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!!
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!)
5 comments:
Sounds like a great time! Wish I could see the pic's though, it says "file not found" and since I am a lover of shopping too - I would love to see what you got!!!
Sounds like you had a great time. Unfortunately none of the slide shows are working and I really wanted to see you wrestling on the floor with the other bidders for Bitty Baby.
Thanks for stalking our blog on Friday. We are so in love with our little cue ball cutie.
Hope to see you again soon.
L~~
Great pics Theresa - It was so great to meet you and your dh. I'm so glad you got your doll and I too paid a small fortune for my book and picture but we absolutely love it and the cause it worth it. I will post some pics of the picture, book and the beautiful Mulan doll Joe bought me at Epcot soon. Oh, he had no clue who Mulan was either :)
Daniella
Sorry if this is 2x - having trouble posting. The pics are great and it was so wonderful to meet you and dh. I'm so happy you got your baby doll - she is beautiful. I too paid a small fortune for my book and picture but the cause was worth it and we love it. Joe also bought me a beautiful Mulan doll at Epcot and did not have a clue who that was either :)
Talk to you soon.
Daniella
Hooray! I see all that you fought for, and it was well worth fighting for! I am in love with American Girl dolls (I actually save all the catalogs in Mia's drawer...) and you got a beauty...what an outfit too!
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