Thursday Update!

I would like to share this picture with you all. This girl is precious. 

Hello from Eastern Europe!

I made it here early Sunday morning and my driver was waiting for me at the airport. We arrived to my apartment around 4:30 in the morning and I took a few hour nap before getting up for the day.

Monday was an unexpected day off here so I couldn't visit the Minister of Justice until Tuesday, which gave me one less day to spend with Peaches. Monday was a day off because there was a holiday, called Vardavar "Water Day", on Sunday. The government literally decided on Saturday that they would work that day so they could have Monday off.

I got to meet Peaches on Tuesday afternoon (the morning was dedicated to going to the MoJ office) and she is amazing, you guys! She wasn't too outgoing the first time we were together but the following day, Wednesday morning, she was much more outgoing with me, making noises, smiling, and playing. She even fell asleep in my arms during my Wednesday afternoon visit! I ended up seeing Zola, the girl I was originally going to adopt, twice on Wednesday. That was pretty cool.

I'm about to head out for my second visit of the day. This has seriously been an exciting trip. This is a wonderful country and the people here are great! Many of the younger people speak English and even if someone doesn't, it's fairly easy to communicate.

The Adventure Begins!

My new adventure begins tomorrow morning at 11:31 am, when my first flight takes off! I will have a 13-hour layover in Vienna, Austria on Saturday before arriving in country early Sunday morning. During my layover in Vienna, I am planning on going on a tour or two and experiencing the city! More adventure than I had planned when I got travel date but definitely worthwhile!

I booked my airline tickets through Golden Rule Travel. They had excellent service and the quote I received from them was cheaper than anything I was able to find on my own. I will definitely be using them on trip two. 

Please pray for me! I have never flown overseas before and this will be the first time I travel alone. Thank you all for your support!

Wonderful News!

I have been invited to travel to EE to meet Peaches! I will have more details once I confirm my flights but I get to meet her next Monday (July 13)!

Beanie Baby Fundraiser Update!

I am still waiting on travel dates. I had originally hoped I would travel on my first trip in May, then June. NOW, I am hoping that I travel in July, early August at the latest. July will be the 5 month mark since dossier submission. While I am waiting, I want to finish up my Beanie Baby fundraiser, which I started almost a year ago (here is the link to the original post). 

This fundraiser is all about giving to the orphans in Peaches' country. I have 27 Beanie Babies that I no longer need. I would love to bring these beanies along with me when I travel on my first trip (I would rather bring them along on trip one since I will have more room in my luggage). These beanies will be given to the children in Peaches' orphanage and if I am able, I will give them to children at another nearby orphanage. There are only eight that still need sponsors!

The details
- For every $5 donation, you can "sponsor" a Beanie Baby and choose which one will travel with me to Eastern Europe.
- Once a beanie is sponsored, I will add your name under the selected beanie (if you wish to remain anonymous, please let me know). 
- When I travel to Eastern Europe, I will bring all of the beanies with me that have been sponsored. 
- To sponsor a beanie, please donate to my Reece's Rainbow FSP and e-mail a copy of your receipt to my e-mail or comment here with which beanie you'd like to sponsor. 

My Beanie Baby collection!

(l-r): Congo the gorilla, Hoppity the bunny sponsored by Shelby J. (in honor of Callie), Rosalie the bear, Pouch the kangaroo sponsored by Donna J., and Stretch the ostrich  sponsored by Jen K. (In honor of Renee)

(l-r): Bongo the monkey #1 (a teeny beanie), Bongo the monkey #2 (a teeny beanie) sponsored by Jen K., Doby the doberman sponsored by Shelby J. (in honor of Logan), Derby the horse sponsored by Jenny, Velvet the panther sponsored by Rebecca M., and Stripes the tiger sponsored by Ivy A.

(l-r): (not a Beanie Baby) polar bear sponsored by Shelby J. (in honor of Francine), Almond the bear,Mystic the unicorn sponsored by sunflowerlove, Mel the koala and Mel the koala #2 (a teeny beanie) sponsored by Jenny

(l-r): Spinner the spider, Batty the bat sponsored by sunflowerlove, Claude the crab, Iggy the iguana sponsored by Ivy A., and Rainbow the chameleon sponsored by Amy K.

(l-r): Wise the owl (class of '98) sponsored by Cat H. (in honor of husband and daughter), Stretch the rooster sponsored by the Trenda family, Gracie the swan sponsored by Jaime B., Jabber the parrot sponsored by the Orta family, and Quackers the duck sponsored by Shelby J. (in honor of Faith)

Chilly the polar bear sponsored by Ilze L. (in honor of Andris). He's the $10 one, you can see the difference in size compared to regular sized Rainbow.

Caring Christian

This is Christian.

Christian weighs heavily on my heart today and every day. I would love to bring him home with me (he's in the same country as Peaches) but unfortunately, I am not in a position to bring home two at once. He turned 6 a few months ago and lives in an orphanage in Eastern Europe because he was born with Down syndrome. He is very smart and kind. Christian is loved by his caregivers and the director of his orphanage is surprised that he is still waiting. The family who adopts him will be very blessed to call him their son.

Christian has a sizeable grant of over $2,600 on Reece's Rainbow. He is available to single moms. Please see Christian. Please see his potential. I would love nothing more than to see him come home. If you're his family, I will be more than willing to help you raise funds, if it's needed.

Tupperware *FUN*draiser!

From now through Monday, May 18 a friend of mine is hosting a TUPPERWARE fundraising event to help me bring Peaches home.

Goal: $1,300 (or more) in total sales
Earned goal: $520 (or more) depends on total sales

The party link is here: Tupperware Fundraiser Please note: ALL sales must come from the Fundraiser Catalog to be counted.

Thank you for looking!

Cheesecake Anyone?!

This is a last minute fundraiser I put together for locals. It's a cheesecake fundraiser from Grand Rapids Cheesecake (check out their website here).

Grand Rapids Cheesecakes' cakes are made from scratch daily right here in Grand Rapids. Their ingredients are always local, all natural ingredients from local suppliers. Each cheesecake is 8" in diameter and weights 2 lbs.

Flavors:
Fudge Sundae: A chocolate crust with chocolate mixed in the cheesecake and topped with chocolate. If you love chocolate, this cheesecake is for you.
Turtle: A delicious mix of chocolate, caramel, and pecans in rich cheesecake with a chocolate crust. Then also topped with a mix of chocolate, caramel, and pecans. A customer favorite!
Raspberry Bash: A delicious combination of raspberry and brownie pieces mixed in and then topped with chocolate and raspberry.
Strawberry: With a graham cracker crust, strawberry swirled int he rich flavored cheesecake, topped with strawberry and whipped topping, it is one of our best selling cheesecakes.
Oreo: Our famous cheesecake filled with Oreo cookies and then topped with whipped topping and more Oreo cookies. A cookie lover's dream.
Pumpkin: Our creamy delicious pumpkin flavored cheesecake is perfect for fall.
New York: Our traditional flavored New York Cheesecake that is great plain or topped with your favorite topping.
Heath: Heath candy bar in cake in a chocolate crust, topped with chocolate and bits of heath candy bar. It's ridiculously good.
Peanut Butter Cup: A peanut butter flavored cheesecake with pieces of peanut butter cup mixed in and bits of pieces on top.
Mint Chocolate Chip: Just the right touch of mint flavor in our cheesecake with chocolate chips mixed in and with chocolate cookie crust.

Each cheesecake is just $17.50 and will be delivered to you Friday, May 8 or Saturday, May 9, just in time for Mother's Day! Your order must be placed with me before this Friday (May 1) at noon. Please contact me (here's my e-mail if you don't have a method to contact me). I am only taking orders for those in the West Michigan area. 

Introducing...!

If you remember my last blog post, I mentioned that I had reviewed the files of a few children and had to decide which child to pursue. I am pursuing a 5-month-old girl who has Down syndrome. Please "meet" Peaches!

I'm sorry that I cannot show a picture of her face but doesn't she have the cutest little hand?!

I am hoping to travel on trip one some time in May. This trip will last about a week. If I travel in May, I am hoping that Peaches will be home in time for her first birthday!

PS: No, Peaches is not her name nor is it what I will call her personally. It is the name I will use for advocacy purposes and is also what I will call her on my blog. 

Four Fast Facts for Saturday

I know I don't update enough but I try, I really do!

First -- I have reviewed the files of 6 children and am currently mulling over my options. I am hoping to make a decision within the next week or two.

Second -- My placement agency received an update from the team in-country and said that my file was not reviews in the most recent batch before the Prime Minister but they're hopeful that it will be reviewed next month. So, it's possible that I will travel in May to meet the child I have decided to adopt!

Third -- The flower bulb fundraiser I did last fall was pretty successful so I decided to do another this spring. These bulbs are planted in the spring and flower late summer to fall. The link is here. These Sarah Bernhardt Peonies are my personal favorite.

Fourth -- My birthday is tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow as in Easter, Resurrection Sunday. In all my years, I've never gotten the chance to celebrate my birthday on Easter. I'm excited! In honor of my birthday tomorrow, please consider donating $9, $29, $45, or any amount you'd like to my Reece's Rainbow FSP (here). I could use the pick me up. Thanks.

I look forward to updating once I have more information on the child I will be adopting. I cannot wait to share!