Hours Away...

Wow, what a night...Who would have thought Shannon would have slept so well and I was the one up all night. So many things even within the wee hours of the morning have transpired. We even just got off the phone with Michelle Bond from State Department who wished us well and congratulated us on our tiny miracle.She said she feels we have done everything we could have done to answer the RFEs. I took from that it is simply now a matter of time to get our approvals.

There are so many things I want to say that I will keep this brief and add when we return this evening. Currently I am afraid of shorting out the computer as I type a few words and then dry my eyes, type a few words and wipe my nose.

We are going to get our daughter...even now, saying and typing the words seems surreal. It has been way too long in coming. But nothing worth having comes easy, and nothing in this world is worth more than "our tiny miracle." I pray I will bless her in her life half as much as she has already blessed me...and I have yet to hear her for the first time say, "I love you daddy!" Wow, talk about melting a heart. It is already a molten pile of goo...

More to come later today. For now, thanks for the emails, thoughts and prayers. God bless you all. We love you! Jason

Photos of Day 1: Hanoi

Photos...Hanoi from our hotel room, Jason carrying bags, power line nightmare, the streets of Hanoi, the outside of our hotel....




It's a rainy day! We went to breakfast downstairs in the hotel and it was really good. Omelet station, pancakes, and some awesome passion fruit juice. We met a couple in the restaurant, another CAS family who adopted an adorable baby boy from Da Nang province. They are waiting on his US visa. We told them we were one of the TQ families with RFE and their response "You guys are brave"!
We made our way to the Hanoi Star Supermarket and bought water, formula, clothes detergent, dish detergent, peanut butter & jelly/bread...we also have tons of snacks in the room.
I have attached photos of "Hanoi city sights". Lots of motor bikes, and the power lines. WOW!!! No wonder they have frequent power outages in this city!!!
Jason talked to Ninh and he is picking us up in the morning at 6:30am for the trip to Tuyen Quang to officially adopt Halle-Grace. Tuesday is a holiday here so we will get her Vietnamese Visa on Wed. and find a "home away from home" a realtor is picking us up to find an apartment (I'll do good Mer)
Tomorrow, I will post photos as soon as I can and video, etc. I am so excited I can barely stand it. The trip to Tuyen Quang is an ALL DAY TRIP. 4 hours there...G&R...kiss all of the babies and the nannies....Ninh getting affidavits signed (YEAH!!!!! all the CAS families and hens will scream when they read this)....taking lots of photos....then 4 hours back and sleep all night with Halle-Grace (I will stare at her all night)! God is GOOD!

Love you all!

Shannon & Jason (soon...Halle-Grace too)!
Gotta run...I have to pack her diaper bag and get all set for tomorrow!
PLEASE keep our family in your prayers!

HELLO HANOI

We made it! We made the first BOO BOO! DO NOT RIDE IN A TAXI that is not listed as one!!! LOL. We have NO idea who brought us across town last night! We are safe but and are laughing about it now. It is pouring rain, we are hungry...going to eat breakfast...going apartment hunting (they may be closed until Wed.) so Halle-Grace will maybe get to help us pick out a place. Will type more as soon I can. HUNGRY! Upset that ASU did not win:( Happy to be in Halle-Grace's birth country and a day closer to seeing/holding/loving her for the rest of our lives!!!! WOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO

Love you all

15 hours and we are in Korea! G&R set for LABOR DAY!!!

Jason & I left Atlanta and flew Korean Air to Korea! 15 hours later we are anxiously awaiting our flight to Hanoi. That is only 4 1/2 more hours in the air! That's a piece of cake! I have to tell you I LOVE KOREAN AIR! My goodness they feed you like a Queen...US Airways needs to take some lessons! They bring you hot towels, a personal kit with a toothbrush, socks and night blinders. They also shut all window shades and turn the lights out to help you get on "Korean time" which is one hour behind Hanoi time! By the way, Vietnam is exactly 12 hours ahead of eastern standard time. GOSH, I am going to miss the ASU/ LSU game...GO APP STATE. Hunter, you watch it for me and tell me all about it!

The Korean Air crew dresses in "Tiffany" blue and they look beautiful! They bow to you and they are SO friendly! Normally, I am afraid to fly...not today! I was so excited that I cheered when the plane took off! Jason & I stayed with Caitlin-Brooke in Atlanta and that was a nice treat! I can't believe she is 15! They grow up so fast...never miss a moment...which brings me to GOOD NEWS! Originally, we were told our Giving & Receiving Ceremony was scheduled for Sept.3rd. I received an email from our AWESOME coordinator at CAS, Allie...she reported MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1st! That's Labor Day in America...and Halle-Grace day for us! I can hardly contain myself! Jason & I will have to catch up on our sleep and get ready for our precious Halle-Grace! You can see her in the video in the posts below! She is just simply adorable! We are praying about meeting our daughter, we are MORE than ready. I hope God prepares her little heart for all the love!!!
We will be off to Hanoi soon. When we step on Vietnamese soil, we are standing in Halle-Grace's birth country...how cool is that going to be. I will probably cry...Suzie is crying just reading this (I know my sister)!! AND I love her so much!

Oh...Jason was sleeping but woke up to call his mom to make sure Gabby is getting her Atopica! He is going to spend a million dollars calling at 6 & 7 (am & pm) making sure Gabby is getting her meds!

Talk to you all from HANOI, VIETNAM!!!!

GOD BLESS YOU ALL..HALLE-GRACE PHOTOS COMING SOON

"Waiting for me in NC" by Halle-Grace

My cousins...Hunter, 11 & Hannah, 7. Hunter is in middle school this year and plays football for the West Lincoln Rebels. Hannah cheers for the pee-wee team and is a 2nd grader!They are SO excited about my arrival home! Hannah is going to teach me how to dance, cheer and she has even bought clothes for me with her "spending money". My aunt Suzie is VERY special. She has always included my mommy in every part of their lives. Hunter & Hannah have NEVER missed calling my mommy on her birthday or any other special occasions. They were SO excited to see my first picture and each one after has brought tears of joy to their eyes.

My mommy is going to miss them while she is in Vietnam adopting me! I can't wait to see my ENTIRE family!

Love,
Halle-Grace
(translated in English by my mommy who I will finally be united with very SOON)!

Our Vietnam Visas Arrive, let's pray Halle-Grace gets her US visa this quickly!

I cannot believe I am SO close to holding my baby girl!!! Words cannot express the feeling!

Counting down the days!

Packing, preparing, praying!

Are you ready to see the MOST beautiful sight?

 Halle-Grace seems a little camera shy :) She is very alert, attentive & checking everyone out! That's my girl! I don't have the words to express my feelings!!! I WILL BE HOLDING MY BABY GIRL SOON, I think my heart is going to explode!!!!  I thank God for being so faithful through this journey...and her nannies at the TQ orphanage (they are her angels)! She is OUR tiny miracle!!!

Designer Shoes inspired by a 9 month old princess, Halle-Grace

Our daughter is special! Well, we already know that.... Now, she has shoes inspired by "her". A friend of mine from Oklahoma, Alicia Hill, has her own shoe line. Check her out and support her fabulous SHOES!! www.aliciahill.com

This past weekend, Alicia was revealing some of her new shoes in her line for the 2009 prom season. We were sitting in her showroom in Atlanta coming up with names for her "new" shoes. Most all names are inspired by "famous people"... such as "Marilyn" for Marilyn Monroe, and so on. I was so excited to see a HALLE in the line, named originally for Halle Berry. Our HALLE comes from HALLElujah! I asked Alicia to name a particular shoe "GRACE"! We so need a Halle-Grace in the shoe line, I told her!!! She didn't say a lot but to my surprise the next day she walked in and told me "the shoe is now officially GRACE!" The photo above is a picture of HALLE & GRACE in the Alicia Hill shoe line! ("Halle" on the left comes in silver & gold..."Grace" is a white dyeable shoe)

Thanks Alicia! Sending HALLE GRACE love all the way from VN to you in Oklahoma!

Now go buy the Halle & Grace shoes....www.aliciahill.com

Preparing to meet our daughter! LOOK WHO IS TRYING TO STAND UP!!!

I am overwhelmed with excitement...so many things running through my mind! Please keep our family in your prayers constantly! We will see her soon. Halle-Grace will be 9 MONTHS old on August 19th! "I promise you baby girl that I will be holding you when you turn 10 months old...that's a promise!!!"

Received new photos yesterday...she is trying to STAND UP! She is growing up SO fast. She is the most gorgeous, adorable baby girl EVER! God is SO GOOD! Even in the storms, praise Him! Even when life is not fair, praise Him, even when your heart is broke, praise Him...He knows how we feel, He loves all of the orphans around the world! This I know! And for that reason, I can go to sleep tonight knowing I will see Halle-Grace VERY SOON!

Things are looking up! Keep praying!!!

FROM CONGRESSMAN MCHENRY'S OFFICE...they continue to be a HUGE SUPPORT!

I just received an e-mail from CIS. They indicated that you should definitely include the Carolina Adoption Services report with your response to the RFE. I would recommend highlighting all of the references to abandonment matters in the report to ensure they are not missed or tuned out. The agency would not go so far as to say the report would necessarily suffice as a stand alone response to the RFE.

Although I would have preferred that CIS concede the report fully addresses the abandonment case concerns, I think this is still progress for two reasons. First, the report is comprehensive and should certainly help. Two, it may be possible to go to some of the sources cited in the report and have them speak directly to the events surrounding your specific case and why the birth parents are unknown. Even if the sources are basically paraphrasing the same general information in the report, but putting referencing it to your specific case, it will serve to put things in context and strengthen your response.

I hope this is useful. We’ll keep you advised of new developments as I learn of them.

David McCrary
Constituent Service Director
Congressman Patrick McHenry

Tuyen Quang is among the provinces that the storm passed by!

One of my HENS, Mer (Lulu's mom) emailed the reporter concerning the below story and received this response,

"Tuyen Quang is among the provinces that the storm passed by, and the goverment's yesterday report said the damages in Tuyen Quang were minor, no casualty, only two people wounded."

THANK YOU LORD FOR WATCHING OVER OUR BABIES!!!

Vietnam Says Death Toll From Storm at Least 97; 48 Missing
By Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen
Aug. 11 (Bloomberg) -- At least 97 people died and 48 people were missing in Vietnam after Tropical Storm Kammuri swept through the north from Aug. 8. causing floods and landslides, according to the National Committee for Flood and Storm Control.
``There are many villages that remain isolated after landslides destroyed roads in our area,'' said Pham Duc Dung, head of the standing team for flood and storm control in Lao Cai, the province hardest hit by the storm.
Thirty-six people were killed and 38 were missing in Lao Cai, which borders China and includes the tourist resort of Sapa, the national committee said the report. ``We are using army helicopters to access these areas to get people out,'' said Dung.
More than 4,500 houses have collapsed or been damaged, while 8,700 hectares (21,498 acres) of rice and other crops have been spoiled in the nine northern mountainous provinces hit by the storm, according to the report. The Southeast Asian nation has more than 9 million hectares of agricultural land.
Tropical storm Kammuri, which buffeted Hong Kong and China earlier last week, reached Vietnam on Aug. 8. The Southeast Asian nation is usually struck by between six to nine storms every year, according to the committee.
``No estimate of the economic losses from the flood and landslide-hit areas is available yet,'' said Hanoi-based Nguyen The Luong, head of the national committee's standing team. ``The committee sees a strong possibility of more floods and landslides downstream because water levels are continuing to rise and more rain is expected.''

Halle-Grace's birth mother...MY HERO!

The United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) is asking the families with children in TQ to find birth parents. They don't believe these mothers wanted to abandon their babies at the orphanage. They only have suspicion. We and the other families have been put through months and months of pain, heartbreak, stress, depression and absolute frustration, not to mention the most important concern of all...what is happening to Halle-Grace and all of the other babies as a result? This is so hard to swallow and hurt beyond imagination!

About Halle Grace’s birth place: Tuyen Quang, Vietnam
*It is among the poorest provinces of the country (the 7th poorest). TQ is located in the hills of northern Vietnam, population 800,000+. It encompasses a geographical area of 5801 square kilometers, almost 80% of the population live in poverty! Most live on 30 cent a day!
*Birth mothers choose not to parent their children due to extreme poverty, with TQ being among the poorest provinces of the country and the cultural consequences of being an unwed mother, such as shame and inability to marry if they have had a child.
*Birth mothers choose to abandon their children rather than relinquish them due to shame at being an unwed mother, fear of reprisal and ostracism from their families of origin if their pregnancy and subsequent birth of children were known to their families and communities, and fear of inability to marry in the future
*Vietnam has one of the highest abortion rates in the world! THANK GOD for Halle-Grace's abandonment! Her birth mom is my hero!
*Birth mothers DO NOT WANT TO BE FOUND due to the above reasons


To Her Birthmother by Tom Fisher

You gave her birth
We’ll give her life
You gave her todays
We’ll give her tomorrows
You gave her race
We’ll give her identity
You gave her heritage
We’ll give her future
You gave her possibilities
We’ll give her potentials
You gave her up
We’ll have to let go
You dream of her future
We’ll work hard for your dreams to come true
You gave her hope
We will too.

It's not over til it's over...

The last of the thirteen 2007 NOID cases has finally cleared after 10 months. Karla is a first time mom who has been in Hanoi with her daughter Madison the entire
time. They are en route to the US, landing in LAX this
evening.

For anyone keeping track, that means that all of those NOIDs were
overturned. Every single one. I hope this news gives those who are
currently struggling with their own cases some hope. Anything is
possible! It's not over 'til it's over

For those of you who are wondering a NOID (notice of intent to deny) is given by the US government (USCIS). They do so when they have specific reasons to deny an adoption.
As you have read ALL NOIDs were overturned! Take into consideration it cost a family THOUSANDS of dollars to fight a NOID (they receive the NOID from the US Gov.)
Now all of the RFEs families (40+)...we have been told there are no "specifics" to why we are not receiving approval but not enough evidence to give us a NOID, so we do as they request and do our best "good faith effort" to locate birth parent(s). Again, pray for this process and all of the families who continue to be seperated from their babies in TQ. We are just 1 of those families!

Tuyen Quang the beauty spot, (Halle Grace IS so beautiful)

2005
Tuyen Quang province in the north of Vietnam is home to women of legendary beauty. So Viet Hung, far from reluctantly, sets off to put the legend to the test.

The beauty of Tuyen Quang girls is so famous that most Vietnamese people have heard the short saying, “Che Thai, gai Tuyen”, which means – Thai Nguyen’s tea, Tuyen Quang’s girls.
Thai Nguyen, which neighbours Tuyen Quang, is the second-largest tea growing area after Lam Dong province in Vietnam. But Tuyen Quang people are prouder that they have their own abundant speciality – beautiful women. Hence the expression.

When I arrive at Son Duong Town, 35 kilometres southeast of Tuyen Quang Town, a group of girls are preparing festivities to commemorate the August Revolution (1945) and Independence Day on September 2.

“Do you know the saying che Thai, gai Tuyen?” I ask Hoang Thi Yen, an 18-year-old Tay-ethnic girl from Ham Yen District, but she only answers me with a charming smile.

Perhaps, she’s too young to even know that once, Tuyen Quang was known as Tien Quang or the bright land where the fairies came to stay.

After convincing Yen and her friends to pose for one photo, I travel on through Yen Son in the afternoon, thinking of Nguyen Trong Tao’s poem, Through the Land of Pretty Girls, along the way.

“The Tuyen Quang beauty wears a silver necklace/ Her lips look red like chilli, both sweet and peppery/ Snowy skin, long legs/ Her skirt flying over the pass.”

When I arrive in Tuyen Quang town, I meet up with Trinh Thanh Phong, a writer and the editor-in-chief of Tan Trao paper.

“The saying ‘che Thai, gai Tuyen’ can’t be that old. But I do recall hearing it when I was about 15,” Phong says. “And yes, Tuyen Quang Town does have a lot of nice girls but they come from everywhere. But in Chiem Hoa District, particularly in Vinh Loc, the girls have a beautiful complexion. I think the mountain air and peaceful rivers there suits them.”

“When I was nearly 20 years old, I loved a very pretty girl from Chiem Hoa, before I joined the army,” he says nostalgically. “Her skin looked just like trung ga boc (boiled chicken egg with no shell). But our love only went as far as holding hands or stroking hair. We maintained contact via letters for three years when I went to fight in Laos. I returned after being wounded in an explosion but by then she’d married another. A first love would do well to end in marriage, I know, but sometimes I wonder,” he says.

I had heard from Dang Huy Quyen, a painter and a playwright, working for Vietnam Television, that after 1954 a wave of overseas Vietnamese from Europe and Thailand repatriated and settled in Tuyen Quang, which Phong acknowledges, adding that in 1956, President Ho Chi Minh issued a document calling for overseas Vietnamese to return home to help build the country’s defence against the French.

Some say Tuyen Quang people’s beauty is a result of Kinh and other ethnic minorities’ marrying.

During the Ly Dynasty from 10 to 12 centuries, princesses were given away in marriage to the local ethnic leaders so as to win their support when the country’s far borders were breached.
Today, Kinh and Tay groups make up 45 per cent and 25 per cent of Tuyen Quang’s total population respectively.

It is also said in 16th century, a king and his senior officials of the Mac Dynasty fled from the Thang Long Citadel bringing many pretty imperial maids along with them to Tuyen Quang.
In 1999, Hoang Phu Ngoc Tuong, a writer born in 1937 and a native of Hue City, travelled to Tuyen Quang together with his friend, an overseas Vietnamese man from France.

Both men were startled by the amount of beautiful women and Tuong even published a book entitled Zone of Beauties, which picked up a prize at the Vietnam Association of Writers Awards in 2002.

Tuong says Vietnam has other “zones of beauties”, such as Chau Phong in Ha Tinh province and Chiem Hoa in Quang Binh province, but none can compare to Tuyen Quang, where you can see beautiful girls almost everywhere, all with a natural, unoccupied and elegant grace.
Tuong’s personal theory is that feng shui plays an important part in shaping the beauty of Tuyen Quang girls.

The Lo River, which stems from a river named Qingshui (Pure Water) in China, runs through the province’s mountainous and hilly lands. It is the rule of the gods that where there is nice terrain, there are many beauties.

In fact, Tuyen Quang has a high density of rivers and streams (0.9km per 1 square kilometre). There are three main rivers – the Lo River, the Gam River and the Pho Day River.

But like any other countryside province, young people move to the city for study or work. So local towns in Tuyen Quang not only suffer a brain drain, but a beauty drain too.

As Phong the writer says with a smile, “Hanoi is like a big magnet that lures away Tuyen Quang’s beauties.”

After meeting Phong, I set off back to Chiem Hoa District as night falls. Perhaps, the pretty girls are still there, but there’s another local legend I’m worried about, it is said Tuyen Quang’s girls are also famous for downing spirits.

WHY?

The USCIS/DOS is now telling our agency to run ads (to try to locate birth parents) in the neighboring provinces AND more ads in TQ!!! What does that mean? In my opinion, I feel there is no concrete evidence of anything to do with the RFE cases...however, they did not ask for my opinion and WE still have to prove she is in fact an orphan! Halle Grace and the many other babies remain institutionalized! A sad, sad day in America and TQ!

Happy Birthday Obama! Thank you for sending your staffer and thanks to AMY GREGORIO!

(thank you Amy Gregorio for making this contact, Obama sent a staffer)!

Sent to Elizabeth Olsen, Obama's staffer and advocate for the families!

Good morning. I wanted to thank you again for introducing yourself Friday and your willingness to assist us in our efforts to start our family. As I stated in the briefing, Halle-Grace is our first child and my wife and I, obviously so, have been overjoyed and ecstatic about the prospect of traveling to Vietnam to formally adopt her since our initial referral on March 5, 2008. Unfortunately, our seemingly momentary delay has turned into a living nightmare, where at times, we have been doubtful if we would even be able to adopt our child and begin our family. My hope is bolstered by the compassion of people like yourself and your willingness to assist us in our efforts to start our family.
Let me begin by saying, I found it interesting from the briefing on Friday, with a room full of legislative staffers, you were one of a few that took the time to introduce yourself and offer assistance. I say this because I am currently reading "The Audacity of Hope" and I recently highlighted on page 115 a sentence that caught my eye: "The problems of ordinary people, the voices of the Rust Belt town or the dwindling heartland, become a distant echo rather than a palpable reality, abstractions to be managed rather than battles to be fought." I am hopeful this statement is genuine and real vis-à-vis the hollow and superficial statements I heard at Friday's briefing. Please help us and the other 40+ families fight this battle, not by giving us special treatment, but by ensuring our own government agencies act in the same ethical manner they are demanding of Vietnam!

Jason's email to Ms. Olsen went on for two more pages...He was very impressed with her sincere compassion and concern for the situation at hand! THANK YOU Ms. Olsen!