Looking for 50 lbs!

Ok, so we aren't sure which airline we are flying yet, but we have started, as of this weekend, to reach our goal of 50 lbs of powdered infant formula to max out the checked luggage limit and carry with us . We are praying that with the help of friends and family, that we will be able to bring at least this much formula with us and additional monetary donations so we are able to purchase rice and beans for the orphanage. The pictures from this orphanage, which our K was at until she was moved to foster care, are heartbreaking. Kids as old as 2 are unable to walk due to malnutrition, and babies recieve formula only once a day due to the inability of the orphanage to purchase the formula locally at a cost of about $25 a can .We are gathering items, as well, for a garage sale the 30th of April and 1st of May and bake sale, all proceeds will go to help the children . Send us an e-mail at cknbus@yahoo.com if you are interested in helping out with a financial donation!

100% of donations will go directly to help these children.

XX days and counting..

Well J and I are not really counting each day, or maybe she is since each day J asks if I've gotten any information from US CIS regarding the processing of our I-600a. No news yet. We continue to pray mightily on this. That our case will sail through in an expeditious manner. And that we'll be able to finally bring our daughter home.

We'll keep you all posted, and any prayers you have, may you be blessed a 1000 times over for them.

Peace

Boy its nice..

Having a NEW room in the house is so nice. We've already spent quite a bit of time down there. J&I are thrilled with not having the ground floor filled with toys. Still have a punch list of things to do. But its not to bad.


Peace and Happy Easter!

Hard to Focus

I have had trouble, in general, since the forum we attended on Western Africa, coming to grips with all that is going on there. Over the last couple of days, a report that finally reached the western world came out of a massacre of over 300 people by a militant group including a 3 year old that was burned to death and men who were tied up and macheted to death. I can't even wrap my head around how someone reaches a point at which human life, the lives of our son's, daughters, sisters, brothers, have no value anymore. I could never figure out during WW2 why so many people just sat by and let the Hi**ler murder so many hundreds of thousands of people. When I was younger, I would always say, why didn't someone do something about that sooner? And then I think back, there wasn't the technology back then that there is now, word traveled very slow. But we sit here today, three months after the massacre (there's technology for ya), and now I wonder if our children will ask us when they grow up why we didn't do anything when hundreds of thousands of women were being raped and thousands of people were being killed.

Its done (well almost)

The Basement remodel is complete. There is a small punch list. Like bringing in the cable line for the TV and the cable modem. Putting the shelves in the bookcase. Installing the wrap around the support post. I still have to build the Faux windows, but that's garage work and doesn't impact move it.

Tomorrow. Or, actually today as I see its Sunday already. We'll give a good cleaning to everything, then start the move it.
Soon I'll tally up all the receipts I've been carrying to see what the total $$ cost was. We still have one medium expense for carpeting on the stairs. Coming soon a picture following the move it. And hopefully some type of photo montage that shows all the changes and progress. So pre-move it photo is below.


Peace and Happy Holy Week.

Free at last..

Free at last. Free at least. Thank Goodness we are free at last from the state portion of our adoption journey in Springfield. Our homestudy and accompanying documents were sent to US CIS (Immigration) for our VISA approval. Possibly a month. We'll pray for last. Then we'll just wait for our Embassy appointment. We're in homestretch we believe.

Hang in there K.. we're coming soon....

Reading and Running and Trim..

Basement is about 90% down. Got just a little trim left around the basement windows. I need to create the faux window panels, and lastly cut some shelves for the new bookcase/game shelving. Then it will be move in time.

Feeling a bit bored about the music in the car, I opted to try something new. Reading. Except that I read slow, I opted to go for an ebook. So I listen to, and just completed today, the book "Heart of Darkness" by Conrad. Quite good. I've now started into Fellowship of the rings, by Tolkien. 16 disks that one is. yikes that will be awhile.

Lastly I've been running semi regularly on the treadmill at the office. Anxious (but slacking) about getting outside. During one of the runs, I experienced something. While I hate running on the treadmill, it was a really great/fun run. Almost joyful. Kinda like what I lost once I started training all the time for things. So I started thinking. Maybe I wont commit to much this year. A marathon would be nice. but the rest. EH.. maybe not. I already missed some registrations as it is. so maybe I'll just run for running sake. get back to the fun or joy of it.. We'll see.but for the time being it sounds interesting to me..

peace

Daily Reflections (for the day)

Most days, if I am all together "with it", I'll read the Daily Readings online. I would then follow that up with reading some reflections upon those readings. Within these reflections, there is usually a prayer for the day to tie the reflections and the readings together.

Today, this Prayer, just seemed particularly relevant given the position J & I are in, with regards to the adoption of K. This prayer reflection is based upon Romans 8:28.

"Father, I believe that You will make all the aspects of my life work together for the good, even those not caused by You"

As J & I wait and wait and wait.. and struggle to find reason or justification or something positive in all this waiting, a small reminder that everything is a part of a plan, one that we may never understand, helps to keep us grounded spiritually.

Hope you have a great day (Hey St. Patricks Day I guess)
Peace

Shutdown and Reboot

I have written and re-written several posts in the last few weeks and can't seem t quite get it right. Part of me is fearing retribution if someone knows someone knows someone reads my post and we end up more sunk than we already are. To make a long story short, we have hit a snafu with our adoption of K. While we do now know what exactly precitipated where we are at today, we are in a situation that requires several additional documents about K which are difficult to come by doesn't have band-aids or aspirin, hence it is difficult to have an official dr's report on her, with the exception of the embassy doc who only does medical reports for visas, not regualar dr. visits. While I am hopeful that once we get the 4 required documents, I am fearful that that will only be the beginning.

I am sad, overwhelmed and broken. I have shutdown and am going through the motions of life..... waiting to reboot and praying for some good news next week to wipe my mind of the mess this week has been.

Embrace Life

What a stunning video (I caught the link from a CNN link my brother sent me)
http://embracethis.co.uk/