Journal/Blog
November 21, 2007
Hello Friends,
I hope this finds you enjoying a beautiful fall in your area. It’s gorgeous here in middle Tennessee. Our trees are still full of color and as I write this I’m watching bright yellow leaves fall from the oak trees behind our house. This is my favorite season of the year!
My husband and I recently celebrated our eighteenth wedding anniversary by driving through the Blue Ridge Mountains to Asheville, NC. Our pictures don’t do the colors justice but the landscaping was just gorgeous! We visited the incredible Biltmore Mansion and the staff had it fully decorated for Christmas, even bringing in a 90-foot tree into the banquet hall. Unbelievably, they actually take that tree down halfway through the season and replace it with another 90-footer! The mansion sits on 8,000 sweeping acres and the colors of fall just popped off the mountainside.
 
 
We’re expecting long time friends for Thanksgiving so on Saturday we put up the Christmas tree. After sixteen years we finally had to retire our artificial tree. Sad. We’ve had that tree nearly as long as we’d been married. So we have a new one and don’t like it nearly as much as our ragged old one. Like Gloria says in The Christmas Promise, “I hate goodbye’s and endings and the conclusion of things in general.” The girls and I made peppermint bark yesterday (for peppermint pancakes throughout the holidays, you know) and we plan to make other candy this week along with a fresh apple cake (apples we picked with the kids in Ohio) and a squash pie (the squash from my parents garden in Ohio).
Gracie has the entire week off for Thanksgiving and she’s asked if she can play all day long in her jammies. So far, she’s doing just that and enjoying playing Christmas music really LOUD and dancing through the house with Kate and David. We’ll say, “Dance David,” and he shifts from one foot to the other or spins around. I’m supposed to be writing a new book but with dancing children I don’t think I’ll get any work done until after the holidays.
My friend Anita Pringle pointed out that we should be Thanksliving people. We shouldn’t stop to give thanks just one day out of the year but we should be people who live out our thanks on a daily basis. So, with that in mind, Happy Thanksliving!
Your friend, Donna
September 28, 2007
Hi Friends,
It’s been a while since I’ve been able to sit down and do this! I was busy working on The Christmas Promise and just never found the time to sit down and catch up with you. After I completed the novel, my husband and I traveled to Guatemala in July to pick up the newest member of our family. David Miguel was 12 months old and smiling when we met him in a hotel lobby in Guatemala City.
He hasn’t stopped smiling yet. He’s a happy, content baby and he LOVES to play. So far his big sisters adore him but he hasn’t figured out how to push their buttons yet. I know that day is coming.
Gracie, our oldest, started kindergarten this year and loves it. Last week she asked how many more days till Saturday was here. My husband said, “That didn’t take long.” Soon, she’ll figure out how to count down the days to Christmas break.
In November 2006 Troy traveled to China with Holt International and our friends from NewSong to visit orphanages (Holt is the world’s largest international adoption agency - visit them at www.holtintl.com.) While there, Troy met a 13-year-old girl whose name translated to Autumn. China mandates that children must be adopted by the time they turn 14 or they are no longer “adoptable.” Troy came home and was eager to adopt her but after much prayer we realized it would be very difficult - if not impossible - with our Guatemala adoption of David already in full swing. And I didn’t think our busy lives could manage a new infant and a teenager who didn't know any English at the same time! Troy shared our heart and challenges with our long time best friends from college, Bob & Dannah Gresh, who live in Pennsylvania. After wrestling through emotions and details, Bob and Dannah discussed Autumn’s adoption with their two teenagers and decided God was calling them to be Autumn's forever family. Autumn came home to Pennsylvania in August. She is a beautiful girl with a bright smile and sweet spirit.
We feel blessed to have been a tiny part of helping her find a her home. You can read about the Gresh's adoption journey on Dannah's blog at: http://purefreedom.org/blog/blogger.htm
St. Martin’s Press will be releasing The Christmas Promise in mid October and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as you have the previous three Christmas novels. You’ll see some of the old characters here and there but will meet some brand new characters that I hope will feel like part of your family.
For the first time ever, one of my novels will be in paperback form. The Angels of Morgan Hill will be available in paperback at the end of November. If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet I hope you’ll find the opportunity soon! I look forward to writing more books in the Morgan Hill Series. In the meantime, I’m working on a non-fiction book that’s due for release in August 2008.
Thanks so much for your support and loyalty and for reading and sharing the books with your book clubs and friends. I have absolutely the best readers and I’m grateful for each of you.
Blessings, Donna
October 18, 2006
Hello friends,
We received bittersweet news today. First, we were told that we’re probably only 10-12 weeks away from going to Guatemala to pick up our son there. He’s almost four months old now.
Then we received word that my husband’s paternal grandmother died at home in her bed. We saw her in June and she was as spry as ever, picking our girls up and setting them on her lap to play with them. Her husband of 60 plus years had been in and out of the hospital (was in the hospital during our visit) and wasn’t doing well at all. Her decline in health two weeks ago came suddenly but we know she is happy and whole today.
I have been busy traveling and will be gone all next week on a book tour for The Angels of Morgan Hill. I’ll be in Charlotte NC, Lexington KY, Knoxville and Murfreesboro TN. If you’re out and about in those cities I’d love to meet you. My husband will be home with the girls and the dogs so if you think about him say a little prayer for his sanity (our puppy drives him crazy!!) I met with different “doggie fence” companies today and talked about putting one in at the house (they can even do it inside the home). So we’re going to block off parts of the house so she’ll stop getting into things!
I have been told that The Angels of Morgan Hill is officially in stores now so I hope you get a chance to read it. It was the first novel I started so it’s exciting to see that it’s finally on store shelves.
I hope you’re having a great fall and looking forward to the holidays that will be here before we know it.
Until next time…
Your friend, Donna
August 11, 2006
Hello friends. I know I’ve been delinquent in writing but life sure has a way of getting busy! Troy and I started paperwork for our third adoption early this spring. We’re going to Guatemala this time. I asked Gracie (who turned 5 in May) if she wanted God to bring her a baby brother or a baby sister and she said, “I think I want God to bring me a baby cow!” I told her it wouldn’t fit in the crib. I hope she’s okay with a baby brother because he was born on June 28 and is waiting for us in Guatemala.
 
David ??? VanLiere
We don’t have a full name picked out yet but it will be David (for Troy’s father) something. We plan to pick up little David sometime at the end of the year or early '07. In the meantime I’ve painted his bathroom a great shade of green and will be painting his bedroom a shade of blue (of course!)
I’ve been doing lots of painting this year. The girls have what was called “a sewing room” on the MLS sheet right off their bedroom, which we turned into a playroom. Troy built a wall of shelves for them. The ceiling is at an angle so we painted one half of the room green and the other half yellow. The girls wanted a purple bedroom and they picked out an adorable shade. We bought them twin beds because Gracie claimed that Kate kept falling asleep and touching her. Now there’s no more bedtime complaints. I finished painting the guest bedroom and bath and plan to start the entryway or living room next.
I’m not sure when I’ll get to more painting because I’ll be busy traveling with the Women of Faith conference and NewSong Christmas tour till the end of the year. I was at a Christmas in July event with NewSong where they performed some Christmas favorites along with The Christmas Shoes, The Christmas Blessing and The Christmas Hope (a brand new and BEAUTIFUL song that is part of their new Christmas CD coming out this fall) and I read excerpts from each of the books in between songs. It went over so well with the audience that NewSong asked me to travel with them for their tour. We’ll post the dates and cites for that tour on the website as all that comes together. In the meantime, check out the Women of Faith schedule and see if it’s coming to a city near you. It’s filled with great speakers and music that you’ll love. I’ve spoken at three of the Women of Faith conferences but my main role this year is dramatist (the talented Nicole Johnson does the other half of the year). I’ve met a lot of you at the book signings at the event and have received lots of letters and e-mails from readers who have attended one of the conferences. Thank you for all your letters.
Sheila Walsh, me, Atlanta Courthouse hostage Ashley Smith, Patsy Clairmont
With two of my favorite funny ladies backstage at Women of Faith
Me, (l), Sherri Shepherd (c), Anita Renfroe (r)
We went to two adoption reunions this summer. Gracie’s was held in Holland, MI and Kate’s was in Pigeon Forge, TN. We had a great time reconnecting with the families we met while adopting in China and always look forwarding to the next year. We’re hosting Gracie’s group next year here in TN.
 
 
I almost forgot to tell you that we have a brand new addition to our family. Lucy the Labradoodle joined us in June at 13 weeks. I forgot how demanding puppies are! Remind me not to do this again!! Bailey, our 15-year-old miniature schnauzer has accepted her very well and seems to think that he’s a puppy, too when they’re outside together.
Lucy
The new book, The Angels of Morgan Hill comes out in October and I hope you’ll love it as much as you’ve enjoyed the Christmas series. We’ll keep you up to date on all the happenings on the website so check back from time to time.
Thank you for supporting the books and telling your friends about them. You are the best readers!!
Blessings.
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December 10, 2005
Merry Christmas!
Time moves fast. Too fast. It seems we were just at the local pumpkin patch picking out pumpkins for Halloween...
Grace and Kate at Gentry's Pumpkin Farm in Franklin
...and in a blink of an eye we were driving to Ohio for Thanksgiving. We had a white Thanksgiving with temperatures in the single digits, but my mother’s cooking was awesome, as always. Although she left the South when she was grown, the South never left her and she can cook with the best of them!
We spent the weekend after Thanksgiving decorating the Christmas tree with our girls. Kate, our two-year-old found a pair of rubber rain boots in a box and decided to wear them with her pajamas all day. She loved those black rubber boots so much that she wouldn’t hear of wearing shoes with her dress for church the next day but had to have the boots!
Kate in her boots!
She was happy to get to wear the boots again last weekend when we participated in our local Kiwanis Christmas parade through downtown Franklin. Franklin, TN is possibly one of the most beautiful towns in the country and at Christmas it’s even more charming. Despite the chilly temperature, people lined the streets waving and shouting Merry Christmas to each float as it passed. I’d like to say that our girls really delighted in being on top of a float but they weren’t. They were cold and uncomfortable and wanted to go home. Their dad and I had fun, though!
I spent the morning of the parade making Christmas candy for my husband’s annual office Christmas party and when we returned in the afternoon I made a coconut almond cheesecake. I spent the next three days making turtles, a snicker’s cheesecake, chocolate covered marshmallows, peanut butter fudge, peppermint bark and baking two turkeys and three cuts of prime rib!
Eat your heart out Martha!
Seventy people had RSVP’d and we had to have enough food... and boy did we!!! Troy spent a couple of days decorating. We were exhausted.
We learned this week that The Christmas Shoes has joined The Christmas Hope on the New York Times Bestseller’s List. Thank you for your continued belief in the books. I’m so honored that you enjoy reading them. I imagine that we’ll be seeing commercials for The Christmas Blessing movie on CBS this weekend. The movie airs on Sunday, December 18 (9 EST, 8 CST). Remember to mark your calendars, spread the word and set your VCR’s (or those more tech savvy, your Tivo's!)
I have a busy week next week with interviews and book signings in Dallas, Chicago, Canada and my hometown, Nashville. I was able to talk about The Christmas Hope book and The Christmas Blessing movie last week on CBS's Talk of the Town. It was very enjoyable.
Talk of the Town - Harry Chapman, Meryll Rose & me
The Christmas season moves fast but I hope you have time to enjoy some slower moments with the people you love and reflect on the Reason we celebrate this season. I wish you much Peace and Hope during this busy time.
Merry Christmas!
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November 18, 2005,
Hi Friends,
A lot has changed since my last journal update! The biggest (and most time consuming) is that we have moved into a new home. My husband and I had been looking for over a year but gave up on the process because we just couldn’t find what we needed. One Friday morning my husband was searching the internet and happened across pictures of a home that he thought looked interesting. He asked if I could see just one more home and I said, “Sure. Why not?” I didn’t realize that that casual answer would mean lots of work for the next three months! I rifled through every drawer and closet and gave or threw away what we didn’t want to move.
In the middle of packing I made a trip to Denver to speak to book retailers at the annual CBA convention. I spoke about the joys of adoption and cried (as I always do) when I recounted the moments both our girls were handed to me. My husband and I also made a trip to the set of The Christmas Blessing movie in Canada for a couple of days of the film shooting. I got to visit with my sweet friend and producer of the movie, Beth Grossbard and watch several scenes unfold. Neil Patrick Harris stars as Nathan Andrews and Rob Lowe is back as Robert Layton. Angus T. Jones from CBS’ Two and a Half Men stars as Charlie and turns in the most heart tugging performance!
The movie is different from the book and that’s always an interesting process to watch a story in a book morph into a different story for the small screen. I do believe The Christmas Blessing is a movie that families can watch together so be sure to watch on Sunday, December 18 on CBS. While we were in Canada we received an offer on our home so I knew my work was now going to double when we got back to Tennessee. We moved at the end of September and are still unpacking!
The Christmas Hope hit bookstores last week and we received word that after half a week of sales the book hit the NY Times Bestseller’s List. Thank you for reading! I’m busy working on a new non-seasonal book that’s due in 2006 and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as you’ve enjoyed the Christmas novels.
I was in a store yesterday and it claimed that there are 49 days till Christmas. I was struck by how exciting those 49 days will be for some people but also how heart breaking they will be for others. Yesterday, I was helping in our children’s department at church. I snuck out to see if the main service was near completion and saw that over thirty adults were standing around praying for (and crying with) a man in our church who is losing his wife to cancer. She does not have 49 days left to see another Christmas. As I passed the sign in the store I thought of the man in our church and was reminded that Christmas may not be a season of cheer for everyone, but it is a season of hope and peace. I wish you peace as the busy holiday season approaches and if the season ahead looks bleak, know that there are those who will stand alongside and pray and cry with you.
I wish you Peace and Hope!!!
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June 28, 2005
Hello again, Friends,
Just wanted to post a few pictures from our trip to Alaska. We arrived late and got a hotel in Anchorage but it was bright and sunny since the sun doesn’t really set during this time of year. When we left the hotel the next morning Gracie said, “Look Mom, the mountains have come out to meet us.” Mountains are a common sight in Alaska!
We drove four hours through breathtaking landscapes and pulled over several times to watch the mountain goats navigate the rock cliffs high above us. We drove to Homer (the "halibut fishing capital of the world" according to it's welcoming sign) and took a 50 foot boat over choppy waters across Kachemak Bay to Halibut Cove, one of the most beautiful places on earth. There we met up with Troy’s parents, Dave & Vicki, brother, Todd, sister-in-law, Mary, and their two children, Alyssa & Desmond. While there we did LOTS of hiking and walking and even rock climbing (I don’t think I’ll be doing more climbing any time soon!) It was on our second morning there that Gracie woke up and said, “Mom, the sun is always awake here!” The girls were able to see our friend Hannah, who stayed with us in the fall/winter of '04 before going off to college. Special thanks to Rick for the 'lift' across the bay, Kevin & Lucinda for the lodging and hospitality and Bowman for Troy's fishing "charter" (you'll see the big catch below.)
We finished our time north of Anchorage in Wasilla visiting with our friends Mike and Karen Gonzalez in their beautiful lake front home and traveled to Hatcher’s Pass, where the remains of an old gold mining camp still stand. It’s hard to describe the sights in Alaska but 'majestic', 'grand', 'magnificent' and 'awesome' come easily to mind. I think we took literally hundreds of pictures during our week there but I won’t bore you with all of them - here are just a few...
 
Yes, we had to use this!
 
View from the lodge
Halibut Cove - possibly the most beautiful place in the world!
 
The great fisherman!
 
 
Long flight home!
I'll be in touch!
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June 14, 2005
Hello Friends,
I hope your spring is off to a great start. We are just now getting some hot (and humid) days under our belt but I can’t complain. We’ve had a beautiful spring here in middle Tennessee with lots of time spent swinging our girls in the backyard.
We returned this weekend from visiting Minneapolis. It was our annual reunion with the group of parents we met in China three years ago while adopting our first daughter. I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to see how the little girls are growing and changing. We met them all when they were just infants and now they’re four years old! All the parents have committed to the reunions each year and it’s an event that we look forward to with joy! This year we had a great time picnicking at an area park - despite the rain - and enjoying the laughter of the girls as they rode rides at Camp Snoopy in the Mall of America. Wow is that place big! Here's a couple of pictures from the reunion...
 
 
Top left: me w/ Emma, Eva and Katie Bug
Top Right: Gracie, Janie & Emma
Bottom Left: The whole crew
Bottom Right: Gracie @ Camp Snoopy (Mall of America)
We leave on the 18th for Alaska to visit with my husband’s family there. We fly to Chicago and then from Chicago to Anchorage. I’ll have to let you know how our children travel for that six-hour flight and then four-hour drive to my brother-in-law’s home!
I was honored to take part in The Word Becomes Flesh, an audio Bible read entirely by women like Kathie Lee Gifford, Amy Grant, Jennifer O’Neal, Stormie O’Martian and others. It’s underscored with music and I think you’ll enjoy it. I’ve seen the project at Sam’s Clubs and in various bookstores or you can get a copy off Amazon.com.
Work is complete on The Christmas Hope and will release in October. I also finished the novel which will be published in spring of '06 so I’m using the summer to catch up on smaller projects and do some fun trips with my family! We'll head to Panama City Beach in a few weeks for Troy to do some scuba diving while the girls and I enjoy the beach, then sometime in July or August we’ll travel to Canada to watch some of the filming of The Christmas Blessing (starring Neil Patrick Harris and a return appearance by Rob Lowe.) And then in October, it's just Troy and I on a cruise to Bermuda with some good friends.
I enjoy all the email (and snail mail) I get from each of you and cherish your friendship and support.
I’ll be in touch!
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February 12, 2005
Dear Friends,
My family has been battling the flu! Well, not all of us, just my husband and me. Our girls have thankfully dodged that bullet. I was reading a bedtime story to Gracie this week and suddenly felt nauseous. I ran to the bathroom (as we are apt to do in that condition) and 45 seconds later Gracie stood in the doorway and said, “Mom, will you come back and finish the story?” Her obvious lack of bedside manners officially dashed our hopes of her someday going into medicine! When my temperature shot to 104 I knew a doctor’s visit was in order. I hope your family has sidestepped this flu and are healthy and whole.
You’ve probably noticed we’ve launched a brand new website. We’ve included links to help Tsunami victims, information about adoption, and have added a question and answer section to answer many of the great questions you send to my attention. Keep the questions coming and I’ll post the new ones.
Also on the site, you’ll find four cover mock-ups my publisher has sent me for my next book, The Christmas Hope. Now this is where I need you. I need your help in selecting a cover. If you have a second (really, that’s all the time it takes), please go to the home page and vote for the cover you like. The Christmas Hope will be in stores at the end of October.
Thank you again for taking the time to stay in touch. I always love to hear from you.
Many Blessings!
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January 26, 2005
It seems I just posted the journal entry for December but the date below indicates that the holidays are officially over and we’re well under way into the New Year.
The Christmas season went too fast; it always does. It seemed we had just put up the tree and decorations and then were taking them down again. Since then, our entire family has been ill (thankfully, not all at the same time). Our three-and-a-half-year-old is finishing up medication for an ear infection and our 17-month-old is getting over a cold that has left her entire face chapped! Neither illness seems to slow down either little girl for long.
In between doctor visits I have been working on my first non-seasonal novel that’s due out in Spring 2006 - just six months after the release of The Christmas Hope. It is yet untitled but I hope you’ll like it as much as the Christmas series of books.
We still haven’t heard any definitive word about The Christmas Blessing movie. CBS has optioned it and we’ve been told by the production company that they’re optimistic that it will air this coming Christmas but still no official word. When I hear something, I’ll pass it along to you.
Well, Gracie, our three-and-a-half-year-old has declared that her little sister is awake so I need to get her up before Gracie pulls her out of her bed!
Today is December 19 and it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Tennessee. It snowed today! Not much (it rarely snows a lot in the South) but enough to get us excited about the possibility of having a white Christmas.
I spent a great deal of this week making Christmas candy and cookies. I made peanut butter fudge, turtles, caramels, buckeyes, cheese wafers, some sort of pinwheel cookie (a new recipe I tried) and maple cake (from a new cookbook I purchased this week.) Our pantry is full and our bellies are even fuller! I love to bake and make candy and the Christmas season is the perfect excuse. Feel free to send a delicious, favorite recipe and I’ll try it!
My husband I took our three-and-a-half-year-old to Disney World at the beginning of the month. She woke up at 5:30 on the morning we were leaving and never stopped talking. She chattered all the way to the airport and when we drove to curbside to unload our luggage, she threw up all over everything! She wasn’t sick; she was simply too excited! We were the last ones on the plane because it took quite a bit of time to clean everything up before checking our baggage. She ran through the gates at Disney World and was beside herself when she saw Cinderella’s Castle in the distance. As we got closer she burst into tears and told us she wanted to go home. It was too much to take in and her mind couldn’t process all the sights and sounds. After several minutes she settled down and had a great time (the carousel and teacups were her favorite rides. We rode them five and three times respectively!) We have lots of pictures with her and Pooh Bear, Snow White, Mary Poppins, Mickey, Minnie and countless others and sweet memories of our time with her.
My maternal grandmother, Mary Hurley, turned 92 this month and I loaded the girls in the car and went to the celebration in Greeneville, TN. My parents drove down from Ohio and lots of old friends (some of them VERY old) turned out to wish my grandmother a happy birthday. A few months ago she broke her hip and the opposite leg and because of her age, surgery didn’t help and she’s confined to a wheelchair but her mind is still sharp.
We’re saying goodbye to Hannah Fennell this week. She’s been staying with us for the last couple of months before starting school in Chicago. She’ll be catching a 5 a.m. flight (who booked that???) for Alaska to see her family before heading to Chicago. We’ll miss her and know the girls will miss her even more but know she’ll excel in college in every way. We’re having some new friends: Chris, Tonya (who’s carrying twins) and Brady Carter over for dinner this week and our oldest is very excited because she’s found a true playmate in four-year-old Brady. I wrapped every last Christmas present today and am ready for my in-laws to arrive on Friday! I’ll be reading the Christmas narrative that’s on the home page of the website at a Christmas Eve service in our area and that will round out our week before Christmas Day.
I hope you and your family have a very merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year!
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November 29, 2004
Dear Friends!
Today is Monday, November 29th and I'm still recovering from too much food over the Thanksgiving holiday. For the first time in years, my husband and I spent Thanksgiving at our home. Our good friends, Bob and Dannah Gresh, came from PA to share this time with us in addition to Hannah Fennell. Hannah, who is from Alaska, has been in our home for the last couple of months. She'll be with us for only three more weeks before entering the world of college. We enjoyed the company of her 'friend' Seth (or "Self", as my three year old calls him) from Ohio for Thanksgiving as well. I trust your holiday was as enjoyable as mine and that you were able to truly enjoy the things that you are most grateful for - for me, that was family and friends.
This is my first journal entry and I hope to be able to keep you up to date regularly (every few weeks) with what is happening in my life and career. I look forward to getting to know you in the coming months and years and to develop some lifelong friends. Click on my Message Board link to the left as well for interaction with myself and readers/friends.
Many of you have asked about whether or not "The Christmas Blessing" (TCB) will be made into a movie or if "The Christmas Shoes" (TCS) will be re-airing this year.
CBS Television has optioned TCB story for a movie, but the actual making and airing have not yet been determined by the network (although it is very possible it will be fall '05.) You will be the first to know as I will post it in my news section as soon as I hear.
TCS movie has aired two consecutive years on CBS and while not re-airing on CBS, it is possible that it will re-air in the years to come on other cable channels and perhaps someday, be available on home video or DVD - again, you will be the first to know.
Thank you for all your support and I look forward to sharing some VERY exciting news with you in my next journal entry in a few weeks - please come back!
Blessings and Happy Holidays,
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