Bloggerview

So here’s the deal. My new blog friend Linda wrote a post answering random questions that someone asked of her. She then posted her answers and said she’ll send interview questions to others, if they post the answers. Here are her questions for me, and my answers. . .

1. When did you know that you were supposed to adopt?

Honestly, I do not know the exact date. God has been putting people, and their journeys in my path. He has been working on opening my eyes, and my families eyes about orphans for a while.
Tim & I have talked about it ever since our friend's The Oatsvall's brought Emily home from China. Well, I guess mostly I've talked about it, and God has worked more on Tim about it :o). This past summer, Tim finally let his guard down. As we walked by Izzy C. (another child in our church adopted from China) Tim asked me when we were going to get our little girl. Well, you just can't take that back :o) We contacted our social worker, found an agency, and here we are 2 pieces of paper away from completing our dossier--Praying for G.G.

2. What were you known for in high school?

I'd probably say swimming. My high school had a swim team for the first time my freshman year. I ended up swimming all four years of high school.

3. If money were no object, where would you visit, and why?

We would take a trip to Spain in the fall. We have had a foreign exchange student living with us since the end of July '08. I am already dreading her going home, and she doesn't leave until the first week of June. We have fallen in love with her. I would love to be able to go visit her, and meet her family.

4. What is your favorite "mom" memory with your kids?

This is a tough one. There are sooooooooo many.

5. What is your most cherished item?

Family photos. I have not done a very good job of keeping them organized, or making albums. I have some of them in large under-the-bed totes, but one of my favorite things to do is get out old pictures. It's fun to think about "back in the day."

That was fun :o)

If you’d like to participate in this little “ask me anything” assignment, here are the rules for anyone else who wants to be interviewed…



1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions, or leave you a comment on your blog w/the questions. (I get to pick the questions).
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

On your marks. Get set. Go! Come on. You know you want to do it :oP

Just A Couple More Things On The Check List :o)

I just got home from work, and checked my email. I was beyond happy to open up the email from the FBI entitled "Good News." Our FBI Clearance is complete & on it's way here via fed ex--I even have the tracking # :o)

We are so close to being done w/this phase of paperwork---YIPEE!!

Just a couple more things, and we'll have our dossier complete. The next "big date" is February 13th, when we go for our biometrics appointment @ the USCIS. I am not sure how long that takes to process, once we go. I am beyond ready to be "in the wait." I am hoping for the end of February--we'll see. . .

Please Keep Praying for G.G.

I Almost Feel Like It Is My Birthday :o)

We have been waiting over a month for an appointment for our biometrics. Last week, our case manager @ the adoption agency said another family that submitted there I800A a week after we did had gotten their appointment time. Yeah for them, but what about us? :o( I called, the USCIS & they said "so sorry no appointment for you yet." UGH. That was a week ago, so I thought I'd call again. Maybe if I bug them enough they'll give me what I want--It works for my kids :o) So, I called today. . .

Guess What. . .

We have an appointment February 13th :o)

Also, I got an email from the liaison @ the FBI, and they are working on our Clearance letter. It should be complete by the end of this week :o)

Thank you all for your continued prayers for our adoption journey to G.G.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños Mi Esposo!

Happy Birthday Tim!!

I just want to say how much I love this guy. I met Tim in the summer of 1990. He worked w/my sister. One night I was out w/my sister in Smyrna, and she saw Tim's car. We pulled in to the Pizza Hut parking lot. He got out of his car, and I thought Wow--that guy is tall :o) & kind of cute. We had our first date August 10th, 1990, much to my mothers dismay--Tim was 20 & I was 16. I fell in head over heals--I was love sick.

Here we are going on 19 years later. We are stronger & more love sick than ever. I am grateful that God picked such a perfect man for me.

I Love you Tim. Happy Birthday.

Fingerprints Have Been Delivered!!

This was part of my stress this week. I (like a big doofus) did not take the sender's copy off of the Fed ex slip, so I had no tracking number to prove I sent them. I called Fed ex and got the major run around. They would not give me the tracking number. I thought they would at least e-mail it to the address on my Fed ex account, but Nope. I had several other Fed ex slips here, that all had the same number, except for the last two digits. I just kept putting in the numbers, and changing the last two until WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. My package information popped up on the screen. Take that Fed ex :o) Where there's a will there's a way, right? Hee Hee. According to Fed Ex. Our fingerprints were delivered to the FBI this morning :o).
Please pray that they all scanned correctly, and they would process our information quickly.

Praying, Trusting, Leaning on Him.

So much has been going on lately. Things not only with adoption paperwork, but also with family and work. I've been feeling a little stressed. My attempt to do what is right doesn't always turn out exactly the way I thought it would, or should. It can be way too easy to simply get discouraged & throw my hands up, but then God is so good to send me a reminder of His control over EVERYTHING. As I sat down for my quiet time this morning, I read this in Jesus Calling by Sarah Young:

Strive to trust Me in more and more areas of your life. Anything that tends to make you anxious is a growth opportunity. Instead of running away from these challenges, embrace them, eager to gain all the blessings I have hidden in the difficulties. If you believe that I am sovereign over every aspect of your life, it is possible to trust Me in all situations. Don't waste energy on regretting the way things are or thinking about what might have been. Start at the present moment--accepting things exactly as they are--and search for My way in the midst of those circumstances.

Trust is like a staff you lean on, as you journey uphill with Me. If you are trusting in Me consistently, the staff will bear as much of your weight as needed. Lean on, trust, and be confident in Me with all your heart and mind.

Psalm 52:8; Proverbs 3:5-6

Thank you God for the many blessings you have given me, including the blessings that I allow to stress me. Grow me, and help me God to see the good that will come from them. Thank you for reminding me that You are always with me, and will make my path straight through them all. In Jesus name amen.

My Baby Boy is 6!!!!!!

Today is Seth's 6th Birthday. We started this years birthday bash, last night @ the Mexican restaurant:This was Seth's favorite outfit this year. His CRAZY bright/flashy YuGiO shirt, comfy soccer shorts, and his cowboy boots from Mexico: Seth was finally tall enough to ride a real roller coaster. He was a little nervous @ first, but ended up riding over, and over, and over. . .

His first day of Kindergarten:
He loves having a big sister: I love this boy. He is such a sweety. He has had a great 5th year. I look forward to continuing to watch him grow, and learn the plans God has for him.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños mi hijo meynor!

Time Flys When Your Having Fun. . . Right?

I was updating the Adoption timeline on my side bar, and realized WOW we are already 7 months into this journey. We are in the second stage of paperwork. Sometimes it feels like the paperwork will never end. Just when I think I am making progress, I discover something else I didn't know I needed. I am finally beginning to see the end, though.

I had kind of taken a little paperwork break for the holidays, since it could take up to 90 days to get our I-179C back. I am trying to learn all this adoption lingo. I talk about all these documents, but really I have no idea what they are for. I'm just checking things off a list. It is really nice to check things off the list. This week I have been able to check 3 things off the list. :o)

I should be done checking off the list in the next week or so. :o)

I would love to have all the list checked off, and be ready to submit our dossier when we get the form we need from The Department of Homeland Security. We submitted the I-800A 12/08/08. 90 days will be the first week of March.

Praying that every i is dotted and t is crossed, and ready for submission by then. I am ready to "wait."

Will you pray with us?

What I hope to get done next week:

• fingerprinting complete & sent to FBI
• my name change verification form completed/notarized
• my medical letter completed/notarized
• psych eval. re-notarized--the notary dated it 2008 :o(
• my employment verification letter (they mailed it to me today. Just waiting for it to be in hand, so I can check it off the list :o)

If I get all that done, then basically I will be waiting for the FBI Clearance letter, and the I 179C. I will take everything to be state sealed, and then submit our dossier. It doesn't really look like that much left now does it. (The psychologist said I was too positive, maybe he was right? :o)

Happy 2009

¡¡¡¡¡Feliz Año Nuevo!!!!!

Happy New Year!!!!!