Rain, Work, Rain.....and Work

Wow so much has happened! The last few weeks have been super busy but amazing. We went to Salt Lake the weekend of August 24th. Unfortunately it was not for a joyous occasion, Brandon's grandfather passed away and his funeral was Monday August 26th. Even though I only knew his grandparents for a short while they definitely found a place in my heart. They were always so excited to see us and loved our visits. I'm sad that we will not be able to see them when we go up north now. The happy part about all of this is that Grandpa is now with his wife. He has been miserable since she passed away, and now they are together. The other great part was the opportunity to spend time with Brandon's family and extended family. I'm always amazed at how......small his family including his extended family is. My family outnumbers his three to one....at the very least it's probably more now that I really think about it. Either way it was wonderful to see everyone and get to know them a little better. It was also great to see and stay with Bonni and Jeff. I have missed them so much! It was nice being able to catch up and spend some quality time with them.

 That following week at work I was alone here at the office. Catharine (my boss) was in Vegas with a birth mom and Tracie (our Outreach Coordinator) was in Arizona. That week I continued to dive into the policies and procedures of Hague. For those of you that do not know what Hague is let me give you a description;

"The Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-Country Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention) is an international agreement to establish safeguards to ensure that intercountry adoptions take place in the best interests of the child. The Convention entered into force for the United States in April 2008. The Hague Adoption Convention applies to adoptions between the United States and the other countries that have joined it." 

So this convention has created guidelines, policies, and procedures that accredited agencies are required to follow. It is these said policies and procedures that I have been reading, studying, and learning about the past several weeks. It's pretty intense. In fact let me give you a sample of one of the many sections:

I. Policy for Suitability of Supervised Providers:
 A. For all international cases in which Premier Adoption Agency acts as the Primary Provider, and in which Premier uses Supervised Providers, Premier Adoption Agency shall ensure that each such Supervised Provider:
1. Is in compliance with applicable State licensing and regulatory requirements in all jurisdictions in which it provides adoption services.
2. Does not engage in practices inconsistent with the Convention’s principles of furthering the best interests of the child and preventing the sale, abduction, exploitation, or trafficking of children; and
3.  Before entering into an agreement with Premier for the provision of adoption services, discloses to Premier the suitability information listed in Hague section 96.35.

As you can clearly see it is a little like reading a law manual, but I feel like I may be making progress. Some days it has felt like I was treading water in the vast ocean not sure which way was land because all I could see was water on either side. I was able to receive some clarification and direction last Monday and at least I now have a little better indication as to where I can find the shoreline. I was also able to get some direction on a few other projects I have been working on and I am close to finishing them up. Overall I enjoy that fact that I am helping make a difference in a family's life. Here is a little of what has happened just last week at work:

On Tuesday I finally heard back from the Department of Education in the United Kingdom (they are the central authority in the UK, which means they regulate adoptions) and we got the green light that we could work with families there who would like to try and adopt a US baby. This is very exciting because we have had 3-4 inquiries the past month from families in the UK interested in adopting.

Wednesday was spent learning our new software program in our Mesquite office (this is the office that handle the bulk of our domestic adoptions). However only part of the program as been built and is ready for use. The other portions (contract adoptions and international) have yet to be completed. Learning the program was not very difficult, but trying to envision and apply what I was learning to the future international portion was very draining and a lot of work for my brain. It was a very long 10 hour work day.

Thursday I spent the day again in our Mesquite office. I helped input information about our current adopting families into the new software. It was nice to have a change of work and scenery for a day. It was also another long 10 hour day, but I was able to get a lot done. I road down to Mesquite with my co-worker Tracie (she is our outreach coordinator) because she was taking the company car to Vegas for some training. However she was in meetings in Vegas until about 7:30 pm. This left me with a couple of hours of down time. Thankfully my dear friend Natalie recently moved to Mesquite and I was able to spend the evening with her and her two adorable children.

Friday was a half day because of the extra hours I put in Wednesday and Thursday. However we heard that there is a possibility that Kazakhstan may actually be opening for adoptions. This is very exciting news because two weeks ago it was looking like they would be closing the program. This news was also confirmed in a conference call with the NCFA's phone conference I attended this morning. The weekend was a blur and before I knew it it was Monday again. I worked on a few things for Catharine and then spent the afternoon working on a project for our Latvia program. Tuesday I spent the day in Mesquite helping with our new software and enter data to get it up to speed. I enjoy the people in that office so much! They are all unique, fun, and committed to their work. I really enjoy spending time in their office. Honestly, I just LOVE my job. Each day is a little different and it makes it more enjoyable. I am excited for next week. I have a notary class in Las Vegas, to obtain my Nevada notary, Thursday morning. That afternoon I will be tagging along with Tracie going to a few birth centers and such. I'm super excited!!! This job really does keep getting better and better.

A few random side notes. First, I ordered and paid for my temple dress! I'm very excited. It's gorgeous and I'm going to enjoy wearing it every time I attend the Temple.  Second, I volunteered to help the PTA at the Little Valley Elementary. My friend Annette is doing pictures and asked for a volunteer to help with layout and editing. After a few days of reflection and pondering I decided it would be a good idea. I have been looking for a way to give back to the community, and this was a perfect opportunity. I do not have a calling in church, but I do have a few extra hours each week to give. I have felt like I am wasting my talents a little by sitting at home reading or watching TV instead of being productive. This felt like the perfect opportunity! Kyle and Kaylee both go to Little Valley, and I will be able to spend time with my friend who is expecting a baby in January. Once again it is amazing how the Lord sends opportunities and experience your way, you just have to be open to except and receive them. I'm excited and will keep you posted with that.

To end I have loved the past week here in St. George it has been raining on and off for the past few weeks, and even more so the past few days! I adore rain storms everything from the smell, sounds, and how beautiful it makes the landscape. So the last few days have been wonderful for me. This morning I was able to make some hot chocolate and wear a long sleeve shirt, I was so excited! Fall is my favorite season and I can't wait until it is here to stay.

Below are a few pictures from the past little while. Enjoy!

Brandon decided he wanted to hike to Signal Peak in Pine Valley. We went on a Saturday (8.17.2013) with our friends Cody and Carina. 

It was cool and beautiful. The only negatives: 1. The allergy attack that happened 20 minutes into the hike. 2. Being out of shape and struggling in the higher altitude. Thankfully Carina was done around 3.5 miles too. We let the boys continue the rest of the way without us. 

The hike down. Aren't we cute? We ended up matching/color coordinating....didn't even plan it.

Carina got us amazing seats for $8 each to see Mary Poppins at Tuachan we went Friday August 23rd.

Jackie, Brandon's mom, brought us her old pasta maker. Brandon used it Labor Day weekend. 

One of our offices and the bathroom flooded from all the rain and a clogged drain on the roof of our building. They are still doing repairs three weeks later. 

Brandon bought me a new pair of climbing shoes! I've been wanting this particular style for a couple of months now and he found them on sale and got them for me! 

A beautiful sunset in Utah Hills. We went for a quick evening climb last Friday.