Savvy Girl...

Savvy is our newest family addition. She is a Golden Retriever rescued through the Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue. Savvy comes from a puppy mill in Virginia. She is a wonderful girl and very sweet. We've had her since early March.

Savvy is very attached to me and has to be by my side all the time especially in the house. In mid-March, we started obedience classes which are definitely helping but she still has work that needs to be done. If she knows she is in trouble, she really doesn't want to listen or will go hide under our master bed.

Here are a few pictures:

Snow Snow Snow!!! 4 to 6 inches in Smithfield!

Hi friends and family,


We are enjoying the first and probably only snowfall down hear in North Carolina for the 2008/2009 winter! Yes... You heard me - WE have SNOW in Smithfield, NC. On Tuesday, January 20, 2009, we had a "dumping" of 5 inches of snow.


The world came to a screeching halt hear in the "south!"


Schools closed for both Tuesday and Wed. because the roads were hazardous to drive on. Lots of businesses were either closed on Tuesday or closed early with some opening late on Wed. The roads were earily silent and devoid of traffic for the most part. They definitely do not know how to clear the roads of ice or snow. By late afternoon on Tuesday, the Governor of North Carolina declared a "State of Emergency."


Now the fun part was going outside to play in the snow. Gabriel and I enjoyed playing catch for a while. But then he lost his tennis ball in the snow and I couldn't find it either - yep, we had enough snow to cover his tennis ball. It really was a lot of fun watching everyone's reaction to the snow.

The snow was still on the ground today and with the sun shining it was a beautiful day. I pulled out my new camera and it the road in search of snow photos. It was interesting driving and did find myself on some roads that were very icy. Then there were some VERY SLOW moving vehicles that I was stuck behind but since I was looking for interesting photography subjects I didn't mind.


In downtown Smithfield, I enjoyed walking along the Neuse River photographing the snow covered trees. There was also lots of running water and ice to photograph. The scenery by the river was beautiful. It was also lots of fun watching kids with sleds run down the path looking for a hill to go sledding on.

Finally, I decided to make my way home. When I got home I decided that I wanted to make a small snowman so I started with my small snowball rolling it in the snow until it started to grow. Once I had a snowball about the size of a soccer ball I decided it was a good size for the base of my small snowman.

Then I started on the second tier with this snowball being slightly larger than a softball. Of course, I had to have eyes and arms so I went for a scavenger hunt in the garage where I found some of my golf tees. I tried to find two matching blue golf balls for eyes but only had one so I decided to just use the golf tees.

The finished snowman actually looked kind of cute. So I decided I had to take a photo of my handy work. I managed to take one photo just before Gabriel decided that the Snowman's head looked like a fun ball to play with leading to the BEHEADING of my snowman. Alas, my snowman didn't last much longer than a few minutes. I put his head back on but Gabriel beheaded him a second time in less than a few seconds. Before I knew it Gabriel was eating the snowman and having a great time pouncing in the snow. You would think he was a cat the way he was playing.


All-in-all, we have had lots of fun with the snow!


By tomorrow afternoon I expect all the snow to be gone. It was fun while it lasted...

Our Adoption Blurb...

Mike and Pam, married 4 years

Our faith in Jesus Christ is the binding force in our marriage. We are a happy, affectionate and loving couple. The deepest desire of our hearts is to share our love by raising a family. It is with eager anticipation that we hope to expand our family through adoption by bringing a baby into our home.

Whatever your decision, we hope it brings you peace and, if it does include us, we will be joyously devoted to your baby. We hope that you find reassurance that your baby's future with us will be full of love, laughter, encouragement, and opportunity. Every child deserves a safe and secure home where they can flourish and thrive.

God has a beautiful way of connecting the right people at the right time and in the right place! Adoption is part of God's perfect plan for creating families and can bring people together in a powerful, meaningful way. We pray for you daily and hold close to our hearts the following bible verse from Romans 12:12 (NIV):

“12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Merry Christmas!

This is to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. May you rejoice in the birth of our Savour, Jesus Christ.

Home Study Completed & Submitted!

Well, we received word today that our social worker has submitted our completed home study report to the adoption agency. Mike and I are really excited about moving forward and officially start the wait for a match.

Mike has also told me I can start looking and shopping for some of the infant necessities that we will need for our home and when we are matched with a baby.

It really is wonderful, exciting news to know that for Christmas we can look forward to the second 1/2 of our journey to parenthood!

Adoption Calendar Fundraiser...

Today I finished a 2009 calendar of the Outer Banks Lighthouses. I really hope that friends and family will enjoy the calendar. My hope is that they will consider buying the calendar as gifts for themselves or other individuals in their family. It would also be great if word could be passed on outside our immediate network of friends that the sale of this calendar helps support our dream of becoming parents providing us with the financial means by which we can adopt.

The average cost of adoption per child in the United States is between $15,000 up to $25,000 and in the rare occasion can even be more. We are open to adopting a sibling group but the adoption fees due at the time of placement would be doubled.

Again, we would appreciate your help in our desire to become a forever family through adoption. Please consider supporting us through the purchase of the 2009 Lighthouse Calendar.

As an FYI... more products will be added in the very near future. I hope to add individual photographs that would be made available for purchase as well as several other calendars and possibly a cookbook.

Best wishes and sincere thanks,

Pam & Mike

Radioactive Iodine Treatment

After meeting with my Endocrinologist, we have dates set for my Radioactive Iodine Treatment. RAI will be the last week in October into the first week of November. The worst part is probably going to be the low iodine diet that I have to be on for almost three weeks as well as the "relative" isolation for 7 days.

For 3 of those seven days, I must keep all contact with people to a minimum and it is especially important that I have my own bathroom. After the three days, I can be in the same room as my husband but must be separated by a minimum of 6 feet for the majority of the time although we can share very brief hugs (no more than 1 hour a day of close contact).

I think my cats will have the toughest time dealing with my isolation since they cannot be near me for the full 7 days.