P.S.

For anyone still keeping track, Monday was our 28 month LID-anniversary. Who would have thought?? I just have to keep reminding myself that none of this is a surprise to God.

A BIG thanks to ...

Melissa, who is also adopting a sweet Lily from China. We share the same Log-in date of 1/26/06. Melissa has been a great source of encouragement to me as we wait in this L-O-N-G line for our Lily's. She recently put a new look on her blog & inspired me to do the same!

If we get our referrals at the beginning of July, we could be within 5 weeks of seeing our daugther's faces!! Could it be? Is it actually possible that there might be an end on the road of this never ending adoption journey??

Check out Melisssa's blog: www.ourwaitforlily.blogspot.com

A Special Day Out

So I tried to work things for my 12 year old niece, Bridget, to get connected with Cesar Millan. Gosh, I tried!

As you'll see from these pictures, the "Cesar Millan plan" didn't work so we opted for a "Girl's Day Out" theme: Build A Bear, Lunch, Shopping, Hair Styling, Nail Salon. Gosh it was good!!!

It was a joy to be a part of this day for Bridget & her wonderful mom!

Enjoy this Smilebox ...

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Maria Sue Chapman

The sadness of it all for the Chapman family is unbelievable. What this family has done to bring hope for the orphans of China and the orphans of the world is amazing.

http://chapmanchannel.typepad.com/inmemoryofmaria/

Two Life Lessons Today

First, never be afraid to ask.
Second, dreams come true.

The minimum age to attend a taping of the Price is Right is 18 years old. My niece is 14. Her dream was to attend a taping with her mom. I called Price is Right to ask if they'd let us in despite the 18 year old guidelines. God bless the wonderful woman that works at CBS & got us into the show! Not only did we get into the taping of the show but we had a miracle meeting with Drew Carey as we were exiting! What a day for a dream to come true for my niece, Danielle.
Now if only I could get a visit with Cesar Millan (The Dog Whisperer) for my 12 year old niece and her mom. I'd be over the moon with dreams coming true.

Here are some fun pictures we took at Price is Right. Including 2 with Drew Carey despite the rule of no photos inside CBS studios.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

The Happy Chart

Well, friends, it's that time again! Time for the "Happy Chart"!!! These are the referral projections based on The Rumor Queen (http://www.chinaadopttalk.com/) Take a look, people! After 27+ months of official waiting, we are almost to the front of the line. It looks like July could be the month we see our Lily's face.

I am about to go into international adoption labor & I'd better be ready for this delivery! Time to get Lily's room ready. Time to make sure everything is ready for the referral that might be here in 7 or 8 weeks. Could we really be down to weeks of waiting?!?!?!

Of course, like all the 27 other months, these next few could be filled with more slowness & more delays. Who knows? For now, I am hopeful that in July we will finally be able to see the precious face we have been praying for since December 2004 when we decided to adopt from China.

What a difference a month makes ..

A month ago today Hannah & I flew home from the East Coast and on the flight I started to have visible signs of Bell's palsy. Here I am at our Girl Scout meeting in the middle of April. I love my Arbonne skin care products but the real wrinkle cure is .....drum roll, please ........ Bell's palsy!!! I didn't have a wrinkle anywhere on the left side.

Jim took this photo of me this Monday. Can I just say that I have never been so glad to see smile lines and wrinkles?? I am very thankful for my wrinkles and the ability to blink my eye and smile. I will never complain about a wrinkle again. Promise. It is amazing how dry your eye gets when it doesn't blink as much as it should. Just another reminder to me to be grateful for the little things.

And, yes, the hat says it all.