Pictures

I said I was going to do better about posting pictures, so here are a few from this crazy ride!


Jessica, Cacey, Catherine, and Dee at the Chili Supper that Cacey organized. It raised over $1500!!!





Julie & Bobby Hargrove organized a Turkey Shoot near Christmas.

Jodie Kimbrough had her gymnastic girls decorate pumpkins at Halloween to sell to their families, so here is a pumpkin from that fundraiser. I thought this was a really cute idea!

Dave Barnes

We went to see Dave Barnes on Friday night at the Exit/In and it was an amazing show-as usual. But when he talked about the Mocha Club, this was an emotional time. He talked about when he, Barrett, Rachel, and Annie (his wife) went to the Sudan to talk with the people about their needs. Their main concern is the water. There are 15,000 refugees that have fled Darfur and other regions and set up a town. For those 15,000 there is no clean water. No clean water! I cannot even imagine. But they know that they had to flee their homes for any chance of surviving. As he described this scene, I was in tears. As was most of the crowd, and Dave. He said that as they were leaving and getting back into the van, a member of the council stopped him and thanked him for all that Mocha Club has done so far. And I was just broken. There are so many things that these people need, yet they are still thankful for what we have done,and thankful for what they do have, which is their life. It really brought me back to the point in my life after my trip to Ethiopia. These people are so thankful and so kind and so loving, yet they have "nothing" that we would consider of worth. If you have not joined Mocha Club, I beg you to do so. It's a network similar to Facebook or Myspace. You can invite people you know to join your team. The $7 a month that you give goes to build wells for these people of Sudan. So far, the Mocha Club has plans for 4 wells for these people. These 4 wells will serve a few hundred people each. But there are 15,000 there! The site is http://www.mochaclub.org/ and you would like to be on my team, just let me know and I will send you the information. Thanks in advance!

Concert

My wonderful little sister has organized a benefit concert in Nashville this weekend. I am so excited about the guest list-no so much the musicians, but the people who are coming from all over the US to be a part of this- from as far away as California! I am so humbled to have these people that care about me spend their time and money to be a part of this event. I cannot wait to spend the weekend with them! I am also excited to show them the fun side of Nashville. I have line dancing planned on Friday night and Stephanie has organized a tour of Nashville on Saturday. Then the big show Saturday night! I am a little nervous about the actual show. I just want it to go perfectly! And I am sure it will. I need to raise LOTS of money, so keep your fingers crossed! Catherine & Cacey are going to take tickets and sell shirts. Someone is going to sell raffle tickets, and then Catherine and Lesli are going to talk about the reason behind the show.

We have had tons of great things donated for the show-from gift certificates to purses to a banjo! Yeah, a banjo! I am excited about it! I would like to have it, but I have NO idea how to play! So keep your fingers crossed that people want to win this stuff!

Update

I realize that after I started this blog, I did not keep up with writing on a daily basis. I was afraid that this would happen, and I was really trying to NOT have it happen, but oh well. Here's a little update on what is going on now.

I'm still waiting on my home study to be completed (even though it should have been done by now), and so I have to wait until I can send all of my paperwork to Ethiopia. But....I don't have the $6,000 that goes with it, so I guess it's okay that it is not finished. The only reason I would like for it to be complete (aside from the obvious) is that I can apply for grants and send out more fundraising letters once it is complete. So that is a major reason as to why I want it finished.

It just seems like this is taking a lot longer than I was told, or a lot longer than I expected. Some things at the beginning went really quickly, but now it is seeming to drag on forever!

Finances

Lots of people are shocked at the cost of adoption. I know I was when I started this process. You may be curious as to what I have to pay and when, so I thought I would break it down for you (I just said that in my best rapper voice).



Ethiopia Cost
APPLICATION & PAPERCHASE
Application Fee
$250
1st Installment of Program Fee
$1,500
Home Study
$1,200 - $2,800
Additional Home Study Documentation Prep. Fee
$0 - $150
Home Study Visit Travel Fees(could include mileage, hotel, and food costs)
$0 - $500
Adoptive Parent Training (2 adults)
$175
Documents/Background Checks/Passports
$100 - $500
USCIS Fee & Update Fee + Fingerprinting
$830
Notarization, Certification & Authentication
$400
Courier Service
$150
DOSSIER SUBMISSION & WAITING
2nd Installment of Program Fee
$2,000
Post-Adoption Report Deposit(fully refundable if all post-adoption reports are returned on time)
$1,000
Dossier Service & Translation
$800
REFERRAL & TRAVEL
International Specialist Consultation
$100 - $400
3rd Installment of Program Fee
$1,500
International Program Fee (1 child) ••
$7,500
Airfare (2 adults) •••
$2,400 - $4,000
Airfare (1 child) •••
$250 - $1,000
Visas (2 adults)
$40
Visa/Embassy Fee (1 child)
$400
In-Country Travel Package (2 adults) ••••
$2,800 - $3,200
POST-ADOPTION
Post-Adoption Administrative Fee
$385
Post-Adoption Visits•••••
$300 - $1,500
Post-Adoption Visit Travel Fees
$0 - $1,050
Re-Adoption
$300 - $1,000
Post-Adoption Report Refund(refunded in installments as, and only if, each report is returned on time)
($1,000)
Other Costs(include doctor visit and related co-pays, social security card, passport cost, postage, long distance phone calls)
$100 - $1,000
TOTAL •
$23,460 - $33,010





That seems like a lot, and it is, but they break down each part so that it doesn't seem so overwhelming, although it still is at times!



I am currently in the stage that is in red. And I have been at this stage for quite some time, and I may be at this stage for a while longer. If you would like to help out by donating, I have included a link to my PayPal page. It is safe and reliable.



Thanks for reading all of this! It feels really cool/weird to have people "follow" what I'm doing. I feel honored-serioulsy!

More Ideas

Once I posted the first few blogs, a few ideas were missing-Thanks to my Aunt Carol for pointing them out ;)



When I returned from Ethiopia, many people asked me why I was adopting from there. I could only answer that I fell in love with the people. I truly feel that a piece of my heart is still there. And when I return with my little one, my heart will be whole again. Wow! That was really profound. But I truly feel that.



I have been reading/studying/learning about children, especially adopted children and the extra needs they have. Some of the things I read are a little scary, but I know that with any child, there can be problems or complications. So I am just trusting in the Lord that He will provide the child I am supposed to have!



I become anxious about money quite often, but a dear friend text me one night and reminded me that everything will work in God's time and that if I don't have the money for the paperwork to be sent to Ethiopia yet, then the child I am destined to have isn't ready. She said it much more eloquently than that, but you get the idea. And I know that she is right, but in our day and age of "I want it right now," a part of that rubs off onto me too! I guess I am human after all!



I'm going to include more pictures of Ethiopia, its people, and our group. Hope you enjoy!


This little one stole my heart from the first second I saw her! She tried her best to play it cool, but I won...eventually!