Wohoooooo!!! We received our PA today!!

Well, Happy, happy Thanksgiving a few days early!! We have received our PA from China!! Looks like it is a "GO" for us to bring our our precious Mei Li!!! It's a good thing, too. . . she already has stolen our hearts! We've already made her a panda Build-a Bear with our voices in it, so she can hear us speak any time she wants while she waits for us. :)

There are some happy hearts at the White House tonight!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!

Kristy

The Sweetest Little Face!! :)

Just had to share this pic of our sweet little Mei Li!

The Writing on the Wall leads us to the Great Wall. . . :)

This week has been an eye-opener for us. If there was ever a question in our minds about changing countries and switching programs, that question was put to rest yesterday. We received word from Journeys of the Heart that our program is still on hold, no definitive answer from TWCA about "start-up", turnover in JOH staffing. . . just an overall feeling of "bleh". It is even possible that TWCA won't start referring babies again. After almost a year of waiting after being given a 6-8 month timeframe from the start. . . this news just sits on your stomach like sour milk. And, for me. . . confirmation that my instincts were right all along. Something wasn't right. . . still don't know what. . . but, further proof that now is the time to change course.

What's more. . . the Lord already has led us to our new country---and most importantly, to our little girl! :) I have felt a joy and peace about Mei Li since we were shown her file, but the letter from JOH confirming the continuation of turmoil in our Taiwan program just seals it for us.

Last Saturday, we held a yard sale to raise some funds toward our adoption expenses. It was a great success!!! We will hold another one soon. It certainly helps, but much more is needed. I also began researching grants today, and plan to apply as soon as our homestudy update is complete. You see, Mei Li is on the waiting child list and will have some medical needs once she comes home. Definitely physical therapy, but may potentially need another surgery. We'll have to wait and see. So, we are beginning the effort to round up resources to bring her home and take care of her medical needs once she comes home. If anyone has any suggestions about great grant organizations, I'd love to hear about them!! :)

The song writing has continued to blossom. I wrote lyrics for another two songs the other day and have a meeting with Marc (my producer and dear friend) tomorrow to co-write with him. I can't tell you how thrilled I am to have music as such a vibrant part of my life. I pray the Lord will continue to bless our adoption and the music He has so generously poured into my life!!

I updated the blog on my music site tonight, and would love for you to read it! Check it out at www.kristywhitemusic.com. I believe it will encourage you.

As you begin to think about Christmas gifts this year, "Dancin' on the Wind" makes an excellent gift and stocking stuffer!! You can download it from iTunes, CD Baby and Amazon, OR you can email me and I'll send you a signed hard copy of the album. This album project has come to mean so much to me on so many levels. . . and now it has a whole new level of importance---its sales will help us bring our sweet, precious, long-awaited Mei Li home! Please share my music with you friends. Word of mouth is a great thing!! :)

I'll update soon! Our goal now is to get all of our paperwork for China completed by the end of this month so the dossier can be started. The race to Mei Li begins!! :) Can't wait to experience every moment of our journey to her!

Taiwan's Red Tape Became Our Red Thread to China

Well, it's been an overwhelming and amazing two weeks. . . after an amazing year of discovery and growth and new beginnings. I'm just going to say it. . .

We have FOUND our daughter, at last!!! :) She is beautiful, she is 3years old and she is living in Shanghai!!

After a 3 year adoption journey, two of those years spent "stuck in the mud" in Taiwan, with no foreseeable change in status; two weeks ago, we were shown the file of a little "glowing" beauty in Shanghai. I say she glows because every single picture shows her with a smile that spans her entire face and lights up her eyes. She is a happy little girl full of joy that cannot be contained. You can't look at her picture and not start smiling yourself!! :)

What is amazing, is that her file was handed to Geoff and me 2 days before the "birth" of my album. The call from the international medicine pediatrician to review her file came 2 hours before my album release!! After two years in a barren desert with no word and no forward movement in our adoption, both the birth of my long-awaited album and the birth of our long-awaited daugther were given to us on the very same day! God is absolutely amazing!! ONLY He could time things that perfectly!

Another really cool confirmation. . . The name that we have had for our daugther for 3 years is Mei Li. Our little sweetheart in China's name ends in Mei. And, she answers to Mei Mei!! Mei Mei is "Sister" in Chinese. And, our daughter has a panda bear that she named Mei Mei that she sleeps with every night.

So, today our LOI (Letter of Intent to Adopt) was sent to China! We are awaiting our pre-approval. And we are about to bust wide open with excitement that our beautiful little girl is finally coming home soon!!!

And, the album release was an absolute dream come true. It was a great turnout and a magical evening. I have MANY hard copies of "Dancin' on the Wind" that I would love to sign and sell. The hard copies are $15 with $2.50 shipping. Let me know if you would like a signed copy. And, you can find me on iTunes, Amazon and CD Baby as well!!! Now, there is even more reason for this album to sell many copies. . . we have a baby girl to bring home from China!!! Yay! Please spread the word to all of your friends about my album. Word of mouth is my best friend!!
You can check out my website too at www.kristywhitemusic.com.

The blessings are pouring so fast we can't open our arms wide enough to catch them all!
Please lift a prayer that our Mei Li will be brought home soon!

Hello Again! It's Been a Long While. . .

A couple of pics from 4th of July!

Well, it has certainly been a long while since my last post, and it is time to check back in. You have probably assumed that there hasn't been much "adoption" news over the past few months, and if that was your assumption, then you were correct. We are patiently awaiting the news that TWCA is lifting it's "hold" on their program 3 (that has been in place since last November), and that referrals are starting up again. It appears that the restructuring of the program has taken place, there is confidence and high hope that the restructuring will meet the scrutiny of AIT and prevent further raised eyebrows. But, now all that is left are the government visits to "pass" the new system. It could be another couple of months (or more if we are realistic).

All the while we continue to pray that the Lord will lead us to our daughter He has chosen for us. And, we are keeping our hearts open to His leading should He direct us on to a new path. Just being quiet and patient for now.

But, while the adoption journey has been at a long-time standstill, other things are happening like crazy!! I have completed my album project! It has been the tip-top of my bucket list, and I truly believe this record was something I was supposed to complete prior to our adoption being complete. I have had an amazing music journey this year, and it involved singing, recording and, surprisingly, (writing songs!!) My album has 4 of my originals on it, and I have about 15 more that are waiting for me to complete them. Absolutely thrilling!!! Please check out my music website at http://www.kristywhitemusic.com/ and pass it along to your friends. It is my independent project, so I am relying strictly on word of mouth to promote it. You can hear some samples on the site. And, if you read my music blog, you can read the stories behind my original songs. I have to say that I am ecstatic over this!! God has been very good to me this year in blessing me with music. The album will be released for sale on September 16th on CDBaby.com and iTunes.

Anna Grace is doing beautifully in 2nd grade and is still loving horseback riding lessons. It looks like we are blessed again with a wonderful teacher this school year. She leaves in the morning happy and comes home smiling each day. I am SO thankful for that. :)

Hopefully, more adoption news will be on the horizon soon. Please keep us in your prayers as we seek the Lord's leading in our adoption and in this album release as well.

I'll post again soon, and I'll do a better job from now on with consistent updates. If any of you are on Facebook, check out my "Kristy White Music" page as well. You can become a "fan" if you are so inclined ;), and it will keep you up to date on the latest music news.



Thanks for reading!

May is here

May has already arrived! In some ways, it is hard to believe Anna Grace is almost finished with 1st grade!!! It seems only a short time ago she was getting ready for her first day of school. Her teacher has been fantastic, and Anna Grace has had a wonderful 1st grade experience. She is doing so very well in school and her reading is simply astounding. She is reading on a 6th grade level--based on a diagnostic test she was given last week. I'm thrilled she is having such a great start to school. And, she just happens to be the apple of my eye. I adore my little girl! :)

And, Anna Grace just began taking horseback riding lessons last week. She absolutely loved it! Her instructor is also our team mom from her class at school. She is an amazing woman with a lifelong love and passion for horses. She trains them, shows them, and happens to be a mom of 2 little girls, one of whom is in Anna Grace's class at school. It is beautiful to watch her work with the animals and the children and see them respond to her. One of the horses, she rescued last fall. It is a beautiful black mare and was starving to death in a pasture. She got the horse, and has been nurturing it, feeding it, grooming it, exercising it--and now she can ride it (only she rides it... no children. . . she is currently training it). Emmie (the mare) is now beautiful with a sleek black coat, she feels like velvet, her muscles ripple, she runs like the wind and is completely in love with her mama, Mrs. Rhonda. I am thankful we have found someone like her to teach Anna Grace about these animals--to love and respect them, communicate and interact with them, and care for them. I look forward to seeing how Anna Grace grows as she continues.

It is now month 6 of the 6-8 month window we were given for the "hold" on referrals from TWCA (Taiwan Women and Children's Association). We haven't been given any "new" news in the past 6 months, except for monthly emails from Journeys of the Heart telling us they haven't heard anything new and they know the wait is tough. I definitely don't want to get our hopes up, just to be let down. It has felt like it just isn't going to happen for so long now. It would literally be a shock to find out that referrals are being given again. But, it seems, we should be receiving some sort of communication soon since the timeframe is now up---unless it is closer to 8 months than 6. And, IT IS international adoption. . . so, it is possible that we could hear nothing for a long time. . . It is an accepted fact that so many times in adoption, the adopting families have a tremendous amount to lose. So much is demanded of adoptive families. . . financially, timewise, emotionally, paperwork, hoops upon hoops upon hoops. . . and NO guarantees. I definitely believe in protecting the rights of the children (that goes absolutely without saying), and protecting the rights of the birthmom; but, while they are at it, they could do a much better job of protecting and taking care of adoptive families who are out there just hanging---completely at the mercy of people, governments. . . . all entities involved with the adoption. It is frustrating to see how much is demanded of adoptive families; and yet, they are given no guarantees or protection. Okay, I've vented enough. It's been a while since I let off steam . Thank you for allowing me a moment. I will update as soon as I know anything new.

The album slowed down this past 3 weeks. It is frustrating b/c I am at the very end. All we need is to add in a few instrumentals and some background vocals. But, lining up schedules of musicians and getting them in to the studio is not as easy as it would seem. So, hopefully, there will be news soon to report on the album. All tracks are laid, just need to record a few odds and ends to polish a few of the songs. I am SO EXCITED about how it is turning out!! Yay! Stay tuned. . . :-)

Have a wonderful week, everyone! And, thanks for following!

Spring is Here!!

I can't believe April is only a few days away!! This winter has been a productive one, and a healthy one for the White family. With only the occasional cold, we are thankful for good health when so many are fighting nasty sickness.

We are still "on hold" in our adoption process. This has become a real test of perseverence and faith--when we have absolutely no control over our situation. The only thing we can do is wait and pray that God will bring our daughter home to us. We trust that Program 3 will open up and begin referring babies again in the next few months. This "hold" on the program was to last 6-8 months while TWCA restructured to better meet the criteria of AIT. That period began in November, so we are coming to the end of that wait time. But, we have learned nothing during this season of waiting. JOH has updated us monthly that they have no further news from TWCA. I know international adoption is a tight-lipped kind of process, where you just have to be "at the mercy" of two governments, and respect the authority and culture of the country from which you are adopting. And, respect means. . . remain silent and wait.

We are continuing to hang in there. But, Anna Grace is beginning to show signs of frustration. Two and a half years is a long time for a 7 year old to wait to see the face of the sister she's prayed every night for. She was 4 1/2 when we began our process. That is a lifetime for a child. She drew a picture of her sister on her dry erase board with a note to the Taiwan government (she views the government as a mean and nasty person) to give us her sister. It was a pointed message. Then, she called me in to show me and began to cry. She wants her sister to be more than a dream in her mind. She wants to hold her and love her and teach her things. She is going to be a wonderful big sister. I believe she will appreciate her sibling so much more now that she has had to wait so long and pray so hard.

The album is almost complete---one more song to record!! The amazing thing about this journey is what has happened during this process. It started with me recording covers of great classic jazz standards. But, the Lord has done something really cool. He has been giving me songs. The songs He has given me are primarily gospel/blues, and have messages of hope and faith. Marc Phillips (my producer and an amazing musician), has gotten very excited about these originals and has created the arrangements for them. He told me last week at a session that he is more excited about the originals than the jazz tunes. I have to agree! I love all of them, but it is truly amazing how the Lord has grown me and shown me more of who I becoming through the songs He has given to me. Stay tuned to hear when the album is released!! And, once I have my website up and running, I'll let you know that as well. I am so thankful for this opportunity to grow and thankful for having such a wonderful and supportive husband who has encouraged me each step of the way! What a blessing! This album journey has helped, tremendously, in dealing with the uncertainties and disappointments during our adoption journey.

Pictures are coming soon!!! Geoff is uploading some. I know I've promised. I'm going to make good on that promise.

Have a wonderful Easter, everyone!! And, thanks for reading!

A New Year

2o1o has started off well. For the moment, I don't have any theatre performances lined up for a few months. . . which is fine with me! :-) I am currently finishing my jazz album, and even have written two original songs which will debut on it. I find I am much better able to focus on the music and the writing when all the noise and clutter of the crazy rehearsal schedules stops. I am having the time of my life, and it is truly one of those "life dreams" that has been put on the back burner for far too long. I will keep you posted as I finish and as it becomes available on ITunes, CD Baby and when I create my website. So much to do and learn!!! But, isn't that part of what life and "living" is all about!!?? Keep growing, learning, challenging and ultimately being a light. I hope that my journey to fulfilling this music dream will inspire many other people, young and old, to take their dreams and make them a reality, and ultimately be a "difference" in this world.

Anna Grace has made the youngest performing group, called the Sprouts!!! And, she is there at rehearsal as I write this. She even has an audition with them today for Sound of Music which will be produced in a few months. She has gotten so big, and she is completely unafraid!! She practiced her song all week and was dressed all snazzy in her little dance slacks and shoes and hair pulled back in a pony tail (they are adamant about the hair being out of the face :-). She hopped out of the car with her music folder and bag with snack with a "Bye, mom!" and didn't even look back. I'm so happy she is comfortable in her own skin and has the confidence to venture out and try things!!! That is a big part of what we aim for as parents.

Our adoption is, of course, still on hold for the next 6 months at least. At this point, we don't feel the Lord leading us to change countries. Although, I have to admit the stories and images of the people in Haiti, men, women, and children. . . have torn my heart. I pray the Lord will glorify Himself in a mighty way doing miraculous things for the people of that country to help them and lift them up. It has done my heart so much good to see these people, pulled from the ashes, come out singing and thanking God. They have so much to be angry and hurt about. . . long before the earthquake destroyed the little they had. And, yet, so many of their hearts are pure, completely undeterred in their faith. What a light those people are in this world. . . as the whole world watches their suffering. I hope the orphaned children will quickly be identified and matched with loving families to embrace them.

I sit here so thankful for the blessings in my life, the beautiful family I have, the job Geoff has been given to provide for our family, the music that fills my heart and our home, my healthy daughter who continues to blossom before our eyes, and the opportunity to use my gifts to the fullest and pursue the dreams in my heart.

We continue to wait for the day our daughter will be introduced to us. And, we eagerly anticipate that moment when we see her face for the first time and Anna Grace sees her sister for the first time. She already has a name, a room awaiting her and a family who has loved her since before she was born.

I wish everyone a beautiful 2010! Make it count! Do something significant in the next 12 months. Don't put those dreams on the back burner any longer. Be a blessing to others around you. And, let me know what you do! I am very interested to see what God does in my life and yours this year! It could be very powerful if we let it! :-)