CCAI FL Reunion 2006 in Orlando

So, on Friday, while I was still obsessively checking out all the referrals coming in for friends like Lisa , we traveled to Orlando for the annual family reunion. Our agency puts together this awesome event for families who have already brought their children home, and they were nice enough to invite the waiting families, too. Next year, we'll (hopefully) have Kylie Grace, and she'll get to meet some lifelong friends.

Of course it is never fun to be in I-4 traffic to Orlando (especially with a very small bladder), and on a Friday at 3:30pm, it was like riding on the back of a snail. But, with that being said, we still made it to the hotel in time for registration, checking into our room, and a little "freshen up" time. Low and behold, Nicole and her husband Drew, were helping out at the registration desk. I met Nicole at one of our FCC Tampa Bay monthly gatherings (we were standing in the chinese buffet line together). Nicole and I have been following each other's journeys since we met. They live relatively close to us in Tampa. It was so great to see she was there!!

The reception was out in the courtyard, and yes, I knew that it might be chilly, but because my OCD kicked into overdrive with knowing referrals were coming in, I didn't pack accordingly with something a little warmer for the evening. So, dear hubby (dh) Brad and I had to run across a very busy street to the local tourist attraction to find a sweatshirt. It was quite amusing, because we had this bag that we received when we registered, and the little man in the shop kept following us to make sure we didn't steal anything. Frankly, there wasn't much we would consider buying anyway, even if it was free..that was even more amusing. But, in desparation, I found one that would work. Will I wear it again? Maybe when we go to Orlando again. Or not.

One of the many things I love about our agency is the Chinese Children's Charity fund raisers. The money goes back to the orphanges and/or facilitates the ability for children to be placed in foster care. The silent auction that was held at the event was so much fun, and thousands of dollars were raised for this charity. Of course we all know how much I love to shop, especially for our daughter, so I was enamored by lots of unique items. I bid on original art, a handmade diaper bag, a scrapbook kit, a now very famous "Bitty Baby" with silk outfit (you'll see why so famous in a minute), and a vacation package. It was kind of funny because the bidding started Fri night, and Brad kept seeing our names on these lists, wondering just how much we were obligating ourselves for, poking fun at me...he has such a great sense of humor and lets me just have good time. Once I realized that I was really bidding against myself by not waiting until the end of the auction on Saturday, I pulled myself away and tried some self control. (haha)

We met up with Daniella (above), Joe, and their son Joseph, in the auction room. It was the first time I met Daniella in person, although I felt like we knew each other already. Daniella and her family live in Ft. Myers. What a small world it really is... we have been following each other's journeys over the past few months. Our fingerprint appointment was the same day, and even though we both had different challenges during the final stages of the "paperchase", we ended up with the same DTC (10-5-06) and LID (10-27-06) dates! We had been saying all along that we just might end up traveling together and how we felt like it was just meant to be..and here we are!!



Funny enough, all of the waiting families ended up at the hotel bar for a few glasses of wine, some laughs, and some not so discreet stalking of the beautiful children running around. (See the slide show below for more pics!)We felt like it was the one place we could stare and dream about our children and the parents wouldn't look at us like we were nuts. We also met Michelle and Neil (from St. Pete), who are next in line for their daughter!!


Create Your Own!

We really had a blast. It was so nice to spend some time with, and get to know, a few other families that shared the same interests - we had SO much in common, and it was so easy to relate to one another. Even the hubbys were getting excited, too! (I find it amusing though, that Drew and Brad felt the same way about Mulan...didn't have a clue who she was). It just felt so great to know that a lot of the emotions Brad and I feel are shared by the other waiting families, too. It truly brings some comfort, and our relationships will help make the wait a bit less painful!

Saturday morning, I was so anxious to get downstairs, so worried about my auction items, and really looking forward to spending more time with our new friends. I totally forgot to even eat breakfast, but I definitely had my morning coffee. So did Tom Cavano...he is a director at the CCAI FL location - here he is!(Tom is the fabulous person who called us to tell us our initial application was approved with CCAI!)

Lily and Josh, the co-founders of our agency were also going to speak, and Mulan was coming in for a visit. (So at this point, Brad and Drew finally knew who Mulan was and just how popular she is with all the little ones! haha)

I volunteered to be our group photographer, so I was quite the butterfly. Brad and I were able to have our photo taken with Josh and Lily (the photo is in this slide show). And, look at these precious children! (We had more stalking to do before we left!)

Create Your Own!
As the auction was coming to a close, I really thought it might get ugly... a fellow adoptive mom had her eyes on a doll next to the "Bitty Baby" and we decided to sit right next to the dolls just in case someone decided to bid against us. It was quite the discussion about how we would handle it if all of us were trying to make the last bid at the last minute of the auction. My competitiveness came shining through and reared its ugly head... I ended up paying more than the value of the doll for our precious daughter, but that's ok because it all went to charity! I also surprised Brad and bid/won a 3 hour business coaching package for managers (I got a great deal on that one, so it's a wash, right?) Can you blame me for wanting this precious asian doll with this gorgeous outfit?

Create Your Own!

How about the picture where I am holding on to her for dear life?! I managed to get myself so worked up that it was a bit anti-climatic because I didn't have to put up the dukes (haha). You don't even want to know what I paid for the doll, but I can tell you that I am not in the least bit regretful because Bitty Baby will forever have a story..and the orphanges in China ( o ur daughter, maybe??) now have more food and/or necessities.

All in all, I am so glad we crawled like snails through traffic, almost got ran over crossing S. Apopka for a screaming loud tourist sweatshirt... my only regret is that we didn't stay longer on Saturday after the event was over. Nicole and Drew hung out at the pool with all the little darlings and their families. And you aren't going to believe it, but they were lucky enough to spend more time with Sophia. Nicole, you didn't have to "grab" her afterall!!