We did it!

We submitted our application. We decided to go back to the place that it all started, Blu C sushi:) The employee's there were so patient! They let us stay 30-40 minutes after they were closed so we could finish. I knew being a frequent visitor would benefit us some day :)
The app took much longer than we thought, and our internet connection got spotty as we hit submit. So, we (by mistake) submitted the application three times, and got billed twice.
We called our adoption agency, Great Wall to inform them of the error. However, they were already aware! They had seen we paid twice, and had already started the refund process. If they are this on top of things, this will be a smooth process. Now, we wait for approval... :) The first picture is the start, the last one ( where we are both exhausted and frazzled) is when we completed it ...2 hours later... :) They also have to be quite possibly the WORST pictures of either one of us ( no fault of the picture taker...we were just exhausted:)
Lee and Sarah VanG.

Today is the Day!!!

I ( Sarah) Turn 30 today!:) Which means we can officially send in our application to Great Wall to adopt. So many emotions today! It is funny to think 5 years ago, I had no desire for children. Lee had wanted a family, but I was content on it being just the two of us. One video 3 years ago changed everything...
I remember the day so clearly. I was at work, and had stumbled on a video of China's waiting children. I felt a strange draw so I opened it. There I sat tearing up at what I seeing. These beautiful children, because they were A)Girls and B) Had correctable or non correctable health needs, were essentially being tossed aside. Many would die before being discovered, and the ones that were fortunate and were found were sent to orphanage's. Because of China's one child law, girls are not the desired gender. To add a health issue( many correctable with surgery) added to their undersirable status. I felt something stir in my heart, I wanted to be a mother to one of these little children. I wanted to give a little child a chance at life. I wanted to give a little girl with no mom and dad, a mom and dad. I left work knowing God had showed me that video, he had placed the curiosity in my heart to open it.( Side note:I still find it amazing how our Lord knows the deepest desires of our hearts, even when we ourselves don't realize them)

After work, I prayed for a way to mention this to Lee. We met for dinner at our fav. place ( Blue C Sushi). They had a large video playing on a 20 foot screen ( it's a very "industrial" design sushi place). We both glanced up, and at that time there was a little chinese child jumping off some rocks. I thanked God for opening the door, as this made a smooth transition for what I was about to bring up. "Honey, have you ever thought about adopting....from China?" He looked at me with that Lee smile, and said something I wasn't expecting. He too had been thinking about it for MONTHS, but knew I didn't have a strong desire for children, so he never brought it up. By the end of that meal, we made the decision that will affect the rest of our lives! We were going to be parents...Now the waiting began.
China has many rules, one of which is both parents have to be 30. Well, today we celebrate the fact that after years of planning and waiting, we are both 'of age' to be parents!
The picture above is my desk my co-workers decorated. As you can see, They all have known for years we were waiting for this day ( hence the Chinese lanterns).

Happy 41st Birthday Lee!

Today Lee turns 41 :-) We had a wonderful time on Sunday celebrating with some of our family. Since our birthdays are so close, we generally pick one weekend day to celebrate together:) Now, three more days and off goes our application to China!