Russia

After much prayer Jason and I have decided to change countries. We are now adopting from Russia instead of Albania. I am very excited about this change. We had not felt settled about Albania but did not want to rush to make a decision but this is something we had been thinking about for a little while. The Albania program is taking about 3 years or so for a young healthy referral. Bethany does more older and special needs referrals out of Albania and are one of the last to get young healthy referral, which is something we didn't know when we started out. But would I do it over again? You bet, I experienced a wonderful trip to Albania and met some amazing people. I have friends that I met through this process that I hope to be in contact with for a long long time. And in the past year and a half God has not stopped growing me and opening my eyes, it's just time for us to go down a different road.

As far as Russia goes, the wait time is 6-8 months and they are needing families for the Russia program. We started our dossier today and it will be completed next Tuesday and mailed to Michigan. There is only one more family with a dossier submitted to the program we are going through, but there are 8 families in the process, so I'm hoping our dossier gets approved and translated quickly so we can be next in line. But we've waited this long, it's all in God's timing! With Russia, it seems like if you don't dot your I's correctly they will send your paperwork back, so please say a quick prayer that our paperwork will not have any hold up's or be sent back. Thank you all for your love and support!

Update

This kitten was asleep on the radio while the radio was blasting!!!

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything, I'll try to do better! I don't have much information in regards to the adoption. It's taking a lot longer than we expected, the last family to get a referral waited 3 years.

What's gone on since the last post?

Jason had a birthday on May 23rd.

Our 5th year wedding anniversary was June 6th, which we spent working and then I left for North Carolina with my sister for an AAU basketball tournament. Came home on Sunday and we spent the afternoon together picking up hay in the hay field, doesn't that sound romantic!! These past 5 years have flown by and I love him more every day!

I have been busy with horse camp and lessons. The last week of this month we will spend showing at the Ranch Horse World Show. Jason has been very busy with work, they are in full swing. We are just hoping we don't have a drought like we did last year.

We have a new addition to our family, he's furry with 4 legs!! His name is Andy (our favorite show is Andy Griffith). He's is so cute and funny, I'm having a blast with him, he loves the kittens at the barn and begs me to put him in the trough to play in the water.

What's Going on at the Farm

We still haven't heard anything in regards to our adoption. It's getting frustrating not hearing anything at all. We haven't even been hearing if the committee has been meeting or if they have been giving out any referrals. I asked about this and hopefully we will hear something soon. I
will post something as soon as I hear something for those of you who are also wanting to know something.

If you haven't seen Albania in the news over the past few weeks then you should check it out. They had a horrible explosion while trying to destroy chemical weapons. It's very heartbreaking, please pray for all of these people. You can read more about it a http://www.plantersseed.blogspot.com/ and Cydil has some info. posted on her website http://www.waggoner.blogspot.com/

I don't have many pics to post, just a few from some snow a few weeks ago. One is me and one of my students Jordan, riding in the snow. The other is me and Zoe working in the arena while it's snowing. I know you guys up north reading this think we're nuts b/c 1" is a lot of snow, but we acutally got 6" of snow one night but it was almost all melted by the next afternoon.

Jason and I are both very busy with our business'. Grass is starting to grow, the sun is setting later, and the days are getting warmer. We're both in our element. I am busy with lessons (37 per week) and I'm booked for training through June. Our show season has started and we'll soon be busy almost every weekend. God is so good!!

I have a mare due last week, hopefully she'll have her colt this week sometime, when she does I'll post some pics.

Bitten By the Flu Bug

No adoption news, just an update on us. Jason has been in bed with the flu for the past 3 days, they gave him some antibiotics so he should be feeling better soon. But we're just hanging out watching family fued right now!! Horseback riding lessons start back the beginning of March and I've been busy with horses in for training which is good. We have already been to 2 shows and done well, our next show is in March. I will try and take some pics and post them soon. I hope you are all doing great and staying warm!

Nothing New

We still haven't heard anything. Not even sure if the committee met in January, hopefully so.

Pray for all of these Tennessee families that were hit hard by the tornados. It's very sad, homes were destroyed, lives lost, and lots injured.

Hudson has a few new things for his room, a bean bag square with his name on it, a blue piggy bank with stars on it to match the stars in his room, lamp, and a few other small things. If I only knew what size clothes he will wear! Patience, patience.

More Pictures

The road on the way to Darshen, at many points if we would have went off the road even a few feet we would have tumbled down the mountain, no guard rails, good thing I wasn't driving!

Another view of Vlashi Village

There is lots of new construction in Albania, I thought these buildings were cute!

Need to know how to get out of Tirana, just follow the arrows on this building! I believe it sends you in the direction towards the airport!

Mrs. Sarah in a small market, there were lots of little markets like this.

I thought I would post some more pictures of my trip. I am going to be able to share with our church about my trip sometime soon. It will be fun putting a slide show together and telling about Planters Org. and the trip.

For those of you in the process, I asked if the committee was going to be meeting on the last Thursday this month and Jan sent word back to our sw that she didn't know. While I was at Bethany in Albania I was told that the committee met every Friday. So I'm not sure if they only work on referrals at the end of the month or if referrals could be given out at anytime?

Hopefully our updated pictures for our dossier will be mailed over soon, they should be arriving in Michigan anyday. I finished the papers for updating our homestudy so that, too, should be updated soon.

I was just thinking about how in Christmas '06 we were so excited because the next year we would have our son home with us to celebrate Christmas and start a year of firsts! But this past Christmas has came and gone and no referral. Looking back over 2007 we have finished his room completely, all we need to know if what size clothes he wears. We have a collection of veggie tales, john deere tractors, a cute stepping stool he can stand on so he can see to learn how to brush his teeth, he even has his first fishing pole in his dad's favorite color-red, and much more. I could go on and on but it boils down to our home is ready and our hearts are ready. But when it gets frustrating I find lots of comfort that this whole process is in God's hands and there's no better place in the entire world it could be.

Updates

It will be a year in Feb. since we turned our dossier in. We now have to get re-fingerprinted, criminal records, medical records, and financial records updates. Too much paperwork!! We really hope we can hear something soon, though. The committee hasn't met since October that I know of, so they should be meeting the last week of this month. I'm going to be sending over new pics of our remodeled home so the committee can see that and they should be hearing soon through Alma about my trip over there, so that is good news.

Tonight we went to Tractor Supply, yes, that's going somewhere for us!! They had all of their John Deere toys 40% off. So little Hudson Luke got a John Deere tool set with a caddy which is too cute. And of course we had to get the John Deere lawn mower, it makes all kinds of noises. I guess he can practice mowing the carpet, we've got to get him started early for his teenage years of being employed with Carney Lawn Care! HA! HA!

I figured I would post a few pictures. Jason and I were decked out in red for Christmas! Then there is one of Casey (my sister), Cody, and Courtney (our cousins from Texas), and myself. I was so glad they were here for Christmas. Then there is one of Casey and Will, or should I say Aunt Casey and hopefully soon to be Uncle Will. Another, mom and dad got me custom made spurs for Christmas with T2F (Treasure 2 Farm) in silver, can you tell I'm excited!! My favorite of the pictures shows you exactly the effect Albania had on me! I was exhausted and could not hold my eyes open. It took me over a week to get adjusted, I slept more than I did when I was a teenager and that's a lot! Jason's excuse in the picture, he's an old man trapped inside of a young man's body, he thinks you should go to bed with the sun and get up with the sun, what's up with that!! And our dog Chipp, well, he just likes to sleep near a warm body!

Vera, if you're reading this, I would love to know how you are doing and how is Albania? Send me an e-mail lindsey@treasure2farm.com if you get a chance. I wish I would have taken a picture of us before I left, I really enjoyed getting to meet you.

Pictures

Thought I would add a few more pics while we are just hanging out at home tonight and I have all the time to wait on dial up! The top two pictures are ones I took of where the Gypsy's live. The other one is me and Mrs. Sarah in Darshen and I just liked the one directly above of the guy looking at his cow!

There's No Place Like Home

I made it! And believe it or not I have hardly turned the computer on, just to show my family all of the pictures! Things have been busy with Christmas activities. I wasn't sure if I was going to make it home for Christmas, praise God I did. When I flew from Italy to Chicago our plane couldn't land so we circled for about 40 min. and then once I landed it was chaos, I only had an hour to get to my next gate and I still had to go through re-checking my luggage, customs, getting my ticket, security, all of this in O'hare! If Mr. David hadn't have met me and helped me out then I would still be trying to figure out how to get from transit 5 to 1!! I rushed to my gate to find my flight was almost 2 hours late, and they were being optimistic about the flight being able to leave for Nashville. Over 300 flights were canceled out of O'hare. Finally we boarded in 17 degree weather with winds up to 50 mph, I didn't care, my man was waiting for me in Nashville! It was so great seeing my family, they are so awesome!

Christmas was great! I had a totally different outlook on things. This Christmas Jason and I got the least that we ever have, but to tell you the truth, I could have gone without anything, I'm blessed with too much as it is. Listening to kids wine and tell what they wanted still after getting what seemed like everything, if only they knew. I went shopping yesterday and didn't buy hardly anything, I would pick things up and say how cute it was and then say do I really need this? The answer was no!

Jason just hopes my sleeping schedule stays like it is now! I am asleep by 9:00 at night, I can't even hold my eyes open. I told him don't worry, I'll adjust back!!

I am going to post more pictures on the blog, but I will have to do that next week when I can go somewhere where they have high speed!

Bitter Sweet

These pictures are some that I took yesterday at the Bethany orphanage. The little boy in blue with those big blue eyes, he was so obedient and adorable. The picture I took of him I was saying Chesh, chesh, which means smile! The little boy laying his head on my face was named either Genti or Gergy, I cannot remember which one, but he has cp. The other little boy wanted me to hold him, I'm just calling him Spock, check out those ears! He was so adorable and had the sweetest smile.

Shprese (which means hope in Albania) is pictured with me above. She is the wife of, Genti, who is a pastor here. They live in Vlashi Village and she was amazing. She translated for us and took us on the visits. She is a light in the darkness and God is doing great things with her, what a blessing!

Today we went back to Vlashi Village and watched a Christmas program and then had a little Christmas party. It was fun. Saying goodbye was bitter sweet. I will miss all of the people and have had such a wonderful time here, they have opened my eyes and taught me so much, I am very thankful. But I am also ready to see the farm again!! I cannot wait to see Jason, I miss him so much! Pray that I can make it home in time for Christmas. They are calling for a winter storm in Chicago tomorrow. When I get home I will post a few more pictures on the blog!

For all of treasure 2 farmers reading this, thank you for being on your best behavior this week with Mrs. Emily. She has had only good things to say about you all. You make me very proud and I'm thankful for each of you as my students. Have a wonderful Christmas!