STAFF NEWS…

From time to time, we add a little “staff news” to the newsletter to let you know what is happening in our personal lives…seems only fair since we know so much of yours.

Malinda is really growing………….up? For her 40th birthday, her oldest daughter announced her engagement. Madison and Zack will “tie the knot” in August. Madison just moved out into her own apartment in March because she wanted some time “on her own” before she settled down to marriage. It didn’t take her long to start spending the night at mama’s house, inviting friends from work to stay the night, and even resorting to inviting cousins to “spend some time” with her. Seems that being on her own wasn’t quite as appealing as it sounded.

Anne and Ron are thrilled with Alysa’s news! She has a real job after hours and hours and hours on the computer searching since graduating from college in November. She has always had a job and worked throughout her college career. But, now she has a job that will actually allow her to be independent. To celebrate, she bought herself a puppy…and is learning a lesson about responsibility…oh, and that life is a never ending education process. Alysa is the first AIM baby 22+ years ago.

Charlotte’s daughter, Kathleen (Blessed Trinity’s first baby), is enjoying an internship at Disney World as part of her college plan. She has been gone since January and will be back home by May. Charlotte and family visited Kathleen last month and Charlotte went to Florida to spend Kathleen’s birthday with her. It has been a wonderful experience for Kathleen who is working in the costume department. She is auditioning for a role as one of the characters and hopes to have that experience before she returns home. Kathleen is pursuing a degree in fine arts.

Jan and Alan are proud to announce that their son, Westin, is graduating from Spring High this May. He stopped in at the office the other day on his way over to North Harris to enroll for the fall semester. It seems like just yesterday that we picked him up from the hospital…a 3 month old who weighed just over 2 pounds at birth.

Just a little piece of information you may not know about Jan…she’s a country girl at heart….NOT! However, one of her favorite forms of relaxation is going to The Shack with Anne. The Shack , photo below, is a two-room……..uh, shack. It has a sitting area, tiny kitchenette, smaller bathroom, and a bedroom. No TV. In Midway, Texas. In the woods.

Jan walks in, changes to her PJs, gets her book out, puts her Diet Coke in the tiny fridge, and heads for “her” bed where she spends the next 15-24 hours reading mindless fiction. Then, she gets up, gets dressed, and heads back to her real life. Jan and Anne made a pact last year to have a “retreat” once every month. It does wonders for their attitudes. Oh, you want to know what Anne does while Jan reads? Well, she feeds the pigs and the steer that her and Ron are fattening up for the freezer, plants the garden, picks veggies, and spends hours sitting in the swing just enjoying the quiet of the country.

Sometimes she holds a book in her hand while she sits. Did I mention NO KIDS ALLOWED?

TECHNO STUFF…..

The computer is making our life much easier! Why, even Jan uses hers daily. Three years ago she refused to even consider a computer on her desk and now she is busy corresponding via her email account. It’s a joy to behold.

Anyway, some of you are missing out! We have 1450 on our snail mail list and 662 on our email list. The thing is………we only mail out newsletters twice a year but we send out newsy emails at least monthly. It’s not too late, we are always ready to add another name to the list. We’ll even send emails to your office, your home, your parents or siblings, and your best friend. We love sharing. Just email Anne at alandry@aimadoptions.org with your interest in receiving notes from us. Be sure to include your email address in the body of the message.

And a special note about emails….if you haven’t been receiving ones from us lately, your address has either dropped off or I am guilty of a typo when entering your addy to our list. I sent out an email in March about the upcoming BBQ. If you did not receive one…send me a note with your email address in the body.

Another great thing about the computer….our website. We can’t believe this, but several of our families have told us that they have never looked at our site. The site, www.aimadoptions.org, is chocked full of all kinds of “stuff”….and about a million pictures. Take a few minutes and just see if you find something that interests you.

And…….speaking of our website, we have a “New Arrivals” link where our new families can send us a digital picture with their child’s vital statistics and we will publish it to the web. Unfortunately, when Mommie and Daddy get home with their precious gift…they get all involved and forget to send us a picture. So, if you are one of those Mommies or Daddys…it’s not too late. Just send your announcement to alandry@aimadoptions.org and check the website in about 24 hours.

NEEDED….

Just a reminder that we always need good used furniture to furnish apartments for our clients. If you are replacing something, consider us. Remember your donations will be tax deductible. Sometimes we even have transportation to pick up the donations.