Sad news!!! No TA today!!! Our agency is checking to see when another package is due. I think we just crossed over into the zone of impossible! My Mom has a theory, "God is always on time...He is hardly ever early but always on time". I would love to be in the position of not testing her theory! I'm still going to keep packing my bags. Even if the TA comes on Tuesday next week, I think we can still do it(with a CA of course)! I have peace...no plan,no TA, no CA,no theory but peace. I'm going to keep packing! I hope you will keep praying for us.

PS. I'm giving myself permission to eat chocolate today. Only today! I'm sad, and I'm not pretending to be super human! I will fast tomorrow...but today I'm eating chocolate!

Today is probably the BIG DAY, TA DAY! Juergen and I got the kids off to school this morning. I'm not a morning person. If you have been reading my blog, you also know I've run myself ragged making lists, and trying to get ready to go. I was cuddling with my man in the big chair, but he is jumping up and down, saying "We must do this, and we must do that"!!! I just want a few quite moments to drink my coffee. Believe me, I know what "must be done"!!! Juergen is such a great dad! There is nothing passive about him...God willing we are going to China (maybe even next week). The alarm has been ringing in my head for weeks, but somehow Juergen just found out that we must get ready!

No TA yet, but my agency does expect a package from China tomorrow! There is no guarantee my TA will be in this package, but it's a pretty good bet! I hope I have good news tomorrow. Please be praying for a miracle CA (consulate appointment). My agency isn't going to let anyone travel during the trade fair in Guangzhou (the 3rd and 4Th weeks of April). We would need to travel around April 1st, and hopefully get one of the last consulate appointments (April 9-12). You all knew it was going to be a tight squeeze! I'm praying the first big hurdle is passed tomorrow (TA)! Juergen just called me from the Frankfurt airport. He should be home in a few minutes. There was an airline strike in Tel Aviv, and he almost had to stay an extra two days or so! I praise God he managed to make it back! I am feeling your prayers (really I feel it)! By Gods grace we will all have reason to get excited tomorrow!!!

Did I ever tell you how long I wanted to adopt from China before Juergen finally said yes? I was looking at every list of kids I was allowed to look at. Poor Juergen! I would say, "how about her...or her"? I even found a few boys I would have gladly said yes to, even though I realy wanted a girl this time. This went on for a year. Juergen had not even said yes, he wanted to adopt. I planned to take my kids (except Jessica) to the USA for Christmas 2005. I knew I would be at my parents house, so crazy me began to bid on lots of children's cloths on e-bay in the USA. Juergen still had not said yes, but I knew it was going to happen. If he said no, I would have given the cloths away. On March 3RD 2006 Juergen said yes to Sarah. When I get discouraged about weather it's going to work out it helps me to look back and remember I began shopping for her in the fall of 2005. I knew then what I know now...my daughter is in China, and God will absolutely move Mountains to bring her home!

I'm awfully glad I've walked down dark and scary roads before. Roads where you felt lost and kind of trapped. I've experienced times when it looked impossible,and yet it was not impossible! The rumors on the yahoo web groups are that the TA's will not come until next week, and no US consulate appointments will be given until May! My friend Sydney is in China right now. She is adopting her son Seth. What many of you don't know is Sydney needed a family size wavier to get Seth. She and her husband John already have 13 children. Seth is the 14Th. He is being brought out of certain poverty (because of his untreated special need), into a full and loving family. He had no future, and now his future will be blessed! God has a purpose for his life...and I'm sure God has a purpose for Sarah's life too. He makes the impossible possible! So I will wait for Gods way to open up. I hope the TA comes today. I hope we don't have to wait until next week! What ever happens, I know Sarah will come home.


Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

Psalm 139:7-12

(T many A) too many abandoned



(T of A) Toll of Aids

(TA) Tiger Action



(TA) Turtle Anxiety



(TA) Tired Ant



(TA) Ten Apples

(TA) Too Anxious!
This is the (LOA) life of Amy!




"But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD,
for he has been good to me."
Psalm 13:5-6

(LOA) Lord of ALL!!!



(TA) Today's agenda!



(TA) Too adorable!



(TA) Travel anticipated!

(TA)Think Attack




(TA) Training Area


(TA)Travel Agent

(TA)Tel Aviv,Israel where my (TA) too adorable husband has a (TA) teaching assignment for the (LOA)large organization sAp. He just called me from his room on the Mediterranean. The weather there is (TA) totally awesome! The weather here in Germany is (TA) totally awful!!! Tata!!! (LOA) Love One Another!!! Do you think if we just all think TA and LOA enough it will finally happen? TA (Thanks Awfully)!!!

Jennifer at Our Journey begins again asks if we could also make this LOA week because she is waiting a Letter of Acceptance for her new little girl. I am happy to share this week with Jennifer! (LOA) LET OUR ALL (IMPORTANT PAPERS) come SOON!!!Mr Postman...bring us a dream!!!

I've been cleaning Sarah's bedroom today. It has been ready for months. Somehow Philip and Thomas find it more interesting to play in Sarah's room, then their own. I found something (TA)TOTALLY AWFUL under the bed! The very large container of duplo was filled with the remains of moths. Someone (I am not pointing any fingers here because I am not sure what someone, or someones) had left gummy worms in with the duplo. The gummy worms were dried out. They must have made a great winter snack for the bugs! I will spare you a photo of the mess. Here is the duplo in the bath tub! Boys!!!!

(TA)Terrible anger!!!



(TA)Trans Am



(TA)Too Awful!!!

I hope we get our TA (travel approval) this week! Therefore the High and mighty keeper of this blog proclaims this TA week!!! I was wondering about all the other things TA could stand for. For example..Tomato aroma, or transdermal application, or tight apparel, or too ape-like.

I want to thank you for sharing your comments and your fairy tale moments this past week. I'm pretty sure we will have a happy ending...and a TA very soon! I hope you will pray for our TA. The kids have Easter vacation in only 12 days. If we got our TA this week, we could still manage to travel during the vacation. In Germany it is really not legal to take the kids out of school any other time. Since Germany is not really cooperating with this adoption, and we are going through the American system, it would be best not to upset the German government! God already knows our need, but I would be grateful for your prayers! I do feel peace it will work out!
Our favorite fairy tale story this week came from Kimberley at the seventh diamond. Kimberley is great for leaving comments. She is one of the most encouraging people! I want to thank all of you for you wonderful words of support. I read every word, and I'm so grateful I am not just writing to empty space! Kimberley wrote...

There were many years when I was a single mother with my oldest 2 sons Zach and Tyler. More than anything I wanted to be able to afford to take them to Disney World, but I just couldn't. When Zach was 9 and Tyler was 6, I got a new job that payed much better and I scheduled a trip for us to go. When we were at Cinderella's castle, my children were standing in front of me and I was sitting on the ground. The fireworks started because it was after dark and the boys were mesmerized. I could see their silhouettes, Tyler had his pirate hat on and Zach had his lanier with tons of pins. I just started crying and I cried for about 10 minutes. My heart was so filled with joy that I could finally bring my children to Disney World.

Some times I think these moments mean much more to us then they do to our children. It means so much to be able to give! Kimberley is no longer a single mom. She has been blessed with a great husband, and is preparing to adopt a little girl in China they plan to call Sophia Jane. This weeks Easter package goes to Kimberly!!!

I was driving Jessica in the car. She likes to go for a drive at least once a day. I was listening to a Christian CD. It had a Michael W Smith song titled "I will carry you"! That song basically describes the way I am feeling right now. I was overwhelmed, and now somehow my feet no longer touch the ground. God has begun to carry me! I could not find this song on you tube or best audio, but I did find the song healing rain. I'm not an alcoholic or drug addict, but I am also a human being in the need of Gods mercy and grace. I am one who would stand in the middle of the street...I need Gods grace to shower down on me. Let Gods love over whelm me like a flood, let his help sweep me up and carry me. I can not make it on my own!

My friend Sydney just got her beautiful son Seth today! Congratulations!!! God is good!!!

Hi, I had a pretty good day. I slept until 10:30. In a house with kids, that's not so easy to do. I'm really tired. It's not a physical tiredness that comes from hard work, it's emotional. I think I could easily have spent the day in bed. I took the boys to get their hair cut instead. Juergen thought we had better get important stuff for the trip done (as if hair cuts were not at the top of our to do list). I said we are going to take allot of pictures in China, and those pictures are important to me. I don't want to always see my son’s photos, and say they needed a hair cut! They now look like they could be models! I have very good looking sons!!!
I spent a few hours watching the movie twister with the boys. There is a scene in the film where they are chasing a tornado to do research, and the tornado is very close to them. It starts to suck things up, and toss things around. It sucks a whole heard of cows in the air. The cows are flying. The boys wanted to watch this scene over and over. They thought it was so funny. It was great for me to just lay on the couch and laugh. I went to the birthday party of very good friends tonight. That was also wonderful and relaxing. I could drown in this adoption. I get so crazy and stressed out by the stupid details. Life is no longer normal. Everything is way out of whack! I want Sarah home so I can start living again! I need to think of other stuff, I am so lost in this wonderful crazy obsession. I am very excited to finally be close to going to China. It has been a dream for many years. I am 100% sure I will love this trip. Still, I am also looking forward to planting my garden, and thinking about "normal" stuff! Happy Saint Patricks day!

I'm sitting here drinking a hot tea, and trying really hard to relax! I was watching videos on you tube. This one is cute. It has nothing to do with fairy tales...but it's cute! Be sure to write down your fairy tale story on the adoption forum. I will pick a winner on Sunday. The forum is to the left of the page, just click on message board.