Quote from Forum Archives on October 8, 2001, 1:41 pm

Posted by: marli <marli@...>

Thank you Deanna for all the helpful suggestions. I have either talked to
SueDawn once or talked to someone who knew them, a lady in Tulsa if I
remember right. She told me SueDawn had adopted children through her agency,
Hannah's Prayer in Tulsa and that she was on the board of their agency.
I never knew this story though....wow! We have friends who lived here for
three or four years, then moved to Georgia to start a church. They had lived
in the south before, Mississippi, Florida and such so knew how it could be.
While they were in New Mexico, they adopted a bi-racial baby boy and adopted
an African American baby girl three weeks after they settled in Georgia.
Anyway, they started out in a small town outside Athens, but quickly
realized the attitude there wasn't exactly friendly. They sold that house
and moved into Athens where people were not near as concerned with an
interracial family. This particular couple has lived all over, so she's a
great one to tell me which areas to avoid and which ones are good for a
family such as ours. I know I like to think that people won't have a problem
with it, especially since we don't encounter any here, but there are still
many people that do hold racial "lines" in their mind, in their community,
whatever, and these seem to be more prevalent in the south. I think the
south would fit us in most categories except this one and that's one that's
very important to our family.

I have talked to several families that say MN is great for interracial
families, many adoptive families of African American children there. I also
know a lady in Idaho that's adopted three AA children...she says everyone
there is super nice. So, right now Idaho and Washington state seem to be the
strongest possibilities with Ohio right there too. I would say God wants us
here, but He's never revealed that to either of us and our families brought
us here without ever seeking His plan....they just did it, so we're seeking
what He wants and hoping our desire to leave is from Him.

Regarding the snakes...I had looked in a book last night and seems that
every snake I didn't like was in Tennessee! I know people may not see them
much, but our family has had their fill and doesn't want to have snakes
everywhere we turn. We've had everything from the tiny, very deadly baby
rattlers, up to the big king-size grandpas! Also, these aren't out in the
hills or whatever, these have been under our back steps, beside the
foundation of our house, in the crawl space of our foundation, in my hubby's
shop building, you name it, we've seen it. We've talked about getting
guineas as everyone says they are great to get rid of snakes, but so far
nothing else has worked. We've had dogs and cats always, but the snakes are
still rampant. I know this may sound trivial or wimpy, but I'm tired of
being Annie Oakley 🙂

I've been dejunking all summer but will step it up after seeing my
neighbor's HUGE mess yesterday. She only has one child and her husband, and
that house looked like she hadn't gone through anything even though they are
leaving today. She started cleaning out her magazine section while I was
there so I think they must have been concentrating on big things like
furniture. I am going through it all over the course of this winter so it'll
be done in the event we do get to move. Guess I better get started!

Blessings today,
Lisa