More Paperwork

Jeff and I managed to get our fingerprints to send to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation yesterday. That was fun. I can't remember the last time I had my fingerprints taken.
I think I had to get them before entering the school system. Anyways, so we should be ok for Colorado and now it's time to get clearances from California.

Lake Isabelle and Pawnee Pass

Here are some images from the hike I went on today to Lake Isabelle and Pawnee Pass in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. I accidentally left my camera memory card at home, doh. So I was limited to the in-camera memory available... a measly 8 Mb. That doesn't get you much.

Here is Isabelle Lake...

After the lake I decided to head up to Pawnee Pass. There is a lot of melt this year due to the record snowfall. You can see some of the results of that here...

And here looking down...

As I went up higher I took some shots as I approached the Continental Divide.

And decided to look back down upon Isabelle Lake.

And here is another shot of the Continental Divide. It was a bit cooler and windy once you get up into the open tundra above tree line. I think Isabelle Glacier is there somewhere.

Till another hiking day...

Shino Goes Back To Work

The day has finally arrived. I will be starting a new job as of Monday the 28th of July. It's been quite nice to be able to stay at home and get tons of lab testing and doctor's appointments whenever I wanted. I'm really grateful for that. I don't think I would have had the opportunity without being laid off.

Now it's time to make some money so that we're not butt poor to do anything. I will be working as a Regulatory Associate (contractor) at a company called Covidien. They market and distribute medical products and my division will be concentrating on respiratory solutions. I hope this job will open new doors and perhaps even meet some cool people. The company is located in Boulder so it's quite nice. The commute isn't all that bad, no freeway traffic just local roads. I did encounter a tractor at one point which slowed me down but it didn't bother me too much.

Here is the website for Covidien: http://www.covidien.com

I think this will be a big transition for me, Jeff and the dogs. The dogs will not like the fact that they can't go out to the backyard whenever they feel like it.

Finally, A New Start for the Neimas!

Hi everyone! Sorry we've been out of touch. We have been going through many fertility issues causing us pain, emotionally and physically. We never thought that we would encounter such issues nor did we ever imagine that we would end up adopting. Adoption is great, but the idea never crossed our minds till now. Throughout our journey we've cried, screamed and pitched fits, but now we've attained closure. So we're finally ready to take the next step. Finally!

We have decided to adopt from Japan through a small agency in CA. Adopting from Japan is pretty rare since the birthrate in Japan is pretty low and there are few agencies that have a Japan program. I hear the process can have emotional ups and downs, but after all that we have been through, I think we'll be able to handle it and can't wait!

We just started the application process and have a long way to go with the homestudy and dossier. Overall, looking at the big picture, paperwork and documentation is not that big a deal.

Thanks to all that have been supportive and understanding.

Shino and Jeff