We're outta Here!

Okay our bags are packed and we're ready to go.

We are headed out toady!!! So excited. I do think we have packed to much though.
I even took some stuff out this morning to make it look that i did not pack the entire closet!


I couldn't stop from taking a pic of archie this morning. He is so darn cute it is hard to
leave both him and dodger. Nate i don't think feels the same way! :-)
He just jumped right into the backpack and wanted to go along. OKay Okay, maybe he had a little help getting into the backpack. But just look at him!!!
Okay that's all for now ~ Adios!

Celebrate!!!

So we did it! The paperwork was finally sent out today! Yeah!

Now, we really are in the dark on the next steps. Our adoption counselor will

let us now as soon as she has more information. We know it will take a while to

get on a "waiting list" then .... we don't know what happens. Cross our fingers.

No - it probley won't be any sooner than 3 years and No we don't have any more information.

But in the mean time we are going to go soak in the sun, in Colombia! We leave tommorrow at

5:00pm from Des Moines and will soon be in Miami for 2 days. It is a much needed vacation/ mission trip and much needed by both nate and I.

Mom and Dad have emergency contact information if needed. And we will start posting lots of pics when we get back. You know me I take lots of pics and after looking at the itenary we see that most of our time is in Cartagena (think Romancing the Stone) so the architecture is beautiful and it is on the ocean. How beautiful!! Here is just a preview of what we will see.

If you want to check out the organization we are going with here is their website http://www.opportunity.org/ It's a great organization that helps give microloans to poverty stricken women/groups to start businesses. We have gotten bios of some of the women we will meet and it is amazing what they can do with just $200.
I know Nate and I both are feel blessed to being going on a trip like this, and only hope to help make a difference and see what people can do to help. Pray for us while we venture on this journey, for safe travel and to open our eyes to what God is doing in other countries to help the less fortunate. See ya in a week!

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love ya Lynn and Nate

Patience

Okay... Patience, Patience, Patience

That is what i have learned these past 2 weeks. I am a hurry up kind of person. The person who would had in term papers before the deadline, the person who is always prepared and on top of things. I have learned that relying on other people to be this same way is a losing battle!!

So you are all aware that we got our papers of a approval... then we had to get all of our paperwork in order. We had most of it done. But after I sent the adoption agency all of our paperwork TWO WEEKS AGO, I finally called last wednesday, since i had not heard from her.

Her response was: oh, i will go open that paperwork right now, and see if anything else needs to be done. -- I had overnighted the paperwork 9 days before!!!!! Why did she not open it!

And so now, we had to have our doctor's letter updated because it was longer than 6 months ago that we had that done.

When i called the doctor last week, his nurse said he would be in on monday.... Okay, i can wait to monday I thought. I brought the papers in on Monday for him to sign with all his instructions and a stamped envelope for him to send it directly to the angency. NOW - today i get an e-mail from our adoption agency that she has not recieved the letter and if it is not in soon other paperwork will be over the 6 month mark and have to be redone!!! God grant me patience......

The all could be avoided if i could do everything and not rely on the agency and doctor to do their part of the work. But if life has taught me anything it is I can't do everything, it will give me an ulcer!!! :-)

So, in the last hour i have talked to the doctor's nurse and know that the paperwork has been signed and is in the process of being notarized.... and promised to be mailed out today!! It is just so hard to wait. But in the mean time I can throw myself in to other things like Komen and packing fro our trip to Colombia on Friday!!!!

Keep praying that the paperwork will all be complete and sent to Colombia before we get there (i have already asked if we can take it down ourselves - that was not advised!)

We say they are happy because they did not give up.

You have heard about Job's patience, and you know the

Lord's purpose for him in the end.

You know the Lord is full of mercy and is kind.

James 5:11

Whoopee We're Approved!!

Okay finally, the day has come that we are approved. Homeland Security finally approved us today! We got the letter in the mail and jumped for joy. NOW..... we will finish some last minute paperwork. (things they didn't want us to do until we got the paper) and then we send it of to Colombia. That means we will finally get placed on a waiting list AND start the real waiting process....... we will get really good at waiting.

We just wanted you guys to be the first to hear the good news. We will keep you posted when our Dossier gets sent to Colombia. Keep us in your prayers!

Holiday Season!

Okay, it's been a hectic Holiday to say the least. Always this time of year we find ourselves busy running from here to there and then back again. The good thing is that we were able to see lots of family and friends. I don't know where 2008 went....but 2009 here we are!!!

We did make it back to Ohio for the holidays! We spent a week seeing all the family, visiting everyone, and eating lots of good home cooked food (Thanks Mom!). Above you see a pic of nate and his neice Lauren looking at his I-Phone. (The newness has not worn off of that thing!)

Below is a pic of me and his first nephew Josh.

The puppies handle the trip with ease. Archie was an angel, even my family liked him. We took him up to go see grandma Aggie a couple of times. She even liked to pet him and watch him walk around. She had gotten a cute stuffed puppy for chirstmas from a nursing home resident's daughter, and it looked just like archie. It even had his one brown eye!!

ADORABLE! Can you tell which one is which??

So know we are home, unpacking, and cleaning up after the aftermath of unloading the truck. It will take a few weeks to recover but we will get there! Hope everyone is doing great! See ya soon.