September 2006

News from the CCAA in China… Referrals have been completed for families with Log In Dates up to August 9, 2005. Our LID is August 30, so we are getting closer. The next batch of referrals will come at the end of October, but we don’t expect to get ours at that time. Hopefully, we will get the referral by the end of November and travel in January.

September began with us still in Milledgeville, Georgia visiting Angie’s family. One of the highlights of our trip was meeting Lily, who was adopted from Jiangxi Province last November by Angie’s cousin Roy and his wife Debbie. Lily and Becca will be 3rd cousins, and we can’t wait for them to meet! During our trip, many family members and friends stopped by to visit, and we were treated to a huge family gathering at Aunt Linda and Uncle Marion’s lake house. We were also able to attend Haddock Baptist Church, and see the wonderful new sanctuary that has been built since our last trip home.

September is a big birthday month for our family. Victor and Rocki celebrated their birthday together on September 14, and Maggie turned 2 on September 18. Several other family members also have birthdays in September; though their names are not noted here for fear we will forget someone!

We had a chance to go to St. Louis to spend some time with Victor’s parents. We were able to have a night out on the town, while Grandma and Grandpa Pace dog-sat Maggie. Our favorite part of the trip was a family gathering at Casa Gallardo Mexican Restaurant.

We both love fall, and enjoy going to local festivals. One of our favorites is Cider Days on Walnut Street, where we can listen to and watch local musicians, dancers, and artists. September has been quite beautiful in Missouri, and we have enjoyed spending time outdoors. Victor has been enjoying riding his new bicycle on the Ozark Greenway Trails.

It has also been a fun month for Maggie. She went to her first Dog Swim, a fundraiser held at a local swimming pool after the pool is closed to the public. She sank like a rock in the big pool, but was able to swim safely to the edge, and decided that was enough for her…the kiddie pool would have to do! She also went to WoofStock, and ended the month at Dog Fest 2006. What a life! (As you can tell, we REALLY need a child!)

Some of you might not be aware that Angie is not teaching school this year. Way back in April, when contracts were issued, she didn’t sign hers because she just knew she would have a baby soon. Oops! We do plan for Angie to stay home with the baby, but we didn’t intend for such a long vacation beforehand! Hopefully, she will find a part time job soon.