Aubrey Hope Svetlana Beams

In 2003, Be & I began attending a church about 10 - 12 minutes out our front door. We connected with the worship style and joined the worship team shortly after the arrival of Jason & Stephanie Beams the following year. We learned that they were already more than a year into the adoption of a toddler from Russia but because of their move from Texas to Florida (to take the position of worship director) much of their paperwork had to be transferred from their original agency, delaying the arrival of their child. The Beams moved back to Texas recently and the wheels started turning fast and their adoption of Aubrey Hope Svetlana was finalized on September 2, 2006. She was born on January 19, 2005 and has a sister, Brynlee Beams who is 3years. We are happy and envious at the same time. Congratulations Jason, Stephanie, Brynlee & Aubrey.

Creative Things to Do While In the Waiting Room - Try Negotiating a Corn Maze

Friday morning, October 20, 2006 found us near Mount Dora, Florida in a field of corn. The event was finding your way through a series of circles and dead ends carved out of a corn field and solving puzzles with clues posted along the way. Sounds as weird as a Cirque du Soleil show and perhaps the link at the bottom of this post explains it better.

We enjoyed fellowship with members of our church's worship team and their families followed by a late lunch at the home of some new friends near Clermont.

http://www.longandscottfarms.com/CornMaze06.htm

Creative Things to Do While In the Waiting Room - Go to a 3 Dog Night Concert

Another entry in the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival concert lineup - 3 Dog Night (describing how Australian Aborigines slept with their dogs for warmth on cold nights, the coldest being a "three-dog night.") We were howlin' like dawgs as we sang along with their number 1 hits "Mama Told Me Not to Come", "Old Fashioned Live Song", "Dance to the Music (Celebrate)", "Shambala", "Joy to the World" and others too numerous to list. They even did a rap insert on "Mama".

Although primarily a vocal band (and they still sound great) the instrumentalists were given their chance to shine as well.

Creative Things to Do While In the Waiting Room - Go to a Little Richard Concert

Well, the self- proclaimed "Grandfather of Rock & Roll" did not let us down last night when we attended 2 of his 30 minute shows at EPCOT Center. Little Richard entered in a pale pink rhinestone beglittered tux with the aid of 2 canes and one of his entourage who also doubled as his trumpet player. The old boy (he's 74) was weak but he gave it his best and a great time was had by all. "Lucille", "Blueberry Hill", & "Good Golly Miss Molly" were a few of the selections on last night's song menu. At one point, LR wanted some dancers to come up on stage and was very specific about the type of woman he wanted - judging by the ladies in the above picture, you can be sure that he was not particularly politically correct in his description. I guess if you're Little Richard and you're 74, say what you want and be happy you can still say something. He said 'shut up' about 17 times during the show and hit some pretty high notes along with his famous hoots and wails.

So, Joanna, come quickly from China. Your future parents have reduced themselves to attendence at concerts by aging rock stars....... Somebody! Help me!

Souvenir from the Dark Continent

LILONGWE, Malawi -- Madonna and her husband took custody of a motherless one-year-old boy from Malawi after filing adoption papers and receiving interim approval from a judge in the impoverished southern African nation.
The boy's father said he was happy for his son, named David and pleased with the celebrity couple who want to be his parents.
Yohame Banda, the father, said he met Madonna and her film director husband Guy Ritchie at the court as part of the formalities. While they talked, Madonna, who has two children, carried the baby boy, Banda said.
"They are a lovely couple," Banda said. "She asked me many questions. She and her husband seem happy with David. I am happy for him."

Oy! I could puke. Let me say right off that I don't begrudge an impoverished child a chance for a better life........but does it have to be with Madonna? Chances are good, the child will be raised by a nanny anyway. My issue is how appropriate is Madonna when it comes to mothering? Is this adoption a ploy to make her wacko lifestyle (not to mention her freak shows) appear "normal?" Yeah----I know, I know-----"It's just a character she's playing. It's art!" Phoey! Was Madonna wearing her tophat and leathers when the talked with the boy's father and he found her so lovely? He didn't have a clue!

So, Ms Madonna......we didn't see you in that waiting room with the rest of us, did we?
Let's see. Which picture of yourself did you use? The 'Madonna Crucified' or the one with you playing piggy back with one of your dancers? How about your dossier......oh, you made it through all the background checks? Wonderful. Sorry you had to wait in that line for so long to have your fingerprints done. Who is your case worker.....Michael Jackson? And the details with all those other documents were so involved, weren't they......and look, o lovely one.....this one says that you were actually born.

Well, up to this point, I've kept the items in this blog fairly tame, due to the delicate nature of the adoption process. OK....maybe I'm a tad bit insensitive.....and now, you may be saying "So, what kind of a parent do you think YOU'LL be with all that sarcasm, Don?" Can you tell I've got a problem with some of these nutjobs? I mean, didn't adoptive parent Angelina Jolie carry an amulet of Bobby Bill's blood on a chain around her neck? (it's right there in eonline.com) Then there's Callista Flockhart. Hopefully she'll remember to feed her child. Acquiring a child may be easy for these celebrities, but in the fickle, all too strange world of Hollywood, raising them might be a different matter.

I'm so ticked right now I should probably go out and do some yard work.....



This just in ........ The above item was posted several hours prior to the following.......and don't worry......this blog is not going to become "The Adoption Enquirer"....... just had to vent ...... I'll be OK soon .....


Rights groups rap Madonna adoption bid
BLANTYRE: "Queen of Pop" Madonna jetted out of Malawi yesterday, leaving behind the 13-month-old boy she plans to mother and a storm of protests from local rights groups over the fast-track adoption process.
Malawi's leading child rights group yesterday said it would seek a court injunction to stop Madonna adopting the boy if the government did not put on hold its interim order approving the process.
"It's not like selling property," said a statement by Eye of the Child, a day after Malawi's High Court granted an interim order for Madonna to adopt David Banda.
"It is about safeguarding the future of a human being who, because of age, cannot express an opinion," said the group, adding that the government circumvented its own laws to fast-track the adoption process.
The US diva left the administrative capital Lilongwe on a private plane after a judge granted her an 18-month interim order allowing her to take David, the son of an illiterate farmer, out of the country.
However, the youngster will have to be reunited with the 48-year-old singer at a later date as vital paperwork was still to be sorted out.
"She left Malawi without David because there was little time to sort out passport and visa issues," said Penston Kilembe, director of child welfare services in the ministry of gender, children and community services.
Kilembe said David would later join Madonna, who left addresses in London and Los Angeles, where government officials can reach her and monitor the boy's progress in foster care for 18 months.
London-based Madonna, who already has two children of her own, must return at a later stage for the adoption to be given final approval.

Mia (Maria Guadalupe Wittman) Is Coming Home from Guatemala

As future parents of Joanna, we have been following the journey of my co-worker Dean Wittman in his family's journey to adopt Mia from Guatemala. Our stories parallel each other significantly so check out their web page at

wittmanbaby.com

Today, it was my pleasure to ticket Mia Wittman for her first plane ride from Guatemala City, Guatemala to Orlando, Florida USA. It took a bit longer than usual as my eyes were all fogged up during the ticketing process at the US Airways Ticket Counter at Orlando. The Wittman Family has experienced the same anxiety and sense of the unknown as Be & myself - but we both know that God had orchestrated this whole event before the beginning of time. Dean & Ali will travel to Guatemala on Thursday, October 5 - that afternoon, Mia will be a citizen of the United States of America and member of the Wittman family. The Wittmans will spend a week in Guatemala as "turistas" and return home mid-October. I was quite jealous of (and happy for) Dino, his lovely wife Ali and son, Ty as we can't wait for our arrival from China - we don't know who she is, but we want her so bad----and our waiting period will be at least another 6 months. Can you tell from the picture that they're a great looking family? (In case you have not figured it out, Mia is on the right in the pic.) God bless you, Dino, Ali, Ty & Mia........

PS - Mia, I can't wait to meet you.

(Hit the Dean Wittman Blog link on the right for the complete story)