3 Months registered!

Woo Hoo....OK I realize it really isn't that big of an accomplishment right now, but I have to celebrate the small moments.  I'm just happy I finally figured out how to put the gadgets on this blog (it was giving me a headache).  So, I am another month closer to bringing my little girl home :)

I wanted to share another part of my story with you.  This part is more about my family...specifically my great aunt Evelyn.  Aunt Evelyn was an amazing woman. She was the glue that kept us all together and said what needed to be said.  She was born with a genetic disorder that prevented her body from breaking down a specific protein the correct way.  As a result she had horrible arthritis and even hip replacements in her 40's.  It also prevented her from being able to have children.  Aunt Evelyn always trusted that God would make things happen.  And one day, out of the blue a local lawyer called her and asked if she and uncle Guy would be interested in adopting a baby.  The lawyer had a woman in his office who was looking for a family to place her unborn baby with.  Aunt Evelyn said yes and became a mom.  Her little boy is now a man with a wife and child of his own.  She had many struggles in her life, but was always so positive.  She is a big inspiration to me.  Almost 5 years ago Aunt Evelyn left us to go home with God.  We all still miss her smile and jokes.  Love you Aunt Evelyn!

First post!

This is my first time blogging!  I decided to start this blog to document my own journey and encourage others who are in the process of adopting.  I have had many twists and turns already in my adoption journey and know that other adoptive parents' blogs have helped me through the deserts of my journey.  

At this point I need to catch you up on my journey......I have always wanted to adopt.  For some reason that desire has always been in me.  As I grew up the desire remained as did my enjoyment of working with children and families.  I ended up graduation with a master's degree in social worker in 2002 and eventually moved back to my home state of Iowa in late 2003.  During my first jobs I was working with very challenging children and families.  During this time I didn't understand how I could ever be a parent.  In 2006 I got a job as a school social worker (I have the best job).  Over Christmas break of 2006 I met up with a good friend and her family.  My friend and her husband had a adopted a little girl from Taiwan.  This meeting reopened the desire to adopt.

I spent the next year researching all the options: foster, domestic, and international.  I felt that international was the right choice for me....now all there was to do was find a country that was friendly to singles.  At first I wanted to adopt from Mexico, but soon discovered that it would not be likely to happen.  Someone had suggested I look at Eastern Europe.....I found and fell in love with Bulgaria.  I then spent time finding the "right" agency.  I started my journey with St. Mary's International Adoptions.  The first BUMP in my journey came within 3 months of signing with St. Mary's.  Very quickly warning signs went up and I knew that I could not trust the owner (Now I know my experience is not the same as everyone's, I hope and pray that others who use this agency do not have the negative experience that I did).  I contacted my current agency, who are WONDERFUL!!!  There I got to speak with the coordinator, who had also adopted 3 children from Bulgaria.  She is very understanding and supportive to both the children needing families and the families wanting children.  I couldn't ask for a better person to help me on my journey to parenthood.  Since signing with my current agency I have taken longer than I expected to, to get my dossier together.  I finally got my dossier registered on 7/19/2010!  So, now the long wait begins......But I do know that God will provide streams in the desert.