They named her Ethel. In the summer of 1950 Ethel met Harold; a shy farm boy from a small town in the Thumb Area of Michigan. Wouldn’t you know it was love at first sight! And so, on June 9, 1951, Harold & Ethel were married. They settled in Harold's home town of Cass City. Times were difficult for this young couple as well, yet they were married for 54 very happy years! They had two children. Their daughter, Sherry, was born on March 18, 1952 and a son, Larry, was born the following year, right on Mother's Day, May 8. 1953. Harold & Ethel loved their children deeply and taught them - by word and by actions - to love and depend on God for whatever might come their way in life. They taught them to always hope in God and never give up on their dreams. They taught them that no matter how difficult the situation, to always turn to God for the answer and to know all things were best left to God’s planning and timing.

On July 10, 1971, Sherry married her high-school sweet-heart, Bob. On October 1, 1973, their beautiful baby girl, Mardi Leigh, was born. Mardi was an extraordinarily special person. Sherry often said, "God knew what he was doing when he gave me Mardi." Even as a child Mardi was very determined and always knew her own mind. God gave her an added dose of compassion and empathy for others; she always seemed to be far wiser than her years. Yet, the time came when Mardi wondered if she would ever find a husband. She didn't want just any husband; she wanted "her husband". God heard Mardi’s thoughts and he also knew her heart. And so, one night Mardi had a dream and in her dream she felt a man's arms come around from behind her and lay his hands across her arms - ever so gently and lovingly. Though no words were spoken, Mardi knew those were the arms of "her husband" and she knew right then that God had a plan for her to someday meet this extraordinarily special man. And so Mardi waited. She waited and waited for what seemed to Mardi far longer than necessary – after all, how long could it take God to bring “her husband” to her? Yet she did not give up hope.

At this same time, in a far away place (Arizona), there was an extraordinarily special young man named Dan whose heart God was speaking to. You see, Dan too had questions about where he would find “his wife.” For he knew only God could make a woman into the extraordinarily special person he could some day call his own. And unbeknownst to either of them, God knew Dan & Mardi would be an extraordinarily special couple. Together, they would be just what God was looking for to complete a very special journey; a journey God had planned for many, many years. But it would be several more years before God would reveal Dan & Mardi’s true purpose and mission together to them.

And so, on a very special day during the winter of 1996, a man named Dan walked into Mardi’s life. Dan took one look at Mardi and thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever met! You see, on this day, God allowed Dan to see more than physical beauty; he allowed Dan to glimpse Mardi’s inner beauty – a heart touched by God himself - and this was very new to Dan. Right then and there Dan asked Mardi to go on a date with him. Mardi said, “Yes,” she’d go on a date with him. The love between them blossomed with each new day. And a short while later, Dan asked Mardi to marry him and she said, “Yes,” she’d marry him. And so, on June 12, 1999 they did just that. And Dan & Mardi have lived very happily together ever since that day! And today, Dan & Mardi are making very extraordinarily special plans to travel to China where they will meet their little girl, Lauren, for the very first time. Lauren will be beautiful and perfect - just like her Mommy. She will be the answer to Dan & Mardi prayers. And Lauren will be loved and cherished – for her entire life - by her Mommy & Daddy.

It is something to note that Albert & Mary's hope, courage and strong determination are seen even today in later generations of their family. For these are truly good characteristics to pass on to our children. Another important note is the name of the ship that Albert & Mary did not travel on - that ship was the Titanic, which is now docked at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. For, as we all know, it's first voyage was also it's last. If Albert & Mary had kept their original travel arrangements, they very likely would have died together on that ship and this story would have ended there. But it did not, because God had planned all along to send a little girl named Lauren to be born in China. He knew Lauren would need an extraordinarily special Mommy & Daddy - people who would never give up searching for her. And this extraordinarily special Mommy & Daddy would travel across the seas to wherever Lauren was waiting for them. And God knew this extraordinarily special couple would bring Lauren home – to a very special place - where they would all live very happily ever after. For this is Dan & Mardi’s true purpose and mission together, all planned by God many, many years ago. And this is the true tale of Lauren's Journey Home.

Love, Mom (Lauren's Grandma!)

Our Trip

A friend of mine who is adopting as well just shared this story with me...I think it says it perfectly.




Deciding to have a baby is like planning a trip to Australia.You’ve heard it’s a wonderful place, you’ve read many guide books and feel certain you’re ready to go. Everyone you know has traveled there by plane.They say it can be a turbulent flight with occasional rough landings, but you can look forward to being pampered on the trip.
So you go to the airport and ask the ticket agent for a ticket to Australia. All
around you, excited people are boarding planes for Australia. It seems there is
no seat for you; you’ll have to wait for the next flight. Impatient, but anticipating
a wonderful trip, you wait--and wait--and wait. Flights to Australia continue
to come and go. People say silly things like, "Relax. You’ll get on a flight
soon." Other people actually get on a plane and then cancel their trip, to
which you cry, "It’s not fair!"
After a long time the ticket agent tells you, "I’m sorry, we’re not going to be
able to get you on a plane to Australia. Perhaps you should think about going
by boat."
"By BOAT!" you say. "Going by boat will take a very long time and it costs a
great deal of money. I really had my heart set on going by plane." So you go
home and think about not going to Australia at all. You wonder if Australia will
be as beautiful if you approach it by sea rather than air. But you have long
dreamed of this wonderful place, and finally you decide to travel by boat.
It is a long trip, many months over many rough seas. No one pampers you. You wonder if you will ever see Australia. Meanwhile, your friends have flown back and forth to Australia two or three more times,marveling about each trip.

Then one glorious day, the boat docks in Australia. It is more exquisite than
you ever imagined, and the beauty is magnified by your long days at sea. You
have made many wonderful friends during your voyage, and you find yourself comparing stories with others who also traveled by sea rather then by air.
People continue to fly to Australia as often as they like, but you are about to travel only once, perhaps twice. Some say things like, "Oh, be glad you didn’t fly. My flight was horrible; traveling by sea is so easy."
You will always wonder what it would have been like to fly to Australia. Still, you know God blessed you with a special appreciation of Australia, and the beauty of Australia is not in the way you get there, but in the place itself.
Diane Armitage printed in the April 21, 1995 "Dear Abby" column.

D4 dancing

Oh and just in case you didn't know what I meant by fun...here is Ruth dancing with her students last semester..

Yep Ruth..I found it! ;)

Finishing Up!

I am officially finished this semester as of last night. I submitted my last research paper and assignment! Tuesday was also my last clinical with my first group of students! I have been teaching nursing clinicals for ASU with a mentor(Ruth, who is pictured in themiddle). I have thouroughly enjoyed this group and watching them grow over the semester. They have impressed me so much and I will miss them greatly. If ever you are ill and you see one of these nurses walk into your room...know you are in good hands.

P.S. Ruth, ...thank you for all the advice and help you have given to me over this semester and for making it so fun! :)

"Bell" is Home

I am so happy to report that "Bell's" owner's called and she is now home.

Lost Pup

I went out for a run this morning and found this sweet girl running down the street. I called her and she came running to me friendly as ever! No collar... so I walk all over the neighborhood ringing doorbells, trying to find her home... No success, so off to the vet, no chip, back home,take pictures, make signs, post signs in neighborhood, take one to the community center, give her food and water, put her in my laundry room, try to keep my Bailey separate from our new furry friend and now it is almost 1 pm. and I have done nothing I had planned today including write my research paper. Oh, I hope someone calls! I really don't want to take her to the pound! I also cannot take on another pup right now!

Saturday

Well, today is Saturday and my weekend has gone way too fast. I work Sunday's so my weekends consists of Friday and Saturday. I don't know what it is, but about this time each week, I start to want to grasp onto time and not let it go. If you've seen "Kate and Leopold", it's like when Meg Ryan who plays Kate says, "Sunday's are ruined because they are the day before Monday". I don't know why I feel this way. I absolutely love my job, but I guess I love being home with my hubby and pooch far more. Dan and Bailey are napping right now and when I look at them, I want to freeze time.

Just In!

The following message came from our Agency today:

On April 4, 2008, Children's Hope received 7 China referrals. These
referrals were for our 1/6/06 log in date families. We did not
receive any Chinese expedited referrals in this group. This group
of referrals included 7 beautiful little girls! They are from the
Jiangxi province. Their ages are 7 to 9.5 months and one 3 ½ year
old. The family that received the 3 ½ year old little girl
requested a 0-18 months old girl but the referral fell within the
CCAA age guidelines. These families waited 27 long months from log
in date to referral. We expect these families to travel in about 8
weeks.

This group of referrals began with the 1/5/06 log in date but the
CCAA has not updated the CCAA Information System with a cut off date
yet. I will send out the official cut off date once the CCAA
announces it.

Congratulations to these families and all our China families who
have moved up in line! Children's Hope International's next log in
dates are 1/13/06 and 1/16/06.

We also received seeking confirmation letters (official referrals)
for 2 waiting children families today! Congratulations to them
also!

I find this to be encouraging since our agency's accreditation is "pending" right now, I am glad to see they are still receiving referrals. There is hope for us yet!

Congratulations to all of us who have moved up in line!!

Hiking At My Door!

I am so excited! Dan and I love to hike and now we have new hiking trails just blocks from our front door! A couple of weeks ago we trailblazed our way through these beautiful mountains and had so much fun! While the trails were being built we watched men in little "bobcats" making the trails and were amazed at how they could sit on the side of a mountain in these little machines and not fall off! The scenes are beautiful and the wildflowers right now are amazing! I can't wait until I'm feeling better to get back out there! You are all welcome to come join me anytime! :)

Happy Spring!

We returned to the Butterfly Exhibit at the Phoenix Botanical Gardens this year. We celebrated Easter, Mom's birthday, and my sister's birthday on this day. These are pic's of my niece and nephew :) The weather was perfect and it was really nice spending the day laughing with family.

I've been home sick the past few days and I am really hoping to be feeling better soon. You know you've been sick too long when you start to know the t.v. commercial schedule.

Well, I'm off to the couch again...or should I change it up and go to bed this time. :)

Happy Spring Everyone!

2 years!

Well, I am a little late in saying this....but March 7th marked 2 years since our L.I.D.! To celebrate this, the CCAA finally entered our log-in-date year! The latest information is they have now matched up to 1/04/06! With the average pace being 1 week/ month and the CCAA being about 8 weeks away from our LID, we should be getting our referral in November this year!

I'm also a little late in saying Happy birthday to Stephanie!I thought of my bloggy friend all day on the 7th because our LID just happens to be her birthday as well! Happy Belated Birthday Steph! I tried to blog this entry on the actual day, but the server was down.

I am on Spring Break this week and have been enjoying our beautiful weather here. Dan and I plan to go hiking tomorrow. I hope you all are doing well.

I was thinking the other day...I know pregnancy is supposed to have it's mental preparation cycles, first its, "I'm pregnant" than, "I'm going to have a baby" than, "I'm going to be a mom". Well, I noticed I have moved into a different preparation cycle lately. For the past year, I have not read one ounce of adoption or parenting material. I think it was my way of denying this long wait. However, on our 2 year anniversary and at the notice that the CCAA is finally in 2006, I picked up "Sheparding your child's heart" and began to read about parenting. I guess, I am moving into the "I'm going to be a mom" phase. :) It's about time... :)

My Wish

Well, I guess Christmas IS over eh?? Time to update my blog! :)

In December we had our family from Michigan in town for 2 weeks and we had so much fun!

Well, I titled this post My Wish and it goes along with the song I chose by Rascal Flatts. This year, my wish for my bloggy friends and myself is that we make the most of this time of continued waiting and the unknown.

Yesterday is history
Tomorrow is a mystery
Today is a gift

Eleanor Roosevelt

Wonderful Christmas!

I hope all of you enjoyed a very Merry Christmas and were surrounded by those you love. My Michigan family is here and it was our first Christmas together in 14 years! We enjoyed breakfast together, a hike, lunch together, opening gifts, singing happy birthday to Jesus and eating His birthday cake, hearing Danny read the Christmas Story, and then watched the movie "Enchanted" which had us laughing to the point of tears when watching my uncle, husband, and brothers sitting through this very "girly" movie :)

Christmas Tree Favorites

Our Christmas tree this year.

Danny and I laughed when we took this ornament out. We bought this in 2005 and had it personalized to say "adopted with love...2006 Lauren" Oh, how naive we were :)

We bought these in San Diego in 2005. We had just bought our bikes and were trying them out by biking all over San Diego. I always remember how much fun we had when I hang these ornaments.

We bought this last year. As many of you will recognize, it was created by my friend Steph from Jiinkin Kids. It states simply, "Waiting for you 2006".

This ornament floods me with memories of Danny and I dating and all the wonderful memories since. What an awesome man I have been blessed to call my husband.

All I want for Christmas...

Forecast update...the wait continues....

Turkey Bowl ' 07

Official Waterboy of Turkey Bowl '07


...and running back


Waterboy's sister, a.k.a. future Turkey Bowl cheerleader...:)

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! This season, from Thanksgiving to Christmas, is my favorite time of year.

As a side note, I have my last class of this semester tomorrow and then Dan and I are heading up north to be camp advisors for "Camp Anytown". 70 high schoolers are coming and the mission behind the camp is to help break down prejudism and gender issues in the school. It's my first time and Dan's 3rd. He says it's awesome. I will update you when I get back. Have a great week!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Tomorrow my family is celebrating Thanksgiving since I will be working Thanksgiving Day. I love Thanksgiving! We will start our day by meeting at a field for our annual "Turkey Bowl". All the guys play football and sometimes we girls play or we sit and catch up on each others lives. We then go home, gather our pies, etc. and meet at mom's for Thanksgiving dinner.

I have so much to be thankful for! My life is full of blessings and you who read this blog are truly one of them. I am so thankful for you, my friends.

I pray your Thanksgiving is full of fun and laughter shared with those you hold most dear...

Making Headway!

Our Agency just sent the following update:
On November 5, 2007, Children's Hope received 10 China referrals. These referrals were for our nine 12/5/05 log in date families and one 9/26/06 Chinese expedited family. They are 10 beautiful little girls! They are from the Guangxi, Guangdong, Jiangxi and Liaoning provinces. They range in age from 6.5 to 13 months, and one 3 year 7 month old (Her parentswere presented her referral in our St. Louis office and they said, "They are thrilled and she is so beautiful!") These families waited 23 long months from log in date to referral. The Chinese expedited families waited 14 months from log in date to referral. We expect these familiesto travel in about 8 weeks.

Well, they are slowly making their way to our dossier! :) It is also our 20 month LID anniversary today!

Never Fear...Batman's here!!

This is my niece and nephew all decked out for halloween tonight! :) Dan and I had fun talking with neighbors and seeing all the little ones dressed up tonight. Fairies, hippies, and Batman seem to be the hot costumes this year. I handed out candy to a tiny little asian princess tonight. When she looked up at me and said "Thank You!"...guess who I thought of :)

Happy sugar high everyone!

Stopping to say Hi!

Hi Everyone,

I can't believe it has been over a month since my last posting. Remember the days we used to post almost daily and thought "this could be the month!" Reality has hit us all and we seem to be going on with life. I think it is a healthy break however. I love roller coasters, but even I can't sit at the edge of my seat for 2+ years! :)

School is keeping me busy. I am trying to keep balance in my life. I do this better some days than others. Last Tuesday I checked my email at the end of my shift and found out I had a paper due the next morning and I had thought it was due at the end of the week. So, after a 12 hour shift, I went home and typed my paper (which was worth 40% of my grade) until 3 a.m.. I then went to sleep for 2 hours before I had to get up and work another 12 hour shift. Yeah... I was looking pretty at the end of that shift!! :)

Today, I am peeking above my books before going to my laptop to write yet another paper, to say hi to all of my friends in Bloggy land!

I am so glad to have friends like you to help get through this long, long wait...Hang in there everyone...we WILL have our dauughters one day..

Dear Lauren...

Lauren,
I just read over my last post and tears started streaming down my face when I read over your name. I notice I have put a brick wall up around my heart. I miss you and it hurts. The wait for you hurts and I want you to know I love you. When I am busy right now, I haven't forgotten about you. I pass your room each day and think of you. I sit at the computer that is in your playroom and think about you. I know this path to you, no matter how hard or how long, will be all worth it when I touch your face for the first time.

Landing...I Hope

I am landing on solid ground finally. The last month has been grueling, painful, and exhilirating all at the same time. Graduate school started immediately after our camping trip, my last post. I cannot believe how high tech everything has become in the five years I have been out of school. I was one of the only people not typing my notes on a laptop our first day. We also have these meetings called breeze meetings that remind me of the old Jetson's cartoons. They are meetings via computer using web cams.

In the middle of my crazy schedule came an opportunity to take a part-time adjunct faculty position for ASU. So, it looks like I will be teaching clinicals for ASU nursing students come next semester. I am excited for this opportunity. I will work my current job 2 days a week and then teach clinicals the other 12 hours. I know some of you may be wondering how this all fits in with Lauren arriving next year. But, beleive it or not, this will actually give me more flexibility in my schedule. I have also decided to live life in the now and when Lauren arrives, it will all work out.

I have learned not to work 6 twelve hour shifts prior to "immersion week" at school. I am taking a couple of PTO days next month. My life was so out of balance and I am slowly getting back into balance again. I have to say...my bloggy friends helped me so much this last month! At a time when I most needed it, I received emails from many of my closest bloggy fiends. Thank you so much. It reminded me again of what a great support group we have!

Well, I went to yoga this week, I read a book other than required school reading, and I am going out to dinner tonight with my husband tonight. AND, I've posted on my blog!! woohoo, I can see the ground now! :)

R N R

We're back from wonderful Flagstaff, AZ. Our trip was one of our best so far! The weather was great and we had so much fun! We read books in our hammocks, used our new axe to chop lots of fantastic smelling pine wood (from trees that were already down), hiked the "Arizona Trail", played chess, yahtzee, scrabble, and my fav, Rummy 500!


Sitting by the campfire is one of my favorite things about camping. It's often a time of reflection for me. Dan and I have also had some of our best conversations while sitting by the campfire.


Bailey of course, was in tow. :) This is a view from Mount Humphrey just outside of Flagstaff. When they get snow, this is one of the big ski spots in AZ.


And of course, what would a camping trip be without smore's !! woohoo! I was so delighted that they didn't leave me feeling sick! ( They did last time and I was worried I was getting too old for them! :) Smore's always bring me back to my days as a "brownie". I had my first smore on a camping trip with my brownie pack and I thought I was in heaven. :)

Well, this site will probably be quiet for some time now. Starting tomorrow I'm working 6 shifts this week. I need to do this so I can be off the week of my graduate school orientation. I hope you all have a great week!

Going Camping!

We are finally going camping! We usually have 2 camping trips under our belt by August, but this summer has blurred by and we have been waiting for the fire restrictions to be lifted before heading north. The weather forecast sounds perfect. It's calling for highs in the 70's, lows in the 50's, with occasional rain. We trekked to REI today to buy a few fun, new, camping gadgets. This included a new doggy water bottle for Bailey. We then went to Borders book store... because a camping trip wouldn't be complete without cracking open a new book while reclined by the fire. :) I can't wait to hear the breeze through the pines and the caw of the crow. ahhh...

Shopping!

Well, while we wait we might as well shop, right!? What's a waiting mom to do??? Here is another great site my mom forwarded to me: Poshtots.com Check out product number 15218 it's a "gotcha day" announcement plaque.

Happy Shopping Everyone! :)

August Update is Here!

The following update came yesterday from our agency:

On August 2, 2007, Children's Hope received 18 China referrals for
our 11/16/05 and 11/21/05 log in date families and 4 additional
referrals for our 6/13/06, 6/19/06 and 6/27/06 Chinese expedited
families, for a total of 22 China referrals. There were 21
beautiful little girls and one very handsome little boy (parents
requested a girl or boy). They are from the Anhui, Guangdong and
Hunan provinces. They range in age from 7.5 to 20 months, one 26
month old (parents requested 1 - 3 years of age), one 27 month old
(parents requested 12 to 24 months old) and one 37 month old
(parents requested 7 to 36 months old). These families waited 21
months from log in date to referral. The Chinese expedited families
waited 14 months from log in date to referral. We expect these
families to travel in about 8 weeks. This group of referrals
covered the 11/15/05 through 11/21/05 log in dates.

Congratulations to those who will be getting their referral in the mail very soon! For the rest of us waiting...let's hope they get to December in the next update! :)