Our Profile - Draft 1

Here is a rough draft of our profile so far. This is what the birthmothers will look at to get an idea of who we are.

You should be able to click on each to make them bigger so you can read the text. Enjoy!

Pg.1 - Dear Birthmother Letter

Pg. 2 - about Jeff & I, written by the other person

Pg. 3 - Pics & lists of some of the stuff we like to do

pg. 4 - Quirky little facts about us as a couple

pg. 5 - Very brief pics of our families

Pg. 6 - Getting ready for baby & thoughts on parenthood

Home Study Part II & Christmas Card Snafu

This past Tuesday evening we had the second part (of three parts) of our home study. For this one Jeff and I were each interviewed separately. For the previous interview we had turned in a biography that we had each written about ourselves and a quiz we each filled out. So the interview mainly consisted of going over both of these. Since we had each taken the same quiz, our answers had been compared. For the most part our answers were pretty in sync.
The 3rd and final part of our home study will be at our house. We decided to wait until the first week in January to do this, the holidays are gettin' a little hectic so it would be nice to wait until after all the stuff to finish up.
Once that 3rd part is done, we wait for them to write it all up. Then we need to turn in our profile, which I am "in process" of finishing up. We've finished our physicals except I still needed to get my TB test done. Once all of that is in, then we wait to get matched!

Pretty soon after Thanksgiving I got all of our Christmas cards put together and addressed. It was a picture my mom took of Jeff and I painting the baby's room, and at the bottom was something like "Happy Holidays From the Lunsfords" with this blog address. Another way of announcing our adoption plans to our peeps!
Any-hoo, apparently Walgreen's (who I ordered our cards from) had given us more envelopes than cards, and I addressed all the envelopes. So some addressed envelopes didn't have cards. I got on line and ordered more cards, picked them up, then I started my new job and a lot of things got put on hold. This past week I asked Jeff to buy stamps and at least mail out the cards I had already finished, which he did. Then today when I went to mail out the last remaining few I realized I couldn't find the empty envelopes. Which probably means we sent out empty envelopes to 3 or so people! CRAP! Oh well, not really much I can do about it now because I have no idea which ones were empty :(

Fingerprintin' - A Simple Process Made Difficult

Last Friday I had an appointment to get my fingerprints taken as part of the background check the agency does. Any-hoo, I had registered on line, made my appointment and at the last second chose to pay for the service there instead of using a credit card on line. When I looked up the building I was supposed to go to, for some reason I had it in my head that it was over by North Star Mall, which isn't too far from our house.
The next morning I was working on more adoption stuff and lost track of time. At the last second before I left the house I decided to look one more time at where this place was at, and realized it wasn't where I originally thought. So needless to say I left the house in a big rush because the probability of me being late was VERY high.
About 5 minuted or so after I left the house I realized I forgot the checkbook and pulled the car over so I could turn around and go back home. Then, because I am a freak about being late, I thought to myself "I'm sure they take debit/credit cards, I mean, they did on line." And got back on the road headed for my appointment.
I pulled into the parking lot right at my appointment time, so technically I wasn't late, and ran in the building. Of course the first thing I see when I walk up to the door was a very large sign stating that they only take check or money order.....crap! So I walked in and asked where I could get a money order. Apparently I am not the first person to ask this question because I was immediately directed to the Shell Station down the street.
So back in the car I get and head in what I guess is the right direction. I find a Shell station and walk in to discover that the ATM is out of order, no worries I'll just pay at the counter....WRONG! Since the ATM was out of order, then the debit machine at the counter also was not working, and of course you can't buy a money order with a credit card. I did have some cash, but was about 5 or so dollars short.
They lady at the counter was apologetic and pointed me to another Shell station down the road. But of course when I get in the car again and head in the direction I THINK she pointed me to, there is no Shell station to be found. I drive around a bit and finally spot a Valero. I pull in, turn off the car and look in my rear view mirror to see a gas tanker waving at me to move my car 'cause I am totally in the way. So back in the car I get and move to a different parking space. I run in to the station, wait in line.....and....they don't do money orders. The lady behind the counter does point me to a Check Cashing place right across the highway that she believes does do money orders.
Now, in hind sight, at this point I could have used the Valero ATM to get more cash and gone back to the Shell Station to get the money order. But by this time I am all flustered and mad because now I really am late for the appointment so I don't think of this 'til later.
So back in the car I get and drive across the highway to the Check Cashing place, pull in, turn off the car, get out...and realize the place doesn't open for another 45 minutes! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! At this point I am practicing deep breathing and trying to remain calm. I look around and see another check cashing place across the street. By this time I am starting to realize that I am getting further and further away from the fingerprinting building and am starting to worry that I won't be able to find my way back.
Back in the car, drive across street, park car, get out.....yeah this place is open!! I walk in and ask if they do money orders, which of course they don't, but the lovely lady behind the counter points me to the Valero station across the street (different from the other Valero I went to earlier), and she thinks they do money orders there.
Back in car, drive across, park, out....store open, no line of people, ATM seems to be working...I ask "Do you do money orders", reply "yes", "Can I use my debit card", "No", "Is your ATM working", "yes"....HOLY CRAP!!!!! Yippie!!! Of course by this time I am so incredibly flustered and rattled it takes me 3 tries to be able to press the correct buttons and get my PIN correct. It doesn't help that there is a women waiting in line behind me tapping her foot and rolling her eyes at my inability to work a simple ATM machine. (That last part could possibly have been my imagination and sensitivity to the situation, I'm sure she wasn't perturbed at me at all).
Cash in hand, I purchase the money order, get back in the car, and orient myself to where I am. And head back to the fingerprinting place.
I wait my turn, apparently the fingerprinting people are not as anal about people being late as I am, and the deed gets done. The actual fingerprinting part took a whole 5 minutes!
Needless to say, when I got home I immediately got Jeff's paperwork in order, got a check out, and told him several times "DON'T FORGET THE CHECK!!". His appointment wasn't until this morning. After telling him of my frustrating morning he did thank me for being the scout. And this morning he did not forget the check ;)