Another Man's Treasure

I was working at a high-rise condo building downtown this week, and I came across something in the trash. It was laying on top of a small dumpster with a bunch of empty boxes piled on it. When I pulled it out of the pile, this is what I found. Can you believe that this painting was thrown out by someone? Neither could I. I asked the building maintenance people if they wanted it, and they said "Go ahead, take it." I brought it home, showed it to Laura, and it matches our family room colors exact. It's as if the artist painted it for us. We still have to find the perfect spot for it, but I guess one man's trash is...

How Long Is Too Long?

When you have an upcoming vacation, you anticipate the coming days with excitement. Even the waiting can seem enjoyable, because you have something to look forward to. But who plans a vacation 3+ years ahead of time? When your target is that far away, sometimes it seems that it would be better to simply put it out of your mind - the waiting may just drive you mad. My friends, this is our journey to Raina. We read about China, we study about China, we talk with others who are waiting to go to China, just like us - we never want to put our daughter out of our minds. Yet our lives go on and on right here like they always do. We are just entering the hardest part. Sometimes the waiting hits us - "Man, how are we supposed to do this?"

High School Musical 2

Yeah, I know I'll get a lot of raised eyebrows on this one, but our family has been nuts for High School Musical 2. It seems a little crazy that we enjoy the HSM world as much as we do, but honestly, we can't get enough of it. Reminds me so much of my youth with Grease. The films really are fun and the music and dancing are totally worth checking out. Don't knock it - you might love it too.

My New Wallpaper

Last month we went to Hollywood Beach, Florida. I snapped this pic of our boys by the beach - I love it so much, it's my new desktop wallpaper. That's Evan on the left, and Colin on the right. Also, after an evening of rain, I raced to grab my camera when we spotted a rainbow over the calm and pristine Atlantic ocean. It just so happens that Laura's beautiful face takes over the beauty of the background. Definitely one of the most incredible moments I've ever captured on camera.

Good To Be Here

Someday, we hope to have a little girl in our house. She will not look like us on the outside, but her name will have been written on our hearts forever and she will become part of our family. We have just submitted our dossier to Bethany Grand Rapids, and we are now awaiting our DTC (dossier-to-China) and the all-important LID (log-in-date) with the CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs). We will try to share with you the many ups and downs along the way during this achingly long process that we refer to as "Waiting for Raina." (The Chinese characters above represent the name "Raina".)