1/13/04

I wish I would have started writing in this journal over a year ago, but I know I can make up for the lost time. This journal came from China in approximately the 1940’s from Bob & Betty Paddock ~ your dad’s grandparents and your great grandparents. Betty gave me this journal over one and a half years ago and I saved it just for you. Maybe I should start from the beginning. I am Amanda Kay Walch, born in Dubuque, Iowa on May 17, 1973. My maiden name is Puls. I have four older sisters and one brother in law. My mom and dad are both still living in Dubuque. I was raised in Dubuque and attended my first two years of college in Mt. Vernon, IA ~ only one and a half hours away from home. After two years I decided it was time to leave the midwest. I moved to Alaska and shared an apartment with my sister, Pam, and both of us went to school. After being in Alaska for only three days I met your dad. Pam helped me get a job at the hotel she was working, and where Brian worked as well. From the day of our first meeting to our wedding day was a mere 14 months. I loved your dad so completely. We were married in Dubuque and I was only 21 at the time, your dad was 23. We decided to leave Alaska and move to Minnesota so we could both graduate from college. From the onset of our marriage, I was unsure if I could have children. Your dad and I have always talked about adopting a child, or children and knew one day it would come to be.

We lived in Minnesota for 3 years, In Which time we purchased our first home and brought in Rosa & Chunk (real name Theo). After graduating from the University of Minnesota in 1997, we moved back to Alaska. That first year we lived with your grandparents, Ken & Jo Walch. I was doing an internship and your dad was working & finishing school (He moved back to Minnesota for three months to complete his degree). Finally, in June of 1998 we purchased our second home in Anchorage (7341 Bulen Dr.), and both found full-time jobs. At the time, life without children seemed fun and rewarding. We never knew how wrong we would be.

In January of 2000 we had an opportunity to work for our church. After much thought & prayer we quit our jobs and went for it! We went out on faith, and looking back over the course of three years it was definitely worth it. In May of 2000, just four months after beginning a new chapter of our lives I found out I was pregnant with twins. We were shocked, terrified, & jovial all at the same time! At that time we knew we could not continue with our current church positions because of the high demands of time and energy. Friends of ours in California, who also worked for the church, extended an invitation to move to California. Once again we took some time to contemplate the decision. Of course we went for it! We rented out our house in Anchorage & flew down to Seattle (where we had our 85 VW shipped) and drove into San Francisco. I was 28 weeks pregnant, neither of us had jobs and no place to live. It was a crazy decision, but quite an adventure none-the-less. We lived with friends the first three weeks and dad found us a duplex to rent, and a good job to take care of us. Only two weeks after moving in I had complications ~ my body was having a hard time carrying twins. I went on hospital bed rest for a month at Stanford Medical Center. I was very lonely since we just left our family & friends behind in Anchorage. However, the time did pass quicky and on November 18, 2000 your brothers Connor Bruce & Andrew Robert were born. The first year was an extremely hard transition, but a good experience. We lived in SunnyVale, California (454 Taylor Ave) for the next two and a half years. We had lots of family visit during that time and the boys grew rapidly. Once they were born, however, we knew our next child would be adopted. My sister Pam adopted Kiera from China and in September 2002 I traveled with her to pick Kiera up. It was an amazing experience. I loved the country, the culture & all the kids I met. Soon after our return to the US, your dad and I started the paperwork process to adopt you. When summer of 2003 approached, we decided to head back to Alaska ~ our home and family. We sold most of our stuff and took a long trip up to Alaska. We drove through Yosemite, Death Valley, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon, Four Corners, & Mesa Verde. From there we visited friends & family in Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, & Wisconsin. Once in Iowa with Grandpa & Grandma Puls, we left the boys behind and took a train to New York City for a few days. We spent our time in Times Square, visiting Ground Zero, taking a cruise around Manhattan, riding the Metro Subway, etc. A very nice trip. Once back to Iowa we all hit the road again with Anchorage as our destination. The entire trip was so incredible, and etched in my memory forever. God truly did create beautiful lakes, mountains, trees, you name it! We arrived in Anchorage in September and lived with Grandpa & Grandma Walch for a few weeks. During the months prior to our return we sold our home in Anchorage and purchased a newer, bigger home. We have been living in our new place 4 months now (7750 Big Spruce Cr.) and love it!! Hopefully this covers all the important stuff to date… if not, I’m sure dad will fill you in on the rest!