Celebrate The Promise

I have been active on a couple of non profit boards since my foray into the non profit world a few years ago.  After a year internship at a local non-profit through the Young Leaders Council (which is awesome, BTW.  Highly recommend).  I took a hiatus while I figured out what I REALLY had a passion for. 

I mean, being on a board is work.  Board meetings take time away from work.  Fundraisers take time and money.  But this time last year, a co-worker came to my office and during our random conversation, I found out that she was rolling off of the board of Miriam’s Promise.  I’d heard of Miriam’s Promise from my friend, Elizabeth who worked with them to do her home study when she was adopting last year.

I read up on MP and decided I wanted to join what they were doing to help children.

So on the eve of celebrating Kylie’s homecoming, I figured this was the perfect time to talk about how you can help Miriam’s Promise continue to do what they do for the families they serve.

Next Friday, April 5, is their annual event.  It’s a night you don’t want to miss!  Unfortunately, and ironically, I’ll be traveling and will miss, but you don’t have to. 

If you are interested in attending and learning more about the work MP does, you can click here.  If you can’t attend, please considering making a donation.  If you own a business that would be interested in making a donation, please let me know!  Finally, if you really can’t afford to donate (because I know some of you would love to, but can’t), there are two ways to support MP. 

You can either donate an auction item or just pray for the board, staff and families of Miriam’s Promise in the next few days leading up to Celebrate the Promise. 

But if you ARE interested in learning more about Miriam’s Promise or making a donation, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.  Donations are tax deductible.

Thank you friends.

Happy birthday Rachel!

Today I want to wish my dearest and oldest friend, Rachel, a very happy birthday!

Rachel and I have known each other literally our entire lives.  We are very much alike and at the same time, oh, so very different!

We hold the same morals, work ethic and values.  We went to the same school, home church and now attend the same church and live in the same town.  Up until last year, we worked at the same company.

Rachel is way more outgoing than I am and a ton funnier.  She is also way more laid back and she is  phenomenal event planner. Not too long ago, I volunteered to help with a church event she was planning and I got to see her professional side and WOW!!!  I just couldn't get over it! 

She is currently STILL in the very, very long wait for a little girl in Ethiopia.  I know God had written her story just like ours, but it's been several VERY LONG years...once upon a time, we actually thought we might travel together right before the big slow down in ET.  So, if you will, take a moment today and whisper a prayer for her as she continues to wait.  I know a lot of adoptive families read this blog and while we all waiting various times for our children, we know the pain and struggle that you endure during that time.  And if you want the HELP her bring her daughter home, she's selling these cookbooks for $20. 

I put a bunch of recipes in there and it has become my favorite cookbook I own and I'm not exaggerating.  I seriously love it.  So if you want one, comment or email me and I'll put you in touch.  And if you are out of town, I will personally cover the shipping costs.

Happy birthday Rachel!  Here's to your last birthday without Zoe in your arms!!!

Speechless...alternatively titled...God Shows Up Part II

It's unusual for me to post twice in one day.  So you must know I have something important to say.  I'm blogging tonight not to brag or ask for attention for any particular person.  I am simply brought to my knees tonight in gratefulness to a God who just doesn't quit.  Praise God  that He doesn't.  And I want to journal here for me to come back and remember when I doubt.

I mentioned in this post how I don't understand why God continues to provide even through my doubt and unfaithfulness.  Then today happened...again...

One of those "strangers" I mentioned in the earlier post is actually the friend of a friend.  I have lots of lots of virtual friends who are adoptive moms.  These girls are as close to my heart as one can be that you've never met.  One of these sweet moms has become such a dear friend to me.  She pointed another adoptive mom (also adopting a cleft baby) to my blog.

This mom recently contacted me and gave me her blog and we exchanged an email or two.  It was in her first email to me that she said she wanted to make a donation to our adoption and wanted to know what address to send it to.

Today, I received her check in the mail.  Steve called because he'd gotten the mail and had seen the envelope.  He wanted to know who was sending it (as he did not recognize the return address name) and whether he could open it.  I told him he could and I could hear the paper rustling as he opened the envelope.

What I heard next was from Jenna....a huge gasp of surprise, then, "WHOA!!!!" and then silence.  Enough silence that I wasn't sure if we were still connected.  Finally, Steve squeaked out, near tears, "It's a check for $1,000!!"

Yes, my friends, God sent us $1,000 through another adoptive mama who had been equally blessed through her fundraising.  I found myself absolutely speechless.  And for those that know me, that is quite unusual.

So, I'm here telling this story not to applaud this generous donor (because I know she's reading).  Though I barely know her, my guess is she would not want her name mentioned here.  She didn't give for the recognition.  She gave, because like my former co-worker, it's what she felt God was leading her to do.

I want you to see how God is working.  That is undeniable.  And it's not just the $1,000.  It's the $50, the $200, the $10 and the $20 for all the t-shirts everyone bought.  Every single dollar has served to get us to this point. 

I am as humbled as I can possibly be.  I feel like I should be on my face before God thanking Him for being a God that pursues me.  He is not satisfied to get us "almost there" or "close".  He's going to blow us out of the water.

And you, my friends, are witnessing a miracle in the making. 

Jump on board because God isn't done yet.

Matter of fact, it looks like He's just. getting. started.

Last Chance...

This is the last time I'll be offering our adoption t-shirts...I have 63 shirts left.  That's less than 1/2 of what I ordered, so if I could move about 30 more, I'd be happy.  I am now out of smalls and 2XLs.  I have one 3XL left and quite a few L and XL.  I have fewer mediums, but I do have some.



I have had a few people ask me about my Paypal and yes, it does still work.  If you click on the box right over there... ------->>  If you order through Paypal, you will pay $20 for the shirt and 1/2 the shipping.  If you prefer to pay by check or cash, I will accept that as well, just email me at sandysignr AT charter DOT net. 

We are now 2 weeks away from leaving, so whatever I don't move in the next week, they will most likely be donated while I'm gone (one of the items on Steve's honey-do list!!)

So, if you haven't gotten one...it's now or never.  Now, let's do this.  Only 63 to move...you NEED one of these shirts!  When you wear it, you can say your contribution helped bring an orphan to her family.  Who wouldn't want to be able to say that??

God Shows Up

Many of you know our struggles with Steve being unemployed for the last...well...forever, it seems.  And most of you know my story that I was called (very clearly, in fact) to go on a mission journey to South Africa shortly after Steve lost his job.  You can read about that amazing story here and here.  Then, before leaving for South Africa, God called us to adopt.  I know it was a God calling because before, Steve had absolutely no interest in adding to our family.

In the years (yes, 2 1/2 and counting) in which Steve has been out of a job, we have been asked by God to do many BIG things.  Many things that cost A LOT of money.  But today, I'm here to talk about how God has shown up in those leaps of faith...

2 1/2 years ago, we were DEEP in debt.  We were barely making ends meet and we had tons of credit card debt...some from bad financial decisions, but some also from bumps in our financial road that we weren't adequately prepared for.  When my dad passed away, I inherited enough money to pay that debt off and we were set!  We were about to be livin' the good life!  We didn't even get a one month taste of the good life because it was a month later when Steve lost his job.  Back then, if you would have told me we would be where we are today, I would have laughed (shout out to Sarah of the OT times!).  Because there would have been no way, short of a miracle, we could have made it on just my salary for this long.

But here we are.  Almost ready to bring Kylie home and so far, all of the adoption paid for in CASH.  Some cash we had saved (albeit for Jenna's college fund!), much of it donated, lots of it fundraised, the rest of it earned.

Mid-last week, we had over 100 adoption t-shirts left.  We only bought 150 to start, so having the majority of that left was pretty sad.  Since that time, my niece Beth (the daughter of Deanne, my SIL traveling with me to China) sold EIGHT shirts to folks in her little physician's office.  EIGHT!  Friday night, Steve took the whole bin to the bowling alley where my SIL and many of her closest friends bowl on a church league.  Steve came in with nearly $200 worth of t-shirts sold there.  Sunday, my sweet neighbor, Aimee, took a bunch of shirts to her church and sold 13 of them there.  And the kicker was that Aimee was saddened she didn't sell more!  SELL MORE?!?!  Holy cow?  Saturday night, a few other adoptive families and I held a craft night fundraiser (more to come as soon as I hijack pics of the night from my friend Elizabeth), and I walked away with another chunk of change (remember, "chunk" is all in the eye of the beholder!) and since my Facebook post last week, I've gotten about 10 order for t-shirts as well.  5 on my desk to send out today!

All that to say, in the last...3 days...we've been blessed with nearly $1000 more to get us to Kylie!  The airline tickets are bought.  And they went on a credit card.  Unfortunately, that was the only way to pay for them in the short amount of time we have.  But I know that God shows up sometimes at the 11th hour when we know there is NO other way for things to happen.  So I hope God is just getting started.  He might not will it that this adoption be completely paid for without more sacrifice on our part.  I paid more than 1/2 of my mission journey to South Africa.  And yes, it hurt.  Financially, we didn't have it, but we found it eventually and paid it off at the last minute. 

But while I'm here...I want to remember His provisions in our lives.  God is just getting started.  I hope you'll stick around to see Him finish this out. 

Oh, and if you want a t-shirt, we do have some left.  There are no more SMALLS.  We have a handful of Mediums and plenty of Large and XL.  I have 1-3XL left and maybe 1 or 2 of the 2XLs.  Click here to learn how to get one and be a part of Kylie's story.

By the way, if you purchased a t-shirt and can take a picture of you wearing it, do that and send it to me.  I'll post them on my blog over the next few weeks.  My friend Elizabeth is doing this over on her blog and I sure wish I thought of it sooner!  She's a smart cookie!

Thirty One Party

My friend Page is closing her Thirty One party today!  Remember, she is donating all the proceeds to our adoption fund!  Click here if you want to order!!!

Thirty One Does It Again!!

Remember when I received an offer to do a Thirty-One fundraiser party to help with our adoption?  When my online friend, Anne, donated all the profits of my e-party to help us bring Kylie home by donating all of her profits to our adoption fund?

I got some super cute stuff from Thirty One just for having the party, plus I raised over $100 for our adoption!  It was so easy and I'm super thankful for Anne for doing this for adoptive families.

During the time my e-party was going on, a dear friend of mine wanted to do something more.  So instead of just buying some stuff for herself, she contacted Anne and decided to do a party of her own in January and donate the proceeds to us!  How's that for a creative and generous way to give?!

So, for those of you who missed the opportunity last time, the email Page sent out is below.  All the details are there.  Buy a little something for you, for your family (these make fabulous gifts) and help us in the process!

For those who are wondering, we need about $8000 to travel.  We have about $1000 of that saved and have several grant applications we are waiting to hear back on.  We are likely about 6 weeks away from travel.  That's a tall order in that amount of time, but in the end, we know God is up for it and we are waiting for Him to blow us away!  Read on...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Good afternoon. I just want to let you know I am having a Thirty-One catalog party from now through January 27^th. This is not ONLY a party, but It’s A CELEBRATION… as the consultant is donating 100% of her commission to Sandra Taylor to go towards their adoption! Sandra works in HR and she and her husband are looking to bring their baby girl home soon to make their family of four complete. Please know that Sandra and their family truly appreciate all everyone is doing in support of their adoption.

Please take a moment to see pictures of their precious baby girl, Kylie Liann Yingbei Taylor.

You can go online to order. To order online, click http://www.mythirtyone.com/AnneLittle/ , scroll down and click “My Events” (found on the right side in pink) and click “Shop Now” (found to the right side of my name). There you will find an online catalog. If you are local (Nashville, TN and surrounding areas) and would like to save $4, please click to have your order shipped to hostess (me) and I will be more than happy to deliver it to you. It’s a great deal!

CUSTOMER SPECIAL FOR JANUARY

The amazing Thermal Tote sale is on for January!! Traditional Thermal Totes are on sale for only $10. The new Cinch Top Thermals are on sale for only $15. There is no minimum purchase required and no limit on the number of totes you can purchase. The Traditional Thermals can be personalized for $7. Personalization is not available on the Cinch Top Thermals.  

Also, please feel free to forward this on to anyone who might be interested in ordering. If they aren’t local, they can click on the link above for online ordering.

Please keep in mind that Thirty-One has wonderful items to treat oneself, they make great Valentine and Mother’s Day gifts and they make a sweet gift for that special loved one who is away at college!! There is something for everyone! Plus, the customer special is AWESOME!

I can’t Thank You enough for your support. HAPPY SHOPPING!

Page Durham

Welcome Kelly's Korner and Stuff Christians Like Readers!

If you have popped over from Kelly's Korner or Stuff Christians Like, WELCOME!  I'm so glad you stopped in.  You can read a little about our adoption story here. 

In short, we are about 6 weeks from bringing our special needs daughter from China home!  We are so excited, but still need to raise about $5-6000 for our travel expenses!  Please consider helping us!

5 reasons you need one of our adoption t-shirts:

5.  Because let's be honest, you can NEVER have enough t-shirts.
4.  It's a great conversations starter when someone asks you about it.
3.  They are going to make GREAT gifts for teachers, family and friends.
2.  They are a great color which goes with anything and both guys and girls look good in them.

And the top reason you should buy one of our adoption t-shirts?

1. Because you can say you had a part in bringing a beautiful baby girl home to her family.  You can be part of OUR blessing.

Back of shirt

My PayPal button is back!  If you are local, shirts are $20 and you can pay me by cash or check.  I'll of course deliver your shirt to you.  If you are not local, shirts are still $20, but $2.50 will be added for shipping.  I can expedite ship your shirt to you for $5, so $2.50 will offset part of the shipping.  And you too can pay in cash or check.  (If you've recently purchased a shirt online and have not yet received it, you will NOT owe shipping!)  Shirts are available in S, M, L,XL and a few 2XL and 3XL (if you are interested in a size over the XL, email me first...they aren't on PayPal due to limited quantities). 

If you are interested in a t-shirt, email me at sandysignr(AT)charter(DOT)net (removing the words and inserting the proper punctuation), order through PayPal or you can leave a comment below.

For those of you who already have plenty of t-shirts and have no desire to have more, or for those that have already bought (THANKS!), you can still help.  Please send this to everyone you know and ask them to help us bring Kylie home!

For us. 

For Kylie.

Front of t-shirt

Adoption Rally at Lipscomb University

It's been a long time coming, but I wanted to update everyone on the Adoption Rally that Lipscomb University partnered with us on.

First of all, if you are a local family who is adopting, click here and find out more about this wonderful opportunity.

There were a lot of strangers who showed up, some DL families and some pretty dedicated Daddy friends coming out with their little ones...

At 8 minutes left in the game, we went out onto the floor and they introduced us and announced our total...

$500!  It was so much fun and easy fundraising!  There was also fun stuff for Jenna.  She especially loved the cheerleaders and there were super cool tattoos!!!

And to boot, Lipscomb won the game! It was a great idea for a family night and I hope to pay it forward to other adoptive families in the future!

And The Winner of the iPad Is....

Well, the day you have been waiting for is here!  I could not wait to draw the lucky winner of our new Apple iPad.

Before we get to that, let me share with you that after the absolute RUN of crazy procrastinators out there and after deducting the cost of the iPad, we raised a grand total of  about $650 towards our adoption! When I drafted this post at 10pm last night, the total amount was more than $200 less!!!  You night owls totally surprised us!!  Every dollar counts and each of YOU made it happen. 

I will tell you that as of yesterday afternoon when I purchased the iPad, we had only made about $90.  The rest came in last evening.  We are blown away.  BLOWN.  AWAY.

I truly wish I could draw every one of your names out today.  So many of you entered both drawings and multiple times...it seems unfair that ALL of you can't win.  If I could have given away 5 of these, I totally would.  I was humbled at the number of folks that donated to help bring Kylie home to us.  Let me make sure you understand...YOU have a personal hand in bringing this...

TO US.

We are just so blessed! So without further ado...CONGRATULATIONS to:

JILL PULFREY!

Congratulations to Jill again and to my sweetie Jenna for taking part in the drawing.  She was clearly thrilled to do it!

And THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to every single one of you who bought tickets, blogged, tweeted or Facebooked it! May God bless you for your generosity this Christmas season!

Your Last Chance at an iPad!

I'm serious this time...today is it.  I'm drawing about 8:30 in the morning.  But I won't post the winner until closer to noon.  I'll also post the winner on Twitter and Facebook.

If you want a last minute entry or to simply increase your chances of winning, better enter now...

Information about the iPad Drawing

So I'm getting quite a few questions about how we are doing the iPad drawing.  I guess I could just link you to the original blog, but I figured if you popped in this way, then you'd probably just as soon read it here.  You've come to the right place...thought a Q&A might be the quickest way for you to find the answer you might be looking for...

Q1.  Is the drawing going to happen?
A1.  YES!  We have enough entries.  No refunds this time!!!  Stick around on Saturday...it'll be fun and worth it!  I'll video me and a special guest drawing the winner!

Q2.  Why are you doing this?
A2.  We are doing this as a fundraiser for our adoption.  We have about $8000 of travel expenses yet to raise.  If I don't have the money ready to go when our final travel approval comes in from China, then we won't be able to go until we have the money.  I cannot fathom knowing we could leave any day, but can't because the money just isn't there. 

Q3.  Is the iPad donated?  Is it new?  Where did you get it?
A3.  No, the iPad most definitely is NOT donated.  I am buying it.  It will be BRAND new.  I'm most likely going to purchase it from my favorite store in the world...Target.  It'll be new, in the package, never opened.  If you'd like to donate the money just for the ipad, then feel free.  I'll give you a special mention in my winner blog post!  :)

Q4.  How do I enter to win?  What is the deadline?
A4.  Entries are 1 for $10 or 3 for $25*.  You can write me a personal check, send me cash or the easiest is to use Paypal which can be reached by clicking over there ------> on the picture of the iPad.  You can get free entries by blogging about it, posting it on your Facebook or Tweeting about it.  And if someone enters to win and tells me you sent them, well, that's ANOTHER free entry for you.  So it pays to tell your friends.  But time is running out...the drawing will be Saturday morning the 17th.  I plan to draw about 8:30am and will have the winner posted by noon the same day.  So you can enter as late as the wee hours of the morning on the 17th, but I wouldn't recommend waiting.  :)

Q5.  If I don't live in town, can I still enter?
A5.  Of course!  If you win and don't live in town, I will ship it to you insured.  My cost.

Q6.  What are the odds of winning?
A6.  Ooooh, good question!  I can't tell you exactly what the odds are because technically (I didn't do well in stats BTW), it depends on how many times you are entered.  But right now, I'll tell you, we have less than 200 entries.  So as my friend Stacey said on her blog, those are pretty darn good odds.  Probably better than anywhere else.  But, there can only be 1 winner.  And it could be the person who bought $100 worth of entries, blogged, tweeted and FB'd about it, or it could be the person who bought ONE entry and that's it.   That's the gamble.

Q7.  Why can't I just wait until next year to enter the next drawing you have?
A7.  Because there's not going to be another.  After I close this fundraiser, I'm done with fundraising and trusting God is going to show up.  So do it now.  Don't miss out.

Q8.  I've already got an iPad and really don't need another.  Is there another way to support you?
A8.  Yes!  I still have a bunch of t-shirts left (see the picture in the right sidebar).  Or you can make a cash/check donation if you prefer.  :)

So let's do this...you have just a few more days...spread the word!!!

**Note: Purchase is not required for entry. Tickets are by donation only. If you wish to enter and do not want to purchase a ticket, put your request in writing to the email address above. Limit 1.

The End is Near...iPad Drawing

It's almost time...less than a week to go.  If you want a shot at that iPad, then you better get entered! 

Tick tock tick tock.....

Thirty-One Closes Today!

Just a reminder that my Thirty One party closes today!  If you are still lacking that perfect gift for a hard-to-buy-for family member, then you need to buy from Thirty One!  It has something for everyone on your list!

Click here and order right online.  I'll get one step closer to bringing Kylie home and you can finish up your Christmas shopping!

And I promise, I'm almost done with fundraising...just hang in there with me!

Thirty-One Party

Don't forget, my Thirty One fundraiser is closing in a few days! I'm totally falling in love with this stuff and can't wait to get some of it for myself!

For more information, go here...all the links are there and you can order right online!

PLAY BALL!

OK, I know that's for baseball and our fundraiser adoption rally is a basketball game, but you get the point!

Please come out tonight to see Lipscomb University v. UT-Martin!  It's a fun family night and will bring us another step closer to bringing our Kylie home!

See you there!

Game On!

Well, tomorrow night is our Adoption Rally at Lipscomb University.  I'll admit I'm nervous about the turnout.  Not so much about the benefit we'll get from it, but just that we'll have a good showing of friends.

I sent out an Evite to many of you that I have an email address for.  For those who are on Facebook, I sent an Event on Facebook.  But this is an open invitation.  If you are reading this blog right now, YOU are invited!  Please come on out!

For those of you who have RSVP'd (even if it was no), thank you!  If you can't come, can I be so bold as to ask you to please pray for us tomorrow night?  Thank you...

If you need a reminder of the details, they are posted below.

Date: Tuesday, December 6*
Game Time: 6:30pm
Opponent: UT Martin
Location: Allen Arena on the Lipscomb University Campus
Tickets: $7 for adults (general admission), $5 for kids (general admission). $12 and $5 respectively for reserved seats...the better seats you buy, the more money we raise to bring Kylie home. I am confirming you can buy tickets online or at the box office that evening.

iPad Drawing

The iPad drawing is due to happen December 17.  Unfortunately, I have not sold enough raffle tickets to cover the cost of the iPad.  If I haven't received enough sales by the 17th, the drawing will be canceled and I'll refund money to those of you who did purchase tickets.

There's just a little over 2 weeks left to purchase tickets, so if you want to get in on the drawing, please don't wait.  I know it's the holidays and money is tight for everyone and I've badgered everyone for donations for our Kylie all season long.  The last thing I want to do is cancel the drawing, but I cannot afford to purchase the iPad myself.

If you don't want to, or can't, participate, at least tell a friend.  Remember, you get extra entries FOR FREE if they enter and tell me you sent them!

To order, just click that link right over there...  to the right side bar.

Blessings from Thirty-One

As many of you know, I have made many new friends via online venues who are going through, or have already gone through, adoption.

Recently I met a friend named Anne Little.  When Anne was fundraising in order to bring home her sweet daughter from China, a friend of hers had a Thirty-One party as a fundraiser and it was one of the most successful things she did.

When Anne came home, she wanted to find some way to help adoptive families fundraise.  Quickly enough, she decided selling Thirty One was the way to go.  After meeting Anne online, she offered to throw me a Thirty-One fundraiser party in which she would donate 100% of her profits to me.  She does this for any adoptive family who is interested!  I am stoked that what once was a complete stranger would offer to give up her profits to help us bring Kylie home!

This is absolutely no pressure.  But just a reminder, Christmas is coming VERY soon and there are some SUPER CUTE things that would make great gifts for family members (especially those hard-to-buy-for mother in laws!).

My show starts TODAY.  And it ends on December 9th.  What this means is if you order now, you'll have it in time for Christmas.  Just take a look at this:

I would LOVE to have these to put Jenna's and Kylie's toys in!  Are these not the cutest?  And look at what else I have my eye on...

Oh yes!  I could totally see this in a cutesy pattern in Kylie's room!  They have a bag which can be used as a diaper bag as well.

So, if you are in love with this stuff like I am, then take a look at the PDF of the catalog which you can find here.  For the locals, I have catalogs that I can bring you if you like to flip through catalogs like I do.  When you are ready to order, click here and click on "My Events" where you'll see my party.  When you click on "shop now", you can go and add whatever you want to  your cart.  You can pay online with your credit card.  If you are local and want to save $4 shipping, you can select the option to have your order shipped to me - the hostess - and I'll deliver it to you.  If you prefer not to use your credit card online, you can send me your order (via email or phone) and a check (made payable to me) and I'll place the order for you.

Oh, and before you order, check out these specials:

Yes, that's right...if ou buy $31 in products (shipping and tax excluded), then you can get one of these items for JUST $5:  All In One Organizer, Soft Wallet, Cinch Sac, Zip Up Pencil Pouch or the Flat Iron Case.

$5!

If you buy $62 worth of products, guess what you get?  TWO of the above for $5 each!  So, buy something as a gift, then get yourself a little something!

This is the perfect way for you to avoid the rush on Black Friday, get a super cute gift for someone (maybe yourself) and you help bring Kylie home.

If you have questions, please ask!  Now, go shop!!!









Exciting News!

I wish our exciting news was that we'd received LOA, but it's not.  But it is great news in terms of our adoption.

A few weeks ago, I received an email from my friend Susie about a new program at our local Lipscomb University.  They have recently launched a wonderful new program to try and help adoptive families.  Susie sent me the link as soon as she received it and then I applied that night.

Late last night we received notification that we have been selected as one of the first families to take part in this awesome program!

How it works is that we are assigned a Lipscomb basketball game.  In the days leading up to the game, we work hard to invite as many friends and family as we can to show up and support Lipscomb.  And then we get ALL TICKET PROCEEDS for our adoption!  I know!  How cool is that???  ALL TICKET PROCEEDS!  (it's worth saying again).

And so for all you locals, I'm about to be the most annoying fundraising friend you have (and may not have after this is all said and done), but rest assured, as soon as we get Kylie home, I will spend the rest of my life buying wrapping paper, popcorn, girl scout cookies, cookie dough, magazines etc. trying to pay it forward.  In the next few days, you'll be invited to a Facebook Event, receive an Evite or get an email from me.  I know money is tight, it is for us too, but what better way to support an adoptive friend and have fun family night out? 

And let me be honest, it's crunch time for us.  We are coming down to the last few months and we still have a long way to go.  I need more iPad sales just to be able to purchase the iPad.  I have over 100 t-shirts left to sell.  We have this exciting night and one more exciting thing coming up (more on that later this week!).  I try not to think too much about it, but we really have a long way to go and not a long time to get there, so let's DO this!  Here are the deets...please read all the way through and email me if you have questions (email, FB event and Evite to follow):

Date:  Tuesday, December 6*
Game Time:  6:30pm
Opponent:  UT Martin
Location:  Allen Arena on the Lipscomb University Campus
Tickets:  $7 for adults (general admission), $5 for kids (general admission).  $12 and $5 respectively for reserved seats...the better seats you buy, the more money we raise to bring Kylie home.  I am confirming you can buy tickets online or at the box office that evening.

They'll be some publications from Lipscomb as well promoting this and I'll link those as soon as they are available.  But if there is any way you can attend this game and support us, we would appreciate it.  I'm especially counting on my Nashville friends for this one.

*Especially for my Station Hill friends:  I am aware there is a baby shower planned on this exact date for another adoptive family in our church.  Steve and I would NEVER wish to take away from this precious family.  I have spoken with this family to let them know of the conflict.  If you are attending the shower, that means your husband and children are going to be sitting at home with nothing to do.  So, send them on to Nashville and you can support two adoptive families, both bringing home children from China!