Paparrazzi @ Starbucks + a DOOFUS

You try to live a peaceful life, enjoy Starbucks with a friend and darn it if the dang paparrazzi didn't show up....



My BEST FRIEND, in the whole world, was there and had to endure the "razzi". It's a shame that's the best thing she had to wear....Seriously, Amanda, TU?!?!



To my chagrin, I was unable to avoid the "razzi". Why do they do this to you?? It's always when you are trying to eat and it makes you look like you're scarfing down food.



And, much to my surprise, no one asked for my autograph. Not even the doofus who was hogging the comfy chair whilst wearing checkered vans (no socks) and skin tight high water pants and hitting on the girl in the other comfy chair!!!! Get a clue man, you don't have a chance in that outfit!!!




The "razzi" did try to obtain a picture of said doofus but couldn't do so without getting caught....

Analise says THANKS to Nan Nan

Analise wants to send a shout out to her Aunt Annie (Nan Nan), Uncle Pete, and cousins Devin & Derek!!

















Thanks so much for the cool toys, bib, scrapbook, & blanket.

Make Your Day WINNERS!!!!!

I am SUPER, SUPER excited to announce the winners in no particular order. Since Analise isn't here yet the DH so kindly grabbed the names for me.

CONGRATULATIONS TO:











I need for you all to email me at rednite713@yahoo.com for your instructions!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Make Your Day Giveaway!!!!

Ok, ladies. I am taking inspiration from our blogger pal

Tricia

and having a "Make Your Day Giveaway".

I have received several comments and emails about my new blog header. If you haven't noticed-look at the top of my blog. This is a custom header provided to me by a GREAT friend who I love so, so much!! It was a SURPRISE and I totally loved it!!! She and her husband own a company called

Iris Media

They are fantastic people and we have known them for quite some time...

Now, on to the giveaway!! We are giving away 5 (FIVE) custom blog headers!!! You will be able to email them the pics for your header and they will create a custom header for your blog!!! How COOL is that!!! I told you, they are great people with BIG hearts!!

So, all you have to do is leave a comment and you will automatically be entered into the drawing!!!

You have until Saturday at 9pm CST to enter!!! We will announce winners at 10pm CST.

GOOD LUCK!!!

HAPPY 3mth. BIRTHDAY to ANALISE!!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Info From Our Adoption Agency

I just got off a conference call with our agency. Our agency has regular conference calls for adoptive parents to participate in regarding the adoption process in Guatemala. They give us updates on current timelines, PGN status, legal status of adoptions in Guat, etc. Can I just say that, "I love my agency!"

Now, this is not the case for some of my fellow agency adoptive parents. We were told today that unless you have already purchased plane tickets that ALL visit trips have been suspended at this time. Now, I would be TOTALLY upset to find this out if I hadn't already visited Analise. They did have good reason for instituting this right now, I think.

Last week, at the Westin, a foster mother with our agency was stopped by the police in the lobby and was told she was trafficking children. Now, this was not the case, she was, in fact, bringing the child for final placement. Thankfully, she had all the necessary paperwork to prove that this child belonged to an American family. It all worked out but was scary for those involved.

In other news, our agency only had 4 PGN outs so far in May. All of those were submitted in either January, February, or March and all had at least one KO from PGN. They also had 1 KO from PGN on another case. Also, their current timeline, from referral to placement, is approximately 7-9mths.

All in all, my heart breaks for those who were planning a trip and now will not be able to go to Guatemala. You could actually hear several women gasp in disbelief when they made the statement. It was SO sad. On the other hand, our agency said they were currently working on a plan for parents to receive video updates since trips have been suspended. I thought that was really cool.

Please say extra prayers this evening for the safety of all of our foster moms and babies....

For Analise...we miss you tonight

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, -- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! -- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

I Wanna Know..

OK. So, Cameo posted the other day that she got PA!! I was excited for her, but then it hit me that I didn't realize we were so close together in the process!! Sorry Cameo! You know I love you!!

When I pray, I always try to pray specifically for things and not just a, "Hey, God, can you take care of this for me?" prayer. I have decided that I wanted to put together a list of all my "pals" in the adoption process and those who have completed it because you are still on the journey.

So, this is what I need. Please leave a comment of who you are and where you are in the process. Now, I know there are alot of lurkers out there but I want you to reveal yourselves just this once. After that, feel free to keep lurking....

Come on, I just entered PGN and need something to occupy my mind and time!!

It's Official-PGN Starts Today

We are SO excited to be entering the last BIG phase of the adoption. We truly give God all the glory and honor for such a smooth process. Some of you aren't familiar with the adoption process so below is an explanation of what PGN is and what it entails.

Please continue to pray that our case is put into the right hands at PGN and that we have favor with everyone it comes in contact with in Guatemala. Much love and blessings to you all!!

Courtesy of www.guatemalaadopt.com
PGN stands for Procuraduria General de la Nacion - It is roughly the equivalent to the national Attorney General's office. Once the PGN reviews and agrees to the adoption, this will make the child legally yours and change the child's last name to yours.

This process generally takes between 6-8 weeks if you do not have a kickout. A kickout can consist of anything the reviewer doesn't agree with or can't seem to find in your file. If this happens, our attorney will let us know what needs to be fixed and then we will be resubmitted to PGN. For possibly, another 6-8 weeks.

Our attorney has served us well and I truly believe he is doing an excellent job along with our agency.

For those of you still waiting on this step and steps prior to PGN, hang in there, it seems like a long wait but you can do it. I pray God's favor for you all.

PS-Special Request
Please send special prayers up for Eloisa Joy. We had the honor of meeting her and her family in Guatemala. They need PA so that she can enter PGN with Analise. They need to be PGN Pals!!!

We have PRE-APPROVAL!!!!

Shout it loud! Shout it proud!!! We have PRE-APPROVAL!!!

We are heading to PGN!!! For those of you who are not familiar with the process-this is the last BIG milestone before bringing Analise home!!! So, pray that all paperwork is correctly completed and put into the right hands in PGN for a quick process!!!

PA timeline:
Letter from lab sent to Us Embassy- March 28th
Received PA- May 14th

God continues to AMAZE us with grace and love through this process!!

IT'S COMING....

My FAVORITE TV show! Only comes on once a year in the summer....LOVE IT!!


Be sure to tune in on Thursday, May 24th at 8/7c!!!

PS-I have been known to try some of the dance moves on the show....and successfully twisted my ankle last year! LOL!!!

The Ups & Downs of Guatemala...what I learned

Baggage Claim is Hilarious:
After customs, you head to baggage claim. The baggage claim at the Guat airport is all of about 30 feet long. Take all 135 people times 2 bags/duct taped boxes/cellophane wrapped bags and you have one heck of a crapshoot! We managed to get out unscathed...


Foreigner Parade:
After baggage claim you walk through the hotel/rental car area which basically looks like carnival booths with signs containing the corporate name. You then go to your right and greeted by at least 100+ Guatemalans standing behind a barricade (metal type fencing like they use for American Idol). They are all there waiting for family and friends to arrive. You (the foreigner),on the other hand, feel like you are on parade for the people of Guatemala. This is the first time in my life to feel what it is like to be the minority...

Exiting the Airport:
HOLY CRAP!!! Where's the MARRIOTT shuttle?!?!?! You are completely surrounded by men with signs for hotels, car services, honking cars, people selling their stuff-total madness. In order to avoid the madness-look for the men in blue shirts who are there to carry your luggage (if you so choose). They were really great and helpful. He took us right to the Marriott shuttle!!

Marriott Hotel:
I will never be able to express the hospitality that was shown to us throughout the entire stay!! Unbelievable!!! They catered to every thing we requested-crib, bathtub, water from the pharmacy, formula from the pharmacy, and who could forget Dominos Pizza!!! All charged to our room.

Baby Lounge at the Marriott:
This was a great place to catch up with people and learn about their various takes on the adoption process in Guatemala. For the most part, people were really GREAT and there were some who really didn't want to talk to you. Why the HECK do you come into the baby lounge if you don't want to meet & greet!! SHEEZ!! One particular guy I met from Rhode Island (he looked like Adam Sandler) had a huge personality and he even said in that RI accent, "My buhddies ara gonna bust my chahps". Forget it-I can't type out how he said it! He was great and so was his wife!!! They were taking their son home at 8mths. We also met Drew, Bekah, & Eloisa of www.adventuresinadoption.blogspot.com. They are fantastic and it was a joy to meet blogger pals in person.


Food in the 'Mala:
After a week of non-American food, for which I was desperately craving, I found out that the poolside bar served hotdogs!! YES!!! Wait a second!! Since when do they put mayonnaise and guacamole (sp?) on a hotdog!! DUH!! Since your in the 'Mala!! It wasn't to bad actually. FYI-if you need an American fix-ask them to hold the mayo & guac on your "dog"....
PS-Milk in the 'Mala is NOT the same as the US!! Someone should have told me this before I took a giant swig and about spewed upon my precious Analise.....
PSS-The chocolate cookies sold in the gift shop are YUM-O!!

Poolside Visual:
Here, in America, we are spoiled by men who actually where swimming trunks. That's right folks-there were dudes sportin' speedos at the pool. Now, before you go and get all excited, these were old and older dudes (minus the swimming teacher). One old guy, had a speedo with bright orange flames on the front!! LOL!!! It was quite a spectacle to behold!! Just thinking about it makes me laugh!!

Sweet Little Nothings:
Just about everyone who saw Analise would ooh and ahh. The local hotel staff would say things to her that I didn't understand but she did because she would always smile...it kinda felt like getting your nails done. Know what I mean??

Best for Last:
This is what I learned about my daughter-

1. She does not like her arms covered when she sleeps. She will inevitably end up like this:


or this:



2. She loves her Daddy very much and loved listening to him every night. She would smile and coo when she heard his voice.


3. She does NOT like to be dressed up! She prefers to always be relaxed. See example below.


4. She would also rather smell than be clean.


5. Analise is a gentle spirit who loves to snuggle and give HUGE smiles. I know she will have an infectious laugh-because it is what I prayed for. I look forward to hearing it in the near future...

Happy EARLY Mother's Day

Sunday, my husband & I were sitting on the couch and he said, "So, do you want the fitness stroller for Mother's Day?" I, of course, still reeling from missing Analise said, "Yes, we do need to get one."

My husband travels quite a bit for work. So, he really doesn't like to go many places when he is home.


The stroller we wanted is from REI in Dallas. We looked at it online but realized it would take two weeks to get and an extra $100 bucks to ship. My husband says, "Let's just drive down there and get it." I was shocked but SO excited! I LOVE road trips! We loaded up and drove to Dallas for the stroller! It was SO much fun!!





We also stopped at my absolute FAVORITE restaurant! On The Border!!! MMmmmmm....it was delicious!








It is the BOB Revolution Stroller!! It is absolutely fabulous!! I can't wait for Analise & I to try it out when she gets home!!






Thanks Babe for taking my mind off of things and for this special gift for "the girls". I LOVE YOU!!!

I Carry Your Heart

I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart)
I am never without it(anywhere I go you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)





I fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet)
I want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you





Here is the deepest secret nobody knows(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart



I carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

by e. e. cummings


Today I miss Analise....more than words can express.

Thank You Betsy for the poem..

Portraits in B&W