Welcome - ยินดีต้อนรับ

Hello all family and friends!

With great excitement, we started our adoption journey in August 2008. We are now first time parents through adoption of an 8-year-old son from Thailand. We have chosen to build our family through the adoption of a son from Thailand because this is where we feel God is leading us right now.

It took 1 year and 9 months to bring Ray home and it was totally worth it!

We appreciate all of your love and support. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Ann & Bryan

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Drum Roll Please...Off We Go!

It's taken 20 months to get to this point and now it seems like a whirlwind all at once.  We are now only 10 days away from boarding a plane to Bangkok and becoming parents up-close-and-personal rather than just on paper.  That's right, we got our travel dates!!!  We'll be flying out of Green Bay on Monday, May 3rd and hopefully returning home on May 19th...just 3 days before Bryan turns 33.  Plus, Ann has the added bonus of being with our son on Mother's Day.

Somehow we thought we'd have 2-3 weeks to prepare for travel and now it feels like we're racing to the finish line.  Of course, this metaphor is incorrect since this is only the beginning of our journey as a family of three.  What more can we say?  We're thrilled, excited, nervous, joyful, thankful, etc.

Thanks to everyone for your encouragement, support, and guidance.  We could not have gotten through this process without your love and prayers.

Love,
Bryan & Ann

PS - We'll try to keep you all updated...check your emails...keep your cell phones on...watch for status update on Ann's Facebook page...and please keep us in your prayers.

7 comments:

chaniemom said...

I'm so excited that I got to read this post just minutes after you posted it. How terribly exciting! I've been following your journey from the start. I can't wait to hear all about your first meeting with your son and bringing him home to become a family. Please keep us updated!

Kam said...

Praise the Lord!!! He is faithful!

Let us know if you need anything! Have you finalized your travel plans? How bout airfare and hotels? I saw that you asked about two hotels on the yahoo group but I wasn't familiar with either one.

If we can do anything for you, let us know!
Tell those wonderful ladies {especially Vo} at the TRC that the Roberts {Joel = Panawat} are doing well!

Prayers and hugs go with you~
Kam

Nichole and Craig said...

That is awesome news. Have fun planning. Can't wait to read more as you travel

Megan said...

Oh, Ann, such exciting news!! I can't wait to hear more about it! We were there last year at very similar times. Please don't hesitate to ask for anything you might need! We are all here and very excited!!
Blessings~

Ellie said...

Thrilled for you!!! What a whirlwind, to be traveling so quickly!!! Yikes! :) Looking forward to following your journey! Keep those updates coming!

Rob & Michelle said...

Hi,
We will be traveling in May as well. Most of our family lives in WI. Just saw that you will also be traveling at the same time. We are adopting a 17 month little girl. Our address is robmichelle45@gmail.com If you would like to connect. Congrats on your upcoming adoption. Michelle and Rob

FamiljenNilsson said...

May a follow your travell? We are waiting from TRC as well, this time. My emai lis cederberg_malin@hotmail.com

Malin mum to
Saga Rungnapha from PhyaThai

Why are we adopting internationally and not domestically?
While we think adopting domestically is extremely important, our hearts are drawn to the waiting children in other countries. Some of our closest friends and relatives have adopted, are adopted themselves, or are planning to adopt internationally. This has been a wonderful experience for them, as I am confident our adoption will be for us.

Why are we adopting from Thailand?
The number one reason is simply...that's where our son is living right now. Also, the Thai people are extremely laid back and friendly and the adoption process is very straight forward in Thailand and has been around for decades so there should be no surprises or corruption. After researching our other options, the requirements to adopt from Thailand fit our requirements. If we decide to adopt again, we will reevaluate the different countries and domestic programs.