Bringing Vacation to an End

I am so sad to say our vacation has ended. :( Getting up this morning was terribly painful, considering I had to get ready for work, I had to get up at 6 am instead of sleeping til 8, AND I didn't get to wake up to the rolling waves of the ocean! Triple bummer!

Our trip was fantastic, though. Absolutely perfect. We managed to escape any signs of oil whatsoever. The water was crystal blue! Here's the play-by-play:

We left Friday around 11:30am and drove until about 9pm. Then we stopped and slept for the night. We finished the loooong journey Saturday morning.

We arrived at the resort around 11:30 am Saturday, but the room wasn't ready. That's when we decided to just grab some lunch and stretch our legs by shopping in some local souvenier shops.

After our room was ready, the bellman took our bags to our room, and we went exploring. We strolled on the beach and ran around the resort, before going to Fresh for dinner. FYI: if ever in Daytona, do NOT go there. I repeat...DO NOT GO THERE. Service was terrible! We were the only people there when we showed up, and we were there for 2 hours! Mom made sure they knew it, too. When we didn't leave a tip, the waitress actually had the courage to run after my mom and yell at her! HAHA! Don't worry...mom let her have it :) Quite a funny start, huh?

Sunday we spent the day at the beach/pool. Mom managed to spill her drink over the balcony, which just happened to land directly on a resort security guard who was on break. A few minutes later, another guard knocked on our door with a report that we were throwing drinks off the balcony.

Monday was another day at the pool. We actually managed to get into the frigid ocean water.

Tuesday was my birthday, and we spent it at Seaworld! It was amazing! I have informed Brandon that I want a killer whale, a dolphin, a beluga whale, AND a sea lion!

Wednesday we were super lazy. We didn't leave the condo til after lunch. It was nice to just wake up and lay around.

Thursday mom and dad left for home, and Brandon and I ventured to Ponce Inlet. It's a cute little town with a historical lighthouse that I bravely and patiently waited for Brandon to climb. Then we had lunch at the Marina. After lunch, we went back to the condo and took a nap...until 7pm.

Friday we spend 9 hours by the pool, which was heaven!

Now I must go begin planning next year's vacation!

My Individual Interview

I had my individual interview at the agency today. I am SO glad that's over with. Actually, the interviews haven't been bad at all, and actually somewhat fun. But, still...I'm glad that part is over. All that's left now is Brandon's interview and the home visit! Woohoo!

The interview went well. Nothing exciting. She asked bunches of questions, all of them were about me. Me as a person, my habits, my hobbies, my personality, my family, my childhood, my goals, etc. It lasted over an hour.

Many people have been asking why we have had to go through all these interviews. The interviews are simply part of the process. If you ever adopt, you will do them as well. Basically, these interviews are how the social worker gets to know us. She's learning who we are and what we're about, so that when a birthmom comes along, they can tell her about us. Once the home visit is over, Carolyn (our social worker) will compile everything she's learned about us throughout the entire process and create our full profile. This is what the birthmom will see. It will tell her all about us. The finished product will be a completed (and hopefully approved) homestudy!

We've got lots going on right now. We leave for Florida this Friday! I can't wait! We're planning to drive to Orlando and go to Seaworld on my birthday! What better way to get older than to be a kid? :-) I'm excited about the penguins!

Will it ever end???

The process is moving along, but oh so slowly.

We had our first "official" couple's interview today. It went very, very well. We really like our social worker. She has put our minds at ease and made the process a little more comfortable. The interview lasted 2 hours, and she asked TONS of questions. She asked us about our jobs, our marriage, parenting styles, personalities, how we deal with disagreements, our families, and lots of other things I can't even remember now.

Next, we will each have an individual interview. Mine is scheduled for 6/15 and Brandon's is scheduled for 6/28. This is not the timeline I was hoping for, as I was really hoping to get all the interviews out of the way before vacation, but it's not a huge deal. She made me feel much better about the home visit. I really don't have much else to do, so there's not a lot to worry about. What a relief! It looks like it will be the first of July before the homestudy process is done, and it may be the end of July before we have an approved homestudy and are placed on the list of waiting families. But, the process does not end there!

We have a LOT to do once the process is done. We have to begin really preparing for the baby. Although we are expecting a 3 year wait, there is no guarantee of that...it could be 2 years...it could be 4...it could be 1. We just don't know! That makes it hard. But, I would much rather be prepared and ready than to not be.

Also, once the home study is approved, we must begin the stressful act of saving up a LOT (and I mean a LOT) of money. Not only are we trying to get a good emergency fund saved up, but we also have to save up $7,000 rather quickly (we will have to have this on hand when a birthmother chooses us, because we will have to pay it when the baby comes to us), not to mention, money for traveling if the baby is in another state, and money for our adoption attorney for the finalization. MY GOODNESS! I can't even begin to think of how much we need for all of that! It's a tad bit overwhelming! So, stay tuned for more fundraiser announcements!
We also still have plenty of Teddies for sale!

We have a LONG way to go until we bring our baby home, and we appreciate all your love and support! Thank you!