Thane and Annie: Our Journey to Adoption

Introduction to Thane

2011-09-17T16:42:00.000-06:00

Hello blog-reading world,

I will be making some posts over the upcoming months, so I thought it would only be proper to introduce myself.

My name is Thane. I am Annie’s less-better half—the yin to her yang, the peanut butter to her jelly time, the Simon to her Garfunkle.

Career-wise, I do a combination of marketing, consulting and analytics. It’s one of those jobs that is interesting to the job holder but not really interesting (or well understood by others).

Being married to a nurse is interesting in many ways. For one thing, I don’t put what I do in the same category as what Annie does. Although some of my clients might disagree, I don’t think helping companies get more money than they already have is quite as important as saving people’s lives.

When I have a bad day, it’s because a presentation went wrong, a project went off-track or someone was unhappy with work I did. When Annie has a bad day, people die.

I’m not belittling what I do, and, again, I enjoy it very much, but it’s good to be married to someone who has a job like Annie to help you remember what’s really important.

Quick funny story: I’ve noticed on multiple occasions a phenomenon when Annie and I are introducing ourselves to people at parties. Inevitably the conversation will turn to what everyone “does.” Annie will say that she’s a nurse, which will be met with nodding approval and smiles. Then they will turn to me and I will say I’m in marketing analytics. This will almost certainly be met with confused stares and forced smiles. Finally someone will break the awkward silence with a question like, “Do you enjoy that?” or a statement as awkward as the silence like “That sounds interesting” (which generally means exactly the opposite). Then, they’ll focus back on Annie and her career, which they think they understand.

Yes, Annie’s the saint in our family. I figure if I stick close enough to her, maybe I can get swept up into heaven on her coat tails before the pearly gates get shut behind her.

In my next post, I’ll share my feelings about adoption.

Babysitting

2011-09-12T16:43:00.000-06:00

Since we are responsible adults, and I'm a nurse for goodness sake, we often get the chance to babysit. Babysitting is so much fun for us and it lets us "practice" being parents for a little while. We had an opportunity like that this weekend when we babysat our four sweet nieces. We love to see them, but babysitting them is especially fun.
We did dinner, went to the park, and watched a movie with the older girls. We thought we had navigated bedtime quite well until 8pm when the older girls went to bed and we found our younger niece curled up in a blanket in the hallway watching the movie. I guess we have more to learn. :)
We had a great time and we are so blessed to have some family close by.

Our Busy August

2011-09-07T22:25:00.000-06:00

Well, August is my favorite month, but it was so busy this year with fun things that I'm excited that September has come and that with it has come a slower pace. We had birthdays and our anniversary this summer. 9 years!! It seems to have flown by.
We had our "family vacation" in August: a roadtrip to Yellowstone. Neither Thane nor I had been there since we were young and it really is nearby. So we packed up the car, camped on the ground, and admired the beauty of the park. We saw LOTS of bison. They especially enjoyed standing in the road so that the many tourists could take their picture. ;)
The highlight of our wildlife experience was when we came upon two bighorn sheep grazing on the side of the road. We watched them for quite awhile and they didn't seem to mind us a bit. We of course saw all of the geysers and other geothermic creations. The end of our vacation was rounded out by a whitewater rafting trip down the snake river at sunset. It was a lovely trip and we enjoyed being able to spend so much time together.

Our final excitement of the month was when part of Annie's family came to visit. We enjoyed all of the company, but especially our four-month-old nephew. He cooed and smiled as well as spitting up on us any chance he got. We especially love the time we can spend with family.

Some summer adventures

2011-08-01T22:34:00.000-06:00

For Fourth of July we went to a concert in the park that included patriotic songs and fireworks. It was a stirring experience and a lovely evening. I am so grateful to live in this country with our many freedoms and opportunities.

Annie was called as the Young Women (ages 12-18) President at church and so had the chance to attend Girl's Camp. It was a lot of fun.

For the first time, we attended our local Renaissance Festival. Great fun. We saw lots of fun costumes and saw some great talent.

Go Rockies

2011-07-01T21:43:00.000-06:00

In June we went to a Rockies Game with our Families Supporting Adoption group. We had a great time until we got rained out. The die-hards stayed until the game was resumed...but we went home to our cozy warm pajamas :)

Nursery Theme

2011-05-26T22:30:00.000-06:00

Probably not that important, but lots of fun! We finally picked a theme for the nursery: alphabet blocks. Not only do we think it will be super-cute, but can encourage reading and education. We're a big fan of all of those things: cute, reading, and education. :) We are plugging away through What to Expect the First Year. We read together from it several times a week and it is surprisingly funny. And we are learning about babies and parenting to boot. More to come on the nursery as we make more progress.

U2 Concert

2011-05-24T13:45:00.001-06:00

Saturday Thane and I attended the U2 concert in Denver. The Fray opened for them. We love The Fray and U2, so it was great. The music was great, but what we expected. The stage and lighting were unbelievable! Definitely the best we've ever seen. We were lucky to have clear skies (for the first time in a couple weeks). I was working on Saturday and not sure if we should go since I had to leave work early, but it was definitely worth it. The stage was round with another circle around it and moveable bridges to connect the two. Great show! And now I've had U2 songs stuck in my head all week :) My favorite is "Beautiful Day".

Baby consignment sales

2011-05-17T09:59:00.000-06:00

I recently found out about baby consignment sales. Granted, I never had need of them before, but they are so convenient. People can price and sell their used children's items and its all in one place. So there are all of the advantages of a garage sale or thrift store without any of the hassles- and everything is for children! I had a great time shopping for some baby basics such as bottles, a stroller, and a diaper bag. Thane even went with me and I had to tear him away from the cute little clothes.
So while we don't have everything, we have many of the necessities and for a fraction of the cost. I recommend anyone related to children to check them out in your area. Just google "baby consignment sale" in your city. Walla! Happy shopping :)

FSA 5K

2011-05-14T16:07:00.002-06:00

Today we participated in a 5K run/walk to raise awareness about adoption. It was a fun event and so great to join with others who know the beauty of adoption. The weather wasn't ideal- a cold spring morning, but we warmed up quickly! I ran in the 5K and Thane worked as a volunteer, marking the route and encouraging the runners. Its been over a year since I ran in a race, and it felt good to get back into it. I think I'll start running again. I feel so healthy after a good run.

Family Reunion

2011-05-07T19:59:00.000-06:00

We just returned from a week-long trip to Utah. We had so much fun and were blessed to see many friends and family. Annie's family had a family reunion and the new baby of the family was held nearly the whole time. Families are so wonderful and such a blessing. After time together, we remember just how blessed we are to have people in our lives that we care about so much.

Approved to adopt

2011-04-19T14:20:00.002-06:00

In December our application to adopt a child was approved. Now we are eagerly preparing for the time when a birthmother or father chooses us to be the family for their child. We are excited to be on the path to parenthood and are doing all we can to be the best parents we can be. We hope you enjoy our "new and improved" blog while we wait for the miracle of adoption.

Licata

2007-06-24T21:55:00.001-06:00

Licata was the last city Thane served it, and therefore fitting that it would be our last stop in Italy as well. The Giovanni Catania family was nice enough to let us stay in their home for a few days. Thane knew Giovanni years ago before the addition of the wife and their two and a half children (wife is pregnant).

Thane, Annie, Danielle, (forgot name), and Giovanni

Little Gabrielle enjoying the beach, and what a beautiful one it was.

This shot was taken in Palermo. Thane couldn't resist the red, white and blue cars the day before returning home.

Catania and Agrigento

2007-06-24T21:47:00.000-06:00

Catania was the largest city Thane served in and the center of his mission. He spent a lot of time in the Bellini Gardens talking to people.

You can see Thane above the day written in scrubbery (I wonder if the gardener ever says to his helpers "Bring me a shrubbery!" Sorry, Monty Python joke there). Yes, they changed it every day.

Thane and Annie in front of one of the temples at Agrigento's Valley of the Temples, the largest display of Greco-Roman temples outside of Greece.

Thane, in front of the most intact temple. Nearly all temples were destroyed at some point because they were Pagan. This one survived because it was turned into a Catholic church and used for some time.
This was more than was left of most of the temples.

Crotone

2007-06-24T21:41:00.000-06:00

Crotone was the first city Thane served in as a missionary. It was so fun for him to return, walk the same streets and be reunited with many of his old friends.

Thane and Annie with Angela (younger) and Erminia Trusciglio.

A stunning Sicilian sunset.
With the Sarcones (Franco's playing with the camera) in front of La Castella.

Now it's Annie's turn to play photographer. Sorella, wipe that smirk off!

From left to right, Ferrucio, Nerina, Thane, Annie Rosa, Nerina's husband and Carlos--great friend's of the missionaries. Nerina wasn't married when Thane knew her, which is one example of how fun it was to catch up on people's lives.

Pompeii

2007-06-24T21:23:00.000-06:00

A room with many of the artifacts found in Pompeii.

A mosaic on the floor of someone's house depicting some famous battle. Apparently when intact, the mosaic had a million pieces.

Annie sitting in the little theater in Pompeii.

The team of archaeologists who discovered or at least were the first to excavate Pompeii discovered these strange holes filled with bones underneath the ash. Their leader had the good sense to make plaster casts of the indentations. What resulted were a number of these plaster skeletons of people in the position they were in when Vesuvius erupted. In fact, you can even see the look on this poor man's face.

Cinque Terra

2007-06-24T21:12:00.000-06:00

Monterrolla--one of the five towns of Cinque Terre.

Thane and Annie with Monterossa in the background.

The original Lover's Lane, one of the many paths we hiked during our stay in Cinque Terre.

A seagull swoops down to nibble at the tough part of Thane's sandwich as we sat on the rocks and ate our lunch.

Vernazza.

Sunset over Riomaggiorre, our home base for the three days at Cinque Terre National Park.

Supper time at Rio Maggiorre. Thane didn't like the mussels in the picture, but sure loved the gnocchi he had as a primo. Annie had some sort of fish.

Venice

2007-06-24T21:06:00.001-06:00

Annie from one of Venice's many bridges, or I guess in their case, sidewalks.

Gondoliers doing their thing.

St. Mark's Square and St. Mark's Cathedral. A beautiful old church and a meeting place for thousands of pigeons. Vendors would sell bird feed for the foolhearty tourist who wishes to feed the pigeons. Imagine Alfred Hitchcock's the birds--a million, hungry, overly brave pigeons in your face, hair, on your clothes, pecking for food. Needless to say, we didn't buy the feed. Watching the unsuspecting tourists get accosted was enjoyment enough. Take that Mary Poppins!

The symbol of Venice anciently was the lion or griffin. Next to is is some streetlights with the famous Venetian pink glass (and modern incandescent lights inside). Italy was like that, always combining the ancient and the modern.

A quaint Venice entryway.

Verona

2007-06-24T21:00:00.000-06:00

One of Verona's many bridges, seen from an old church overlooking the city.

Thane and Annie from the vantage point of an old church.
Thane and his mission president, Giovanni Ascione.
The supposed balcony of Juliet, or in Italian, Giulietta.

Florence

2007-06-17T22:46:00.000-06:00

Florence's Duomo--perhaps one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. The exterior is done with three colors of marble--pink, green and white. The coloring and details are beautiful.

Centuries ago, Florence held a contest to decorate the East doors of its baptistry. You can see why Ghiberti and his bronze doors took the prize. Each square depicts a scene or story from the Old Testament. And there are figures carved in relief that separate the panels. We literally spent an hour just looking at everything. Little known fact: Thane actually got a perfect grade on a humanities paper he did on these doors.

After climbing approximately 300 steep and winding stairs through the bowels of the Duomo, you're treated with a 360 degree panoramic of Florence. One word: Wow.

Thane and Annie atop the Duomo. I don't know about you, but Thane's face looks a little flush.

Like you need any introduction here. "You scream, I scream. We all scream for gelato!" Hmm, that doesn't really work. Neither did Annie's claim that she was getting her "three a day" of fruit by eating multiple serving of gelato. Nice try, Annie.

Thane and Annie at a park overlooking the city.

In case you forgot what we look like, here's us at a bridge.

Funny story. We ran into these two Spaniards in line for the Uffizzi gallery. We struck up a conversation in Italian, and broken English and Spanish (Spanglianish?) Then, the next day we saw them in line for another museum. Then the next day we saw them at the train station. All unplanned of course. They were fun and both nurses like Annie. Thane felt very safe with them.

Rome

2007-06-17T22:08:00.000-06:00

Trevi Fountain--beautiful, if you can see it through the throngs of tourists.

Thane and Annie on a bridge with St. Peter's basilica in the background.

A fountain at Piazza Nuova. It looks like the trident-wielding statue is spearing Annie's head. (Perhaps, he's never seen a redhead before.)

It's Tourist Day at the Spanish Steps. Oh wait. Every day is Tourist Day at the Spanish Steps. Rome would be even better if the Roman-to-tourist ratio were higher. Not that we should complain since we're part of the problem.

La pieta', la carita', e l'amore. Sorry, little Italian missionary humor here (props to the two people who will actually get this joke.) No actually, just La Pieta (Piety), a statue Michelangelo did as a young man. Exquisite and moving, but behind glass ever since a hammer-carrying madman thought he could improve it by eliminating Mary's nose.

Peter holding the "keys of the kingdom." Thane got obsessed with keys and the notion of ecclesiastical authority so he took pictures of everything with keys--doors, cars, pianos. Just kidding, only symbolic keys of course. The symbol of the Vatican is a set of keys though.

Thane and Annie inside the Roman Colosseum. Nothing like a romantic date watching two gladiators fight for their lives. "Honey, could you pass the popcorn."

Thane with an old missionary companion, Marco Lui, who is now an Italian actor. We actually saw commercials for his TV show. Marco is a very funny guy.

Last night in Rome. Funny, no one wanted to sit next to the Americans. Sigh. At least the food was good.

Our Trip to Italy

2007-06-17T20:41:00.001-06:00

At the end of April, we packed our bags for three glorious weeks in Italy. Thane speaks fluent Italian (due to the two years he spent in Italy a decade ago as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints http://www.lds.org/) but he was a bit rusty. So months ago we started to read together in Italian and practice when we could. Annie did well and picked it up right away, perhaps because he knows some Spanish.

Overview

We flew into Rome April 29 and stayed X days. We saw the typical things: the Vatican, the Colliseum, the Roman forum, the X fountains, the Spanish steps, etc. Thane's favorite part was intentionally trying to get lost. You could turn around and run into the most amazing cathedral or fountain without ever intending to find them.

Next, we went to Florence. The highlights of Florence were the Duomo, one of the most beautiful buildings we've ever seen. The exterior is done in pink, green, and white marble. And the baptistery has the Ghiberti's fabled bronze doors. We also saw the Uffizzi galleries, one of the best collections of art in the world, the Bridge of Sighs, the Boboli gardens and Ponte Vecchio.

Verona was next on the list and a much more "chill" city. Verona has a lot of natural beauty but we didn't feel there was as much to do as Florence or Rome, but a good needed vacation from our vacation was much appreciated! We did see the Veronese arena, like Rome's Collosieum but only smaller, yet much more kept together that it's still in use for operas and concerts. Verona is also the setting of Romeo and Juliet and houses both Juliet's balcony and Juliet's tomb. I'm not sure how a character actually has a house or a tomb, but perhaps I just need to brush up on my Shakespeare. We also got to eat lunch with the Ascione family who Thane knew from his mission.

Cinque Terre is a collection of five villages on the (West) Italian coast. Some of the most beautiful sites we saw in Italy happened here. It was also a lot of fun to hike around and check out the original Lover's Lane.

Pompei was next up. We were both surprised by the sheer magnitude of the city. There was so much to see and so much of it had been carefully restored. In fact, there were even plaster casts of some of the victim's of Vesuvius' wrath.

Crotone was the first city Thane serve in as a missionary and the next city we visited. We spent most of our time here visiting Thane's old friends, but only got to spend an afternoon soaking up rays on the beach, and a fun evening at a nearby castle with the Sarcone family.

Catania was just a quick stop for us. We got to walk up and down the main drag, see the Bellini Gardens, the old ruins, Catania's Duomo and have the best Sicilian pastries and foods ever.

Licata was the last stop of our vacation appropriately as it was also the last stop of Thane's mission. Here, the Catania family was kind enough to offer us a place to stay for the three days we were here. Licata has some beautiful beaches and great vistas. It was also fun to wander the streets, dine on pizza and indulge in gelato and granita.

What follows are individual posts about each city taken for our trip journal. Feel free to read them or just look at the pictures.

Welcome to our Blog

2007-06-17T18:08:00.000-06:00

Dear Friends, Families and incidentals,

Welcome to our blog! We'll be using this space to detail our comings and goings, our thoughts and opinions, and most importantly our pictures.

First a little about us:

We live in Westminster, CO, just north of Denver. We moved to our current residence about a year ago. Annie's a ICU nurse at a local hospital, and Thane works as a marketing analyst for an email service provider.

Now that that's out of the way, read on.

Let us know what you think,

Thane & Annie