Saturday morning
We are working around the house ... watching the devastation in New Orleans and hoping our aunt and uncle's home is OK. We know they are ok but haven't heard the status of their home or property. Tonight is dinner for my sister in law who is also trying to get preggo so we have LOTS of things to be happy for and maybe this time next year will have lots of little feet driving Gran/Granny crazy with joy... :-) One week to go till we get to meet Amber, Mitch and the girls!!!!! We are all so excited !! When they come here for our initial appointment Sept 25-27th they will be meeting just about all of my family (Mother, father, brother and wife) as we will all go to dinner somewhere!! I and they are very excited about meeting them!! That is all for today... I will keep you posted as exciting things happen!! Please pray for the people in the Gulf Coast States.. as well as the brave men and women who are down there helping.. God bless the USA!
Posted on 3 Sep 2005 at 9:16 AM
4 Sep 2005
Sunday morning
No news with the surro journey (in that hurry up and wait stage) but I do have news regarding my family in New Orleans.. Their house was not damaged from the winds nor was it flooded by the levy break!! what great news... I know they have no power and have yet to get back home but all and all things seem as good as it gets and better than most... Thanks for your prayers during this time! Welcome home Chris!! and happy anniversary !! I know Christy is happy to have you home especially so you can celebrate! John is staying home today due to a possible phone call and the possibility of his unit having to deploy to the Gulf Coast area but I am going Kayaking !!! (sorry honey) :-) it is just too nice to sit around Keep Randy and Sharelle in your prayers too on their Pregnancy journey!! Love to all! Carolyn
Posted on 4 Sep 2005 at 10:41 AM
5 Sep 2005
Amber's version
WOW! Where to begin... After reading Carolyn and John's entry I must admit, I am the lucky one! I am a stay at home mom to two sweet little girls and an Air Force wife to my true life Hero! Mitch, the love of my life, and I have been together for 7 years and will be celebrating our 4th wedding anniversary in 3 weeks. Bailey, our oldest, is an angel in a devils disguise! :) I say she uses her horns to hold up her halo! She is a 2 and a half her old drama queen/princess and isn't a bit afraid to tell it like it is. Meghan, our baby, is just recently turned one and is very observant. She is quiet and gentle and loves to be cuddled. We feel our family is complete and know that God has blessed us more than words are capable of expressing. So it is that we decided to persue surrogacy. It is so amazing how God places you where he wants you. I was previously matched earlier this year with a sweet couple in Texas. After getting to know one another for a few months and agreeing to work together they decided they just couldn't wait to transfer. I completely understoond their anxiety and excitement about beginning the process. However, I was unable to begin right away and we both decided to let each other go our separate ways. They have found a new surrogate and will be transferring tomorrow. I wish them all the luck in the world. Now with a heavy heart I began to read profiles and talk to potentional intended parents, but none of them made me think... "Geez, They're the ones!" I had just discussed with my husband that perhaps it just wasn't meant to be when I read a post Carolyn had written on SMO asking for some assistance with agencies. I replied back and one thing lead to another. We talked for several weeks and I was surprised to recieve an email from her asking tentatively if I would be interested in being their surro. I believe I was in shock from the joy my heart felt. I love talking to Carolyn and John and feel as though we have been friends for years. I, and my family, are so blessed to have made them our friends. We are thrilled that we will finally be able to hug them both in 5 short days! I knew when Carolyn and John asked me to be their surro mom that this was EXACTLY where I was supposed to be! I am truly blessed having met them and I know our journey together won't end with the surrogacy. I can't wait to meet their families and allow them the opportunity to peer into the heart of myself and my family. I dream of the day when Carolyn and John see their teeny miracle for the first time. I have been so blessed and I know I will only benefit from watching their love grow for the baby that currently grows in their hearts! You two will make INCREDIBLE parents! We are also very excited about meeting Carolyn's family when we come into town at the end of the month. So, now we wait to legally finalize what we know in our hearts is already a done deal... Contracts. With any luck they will be signed by the end of the month and we will move forward to the next step. I don't believe that carrying a baby in your womb makes you a parent. Your child grows from your heart long before. I know Carolyn and John have been nurturing their children's spirits simply waiting for the day to hold them physically. There is a quote I once heard that I firmly believe in. "Children are not made of their parent's but rather of every kind act, word, and smile their parents have ever known". The children born into this family will know the love of so many people from the time of their conception. Carolyn and John, we already call you our friend, we can't wait to call you parents.
Posted on 5 Sep 2005 at 3:15 PM
5 Sep 2005
Happy Labor Day!
As you can see Dear Amber has joined the journal and has filled you all in on the other side of our meeting.. :) Thanks Amber for making me cry.. you know that is Johns job to make YOU cry.. We haven't any news in the surrogate journey other than in 5 days we will be hugging Amber and Mitch and the girls! :-) we are so excited about all of this.. Today we had some friends over for dinner, DeWayne, Luke, Elizabeth and our new friend Jessica! it was a great day and evening and a long time coming.. I hope all of you are enjoying your three day weekend!! Love to all Carolyn
Posted on 5 Sep 2005 at 7:40 PM
6 Sep 2005
Contracts!!
Well... I have emailed the proposed contract to our lawyer for revision and for her to add her legal jargon.. :) so we are one step closer to our baby... from what everyone tells me, this is the longest part so we feel blessed that it really only took us a week or two to get down what we felt we needed! Super happy day ! and only four more until we get to meet dear Amber and family!
Posted on 6 Sep 2005 at 5:46 PM
9 Sep 2005
Hmm.....
Let's see, where do I start? John and I have one day to go until we meet Amber and the family AND Sharelle and Randy have wonderful news as well!!! I am not going to say what here but it has put smiles on all our faces.. I am going to the Lawyers office today on they way to Mom and Dad's to drop off information then we fly out tomorrow EARLY to Kansas!! I can't tell you how excited we all are ... I can't wait to post on Monday how things go!! I can't wait to hear Bailey ask me about my broken tummy.. hehe.... I can't wait to give Amber a huge hug... and hope I don't cry but bet I do.. Love to all! Carolyn
Posted on 9 Sep 2005 at 11:30 AM
12 Sep 2005
The big day!
Our first meeting has come and I couldn't be happier !!! Putting aside the fact John and I were two hours (or so) late getting there ... keeping dear Amber waiting ... everything went more perfectly than I could have imagined. It seemed as if we had been friends for years... :-) Once we finally met the gang, we headed to P.F. Changs for lunch and then off to the Kansas State Fair! We really enjoyed ourselves and got to spend some great time with not only Amber and Mitch but with Bailey and Meghan! Bailey led John and I around the fair and had to ride one ride with ALL four of us... She was just too cute AND the only one that won a prize! We got back to the room around 11 pm (stayed on post for the first time ever) and crashed for the night... I didn't realize my allergies would bother me so much but all that grain and farmland got to both of us (as well as amber and the kids) Sunday we all went to breakfast and I got a lesson on what it is like to have a two and a half year old! (wink) Amber you are a great mommy.. I sure hope I am half a calm as you when it comes to the two year mark!! :-) After breakfast we all went to the Wichita Zoo... What a great ZOO!! I think John and I had more fun than anyone!! :-) John and I left straight from the Zoo to head back to Kansas City... our flight was late so we ended up not getting back in Nashville until after 11pm ... I stayed at mom and dads but John headed back to the house to check on the cats. (don't let him tell you he isn't a cat person) and got in bed around 1:30am... only to get up this morning and start the week! Today we are both beat and only getting ready to start packing for our Montana vacation this Friday!!! wow what a busy month this is going to be!! and before we know it Amber, Mitch and the girls will be here for our first appointment with the Doctors on Sept 26th... which I just found out will be one hour prior to Sharelle's first Ultrasound!!!!!!!!! So I think we will just have to make a day out of it and plan to stay to hear about her news!!! On another note... Sharelle AND Tina are pregnant!!! WOW... we are just so blessed with little babies .. this time next year will just be crazy.. now maybe Sharon and Ginny will jump on the band wagon and we will all be blessed with little babies next year.. :-) and another note, Uncle Richard and Aunt Shirley's home had no damage and they are back home now ...I believe as of last Thursday.. They have power and phones so Dad has been in contact making sure they are ok.. We are all extremely happy this story turned out so well!! Hope you are all well Love to all Carolyn
Posted on 12 Sep 2005 at 4:19 PM
12 Sep 2005
Our first face to face
Amazing... The weekend that couldn't come soon enough was over in a wink. How incredibly amazing it was to be able to finally hug Carolyn and John. I was so full of anticipation and excitement I had my family up, dressed, and out the door by 9:00 A.M.. There were still a few things we needed to do so we hurried to get things done before Carolyn and John arrived... That morning I swear seemed to drag on for hours..... ! =) We did finally get a call from Carolyn and John letting us know that they had made it and were going to be able to stay on base after all! (How exciting considering I live just down the street). We hurried over and saw them both waiting for us. I couldn't park or get out of the car fast enough! After hugging everyone John and Carolyn gave the girls each one of the softest teddy bears I have ever felt (Bailey has been taking hers EVERYWHERE by the way) and a bottle of wine for Mitch and I(Mitch says I'm not allowed to drink it, Only look at it)! We followed J and C to their room and had a chance to sit and chat for a while. We decided to head to lunch and had a great time just chatting! After lunch we went out to the fair. What a blast! The guys tried their hand at a game or two but as Carolyn stated, Bailey was the only one who walked out that night with a prize. Better luck next time guys! The fair was a wonderful way to really get to know each other... We really never needed any time to "warm up" to one another. It all just happened so naturally! I am more certain than ever before that God brought our families together. The next morning John and Carolyn came over to our house and met our fur babies... Mollie and Anna. Carolyn got a chance to have a tea party with Bailey and was asked atleast 2 dozen times to see her "broken belly"! =) I think she was more enthused by her belly button ring! LOL! We let our house and went to have breakfast. Bailey decided to let her true colors show... She is so stubborn, I just don't know where she gets it from!!! LOL! Good thing I'm still the master of bull headedness in my family =) Thanks Carolyn, you too will have your opportunity to "deal" with a two year old in a public place and you will handle it with grace. After eating we made it out to the zoo.... It was great fun! We all really enjoyed it. It was so hard to say bye to you both. I know we'll see each other in 2 weeks but we really enjoyed having you two here! So, now I am counting down the days until we get to see our friends again... We are so excited to be able to meet some of the family while we are there as well. I feel already as though I already know a few of you through Carolyn! I know our appointment will be just as exciting as this visit and can't wait to get started. It will be great to see all of the little babies filling your entire family with joy, and a little insanity! =) We can't wait to meet you all! Congratulations Sharelle and Tina! Hugs and love to everyone! Especially you Carolyn and John!
Posted on 12 Sep 2005 at 9:52 PM
14 Sep 2005
Going on Vacation
just so you all know.. We won't be posting for the next week to ten days because we are going to Montana !!! As soon as I get a chance I will get back on line and give any and all updates!! Please keep Ginny and her mother in your prayers ... Ginny's mother suffered a stroke this past weekend and needs all our prayers... Love to all! Carolyn & John
Posted on 14 Sep 2005 at 8:26 PM
28 Sep 2005
Back from Vacation
It seems that every time we go on vacation we need a vacation... :0) Montana, Idaho (the drive) and Washington were just amazing... I thought I had prepared myself for the most beautiful images possible and yet I failed to come close to what I saw... The theme for the vacation was "WOW" .. because we all said it at least one hundred times each... we will certainly be back ... if for nothing else but to find the elusive black bear and to catch the cut-throat trout that got away! On to Surro stuff.. We had our first visit with the Doctor on Monday (Amber, Mitch and the girls got in Sunday afternoon) and after 3 hours or so we all had our pokes and prods over and were on our way to lunch... A bonus for the day was getting to see Randy and Sharelle's little one for the first time on the ultrasound.. photo AND heart beat!! WOW.. it was really neat... I cant wait to watch as little "tot" grows and we can see it all on the monitor.. Technology is just amazing... After the Doctor appt and lunch we all headed to the wonderful town of Clarksvegas!! To gather stone from the vet for one and to welcome Amber and family to our abode... It isn't much but it is home... :-) The Ruppel/Evans clan then met Amber and family for some yummy Italian fare at Buca De Beppo!! It was really nice to have everyone (almost) meet and get to spend some time together... Tuesday, John, myself, Amber and family all went to the Nashville Zoo.. what fun Bailey and I had on the jungle gym... I swear I could have played with her all afternoon... and the funny gibbons were just too much... I am not sure I have ever heard such a racket!!! I hope my kids don't act like that!!. Then sad to say, they all had to go home... We REALLY had a great time !! I couldn't be happier... Next on our list of to-do's as far as the surrogate process is we meet with the IVF coordinator on October 10th to discuss Egg donation..!! I really feel like we are getting some momentum going with all this.. Once we find our perfect Carolyn look-a-like .. (haha) we will all ready to go... I know the contracts will be done by then and the psych evals too if required... Not real happy with the Psych person right now but then who likes psych people?? aren't they all a little wacky?? haha.. forgive me if any psych person reads this.. haha.. So, in a nut shell... we are home, LOVED Montana, want to go back already, Amber and family fit right in as expected and we are on our way to making a baby!!!! Love to all and please keep Ginny and her family in your prayers.. Carolyn (and John)
Posted on 28 Sep 2005 at 5:34 PM
7 Oct 2005
Testing for Everyone
Since I've got the day off I decided to make the posting today - this is John. We are looking forward to our appointment on Monday morning with the IVF Coordinator to further discuss the Surrogacy Process and hopefully chose an egg donor! In the meantime we have all been busy getting testing and bloodwork done. Mitch and Amber have done a GREAT job getting all their tests done in Kansas. I have had all my bloodwork done and simply need to collect the results from my local clinic to pass to the folks at Nashville Fertility Clinic. We are excited about this next step in our journey and can't wait to find an egg donor to truly get things rolling!
Posted on 7 Oct 2005 at 12:33 PM
11 Oct 2005
The Bottom Line
I (John) am making the post entry again today because Carolyn has been swamped all week with the installation of a new Cafeteria Computer Network System at the hospital. This "install" is making her already long days even longer and I know many of you are eager to hear about our meeting yesterday with the IVF Nurse Coordinator - Kelli. In addition to meeting with Kelli, we saw Richettee. In the Army we would call Richette the comptroller, but I am sure the clinic uses a less rigid term such as "financial counselor". In any event she was the "money person" - nice, professional and direct (which I liked). She gave us the bottom line for what our costs will be for the Clinic portion of our journey. It was not surprising to either of us, but the sticker shock of seeing it written down on paper certainly makes us thankful for our investment and saving strategies. We have (fortunately) planned well for this phase of our life and should not find ourselves too financially taxed. On to the meeting . . . Kelli was professional and friendly and put us immediately at ease. She laid out the schedule for how things would occur once our Egg Donor and Amber were "in cycle". Most of this we had already gathered through our independent research, but it was helpful to discuss with our Coordinator. The most exciting portion of our visit was our discussion of possible Egg Donors! Although we were both a bit disappointed that they didn't have someone "waiting in the wings" for us (all of our best candidates are now in cycle for other intended parents and will have to have eggs harvested in early December before beginning a new cycle that might put our egg harvesting as early as February), we knew that this stage of the journey might be the most lengthy. We are so eager to have the transfer done and be on our way! We will use the time to our benefit and continue to prepare ourselves for this new phase of our life. This will also mean that Carolyn can work longer and help offset some of the costs. We chose seven different Egg Donors and placed them in order of precedence. The two top seemed to be good candidates to be able to "split" their eggs - this means that they produce enough eggs (more than twice the average amount) to have the quantity split in half and shared between two couples. The costs savings in doing this is significant. This will not be a deciding factor for us, but it certainly makes these candidates more attractive. Each of the girls we chose showed good strong medical histories with no significant genetic history of disease or dysfunction. Most have brown hair and blue or green eyes and many of the physical attributes of Carolyn. Although to protect their anonymity we were not permitted to see photographs of them, Kelli assures us they are all beautiful girls with excellent dispositions. They are also prior Egg Donors (except one) which decreases the chances that they will "pull out" of the program for some reason. So to summarize - we believe it will be Februrary at the earliest before we will have a donor in cycle and ready to transfer. Fertilization would occur within one week of the transfer which means we could be pregnant by March (good Lord willing). So we wait again . . . but in the mean time, we will keep everyone updated on our progress! I am sure Carolyn will find time to make a posting today to fill you all in on any details I might have left out.
Posted on 11 Oct 2005 at 4:41 AM
11 Oct 2005
I just had to add my two cents.. :-)
Yesterday was a busy day and one I was VERY excited about ... from both a work stand point (with the new system going in) and from a personal one.. our visit to the IVF coordinator and Sharelle's second ultrasound. Our appointment was early in the day and I was so excited at the idea of really getting the ball rolling... picking out the Egg Donor and seeing what our time line would be... John met me at work a tad early (imagine that) and we walked over together... The IVF coordinator was very nice.. very calming and soft spoken.. I am sure many that see her are at their last resort with having a child and are feeling desperate... but the way I see us is we are just beginning and this this first step towards building our family... We talked about many of the prerequisites that we all have to have completed prior to moving on and to her surprise we had them all completed... it is amazing how much you can get done and how quickly it gets done when you have three very "A" personalities getting the doing done!! :-) (Thanks Amber for being just like us!!) with having all our "poking and prodding" taken care of, we were on to finding our "Carolyn look-a-like"... The IVF coordinator started the conversation with a story that ED's come in waves... sometimes having many and others having few... we are in the latter with only a few to choose from... I will admit I felt the air leak out of my balloon when she said it would be closer to March of 2006 before we would be ready to transfer (get pregnant) and that date is relying on many factors coming together, with no interruptions... We had 7 ED's to choose from and found two we both really liked.. John liked one better and I liked the other so we made them BOTH our #1 pick... we ranked the others from 2-6 accordingly... both girls we like are healthy and "attractive" as the IVF coordinator tells us... Brown hair and blue or green eyes.. I think they are both in school but am not totally sure about that... and both are proven donors with plenty of eggs, enough to share with another couple.. which will take several thousand off the bottom line for us!! Next we were off to the financial coordinator.. she was, as John said, straight and up front and very "matter-of-fact" which we both enjoy... especially when we are talking about money and how much the bill will be that we pay them... she kept saying the price quoted was on the high end so maybe it wont be quite as bad as it looked yesterday... (OUCH) and at least we might earn enough frequent flyer miles to fly to Europe a few times!!! there goes my Volvo... :-( haha.. So we were off to Lunch.. during lunch I got a page from Sharelle but when I called her back it went straight to her voicemail so I assumed she was already back with the Doc having her ultrasound.. I didn't hear from her for a few hours so I started to worry and called Mom and Dad (Mom went with her) and Dad told me she had miscarried... I was just devastated... and Mom said she was too... So please keep her in all of your prayers... She and Randy will need them... My heart just breaks for them both.. but I know it will happen for them.. it is just a matter of time! I worked until about 5:30pm (yes, PM) and was wiped out when I got home... both physically and emotionally... Today we are starting the training portion of the upgrade so I will be busy again and will be for the rest of the week.. Tomorrow we have our Psych visit.. I am real thrilled about this one.. but I am TRYING to keep a positive view of her and the process... :0) wish me luck... I need to get back to work .. thanks for reading this.. it is really fun to get it all down and be able to go back myself and read the progress we have made... Love to all! Carolyn (and John)
Posted on 11 Oct 2005 at 7:12 AM
28 Oct 2005
No news
Well... We really don't have any real surrogate news as of late, thus the reason we haven't posted... We have gotten a draft of the contract but it seems our lawyer has decided to change some things on us and... well... we can't have that. Other than that we are kind of at a waiting period until we hear from the egg donors and find out if they are going to do another cycle..(fingers crossed) We did have our Psych evaluation and found out we are both normal... gees, we could have saved ourselves $150 and just told them that was the case.. It was a big fat waste of time and money.. but it checked off a little box that we had to have checked off so I suppose it was ok.. :) John didn't really care for the "therapist" too much and decided to throw some words at her I KNOW she didn't know... Heck I didn't know what he was saying but it was fun to watch... haha... I find it curious that we had to do this, the evaluation to see how we would "deal" with Amber having our baby and the potential for loss and what have you, when both John and I have either been through or seen more pain, sorrow and death and/or loss than most and more than I wish on anyone... I don't think she was prepared for us ... not nearly as prepared as we were for her.. haha.. :-) I guess, like I said above, it had to be done... Now Amber and Mitch have to have theirs evaluations... more wasted money.. but another box checked off.. :-) John is currently in Alabama (Ft Rucker) in school training to fly Chinook Helicopters.. My favorite flying cows!! It seems he is having fun in the process.. I am home, well, currently at work, staying busy by painting the kitchen and planning the next change in the house.. I think replacing the upstairs carpet with the laminate flooring like we have down stairs will be next! :-) I still have not heard anything from Sharelle, I suppose it is her way of dealing with the pain.. Please keep her (and Randy) in your prayers.. I hope the next try will take for good! and she will be back to her giddy, giggly self again.. Love to all! Carolyn
Posted on 28 Oct 2005 at 9:00 AM
5 Nov 2005
A Break from Fort Rucker
John here - making an entry while I am home for about a week. I have been at the CH-47D Aircraft Qualification Course at Fort Rucker for the last three weeks. I am learning to fly Chinooks in preparation for assuming command of a Chinook Battalion next summer. The course is scheduled to end on or about Thanksgiving, but a critical element of the course is training in the flight simulator (which gives us an opportunity to practice emergency procedures that can't be replicated in the actual aircraft without obvious risk). Since Fort Rucker's CH-47D simulator is undergoing modification, we (my fellow students and I) are completing the simulator portion at Fort Campbell (the 101st Airborne Division, who owns and operates the simulator at Ft. Campbell, is back in Iraq now so the simulator here has many open training periods). Very fortuitous for me (since I live here), but also a nice break for the rest of the class to come to beautiful Tuckasee and enjoy some of the Clarksville/Nashville area activities. We are finding it very hard to patiently wait as we look towards the next major "milestone" of our surrogacy journey. We do have the contract in hand and almost have it finalized. Once that is completed we will sign it and send it to Amber and Mitch for their signatures then we wait for our egg donor. Amber and Mitch and the girls sent Carolyn a beautiful bouquet of flowers for her birthday. It was a very thoughtful gift and Carolyn was so very touched by it. That event coupled with my rather timely trip back to Campbell for simulator training made for a great birthday for Carolyn (I actually arrived in Nashville on Thursday and took her to lunch for her birthday). Mom and Dad sent a very generous gift and all of the family (Ruppel and Evans sides) called with birthday wishes. All and all - a very good birthday, and an opportunity for us to celebrate how truly blessed we are. Tonight we are having dinner with friends and will see the Nashville Symphony Orchestra perform "The Lord of the Rings" - an arrangement of music that is taken from the musical score of the movie trilogy. As a HUGE LOTR fan I am excited, and it has been a long time since either of us has been to the symphony so we look forward to dressing up and enjoying a night out. I'll close for now. God bless each and every one of you and thank you for your continued support in our fascinating journey. John (and Carolyn)
Posted on 5 Nov 2005 at 8:34 AM
Let's Get Interactive
Hey Everyone! Carolyn and I wanted to invite all of you who are reading our journal to feel free to submit comments. If you go to the bottom of an entry and "click" on the COMMENTS tab you will be directed to a window that will allow you to provide comments, feedback and thoughts of your own. We would appreciate everyone sending comments as a "Non-Registered Reader". That simply means that along with your comment you type in your name and email address. Obviously we expect 99.9% of the response/comments to come from family and friends so we don't think that anonymity is necessary within that group. Your email address is not shared as part of the entry so Carolyn and I will be the only ones to see it. Once you submit your comment it comes to us for "review". Then you will see your comments posted on our page as well! I hope you will take advantage of this feature and help us make our journey more interactive. We look forward to "hearing" from all of our ardent supporters! John and Carolyn
Posted on 5 Nov 2005 at 8:56 AM
Gran's Turn
Carolyn Evans (Sr) Posted on 6 Nov 2005 at 12:49 PM Well I think it's about time for Gran Evans to make an entry in this most interesting journal. First let me say I hope this won't get confusing as we have 2 sets of Johns and Carolyns in our family. When we found out our son John (John Jr.) had fallen in love with a Carolyn we thought it was a hoot since my name is Carolyn also. Anyway, it has been interesting to say the least when we are all together with family, which unfortunately isn't often enough to suit me. John Sr. and I were very excited when we were told of John and Carolyn's plans for IVF Surrogacy. We thank God for giving them this option, and we are very grateful to you -Amber and Mitch - for being there at the right time for them. I agree the hardest part of this process is the waiting, and we are anxiously waiting to find out when we can expect our 5th grandchild. This will truly make our family complete. One thing is for sure, when this happens Granddad and I will be making more frequent trips from Stoneville, NC to Clarksville, Tennessee.
Posted on 6 Nov 2005 at 3:27 PM
11 Nov 2005
A Timely Thanks
Another entry from John - I am off today for Veteran's Day, and while I have already received three emails of thanks in recognition of this day from members of my family (thanks Ginny, Jason and Carolyn), I wanted to take the opportunity to thank Mitch for his dedication and sacrifices. We were immediately drawn to Amber and Mitch as our surrogate family because of their warmth and sincerity, but the fact that they were a military family also weighed heavily on our decision. We recognized the bond that exists between military families, and knew that we would have that common ground from which to work. Many times over now the wisdom of our decision has been born out as we have grown to know and appreciate Amber and Mitch and their family. I hope we have appropriately relayed (in this forum and personally) the great appreciation that we have for the sacrifice that Amber has undertaken to bring our dreams to reality, but today I want to thank Mitch. So from one veteran to another, Mitch, thanks for all you continue to do to keep our country, our families and our way of life safe from those who would threaten it, and God speed to you in your upcoming travels. We'll make sure that Amber and the girls are taken care of while you take care of all of us.
Posted on 11 Nov 2005 at 7:49 AM
12 Nov 2005
I'm in tears!!! (Amber)
First, let me apologize to everyone for my lack of entries into this journal. Life has been SO busy. I can not wait to see the fruits of all of the labor that has been taking place. In the past couple of months we have finished all of our medical screening/testing and now just need to schedule our psych eval.... I need to get on the ball about this one! (Sorry I'm slipping Carolyn!) After that is complete I believe we just wait until our Carolyn look alike is ready to produce some beautiful eggies! If all goes well, next Thanksgiving Carolyn and John (and family) will be putting the final touches together to get ready for baby(s). I have started school and am very busy with the technical side of realizing my dream of owning my own spa. Whoever said cosmetology was for the birds apparently never went through the schooling! It's been great and I really enjoy it thus far. There is just SOOO much to learn and so little time to do so. Before you know it I'll be able to put long blonde extensions in Carolyn's hair! Hehe!!! I know you both are VERY excited in the prospects of that happening! The girls are doing GREAT and having a blast in daycare. It is the very first time they have ever been in any type of childcare facility and I must admit it was much harder for myself than for them. We are ALL so very excited of the amazing journey that lies before us over the next few months. I am so greatful for the love and friendship John and Carolyn have already given and continue to express daily. Mitch will not be here physically when our transfer takes place but I know he joins me in all of the positive and hopeful thoughts any one person could possibly express. To Gran, Thank you So very much for your kind words. It means the world to me to know that we are all being supported by so many people. I look forward to the day when I can view your family and it's new additions and know that the world is a little better because of the love something so tiny creates. John, Thank you as well for all of the commitment, dedication, and pride you take in our country. It takes a special type of person to embrace all that is the military. I am priviledged to have joined your ranks through marriage. Carolyn, as a military wife we take on burdens few recognize. It's never easy to answer the phone when it wakes you from a still sleep. It's always nerve wracking when the doorbell rings unexpectedly. You never get used to attending services for young men and women who were too young. You however Carolyn, have comforted families left behind, cried alone in an empty bed, rejoiced in tearful homecomings. You have embraced this life and have made just as decisive a commitment to be steadfast in the mission that lies before our troops. The way of life that is the military is truly a joint effort. One that works best when both parties are dedicated to the same end result. You two are just that, steadfast, commited, dedicated, and an inspiration. Mitch and I are proud to call you friends, Americans, Family! We love you both from the very depths of our hearts and souls. Thank you both for the resolve you have for our amazing country! HUGS and LOVE to all! Amber and Mitch
Posted on 12 Nov 2005 at 9:11 PM
29 Nov 2005
Giving Thanks
Happy Thanksgiving to all !! Although it is a few days after the fact... We hope you all had a blessed holiday with friends and family. Our Thanksgiving was full of family and joy; the chatter of little ones and the smell of roasted (and smoked) turkey. The house was full with both John and I as well as Kurt, Sharon, Nathan and Caroline staying over, but for me it is like Christmas being home and waking in my old room at my parents house, it is a good thing in my book... even if I had to get up at 4:00am Thanksgiving morning to tend to a crying Caroline.. as irritated as I was about her crying for 30 minutes and no one going to her and having to get up, it was a blessing in disguise... it really made me feel like I could be a good mommy.. something I have doubted ... maybe just fear was the reason but being with her alone and with no noise, no daddy, no Grammy, just me and Caroline... it was very comforting... :-) Dinner was very nice and filling, as usual, and the desserts were wonderful!! Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie and Pumpkin Cheesecake!!! YUM... The Friday after John and I ventured out shopping (can you believe it) and it wasn't bad ... we actually didn't have much trouble with traffic or lines.. but then we weren't buying a TV or DVD player either.. We set out to find inspiration for Christmas gifts and found it !! in fact we got all of our siblings gifts that day... most of it at least... so now we have only a few items to get for the little ones and some friends ! John and I are getting a new furnace for Christmas.. as ours died Thanksgiving week... oh joy... :-P but we need it so there you go! I know Amber had a house full with several single Airmen that were far from home.... see she isn't just wonderful to us.. she is just wonderful all the time!! Please keep Sharelle (and Randy) in your prayers.. She really needs some happiness and I am unable to give her any... It is one of those things that I have to just give it to God and hope He can bring her some joy.. I am so thankful I have a wonderful husband.. one that I know will always be with me regardless of the circumstances.. I am thankful for my families (the Ruppels and Evans') both are more than anyone could ever want!! I am thankful for my friends... for with out them I would go crazy! I am thankful for my health.. I know, I havent had the best health but I feel great and life is better than I deserve!! I am sooo thankful for Amber and Mitch!! They are God's blessing to both John and I .. We love you guys!! No news on the surrogacy. We hope to hear about the egg donor in the next few weeks. As soon as we have new information we will post for all to see! Love to all!! and I can't wait until Christmas! Carolyn
Posted on 29 Nov 2005 at 12:32 PM
12 Dec 2005
Hurry up and wait!
HI All! It's Amber, First let me wish everyone a happy holiday season! I just LOVE this time of year! I am SO VERY EXCITED! Can it be that we won't be in this stage for contracts much longer??? I met with my lawyer last Thursday (8 Dec) and we OFFICIALLY reviewed our contract that had been forwarded from MS. Tate, Carolyn and John's lawyer. There weren't many changes to be made but there were a couple that my lawyer insisted on making changes to whether for legalities here in Kansas or for my own protection. We were supposed to have had the finalized draft of the changes Friday afternoon. I decided that possibly I should allow her the weekend and if I didn't hear anything this afternoon I would give her a call. Well, I don't think it was even 9:00 A.M. when I emailed her asking about the contract... ( I'm not very patient with these things. I like to have and adhere to deadlines) She emailed me back shortly and said that she was at home with her child who was sick but she would have the contract to me no later than NOON tomorrow.... SO, here we stand. Hopefully ALMOST finished with this part of the process. As of tomorrow it will be back in the hands of MS. Tate and I'm sure she will be bombarded by John and Carolyn with request to wrap this portion of it up.... Unfortunately, time is no longer on our side. My lawyer will be out of town for the rest of the year as of the 23rd and Mitch leaves on 5 Jan 06 for 4 months.... So, as you can tell. Time is no longer a luxury we have. I am confident we can finalize and get this thing signed within the next week! We don't really have another option! (wink** wink**) That's my version anyhow of where we stand with contracts. The kids are SO exctied about the upcoming arrival of Santa Clause. Bailey is disappointed every morning to realize he didn't come the night before. We've tried explaining it all to her but she's not buying it. Her thought on the matter is the Christmas tree is up? Why hasn't he come yet? We celebrated this weekend with Mitch's family. His mom, step-dad, sisters, and step-brother all came up and we were able to visit and exchange gifts. It was a sad and tearful departure for his mom and I ask that you all keep her in your prayers. This was the last time for her to see Mitch before his deployment and as you can imagine stirred up a ton of emotions for everyone. I've been trying to just get through the holidays without thinking about him leaving but I am finding that harder and harder to do. First with the impending finalization of the contract dates are constantly ringing in my ear.... The love of my life leaves in just over 3 weeks. Sometimes I think I prefer the way his previous career deployed. 2 days notice, if you were lucky, but you didn't have time to dwell on the fact that they were leaving. I know he will be fine and God will return him to me safe and sound after 4 months time, but I must admit, I am more nervous with this deployment than any other. I just don't know how to reassure the girls or what to say when they start crying because they want their daddy to tuck them into bed at night or they need to give him a hug and kiss. I'm sorry for laying this all out there but I think it is an important part of this journey. One that Carolyn and I both know as do our families. I know that this in part will also dictate my mood and words sometimes and I think it is important for everyone to know where this emotion stims from... For the next 3 weeks however he is still OURS and I plan on enjoying every single second of it!!! Hopefully Carolyn and John will pop on and give their feelings on contract and how close we are to actually finalizing it after all this time! HUGS and LOVE to you ALL!
Posted on 12 Dec 2005 at 3:21 PM
15 Dec 2005
We have News!
Well.... We finally have some news to report to you all regarding the surrogacy... :) Yeah! I called the IVF coordinator about the egg donor and whether or not she would do another cycle (she just finished a cycle for another couple). We were worried about this because if she didn't want to we were going to be out of luck basically and we would have to do more waiting.. We, none of us, wait very well.. So she called and said the egg donor was ready to go! and that she was just waiting for the call that her period had come, which she expects near the end of December.. She had 25 mature eggs retrieved and they were split between two couples (this is what we will do as well, we hope) they implanted two embryos in each mother and froze two each .. pretty good odds with 25 eggs, 8 made it to embryos and we will post, if we are privy to this information, wheather or not the embryos took (and how many... could let us know how many of ours will "stick") What does this mean for us? you ask? well... Amber will have to call the clinic when her period starts so she can begin the process of getting in sync with the egg donor...This consists of birth control pills and other fun meds via shots... yikes.. I know I am not getting this totally correct (Amber can pipe in and correct me) but this will also get the lining of her uterus "prepared" for an embryo when her body isn't even producing an egg... this happens naturally when you ovulate but we do not want Amber to ovulate (this would be a BIG no no) but we want her body to THINK she is ovulating... thus the meds.. any who, so the clinic said the middle of January should be when Amber will start her meds and 45 days or so (if all goes well) the egg donor will be ready to have her eggs harvested and Amber and her uterus will be ready for the transfer !! YEAH.... :-) This means that this time next year we should have a little Evans (or two or three! in our house !! :-) I MUST give thanks to my friend Christy for letting us have Connor and Annabelle's crib... You are such a doll for being so generous and we are VERY grateful for your (and Chris') friendship! We still have the contract to finish but we are so close... just one point to re-word and we will be all ready to go and make a baby!! We will continue to update you all on the stages of this wonderful journey ... and soon we will start adding photos so we can all see Amber as she grows... :) As always, keep Randy and Sharelle in your prayers and Tina and Jeremy and baby as well! Hugs and love to you all! Carolyn (and John)
Posted on 15 Dec 2005 at 8:53 AM
15 Dec 2005
YES!!! We are ROLLING NOW!
Hi All. It is Amber again. I just thought that I would chime in on my excitement about the most recent events. As you all know we recently heard that we do indeed have a confirmed egg donor. YEAH! I don't know a lot about how the egg donors process works completely but I do know that our Carolyn look alike is willing, able, and almost ready to start making the teeny little eggies that will be the beginning to a hopeful miracle! As far as myself. "HEAR YE, HEAR YE" This is my OFFICIAL warning.... While I will try to keep the whining about my aching tooshie to myself, I can't make any promises! Haha! My protocol should start with a series of birth control pills to match my cycle to our egg donor. I will then begin taking lupron injections, also known as loopy pron as it does just that and can make people very loopy, spacey, or even grouchy (we'll hope I don't encounter the latter.) I will also take estrogen injections. Then the fun part begins. Approximately a week or so before the transfer I will start taking Progesterone, another synthetic hormone, to help make my uterine nice and fluffy and ready to house a little Evans'. This is the ONLY shot I worry about. It is an intramuscular injection that has to go into my back side. The needle is about 2 and a half inches long with about 1.5 inches having to pierce the flesh in order to hit the muscle. I will do this atleast once a day, if not twice, for a period of 10-14 weeks..... The progesterone is very thick being that it is suspended in either sesame or olive oil. It can make the skin very tender and often times leaves large knots that can take weeks to go away. Of course, I'm fine with all of this and what is even more desturbing is that I'm actually looking forward to it. (Ask me about it again after I've been giving myself injections for about a month and I'll let you know if I'm still excited.) Any who, we will then transfer the little embryo's into my uterus by way of a very thin catheter. The entire process of transfering the ebryo's should take about 5 mins and then I will be on bed rest the rest of that day and the following. It will be business as usual with the exception of every time I need to tinkle wodering if I should test to see if there are 2 lines yet! Hopefully within 8 days or so after transfer we should know for certain if Carolyn and John will be a mommy and daddy! It's just SO EXCITING!!! As Carolyn stated, we are ALMOST finished with our contracts. Granted we've been stating this for 3 months but We REALLY mean it this time! I PROMISE! Mitch is getting a Wonderful birthday present from John and Carolyn! A psych eval! Yep, that's right! We will be meeting with the psychologist here in Wichita on Jan. 2 to finish all required testing so we can just sit back and wait to hear how many wonderful eggies we have and how soon Carolyn and John will be parents. My advice to all of you reading this is GET READY! We're going to make a miracle and it will happen before you know it... Carolyn and John, rest up now! You'll need it.... Grandma's Evans' and Ruppel start puckering up because you'll be kissin a new babe very soon. Grandpa's Evans' and Ruppel, Well, you know the drill. This little miracle will be ready to hear all of your stories very soon! To all of the aunt's and uncles! Start scouting the toy store! It's amazing how much noise toys can make these days!!! LOL! :) Carolyn and John, I love you both! I can't wait to see all of your dreams come true! Starting with atleast one tiny miracle!!! HUGS and LOVE! am
Posted on 15 Dec 2005 at 7:19 PM
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babies
john evans,sr Posted on 16 Dec 2005 at 8:06 AM
Can't wait to hold, play with and spoil little Jackson, think that is the name that Tina and Jeremy decided on. Also, looking forward to the new arrival(s)? for John and Carolyn . Rest assured that you are all in our thoughts and prayers.We are so blessed with all our family direct and otherwise. We thank God everyday. Love you all! O,Daddy
16 Dec 2005
John's Turn . . . Again
Greetings to the Reading Faithful, The girls (Carolyn and Amber) always have a great time making postings, but I like to pipe up from time to time too. As Carolyn and Amber explained we are almost at the next stage! The contract really is close and I think we will have it signed by next week (fingers crossed). That process has taken quite a bit of time based on the lawyers (go figure) not those of us involved in this very personal and special journey. Mitch and Amber have our complete trust and confidence, and we are excited about getting past this legal milestone. I would like for everyone to keep Amber in thier prayers as we embark on this next phase of the journey. She makes light of having to be a "pin cushion" for the next several months, but it will be one of the most unpleasant aspects of this miracle, and we thank her for her conviction and positive attitude. Also keep Mitch in your prayers as he once again answers the call of our Nation and deploys in support of the United States Air Force. Mitch - you needn't worry, we'll take good care of Amber and the girls while you are gone. There are many exciting things happening all around us - Jeremy and Tina are now 5 months along waiting on the next Evans, Christmas is upon us and Appalachian State is playing for the Division I-AA National Championship tonight in Chattanooga . . . (whoops, did I say that out loud?) Ok, I hate to bring football into this, but I have to give a shout out to my alma mater - Carolyn and I are going to Chattanooga to watch my Mountaineers (the only of our football teams this year to have any success) try to win their first National Championship. We are excited about the game and hope that the "Black and Gold" can bring home a victory. We do have one somber note to report - Jeremy and Tina were forced (due to declining health) to put their dog, Sheba, to sleep earlier this week. She was a great dog and lived to be 17 years old (a ripe old age for a dog). I know this was a trying time for their family, but the vet was kind enough to come to their home to do the procedure and Sheba was able to take her final journey with her family around her. Please keep them in your prayers - as any of us who have pets know - they are not just pets, they are an integral part of the family. I know Stonewall will miss running and playing with her at family get togethers. Wanna make sure I end on a high note - it is going to be an exciting few months ahead . . . we'll get the contract signed, harvest eggs and do the IVF procedure - all of this (hopefully) before the end of March. That is just around the corner! We appreciate everyone's continued support of the Evans and Matsamura families. It is always the volume and spirit of support that demonstrates the character of family, and I believe this family is blessed with much character! Go Mountaineers!!! John (and Carolyn)
Posted on 16 Dec 2005 at 5:43 AM
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Excitement Builds
Carolyn Evans Posted on 16 Dec 2005 at 7:50 AM
Hello again from Gran Evans. I got SO EXCITED reading the latest entries in the journal I just had to chime in. This whole process is amazing to me--a nurse from the "old school" who would never have dreamed something like this could happen for a couple who for whatever reason couldn't have their own child. I am in awe every time I read an entry and realize that only God could make this possible. I'm so happy we all have such a strong faith and that He is overseeing this entire event. Amber, I will be thinking about you and praying for you in the coming months as I know it is not fun to receive injections on a daily basis. You are wonderful! Mitch, we will be praying for you as you deploy to serve our great nation. No one feels the giant lump in their throat as much as a proud parent or wife when their loved one chooses to put themselves in harm's way to protect our freedom and safety. We wish the very best of Christmases to you and your girls. John and Carolyn, I can't tell you how much I share in your excitement - it's indescribable! And we can't wait to see you for Christmas in just 6 or 7 days! Bob and Joyce, thanks for having such a wonderful daughter and living in Nashville where John was able to meet her. To all who read this journal- the Senior Evans household wishes you a Very Merry Christmas and GOD BLESS YOU ALL. Gran
16 Dec 2005
Excitement Builds
Carolyn Evans Posted on 16 Dec 2005 at 7:50 AM Hello again from Gran Evans. I got SO EXCITED reading the latest entries in the journal I just had to chime in. This whole process is amazing to me--a nurse from the "old school" who would never have dreamed something like this could happen for a couple who for whatever reason couldn't have their own child. I am in awe every time I read an entry and realize that only God could make this possible. I'm so happy we all have such a strong faith and that He is overseeing this entire event. Amber, I will be thinking about you and praying for you in the coming months as I know it is not fun to receive injections on a daily basis. You are wonderful! Mitch, we will be praying for you as you deploy to serve our great nation. No one feels the giant lump in their throat as much as a proud parent or wife when their loved one chooses to put themselves in harm's way to protect our freedom and safety. We wish the very best of Christmases to you and your girls. John and Carolyn, I can't tell you how much I share in your excitement - it's indescribable! And we can't wait to see you for Christmas in just 6 or 7 days! Bob and Joyce, thanks for having such a wonderful daughter and living in Nashville where John was able to meet her. To all who read this journal- the Senior Evans household wishes you a Very Merry Christmas and GOD BLESS YOU ALL. Gran
Posted on 16 Dec 2005 at 7:54 AM
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middle brother and wife check in
Jason and Virginia Evans Posted on 16 Dec 2005 at 9:16 PM
Hi All, This is our first entry. One of many. First of all, we would both like to thank Mitch, Amber and the girls for the incredible sacrifice you are making to bring such happiness to our family. And to our brother and sister we just want to say it may be time to start strapping on your selt belt for the wild ride! We are very excited for the next step you are about to make in your life. Get your sleep in now. Daniel, Haley, Virginia and Jason
16 Dec 2005
Babies
babies john evans,sr Posted on 16 Dec 2005 at 8:06 AM Can't wait to hold, play with and spoil little Jackson, think that is the name that Tina and Jeremy decided on. Also, looking forward to the new arrival(s)? for John and Carolyn . Rest assured that you are all in our thoughts and prayers.We are so blessed with all our family direct and otherwise. We thank God everyday. Love you all! O,Daddy
Posted on 16 Dec 2005 at 9:09 AM
17 Dec 2005
middle brother and wife check in
Jason and Virginia Evans Posted on 16 Dec 2005 at 9:16 PM Hi All, This is our first entry. One of many. First of all, we would both like to thank Mitch, Amber and the girls for the incredible sacrifice you are making to bring such happiness to our family. And to our brother and sister we just want to say it may be time to start strapping on your selt belt for the wild ride! We are very excited for the next step you are about to make in your life. Get your sleep in now. Daniel, Haley, Virginia and Jason
Posted on 17 Dec 2005 at 9:35 AM
20 Dec 2005
Push em back push em back...waaaaay back
Ok... by the title of this entry you might think I am cheering? or have lost my mind.. Neither is correct... I am rather upset right now in regards to the clinic and how well (or poorly) they are handling our case... As a good friend said to me today ... it seems as if they aren't rah rah rahing in our corner but instead dragging their feet and only giving us negative news... which brings me to our news... I got a call from Kellie (the IVF coordinator) today wanting to give me some updates on a few questions we had from a previous conversation.. she gave the answers and then decides to punch me in the gut with new information.. I will give you the background... Because we are using a surrogate, Johns sperm is considered "donor" sperm... you know, just like if he decided to donate sperm to the sperm bank... With that fact there are restrictions that go along (you'd think we would be used to restrictions being in the military) such as the sperm has to be quarantined for a minimum of 6 months before it can be used and the donor cant have been given the small pox vaccination. We were planning to wave the quarantine period and and small pox issue ... no problem according to Kellie as long as Amber agrees, which she did... no big deal... This meas having to deal with our wonderful lawyer and have her add this to the already 43 page contract! (the waiting period is to ensure no contagious diseases are present, even though the sample has been tested and tested and then retested by both the military and the clinic..and will be tested again prior to transfer. In addition, John, along with most all of the military personnel has had the small pox vaccination.. got no clue why it matters but it does apparently) So.. to get to the point.. Yesterday all was well with all of us, Amber said it was no big deal to skip the 6 month waiting period and wasn't worried about the small pox vaccine (Mitch is getting his next month in fact) our lawyer added it to the contract (and wow! it didn't take 2 months for her to get it right!) all was well and we were happy.. until today... :-( Kellie calls me and tells me we cant waive the 6 month quarantine time for the sperm.. after she told me we could?? funny... despite the fact Amber has already agreed.. so what does this mean? You ask? It means we have to wait until March 26 before we can do ANYTHING.. It means our egg donor will cycle with two other couples in January... It means we wont even start cycling until APRIL (getting Amber and the egg donor on the same cycle) ... It means we wont be transferring the embryo(s) until JUNE... it means if we get pregnant on the first try (fingers crossed) we are looking at February- March 2007 for delivery... it means I am PISSED AS HELLthat we are spending an ungodly amount of money and they cant give us correct answers on the FIRST TRY.. it means LTC Evans had to call the clinic today... (he swears he was nice, but I am not so sure.... he is even more mad than I am) I am trying to understand that things happen for a reason ... that this is how God planned for it to happen... but gees.. wouldn't you think that you could get a correct answer from a clinic on the first try?? a clinic that doest this FOR A LIVING??? it seems the more money you charge the less competent you are.. (our lawyer is a PRIME example of this... John tells it like this.. if he ran HIS business like she runs hers, we would belong to the Soviet Union right now!) I never thought it would be this much trouble to do this.. not that I regret it in any way or wish we hadn't started this... but really... is it that hard to have your facts straight BEFORE you give the client information? especially when this is such an emotional experience anyway?? It was looking like it was so close, just around the corner that this was going to happen and now it feels like it is so freaking far away.. because it is.. minimum of 16 months... I am so so so disappointed.... It really makes me wonder what else are they going to tell us.. that john cant use his sperm at all because of the small pox vaccination? I really feel like I have been sucker punched in the gut... Sorry if I am bumming anyone out, right before Christmas but I did want you all to know where we stood with our journey.. Please continue to keep Randy and Sharelle in your prayers.. Merry Christmas to all of you ! (Christy, tell Chris we are thinking of him and you over the holidays) Love you all Carolyn
Posted on 20 Dec 2005 at 3:14 PM
Robert Ruppel Waaaaayyy Back Posted on 20 Dec 2005 9:23 PM
I haveta make this(these comments private because I think our phone is being tapped. You guys are really getting a screw, aren't you? But, any thing that involves a lawyer will take a simple "yes-no" answer and make it last 38(?) pages and spead it over at least a year. How else can they make a living? Maybe they'll be nominated to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile: I think of a Burt Reynolds joke with the punch of "Not enough sand". If you haven't heard it, I'll tell you next time you're home.
22 Dec 2005
Keeping Our Eyes on the Ball
It's been a frustrating couple of days for Carolyn and I. As you can probably tell from Carolyn's posting of two days ago, we are less than thrilled with the professionalism and competence of the folks we have been working with at the clinic. We don't expect perfection, but we do expect a professionally rendered service for what we are paying. That NOTWITHSTANDING we continue to count our blessings this year as Christmas approaches. We have much to be thankful for. We rejoice and celebrate the health and happiness of both of our families, Jeremy and Tina are well on their way to adding yet another Evans to the clan, Randy and Sharelle continue to pursue adding a tiny Ruppel to their family, and despite our small set back we are still making progress. We sent the contract (via FEDEX overnight) to Amber last night in hopes that she and Mitch can sign it tomorrow before their lawyer takes off on Christmas vacation. Signing of the contract signifies a huge step forward, not because it commits us all on a greater scale, but simply because we have all found that it is a painstaking and laborious process that we will all be happy to have behind us. We are disappointed in our new timeline, but we are not going to let that get in the way of our goal or our journey. We will just continue to keep our eye on the ball and swing for the fence. Thanks to everyone that empathetically expressed their own exasperation at our set back. Thanks especially to Dad Ruppel who offered a well-timed and comedic response to Carolyn's last posting. It made us chuckle, lifted us from our funk, and was very much appreciated. As I close we (Carolyn and I) want to wish Amber a Happy Birthday (it was yesterday), and wish everyone the Merriest of Christmases and a very Happy New Year. As we all spend time with our families and each other this Christmas let us not forget about another small baby born over 2000 years ago in a manger in Bethlehem. And remember what He brought to this world, what He endured to do so, and how He suffered to save us. As we consider all of that this Christmas season . . . our setbacks just don't seem that important. God's blessings to you all! John (and Carolyn)
Posted on 22 Dec 2005 at 4:54 AM
30 Dec 2005
Contracts are finalized!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you! We had a very blessed Christmas in North Carolina with the Evans clan and are having the Ruppel festivities starting tonight... First a birthday party for Dad (turning 50 again), then tomorrow we are having our Christmas with Nathan and Caroline and that evening (New Year's Eve) we will celebrate the end of a great year and the beginning of an even greater year!!! We FINALLY finalized the contracts and got our copy in the mail Wednesday of this week!!! what a joy to have that behind us... (for both us and Amber and Mitch) so now we just wait... once again... our favorite thing to do... but we have no choice... I am less upset now than I was in my previous post (sorry about that rant) and have decided to just deal with it as best I can.. Time has really flown by already so I am sure this three month setback will come and go and we will be on our way soon... I guess pushing it back to 2007 made it seem like a bigger deal than just three months.. :0) Sorry we didn't send any Christmas cards this year but maybe next year we will do one of those "what we did this year update letters" ! Thanks to all of you that did send cards.. we really enjoy them.... especially from family that is far away and that we don't get to see or talk to often.. You know who you are... I am working right now (actually bored to tears) but plan to head out soon to go see the kidos!! all of the little ones are becoming no-so-little-ones.. it is amazing to see how fast they grow.. Don't worry Kurt, we will have a little one for you to play with soon!!.. As always, please keep Sharelle and Randy in your prayers.. I just know it will work sooner or later! and Tina and little "Jackson" as well.. she is so cute pregnant... and of course the soldiers that are far away from their families over the holidays... Mitch, we will say an extra special prayer for you and your girls back home while you are gone.. Know we will be thinking of you... Love to all and be safe over the New Year!!! Carolyn (and John)
Coby Referral Anniversary
14 years ago
