Well, it's been a year. The ups and downs did tend to get to me, but I try hard to keep a positive outlook. I am so thankful for Jeff, he's been Mr. Super Steady Rock throughout all of this.

I am once again making changes to this web site. More family places to visit and shop, and I think a really great selection for just about anyone. I have also added a new page Adoption Talk. It will be tidbits that I find on the web, and some of my own ramblings and thoughts on International Adoption. Oh, and make sure you check out Adoption News & Tidbits. I added Weather and Time for both Albuquerque and Beijing - too great! Hope everyone enjoys the changes!

Well, I thought I should update this page. So many changes this past year! I am still hosting my shopping sites here (see above, Shopping Pages) and trying to market them a bit more (I didn't do as much last year as I had hoped, too much going on!). Please make sure you visit the 'Adoption News & Tidbits' page for our (updated) time line. Needless to say, we have not yet gone to China yet, we are so hoping that by this time next year we will either have been to China or are IN China!

As many of you know, Jeff and I are on the road to International Adoption. We have selected (finally) a wonderful agency, CAWLI (China Adoption With Love, Inc.) and have many of the steps completed (with many yet to go!). With the estimated time-line we are working on now, we hope to receive our referral towards the end of 2005/early 2006. As much as we would wish it would be sooner, we are trying to be realistic! The next page is our time-line of documents and mile-stones, please share with us this magical journey.

Since our move to Japan, I have not worked outside of the house, filling my time with the various volunteer activities that I have come to love. However, being a very independent person, I still feel that I want to contribute to our income. I have been looking for something that would be fun and unique and still allow me to able to do "it" from home. I think I have come up with just that, using this web site space. This is going to be my stab at helping with the adoption costs now, then be a stay-at-home mom once our little darling is home with us.

Many like me have found shopping on-line to be a much more fun and rewarding experience. Long lines, traffic and rude sales people (not that all are!) are a thing of the past when shopping on-line. I hope that this web site will make it easier for you to shop at all your favorite places on the web, and maybe find some new ones! It is very easy. Do your shopping as you normally would -- only go through my links (see "Shopping Pages"). I will get credit for anything you purchase - you pay no additional fees at all, your pricing is exactly the same as if you were to go through the store's web site. (Also, I am able to post special sales at various sites that are not available except through my links!) For hosting links to these companies, I get a percentage of the sale or the number of items purchased (depends on the store). Either way, we both win!

This is going to be a work in progress, so stop by and see what's new! It is my goal to add new and unique links as I find them. I would like to be your one-stop shopping experience. Why have 15, 20 or more bookmarks when you can have just one - mine! I hope this will help make your shopping experience, whether Christmas, Birthdays, Holidays or "Just Because" easier and more enjoyable.

P.P.S. I have rencently discoved Shutterfly.com! We take TONS of digital photos (and will in China!), but our printer just doesn't do our photos justice. With just a few clicks, I can send my pics (both digital and film) to Shutterfly and get just absolutely GORGEOUS prints!