Big announcement x2

On Tuesday right around lunch time as we were watching the snow come down and beginning to realize it was much more than had been expected, we got a phone call from a Texas cell phone number.  We almost did not answer the phone but then we realized it may be someone from Greg's work.  It was our social worker calling from home on her cell phone!    She said our LOA arrived!  Now what is so funny is that we have been waiting on THIS document for 11 months...but since we were snowed in, we could not get there to sign it and send it to immigration!  This is THE document we have been waiting for...no really!  It is THE official approval from the Chinese Government to adopt Fisher.  This is the document we need to apply for visas and travel approval!  We are now offivcially in the home stretch...we will be traveling to China in 8-12 weeks!

So...as soon as we were able, we made the trek to Hoover to the Lifeline office to sign the paper.  I have a picture of us holding the paper, but I have totally forgotten how to get pictures on to the blog!I will  keep trying, though!

Oh my goodness this is really happening!  We have so much to do!

Right now in China they are celebrating Chinese New Year.  We have been studying just a little but about it in school...

   "Chinese New Year, known in China as Spring Festival (春節 Chunjie), is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays."

There are several really neat traditions they observe during this time including visiting relatives, traditional feasts, new clothes and house cleaning.  The tradition that inspired our latest fundraiser is the tradition of the giving of the red envelopes.

  "Traditionally, Red envelopes or red packets are passed out during the Chinese New Year's celebrations, from married couples or the elderly to unmarried juniors. It is common for adults to give red packets to children...Red packets always contain money, usually varying from a couple of dollars to several hundred...Sometimes chocolate coins are found in the red packets."

Doesn't this sound fun?  So, drumroll please...we are excited to introduce...

Red Envelopes for Fisher!

We have purchased 50 authentic Chinese red envelopes with "100 years of happiness" embossed on them in gold in Mandarin.  Each envelope is numbered.  Some of the envelopes will have prizes in them, everything from Chinese money to a $50 gift card!   Pick an envelope, then email, or FB msg us to let us know which one you want to sponsor.  You send us the amount on the envelope and we send you the envelope.  For example, if you pick envelope number 12, you send us $12 and we will mail you the Chinese red envelope and whatever is inside it.  You have a 1 in 50 chance to win a $50 gift card! By the end of the fundraiser if all the envelopes are purchased, we will have $1200, which will buy Fishers plane ticket HOME!  Isn't that amazing?

AND...the 50 people who buy envelopes will receive permission to view a private video of us getting to Skype with Fisher!  He is a doll...and so smart!

So, please help us buy Fishers plane ticket home by sponsoring an envelope...or two!

Hopefully over the next several weeks we can share more about Fisher, where he lives and how our trip will look.

So be on the lookout on Facebook for our red envelopes and please also share this on your Facebook page!

Love you all!