We are finally moving forward with our adoption journey! We bought a new home last year and we are excited to finally be in spot we are comfortable with this huge leap of faith. Here is our bio book.
Bio Book
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Our New Home
It's been awhile since my last post. We've been busy with school, work, chores, life and the exciting part of selling our house and buying a new one! We moved into our new home August 1, 2011.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
New Day. New Outlook.
Today I woke up feeling better about things. So what if our equity loan didn't get approved. It's probably for the better. I was rather hesitant about pulling money from the house right now anyhow. We really want to buy a bigger house soon, especially with expanding our family and having that extra obligation to the house could be a bad thing.
Now it's time to refocus. Where do we need to make cuts? If we prioritize and sacrifice now to budget for the adoption it will help in the long run. Sure we already have a savings, but we also like to spend money and have the nice things that we work hard for. So any big purchase means something has to give. Strange to think of a baby as a large purchase...
While I am thinking up areas to cut costs and ways to raise funds, the thing that I am constantly thinking about is the home study. Why in the world do they need letters of recommendation from 4 friends and a family member? Why do they need references from our employers? Doctors letters? Fertility statements? Etc. Could you imagine how peaceful and perfect this world would be if everyone that decided to procreate had to go through this process before their eggs or sperm were released to them? Since when did my decision to parent become the business of my company? I find that a little intrusive, but I'll deal with it I guess.
"A child is God's opinion that life should go on."
Author: Unknown
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
The Start of a New Journey
It's been decided... Joe and I will adopt our baby. After 20 long months of "trying". And each month having the disappointment of a failed attempt we realized that being parents to A child was more important to us than being parents to a biological child. So now we have entered new territory. New emotions. New excitement. New setbacks. New disappointments.
First we began our research online for agencies and started asking questions to everyone we could think of. We quickly found an agency online that had a wealth of information and countless stories from adoptive families and birth mothers. They were upfront with their costs and provided resources about funding. I felt comfortable with them. After a few weeks we decided to send them a our pre-application and payment to get started. Within a few days they shipped us a huge packet of information containing the more in depth application, information on creating our adoption profile, the home study requirements that would meet the 50 states requirements and a book that housed every answer to every question possible. Now we were excited!!!!
Besides the questions we keep asking ourselves of what, if any, limitations of race do we want to have... The major question is, How are we going to pay for this?
In all the excitement that has thus far happened with feeling like we were going to finally get OUR baby... Today we experienced our first of probably many setbacks. We found out that our equity loan was not approved. So, now we must find other methods of financing this adoption. Goal $35,000. Paid so far: $195.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The Life of Maria Liva
My Great Grandma, Maria Liva, passed away yesterday at the age of 99. Every year on her birthday she would count out how many years til she was going to turn 100. She was so proud of her age! She laughed and joked about how she couldn't believe she was turning 9x years old each time. She loved birthday meals, getting her picture taken and having birthday cake. Even on her 99th birthday she managed to blow her candles out!
Just a few days before her passing, my son found a Monarch Butterfly. The butterfly looked as if it was dying. I explained to him how they live very short lives and he must be too cold to survive any longer. So he scooped him up into a box and brought him into the house to warm him in his room. He then said to me "it's not fair that people can live to 99 or 100, if they grow up all the way, and butterflies don't get to live more than a few weeks." I know that it was on his mind that people live that long because as a 5th generation to my great grandma, he knows first hand!
The next night I had a dream about my great grandma. It was so strange actually... she had somehow left the nursing home and went to the old farm house I lived in as a child. That farm house is no longer standing in West Chester, but the memory of it is in my dreams often. The EMT's brought her out of the house and she was smiling, she looked 10 years younger, her skin was smooth and radiant and every hair on her head was in perfect formation. She looked up at me and said hello Sarah, I told her how beautiful she was and then I woke up. I cried when I woke up, because for the last year or more, she hasn't remembered who I am. She had forgotten my name and that I was her first great grandchild and Isaac was her first and only Great Great Grandchild. I told my grandma (Nonna) the next day about the dream and we both almost cried. It was almost as if it was a sign that she was about to be with God and be back to her beauty.
My Great Grandma used to love to tell stories about her life in Europe. She lived there during the first world war. She used to tell me about how they lived on snails and dandelions for a time. Or how she had and her sister had a paper route, but they had to cross a field with land mines in it. She told me that twice bombs were dropped down their chimney! As a young teenager she worked in Venice, Italy as a maid. She remembers the city for much more than the romance we think of it... but she complains about how dirty it was!
One thing I loved most about her was her honesty. She was a strong and opinionated women. Even though I was raised Catholic and have since gone to a different denomination, she never had a problem speaking up about how my son needed to be baptised! I can still hear her watching over Isaac as a toddler saying "watch him" in her heavy Italian accent, she always worried he would fall and get hurt.
Another thing I loved was that she loved it when people ate! She loved watching people eat, she loved eating! Nothing made her more proud than to see a child eat a big meal. :-) She also loved her red wine! Must be key to living to the age of 99. Pasta and wine!
Grandma worked for many years for a priest in Cincinnati. She cooked for him. She never drove a car. She lived alone until just a few years ago when she fell and broke her hip. She had 2 daughters (Teresa and Mary), 5 grandchildren (Kathie, Rick, Terri, Jenny & Cynthia), 7 great grandchildren (Sarah, Zach, Chelsea, Tyler, Emily, Connor & Thomas), 5 step great grandchildren (Shane, Amanda, Brittney, Kelsey & Cameron), 1 great great grandchild (Isaac) and 3 step great great grandchildren (Chelsea, Brady and Savannah).
Our family suffered a great loss of an amazing lady... but through us, her memory will survive. We love you Grandma!
So MANGE! (eat)
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Where is our patriotism?
Let me start off with saying… I am livid! I am ashamed of some of my fellow citizens right now and I am embarrassed of what has become of our educational system! I chose to send my 8 year old son to a Christian school because I thought they were above being politically correct or showing blatant disregard for patriotism. This of course paired with the smaller class sizes and above average education they provide. But, the small classes sizes and good education only go so far if they are unwilling to give students what is valuable in this country and that is the ability to participate in our democracy.
In recent months many political topics have come up surrounding Barack Obama. His approval rating has fallen. However, I chose to look deeper into this. I feel that with the overwhelming vote that elected him, not all those people voted for the right reasons. Some voted for him simply because he would make history by being the first black president. Some voted against him solely because of his skin color. Neither of these reasons are good reasons to vote if the voters don’t stay involved and educated as to what becomes of the man in office. President Obama came out with BIG ideas. He campaigned for the presidency with those BIG ideas. Now that he is trying his hardest to implement these BIG ideas he is being ridiculed and seeing a decline in his rating. Part of me can’t help but feel no matter how great he is, he will always have the fact that he is a black man with these ideas and some people won’t agree with him no matter what because of that fact. Of course the opposition has their legitimate reasons for not liking him that have nothing to do with race... I am just speculating on some factors.
I don’t know of any other president that has been called a liar by a congressman in the middle of a speech. President Obama is a man that can’t be torn down! He knows what he believes in, and believe me… he has been called worse! We aren’t talking about sticks and stones and comments yelled out by some no-body on a street speech… we are talking about another elected individual in our government. Even when we don’t agree with policies in government, to attack the facts and call them lies is outright rude.
Which brings me back to my introduction… my son’s school chose to not air President Obama’s speech the other day. This came after much controversy and parents all across the nation threatening to pull their child out of school that day if the school did air it. My message to those schools is… grow some balls. What about all the parents, like myself that believe that the president wouldn’t spew propaganda or political agenda to children and have enough common sense to recognize that to be true? Maybe my son should have stayed home that day because his school decided to NOT air it. Had there not been controversy on the man giving the speech would it have aired with no questions asked? If he had been a white man would it have aired with no questions asked? If he were a republican would it have been aired with no questions asked? Here is a link to the speech… you and your children should watch it… I promise it won’t bite! :-) http://www.whitehouse.gov/video/President-Obamas-Message-for-Americas-Students/
I am disappointed in our educators for not being able to take a stance above the controversy and agree to show the short message no matter what. In 1991 President Bush address the youth of our country. In a very similar manner as Obama, he entered a school and had live broadcasting so that all schools could tune in. He spent a great deal of money advertising, by sending letters to all public schools urging them to watch that day/time. Some people protested that this was a misuse of government funds, but they weren’t threatening to pull their children from the schools if they aired it. That’s absurd! As a student in the 90’s I can remember watching President Clinton talk to students in schools. It made me feel important, and like I mattered in a world where normally adults have all the say so. In 1988 President Reagan spoke to the schools. His speech did touch on taxes and other political subject. Yet, he was not banned from the airways of schools. He was thought to be so charismatic and since he was famous we just rode along with his ideas, never mind if they didn’t work. President George W. Bush also found his way into schools throughout his presidency. Some during school hours, some were not. The city I live in, Hamilton, Ohio was the place that the “No Child Left Behind Act” was signed and applauded in a Hamilton public school. That very same school would not allow Obama’s speech to be played live. http://www.journal-news.com/news/hamilton-news/presidents-address-to-students-stirs-controversy-279785.html
So, I ask… if these men were given the opportunity to be unsupervised, uncensored, and unleashed to the children of the nation, then why was President Obama not given that same opportunity? His speech barely differed from the text of Bush Senior’s speech! Obama’s and Bush Sr. messages were clearly about kids staying in school and owing themselves the opportunity to achieve their goals and get an education… what propaganda is there to be had in that? And why would anyone think that political agenda was ever going to be included in the message?
Last night I overheard the principal of my son’s school talking to another parent. I can’t be certain what the course of the conversation was, but I did hear his response. It was something along the lines of “If the speech had been published before hand I may have shown it, but NO ONE talks to MY kids without telling me first what they are going to say.” I believe he wanted that statement to be true… but I believe the agenda was more to be found in him NOT showing it than what was believed to be a possible agenda from the President. I am disappointed and hurt by his decision and my son should have stayed home to watch it live instead of finding it on the internet later that night. Oh, FYI, the speech was released before the live viewing… maybe the principal missed that???? http://www.factcheck.org/2009/09/obamas-speech-to-schools/ If you find yourself asking if the speech was rewritten, look at this link.
In my opinion and thus far what President Obama has done with his first 8 months of presidency has far exceed the good done in the 8 years of W’s. Below is an excerpt from an interview with him today responding to Wilson shouting “you lie!” during his address at The Hill. He shows true class and level headedness!
Asked if he accepts Wilson's apology, Obama responded:
Yes, I do. I'm a big believer that we all make mistakes. He apologized quickly and without equivocation, and I'm appreciative of that.
I do think that, as I said last night, we have to get to the point where we can have a conversation about big, important issues that matter to the American people without vitriol, without name-calling, without the assumption of the worst in other people's motives ....
Our goals are generally the same, whether we're Democrats or Republicans, and in fact, most Americans don't even think about those labels all that much. They are turned off when they see people using wild accusations, false claims, name-calling, sharply ideological approaches to solve problems. They want pragmatism; they want people to stay focused on the job. And I hope that some of the fever breaks a little bit.
The media can always be helpful by not giving all the attention to the loudest or shrillest voices, and try to stay a little bit more focused on the issues at hand.
http://www.factcheck.org/2009/08/seven-falsehoods-about-health-care/ Info on the bill.
Our democracy must be not only the envy of the world but the engine of our own renewal. There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America. ~ President Bill Clinton
In recent months many political topics have come up surrounding Barack Obama. His approval rating has fallen. However, I chose to look deeper into this. I feel that with the overwhelming vote that elected him, not all those people voted for the right reasons. Some voted for him simply because he would make history by being the first black president. Some voted against him solely because of his skin color. Neither of these reasons are good reasons to vote if the voters don’t stay involved and educated as to what becomes of the man in office. President Obama came out with BIG ideas. He campaigned for the presidency with those BIG ideas. Now that he is trying his hardest to implement these BIG ideas he is being ridiculed and seeing a decline in his rating. Part of me can’t help but feel no matter how great he is, he will always have the fact that he is a black man with these ideas and some people won’t agree with him no matter what because of that fact. Of course the opposition has their legitimate reasons for not liking him that have nothing to do with race... I am just speculating on some factors.
I don’t know of any other president that has been called a liar by a congressman in the middle of a speech. President Obama is a man that can’t be torn down! He knows what he believes in, and believe me… he has been called worse! We aren’t talking about sticks and stones and comments yelled out by some no-body on a street speech… we are talking about another elected individual in our government. Even when we don’t agree with policies in government, to attack the facts and call them lies is outright rude.
Which brings me back to my introduction… my son’s school chose to not air President Obama’s speech the other day. This came after much controversy and parents all across the nation threatening to pull their child out of school that day if the school did air it. My message to those schools is… grow some balls. What about all the parents, like myself that believe that the president wouldn’t spew propaganda or political agenda to children and have enough common sense to recognize that to be true? Maybe my son should have stayed home that day because his school decided to NOT air it. Had there not been controversy on the man giving the speech would it have aired with no questions asked? If he had been a white man would it have aired with no questions asked? If he were a republican would it have been aired with no questions asked? Here is a link to the speech… you and your children should watch it… I promise it won’t bite! :-) http://www.whitehouse.gov/video/President-Obamas-Message-for-Americas-Students/
I am disappointed in our educators for not being able to take a stance above the controversy and agree to show the short message no matter what. In 1991 President Bush address the youth of our country. In a very similar manner as Obama, he entered a school and had live broadcasting so that all schools could tune in. He spent a great deal of money advertising, by sending letters to all public schools urging them to watch that day/time. Some people protested that this was a misuse of government funds, but they weren’t threatening to pull their children from the schools if they aired it. That’s absurd! As a student in the 90’s I can remember watching President Clinton talk to students in schools. It made me feel important, and like I mattered in a world where normally adults have all the say so. In 1988 President Reagan spoke to the schools. His speech did touch on taxes and other political subject. Yet, he was not banned from the airways of schools. He was thought to be so charismatic and since he was famous we just rode along with his ideas, never mind if they didn’t work. President George W. Bush also found his way into schools throughout his presidency. Some during school hours, some were not. The city I live in, Hamilton, Ohio was the place that the “No Child Left Behind Act” was signed and applauded in a Hamilton public school. That very same school would not allow Obama’s speech to be played live. http://www.journal-news.com/news/hamilton-news/presidents-address-to-students-stirs-controversy-279785.html
So, I ask… if these men were given the opportunity to be unsupervised, uncensored, and unleashed to the children of the nation, then why was President Obama not given that same opportunity? His speech barely differed from the text of Bush Senior’s speech! Obama’s and Bush Sr. messages were clearly about kids staying in school and owing themselves the opportunity to achieve their goals and get an education… what propaganda is there to be had in that? And why would anyone think that political agenda was ever going to be included in the message?
Last night I overheard the principal of my son’s school talking to another parent. I can’t be certain what the course of the conversation was, but I did hear his response. It was something along the lines of “If the speech had been published before hand I may have shown it, but NO ONE talks to MY kids without telling me first what they are going to say.” I believe he wanted that statement to be true… but I believe the agenda was more to be found in him NOT showing it than what was believed to be a possible agenda from the President. I am disappointed and hurt by his decision and my son should have stayed home to watch it live instead of finding it on the internet later that night. Oh, FYI, the speech was released before the live viewing… maybe the principal missed that???? http://www.factcheck.org/2009/09/obamas-speech-to-schools/ If you find yourself asking if the speech was rewritten, look at this link.
In my opinion and thus far what President Obama has done with his first 8 months of presidency has far exceed the good done in the 8 years of W’s. Below is an excerpt from an interview with him today responding to Wilson shouting “you lie!” during his address at The Hill. He shows true class and level headedness!
Asked if he accepts Wilson's apology, Obama responded:
Yes, I do. I'm a big believer that we all make mistakes. He apologized quickly and without equivocation, and I'm appreciative of that.
I do think that, as I said last night, we have to get to the point where we can have a conversation about big, important issues that matter to the American people without vitriol, without name-calling, without the assumption of the worst in other people's motives ....
Our goals are generally the same, whether we're Democrats or Republicans, and in fact, most Americans don't even think about those labels all that much. They are turned off when they see people using wild accusations, false claims, name-calling, sharply ideological approaches to solve problems. They want pragmatism; they want people to stay focused on the job. And I hope that some of the fever breaks a little bit.
The media can always be helpful by not giving all the attention to the loudest or shrillest voices, and try to stay a little bit more focused on the issues at hand.
http://www.factcheck.org/2009/08/seven-falsehoods-about-health-care/ Info on the bill.
Our democracy must be not only the envy of the world but the engine of our own renewal. There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America. ~ President Bill Clinton
Monday, August 17, 2009
Photos from our PJ Headquarters Tour
We had an amazing time last week in Lousiville, KY visiting the Papa John's headquarters. We toured the offices, met with a lot of my marketing contacts, got to see dough production (soooo cool) got to see print product (also sooooo cool) and met John Schnatter (Papa John). He came out of a meeting just to introduce himself to us and he was nice enough to sign a football for Isaac as well as his hat. Totally made our day!
John told us to go to his office so Isaac could look around and get a picture back there. This is Isaac infront of John's desk looking at a replica of his personal jet. 
The hat John signed for Isaac... he was wearing it.
The original dough mixer in John's first restaurant.
A cake they had in the employee restaurant... they were having a bake sale.
The new camero hat and tshirt on an auction table.
The headquarters has it's own street.
John told us to go to his office so Isaac could look around and get a picture back there. This is Isaac infront of John's desk looking at a replica of his personal jet. 25th Anniversary wine and whiskey in John's office. I thought it was awesome!
The hat John signed for Isaac... he was wearing it.
The original dough mixer in John's first restaurant.
A cake they had in the employee restaurant... they were having a bake sale.
The new camero hat and tshirt on an auction table.The pool table that was in John's uncles pub where his first restaurant was located. He and his uncle made the light themselves. Cool!
The headquarters has it's own street.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
