Black and White Wednesday - "The Long Road"

We started on the international adoption path over 4 years ago, just shortly after Pat and I were married. Life was good with very few worries. We lived in a small, yet quaint and cozy, home. We knew we would outgrow it quickly but figured when we returned home from China, we would start to think about upgrading to a larger, more accommodating home for us, Nick and our “China Baby”.

Very quickly, we realized The Wait was going to be much longer than we anticipated so we re-evaluated our plans. At the time, both Pat and I were doing very well financially with our respective jobs, so we started our house hunt and decided to build our home.

Two months before we moved in, we received an amazing and unexpected gift...... Sarah!! We never dreamed of completing a domestic adoption, but she was meant to be ours and even though we were scared to death.....we put our decision in the hands of the Man Upstairs and prayed that it would all work out. Every single day we are reminded by her smile how incredibly fortunate we are to have Sarah in our lives.

Even with the gift of Sarah, never once did we consider abandoning our China adoption. Quite the opposite really....... at the time we were concerned that we would jeopardize our place in line or the ability to complete our international adoption. We discussed things with our agency and they told us that with the wait times increasing, chances were we would be fine....as long as there was at least a year in between Sarah and the new "China Baby" we would be okay.

So here we are…4 years later. FOUR YEARS LATER and still no word from China. We continue to wait and wait and wait.

Unfortunately, a lot has changed for us financially since we started this process. It’s no secret that the economy has taken a terrible turn....it has hit us pretty hard these last two years. Pat’s career is in the financial services industry which was directly affected by the downturn and we have dramatically changed our lifestyle to accommodate these changes.

Gone are the days of going out for fancy dinners, shopping outside our budget or just spending money generously and spontaneously.

It has been a difficult transition and we have made sacrifices. We have had to forgo invitations to spend expensive nights on the town with friends, regular nail appointments and I even changed hair salons in effort to save a little money {and you all know how I am about my HAIR!} Bottom line.......... no more frivolous spending period.

Over the past several months I’ve been invited to home shows like Matilda Jane, Silpada, etc. I’ve been asked to join in on online/virtual baby showers for those traveling to China and been asked to assist in donating money for others to bring their precious children home from China and other countries.

I haven’t been able to participate and although it breaks my heart because I am a truly a giving person by nature, I need to keep my focus on my family and our own financial situation.

Of course, our Nick and Sarah never go without, but if there’s a way to cut corners and save a little extra we’re doing it. I do LOVE nice things, but sometimes the nice things come with a hefty price tag and although I do miss having the freedom to spend, I realize that tightening our belts is a real necessity now.

I have been lucky this past year with my own job. The long hours on the road and hard work I’ve put in earned me a raise and a company vehicle....which have both helped tremendously, but we still need to be smart about our spending with our long awaited adoption just around the corner.

Pat and I had a heart to heart recently as our Home Study Paperwork came up for renewal. We know that the key to get us through this time is to focus on our family, which is more important than any material thing in this world. We intend to complete this adoption.......but to do that we are going to continue to make hard financial decisions. We’ve come way too far to watch our dreams fall apart and we are both committed to do whatever it takes to make our dream a reality.

Over the past few months I have been approached by several people interested in photography asking me if I would be interested in teaching Adobe Photoshop and/or Lightroom. I have to say that the wheels started turning.

I realize that what started out as a photography hobby has turned into a real passion for me. While I don't claim to be a pro or know absolutely EVERYTHING about Photoshop or Lightroom, I can most certainly teach what I do know.....which is basic photo enhancement and editing with a few fun creative things thrown in for good measure....like textures or how to design a blog header.

Though I already have a pretty tight schedule and my job takes me on the road much of the work week..... I have decided that I can certainly work a schedule in the evenings or weekend to offer some small online/interactive and one-on-one classes as an additional avenue to earn money to prepare for China.

I’m still working out the small details. For those that are interested in a web based class, please let me know via comment or email. My email is attached to my profile.

Classes will be $75 for 2 hours of instruction.

Classes will be limited to 4 people per class.

I will also be offering private 2 hour one-on-one instruction for $125.

We all face challenges and road blocks in our lives, but the way we choose to handle them is what defines us. I refuse to let anything get in the way or block "The Long Road" we have been traveling these last 4 years........ we will make it the distance and reach the end of our road.........in China.