TRAVEL APPROVAL!!!!!!! MINUS THE I-600!!!!!

WELL!!! This is what I look like now, when you are sitting in your office @ 6:32pm WAITING for 1 MORE HOUR for the USCIS office in Saigon to open..

WE HAVE TRAVEL APPROVAL!!!

But we are still waiting on that I-600, which means WE CAN'T!!!!!. Holt called today, it was our Holt Branch Director. I saw her name on my BlackBerry and thought uh oh.......but it was her telling me to rattle some cages and that we are cleared by the VN government to go be united with our little angel, which means that our parent and child dossiers have received People's Committee approval! But nope....still waiting on OUR government to do their thing. The CIS office there was closed today (yesterday) for them in observance of Veteran's Day (Which I FULLY support). I talked to Holt Eugene for a bit to get the next course of action should CIS not have finished yet. Stay tuned for the latest!!! MOM AND POP ARE COMING SOPHIE!

Oh..oh..oh..oh..oh.. N.K.O.T.B

So... what can make a girl feel better??? A little New Kids On The Block and great gal pals!! For Ann W. 30th birthday we decided, back in July, to get tickets to the greatest group ever--NKOTB!! And it was well worth the wait! And to top it off I, along with my dear friend, Sarah got to meet Jordan and Donnie. We were both very nervous to meet our idols, but we got over that as soon as we saw their friendly faces. What a dream come true for the both of us. I was actually sad when we had to say good bye. I some how thought they would break out in "Please don't go girl", but no go on that (I'm sure it's because Joey wasn't with them). The concert was a good 2 hrs and it was jammed packed with fun and 60,000 screaming ladies (30's and up). So I would have to say, by far, yesterday had to be in my to 10 greatest days--ever! We originally thought that I might miss the concert because of precious Sophie (which would have been fine), but I think she wanted her Mommy to see her idol's. So thank you ladies and NKOTB for a perfect day!!!

Keeping Busy

Welcome to the new look site! Another way to pass the time on a Sunday! Fall is here for sure. Leaves are almost off of the trees, cold temps and wind are here. We have done almost everything we can do to get ready for Sophie as seen by the list on the right, so the last thing we have to do is bug family and friends to keep us busy. My sister Libby came over with her two boys yesterday for a few hours. The loved trying out all of Sophie's toys! After that we joined some friends for dinner at Pho Grand which was wonderful as always! So here we are waiting for shop to open at the CIS on Monday morning (7:30pm Sunday our time). Trish has a CT scan tomorrow with her oncologist, so we ask for prayers today and tomorrow! God has blessed us with so many things in our lives and we know he will keep his hand on Tricia tomorrow!

Still Here!

Yep, we are still here. Still waiting on approvals. Day +48..... Waking up at 3:00am each morning to check the Blackberry is BRUTAL. We are trying to keep busy through the work week and weekends. This Saturday, we are taking some friends to our favorite restaurant Pho Grand. If you are in the St. Louis Metro or even travel to St. Louis you HAVE to go here! Tammy and Michael the owners, both originally from the South of Viet Nam have by far the best authentic Vietnamese food this side of being in country. I suggest for Appetizers the Dau Hu Chien Don which is fried tofu with a brilliant peanut sauce. Of course you have to have the Pho Tai (enough for two) and my favorite entree is Ca Xa Ot (Red Snapper with hot chilies and lemon grass). With this you have to have their special fish sauce, not the bottle on the table. They make me this special recipe which is high quality squid sauce with chilies in it. IT IS TO DIE FOR, but not for the weak stomach as it is spicy! Tricia loves the Bo Luc Lac which is a beef dish that has garlic, onions and a special sauce. To top it off, you gotta grab a Cafe Sua Da which is chicory coffee over ice with sweetened condensed milk. Stop by Pho and experience what makes this food some of the most exquisite in the world.

PHO GRAND

3195 South Grand

St. Louis, MO

314-664-7435

http://www.phogrand.com

And Her Room Is Finished

Think we can call it finished for the time being. I know there are a few odds and ends missing but we can cross this off of the list of things to keep us busy over the weekend. Tricia never thought she would do pink and green for a girl, but that is how it ended up! Ladybugs dot the room as well, and those who know T well are full aware of her love for them.

Ready for the Little Princess

This little critter happened so show up too! Fits the decor yes?