Merry Christmas

May the joy of His Word

And the light of His way

Abide in your heart

Throughout the year

As well as Christmas Day

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a propserous New Year!

The Perfect Christmas Song...

There's a little girl trembling on a cold December morn
Crying for momma's arms
At an orphanage just outside a little China town
There the forgotten are

But half a world away
I hang the stockings by the fire
And dream about the day when I can finally call you mine

It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

As I hang the tinsel on the tree and watch the twinkling lights
I'm warmed by the fire's glow
Outside the children tumble in a wonderland of white,
Make angels in the snow

But half a world away you try your best to fight the tears
And hope that heaven's angels come to carry you here

It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

Christmas is a time to celebrate the holy child

and we celebrate his perfect gift of love

He came to earth to give his life

and prepare a place for us

so we could have a home with him above

It's Christmas time again and now you're home

Your family is here so you will never be alone

So tonight before you go to sleep, I'll hold you in my arms

And I'll tell you from my heart, and I'll you from my heart

I wish you Merry Christmas

~by Brad Avery, Third Day

This song is close to my heart, as I'm sure it is to so many others on this adoption journey. Brad Avery and his wife are also in the process of adopting a child from China. He has eloquently put into words what I and so many others are feeling this Christmas season. Thanks Brad!

Secret Santa...

My Secret Santa gifts arrived today. I received a really cute adoption story book called Little Miss Ladybug & Her Magical Red Thread. It is a sweet story about a child finding her forever family through adoption. I also received a beautiful green and silver cloisonne necklace. I think my Santa is Kelly Wilson.

Pictures will be posted after Christmas when I get my digital camera. I will also let everyone know if my guess was correct (I think so).

Thanks Kelly ;o)

I've Been Tagged...

1.Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Sits them under the tree
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Colored - Matt insists although I think solid white is really pretty; reminds of stars twinkling :o)
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope
5. When do you put your decorations up? As soon as I find time after Thanksgiving
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Whipped Sweet Potatoes w/ marshmallows on top
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Having all of my family around
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Don’t remember
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes, we have Christmas with Matt’s moms on Christmas Eve
10 How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? All kinds... we buy at least one new one a year.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Snow, what’s snow!?!?! I live in FL but loved it the one time I saw it!
12. Can you ice skate? Just enough not to embarrass myself. Matt plays ice hockey (yes, they do play that in FL ;o)
13. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Family
14. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? That’s a tough one since I’m really not a sweet person… Peppermint Ice cream, reminds me of my paternal Grandparents
15. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Seafood for Christmas Eve dinner (it's an Italian thing)
16. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving, I love the look on someone’s face when they get something they really like
17. What's your favorite Christmas Song? Little Drummer Boy
18. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Not bad, especially in ice cream…

Did you know...

I got this in an e-mail from a friend today and thought I would post it here. Yes, it is a another tag type post and you are all it, so have fun...

Did you know…

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Operations Analyst, Chase
2. Ruleset Analyst, Chase
3. Loan Officer, Chase
4. Loan Closer, Chase (this is just too sad, I've been @ Chase way to long)

Four Movies I have watched over and over:
1. Braveheart
2. Sleepless in Seattle (watching it again right now, lol)
3. Italian Job
4. Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood (and many, many more....)

Four places I have lived:
1. Tampa, FL
2. Clearwater, FL
3. St. Pete, FL
4. Palm Harbor, FL (think I need to move out of state?!?!)

Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. Without a Trace
2. Everybody Loves Raymond
3. Sopranos
4. Deadwood

Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Lake Prior, MN
2. Cancun, Mexico
3. Montego Bay, Jamaica
4. Las Vegas, NV

Favorite foods:
1. Filet Mignon
2. Snow Crab
3. Bread
4. Pasta

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. China
2. On the way back from China
3. Aruba
4. Scotland

Four people who will respond:
1. Jessica
2. Terri
3. Christina
4. Lynn

Now, here's what you're supposed to do... And please do not spoil the fun. Copy and paste this to an e-mail or your blog. Delete my answers and type in your answers. Then send this to a whole bunch of people you know INCLUDING the person who sent it to you or post it to your blog.

The theory is that you will learn a lot of little known facts about those who know you. Let me know if you do it and where to look for your answers.

Names in Chinese...

I was catching up on some blog reading tonight when I ran across this really cool website on Rebecca's blog - www.chinese-tools.com. On this site you type in your name and the site will give your name in Chinese and draw a picture with different backgrounds. There are several different backgrounds including a river, birds, a woman, etc... For Matt's name I chose the dragon background and for mine the bamboo background. Check it out, it's really cool?!?! Thanks Rebebca!

My Nephew the Fire Fighter...

Josh and his pumpkin

This Halloween after much deliberation my three year old nephew, Josh, decided to be a "fire fighter" not a fireman, a fire fighter, lol. For those of you with kids I'm sure you have experienced this decision making process. At first he wanted to be Sponge Bob and I can't tell you how grateful I am he changed his mind on that one! To me there is just something way wrong about Sponge Bob!?!? Anyway, after getting his candy he would tell people that "if your in a fire your supposed to call 911 and stop, drop, and roll." This is one cute fire fighter even if I do say so myself!


Josh and his favorite Aunt

Happy Halloween...

Happy Halloween!! Have fun trick or treating with your little goblins tonight!

See You Later...

Tonight we had dinner with some friends to say "see you later" to Christina and Kaylee (her 5 year old daughter) who are moving to Minnesota tomorrow. We are so excited for them and look forward to hearing that they have gotten settled in. Hang in there, I know it's a time of mixed emotions but you will get through it. There is so much to look forward to and I know you'll be fine. You know where we are if you need us and have a safe trip!

We will see you in December!

Can someone shoot the puck on net please!

Okay, it is only the beginning of an 81 game season but I have to admit the Bolts just are not playing well. We are now 1-3 and at the bottom of the Southeast Divison :o( Tonights game was just more of what we've seen so far - bad passes, poor puck handling, no one fighting for the puck and the one of the worst power plays in the league! Come on guys get it together!!!!

Let's hope tomorrow's game is better or this can turn into a long season...

It's Hockey Time...

I have to say that I am excited that the hockey season has officially begun. Our Tampa Bay Lightning won their first game, played against the Atlanta Thrashers, during 3-2 shootout on Thursday night. Our season home opener is tomorrow against the Bruins. Matt and I will be there cheering them on...

GO BOLTS!!!!

Weekend Happenings...

This past weekend the Tampa, Florida Chapter of FCC celebrated the Moon Festival at Al Lopez Park. Briefly, the August Moon Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most celebrated Chinese holidays. It is held on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. Chinese legends say that the moon is at its brightest and roundest on this day.

At our Moon Festival we had a picnic and crafts for the kids. The best part was getting to see all the kids and knowing that one day we will be bringing our kid to share in the celebration of their heritage. Seeing these little girls makes the long wait seem sooo worth it. They were adorable!

Under this bright autumn moon, it is said friendships are made and renewed.
I went to the festival with my new friends Drew and Nicole. Thanks for inviting me guys! I look forward to seeing you again soon.

We also so went to a cookout with some good friends we don't get to see too often. It was great to spend the afternoon hanging out, laughing and relaxing together. We had a great time Mike and Teri!

It was definitely a good weekend!!

Favorite Movie/Video

While looking for a replacement for my codeandlyrcis Nickleback video I found this one on youtube.com. It's a great combination of my favorite movies and my current favorit song. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

9/11 Commercial

Get this video and more at MySpace.com

I missed this commericial on 9/11/06. It was sent to me by a family member. I thought it was a classy, understated way for Budweiser to pay respects to one of the most horrific events of our time. It touched me and I hope it touches all of you, whether you've seen it before or this is the first time.

I also think it is classy of Budweiser to air this once and not use it as an advertising campaign. In that way they truly allowed it to be reflective of their intent to offer respect for that event and those we lost.

Love is a gift...

I didn't give you the gift of life,
But in my heart I know.
The love I feel is as deep and real,
As if it had been so.

For us to have each other
Is like a dream come true!
No, I didn't give you
The gift of life,
Life gave me the gift of you.

-Unknown

First FCC Meeting...

I went to my first FCC meeting on Saturday.There were so many more people there than I thought there would be. This month's topic was shopping in China. Of all the items they brought to show I loved the shoes the most. They were all so cute! Of course I will take the squeakers out :o)


The couple who spoke have adopted 2 really cute girls and were the ones giving shopping pointers. They are currently paperchasing for their third! I guess it's like our social worker Nancy told us, people just can't stop at one, lol.
The real highlight for me was meeting Nicole and Drew who also live in Tampa and seeing all the adorable little girls! Seeing them all makes me so anxious to get our daughter.

Busy Weekend...

This has been a busy weekend. I went shopping with my friends Lynn and Jeni for my bridesmaid dress and Lynn's wedding dress. It was fun and Lynn's wedding dress is beautiful. Despite Jeni's predictions, she didn't cry when she found "the dress" but did get a big, goofy grin that was priceless to see. Two down and a million other things to do for her upcoming wedding.

Here is my dress... the shade of green is much prettier and richer in person than online.



ps. Wish I was going to look that good it in it, lol!!!

Congratulations!!!!

Congrats to all who have made progress this week! Especially to my group buddies Heather, Pam, and Rebecca this one is for all of you!

A Beautiful Sunset Over China...

Sunset over Yangshou, China

I saw this picture while surfing the net... I thought it was beautiful and unique. I can't wait to get to China and see how pretty it is for myself. I hope we get to see something like that on our trip!

An honor...

a close friend of mine honored me this weekend by asking me to be in her wedding. I am so excited to share in the excitement of planning with her and sharing the joy of her big day.

It will also give me something else besides referral day to focus on during the next several months. We've got all kinds of shopping to do - dresses, flowers, centerpieces, etc... Look out Lynn, Jeni and I are going to make sure you never forget your bachelorette party, lol!

Finally, LID Mail has Arrived...

We finally received the mail today telling us our LID date is 9/5/06. For clarification, the LID is significant because it is the date our dossier is officially logged into CCAA and also begins the countdown to our referral.

Ladybug cheers to all those who have received good news (LID's, DTC's, etc...), have made progress in completing your paper chase, or are celebrating some other accomplishment... this one is for you!

10 Ways to Stay Positive During the Wait...

I have been tagged by Jessica. So here it goes....

1. Pray daily for all of us to persevere, endure, and remember what we are waiting for
2. Take last 3 classes to finish my degree
3. Spend time with family and friends
4. Begin to look for a new house/neighborhood. (We live in a condo and want to move into a house)
5. Participate in DTC/LID group boards and exchanges
6. Go to local FCC meetings and meet other adoptive families
7. Learn something new
8. Work on getting our pictures put into some kind of order ie. albums and/or scrapbooks (still don’t have our wedding pictures done, we were married in 8/95, lol)
9. Offer encouragement and a shoulder when fellow group members need one
10. Read books suggested by other group members

Since Jessica has tagged the group I really don't have anyone esle to tag... But if any of my friends read this and want to make suggestions on things I can do while I wait please let me know.

Forever Young

About 10 years ago my girlfriend Leslie was pregnant with her first daughter, Carlie. When I was planning her baby shower I heard the Annie Lennox version of this song at the end of the movie Free Willy (yes, I really did watch that and more than once, lol). It struck me then, as it does now, that this song expresses eloquently what I think we all wish for children. I bought a copy of the sound track, specifically for that song, and gave it to her to let her know all I wished for Carlie. She loved it and used to play it for her frequently. If you get a chance I would recommend listening to it. Below are the lyrics, enj0y!

~Forever Young~

May your wishes all come true,
May you always do for others
And let others do for you.
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung,

Chorus ~
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

May you grow up to be righteous,
May you grow up to be true,
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you.
May you always be courageous,
Stand upright and be strong,

Chorus ~

May your hands always be busy,
May your feet always be swift,
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift.
May your heart always be joyful,
May your song always be sung,

Chorus ~

May you stay forever young.

~Bob Dylan

p.s. Bob Dylan originally did this but I liked Annie's version better.

A new picture of me...

In a little funk...

It has been 12 days since our dossier was delivered to CCAA and we still have not received our LID. Every day I come home and check my e-mail for "the mail" regardless of how tired I am or late it is when I get here. So... I am patiently, or truthfully speaking, not so patiently waiting to be notified of our LID date. I know that receiving it is just the beginning of another even longer wait but still I want this particular wait over NOW. As so many of us have discussed on the board this experience is definetely a lesson in patience. Unfortunately for me I am at a stage in life where patience is not my strongest virtue, more like a virtue I no longer possess at all!

In my daily prayers for strength and understanding I just cannot make myself pray for patience. I keep hearing my grandma's (I miss her so much) voice telling me praying for patience may get me more than I bargained for. She would laugh and say remember Moses was in the desert for 40 years! Instead she told me to pray for perseverance and understanding. I know that at the end of this long wait is our daughter. The Red Thread poem I posted earlier says it all but I sure wish that thread would start being reeled in!

A Red Thread to China

A red thread to China was cast today
From us to a child so far away.
This thread symbolizes an attachment of hearts that distance alone can’t keep us apart.
Her mother and I are caught in a chase
That time alone will bring us to face

This loving young child we want so much to greet
With love in our hearts before we did meet.
This tiny, thin thread may stretch, tangle or fray
But our love for her grows stronger each day.
Through the test of time it won’t break or sever
She’ll be part of us forever and ever.

With oceans between us, the distance is spanned
By a love that is greater than man could have planned.
For God in His mercy loved her and us
And decided our family would be a great plus.

So for now we’ll just love her and pray every day
That God keeps her and loves her for us till we may
Travel to China, that land of great past,
To the side of our daughter, to hold her at last.

March 18, 2002
© T.A.F.

Magnolia has arrived...

The Magnolia doll I bought a couple weeks ago arrived today. She is really cute and came with a laminated card with the red thread saying on it. Of course Matt wasn't as excited as I was! My next purchase may be a couple of the outfits they have on the same website. A girl (or doll in this case) needs a variety of outfits for special occasions, lol.

For those who received good news today, Congratulations! For those of us still waiting for one thing or another hang in there, our time will come.

A nice weekend...

Matt's birthday is Tuesday 8/22/06. On Friday (8/18) I had a birthday party for Matt
down at Channelside. The best part was that one of his closest friends, Brian, flew in from Minnesota to surprise him. We had a great turn out and everyone had a great time.

Happy Birthday Matt!

Blog design created by Heather...

Heather,

I wanted to thank you for all your help with my blog, I couldn't have done it without you! I appreciate all your time and effort more than I can say.

Just in case anyone is wondering what the characters in the header mean Mei (beautiful), Ai (love, affection), and he (harmonious "people harmony").

What a week...

This week has been crazy with speculation about increased wait times for referrals on the group sites. When we first started this process the wait time was an estimated 12-14 months. Now rumors range from 16-18 and 18-24 months from LID to referral. It’s enough to blow your mind if you start to think about it too much! Admittedly these rumors are not coming from CCAI but from people who are playing the statistics game. While I can see the validity of their calculations I just don’t believe it will go that long. There are so many factors involved, some of which we know and some we don’t, that I find it difficult to believe that there is any sort of reliable predictability at this point. In the past the wait times have fluctuated and most likely will continue to do so for any variety of reasons. Our CCAI Social Worker told us during our home study interview that CCAA had been to the States in April to meet with CCAI and a few other agencies. One topic of discussion was the increasing wait time from LID to referral. All parties involved agreed the wait time was detrimental to both the adoptive families and the children. Knowing about the conference leads me to believe that the CCAA move in July was a step in the right direction. Jack Song has apparently also mentioned to some that CCAA is working a plan to decrease this time as well. While the wait times may not go down right away I am hoping that they at least remain static until such a time that the “plan” can be implemented. Until then I will continue to pray daily for all of us in the process.

Hang in there!

Dossier deilvered...

We got an e-mail from Jack Song telling us our dossier has been delivered to CCAA.
Hopefully we will get our LID soon!

DTC...

We got the e-mail today that our dossier was sent to China on 8/10/06.
It's time for the happy dance again!

I FINALLY bought something...

I broke down today and bought the Magnolia doll I read about on the DTC/LID group. She is adorable and I hope Baby (we really need at least a nickname!) Shrader will enjoy her.

On that note... Teresa from the DTC/LID group had a great idea to cure the shopping bug. She bought a gift card and is adding money to that when she gets the urge to shop. I bet when she is ready she will have a good amount of money to spend! I think I may have to pick up one or two myself. It's also a great suggestion if you friends/family asking what you need... Great idea Teresa!

On to translation...

After the slight drama on Thursday it was great to get a phone call from Amanda yesterday (Monday 8/7/06) letting us know CCAI had received the corrected document and we were being moved over to translation. We are hoping to be DTC this week...

Timeline...

3/13/06 - Approved by CCAI

3/24/06 - Agency Home Study Packet Sent

5/23/06 - First Home Study Meeting

6/01/06 - Second Home Study Meeting

6/05/06 - Received Home Study for Review

6/19/06 - USCIS Second Filing Received at CCAI

7/05/06 - I171H Received

7/25/06 - Dossier Sent to China

8/10/06 - DTC

8/14/06 - Dossier Delivered to CCAA

9/05/06 - LID

Referral Date ????

The Good, bad, and fixed...

Good News...

Yesterday Amanda from the dossier department called to say our dossier had made it through critical review.

Bad News...

There was one small error on one of the physical forms. They forogt to check negative on one of the blood tests results. I've already had to get this particular doctor to fix things once before ( the ARNP signed the completed form instead of the doctor). I know it sounds petty,
but it would really help if they could read the form and follow directions :o(

Fixed...

I was able to get the correction done today and send it via federal express to CCAI. Thank God I didn't have to go through the whole notary/certification/authentication process again!! I would have freaked out about that. As it was I went to the office and was actually quite calm even though after specifically saying that the update had to be signed by the doctor the ARNP signed it again. Fortunately, I caught it before I got out the door.

Hopefully, I will be able to get through translation next week!

A poem for us all...

Found this while playing online late last night. I hope it touches all of you like it did me.

A Moonbeam

Take a glimpse into the sky

And if a moonbeam hits your eye

Follow it back to whence it came

And dream of a child who'll bear your name.

A little one may look right back

And follow a beam along it's track

And see a mother awaiting the day

In who's arms forever to stay.

~Tom Fisher

Intro...

We are Matt and Kelly Shrader from Tampa, Florida. Like most of you reading this we are in the process of adopting a baby from China through CCAI. We are at the end of our "paperchase" and waiting to hear if we passed critical review. Our completed dossier was received at CCAI on 7/25/06.

For those of you who recently received DTC/LID dates - Congratulations! For those still completing the chase or waiting for critical dates - Good Luck!