Christmas Eve Celebration

What a great Christmas Eve we had! 18 people, tons a great food and even better conversation! To get to that point Troy and I ran around like mad getting ready! We had to put all the leafs in our table and bring another table upstairs, borrow 5 more chairs and cook a turkey. Whew!! It was worth it!!

Troy and I also used the occassion to take family photos for our book to leave with our child in Russia! It was perfect! So, in honor of our wonderful family and one day soon (hopefully) Daniel's family, we'd like you to meet everyone!

The Future Parents - Troy and Rachel (Check out Troy's facial hair - never seen him with that much before!!)

Grandma (Rachel's mom) and Aunt Cassandra (Rachel's baby sister)







Granny and PaPa (Troy's parents)

Uncle Joe, Aunt Cathy, Caroline, Lori, and Karmen (Rachel's sister, our brother in law and nieces and grandniece)

Uncle Richard, Aunt Sandy & Ian (Troy's sister, our brother in law and nephew)

Aunt Amber, Uncle Stephen and Parker (Troy's sister, our brother-in-law and nephew)

As you can see - Daniel will have an amazing family!! Merry Christmas to all!

Merry Christmas!!

Merry, Merry Christmas to all!

Exciting Changes!!!

WOOOOO HOOOOO!! CHI HAS RECEIVED IT'S ACCREDITATION AND WILL RECEIVE THEIR CERTIFICATE FRIDAY!!!

AS IF THAT ISN'T ENOUGH....

Many of you may have popped over to Becky’s blog and read her exciting news. Well, we have the same news to share. We were also contacted about switching regions and we said YES!! While we will miss knowing all we know about Vlad, we feel that this opportunity was afforded to us at a great time.

The most amazing thing was that in my last post I said I was throwing in the towel and just as my mom predicted, things started happening. I also had specifically prayed that very morning that our agency would call us out of the blue with information about anything at all. What were the chances of that?? When the receptionist told me my coordinator was on the phone my heart jumped around like crazy. She made sure to tell me it wasn’t a referral right away but that she had an opportunity for us. Now I know the Lord answers prayers, but I also know that they are answered in His time and not always so obviously. It truly was amazing to receive that call.

We have switched to a region called Izhevsk. We did have to up our age range to 18 months to 3 years with referrals generally around 2ish. The great news?? We may be able to travel quickly AND the time in between trips is only about 1 month!! Not 5, like Vlad, which was something I had been extremely worried about. Troy and I had also been discussing increasing our age range for quite a while.

This new region sounds right up Troy’s alley also!! Hunting and fishing is widespread there. Troy is already trying to figure out if we can book a fishing trip somewhere while we are there!!

Other good news – the plane ride from Moscow to Izhevsk is way shorter and the time difference is 9 hours from here instead of 15. This really is a huge blessing!!

Before making the final decision, I called my mom and Troy’s mom to hear their feelings on the subject. I knew they wouldn’t persuade me either way, but I knew they would throw some good things to think about during the conversations. My mom was reserved until she heard I had prayed specifically for a phone call and then she just said, “Well, it doesn’t get more obvious than that and if anyone can handle the adventure, it’s the two of you!!” (Did I ever mention Troy and I sent an application and video to The Amazing Race – I think we didn’t get chosen because all we could do was laugh during the video!!) Troy’s mom said a few things and when she was done, I said “we’re going” and she started saying “Go, Go, GO, GO, GO!!!!”

So....we’re going and I can’t wait for what is next!!!

Tree or No Tree – The Great Debate

And the answer is....No Tree. I know, I know, you’re probably thinking why in the world wouldn’t we put up a Christmas tree this year? So let me give you the run down on our decision.

First: We put out the outside decorations and we decorated the sideboard in our dining room all Christmassy – isn’t that enough?? If you think not, then read on!!!

Second: Animals – Jack (cat) licked up so much sap off the real tree we put up one year that we ended up at the emergency vet with a blocked kitty and a BIG bill. Elka (dog) bit all the glass balls off of our tree one year and we rose to colored piles of glass all over the living room. (Switched to wooden ornaments) Thank goodness she had been spitting them out along the way and her mouth was alright. Jerry (newest member and so timid) I really don’t want to terrify him by putting up a big, green thing in the living room or tempt him to eat the rest of the ornaments we own or have him accidentally pee on the tree thinking he’s outside. (We think his eyesight is not the greatest from past abuse.) If you still have questions see Becky and Keith’s blog about Callie, their adorable kitten jumping headfirst into the tree undecorating it as she goes!!

Third: I just don’t have time. We have our BIG adoptathon event at the SPCA this weekend where we have special prices and we schedule Santa and an Elf to deliver new pets Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and of course I’m working. There just isn’t time. If we are going to try to finish Christmas shopping, mail gifts to family and then be ready for a dinner party of 17 at our house Christmas Eve, then the tree has to go.


As for the adoption: So far I really have thrown in the towel for now. Will I make until after Christmas like I planned?? Probably not, although I am trying!!

Don’t forget to check out Michael and Carrie’s blog and say a Big congratulations to them on their Christmas miracle!

Next Christmas we’ll have a tree, a child and lots of new memories to make!! To those with new little ones celebrating your first Christmas together – ENJOY!!
Happy Holidays!!

Dreams & Happy Birthday!

First off I need to say - HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my husband Troy!!! Another good year!!

As we approach 7 months of waiting I can’t help but feel a little down. I know every day is one day closer to bringing Daniel home, but each day feels like a year has gone by. Also it seems I am slowing moving families from Waiting to Referral or Completed on the sidebar, yet we are going nowhere right now.

I’ve also been having strange dreams lately about the adoption. Just last night I dreamed I was handed a blond headed (full head of hair), green eyed little guy and he immediately arched his back and cried. Of course I just looked over to a lady and she smiled and I set him on the floor and we began playing a game of him looking through his legs on all fours upside down and me with my head on the floor looking back at him smiling and laughing. It was funny because he was young enough to crawl on all fours, but old enough to have this amazingly full head of hair. The other funny thing is that when Troy and I talk about what our son may look like we have never even considered green eyes. We always laugh and say between us, any child would fit in – I have black hair, brown eyes, he has sandy brown hair and blue eyes. How many mixtures can we get with that!!?? Not that we would mind green eyes at all – we just never thought about it!

That is one of the better dreams I’ve had. I know I am probably just facing all my worries in my sleep like with the back arching scene. I need to remember that they are just dreams and I need to worry less!!

My mom said to me a couple of nights ago to just go ahead and throw in the towel. Let myself be free of thoughts of the adoption during the holidays and focus on the last (hopefully!) Christmas, Troy and I will have alone for a long time. She said if I threw in the towel, things would start happening.

So that’s what I’m doing. I’m throwing in the towel and I am not going to expect or think about a referral until after Christmas. We have planned a big Christmas Eve dinner at my house with my family and Troy’s family. (Don’t worry Troy’s cooking – it’ll be okay!) We should have 17 family members eating Christmas Eve dinner at our house. Whew! I think I’ll be concentrating on that for now. Plus we need to get out the decorations and start, well...decorating!!

Hope everyone has a nice weekend!!

Becoming Prepared

Now – don’t get excited. We haven’t received a referral but we have decided to start making some preparations and at least thinking about things such as: What kinds of toys to take, what to do with the animals while were gone, what kind of clothes, etc.

Well, we have the animals worked out. One of my sister’s will be house sitting and my mom lives close enough to check on them daily. After all my doggies and kitties love “Aunt Cassandra” and “Grandma”. The mere mention of “Grandma” puts my oldest doggie, Elka, in a full pant, jump, and run around mode. Did I mention she loves her Grandma??

We have some toys picked out that we though might be fun. The first is a soft bunny teether toy. It came from the wonderful Wally World and the funniest thing is that it has the name RAE initialed on the front. Rae is my nickname and used to be my initials before I got married. My entire family and Troy’s family only calls me Rae. Troy and I joke that Troy’s family doesn’t even know my full name!! And if Troy calls me Rachel, I think I’m in trouble!! We bought a Little Tykes hammer that makes sounds when you hit it on something. We also have an inflatable ball, another teether/rattle, some blocks, and a soft book.

Other things we are taking are a blanket to leave with our child, and disposable cameras in the hopes to get a few pictures back from during the time we are gone. (Is 2 too many to give them?)

We are going back and forth on all the electronics to take with us. I really hate to lug around the camcorder, laptop and camera. Our camera doubles as a camcorder, but it just isn’t the same. I did learn about, thanks to my grandfather, disposable camcorders you can buy that have 20 minutes on them. Then you take them to the store and they put it on cd for you. You can also review and erase so you get the 20 minutes you want. They are small (same size as a disposable camera) and only about $20.00. This sounds great, but you can’t load them onto the computer while there to send to the Dr. I’m not sure how we are going to handle that yet. I’m not even sure the Dr. really needs the video, as he really just talked about the photos.

We also ordered coats finally. Troy needed one and I needed a heavier coat in case we go to Russia anytime soon. We ordered Extreme Squall Coats and they look great and warm!! I ordered a Paradise Aqua color. Usually I am a black or tan girl, but thought I’d go out on a limb. We ordered Troy a dark green. Here’s to hoping these coats will come in handy. Thanks mom for helping me pick them out and placing the order for us!!

If anyone else has any ideas about what else we might need, let me know. I am particularly interested in the electrical converters. We bought one that we used in St. Lucia, but I’m not sure it will work in Vlad after seeing the Marlowe’s pictures with the sockets in the background. The box we have is square but the prongs come out all different ways. Let me know!!

A Little Bit O’ Fun

One of my good friends and co-workers, Sue, went on vacation and left me with a mess of a real estate closing. As a thank-you she came back from vacation bearing a gift for me in the form a book called “Bad Dog! True Tales of Trouble Only a Best Friend Can Get Away With”. This book is full of short stories written from a dog’s perspective about how much damage they can do!! It is the most hilarious book.

So, Sue and I decided that Jerry, my very own mutt, needed a story of his own (a true story). (Sue did a wonderful job!!)

Title: Jerry Owns a Boat
Owner: Rachel Williams
Age: 2 years old
Breed: Hound, Ridgeback Mix
Damage: less than $10.00

I love paper! Any kind of paper! My Mom has repeatedly told everyone in our house not to leave paper things on the coffee table because that is MY area for reading materials. Anything placed there is fair game for my perusal. Well, my Dad, Troy, is a great guy. He loves to hunt and fish and do great outdoors stuff. Dad bought a really nifty Grady-White fishing boat from some nice man on the coast of Virginia a few hours away from our house. He got a very fancy green piece of paper called a “Certificate of Title”, folded up in a nice envelope, which he carefully placed on the end table next to the couch. Dad had to mail this piece of paper to an important place so he could officially own the boat. For two days I left that very enticing piece of paper alone. I was trying so hard to be good. But, my Mom and Dad decided to run out to the grocery store one morning, and there it was, the very piece of paper I had tried to avoid. It sure was tasty! It shredded so wonderfully! The only mistake I made was leaving pieces of it for identification purposes. Mom and Dad came home, and wondered what the paper was. It wasn’t until they saw the green parts that they knew. Poor Dad, in slow motion (which is very interesting to watch if you know what I mean), he brought his hand to his mouth and looked at Mom. Mom quickly let me out the back door, and she and Dad had to contact that nice man on the coast of Virginia to ask him to apply for another one of those green pieces of paper. I could hardly wait, but Dad took it right away to the important government office and I never got another taste.

The End

That day I thought Troy might make me take Jerry back to the SPCA. We had to explain to the fellow that Troy bought the boat from that Jerry ate the title he had signed over to Troy and he kindly applied for a replacement title and then signed the new one over to Troy. When Troy got the new title he didn’t let it out of his sight or below 5 feet off the ground until he could personally deliver it to the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries for the new title in his name!! It has since been resolved and Troy is the rightful owner. I tease Troy that Jerry just wanted to own his own boat, but I still get the evil eye when I mention the whole situation!!