Our Journey to Parenthood

Birthday Pics

2009-09-02T11:41:00.000-07:00

Mei turned 1 on August 20th. Happy Birthday Mei!

Mei in her Birthday dress (before the cake)

Family Time

2009-08-05T12:39:00.001-07:00

Photos from our trip to La Pine, OR and Mei's early B-day celebration with Nana and Baba. We celebrated Mei's first B-day early as Nana will be in Bosnia and Herzegovina on Mei's official b-day helping Jim, Rose and the girls get settled.

Mei in Twin Lake. Her first time in a lake, she loved it!

Cousin Talin

Nana and Mei at the lake.
Daddy and Mei having fun in the cabin.

Mei with her new Kai-lan doll, a gift from Nana and Baba.
Mei on her new alphabet train - another gift from Nana and Baba. As you can see she loved all her gifts!

Taking a rest after playing with all her new toys.
Where is my food!

Summer in OR

2009-07-21T21:35:00.000-07:00

Mei's friend Kylee. Kylee and Mei were in the same orphanage. Mei is seven days older than Kylee.

Ellis waiting in line for HP #6. We loved the movie. Auntie K watched Mei while Ellis and I were at the movie.
The Tyvands met some friends for a concert at Sellwood Park. It was a Latin band, Dad you would have loved it!

Mei's first swimming pool. This morning I told Tim I was going to Target, he said "Do not come home without a pool for Mei." We are having a heat wave in Ptown, today it was 95!

Resa and Mei joined the Lowers for a concert at Mt. Tabor Park.
Kiley and Mei

The End.

Summer Fun

2009-07-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

4th of July weekend on the OR Coast. As you can see, it was a little chilly.

Mei's first time in the ocean, she loved it.

Mei chewing on Daddy's hand.

Mei's First Beach Trip

2009-06-29T11:42:00.001-07:00

This past weekend was our first trip to the beach since we have been home. Mei and I left on Wed afternoon and Tim met us on Friday. We had a wonderful time. In the mornings, Mei and I would walk (Mei was in the stroller) to the coffee shop then walk over to the beach and check out the surf. In the afternoons, we walked to the Brew Pub, Mommy enjoyed a beer while Mei napped. Daddy surfed on Saturday morning, then the entire family took a walk around PC. We had such a good time, we are going back this weekend. :)

This was Mei's very first time on the beach. I took this photo on Wed night when Mei and I arrived. It was cold and windy!
Mei asleep at the coffee shop.

Daddy getting Mei acquainted with the surf board.

Daddy and Mei walking to the beach.
Mommy and Mei on the beach.

To China and Back!

2009-06-17T08:23:00.000-07:00

When we left for China, my plan was to update the blog every few days but when we arrived in mainland China we discovered the government had a block on Blogspot. I was able to pull up my blog but I was not able to post. The block was due to the 20th anniversary of Tiananmen Square. All coverage of the anniversary was blocked. Our guide in Nanchang had a very different version of what happened in Tiananmen Square, it was very interesting to hear her talk about it.

We loved China. It was great to experience the Chinese culture with our daughter.

We left Portland on 5/28 and arrived in Hong Kong on 5/29. From HK we took the ferry to Shekou in mainland China for a short visit with Jim, Rose and the girls. When the ferry docked in Shekou, the health officials (dressed in Hazmat suits) boarded the ferry and took everyone's temp and made us fill out a health form listing all the places we had been in the last 7 days. Needless to say, we were very nervous about being quarantined! After it was determined no one on board had a temperature, they let us get off. We had a wonderful time exploring Shekou with the Tyvands. They took us to a couple local restaurants where we received a crash course in eating with chopsticks. The next day it was off to Nanchang to meet our little girl!

The morning we left Shekou Jim put us in a cab and gave the driver instructions to take us to the airport. The driver was trying to talk with Tim even though he did not speak English and Tim does not speak Chinese. After a few minutes the driver gave up and we road in silence for the rest of the drive. It was a bit of a challenge when we arrived at the airport and he wanted to know which terminal we needed to be at. Finally he started naming cities and we said "Nanchang". It did not get any easier once we were inside the airport. We were the only Caucasians and the only people speaking English! When we go back for Mei's homeland tour, we will learn a little Mandarin. Tim and I were concerned that we were going to end up in some place other then Nanchang but all went well.

When we arrived in Nanchang our guide, Helen, was waiting for us. Helen's first question to Tim was "how tall are you?" Our first thoughts about Nanchang were; it is very hot and everyone is smoking. In Nanchang you can smoke wherever you want; airport, restaurant, hotel, hospital... Besides the smoking, we loved Nanchang. Helen was a wonderful guide, she made the adoption process seem so easy and she was a great tour guide. The BEST part about Nanchang was meeting our little girl. Words cannot express what I was feeling when I met our little one for the first time. It was nothing like I thought it would be. When they put her in my arms it was like we had know each other forever, I was her mom. We spent 6 days/5 nights in Nanchang. The adoption paperwork we had to do was over the second day, then we had to wait for Mei's passport, which took a few days.

We left Nanchang for Guangzhou on 6/5/09. It was a good thing Helen came with us to the airport. Our entire groups' tickets were messed up. It took a lot of smooth talking by Helen and another guide to get us all through security! Tim and I were very nervous as this was Mei's first time on an airplane, but of course our little one did great. When we arrived in GZ our guide Ann was there to met us. Ann was also a wonderful guide and made us feel like VIPS our entire time in GZ. The US consulate is in GZ so every family that adopts from China has to go to GZ. For her US Visa, Mei had to to be examined by a doctor and get her photo taken. After that, we were on our own to sightsee for the next four days. We had a wonderful time in China but it is good to be home and not living out of a hotel room.

I am writing this at 10:00 pm on 6/18 (one week after arriving home). This is the first opportunity I've had to post since coming home. It has taken a week but I think we are all over our jet lag and getting back to our normal routines. Can you believe it, after four years we finally have our little girl home with us!!! We are very happy! :)

Bags packed and ready to go!
First class lounge.
Waking up in Hong Kong. What a view!
Waiting to board the ferry to Shekou.
Talin and Alma
Eating with chopsticks. Believe it or not, we became very good at eating with chopsticks. We did not use a fork the entire time, except at the "Western Style Buffet" at our hotel.
The hotel in Nanchang had a crib set up in all our rooms.
Tim signing the official adoption paperwork. This was a few hours before we met Mei.
Mei's foot print.

Family Day! Mei and Mommy.

Mei and Daddy.

The next day we went to the Civil Affairs Office to make it official. It was very hot! The air condition unit in the corner was the only air moving, all the windows were shut.
Mei with two of her nannies.

After the Civil Affairs office, we had to go to the police station to get Mei's passport photo taken.
Helen trying to get Mei's attention.

This was the view from our hotel room in Nanchang.
Tengwang Pavilion. This Pavilion was only a few blocks from our hotel in Nanchang.
People came up to us all the time. The ladies always grabbed Mei's feet first then looked at her face.

Sleeping babies.
A group of people surrounded one of the families in our group to check out their baby. It was a little scary.

Tim, Mei, Todd and Kylee

The Tyvand's with our guide Helen.
The streets of Nanchang

Waiting to board the plane at the Nanchang Airport. Our flight was an hour late. It was very hot in the airport.
Mohawk Mei
This is the medical clinic in GZ.

Jim, Rose and the girls came to GZ to meet Mei.

Uncle Jim

Mei's first time in the pool. She loved it! Daddy cannot wait to get her into swimming lessons.
This was our travel group.

Our GZ guide, Ann, with Mei.
Gracie. What a cutie!
The streets of GZ.
I am not sure what happened to the cats. Tim told me they were pets, not food.

This was taken in the lobby of our hotel in GZ, The White Swan.

The traditional red couch photo. Mei, Gracie, Shui Lian and Kylee. Mei, Shui Lian and Kylee are all from the same orphanage. Mei is 7 days older then Kylee.

Mei and Mommy on the flight home. Mei slept in the front carrier for most of the flight.

We made it to Hong Kong!

2009-05-29T09:02:00.001-07:00

It has been a very long day! The flight from Portland to Tokyo was GREAT! First Class is the way to go, Thanks Marj. It was back to normal for the flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong. I was really nervous about the "health check" at the airport but it was no big deal. We will have another "health check" when we enter mainland China tomorrow.

It is 12 am here in Hong Kong, I am sitting in bed drinking a beer. I need to get to bed as we have to get up at 6:30 to catch the ferry to the mainland.

Our appetizers in First Class.

Off to China!!!!

2009-05-28T12:54:00.001-07:00

Tim in the Northwest/Delta Sky Club. Our friend, Marj, works for N/W and was able to upgrade us to First Class for our flight from Portland to Tokyo!!!!!

We are finally on our way to get our little girl!

Next post will be from China!

Baby Showers

2009-05-26T21:59:00.000-07:00

We leave for China on Thursday!!!

It is Tue night at 10:30, I have been packing, cleaning and setting up baby stuff at home for the last three days! I have another full day in front of me tomorrow. I am soooo ready to get on the plane to China. I do not think I will feel at ease until I have Mei in my arms. It has been such a long road to get here that I still cannot believe I will meet my baby girl in just 6 days!

My friends are great! My work friends gave me a shower on Friday (my last day of work until Sept!) and my girlfriends and family gave me a shower on Saturday. Thank you to everyone!!!

Last weekend (May 16th) Jenn, Tracey and Kristen joined me at the beach for a girls night out. These three ladies planned and hosted the shower along with my family and other friends. These ladies are also my work out buddies.
Look at all my gifts! This is obviously not the work shower since there is a bucket of beer on the deck.
Getting ready to open my gifts.
Shining Star bear from Grandma Gamboa.

Chinese Doll from Nana Tyvand

My friend Michelle made this for Mei along with two blankets!! Who knew that insurance people were so crafty.
My awesome work shower!

Spring time and baby

2009-05-15T18:14:00.001-07:00

Spring is finally here, I hope to stay. It was a beautiful day today, even though I had to work. After work, I planted the herb starts Kathleen gave me and a Gerber Daisy my friend gave me. Tomorrow I am going to the beach for a girls night out!

Adoption News: We received our travel dates and booked our tickets. We should be over the moon but we are a little nervous about China pulling the plug before we leave. China is being very intense about the Swine Flu. So far, they have had 3 confirmed cases in mainland China and one in HK. Some provinces are not granting permission to enter and some are. Our province granted us permission to enter but that could change. Our agency told us to purchase our tickets but to be prepared for the worst case. It has been a long and hard journey to get our beautiful daughter but I know it will be worth it when we see her wonderful little face looking at us.
We are scheduled to leave Ptown on 5/28 and arrive in HK late on 5/29. We will spend one night in HK and one night with Jim & Rose. On May 31 we fly to Nanchang and on June 1st we meet our daughter. If everything goes according to plan, we will arrive back in Ptown on 6/10, just in time for my 40th b-day on 6/11. I cannot think of a better gift then to be home with my baby girl!

As you can see from the photo below, I did a little shopping today for the trip. I was a little overwhelmed! Next time I am taking Kathleen with me. How do I know what dippers to buy?
I plan to update the blog when we finally get to China so stay tuned.

Rosemary, thyme and parsley
Yikes! I hope I bought the right stuff. I still have a lot more to get. I think it was good to start slow.

Update

2009-05-09T15:56:00.001-07:00

Tim and I have been waiting for our TA (travel approval), we finally received it on Friday but our agency has to contact the province Mei is in to see if they will give us permission to enter due to Swine Flu. Right now it does not look good that we will get the ok to travel. I am hoping we will get the ok in the next few weeks. Hopefully we will travel late June or July.

Today was the annual Hippie Chick Half & Quarter Marathon. Tonia flew in from New York to run the half. Kathleen also ran the half, I ran the quarter (due to a lack of training). T & K did great! K finished in 1:50 and T finished in 2:14. They both are already talking about beating their times next year! I was just happy to finish without having to walk!

After the race in the beer garden. You know me, if there is a beer garden I will find it!

Mei Qi Ai Tyvand

2009-04-03T13:06:00.000-07:00

Our beautiful daughter was born 8/20/2008 in Jiangxi Province. Her given name is Qi Ai (pronounced Chee-i) Bo. We have named her Mei Qi Ai Tyvand. Our agency said we should plan on traveling to China at the end of June or the beginning of July.

Arctic Blast 2008!

2008-12-22T16:48:00.000-08:00

The snow started falling on Sunday 12/13/08, we got snow everyday except Tue 12/16. We got the majority of the snow on Sunday 12/21 and today.
To help with cabin fever, Tim and I walked to the local bar and enjoyed a few beers while watching several accidents in the parking lot. I have enjoyed the snow but I am ready for it to go away!

Fall Photos & Tyvand update

2008-11-27T21:15:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos from the last few months. We had a busy fall; hiking, going to the beach, spending time with our nieces, celebrating our 6th anniversary and spending Thanksgiving with the family. December is turning out to be another busy month; Tim is going on a surfing trip to Mexico with his friends, my parents are coming for Christmas and Kiley turns 6!!

Things on the adoption front are moving forward. Hopefully, we will get our referral in the next 3 to 4 months. As of last month, the CCAA has matched everyone with a LID of 2/17/06 and before.

Tim, Jim, Judy and I attended the annual Apple Festival in September.

We took the girls on a hike around Reed College in Portland.

After our long hike, we needed to regain our strength so, we stopped for lunch.
The girls spent the night. This is them eating their dessert.
The next morning, big sis helped little sis with her breakfast. (We did do more then just eat this weekend but it seems the only pictures I took were when we were eating)
Tim on the jetty at Ft. Stevens in Astoria, OR. (This was our anniversary weekend)
Tim and Resa on the beach in Manzanita, OR. Tim took me to a VERY nice resort for our anniversary, Coastal Cabins. We had our own private cabin with a hot tub and sauna.
The view from Neahkahnie Mt.
Resa hiking up to the view point.
Resa standing at the top of Neahkahnie Mt.
The bridge to Oswald Beach, a very popular surf spot on the OR coast. You have to hike approx a half mile, with your surf board, to this spot - it is worth it.
The turkey on Wed night.
The turkey on Thursday - sorry Mr Turkey. This is the first year I cooked a turkey. The experience makes me want to be a vegetarian again. I almost threw up when I pulled the neck and the other stuff out of the middle!
K boiling the neck for the gravy.
Ellis helping K with the gravy.
Tim carving the turkey.
Judy cleaning up.
Jim Sr. relaxing after dinner.

Hood to Coast 2008!!

2008-09-13T13:21:00.001-07:00

It has almost been a month since H2C 2008 so, I figured it was time I updated my blog with some photos from this year's race.

This was the best year yet!! I also said that about last year's H2C. Both years were a blast! I think this year was so special because it may be the last year a lot of us do it for awhile, and I was able to experience this year's race with my husband, sister, and brother-in-law! I am not sure our other van mates were happy to experience H2C with the Gamboa sisters; sorry Ted, Nancy, Tim and Brian. In case you did not know, Kathleen and I have a loud laugh and we think everything is funny :)

I want to thank Tim Dooley, also known as Mr. Hood to Coast, for being our fearless leader and planning everything. The reason this race is so special for all of us is because of Tim!! THANK YOU.

We had a great race, everyone did their best! We finished well before our projected time. We completed the 197 miles (from Mt. Hood to Seaside, Oregon) in 25 hrs 45 mins.

After the race, the Tyavnd's and Lower's headed to Astoria to pick up Ellis and Kiley (the little Lower's) and get some much needed rest.

The sisters at Timberline Lodge, Mt. Hood - At this time, I had 4 more hrs before I ran, K had about 7!
The happy couples.
Nancy, Brian, Tim D (Mr Hood to Coast), K (behind Ken), Ken and Ted.
Ken started the race for us.

Ken handing off to Rick
Rick handing off to Sunny Tim
Sunny Tim handing off to Andrew
Tim and Resa :) I was a little nervous here as my first leg was coming up soon.
Resa showing off the newest in running fashion - the running skirt. I love the skirt because it does not ride up!
My night photos did not turn out, so, this is the only photo of our runs during the night and early morning. This is K before her first run.
This is the line for the "Honey Bucket"
K's second leg was her hardest leg, it was 6.81 miles and the first 2 miles were up hill, she was very nervous about this leg. Brock giving her a kiss for good luck!
A very nervous K waiting for Tim T.
Timmy T running in to hand off to K.
Brock giving K some water.

Van life. We are waiting for K to come in.
K coming in strong.
Tim catching some Zs before leg 3, his toughest leg. Tim's last leg was 7.79 miles!
K sleeping before her 3rd leg. I had to check to make sure she was just sleeping!
Resa very happy after her 3rd leg. There is something to be said about being the first runner out of the van - first one out, first one done!
One of the many traffic backups at Hood to Coast. Unfortunately for Brock, this backup meant he had to get out of the van and run a half mile up to the exchange to meet the our next runner.
Resa doing her wifely duty and giving water to her wonderful husband on his last leg.
We are all done but one. This was the last exchange. Brian was getting ready to run for the 4th time! After this we drove to the beach and ran in with Brian then said goodbye to our team and headed to Astoria for some food, beer, and SLEEP.

Resa on Sunday morning.
After we got some sleep and food, Tim and I rented some bikes and took a tour of Astoria.
While the Tyvand's were on a bike ride the Lower's enjoyed some pool time.
This was the view from our room.

Uncle Timmy and Ellis watching the Olympics. As you can see, Uncle Timmy was enjoying a much deserved beer, so was Auntie Resa :)
This was the end of our trip. We were getting ready to get in the car for the 2 hour ride home.

Another great Hood to Coast! Thanks again Tim D for all you do to make H2C a great experience for everyone involved!

3rd Annual PC Family Beach Trip

2008-08-17T12:46:00.000-07:00

The entire Gamboa Clan got together again for the annual Pacific City, OR beach trip. A fun time was had by all. The house this year was great, except for the three flights of stairs! Here are some photos from the trip.

The surfers waxing their new boards

The sunset on our first night. I included this one since it was the only night we actually saw the sunset due to the weather.
Grandma and Kiley

The kids enjoying paint by numbers - a gift from Grandma.

It was very cold in the water! I think this is the look for K.
The kids on our hike at Camp Lookout.

Liam wearing Auntie Resa's sunglasses.
Kiley with Auntie Resa's purse.

Grandma reading Ann of Green Gables to the girls.

If you can not tell from these photos, it was very cold and windy at the beach.

The Lower's doggies; Zeba and Clay

Brock and the kids took the doggies on a walk. Clay man is having a hard time getting around in his old age.

After surfing one day, the surfers went to the local Mexican restaurant and had a few margaritas. Ellis took the above photo of the tipsy ladies.
After lunch we all went to the beach and played frisbee.
Aunt Marie

Tonia, Kathleen and Ellis after a day of surfing.
Ellis and Liam on the boards

Bobby getting ready to catch a wave.
Brock riding a wave in
Tim
On the Noonan's last day in OR, we heading east to the gorge for a hike.

Liam, Ellis and Uncle Timmy enjoying the hike.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-06-12T18:20:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was my 39th B-Day, Yikes!

My wonderful husband got me the beautiful flowers above and my big sis, Tonia, got me the beautiful flowers below.

May Referrals

2008-06-11T20:17:00.000-07:00

We are getting closer. The CCAA did 8 days worth of referrals. Everyone with a LID of Jan 20, 2006 and before has been match with their child.

Greetings from San Diego

2008-05-26T20:12:00.000-07:00

We arrived in San Diego late Friday night. On Sat Tim, Jeff and Sandra went wake boarding at 5am while I slept in, until 9. After wake boarding, Sandra made us a wonderful lunch and then we played "Rock Band" before heading out for a bike ride. While Sandra was preparing yet another great meal, the dudes went suffering at Mission Beach, which is across the street from Sandra and Jeff's house. After dinner, we road our bikes down to the local bar, The Beachcomber, for a few beers. On Sunday, the guys took Jeff's boat out to Point Loma and surfed off the boat. While the guys were suffering, the gals went on a hike at Point Loma. On Monday morning we went to Jeff's favorite surf spot, the guys caught a couple waves while the girls relaxed on the beach. In the afternoon, we went on a 14 mile bike ride around Mission Bay. After the bike ride, we went to the Wave House and the dudes tried their luck on "The Wave". We ended our trip to SD with a ride on Sandra and Jeff's new boat to the Barefoot Bar and Grill. We had a great time in SD. Sandra and Jeff were wonderful hosts and we can't wait to come back next year!

Our next stop is 29 Palms!

Tim, Jeff and Sandra playing Rock Band.

Rusty (Sandra and Jeff's dog) hanging out at the beach
Tim
Jeff with his new board (it was an anniversary gift from Sandra)
Resa on the bike ride around Mission Bay
Sandra and Jeff

Jeff at the Wave House
Tim

We thought this bird was cute until we discovered why he was hanging around us...

We are Hippie Chicks!!

2008-05-13T11:54:00.001-07:00

Kathleen and I completed the Hippie Chick Half Marathon (13.1 miles) on Saturday 5/10/08. Kathleen did great, she completed it in 2 hrs 7 min., I on the other hand, did not do so well, it took me 2 hrs 24 min. Tim, Brock and the girls came out to cheer us on, I definitely needed their support! Kathleen and I plan on doing it again next year. I think I need to up my training for next years race!

In the bathroom line before the race
Kathleen and our cheerleaders
The Lowers checking out the kids shirts
Tim chatting it up with the ladies before the race
The cheerleaders hanging out
K and I at the starting line
The fast ladies at the start. The lady on the right in the white/pink shirt and black shorts won, winning time 1 hr 30 mins.
The rest of us at the start.
K and I at the 4 or 5 mile point. K pulled away from me around this time, never to be seen again.
K in a sprint to the finish line, K overtook the girl in the black.
Resa limping to the finish. The girls ran the last few yards with me, I do not think I would have made it on my own.
I included this photo because it makes me look like I am running fast! Kiley is running to my right.
The Hippie Chicks after the race. :)

Tim is 39!

2008-04-23T20:12:00.000-07:00

Today starts the last year Tim can say he is in his thirties, which is funny because he thinks he is still in his twenties!

The day started out with Tim's lovely wife, Resa, making him cupcakes (his favs). In the mail, he received a very funny birthday card from his nieces, Ellis and Kiley, and his Big Bro, Jim, called him all the way from China to wish him a happy B-Day!
For dinner we met Tim's parents, Jim and Judy, at Pok Pok (voted restaurant of the year by the Oregonian)

Happy 39th Timmy T!

Spring is Here! (at least for the weekend)

2008-04-13T06:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day, it got up to 78, it was the perfect day for Ellis's soccer game. Today is starting out to be another nice day. Kathleen and I went for our 10 mile run this morning, it felt great! Tim spent the weekend at the beach with some friends, he said the weather was perfect. They went surfing and kayaking. Tomorrow the weather guys are calling for rain and the low 50's. Spring in Oregon, you gotta love it.

This is a view of Mt. St. Helens from the soccer field.
Auntie Resa and Kiley
Ellis is #15. Ellis's Team are the Dragons, they played the Ladybugs.
Ellis throwing the ball in.
Ellis getting ready to steal the ball.

After the game, I went over to the Lower's and relaxed on the porch with Clay (and a cold beer).

Referral Update

2008-04-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

It is still slow going. In Feb the CCAA did 8 days of referrals and in March they did 5 days so, everyone with a log in date of Jan 9th, 2006 has been matched with their child.

Not much going on with us right now. I am training for the Hippie Chick Half Marathon, which is May 10th. Kathleen is also running the half marathon, we have been doing long runs together on the weekends. This weekend we have a 10 miler planned.

Tim and I are heading south to San Diego and 29 Palms at the end of May to visit friends and Aunt Marie. I can not wait! I am done with the rain!

January Referrals

2008-02-05T18:57:00.000-08:00

The CCAA completed 8 days of referrals in January. Everyone with a LID of Dec 27, 2005 and before has been match with their child.

Dec Referrals

2008-01-03T20:01:00.000-08:00

The CCAA only completed 5 days of referrals in Dec, so everyone with a LID of Dec 19, 2005 and before has been match with their child.

Referral Time

2007-12-06T20:48:00.000-08:00

The CCAA processed 6 days of referrals, so everyone with a LID of Dec 14th, 2005 has been match with their child. We were hoping for more days, but 6 is good since that is the most they have done in a while.

Merry Christmas!!

5 Years of Wedded Bliss!

2007-11-18T18:57:00.000-08:00

Friday, November 16th was our 5th year wedding anniversary. To celebrate we headed north to Seattle. I have lived in Portland for nine years and I have never been to Seattle.
On the way up to Seattle, we took a detour to Snoqualmie Falls. Then we were off to Seattle for a weekend of eating, drinking and site seeing. We had a wonderful anniversary weekend!

Snoqualmie Falls

Of course, we had to hike down to an area that was "suggested" not to be in due to high water. We had no problems and the view was great.

In case you cannot tell, this is a timer shot. This was on the pier in Seattle.
I fell in love with Seattle. I loved the skyline view at night with all the lights.
Tim on top of the Space Needle. It was pouring rain when we were at the top. About an hour after we left the Space Needle the rain stopped and it was sunny.
Resa on Top of the Space Needle. I was very nervous to be this close to the edge, Tim made me do it.
Pike Street Public Market.

The view from Pier 62/63. Tim loved this area, the views of the city and the water are great from this location.
Resa with The Fisherman. The Fisherman is a restaurant we went to on Friday and Saturday. They have a great view of the harbor and the city. On Friday we watched the ferry boats take the commuters home for the night.

After a few drinks at the Fisherman, Tim got me to put this hat on in one of the tourist shops.

Tim on top of the Smith Tower. When the Smith Tower was completed in 1913, it was the tallest building in the world, outside of New York. The observation deck is on the 35th floor. The next seven floors are a private apartment.

This is a view of Qwest Field (Seahawk's stadium) from the Smith tower.

This was a cool water fall park in the middle of the city, near Smith tower. The park was built by UPS. UPS was founded in Seattle.

View of China Town from Kobe Park. Kobe park is a community garden and park.

This lantern was given to the city of Seattle by the Mayor of Kobe in 1976 to celebrate our bicentennial anniversary.

Smith Tower

Nov Referrals

2007-11-04T19:58:00.000-08:00

The CCAA did 8 days of referrals in Oct. so, everyone with a LID of December 8, 2005 and before has been matched with their child.

Fun Fall Weekend with the Girls

2007-11-04T10:35:00.000-08:00

We had the pleasure of the girls company this past weekend. Kathleen dropped the girls off Friday after work then she was off for her "date night" with Brock.

Friday night was movie night at the Tyvand's. I made the girls dinner and let them eat dinner while they watched their movies. After the movies, Uncle Timmy read the girls bed time stories. The girls were so tired after a long week of school and Halloween that they requested to go to bed before Uncle Timmy was done with the story.

After a good nights sleep, the girls were refreshed and ready to take on the day. Saturday started with a good breakfast of cereal, eggs and toast. Uncle Timmy was the breakfast chef.

After the girls finished their breakfast they commandeered Uncle Timmy for piggy back rides around the house. They also played hide & seek and searched the house for "treasure".

The "treasure" they found was a chest full of Auntie Resa's purses. Of course, Uncle Timmy made a point of telling the girls that Aunite Resa has a purse problem.

After a fun filled morning at home, we decided to head to the park. We went to the Rose Garden, which is in Washington Park in Downtown Portland. Kiley was a little tired after a busy morning so, Uncle Timmy had to carrier her until she saw how much fun her sister was having smelling the roses.

Ellis taking time to smell the roses.

Ellis and Kiley discovered a ton of rose petals on the ground so, they decided to collect them. Kiley said the rose petals looked like fairy beds. The girls collected the petals and placed them in the rose bushes and in the trees so the fairies would have a place to rest.

Kiley putting down fairy beds.

The girls separating the "fairy beds". Can you see the fairy beds in the bush?

Kiley made these lovely fairy beds, the grass is the pillow and the small petal is the blanket.

Of course I had to take some photos of the beautiful fall colors.

I took this photos because Tim has declared this type of tree to be one of his favorites. I am not sure of the technical name but I have always called them weeping willows.

The girls made leaf bouquets.

We ended the day with lunch at the new Rock & Roll Cafe and ice cream at Baskin Robbins.
We had a great time with the girls and cannot wait to do it again. :)

Trick or Treat :)

2007-10-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

In response to Mendie's quetions

2007-10-15T17:44:00.000-07:00

The CCAA does not give out the number of dossiers submitted each month. I get my rumor info from The Rumor Queen, which is a website I told myself I would never read. The website is run by a woman who adopted from China, she has a huge following and gets a lot of info. So far, her info has been pretty accurate. I try not to get sucked in by the rumor mill but sometimes I can't help myself.

As far as an estimated time, there is none. We can only guess by prior months referrals. We are hoping to get our referral late in 2008 and travel to China in 2009 but we have no idea. Of course, best case would be to travel to China in 2008. The Olympics will most likely slow things down.

Thanks for taking an interest in our journey.

October Referrals

2007-10-11T16:52:00.000-07:00

The CCAA did 5 days of referrals. Everyone with a LID of November 30, 2005 and before has been matched with their child. At least they did the same amount of days as last month, and not less. Rumor has it that Dec 2005 had fewer dossiers submitted. Hopefully the CCAA can get through Dec in 3 months. In case any of you forgot, our LID is March 7, 2006 - we still have a long way to go.

T & R Update

2007-09-16T15:38:00.001-07:00

Tonia told me to update my blog! So, here is what we have been up to.

Last weekend Resa started her weekend by attending the JT concert (that's Justin, not James) with a few of her friends, we had a great time. Tim and Resa ended the weekend with a hiking trip to the Columbia River Gorge. We hiked up to Mitchell Point, which is a 1.3 mile hike straight up on a narrow rocky path, the view was worth it. After the hike we went to a "swimming hole" but the water was way to cold to get in. This weekend we went to the beach. When we got there on Friday night, Bucky was waiting for us. This morning when we got up Bucky's family was there to say goodbye.

On the adoption front, September referrals came out at the being of the month. The CCAA only did 4 days so, everyone with a LID of Nov 25, 2005 and before has been matched with their child.

Bucky
I thought this shell was very pretty, Tim said it looks like every other shell he has seen.

We walked by the house we rented this summer with the family and we saw Fluffy, I think he misses us.
Sunset

Bucky's family

This was at the being of our hike up to Mitchell Point
The path, as you can see, is straight up.
Tim at the very top, I was very scared that he was going to fall off. One wrong step and he would have been a goner.
Columbia River

I did not go all the way to the top, I am sure that is surprising to my family. Tim called this my safe rock. I sat on this rock while Tim was at the very top.

Tim monkeying around on the way down
Tim checking out the swimming hole

Tim still checking out the swimming hole
Tim almost in but it turned out to be way to cold. I put my feet in and it felt like a thousand needles poking me in the feet.

Hood to Coast 2007 - We made it!!!

2007-08-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

Hood to Coast is a 197 mile relay race from Mt. Hood to Seaside, OR. Each team consists of 12 runners who run 3 legs ranging in distance from 3.5 miles to 7.5 miles. Our team took 27 hours to complete the relay, the winning team completed it in 17 hours.

Tim has done H2C seven times, Kathleen has done it four times, and this was my sixth time. We all agreed that this year was the best one.

Here are some photos of H2C 2007. Kathleen also took some photos, which she has posted to her blog.

A very nervous Kathleen and Resa getting ready to leave for H2C.
Ellis took this picture of us, that is way we are looking down. Brock and the girls dropped Kathleen off at our house on Friday morning.
This is a photo of our team, minus 3 runners. They met up with us later. From left to right; bottom row: Nancy, Scott, Kathleen, John, Resa - Back row: Tim T, Tim D, Carolyn.
Nancy, Scott and John flew out from Ohio. Nancy and Scott are married. Carolyn is Tim D's daughter. Tim D and John organized the event for our team, which is a lot of work!!
John, Tim D and Ken doing a little dance up at the mountain. Ken was our first runner. He started (at 3pm) at Timberline Lodge and ran down the mountain to Government Camp and handed off to Timmy T.
Katleen, Resa, Tim (and Ken in the back)

Ken at the starting line. The race officially starts at 7:30 am then every 15 minutes a group takes off. You are given your start time a few weeks before the race, our start time was 3pm. The last group to start is the elite runners. They start around 7pm and pass all the other teams and finish first. The race is limited to 1,000 teams (12,000 runners).
Ken is in there somewhere, this was right at the start.
Ken passing off to Tim.
Tim finishing up his fist leg and getting ready to pass off to Kathleen.
Tim passing off to K.
Tim was nice enough to get a picture of me coming out of the "Honey Bucket". This was right before my first leg, which was the hardest of my 3 legs, I was very nervous.
Kathleen passing off to Resa. After my first leg, I passed off to our Fearless leader Tim D.
Tim D passing off to his daughter, Carolyn.
Kathleen giving water to Carolyn.

After we (Van 1) completed our first set of legs, 1-6, we passed the baton to Van 2 in Sandy,OR. Van 2 runners ran from Sandy to Portland. While Van 2 was on the road, we went to Tim D's house for dinner, showers and a little shut eye. I think we slept for about 45 minutes before we were up and getting ready to head off to meet Van 2 for our second round of legs.

Ken getting ready to run his second leg. Ken's second leg started downtown Portland under the Hawthorne bridge and ended on Front street in the industrial area. Ken started his second leg around 12:30 am. We (Van 1) ended our second set of legs around 4:30 am.

After we passed off to Van 2, we drove to St. Helens High School for showers and pancakes. Then we drove to the next exchange point in Mist, OR. to wait for Van 2. As you can see from the photos below, the girls decided to get some shut eye in the van, and again, Tim was nice enough to take some photos.

Resa
Kathleen
Carolyn
Van 1 runners (Timmy T is taking the picture) at Mist waiting for Van 2.
After our 3rd set of legs, we passed off to Van 2 and headed off to Seaside to wait for them to finish. We were all very tired, hungry, and dirty. The battery in my camera was low so I was unable to get photos of our second and third legs.

We were projected to finish at 8pm, but we shaved an 1 1/2 hours off our time, and finished in Seaside at 6:30 pm.

Van 1 runners enjoying pizza and beer in Seaside while waiting for Van 2.
Kathleen, Tim and Resa
Our entire team at the beach enjoying a beer.

Another Hood to Coast completed, Yeah!! I had a lot of fun this year. It was great to have my sister and husband in the same Van to share in the H2C experience--teamwork, pride in completing your legs, sleep deprivation, getting to the exchange on time to meet the next runner, Honey Buckets, power bars, gummy bears...

Ellis is 7!!!!!!!!

2007-08-19T18:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Ellis!!!!!

Ellis celebrated her b-day with several friends and family. Ellis decided to have a pool party on her special day. The forecast was touch and go all week but in the end the rain held off for Ellis. The kids spent an hour in the pool then it was off to eat pizza and cake and play in the park. After the pizza and cake, Ellis opened her gifts then all the kids took turns hitting the pinata.

Ellis, her friends and her cousins, Emma and Reed.
The B-Day cake (it is a pool) Kathleen baked the cake and Brock decorated it.
party bags
Ellis with her friend Maya
The kids enjoying the fun stuff in the party bags
Kiley and her friend running to join the party
Ellis
Kiley
Kiley having fun on the swing.
Ellis planning something with her friend
Ellis opening her gifts, with help from her friends
The Pinata
Ellis's cousin, Emma, gave her the orange headband and her other cousin Reed gave her the stuffed animal.
Ellis playing in the park with her friends

After the party, The Lowers and Auntie Resa went back to Ellis's house to open more gifts!!

Mom and Dad (K & Brock) gave Ellis an American Girl Doll, her name is Kaya
Grandma & Grandpa Gamboa gave Ellis Kaya's horse, Steps High
Auntie Resa and Uncle Tim gave her Kaya's dog, Tatlo

Enchanted Day

2007-08-11T14:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Kiley called and invited me to the Enchanted Forest (kids theme park), how could I refuse. Kiley, with help from her mother, picked me up this morning and we were off for an enchanted day. Brock and Ellis are off on a Father/Daughter camping trip this weekend so they were unable to join us.Kiley with her new sunglasses

Kiley on the enchanted train

Kiley and Mommy
Kiley and Auntie Resa in Western Town.
Mommy and Kiley waiting for the show to start. We watched the show for about 5 minutes, it was not very good and it scared Kiley (and Auntie Resa).
Mommy and Kiley going down The Lady in the Shoe Slide
Auntie Resa and Kiley on the slide

Family Beach Trip

2007-08-04T13:32:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from the second annual Gamboa Pacific City Family Reunion. I did not take that many photos but Dad took a ton and I am sure he will be posting them to his page soon.

Ellis and Liam
Clay and Zeba

Kathleen and Marie
K, Brock, Tonia, Bobby, Tim and Marie

Ellis
Kiley

Tim after a morning of surfing.

August Referrals

2007-08-03T04:36:00.000-07:00

August Referrals arrived yesterday. Everyone with a LID before Nov 21, 2005 has been match with their child. The CCAA did 7 days worth of referrals in July.

Goodbye to Fly, our good boy

2007-07-10T18:09:00.000-07:00

Fly Tyvand
September 1996-July 6, 2007

Fly was born at the Mike Fynmore Kennel in West Virginia in September 1996. He spent the first 3+ years of his life as a professional greyhound racer in Wheeling Downs, WV and Hollywood, FL. After finishing his racing career, he relocated to the beautiful Northwest and took up full-time residency with the Greyhound Pets of America, a local adoption agency.

Fly was adopted into the loving home of Resa Gamboa in January 2001, he was a Christmas gift from Resa's sister Kathleen. As a retired racer, his pet skills were limited at best. He preferred the sofa to his dog bed and anything his parents were eating to his dog food. He did not know where or when to go to the bathroom or how to negotiate the stairs. All he knew was that he loved being retired and he especially loved spending time with Resa. Whenever Resa would leave the house, Fly would cry at the top of his lungs until she returned. It took several months for Fly to overcome his separation anxiety. Fly was very happy when Tim moved in with Resa and became a permanent member of the family, even though that meant he no longer could sleep in the bed with Resa.

Fly had a calm, peaceful spirit, and loved everyone he met. He enjoyed sleeping, running around the backyard, spending time at the beach, eating human food, jumping up on the bed, visiting his friends at Mt. Scott Animal Clinic, and playing with his good buddies: Clay, Zeba, Shiloh, and Shadow.

Fly was diagnosed with bone cancer on June 13, 2007. The last few weeks of his life were spent sleeping next to his parents, lying outside in the sun, and eating a diet fit for a king. He requested a 10 oz. New York Strip Steak for his last meal.

In his short but rich life he gave his parents more love, joy and companionship than they could have ever hoped for. His parents will be eternally grateful for all the great memories he gave them during his life. Fly will be missed by all who knew him.

This was Fly's favorite place to hang out
A rare picture of Fly standing up

This was Fly in his last days, as you can see, we made him a nice bed to sleep on.
This was Fly doped up on drugs.
Enjoying the sun
This was Fly on his last day with us. He loved lying in the sun.

Tyvand Update

2007-06-28T20:26:00.000-07:00

I have not had much time to get online since I returned from Vegas. First I had to recover from four nights of drinking then I had to get back to work. We also got some bad news from our Vet, our wonderful Fly guy has bone cancer, so we have been taking care of him. We thought we were going to have to put him down two weeks ago, so we are very happy to have this time with him. He is doing ok, we hope to have him around for a few more weeks before we have to make the really hard decision.

We have been training (if you can call it that) for Hood to Coast (check out the link). Kathleen is also running HTC, and we (K&R) have done a few training runs together. Tim and I went downtown tonight and ran around the waterfront then went out for pizza and beer. That is how we like to train for HTC.

Tim's brother, Jim, and his wife, Rose, and their two beautiful daughters, Talin and Alma are home for the summer (they have been in China teaching). We had dinner with Rose, the girls and Judy on Tuesday night. Jim decided to head straight to their cabin in La Pine, OR, so we missed him at dinner. Below is a picture of Tim and Alma. Tim is going to La Pine on Sunday for a few days to visit the family.

Fly enjoying the sunshine
He is the best dog ever!!
Tim and Alma

Vegas Baby!!

2007-06-15T19:38:00.000-07:00

A fun time was had by all. We did a little shopping, a little gambling, a lot of pool time and a lot of drinking. Below are pictures of the Vegas Crew.

Weekend Update and Adoption News

2007-06-06T21:02:00.000-07:00

I am off to Vegas tomorrow for a girls weekend!!! I am not sure if I will be blogging about the weekend, you know how the saying goes, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas".

Tim is planning a weekend at the Coast with a few friends.

On the adoption front, referrals came out yesterday. The CCAA did 6 days of referrals this month. Everyone with a LID of Nov 7, 2005 and before has been matched with their child. Of course, we were hoping for at least 10 to 15 days. As you all know, our LID is 3/7/06.

Viva Las Vegas!!

Plants and a Tree

2007-06-02T19:47:00.000-07:00

We purchased and planted a variegated Japanese Willow tree and three plants (I forgot their names) today. I love our new yard!

29 Palms, Joshua Tree and LA!!!

2007-05-28T20:03:00.001-07:00

We had a great time in CA over the Memorial Day Weekend. Marie picked us up at the airport on Friday morning then we headed to the desert. We had lunch in Palm Springs then we were off to 29 Palms. We stayed at the 29 Palms Inn, which is a cool funky hotel with individual cottages. When we got to our room, Marie told us to be on the look out for rattlesnakes and scorpions. Needless to say, I was a little freaked out. Of course, we did not see any snakes or scorpions but we did see a few lizards. After our pool side dinner at the Inn, we took a walk around the hotel grounds and disturbed an owl on the prowl, he screeched at us to let us know that he was not happy that we scared away his dinner, a little bunny. During the night, we heard the coyotes a few times (it was really cool since we were inside and not outside in a tent).

On Saturday morning we went on a hike in Joshua Tree National Park, the hike is really close to Marie's property in 29 Palms. The hike we went on is called 49 Palms Oasis. The hike is a mile and a half up to a beautiful Oasis in the desert. We did the hike in the morning, before it got too hot. On the way down we saw some people that were definitely not prepared for the hike (ask Tim about the girl in the tank top and flip flops, he told us he would stay behind and make sure she made it down). After the hike we went back to the Inn for more pool time and lunch. After lunch we were off to LA.

On Sunday, we walked to my favorite breakfast place in LA then took a long walk home. We relaxed at Marie's for a few hours, I read a trashy novel Tonia sent me. Then we were off to La Placita (sp), which is the oldest street in LA. After La Placita we were off to the Observatory. The view from the Observatory is awesome. From the Observatory, we got a good look at the fire damage from the recent wildfire in Griffith Park. The fire almost destroyed the Observatory, which was just redone. The renovation cost 45 million and took 4 years to complete.

Of course the best part of the weekend was hanging out with Marie. Tim and I always have such a wonderful time in LA with Great Aunt Marie!

Marie in front of her property in 29 Palms.

Tim and Marie after lunch in Palm Springs
Tim and I walking back to our room after an afternoon at the pool in 29 Palms
A Joshua Tree
Tim on top of a rock in Joshua Tree National Park

Our back yard at the Inn at 29 Palms
Our living room at the Inn
Our room at the Inn

Tim at the Inn
Marie and I on the hike. She made me wear the hat, which was a very good idea.
Marie leading the way up to the Oasis.
Tim on yet another rock, 29 Palms is the view behind him.
Baby lizard, we saw a full grown one later on the hike.

The Oasis
Tim and Marie relaxing in the oasis.
As you can see from my photos, Tim likes climbing on rocks.

The view of LA from Marie's apartment
Griffith Observatory

Update from Clackamas

2007-05-23T19:16:00.000-07:00

We had a very busy week last week and last weekend getting ready for, and hosting the "Clackamas Classic". My plan was to take photos of the event to share but I got to busy and forgot. I think it was 11 pm on Saturday when I realized I had not taken any photos. So, you all are asking yourself what is the Clackamas Classic, well let me tell you. Tim and his friends decided they were not spending enough time together (that is a joke) so they decided to create a summer golf league, there are seven events with a championship tournament at the end of the summer. We hosted the second event. Tim told me about 2 weeks before the event that we were going to host a BBQ for 30 to 40 people after the golf tournament. After a lot of work and a small panic attack on Saturday afternoon, everything turned out great.

This weekend we are heading down south to CA to visit Marie. We are going to spend Friday and Saturday in Joshua Tree National Park and spend Sunday in LA.

On the adoption front, we are waiting on the next batch of referrals. Hopefully the referrals will come out in the next few weeks. I will keep you posted.

The Great Lawn Project Completed!!!

2007-05-13T14:32:00.000-07:00

We are finally done with the lawn. We still have to plant a few plants around the side of the lawn but the major work is done. We decided to install a sprinkler system, which required help from outside sources. We finished last Sunday.

This is the access to the crawl space under our house. With the help from his friend, Tim ran the wire for the sprinkler system under the house.

As you can see, he made it out alive.

Don't worry, the rock is not staying. We are going to plant a small tree where the rock is.

Weekend with the Girls

2007-05-06T15:07:00.000-07:00

On Saturday afternoon, Kiley and Auntie Resa went to the Zoo while Ellis attended a friend's birthday party. The girls spent the night, which gave their parents a kid free night on the town.

Kiley at lunch. She had to eat all her fruit in order to get dessert, which she did.

Waiting in line for the Shuttle bus to take us to the Zoo.

Kiley on the bus.

Kiley with Packy (he is lying down in the background) Packy is the largest Asian elephant in the U.S, he is 10'6 and weighs 13,500 pounds, he just celebrated his 45th birthday.

Looking for the Zebra

We found the Zebra

The leopard was sleeping on a blanket, it was very cute.

After a long day at the Zoo and birthday party, it was time to relax and watch movies.

After the movies, Uncle Timmy read bedtime stories (Kiley is under the blanket).

After breakfast this morning, the kitchen table became a fort. The penguin is guarding the fort form monsters.

Playing the bunny game in the garage. Ellis won.

April Referrals

2007-05-03T18:55:00.000-07:00

April referrals were a disappointment. The CCAA only did 3 days of referrals, so everyone that was LID as of Nov 1, 2005 has been matched with their child. We, of course, are very happy for those people that are now looking forward to traveling to China to bring home their wonderful little girl (or boy).

Unfortunately for us, the wait just keeps getting longer. I am trying to stay positive. I have to believe that the CCAA will increase the referrals in the coming months. I am glad that we have a lot planned this summer to keep us busy.

On a lighter note, the lawn project should be done on Sunday. I will post photos as soon as it is completed.

Timmy T's B-Day

2007-04-25T19:04:00.000-07:00

Birthday Dinner

We had a fun night on the town with friends for Timmy T's B-Day.

The Great Lawn Project, Stage 2

2007-04-21T15:36:00.000-07:00

step one, rototilling

I do not think this rototiller was made for tall people
trash buried in our yard. No wonder our lawn was full of weeds.
step two, raking
this photo was taken after step three, which was putting top soil down
I was a big help (I believe Tim said he could not have done it without me)
This is the way the yard looks now. The next step is to re-rototill then put seed or sod down.

No, we did not check the forecast before we decided to work on the lawn this weekend. Yes, it rained all day.

We had dirt delivered on Friday. Tim rented the rototiller this morning then we got to work. Tim, of course, did the majority of the work. I helped a little and did the clean up work.

Next step, sod or seed?? Stay tuned...

Fly & Shadow

2007-04-21T11:01:00.000-07:00

Fly and Shadow today.
Fly and Shadow last weekend at the beach.

As you can see, the dogs have a rough life.

More Adoption Info

2007-04-19T18:39:00.000-07:00

In response to Mendie's comment from my last post.

Unfortunately, we do not know how many people are in front of us, but we do know it is a lot. We are waiting with people from all over the world, not just the US. So, we have a long wait in front of us!

Based on what our agency told us, Oct and Nov 2005 had an unusually large amount of dossiers logged in with the CCAA. Hopefully next month the CCAA will process more than two days of referrals. I will keep you posted.

Adoption Jargon

2007-04-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

My cousin, Mendie, has requested some clarification on my last post. I am so used to speaking the adoption lingo with Tim and my friends that I forget that not everyone is hip to the jargon.

The CCAA is the China Center of Adoption Affairs.
Referral means when the CCAA matches your dossier with a child - this is what we are waiting for. Our dossier was logged in with the CCAA on March 7, 2006, so our LID (log in date) is 3/7/06. Right now, the CCAA has matched all dossier with LID of Oct 26, 2005 and before.
So, we have a long time to wait. Referrals usually come the first or second week of each month.
We can only hope that we get our referral this year and travel to China either this year or early in 2008.

On a side note, I am definitely going to keep busy with fun stuff while we wait. I just got done booking a girls trip to Vegas for June and Tim and I are going to LA for Memorial Day weekend to visit Marie. And of course, the second annual Gamboa family reunion at the Oregon Coast in July. Also Hood to Coast in Aug. Yikes! I have a lot going on in the next few months.

Adoption Update

2007-04-16T18:47:00.000-07:00

Not much new to report on the adoption front. We had our fingerprints re-done by the county for our home study, which needs to be updated for our I-600A, which expires in July. Once our Social Worker sends our updated home study to the CIS (Citizenship & Immigration Service) the CIS will schedule an appointment for us to get our fingerprints re-done for the U.S. Government. After we get our fingerprints re-done, they will be good for 15 months.

Referrals came out a few days ago from the CCAA, it was not good news. The CCAA only did two days of referrals this month, the norm is about two weeks of referrals per month. We can only hope next month is better.

Weekend at the Oregon Coast

2007-04-15T15:56:00.000-07:00

Haystack Rock, Pacific City, OR - Our home away from home (PC, not the rock)
Tim and Fly in front of the Rock
Proposal Rock, Neskowin, OR
Tim

Neskowin
Tim was checking to see if we could walk around the rocks, as you can see, we had to take another route.
Neskowin has hand made signs all over town telling you to slow down, this was our favorite.

Proposal Rock, Neskowin, OR
Never out of touch with his friends.
On top of Cape Kiwanda. We had to have a beer after the long hike up the hill!
View from the top of the Cape
Top of the Cape
Tim and Resa on the Cape
Tim at the Pelican
As you can see from the photos, we had a very nice day in Pacific City, which is rare in April. We explored our neighboring town, Neskowin, which is about a 10 minute drive from PC. Neskowin is a beautiful town. After exploring in Neskowin, we headed back to PC for lunch (yes Dad, we went to the Mexican place) and then up to the top of Cape Kiwanda to take in the the wonderful ocean view. We then headed to the Pelican Pub to relax and watch the surf with a nice cold beer.

Happy Easter

2007-04-08T19:55:00.000-07:00

Jim and Judy are hopefully in China spending time with their new granddaughter, Alma. My parents, Grandpa Tony and Grandma Irene are having fun up in New York with my Godson (and their grandson), Liam, and his parents, Tonia (my sister) and Bobby and Gigi (my grandma).

The Lowers (my sister, her husband and my two beautiful nieces) came over for Easter dinner. The Easter Bunny was able to stop by our house because he knew the girls were coming for dinner. As you can see from the photos, the Easter Bunny hid eggs in our back yard and dropped off Easter baskets for the girls.

I hope all my family and friends had a happy Easter with their family and friends. I especially hope that my Aunt Joey and Uncle Greg made it to Montana in time to spend Easter with their second grandson, Harrison.

House Guest

2007-04-07T14:43:00.000-07:00

The in-laws are on their way to China to visit their new granddaughter, Alma and Alma's big sister, Talin, and of course they are excited to see Jim and Rose. As you can see, we have Shadow while they are gone. He was not happy to be left behind and he waited by the door for about 20 minutes hoping Judy would come back and rescue him. He is now on the ottoman, which I think will be his favorite spot, as he can look out the window and wait for Judy.

The Great Lawn Project

2007-04-01T20:35:00.000-07:00

Our lawn (if you can call it that) has been the disgrace of the neighborhood for some time. We thought we could bring it around with some weed killer (yes, we know that is bad, but we were desperate), but it did not work. We finally decided to put down sod, instead of seed.

Yesterday, Tim rented a sod cutter and today we took two loads of sod to the dump, which was a nice and refreshing experience. I took these photos after the first truck load. We hope to have the new sod down in a couple of weeks, stay tuned...

New Arrivals

2007-03-31T20:58:00.000-07:00

My cousin Pat and his wife Cathy just had their first child, Harrison Garst Hoffman. Time goes by so fast, I remember holding Pat when he was a little baby and now he has a baby of his own. I am getting old!!

As I was typing this blog Tim called me and told me that Rose (sister in-law) just had her second child. Rose and Jim (Tim's brother) live in China, they teach at an ex-pat school. They had a baby girl, her name is Alma. My in-laws are leaving for China next weekend to meet their second grandchild. Hopefully next year at this time Jim & Judy (in-laws) will be proud grandparents of their third grandchild, Mei.

2007-03-22T17:55:00.000-07:00

Our fingerprints expire on 4/11/07 and our I-600A expires on 7/20/07. When we got fingerprinted 15 months ago, I thought to myself "we are in the clear, there is no way it is going to take 15 months to get our referral", well, I guess I was wrong. I am just hoping we get our referral before our new fingerprints and I-600A expire!!!

The I-600A needs to be completed by a U.S. citizen who plans to adopt a foreign-born orphan but does not have a specific child in mind. The I-600A is filed with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. We need to be re-fingerprinted as part of renewing our I-600A and our home study will need to be updated, and of course, there is an additional fee for getting re-fingerprinted and re-filing the I-600A. Oh well, I know it will be worth it when we finally bring Mei home.

FYI - our fingerprints are valid for 15 months from date of fingerprinting and the I-600A approval is valid for 18 months from the date of completion printed on the I-171H (Notice of Favorable Determination Concerning Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition).

I am off to work on our I-600A application for the second time since we started this process, hopefully this will be the last time (at least for this adoption).

New Computer

2007-03-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

We got a new computer, a MacBook, on Sunday. We are both PC users so the Mac world takes some getting used to. It took me almost 2 hours to figure out how to get the picture of Fly from IPhoto to this blog!! My sister helped me figure it out. I love my new Mac but I think I have had enough of the computer for one night. I am off to watch the 10:00 news.

FYI - Fly is a retired racer. I adopted him six years ago from Greyhound Pets of America, he is 10 years old.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!!

2007-03-17T13:04:00.000-07:00

May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rains fall soft upon your fields, and until we met again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand. - Irish Blessing -

This Irish Blessing always reminds me of my Uncle Frank and Aunt Connie. My mom, my sisters and I sang it at their wedding. Hopefully I was a better singer back then.

My Grandfather was Irish, If I remember correctly, he came to America when he was 3 or 4. He passed away 10 years ago, I still miss him very much. I know he is watching over me and I think he would be very happy with our decision to adopt. He was a big part of my life and I feel very lucky to have had such a special bond with him. OK, I am crying now so I need to change the subject.

Not much going on with us. Tim is at the mountain snowboarding. I should be doing stuff around the house, but as you can see, I am on the computer. We might go out tonight for St. Patty's day with some friends, if Tim is not to tired after snowboarding all day. Hopefully next year at this time we will be parents!

My first blog posting

2007-03-15T19:54:00.000-07:00

This is our journey to becoming parents. We are like most married couples who want to have a family (I think), we got married (in the fall of 2002) and thought it would be easy, we thought we would become parents in our first year of marriage, we did not. We decided to adopt in the summer of 2005. We discussed our option, domestic or international, and did a lot of research and decided to adopt from China. We started the "paper chase" in Aug of 2005 and we were LID with the CCAA on March 7, 2006. When we started the process, the wait time from LID to referral was 6-9 months, it is now 16-19 months.

We are private people, so when I told my husband I wanted to start a blog he thought I was nuts. Before we started the adoption process, I rarely searched the Internet and I did not know what a blog was. I try not to get caught up in the rumor mill, but reading other peoples blogs about their adoption experience helps because they understand. We started attending the FCC Waiting Families meetings about 6 months ago and have already witnessed several families receive their referrals and travel to China to bring home their beautiful children.

We are hoping to travel to China this year to bring our daughter home but it may not work out that way. When we hold our beautiful little girl for the first time, I know we will forget about the long wait and all we will feel is love for our new daughter, Mei.

I started this blog to keep family and friends updated on our adoption progress and our lives in general. I am not sure how to do the blogging thing or if my family and friends will read it but I guess we will see. I am off to watch Grey's Anatomy and Tim is out with his friends watching basketball, which he will be doing all weekend - gotta love March Madness.