Tamara Denke

Hail to my Chief I am married to the military. My husband has been in the Air Force now for 16 yrs. He has gone to Iraq and guarded us in a time of war. Tyson has spent a year in Korea, separated from his family. He has been sent on missions in which he was not allowed to discuss with others, including me. He has sacrificed. I have never been more proud to be associated with anyone as I am with my husband. He is strong with a good sense of work ethics and he is my Hero, every single day.  African Princess After being married for 10 yrs., my husband and I decided it was time to go to the next step in our marriage. It was time to become a family. At this point we knew we couldn’t have kids physically and that we were going to adopt. If you have no experience with adoption then I must tell you that from the moment it starts till the moment it ends, you are a complete wreck. I was a complete wreck for 2 ½ yrs! The first thing that must be decided is if you are going domestic or international. We had booklets from every adoption agency I could find. Reading through them we were able to realize that we wanted an International adoption. Once that was done we had to sort through the different countries to figure out where we would go. When you are looking at pictures of children who need a family, it can get pretty emotional. However, I kept going back to booklets about one country in particular. Over and over again, I felt a pull from inside that made me pick up the same booklets night after night. So, it was decided. Africa, here we come! Finding an adoption agency that worked in Africa was the easy part. But that would be the last easy thing we were ever going to be doing when it came to the adoption. There were interviews, home studies, paperwork, fees, and emotional madness. That didn’t even include telling family and friends that in our all white family, a new brown child would emerge. All of our costs would double before it was over because the paperwork is only valid for 18 months, and like I mentioned above, it took 2 ½ yrs. It was worth it though, every penny. My daughter, Mihret, came home when she was 3 ½ yrs old. But here is the best part, SHE WAS ALREADY POTTY TRAINED! Now, come on, how many parents reading this wish they could say that? My husband and I have never been happier. Why in the World When I first looked at Network Marketing I didn’t see its true potential. As a matter of fact, I assumed it was a scam because there were start up costs. I was always told that if anyone asks for money… RUN!  But there came a time when I was desperate. Our bills exceeded our paycheck and we were starting to lose the battle against our finances. The adoption had set us back $30,000. It had gotten so bad that I was unable to take Mihret to preschool for a week due to lack of funds for gas. This was not the dream I had envisioned when I was unable to sleep at night imagining how life would be once I brought Mihret home from the orphanage. So, something had to change. I needed to take some risks if I wanted to move from a life of financial burden to a life of financial freedom. I found a good opportunity and jumped in. Today I am on the road to a successful career and as I progress I will be sharing it with you. I know I am not alone. I also know that I need good reasons "why" so I could stay focused when things got overwhelming. My husband is my first "Why". When he retires in 4 yrs. at the age of 38, I want him to be able to relax. He deserves it. If it were up to me, he will only go back to working a 9-5 job if he wants to, not because he has to. My next "Why" is our daughter. She is the light in our life and the spark that keeps us going when we think about giving up on our dreams of financial freedom. Because of delays, misplaced paperwork and regulations changing in both the US and Africa, her adoption cost us almost as much as my husband makes in a year. For obvious reasons, this has been a huge blow to our sense of security. I want more for my daughter. I want everything for my daughter. My final "Why" is simply to feel I am accomplishing something great in my life (not that being a wife and mother aren't great). I want to contribute to my family, I want to give back to the adoption agency who united me with my daughter. I want to make sure my handicapped mother will always be taken care of and I just want to know that I am creating the lifestyle my family has always wanted without relying on someone else to make it happen for me. I hope to learn from everyone here and with any luck offer something back, even if it is just support. Good luck and we are in this together.  So, I know that everybody wants better and nicer things. Everyone has their reasons for wanting those things. I am sure mine are similar to yours. Most of the time I see pictures of what people have done with their success but I am going to show you what I will do with my success. Sustainable Living: I am not the greenest person in the world but I believe in the idea of getting what I give. Tyson and I want our home to be self sustaining with its own wind power; solar panels recycled water system and indoor garden. This is the home we will build one day.    Vroom Vroom: I am still looking for the car of my dreams. Up, Up and Away: We have been stationed at many locations around the world. Our favorite is Germany and we plan to make it a regular stop on our travels. We would love to travel to new and exotic places as well comfortable old stomping grounds. We also want to make regular trips back to Ethiopia as to stay connected to Mihret’s culture. She may be our daughter and she will undoubtedly become Americanized, but she will still have roots in Africa.