Bumping into a new friend

This afternoon I was asked to stay late a little at work. My relief was on time, but had about 10 minutes of training to catch up on before coming onto the sales floor. So I was out there, happily putting stock on the shelves (it was truck day) and I saw a woman pushing a shopping cart in which sat a little girl I thought might be Chinese (mom was not).

I walked over and asked how they were doing (as if I was just being a friendly sales guy) and then asked if the girl was from China. The lady confirmed it and I shared that Amy and I are waiting for a match. So the ice was broken and we wound up talking for about 10 minutes.

It turns out I met Georgia and Zoe. They live pretty close to Amy and me and it turns out we have them on our blogroll. Look under December 2005 and you'll find "Waiting for Zoe" (though they are no longer waiting.

We know a few of the same people in the North Atlanta adoption community and I had an exciting bit of news to share when I got home to Amy today. So here is a shout out to Zoe and her mommy. She's a cutie!

and the waiting continues

Let's be honest. I do want the waiting to be over but the again this waiting thing has been happening for over 18 months, I am comfortable with it. Isn't that sad? All I know is waiting.

I was talking to Donna yesterday. I am scared to death of that referral call. Seriously, I have no idea what we are going to do after the call. Really. No Idea. I am very glad LynnMarie has a name and a crib/bed. After that, I think I will be numb. Now I know we will be making phone calls but then what? Get the room finished? Buy clothes? Plan the China trip? Think about schools? babyproof the house? start a college fund? My brain is moving so fast right now that I have no idea. We are going to see that pic and get info that will change our lives forever. I love her already but I know that once we get that referral, my heart will start beating differently.

No, we have no idea when we are getting our referral, these are just thoughts going on in my head. I do know the first thing we will be doing is praying for for. Got that part covered. Blogging friends, you guys have taught me so much from your experiences, I am just totally confused at the moment.

Ya know, when you dream of your baby when you started this process, I started dreaming of her room.I had lots of ideas and wanted to start planning but we didn't. Now, I am beginning to realize if we wait until referral, we will not have much time at all which means we need to come up with something soon. OH I wish I were creative. We have to make a decision. I am hoping we do a "garden" theme so we can include all the ladybug stuff we have been given. I just don't want a total ladybug room or an all pink room.. Any and all ideas are welcome!!!!!

Holy cow, this is intimidating but I would not change these feelings for anything in the world

Monday Meditations

Ok, so I need to start by being selfish. Will you guys pray this week for those of us logged in April 2007? I am waiting to hear if we are officially in the review room. This is the last review before China allows us to adopt. Michael and I made the May 1 deadline, but you just never know. Please pray that review is smooth and if in fact we are questioned, we pray that it will be easy to answer the questions!! Thanks! I am praying for China and the world we live in. I am praying for our children, their birth moms, the care givers and everyone who touches our paperwork.

I'm praying for our friends who are already home. I have heard this journey never really ends. Thanks for giving us a sparkle of hope and making this wait just a little bit easier! I am also praying that LynnMarie comes home soon but then again I do know God's timing is far better than i could ever plan!

A Long Fun Long Awesome Day

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Well, no, I had no troubles yesterday.



9:30 ish - wake-up. Amy woke me up because her parents were on their way over from their hotel to say goodbye before they left back to Florida.



10:30 ish - loaded up the car and headed down to PetCo to hang out with BHRG, the Basset Hound Rescue of Georgia. We helped hang out and hold dogs after first making Autumn our officially adopted rescue Basset Hound. We'll do this as much as possible as they always need people to hold leashes at the adoption events and it's a lot of fun interacting with the people who stop by to look at and meet the dogs. Yesterday we had Pretzel, Hugh, Elijah, Dottie, and about 8 more hounds.



12:00 - we left PetCo and swung by Winston's to drop off the prize from the poker tournament we held two weeks ago (52 free Chick-fil-a sandwich coupons).



12:30 ish - back at the house to grab a blanket and bone and Amy, Autumn, and I loaded back into the car and headed North up to Octoberfest at Helen, GA. Helen is up in the mountains, the southern end of the Appalachians and pretty close to the gold rush town of Dahlonega. Helen was developed as a tourist attraction, where all buildings are required to fit a certain code so they all look like Bavarian Alpine buildings. Basically the town is full of shops selling t-shirts (beer, biker and party-oriented), German-looking nick-nacks, candy (mostly made in the shops), restaurants (mostly overproced but one excellent Mexican restaurant) and a lot of cabins for rent, mostly with hot tubs.



Autumn had a very over-stimulated day. She enjoyed meeting the other bassets at the adoption event, and she rides in the car very well, curled up and sleeping on the back seat. We walked her around Helen and she met other dogs, she got lots of attention from people and kids and she got a little scared by the horses pulling carraiges.


Up close with Autumn

Old barn

Red barn and Fall colors.

The Tomato House

Shopping with pumpkins and gourds

Fresh tomatoes in October!

A boy and his dog

Northbound into Helen

A walk before heading home.

Chattahoochee River in Helen.

Adirondack chairs for sale - very inviting.

Octoberfest always means live music at the International Cafe.

We drove home, arriving right about 8:30pm which was going to be great so I could watch game 3 of the World Series. There was a rain delay, and the game did not begin until 10:06 pm. Taylor Swift performed the National Anthem, country style with her guitar. Tim McGraw read off the Phillies starting line-up. His father is the late Tug McGraw, the star Phillies relief pitcher from the 1980 World Series Championship team. Jamie Moyer, a Philadelphia-area native cut school to attned the 1980 series. He is the oldest pitcher in Major League Baseball and was the starting pitcher for the Phillies last night. His hero from 1980, Phillies pitcher Steve Carlton was there to throw out the first pitch of the game.

Jamie Moyer (45 y/o) reacting to a pitch that was almost hit out of the park.

Game 3 Victory

Hall of Fame Member Steve Carlton threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Peter and I saw him live at game 2 of the 1980 World Series.

It was an excellent game. Three Phillies hit home runs including slugger Ryan Howard who broke out of his month-long slump. A bad call by the 1st base umpire, coupled with a pair of stolen bases and a throwing error caused a tie game in the 8th inning. It remained tied into the 9th when the Phillies came to bat. A hit batter got a runner on first. When he stole second the throw was off and he advanced to third. The Rays then intentionally walked 2 batters to load the bases with no outs and they pulled their right fielder in to be a 5th infielder. The next batter tapped the ball down the third base line. The runner on third advanced to home plate and the 3rd baseman's throw was way off, so the Phillies scored a run, making it a 5-4 final, winning game 3 and taking a 2-1 lead in the best of 7 series. Games 4 and 5 are tonight and tomorrow night in Philadelphia. if the Phillies win both games, they will win the World Series, otherwise it is back to Tampa for one or two more games on Wednesday and Thursday.

18 months LID

We have been LID for 18 months now and its amazing all the things that have happened during this wait!! We can not wait to bring LynnMarie home!

This is our book for the month. It was actually given to us by special friends. A special little friend has reallly enjoyed this one!

Autumn's Forever Family

We have decided to open our home permanently to Autumn the Basset Hound. We have been blessed with her presence as she is as perfect a dog as we have ever met. A friend said no dog will take Lucy's place but may take her space. Well, this is that dog.

Monday Meditations

Recently, a lot of people have started discussions with me regarding adoption. No matter what type ( domestic or international), its a great conversation.

I pray that adoption continues to grow in the hearts of people and more children join their forever families.

I pray for those who are discouraged by the wait.

I pray for those who have referrals and are getting ready to bring their babies home

I ,pray for those who are waiting.

I pray for the birth families of our children's families that they will find peace.

What are you praying about today?

the fostering of Autumn

Warning; this is an odd post so do not assume I am crazy..Just some odd thoughts


So last Sunday, we decided to look at basset hounds.

For the last couple of weeks, we had been talking about getting another dog. Michael suggested fostering. I was not keen on the idea. I wanted a permanent friend. His rationale was lets go get a dog who needs some extra special attention because for whatever reason they were in a kennel and not a home.

I wanted a Basset. I wanted a young, healthy one that had been fostering home. This is what I wanted. I wanted to pick her out and I wanted things our way.But sometimes you dont get to pick out your family member.

Here is how it happened. We get there and the rescue group decides we should foster the dog that has been in the kennel the longest. So we did not get to pick. The group decided what dog we should have and brought her out to meet us.
Ok, I am so glad I did not get my way. Miss Autumn is one heck of an awesome dog. With Lucy she was always crated when we were asleep or away. Autumn has had very little crate time. I am looking forward to taking her to Fl with us next time!

I am shocked at how good this dog is.

So, does this story sound familiar? Not that I am comparing my dog to our China adoption but I have to say that this proves that not everything I want is what is best for us.

She makes a really good fit in the Christopher house!

A New Friend

On Sunday Amy and I became foster parents to a beautiful rescue basset hound. They think she is 3 years old and she is a perfect housepet. She is housebroken, uses the doggie door and loves to cuddle. She's a big girl, much bigger than our Lucy was. The Basset Hound Rescue of Georgia had named her Tulip, but we are calling her Autumn. We are caring for her until they find an adoptive home, but I have a suspicion she may have found one already.
And check this sout. On the way home from picking her up on Sunday, we stoped at a church pumpkin patch and met a local couple with their adoptive Chinese daughter. How cool is that?

Anniversary Trip Pictures

Monday Meditations

No matter how few comments I get here (and that really is not the point), I love my weekly list of some of the things I talk to God about. This week, I got several messages and emails of people asking for prayer.

Please pray for Margaret as she and Graeme are in the hospital hours away from home having his surgery.
Pray for those travelling this week to and from China, P
ray for those who are doubting some of their decisions.
Pray that we can continue to encourage each other.
Pray that no matter who wins the election, that God will begin working in the life of a man who will influence the world.
Pray for encouragement for those who are not getting the good news that they were expecting
Please pray for Jason and Amber. Today marks the 1 year they lost Ava. They lost 2 sweet girls within 1 year and my heart is with them today

Praises to the extra day of referral.
Praise God, that Donna got that wonderful piece of paper she was waiting for. Praise God that people are adopting from all over the world. I am thankful that this wait has allowed us to meet some awesome people. Hope you will join me in prayer

no updates

We are still waiting for our updated 171. last time, we got within 10 days of being fingerprinted and now its been almost 2 months. I guess it will get here when it gets here.

Nothing new to report. We are still waiting and we are still okay with it. I am saving vacation time at work and I am ready to get the house in order.
We had a great day in Chattanooga and I cant wait for Michael to get done with the photos. So sorry we missed the chat yesterday!

Atlanta Adoption support group

If you are in the Atlanta area and desire to be a part of our Adoption Support group, send me an email to amyschristopher@comcast.net or click on the Adopt Option yahoo button on the sidebar of our blog. This is the group that was meeting the first Friday of each month (yes we are still meeting, come join the fun and find fellowship and encouragement). This is open to all adoption (all international and domestic). Come join us! November will be great!

For great details of this new group, visit Donna who is a fabulous resource

Tuesdays Talk With God

Had to change over to Tuesday this week because yesterday was busy and I was just so tired. This week, I pray for my families who have seen their sweet child and are waiting to bring their sweet children home. I pray for those who are working on finances to complete their adoption. I pray for our agencies, those who do our travel planning and everyone involved in the matching. I am thankful for the online adoption community and my Atlanta friends! Whats on your heart today?

My heart is heavy for a family tonight. Read here to get their story. Their sweet boy was adopted from Ethiopia just a few weeks ago and was involved in such a tragic accident. Pray for their sweet boy and all those who are taking care of him

Also praying for Tricia and Nate. I have mentioned them before. She has CF and received a double lung transplant and has given birth in the past year. WOw. She is pretty sick right now and please just life her and her family right now!

Appreciation - post by Michael

It has been an interesting few weeks for me. I have become active in a pair of men's Bible studies. I have become more enthusiastic about the worship experience at my church. I have been actively working to raise money for a health-based charity that is close to both my family and to me as an individual. I have been reading a work of fiction that is touching me in some very unexpected ways.

If it makes sense at all, I would like to say I have a better appreciation of God now than I have in recent months. That sounds pretty weird, but it's the best word I can think of to explain it.

I also have a better appreciation to report and that is an appreciation of a gift I received from God. That gift is my beautiful wife Amy. Today marks 7 years since we were married and more than anything I find myself thankful for the fact that she loves me both for who I am and in spite of who I am.

i met some new friends tonight at our adoption support group. These new friends are raising money to bring Levi home! If you live in the Atlanta area, I hope you get the chance to go. I think hubby has a commitment that night so if anyone wants to go with me let me know!

Here are the details!!!

FUNDRAISER FOR LEVI SAMUEL
OCTOBER 11, 2008 7PM

THEY ARE HAVING A CONCERT ( BOB PATTERSON AKA BOGEY AND THE BAND)
AND FOOD. THEY WILL HAVE HOT DOGS. BRING YOUR COOLERS, CHAIRS AND BLANKETS DONATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED.. THERE WILL ALSO BE A BONFIRE
LET ME JUST SAY IF YOU COULD SEE LEVI'S PICTURE AND SMILE, YOU WOULD DO WHAT YOU COULD TO GET LEVI HOME. I CAN NOT WAIT TO GET TO KNOW HIS PARENTS BETTER

JULIET MICHAEL'S LAND
4825 OLD CARTERSVILLE ROAD
DALLAS, GA 30132

FOR DIRECTIONS OR OTHER INFO CALL 404-456-1495 (ERIC AND TIFFANY)

adoption support group!

Last night, Michael had to work so I went by myself to enjoy dinner and fellowship with some adoption friends. Once again, I had a wonderful time and realized that community is awesome. If you live in the Atlanta area and are interested in adoption at all (domestic or international) I hope you get the chance to join us. Drop me a comment and I will get you in the info. I finally got to spend some time with Miss Delilah and boy is she awesome, as well as her big sister Lennah! I love my friends and look forward to getting to know them more

Scrapbook

Question for those who have been there done that! I would love to start making LynnMarie's quilt scrapbook but I am not creative, what do you guys suggest?

First Fridays

For those who attend First Fridays in Ga,if you have not received an email regarding this month's First Friday, please email me at amyschristopher@comcast.net ASAP

Amy