WE have our Consulate Appointment

After 3 days of great frustration, we have an appointment with the American Consulate in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.   But it was very late in the afternoon and I knew I needed to get tickets booked ASAP.  I spent the night looking and figuring the best way to fly, as I had no communication from the 2 travel agents that sent me fight suggestions and prices.  I went to a meeting at church Saturday morning trusting that I will receive a email very soon.  Sure enough 3 hours later I have plane tickets!!  We chose to go out of LAX because it is cheaper by $800. 

We will leave on August 23 and  go into Beijing first.  We will visit the Harmony House foster home to see the beautiful children there and a few other places. Then on to Chongqing on Sunday August 26th with tentative gotcha day of August 27th for our daughter, Kylie Gail Xiewen.  A week in Chongqing then onto Guangzhou with gotcha day of September 2 for our son, Robert Tianyang.  We are there for nearly 2 weeks with flight home on September 15th with arrival to LAX at 3:00 pm

 We are getting excited.  I have been planning as we have gone along, so things are coming together.  I am so grateful that I started ahead of time as it seems like the final phase has happened very quickly. I Hope to be done and ready to go by tomorrow night. then can spend the last couple of nights doing my continuing education reading before I go.

TA at last

AT LAST we have our Travel Approval.  It took 26 days.  The Social Worker emailed me Tuesday night that we have the TA.  Other wise it would have been day 27  We applied for the consulate date of Sept 11th, 2012.. So we wait. and wait .........

Party on August 4, 2012 in Fresno, California

Happy Anniversary to Mom and Pop
June 8, 1962 - June 8, 2012
           
  FIFTY YEARS

Beautiful table setting for the party for my parents.  Funny Thing, I was so busy making sure the air conditioning kept running, I forgot to take a picture of the cake.

We had a wonderful time and my parents were happy and felt very special.  There were quite a few of their friends that were unable to be there because of illness of one of the couple or people who just could not travel.

My Brother-in-Law, Duke, put together a video of pictures of the last 50 years.  It was very nice.  Too long to post on You tube.  Hopefully a version will be prepared to have on my blog.

We Love You.           You did it Well!

Pictures of Bobby when he was young!

I received an email from a lady who adopted the little guy in the front on both these 2 pictures.  She recognized our son and sent them on to us.  Bobby  is the child on the far right of the picture, watching carefully.  I really appreciate this gift,  as I have very little in the way of pictures of Him.

In this picture, Bobby is the second child on the left in the back.  He looks like he is about 3 years old.

Finally an update on Robert!

I was so pleased to finally receive the update on Robert, "Bobby", Tian Yang.  He is 8 1/2 years old.  He is 48 1/2 inches tall and weighs 44 pounds.  He is living in a foster home and goes to school from 7 am to 4:30 pm.  He knows about the adoption and is reported to be looking forward to it.  He likes animals and and superman.

I must be a really good writer!

Lately a few of my family members have expressed their concern over how busy I am.  They "Got It" when I wrote about the many pressures in my life.  I must be a really good writer to create such emotion in them.  (college education paid off)  The truth is I have not shared some of the stuff with them because it would "truly" Freak" them out.  But for the members of the Adoptive community.....

It is well known in adoption circles that the minute a family decides to adopt, the chaos begins.... mostly because EVERYTHING is scrutinized, accounted for, and explained regarding your life. You voluntarily place your self on the biggest roller coaster at seven flags, and then say "OK" to taking your seat belt off.

Unlike "The Colossus" that allows you to see the path ahead, the adoption roller coaster has a path on paper (APP, LOI, PA, HS, I-800a, DTC, LID, LOA, I-800, NVC, Art.5, TA, CA, travel ) and The actual path that is: DO this, oops! wrong form, backwards, mixed up, needs more information, needs another signature, needs the signature of the person away on vacation, dated wrong, the wrong amount, done by the wrong person, delayed, dropped off, redone, needs more money, lost, not explained well enough, misunderstood, needs another form signed, upside down, done wrong, broken down, signed wrong, with blind curves.

So, no matter what I do or do not do, I can not plan my life. The estimate of when we go to China literally had a 4 month window.  Life goes on through each step.  So, I am planning a party for my parent's 50th wedding Anniversary.  They were married on June 8, 1962.  Unfortunately, my Dad got seriously sick while under going chemo-therapy, caused the 50th Anniversary party to be delayed till August 4th. ,   Then, quite unexpectedly, we received our LOA in 36 days.  Thus moving up our time line for China.   Now, the TA's will come quickly causing the expected "leave for china" to be right on top of the Anniversary party. Creating the need to hurry up and get ready!

Well, the jokes on ME, don't you think? To have the 2 most important dates of the year right on top of each other. The 50th Wedding Anniversary and the adoption both create immeasurable JOY and HAPPINESS.   BOTH are once in a lifetime events.   How Blessed Am I! Oh did I mention that my birthday is August third?

What do I want for my birthday? All I want is: for all of my family to come over to my house and visit me Friday, August 3d! Now this is a dream come true.

To my family: I love you, my only stress it that you believe I have too much stress.

 The truth is that I have a wonderful GOD who planned every star in the sky and HE plans every day for me. HE is both my party planner and by travel agent. Either way, I am in for the trip of my life, despite any problem that could come up. I trust HIM to help me to perform and complete my everyday.

We are going to have a great party.
The day will be perfect.
The right people will show up to celebrate with us.
When we are done, we will all be so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful event.
It will be as it is meant to be.

We have our article 5 !

We received our article 5 on Thursday July 19th.  Yeah!  We are officially waiting for our TA (Travel authorization.)  The word on the streets is the TAs are coming very quickly these days.  In fact there is a couple who received their article 5 on the 12th of July (just 1 week before us) and they leave on the 26th.  OUCH  that was 8 days for their TA..I am NOT ready to go!   A whole new wave of anxiety has come over me. 

My parent's party is on the 4th of August.  Although the party is at a formal venue, we will be having 40 friends and family descend upon our home for pre and post activities.  We still have clutter everywhere, one room to paint, the trim on another, and touch up everywhere.  The last 2 rooms of carpet will go in on Tuesday and our new bed is delivered on Wednesday,and the donation truck comes Monday.  I still haven't heard from the caterer, whose husband is by computer tech and currently has 2 of our computers in for repair and upgrades, which I need to write the roughly 70 reports that are due before I can leave.  Of course did I leave out that my van has been recalled for faulty sliding doors (yes, they now malfunction) and will need to be repaired before we drive to the bay area in order to fly to China.  I need my car, so I guess I will demand a rental during the repair....... Ha Ha  

Caleb has just informed me that the dog has a problem and will need to go to the vet tomorrow.  But I am taking a van load of teens up to shaver lake for horseback riding.  I will need to delegate the vet visit. OH KEITH  I hope you have gas in your car...... I love you too honey!