One week till Harbin

One week from today, the Naughton clan will be traveling from Beijing to Harbin, a city in Heilongjiang province in extreme northeastern China. The following morning, our sweet little angel Tiana will be introduced to us at long last. The day that couldn't get here fast enough is suddenly very close, but we are ready. I've been ready for this day for over ten years. Moments after Alex's dramatic entrance into the world, I whispered in Bethany's ear, "I never want you to go through that again. Next time, we're adopting a little girl from China." True story.

Facebook is blocked in China, but I will be able to blog daily and link my blog to my facebook page as usual. I won't be able to access facebook to reply to your comments and/or messages on there, so you'll need to post comments directly on the blog if you want to share your reactions to the accounts and photos of our adventures. Signing up for a blogger account is free and pretty painless.

I will also continue to write my newspaper column for the Boone County Journal while we are overseas. Folks who live in the Mid-Missouri area can subscribe to the Journal for only $15 per year. Others can view my column online. I encourage you to share the links to my blog and my column with anyone and everyone you know who might enjoy following along with our journey. I will try to post pictures and at least a short account of events for every day we are in China, so check the blog daily. I hope you will enjoy this experience as much as we will.

My next post will be on Wednesday, the eve our our odyssey. We will be in the air for over 20 hours from Thursday through Friday, so when you wake up Friday morning, I hope to have a new entry posted for your reading pleasure. One final thought: Thank you all for the love and support you have shown us throughout this adoption process. We are truly blessed to have so many supportive friends and family members who have been there for us every step of the way. We love you all!

I love my wife

I wrote the following love letter to my wife yesterday. Afterwards, I thought I should tell the whole world how just much she means to me.

B,

Do you know how much you mean to me? I wonder if you do. You mean EVERYTHING to me. Everything. You gave me your heart once and I broke it. You gave me a second chance and I took it. You gave me your hand in marriage. You gave me a hand up whenever I needed it. You gave me our children. You gave me the opportunity to stay home with those children. You gave me the opportunity to find my voice as a writer. You gave me a chance to find happiness. And I am happy. I've never been happier in my life. You tolerate my whims, my friends, my old girlfriends, my mood swings, my lack of height, my beer belly, and my morning breath. You love me. And I love you. I hope you know just how much. Because I am not a good enough writer to put it into words. Just know that I love you and I appreciate you and I can't imagine living without you. Thank you for sharing your heart and your life with me. I'll never take either for granted.

I love you,
T

"Stay-at-Home" Writer

Today was a very good day. First, after catching up on some much needed beauty sleep (my kids let me sleep in till 10:30 this morning!), we dropped by Maple Hill Vintage Market in downtown Ashland where shop keeper Mary Millar gave me a check for the copies of Naked Snow Angels that she sold last week. It was the first "paycheck" I have earned in over three years. You read that right: Three. Years. After thanking Mary and buying some treasures for the boys, we walked across the street to the Turtle Club where we had lunch with Bruce Wallace, the publisher of the Boone County Journal. Bruce and I had a great conversation and discovered that we are birds of a feather, and Bruce officially agreed to hire me as a columnist for his paper. My first installment will appear in the June 29th edition. I have wanted to have my own weekly newspaper column ever since I started writing this blog, and as I try to find the words to express how elated I am to be given this opportunity, I am stricken with writer's block. Suffice it to say that Travis is a very happy camper. To subscribe to the Journal, click here.

After bidding my new editor farewell, I took the boys to the Ashland branch of the Daniel Boone Regional Library. There I spoke with the head librarian Tim about the copy of my book that I donated. He said that someone on the library board read it, loved it, and agreed to add it to the library's collection--and possibly purchase additional copies! Tim also invited me to do a reading/signing sometime in the future. Of course I said yes. While still floating around on Cloud Nine, we drove up to Columbia and checked in with the folks at Get Lost Bookshop where they reported that several copies of the book have already sold. I may do a reading there sometime in the fall, so if you buy a copy now (because really, who could wait to read such a gem?) just bring it in with you for me to sign. Speaking of signings, I will be at Kerley's Bar in downtown Hannibal on Saturday, July 2nd at 2:00pm to sell and autograph copies of the book. Hannibal peeps: you'd better be there! I ordered 50 copies just for you!!!

So as you can see, for a guy who vowed to never have a job again, I sure am doing a pretty good imitation of someone who is "working" for a living. When people ask me what I do, I usually tell them that I am a stay-at-home dad (for lack of a better term) or a stay-at-home writer. After today's flurry of activity however, I may have to rethink that. Call me whatever you like, I think I'll just call myself a writer. That sounds pretty good to me.

Stay-at-Home Newspaper Columnist?

In my book Naked Snow Angels I am a world-famous syndicated columnist and a best-selling author. Is this fiction or is it the future? Only time will tell, but in reality my book is growing in popularity, so I figured: Why not work on becoming a columnist now, too?

I have been in touch with a newspaper publisher recently who said that he would consider hiring me to write for his paper. I proposed writing a series of dispatches from China describing our journey to our little girl Tiana. I would also write about the ups and downs of riding the stay-at-home parent roller coaster and many other topics--all from my unique perspective. Does this sound familiar? If you've read my book, then it should. Is it art imitating life or vice versa? My book is basically a 286 page answer to "What do you want to be when you grow up?" In my case, I'd change that to "if" I grow up.

Anyway, if any of you peeps in central Missouri think it would be fun to read a weekly column written by yours truly in your local paper, then respond by commenting on this post or writing something on my facebook page. If enough of my fans voice their support, then perhaps you'll be reading my blog in print, as well as online, someday soon. Thanks again for all your support!

PS: Go to Get Lost Bookshop in Columbia, MO or Maple Hill Vintage Market in Ashland to buy a copy of NSA today!

Book Tour

I wanted to let my fans know that I am planning a "Why Not a Book Tour?" book tour for the coming months. As you know, my book Naked Snow Angels is now a runaway hit--selling dozens of copies since its release two weeks ago. Okay, "runaway hit" may be a bit of a stretch, but so is most of the material in the book, so please forgive me. Anyway, I am hoping to hold a book signing in Hannibal, MO during National Tom Sawyer Days (July 1-4) if I can lock down a location. I plan on contacting a local business or two about hosting the event, but if all else fails, I may just sell books out of the trunk of my car and sign copies for everyone who buys one. Also, I am waiting for a shipment of books to place on the shelves of Get Lost Bookshop in downtown Columbia, MO. Those of you in central MO should be able to buy your copy this week. I'll make an announcement and add a link to my website with the bookshop's info as soon as the book is available for purchase there. Also, I may have a retail outlet lined up in Ashland, MO, too. Eventually, I would like to hold a reading/signing in Mid-Missouri for all my central MO peeps.

Stay tuned for more information, tell your friends about the book (better yet, buy them each a copy), and thank you for your continued support!