Christmas Memories 2009

Christmas Memories 2009, originally uploaded by Tarheel & The Tide.

Christmas at the White House was simply beautiful and simply simple. After wrapping up a busy December with a show at the Children's Theatre, a crazy work schedule, and constant "go, go, go", it was wonderful to have Yaya and Mama B come in town to celebrate Christmas with us at our house. Christmas Eve was memorable and I sang "Gesu Bambino" at the candlelight service at church. I love that service! It is so lovely to see the glow of a thousand candles and hear the Christmas story, and to share it with loved ones. After the service, we came home and ate. . . and ate. . . and we continued to eat right through Christmas day!!! In Christmases past, we have either traveled to Asheville to be with Geoff's family or stayed in town to be with mine. This Christmas was extra special because we could have both Yaya and Mama B together with us on Christmas morning!

Here are a few pics of Christmas morning at the White House! Hope you enjoy ;-) I hope everyone had a beautiful Christmas. We'll update again soon!!

Privatizing our blog

Hey friends,
We have decided to go ahead and put some controls on our blog and its accessability. All of my friends who follow our blog and have posted and follow along (and we yours too), please just contact me and I'll add you in on our list of approved viewers. I don't know everyone's email address, so be sure to shoot me an email and I'll make sure you are included.

It's difficult to know exactly who views our story and what motives people have. As we continue our adoption journey and share our family news, we feel it is best to know whom we are sharing with.

Thanks for understanding and for continuing to follow our journey.

November Update

Well, November had lots of fun moments. There will be pics posted soon--gotta get Geoff to upload some ;-). First of all, Anna Grace auditioned for a performing group called Sprouts. . . . and (drum rolllllllllll . . .), she found out she made it!!! Let me tell you, that was one excited little girl when she got the email. She had a hard time going to bed after that! It was a "big girl" audition too. No parents allowed. She was dropped off with her head shot, her music and her information sheet. Two hours later, she called us to tell us to come get her. Geoff and I were so proud of her that she was so brave!!! She was asked to sing 16 bars of a song and performed it with an accompanist. She had to learn a dance combination. And, she had to introduce herself using a type of character voice. She was asked to use an "abnoxious cheerleader" voice! Haha!!

Then, the very evening of her audition, we held her 7th birthday party. It was great! We did a "Campfire Sing-a-long" with Daddy on guitar, hot dogs and s'mores and had a flashlight treasure hunt in the back yard with all kinds of goodies from Dollar Tree tucked in nooks and crannies around the yard. Some of the goodies even glowed in the dark! It was a HIT with the little ones! The campfire part turned out well, but I have a few additional gray hairs as a result. For future campfires, here are some tips: 1. have "all" young-uns go potty immediately "before" departing for the campfire. 2. Marshmallows come to the kiddies---not the other way around. Policy around campfire is to stay seated ;-) 3. If one serves hot chocolate out of crock pot, have an ice bucket to add an ice cube to each cup of steaming cocoa so no little hands or lips get roasted. 4. Haven't figured out the alternative to the wire coat hangers for s'mores--but would love to find one! All in all, the kids thought it was the coolest thing ever!!! It was memorable and fun---but mommy was VERY tired at the end of the night!!! All eye balls, lips, noses, fingers and toesies were intact at night's end!!!

I began rehearsals for SCROOGE the musical in early November, and we opened today. It has been great fun and awesome people in the cast. I've also continued to record and work on my album. It is coming along really well! So excited about the tracks that have been layed so far!

Thanksgiving was wonderful. We spent the afternoon at my brother's home with family! It was a house full. The food was sinful and the company was great :-) We are truly blessed with our families, and that we could all be together. . . at least mostly. We did miss seeing Geoff's family this Thanksgiving. But, Yaya will be here for Christmas!

We enter December and the Christmas season with much to be grateful for. Still no referral news. The last Journeys referral that we are aware of was in October. We are still #6 on the list--to our knowledge. Sure would be a Christmas miracle to see our sweet girl's face for the first time. Not counting on it. . . but, just in case Santa's reading ;-)

There will be more posts to come! Thanks for reading.

Here are some of AG's latest costume fashions! ;-)

AG sporting her "Queen of Hearts" (who's all about LOVE--who's turned over a new leaf) for Hero Day at school. Just when I thought I was done. . . Anna Grace informs me, it is missing a detail. Gotta add some ballet slippers on there too to capture a hobby of AG's. This "hero" is supposed to capture a postive character trait and something "uniquely" Anna Grace. So, love and ballet it is!! "Dancin' Queen of Hearts".
Now, Anna Grace decided she wanted to be Mary Poppins for Halloween this year. I love me some Mary Poppins, however, the costumes online were $150!!!! SOOOO, I did a little thrift store shopping, used some dye, elbow grease and hot glue and put together my own Mary Poppins outfit. I think it turned out pretty well for hand-made.

Anna Grace had 50's day and here's the little getup we put together! Fun, fun!!!!

We've had big fun at the White House putting together some fun costumes for different occasions in the past two weeks. I guess all that theatre time and seeing the magic made in costume shops has helped me a lot! Haha!!!

Fall Happenings

This fall is turning out to be such a learning season for us at the White House :-). Geoff and I have both diligently been working on the Experiencing God Bible Study through our church since August, and boy have we learned much. I'm thankful it came along exactly at the time it did. It has helped us to get many things into perspective.

Our adoption is still "wait, wait, wait". We began our paperwork chase in October 2007, went on the waitlist for our baby girl in September 2008 and we are approximately number 6 on the waiting list in October 2009. Referrals have slowed dramatically over the past year, so once upon a time #6 on the waitlist was an exciting place to be--knowing the call could come any moment. Under the current wait times, however, it could be another 6 months or longer. But, surprisingly, we are at peace and know that the Lord has our daughter specially chosen for our family. When the time is right, she will be placed in our arms.

In the meantime, Anna Grace is doing great in school. She is growing and maturing every day. She is taking ballet, jazz and tap and her teacher bragged to me about how well she is doing in ballet! I'm so proud of my girl! I'm just enjoying my moments with her. She has decided to be Mary Poppins for Halloween this year, and we went from thrift store to thrift store finding all the pieces for the costume. A little dye, elbow grease and creativity can do amazing things!!! And at a fraction of the cost of buying offline! During the same weekend, we had to create a Queen of Hearts costume for school AND a 50's costume for 50's Day! I think I need to start a costume business after all the costuming work I've done over the past 2 weeks! ;-)

So, we are enjoying our time together as a family, praying for and eagerly awaiting the day we see our daughter's face for the first time, and growing in our walk with the Lord. I continue to work on my album, and use this time of waiting... to grow.

I will do better about keeping the blog updated. I've been a bit slack about it over the past months. Hopefully, there will be more exciting news to post soon!

Have a wonderful weekend! And, thanks for reading .

School Days!!!

Anna Grace and her Ya Ya at "Shindig on the Green"-enjoying a sno-cone!

Mama and her little princess :-)

Boy, it's hard to believe Anna Grace will be starting 1st grade on Wednesday! It seems like just yesterday I was changing her diapers and pushing her in her stroller. She has grown into such a beautiful, smart and most importantly, sweet young lady! I'm very proud of her. We get to meet her teacher tomorrow, and AG is thrilled.

We had a great weekend in Asheville, NC. We hit a couple of the festivals---Sourwood Festival in Black Mountain and "Shindig on the Green" in Asheville. We heard some fun mountain music, saw some beautiful arts and crafts and even found a lady working an art/craft booth who is from Taiwan!!! She was selling beautiful jewelry and scrolls with personalized messages on them. I bought several goodies from her. How neat to meet her! We even went to a baseball game to see the Asheville Tourists play! Hope you enjoy the pics of some of our fun memories :)



Last week held an exciting ray of light for JOH families. There was finally a girl referral on Thursday for Program 3!!!!! It has been such a drought for so many, many months. It was certainly time for some good news. We should be #7 on the JOH waitlist (as per the Yahoo site's recording)---of course, we know that is not 100% certain since there could be folks on the list who are not listed through the Yahoo site---but hopefully, it's close to correct!! Yea!! Bring on the referrals and more good news for our families and children who are waiting!!!



Have a wonderful week, everyone---and thank you so much for reading!

10 Months on the Wait list and Counting

Well, it's about time for my monthly update. :-) Honestly, the Whites have been busier working this summer than ever. Between teaching theatre workshops, assitant directing the children's chorus in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and helping Geoff and Anna Grace as they have been preparing to open Beauty and the Beast, there has been little time for anything other than running from one theatre to the next! For that I am thankful. It is something we all enjoy as a family. And, how very cool for Anna Grace to have the opportunity to do a show with her daddy! Bless him, he's juggled the intense rehearsal schedule with his equally busy full-time job. But, he's loved every minute!!

Theatre has been a blessing to us. We've made some beautiful friends, we love the creative release, and it has kept us too busy to wallow in frustration over the stalling of the adoption process. We have now been on the wait list officially 10 months. By the first of October, we will have been on our adoption journey for 2 years. I realize that many countries have much longer waits, but when we decided on Taiwan and this particular program, one of the biggest "positives" was the short wait-time. We knew going in that adoption was a roller coaster, constantly changing. But, we can't deny that we have grown frustrated over the past months as referrals have slowed down to an unintelligible drip with no real explanation. The lack of explanation is what is most concerning. Last fall, we were expecting to wait no more than 8-9 months for our referral. As of November, the referrals were pouring in so fast that it looked as if we might see our baby girl's face by March or April 2009. Now, it looks as if it could be December at the earliest and that is a "best case scenerio". Of course, once we receive our referral, the court process will take another 6 months or so. We have become very aware that all of this is completely out of our hands. So, we are very thankful to have "sweet distractions" to keep our minds on things we do have control over.

On another note. . . I am excited to announce that I will be recording a jazz album. Music is my love. This is something I've dreamed about for a long time. I will create a website and will market it online through CD Baby and Itunes. I'm eager to begin this recording project and see where it leads. I will keep you posted as it progesses!

Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to wait to meet our daughter. Anna Grace is being incredibly patient, but is ever so eager to become a big sister. And, in the meantime, we are embracing life, pursuing our dreams and making each day count.

Through this adoption journey, one thing has become ever so clear. . . that there are so many uncertainties in this life. We truly do not know what tomorrow will bring. But, I believe every day is a gift. And, our gifts, talents and passions are treasures planted within us for us to use for the good. I don't see this "life's uncertainties" revelation as a negative. I see it as a great way to approach life. . . with enthusiasm and urgency. The only guarantee we have is: "if you do nothing, nothing will come from it".

So with that said, the Whites will continue to embrace each day, squeeze every ounce of joy and opportunity from it--not wasting one second of the days we are given, continue to grow ourselves and use our gifts--and wait patiently (as much as possible) on the Lord's timing to bring our daughter home to us.

Thank you for following and sharing in our journey.

Birthdays and Summer Fun

My sweet mama at my surprise party!

Anna Grace, Ramsey and Bryant

Bryant and Me Birthday '09





Anna Grace, Leah and Me


Tam and me :D


Tawny, Taylor and me (Sophisticated Ladies!)

Haley and Anna Grace

Kim and Me at the surprise party!

I have been lax about posting over the past month, so it is time to say "hello" and update on what's been going on with the Whites. We have been very busy since Easter. It seems theatre has been the focal point of the White family life over the past months. It truly has been fun. I finished my run with Sweeney Todd in May, and almost immediately, Geoff and Anna Grace began rehearsals for Beauty and the Beast which will open in July. And, currently I'm teaching theatre workshops to children all summer long with two different theatre companies. I finished my first full workshop week this past week-----whew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can tell you I haven't exerted that much energy for that length of time in a LONG time! And, I sit here this weekend with laryngitis, body aches and a sore throat. I think it is a combination of pure exhaustion and maybe a cold on top of it! Haha!!! I'm recovering. . . . QUICKLY. . . because I get to do it all over again Monday morning! :-) I LOVE it!!!!

A few shots of me in Sweeney Todd as Lucy, the Beggar Woman

And, I have to include something extra special about my sweet husband in this post. I believe I have the most thoughtful husband ever!!! My birthday (we won't say which one!!! ;D), was June 3rd. Geoff planned a surprise party at one of our new favorite restaurants in town. Anna Grace helped him and even kept it a secret!!!! I can't believe my little girl (who never keeps a secret! ;-) was such a big girl in helping to host my surprise birthday party! I am lucky, indeed, to have such special people as Geoff and Anna Grace in my life! It was the best birthday I can remember! I was amazed at the wonderful friends who showed up and took time to come out and honor my day. It felt great!

Now, about our adoption process. . . There were a couple of referrals about a month ago with Journeys, but nothing since. The wait times have increased dramatically over the past 6 months. Families are now waiting over a year from waitlist to referral. Only 6 months ago, people were waiting 7-8 months. It is anticipated that wait times could go to 18 months. So, we are hanging in there with the wait, preparing to update our homestudy and FBI check in the next couple of months (as they will expire before our process is completed), and we are choosing to live, fully, every day and not dwell on the things we can't control. I'm enjoying working with the theatre. . . performing on stage, writing, and teaching. Geoff is pursuing his photography. Anna Grace is enjoying participating in theatre, and will begin piano this summer. And, I am beginning the process of recording an album---a dream I've had for a long time. We are making the most of every day, and when the time is right the phone will ring and we will see our daughter's face.

In the meantime, I'm sharing a few pics from my surprise birthday, put together by my wonderful husband and sweet daughter! Enjoy!!

Special Easter Memories

Our Alabama family--Easter 2009

Our little Easter chicks. . .

Geoff and Me (making hamburger patties for the cookout!)

Sassy girls! (notice Anna Grace's doll :-)

My two special girls!

It has taken me a few days to get around to posting our Easter weekend photos. It was a wonderful time with family. We spent Saturday at Scott and Emmalie's doing an Easter egg hunt and cookout. Lots of friends and family were there. Big fun!!! And, Anna Grace was asked to spend the night with her cousin Ramsey after the Easter party--so she actually awoke on Easter morning at Ramsey's house and the Easter bunney had visited her there! It was a magical time for them to spend together! Geoff and I came in and we all went to church and mom made the most delectable roast for lunch---slow roasted all night on a low temp. It literally melted in your mouth--no need to even chew. It was heaven!! Hope you enjoy some pics from our beautiful Easter weekend.

No adoption news.

But, I'm in full swing rehearsals for Sweeney Todd and they are going very well. I'm thankful to be able to do what I love to do!

Sweet Distractions. . .

Since there has been no new news on the adoption front in the past week, I have been silent on the blog. There simply has been nothing more to say. When the time is right, the phone will ring and we'll finally see our baby girl's face---in the meantime, patience. . .

So, I'm once again thankful for sweet distractions. I just finished reading all of the Twilight series books, and I'm truly embarrassed to admit how emotionally involved I got with the characters. It's not so much incredible writing, when compared to the classic legends---just great enthralling story telling. And, let me tell you, I was swept. It was fun to touch base with that young love romance part of myself that I haven't experienced in a few years.

Simultaneously, I am working on preparing for Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, that I am cast as the Beggar Woman with Red Mountain Theatre Company. It's been great to be able to sink my teeth into that difficult piece while there is nothing happening with Journeys of the Heart. We begin the actual rehearsal process this week and will put the show on its feet in 3 weeks at the Cabaret Theatre downtown. Chan Harris and Kevin Finn, both from New York, are being brought in to direct the show and music. The cast is superb in every way. It will be an amazing opportunity to work with some of the finest actors around. I'm thrilled!!! The story is a dark one, for sure. But, I've learned a great deal studying the themes and social, political and historical statements the story and musical makes. Each day, I am more excited to tackle it. I'll keep you posted on how it progesses!

Additionally, I finished writing the script for the one woman show of Alice in Wonderland to go into the Birmingham City Schools (30 schools total) as well as the curriculum to accompany it. It was a lot of work, but I loved every minute of it. It stretched me in a whole new way. It builds my resume too. I hope to write more soon!

And, it looks like this summer is going to be very busy as I've been asked to teach theatre workshops at the Children's Theatre and at Red Mountain Theatre Co. That is going to be perfect!! I'm so thankful paid jobs continue to come my way while we wait and scrimp and save for our adoption. God is very good!!!

To top it off, I received a phone call from the production manager at the Birmingham Children's Theatre that they want to cast me in their Christmas production. Once again, a professional paid gig with people I love and admire. . . They are aware that we are awaiting our referral sometime in the next few months and still wanted to offer me the part and will hold it for me until the fall when I will have a better idea of when we will travel to Taiwan. How about that????

So, even though the adoption news is nonexistent currently---and a bit discouraging, I absolutely cannot complain about the wonderful performing and writing opportunities coming my way. I love growing as an actor, vocalist and writer too---and it seems now is my time to do that. So, I absolutely will embrace it!

Thanks for reading, everyone! I will update again soon. I continue to hope that referrals will begin pouring down on our Journeys of the Heart families. Suzy and Victoria have waited entirely too long!!
Have a great upcoming week!

Finally!!!! JOH receives a baby girl referral!!!!

I am VERY happy to report that a JOH family finally received a baby girl referral on Thursday!!! I hope more are to follow. We are now, as far as we know, #9 on the wait list!!!!!! Single digits, at last :-)

Have a great weekend!

I've been thinking. . .

There was finally a baby boy referral for JOH last week! That's good news---still no baby girl referrals---not so good news. We patiently wait for good news to come in and in the meantime, we are enjoying our days, making family memories and working on creating a beautiful nursery for our sweet baby girl in Taiwan---for when she finally comes home.

I try not to watch too much on the news as it is pretty discouraging in our world, right now. But, I couldn't help but make a poignant connection. . . after listening to all the AIG hubub. There are an estimated 143 million orphans in our world. Each child a beautiful individual soul in need of a loving family. . . Have you ever considered "how much" 143 million is? It is staggering. These are our children, our world's future.

Anyway, connecting the AIG "hubub" to the orphan crisis. . . Can you imagine how many children could be brought into loving families with "just 1" of those million dollar bonuses? And, to take it even further.. . Now they are trying to pass a bill to make each of those receiving the bonus pay a 90% tax on it---so essentially the government will get most of the money back. 10% of 1 million dollars is $100,000.00. When I consider that the greatest obstacle standing between adoptive families and the children who need to be placed in their loving arms is the prohibitive costs of the adoption process (ranging from $20K-$50K or more depending on the country and program), I am blown away to think that someone's "bonus check" (even after being taxed at 90%) could complete 3-5 adoptions. 3-5 children's lives could be changed forever, going from hopeless and helpless alone in an orphanage to "a hope and a future" with a loving family, with just 1 person's 90% taxed "bonus check".

We look at what we pay our celebrities and our athletes and our CEO's, and then we take a look at the millions of helpless, innocent children who have been placed in our care who are sitting in unthinkable, unsanitary and unloving environments--hoping that the grown-ups "in charge" of our world will finally "see" their invisible faces. . . and instead eyes are closed and greed is fed.

"Only 1" of those bonus checks, 90% taxed, would bring 3 children home. . . poignant, isn't it?

My prayer is that one day, we will open our eyes to the invisible voiceless children of our world and realize they are the world's hidden treasures and it is up to us to love them and provide them families---and I believe the greatest blessing will come from these children who finally would be given a voice, a name, a face and a forever family. . . .

Dottie the Spotless Ladybug

Well, we had a good weekend at the White House--in spite of Geoff being sick with bronchitis and injuring his back in a coughing fit. Poor fella---he's feeling much better now.

We went to Sloss Furnaces on Sunday to take some interesting photographs and Anna Grace found her first ladybug of spring! She named this spotless ladybug "Dottie"! How cute is that???Unfortunately, she accidentally dropped Dottie through a metal grate with water running below and I've never seen my little girl cry so hard. Dottie was her new friend and pet----plus AG knows that ladybugs are good luck for adoptioin. Dropping Dottie, for AG, was more serious than dropping a ladybug. It was almost like she had dropped her sister she's waited for for so long. It broke my heart to see her so upset---who would have thought a bug could cause so much emotional turmoil???

I told Anna Grace that all ladybugs can fly and that I believe Dottie flew away.

Anyway, I found the cutest outfit for AG at a consignment sale this weekend and it was red with black polka-dots and ladybug buttons down the front. So, in honor of Dottie---and the sister she's been waiting for--Anna Grace was dressed in ladybug couture today!!!

Here's hoping for a wonderful March!

A Weekend of Adventure!!!

Well, when there is absolutely no adoption news to post, it is good to know we have other exciting things going on at the White House :-) We had an incredible weekend. Temperatures went from 70 degrees on Friday down to the 20's last night. We had tornado warnings on Friday and 2-3 inches of snow on Sunday morning!!! How about that for a change of climate?

We also had an amazing time Saturday night at the fundraiser gala for the Chidren's Theatre "A Night in Oz" . We took MANY pictures this weekend, but I've condensed some of the best into a couple of mosaics capturing our adventure in Oz and our Winter Wonderland fun. Hope you enjoy!

NOW, let's hope for 4 leaf clovers for March---and that adoption news (aka REFERRALS) will come pouring in!

Fun with Daddy this weekend!

A Great Weekend!!

This weekend was definitely a highlight after a frustrating time of sickness and no adoption news last week. It all began with a girl's day on Friday. I kept Anna Grace home from Kindergarten to take her to see 2 live performances at the Children's Theater. Oh, my goodness. . . it was a wonderful experience!!! We saw a Russian folktale directed by one of my most admired directors in town. It was absolutely exquisite! Anna Grace was enthralled and told me her teacher had read the story to her class just a few weeks before!!! How perfect is that????

Then, we went to one of their smaller theatres and saw an adaptation of Goldiocks and the Three Bears. Again. . . fabulous!!! So, we had a day full of culture. Then Anna Grace came with me to my rehearsal for the George Washington Carver show I am currently in. We did lunch together and just had a great time.

Then, on Saturday, Geoff and Anna Grace went on a photo shoot together and then went to my sweet neice's 4th birthday party. They had a grand time!!! I was at the theatre helping instruct the Youth Showcase which opened and closed this weekend with 4 performances. I'm telling you, I have never been so amazed by what these young performers are capable of doing. There are no better performances at Disney. . . and that is not an exaggeration!!! I was honored to be able to instruct and coach them. And, the end result was nothing short of WOW!!!!! I was left in a puddle---just absolutely earth-moving!

It feels great to do what I love to do. . . sing/theatre and work with young people. It is beyond rewarding. I also cherish these moments with my daughter. She is growing up before my very eyes, and I want to be sure I embrace every single moment with her.

Hopefully, the next couple of weeks will bring some referral news to our anxious JOH families. I will certainly share when I hear!!

Have a wonderful week, and thank you for reading.

Just One of those Days. . .

Well, friends. . . I believe I am being seriously tested. In fact, Geoff and I both are being tested, but yesterday was a little more personal. Sit back and be ready to be amused and a little grossed-out.

Louie (culprit #1)

Milo (culprit #2)



I decided to take a day to rest on the couch under a blanket yesterday (after I got my daughter off to school) as I am battling a nasty head and chest cold. The rest of this week, I have 9 and 12 hour rehearsal days for 2 shows I'm currently working on through Sunday. So, yesterday was my only chance for a "down day". I planned to take full advantage of it.


WELLLL. . . Once my daughter was off to school, I let all the animals out for a potty break before I snuggled down under a blanket for a few hours. Louie, my little dachshund, doesn't do rain----and it was raining out. So, when he asks to be let back in, I see he has left me a present directly beside the door mat on the back porch. I exclaim, "Louie!!!" and go to get tissue to clean up his present. On the way to flush the "present", I hear the unmistakable washing machine sound of an animal about to toss its cookies. I frantically follow the sound and find my cat sitting under my bed throwing up his breakfast (which he had just eaten 15 minutes prior)---and right next to my brand new suede shoes!!!! "MILO!!!!", I exclaim. And, I rush back to the bathroom to grab more tissue to clean up Milo's "present" and to inspect my shoes (thankfully they escaped by only a millimeter or so). I am carrying handfuls of cat vomit to the toilet to add to Louie's "present", my eyes watering, and holding back my own gag reflex (I don't do throw up very well)--flush, wash my hands thoroughly and stumble back to the couch DARING anyone mess with me again.


Later that morning, nature calls and I run to the restroom. I flush. Strange sound. Not the normal "flush" sound. So, I lift the lid to see what the problem is------the toilet is clogged and the water is all the way to the brim of the commode. There is not even enough space to put a plunger down in it without sending waves of dirty toilet water with Louie poop, cat barf and tinkle over the sides and onto the floor. So, I work to dislodge the obstruction and thankfully perform a successful toilet surgery. Then, I have to clean the floor and then Lysol everything heavily---and wash my hands thoroughly AGAIN!!!


It seems the day had a recurring theme. . . . I'll let you fill in that blank.





Then, later yesterday afternoon, my husband arrived home from work and checked the mail to find a letter from Shaohannah's Hope (whom we applied for an adoption grant with). It was a sweetly worded rejection letter sent with blessings and fair wishes. They do a great service for many adoptive families. Unfortunately, our family will not be one of them.


I then check my email, and a message is in my inbox from Journeys of the Heart stating that there is a $2000 increase in the fees that will be applied to all adoptions in our program.





I don't even know what to say at this point. The events of yesterday pretty much speak for themselves. I just can't decide if "someone" is trying to tell me something. How about that for an interesting day??

It's Been a While. . .

I haven't posted in some time because there has been absolutely nothing to report on the adoption front. Journeys of the Heart seems to be stuck in a desert wasteland currently with no referral news at all. Of course, even though we are 10th on the list, any news is great news. Each referral brings us one step closer to our baby girl. So, we still eagerly await good news for our waiting families. Those at the top of the wait list are experiencing a pretty excruciating wait. They've been watching the phone daily since the end of November full of hope---but each passing day another disappointment. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

The GOOD news is, thankfully, I am very busy, right now. I am blessed to be able to do the thing I love the most and that is theatre. I have the wonderful opportunity to be on both sides of the stage, currently. I'm in a fabulous production of George Washington Carver (celebrating the life and accomplishments of that fine man), and I am having the great opportunity to serve as an instructor with the Youth Program of a local professional performing arts group----ABSOLUTELY amazingly talented kids. That allows me to tap back into my "teacher" mode. I haven't taught since my daughter was born 6 years ago. So, working with these kids---singing and dancing---what more could I want??? :-) And, thirdly, I have been commissioned to write a show to go into the schools for "Alice in Wonderland". I have to write the curriculum and the one-woman show. Very challenging (especially the show part), but I am LOVING it!! This work is challenging me to grow in the areas I love the most---and very importantly---it is taking my mind off of the SLOW period in this adoption journey. I'm thankful for that. Otherwise, I'm the type of person who would sit at my email hitting "refresh" over and over hoping for good news to be posted.
I believe in God's timing. And, right now must be the time for me to work and grow in other areas. I will embrace this time to grow while I wait for our daughter to come home.
I'll keep you posted as new news develops. Have a great week.

No news is no news

I have been waiting to post because we have been eagerly awaiting wonderful news that many of our JOH friends have received their referrals after our facilitator's trip home from Taiwan. Well, it has been a full week, now, since she arrived back in the U.S. and there has been one referral. And, for Holly and Rich---she is absolutely beautiful beyond measure!!!! For the rest of the waiting families, the news hasn't been so great. For Program III, there has been no more word of referrals. And, for Program II (which is the St. Lucy's orphanage program)--they received very disappointing news this week. Apparantly, JOH is not as high on the priority list as some other agencies, and those families waiting (some for 19 months already) may not see a referral for a very long time more. Our facilitator learned that JOH has been getting skipped all-together for referrals in that program unless there are more than 4 referrals in a given month. My heart goes out to those families who are hurting from this.

Hopefully, soon, there will be happy news to post! One wonderful bit of news is that Michelle and Byron, indeed, have a very beautiful, healthy and happy baby girl who loves her new family--and I got the opportunity to witness it with my own two eyes. That gives me great hope!!!

One day, our time will come. . . and in the meantime, we will be about our business, staying busy, living life and trying not to think too much about "when" the phone will ring. One day, our sweet girl will be home---and she will be worth the wait.

To the rest of my waiting friends----you are in my heart and prayers, right now. Thank you for reading.

Holidays 2008

Holidays 2008, originally uploaded by kwhite1972.

The White Family chose to celebrate the New Year at home. We rang in 2009 in style with some tasty treats and took some pictures to share. This time next year, we will be a family of 4! Welcome 2009.