Meeting with the agency tomorrow at 3 PM.
Prayers appreciated!
Sorry for the short notes, but we're busier than one-armed wallpaper hangers!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
HOORAY!!!!!
The agency called last night!!!!!!!!!
I left a message with them this morning, so I am waiting for a call back to schedule our orientation.
I'll post more as soon as I know more!
Yayayayayayayayayayayayay!!!!
I left a message with them this morning, so I am waiting for a call back to schedule our orientation.
I'll post more as soon as I know more!
Yayayayayayayayayayayayay!!!!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Just under the wire!
Latest news -
Nothing from the agency lately. We're hoping to hear from them this month about our orientation & interview.
A bunch of landscaping is complete! We planted 12 hostas, 5 shrubs, and a tree last weekend. I hardly recognize the outside of our house. We just need to get a big load of mulch ordered & spread - things will be looking pretty spiffy around here. Yay!
We have contracted to have most of the interior of the house painted. We're very excited about this as it will be done much quicker and much better than we could have ever done. We're making color selections tomorrow night - wish us luck!
We're working on finishing upsome paperwork for the agency, so we're getting closer!
Continued prayers, good thoughts & wishes are appreciated!!!
Nothing from the agency lately. We're hoping to hear from them this month about our orientation & interview.
A bunch of landscaping is complete! We planted 12 hostas, 5 shrubs, and a tree last weekend. I hardly recognize the outside of our house. We just need to get a big load of mulch ordered & spread - things will be looking pretty spiffy around here. Yay!
We have contracted to have most of the interior of the house painted. We're very excited about this as it will be done much quicker and much better than we could have ever done. We're making color selections tomorrow night - wish us luck!
We're working on finishing upsome paperwork for the agency, so we're getting closer!
Continued prayers, good thoughts & wishes are appreciated!!!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Gah! Late again!
Good Grief! We're late with another update...we'll try harder next time, I promise!
Not much is happening on the adoption front, but we're making progress on the home improvement front!
Last Saturday was a gorgeous day, so we got outside & got ourselves busy. I dug up the dead tulip bulbs in the front flowerbed in anticipation of shrub planting later this spring. David weed-whacked (how do you spell that?) behind the garage and around the A/C unit and sprayed everything down with weed killer to start the process of cleaning up and getting ready to mulch. We then spent about three hours cleaning the garage. What a mess! We threw out so much trash - it was amazing the stuff that we were holding on to! We also put stuff up into the attic storage - what a difference it makes out there to clear the floor.
We've also made decisions about paint colors for inside the house. We're getting a few bids to have it painted before we fully decide if this is going to be a DIY project or not.
Slow and steady wins the race, right?
Not much is happening on the adoption front, but we're making progress on the home improvement front!
Last Saturday was a gorgeous day, so we got outside & got ourselves busy. I dug up the dead tulip bulbs in the front flowerbed in anticipation of shrub planting later this spring. David weed-whacked (how do you spell that?) behind the garage and around the A/C unit and sprayed everything down with weed killer to start the process of cleaning up and getting ready to mulch. We then spent about three hours cleaning the garage. What a mess! We threw out so much trash - it was amazing the stuff that we were holding on to! We also put stuff up into the attic storage - what a difference it makes out there to clear the floor.
We've also made decisions about paint colors for inside the house. We're getting a few bids to have it painted before we fully decide if this is going to be a DIY project or not.
Slow and steady wins the race, right?
Friday, April 3, 2009
Time keeps on slippin
Well, we missed our intended update that's supposed to occur every two weeks. Sorry about that!
There's really nothing to report, though. A few of our friends who didn't previously know have been informed of our plans, and we've started considering all the things we still need to do before our home inspection, but we don't even really get our orientation until next month.
I think Ann is planning on having some friends help with a scrapbooking party/weekend sometime in the next couple of months, but I don't think we've made any specific plans. Me? I'm thinking more about finances and tax refunds and picking up a little extra cash with performances. (For those of you who might not know, in addition to my full-time job, I make a little bit of money doing comedy performances. It's not a lot, by any means, but when you're saving up for an adoption, every little bit helps.) Heck, I've even started trying to come up with creative things to raise some cash. For example, those of you who have eaten Ann's cooking: how much would you pay for a completely catered dinner at your house? I know how much I would pay. If we could only find someone with a deep checkbook and an insatiable hunger, I think Ann's cooking could finance TWO adoptions.
(I'm joking here. We're not actually expecting anyone to finance our adoption for us. But seriously, how incredible is her cooking? Right?)
We think we've decided on colors to paint various rooms, and some furniture rearrangement that will help. Now, we just need things to settle down a little bit so we can actually get this all done.
There's really nothing to report, though. A few of our friends who didn't previously know have been informed of our plans, and we've started considering all the things we still need to do before our home inspection, but we don't even really get our orientation until next month.
I think Ann is planning on having some friends help with a scrapbooking party/weekend sometime in the next couple of months, but I don't think we've made any specific plans. Me? I'm thinking more about finances and tax refunds and picking up a little extra cash with performances. (For those of you who might not know, in addition to my full-time job, I make a little bit of money doing comedy performances. It's not a lot, by any means, but when you're saving up for an adoption, every little bit helps.) Heck, I've even started trying to come up with creative things to raise some cash. For example, those of you who have eaten Ann's cooking: how much would you pay for a completely catered dinner at your house? I know how much I would pay. If we could only find someone with a deep checkbook and an insatiable hunger, I think Ann's cooking could finance TWO adoptions.
(I'm joking here. We're not actually expecting anyone to finance our adoption for us. But seriously, how incredible is her cooking? Right?)
We think we've decided on colors to paint various rooms, and some furniture rearrangement that will help. Now, we just need things to settle down a little bit so we can actually get this all done.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Small delay.
Well, here's our bi-weekly (semi-weekly? I can never remember which is correct) update.
We finally heard from the agency. Good news for adoptees, not great news for us: there were so many applicants, despite the current economy, that they had to split us up into two groups. Our application was apparently in the second half of that, so we won't get any further updates until May.
This is disappointing for us, but realistically we know we have plenty to do -- some updates and work around the house, some more paperwork, etc -- to fill that time, and it will be gone before we know it.
Plus, what a wonderful problem for the agency to have! That's even more kids who will end up with a good home. I can't be too upset about that.
I haven't let myself get overly emotional about any of this yet. It's too early in the process -- right now I need to focus on the details and all of that. But last night it hit me. Here's how it happened.
Over Christmas, Ann and I baby-sat our niece, Sweet Pea (not her real name). She was 21 months old at the time. Before she left, we took her out to the Man-Cave in the garage, where I keep my drum set and other things. I sat her on my knee and put drumsticks in her hand, and helped her play a little bit. For the next several weeks, she apparently kept talking about it to her parents. (Sweet Pea lives nearly twelve hours away from us, so we don't see her often. This was, in her short life, a Big Deal.) She told people I was coming to visit (I wasn't) and any time she called to talk to Aunt Ann, she talked about Uncle Dave and his drums.
Fast forward to the past few weeks. Our financial situation is fine, but it never hurts to find ways to make and save money. Not for the first time, I considered selling my drum set. I'm not part of a band, and I rarely have the opportunity to play, so my skills are rusty. It has sentimental value, but I keep telling myself I'm going to get a brand new, nicer set someday, so it would be okay to sell it.
I told Ann last night that I just can't bring myself to do it. I want to have the set available for the next time Sweet Pea comes down. I just can't see parting with the item that has helped me forge a connection with this beautiful little miracle of a girl.
Ann said I couldn't sell it because Sweet Pea needs someone to play drums with... and also because "someone's going to want to play drums with Daddy."
For the first time, I choked up.
We finally heard from the agency. Good news for adoptees, not great news for us: there were so many applicants, despite the current economy, that they had to split us up into two groups. Our application was apparently in the second half of that, so we won't get any further updates until May.
This is disappointing for us, but realistically we know we have plenty to do -- some updates and work around the house, some more paperwork, etc -- to fill that time, and it will be gone before we know it.
Plus, what a wonderful problem for the agency to have! That's even more kids who will end up with a good home. I can't be too upset about that.
I haven't let myself get overly emotional about any of this yet. It's too early in the process -- right now I need to focus on the details and all of that. But last night it hit me. Here's how it happened.
Over Christmas, Ann and I baby-sat our niece, Sweet Pea (not her real name). She was 21 months old at the time. Before she left, we took her out to the Man-Cave in the garage, where I keep my drum set and other things. I sat her on my knee and put drumsticks in her hand, and helped her play a little bit. For the next several weeks, she apparently kept talking about it to her parents. (Sweet Pea lives nearly twelve hours away from us, so we don't see her often. This was, in her short life, a Big Deal.) She told people I was coming to visit (I wasn't) and any time she called to talk to Aunt Ann, she talked about Uncle Dave and his drums.
Fast forward to the past few weeks. Our financial situation is fine, but it never hurts to find ways to make and save money. Not for the first time, I considered selling my drum set. I'm not part of a band, and I rarely have the opportunity to play, so my skills are rusty. It has sentimental value, but I keep telling myself I'm going to get a brand new, nicer set someday, so it would be okay to sell it.
I told Ann last night that I just can't bring myself to do it. I want to have the set available for the next time Sweet Pea comes down. I just can't see parting with the item that has helped me forge a connection with this beautiful little miracle of a girl.
Ann said I couldn't sell it because Sweet Pea needs someone to play drums with... and also because "someone's going to want to play drums with Daddy."
For the first time, I choked up.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Impatient!
I am not a patient person to start with, so this whole process is trying me.
However, I am about to go crazy waiting for the call to schedule our orientation & interview. The agency told us they would call after Feb. 15th to set it up, and we haven't heard anything yet. I don't know if I should call or if I should just wait. Gah!
This is really starting to worry me...
However, I am about to go crazy waiting for the call to schedule our orientation & interview. The agency told us they would call after Feb. 15th to set it up, and we haven't heard anything yet. I don't know if I should call or if I should just wait. Gah!
This is really starting to worry me...
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