Alaska

I just got back from my trip to Alaska. My mom and I flew up there to visit my brother and his wife Ashley and my nephew Benjamin. My mom stayed up there to visit with them awhile. I had a great time. Alaska is so beautiful. I highly recommend that you go to Alaska a least once in your lifetime. We went dog sledding and got to hold cute Huskie puppies. I saw moose and eagles. It was a great visit. I really enjoyed spending time with my family. My nephew is so adorable as you can see from the picture above.

Summer

It's been awhile since I posted. I guess I haven't really had much to say. Things are going so slow with China that there is nothing new to report on. With the wait increasing we have decided to pursue other options while we continue to wait for China. We will keep you posted on these other options when we have more information.
It's hard to believe that summer is here already. We just got back from Florida last week. We met up with some of Darrell's family and we had a great time. Later this month we have some very dear friends coming to visit and Darrell's twin brother Darrick is coming to see us as well. Also, in July I'm taking my mom to visit my brother and his wife Ashley and their son Benjamin in Alaska. We are very excited and looking forward to seeing them. Well, that's all I have for now!

These shoes are made by my very good friend Ruth. She has several styles to choose from and they are very well made and machine washable. Check her out at BabyBugShoeDesigns.etsy.com. They make great baby gifts and are sure to be a hit at any baby shower!!

Jane Austen

I am a huge Jane Austen fan. I love her books and the movies that have been done about her books. I'm not sure I can say which one is my all time favorite. But my top three are Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Emma. I found this quiz and thought it would be fun to see what Heroine I am. Take it to see which one you are.

Take the Quiz here!

My Heart is Aching

Next month will be our two year anniversary of being logged in to the China Adoption system. Every month they seem to match less days than the month before. This month they only matched 5 days. They have only made it through Jan. 9th of 2006. If China continues at this rate we will not receive a referral until Oct. of 2010. We started this process in August of 2005. So by the time we get a referral the entire process will have taken 5 years. When we started it was only suppose to take 12 months. Needless to say Darrell and I are so frustrated and sad. We so badly want to be parents. We want more than one child but with this taking so long we are not sure if we should wait to start another adoption until after we get our baby from China or go ahead and consider starting a second adoption now. We have so many questions. Our prayer is that God will show us what we are suppose to do. Maybe there is a reason we are having to wait so long. I don't know. I just know that my heart aches to be a mother and I so badly want to hold our precious daughter or daughters from China in my arms. I pray that God will keep them safe while we wait for them. I also pray that God will make a way for us to be parents as soon as possible. If you read this blog I ask that you would also pray for all the children in China who are waiting for a family and all the families that are waiting for a child.

Hurray!

Well, it took them long enough but China is finally matching people with Log-in-dates of 06'. It took them forever to get through 05'. They have matched people with LID's through Jan 4th, 2006. Are LID is May, 30, 2006. We are still hoping for a referral in summer of 09'. Slow and steady it goes but one day we will be parents. Just maybe they will speed up enough that we could get a referral in early 09'. It doesn't hurt to hope. Congratulations to all those who just received their referrals.

What a year so far!!

Darrell and I have had a rough start to the new year. I lost my dad on Jan. 2nd and then we had to rush to Boston to see Darrell's mom who was very ill and passed away on Feb. 3rd. Darrell's mom was a great lady who had a strong faith in the Lord and loved life. She loved to travel, especially to Florida, she loved color and the view the lake from her house. She raised six wonderful children. I am so blessed to have known her. She is now in heaven with Jesus and is reunited with her husband Paul who passed away several years ago. Darrell and I are emotionally and physically exhausted but we have made it through and will continue to because of our faith in Jesus Christ. We are so thankful for our friends and family who have prayed for us and loved on us. We hope that the rest of the year will be better and just maybe it will end with us getting a referral from China. If I have learned anything from all of this it is that life here on earth is fleeting. Take every moment you have to let the people in your life know how much you love them.