Wish You Were Here...

Yep, seeing is believing - that is me on the left...Tiffany on the right. This was taken on the slopes at Boulder Lodge at Lake Tahoe, our first day out. This was my first attempt at snowboarding. I decided to give it a whirl with Tiffany. It really was a lot more fun than I expected, since I am not really the athletic one. Tiffany and I both took private lessons, and after almost 3 hours of lessons, I could actually make it down what they called "the magic carpet" without falling - and I learned how to do this "falling leaf" stuff, where I basically went down turning to the right, back to the middle, and to the left! About 3/4 of the way through my lesson, I was determined to keep going even though my body was quite exhausted, and twisted my arm. Joel, the instructor, helped me determine it wasn't broken, so I kept going. I think I either sprained the area around my elbow, or pulled a muscle. Brad stopped in every once in a while to check in, and of course when he did, and I tried to show off, it didn't work out too well. I do have witnesses, though - Tiffany's husband, Warren, took a rest at the bottom of the mountain where I was practicing, and he saw me. That's our story, and I am sticking to it. I really did do better than I ever thought I would be able to! In fact, I really am interested in learning how to ski so Brad and I can go together - and bring little Kylie with us..there were lots of little kids bundled up, having a blast out in the snow, on one of the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen.

Tiff, who is much more experienced, collided with a skiier during her lesson, and we ended up at the emergency clinic - we really thought she broke her collar bone or something, but thank goodness, she "jammed" it, so we will both be recovering for a few days.

This picture was taken at the top of the mountain at Heavenly, on our second day. Tiff and I took the Gondola up to meet Brad. More pictures to come.. I am off to enjoy another day..

Lexie with Mom and Dad

Forever a family. Congratulations, Amy, Greg, and Lexie. And to think a week ago today, Mom and Dad didn't have any idea you would be together on this perfect day, March 12, 2007! We are so happy for you all, and will be following you every step of the way. Amy..if you are out there, I am waiting with my tennies on to help you go grocery shopping when you come home. I can shop with the best of 'em!

The "Brown Envelope"

Who would have thought one could be so happy to see a big "brown envelope" hanging out of a mailbox. I had written off the receipt of the envelope, just in case, because "they" said receiving, or not receiving, this "brown envelope" wasn't a big deal. "Don't be alarmed if you don't receive the "brown envelope", but if you do, let us know that you have." Ok, seriously, how could we not be alarmed, atleast a little bit? with the ups and downs of the whole process, in general, every little thing is exaggerated - it's just a part of the life. I know that, in the past, there have been successful adoptions without the "brown envelope", but still. Seriously.

So, what is the "brown envelope"? Here it is!!



See, I knew you'd understand...heehee. In a nutshell, we have the paperwork that is necessary to bring with us to China, to apply for our daughter's Visa. From what I understand, they have officially acknowledged that we are, in fact, waiting in line to adopt (or, maybe my very convincing mind has made that determination). Yes, I know, I know, that milestone tagged "LID" meant we were officially waiting in line to adopt, but this is... another... officially waiting in line designation. Hey, I will take what I can get! BTW - The letter was dated October 31,2006. Our LID is 10/27/06. We received it 3/10/07.

Busch Gardens with Cole and Julie

Cold Weather from Atlanta

Why does it work this way?? We planned Julie and Cole's visit right around the warm weather. Of course we made the best of it, and Cole still managed to have a day in our pool (brrr..), but while in Orlando, we had to cut our trip short because Sunday (Feb 18th) it was in the low, very windy low 50's - much too cold to watch shows at Sea World. If the wind wouldn't have been whipping around, we probably could have made it, but we decided to go to the FL aquarium, instead. We had a great day at Disney on Saturday, spent the night at the Wilderness Lodge on disney property, and Cole had so much fun at the aquarium on Sunday,watching the sharks and the cool fish.

Pooped out at the lodge...

Chillin'..watching cartoons, of course!! (I'm looking a little like I am going to fall asleep any minute)

Nitey Nite!!

At the Florida Aquarium.. what is that through the glass??? Gators?? eek.

How freaky is this?? It looks like a model or painting, but it is REAL!!

Catching Up

I didn't realize it had been so long..here's a quick update on what's happenin' in the Collins family while we wait for our daughter (which by the way, we're at total peace about, for now).

Let's see. Bullets are the easiest, so here we go:

• Brad came home from his ski trip in Utah, safe and sound.


• I have almost finished my first quilt for Lila. Actually, we'll be finishing up the binding tomorrow, in class. I've learned I'm not great at sewing looonnggg straight lines without some kind of special foot apparatus. Thank God for the little things ;-)


• I've finished squares for another quilt top (oh, and this happened the weekend Brad was out of town). No peeking, no pictures, tee hee.

I've learned how to make pillows with piping around the edges, and window treatments. The pillow is a surprise for someone, so no pictures for that one, either. But, here are my first panels.

We went to Tiffany and Warren's house last weekend for dinner..and we were over late enough to play with their Sugar Gliders! I need to get pictures, but they are nocturnal, so I think it might just be cruel to flash them.

And, then there was Valentine's Day. Bradley brought these beautiful flowers home that he hand picked himself from a market - but he brought them home as a surprise the night before Vday. Wasn't that sweet?

I've been very busy working with the real estate business, too.

Oh, and...my sister in law (Brad's sister, Julie), and my nephew (Julie's son), are coming into town tomorrow. They are coming to visit for a week. I'm very excited - they haven't been down to visit since we moved, and we are taking Cole to Disney, Sea World, the Lowry Park Zoo, maybe the Big Cat Rescue, and probably the beach (even if it is just to get his, not my, feet wet..bbrrr!) I bet Cole will also want to get in our pool... eek!

Oh Where Oh Where is He?

I am really ready for my DH to come home.
He left on Thursday morning (yep-I had to get up at 5am for the only direct flight to Utah), and is coming home on Wednesday.

This is the "picture of the day" from the Park City website...could it be? Could it be? He is, afterall, with two friends...

I know, I am reaching, but just let me think it is them. K?

Now, I am off to watch 24. Love that show.

PS. Also, why is it that I always seem to get sick when Bradley goes out of town. He's the one that has been in the cold, wet, snow and is fine..here I am in FL with headaches, chills, and a good ole sore throat - kinda stinks. mmm..

Introducing Lexie Harrison

Our friends, Amy and Greg, received the referral of their daughter from China today. After 15 long long long months of waiting (a total of 2 years from the start), she's finally on her way home! Lexie is 13 months old, stands up, loves to babble, had two teeth at 9 months old and weighed in at 15 pounds. Amy and Greg will go to China, to the Guandong province to pick up their daughter in 1-2 months.


Isn't she just beautiful and as precious as can be? Her eyes speak her story, and she is already so loved and adored.

Ay! Mate

A big thanks to Tiffany and her Aunt Vivian for the invite, Warren for driving (scary) and Security for safety :) We had such a blast at Gasparilla. This was my first experience, and Tiff's right, I wouldn't have done it any other way.. nor will I want to go unless we are lucky enough to be invited next year to Kirk and Vivian's house. We were gated in, which was the best, and we had great "seats" right on Bayshore Blvd., where the parade went rollin' by. The streets were filled with people - I must say, that people watching was a huge part of the experience. Since we were behind the fence (whew!) , it was perfect. The kids could play without worry, and we just had a fantastic day.

Tiffany's Dad, Tiffany, and me

The long time residents of Tampa really go all out decorating for Gasparilla! So much fun..

Tiff's cousin Cameron was SO cute, and he was given more beads than anyone else in the family. Who could resist this face?

And One More Makes Three

We have been logged in to China for THREE months, today. Sometimes it feels like forever, and other times, I can't believe we are maybe a quarter of the way there? I am the raving optimist.

We are spending the day at Gasparilla. It's a really big deal in Tampa. I'll post later!

Another Step in the Right Direction!

I was very surprised to see our Travel Packet I come in from our agency today. With the wait times extending, I wasn't expecting it to come until next month-CCAI mentioned that it could be anywhere from 3-4 months. Some friends who are logged in for Sept 06 just received their's less than a month ago, so I am thinking its going to speed up :) There I go again.

PS Travel Packet I is just lots of info about preparing for travel.

Guess what, Guess what??

I am doing some research on the upcoming Chinese New Year, and I'm so excited because I was also born in the Year of the Pig!! Woo hoo! (Between January 27, 1971 and February 14, 1972)

Ok, I know it might sound a bit strange to be excited about this (especially to those not so heavily involved in the Chinese adoption community or those that just haven't spent a lot of time studying the true Chinese calendar, not just the one on the placements in our favorite Chinese restaurants ;) , but I feel like our daughter(or daughters) will be born this year, too. She just must! :-) So, you know there is much more to come on this Year of the Pig revelation. I have the time right now, and with time comes exploring!!

In tribute, I think I will do a bloggy countdown to the New Year (the Chinese New Year is February 18, 2007), or I will celebrate like they do in China - for 15 days beginning on the 18th, and end the celebration with our own little Lantern Festival. I'll do something each day..a little fact, or something, don't know yet. Doesn't that sound like fun?

ps. this cute little piggy drawing was emailed to me, and we don't know where it came from, but isn't it cute?

The Ladybug has landed

Isn't it cute? And, she will stay with me wherever I go. It's Crocs jewelry - never even heard of it before today, if that tells you anything. I went to lunch with my friend (and client) Stephanie and her girls, and they surprised me with it. I am so thankful for their friendship. We've really hit it off, and I feel like I've known them forever!

New Year, New Hair

Hair Before

Hair After

Whatcha think? Less hair for KG to pull out!! ;-) Before she gets here, I am sure Tiffany and I will change it again, several times!! (Thanks, Tiff - love ya!)

My first quit block

Front Back

Don't laugh, but here it is. I was just dying to put my new sewing machine to work and begin to explore the world of quilting. What I learned?? That piecing is much harder than it looks. I cut the strips, sewed them together (with the help of my first quilting book that Anne helped me pick out, thank goodness), and voila, I had several pieces that didn't even come close to being the same size. So, I had to really work to get them together! A little crooked, but it's a start!

Mommy's 35th Birthday

The day started as usual with Brad waking me with goodbye kisses, with my eyes barely open and still in a sleepy stupor. I said Happy Birthday to myself..taking the words right out of his mouth! I guess you had to be there to appreciate the humor, and you have to know me well to appreciate how out of it I am in the mornings. Especially at 6am. In fact, my Mom used to call me around 12am in the morning since that was when I was born, but she has since changed that tradition because I'm long gone that late at night/early in the morning.


The day was pretty quiet, and I was getting ready to pack up for Atlanta, too. Julie was the first to call me around 7:30a (with coffee, I am good to go). Paula (MiMi) and Anne were next, and Tracy followed very shortly thereafter...loved all the phone calls that came in all day. I have such great friends and family! Brad kept asking me what I wanted before the big day, and really all I wanted was some time with him for dinner, and of course our daughter (who will be here with us, maybe next year?)


I asked to go to Viscaya - this really yummy, quaint Spanish restaurant around the corner in Carrollwood. Brad took me to this restaurant for the first time last year for my birthday, but the circumstances were SO different. We were waiting to find out if the in-vitro fertilization worked, so Brad was administering the HUGE syringe full of progesterone to me every evening... at that point there were so many drugs/hormones raging in my system, hot flashes etc., that I think I might have been in someone else's body for the season. I had also cut out ALL caffeine, wine, you name it, I cut it out. I know I definitely wasn't myself, and looking back, I am so thankful I still have friends.



So, anyway, needless to say more, I wanted to go back and experience it again in a different light. And, as expected, it was perfect. And, I had a glass of Sangria for fun. Then, we when finished dinner and got back into the car to go home, Brad surprised me with a gift. I really wasn't expecting anything because I really have all I could ever need, and I didn't give him any ideas.. not to mention he had been working from 6am until 7 or 8p every night, I wasn't sure when he would have even had time. Beautiful, huh?

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!!