I800a + Vermont=Rest, Fun, Snow!

We are really making some progress with our Dossier!  I finally feel like we are progressing and that we are actually getting closer to meeting our treasured little ones!  AJ and I had to wait what seemed like forever to fill out and send this application to Homeland Security because part of our Home Study report had to be redone ...yuck!  So we had to wait about 4 weeks to have the Home Study report redone (which our agency so kindly charged us for) and receive it in the mail.  Once we got that in our hands we were able to submit our I 800a application to USCIS and now we...wait for it...wait for it....yeah we wait for it.  In a way, I think going through years of waiting to have a baby has made AJ and I extremely patient in this whole waiting process...if you haven't noticed a lot of the adoption process is about waiting...waiting to fill out forms, waiting on others to fill our forms, waiting for forms to fill out other forms so that you can wait some more sheesh!  In the end though, it's all worth it and will prepare us for the next time we adopt (there will be many more times)!

Our I800a application set and ready to go!  My husband ROCKS!

 We have been going nonstop since last year with helping both my parents recover, starting the adoption process, work and life...we needed a reprieve.  What better way to reconnect, rest and breath a little than to take a mini trip to our beloved Woodstock, Vermont.  AJ and I have been going to this amazingly quaint little town for  quite a while and my parents spent their honeymoon there.  We love  staying at the Woodstock Inn, but his trip needed to be a bit more economical this time around! So we ended up staying at a not-so-great B&B, but we felt blessed just to get away and spend some time together and with our family!  My parents were up in Woodstock ( staying at the Woodstock Inn) ,as well as, my younger brother so it was nice to have dinner with  each other every night we were there!

Our beloved Woodstock Inn --it's huge you just can't tell from this pic!

What you see when you step outside

 The first day AJ and I were there, we decided to take a hike up the mountain across from the Inn.  It took us about an hour up and an hour back and it was worth it.  The views when you get to the top are amazing!

About 20 minutes from Woodstock is Killington, a great ski mountain and resort.  AJ and I haven't been skiing and snowboarding since we took our family trip to Tahoe in 2007 so we felt it was high time to get back in the saddle and hit the slopes.  My brother, Grant, AJ and I went for the day and had such a great time.  It snowed the entire day and was great conditions!  The mountain was gorgeous, especially when we took the K-1 Express Gondola to the very top...the snow was like globs of white frosting on the trees....beautiful.  We took several trails and enjoyed God's provision, goodness and creativity in design as we made our way down the very long mountain!  Getting back on my board and enjoying the winter wonderland around me was just what I needed.  I felt like I got a piece of me back that had been missing since trying to have a family.  Both AJ and I agreed it was some of the most fun we have had in a long long time!  We kept thinking the whole time, what fun we will have when we are able to bring our little ones to the slopes and teach them how to ski...or if it's up to their Mama, they'll be strapping a snowboard to their feet!

AJ and Grant ready to ski from the top of Killington!

Loving this time I had with AJ

I'm ready to go!!!

One bummer about being in very cold weather is that it effects the battery in my little old shoot and click camera and it died pretty quickly.  That's quite alright though because I have some pretty terrific memories that I'll never forget.

 We ended each night at dinner with our family and one night had dinner at our favorite restaurant Simon Pearce. We had an outstanding dinner, as always, and enjoyed the time of laughter and love with everyone around the table!  I love my family so much!  We ended our trip with brunch at the Woodstock Inn and headed home to New Jersey (insert a very sad face here and perhaps a bit of whining).  We had such a great time and felt incredibly refreshed to tackle some more waiting when we got back!

Some beautiful historic buildings around Woodstock...gorgeous!

We are well on our way now and will be introducing two new fundraisers within the next couple of days!  It's crunch time now to start getting our fundraiser complete!  Continue to pray for us as we conintue our journey of adoption!  Love you all!

God is good and we are blessed

"For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains
and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and
all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."
Isaiah 55:12