July Update

Hi friends! I haven't posted in a while because there has truly been no news to report. But, we are getting very close to the time our Immigration approval should arrive. We check the mail every day hoping for good news. That will be a big milestone for us and will allow us to finally get on the waitlist. Up to this point, we have been waiting to wait. Once we get that clearance, we will actually get in line! That will feel like we've actually accomplished something. I'll certainly post as soon as I hear.

Thanks for continuing to follow our journey! Have a great week :-)

June Update

See bottom of today's post to see a clip from my adoption concert :-)

I haven't posted in a little while because there has really been no new adoption news to post. As it stands we are still awaiting approval from CIS in Atlanta (Immigration). We expect to hear word on that by the end of July--and to get waitlisted about the same time (end of July early August). I am estimating that it will be roughly a year from the time we get added to the waitlist to the time we travel to Taiwan---so maybe we'll be traveling by September 2009.

I did hear today that our service plan is completely approved---our education courses were approved--so we can check that off our list!!! Yahoo!! That is great news.

I am currently in Red Mountain Theatre Company's production of Beauty and the Beast. It is an amazing cast and a phenomenal director, choreographer, music director (they are some of the most inspiring and excellent people I've ever had the pleasure of working with). This (music theatre/performing) is my love and my passion, and to be able to do this and use the income I make to put in our adoption fund is truly a gift from God. Not many people are able to do what they love doing and get paid for it. I'm thankful for this opportunity--and I hope there will be more to come.

Geoff and I have made it a date every morning to set the alarm clock "early" and have our quiet time, Bible study and prayer out on our back porch with fresh brewed coffee. It has been the best thing we have done---great for our attitudes, mindset, our marriage, and our spiritual lives. Although we still don't have all the answers (about this adoption journey, about how we will bring it all to pass), we have a peace and a grounded feeling that we haven't had in a long time. I recommend carving out that time and making it a daily appointment---it's actually become our favorite time of the day.

Some other good news is that I am scheduled to sing the adoption concert "Unabandoned Love. . . the Orphan's Road Home" on August 13th at my church. I can't wait to see what comes from that! I hope it will light a spark that will catch on---and maybe more families will be brought together--more children will come into loving homes as a result! I hope so. Enjoy taking a sneak peek below at one of the pieces I sing in my concert.

I will be updating as soon as I have news to share!

We've passed DHR!!!

Daddy and Anna Grace "sing-along" on porch

Singin' and dancin' to daddy's songs

I love these photos we took last week, and thought I would share. Special memories :-)


I received a phone call today from our social worker who gave us the good news that our homestudy passed the state level (DHR) and has been sent to CIS (Immigration) as of May 30th! From this point, it will take approximately 2 months. Hopefully, by the first of August, we will have a notarized, final homestudy (and more importantly) we'll finally be added onto that wait-list!! Yahoo!!!

Also, I received notice that our "Service Plan" has been approved!!!

And, I mailed off our hard copy of our photo pages to Tien today!!!

Feels great to make these big steps! Thanks for reading along.

Service Plan Completed and Submitted!!

Yesterday was a big milestone for us as we completed typing up our 16 page service plan. For those who may not know what this is--it is a list of goals and subgoals that we respond to focusing on all the ways we plan to prepare ourselves, educate ourselves and better ourselves to become parents to a child through adoption. It is very comprehensive and covers a range of topics. The point is to have the adoptive parents thoroughly and realistically plan and prepare for the "realities" of parenting.

Yesterday was also my birthday, and it felt great to finish the service plan and send it to the home office!!

Now that our photo page photos have been reviewed--we are ready to have those printed and submitted for our dossier as well.

We are on our way!! The photo pages and service plan are 2 HUGE steps that have to be completed before we can be given a referral. And, now it is done!!! :-) Yahoo!!!!

We still await word from our social worker that our homestudy has been approved at DHR and has been sent on to Immigration. That news should come any time now.

Thanks for reading!!

Conquered the Photo Pages!!

The last two days, I have worked an embarrassing amount of time on our adoption required "Photo Pages". It seems so very simple, and yet, when you don't know how to do something--it doesn't matter how simple it is. I spent a total of 9 hours trying to figure it out-----and FINALLY I did!! :-) Now, I'll have to see whether they are accepted and approved by our agency. The purpose of the photo pages is to give agency in Taiwan a look into your lives. It is to reflect the lives we live, our home, our activities, our vacations, our families, etc. But, there are rules about how it is to be formatted---picture size, number of pictures on a page, captions, no sunglasses, no swimming suits, no sleeveless tops-Whew!

But, it is done, now and it feels great to have it accomplished. Now, I will email it to Tien (our Taiwan facilitator) to see if she approves my photos.

My hope is that next week will bring good news that our homestudy has passed the DHR hurdle. Will post when I hear something!

Another Concert Date!

While we await our homestudy to get final approval through immigration--and while we wait to get on that infamous waitlist--I am spending my time accomplishing the tasks that need to happen in the meantime. . . putting together more materials for our adoption--like the service plan (which we just received by email 2 days ago) and our photo pages. But, one of the most important things besides completing the required adoption materials is to take my adoption concert, "Unabandoned Love" to as many churches as possible to spread the message about the tremendous need for adoption and the beauty of building families through adoption.

Just two days ago, my second concert date was scheduled--August 13th!!! I am more thrilled than I can say!! Hopefully, there will be more dates to come in the future. If another child comes to know the love of a family and another family is brought together as a result of this concert--its purpose will have been met!

I hope all of you will keep my concert in your thoughts and prayers---that God will take it and use it for His purpose---and that the doors will open to the places it should go.

Thank you all for reading and keeping up with our journey! Hopefully, in the next few days I will be able to post that DHR has cleared our homestudy for our state level and that it has been sent on to the federal level (CIS)!! Please keep that on your prayer list too :-)

I'll post again soon!

A Week of Disney Magic!

Ahrrrrrrr. . . Ahoy Mateys!!!

"Hey daddy!! What are you doing with that camera??!!!"

Epcot's Spaceship Earth

Me and my girl at Marakesh restaurant in Morocco

Lovely belly dancer at Marakesh--right next to our table!!!

Trying out some Moroccan food. . . hmmmmmm. . .

Psychedelic photo of Ya Ya and me in "It's a Small World"

Ya-ya donning her "Minnie-gear"--great smile!!!

Great shot of Cinderella's castle--nice work capturing the reflection, Geoff!!

Anna Grace's face says it all--there is nothing more magical than a moment with Minnie Mouse!

One of the best full-stage shows at Disney! Lion King is absolutely breath-taking!!

Yes, that is real fire he is twirling in a circle--extremely close to his bare skin!!!

We didn't capture the full costume of this dancer--he was dancing on stilts--incredible!

Lion King's costuming was simply a work of art

Just learning how to do the night-time photography. Fireworks at Epcot. . .

My sweetie and me at the Coral Reef restaurant--in the Living Seas

The whole gang at our favorite restaurant of the week---O'Hana's at the Polynesian Resort. If you want an incredible experience and food to die for---you MUST go to this restaurant! And, what's really cool is that you can see the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom through the glass wall of the Resort--after your dinner!

Anna Grace is completely star-struck with the beautiful Polynesian lady who entertained at O'Hana's! She got all the children dancing and making music--and they all got flower leis for participating!!

Okay, Pocahontas is now one of Anna Grace's most favorite princesses. Her comment was, "My eyes match her necklace"--My girl loves her princesses

Geoff and his mom

We just returned from one of the most wonderful trips! Disney truly is "the happiest place on Earth"!! Ya ya (Geoff's mom) flew down and spent the week with us and Mickey Mouse! I am amazed by this lady. She will turn 81 in a couple of months and she walked those parks for 5 days and didn't miss a beat!! She rode the water rides at Typhoon Lagoon and made friends with all the people around her in the lines. She is a breast cancer survivor and years ago had bypass surgery (6 bypasses!!!) Wow, Ya ya!! You are one tough and amazing lady!!

Anna Grace enjoyed the Disney magic and none of us wanted to leave! The one thought that kept recurring to me as we went through our magical days at Disney is that perhaps the next time we go, we will be able to bring Anna Grace's sister with us. . . I sure hope so!