19th Briana Day Anniversary AND The 20th Anniversary Of Waiting For Briana/Life With Briana (Including A Thank You Video From Me)

19 years ago today, Doug and I met our beautiful Briana (Jiang Ai Juan) for the first time in Chongqing, China at 4PM in the afternoon (China time) on July 30th, 2007.

It was an emotional, joyous, overwhelming, terrifying day for all of us...

We cannot imagine our lives without our beautiful Briana. She was our miracle and gift on that day - and she still is.

Our almost 20 year old will be starting her third year of college in September. It seems unbelievable.

 

Here is our China travel video once again...

And here's to 19 amazing years!

BUT - there is more.

  Today is also the 20th anniversary of this blog ~ Life With Briana (formerly Waiting For Briana). 

This was my very first post...

I had no idea that exactly one year later, I would be holding Briana in my arms. 

 And who would have thought that I would be here still after 20 years. This is what I looked like 20 years ago...

This is me and my friend Kathy back in 2006 consignment shopping and dreaming about our girls (and we are still friends to this day). This is a picture from the second post I ever published. Kathy is the one who encouraged me to create a blog and join the China adoption community blog world. And this blog changed my entire life. I connected with so many people from across the country and in other countries who were on the same path I was. I have met some of them. I am still in touch with many of them on other platforms. Some of my closest friends today are also in the China adoption community. 

But I am pretty much one of the very last people from the community still here on Blogger.

I have the first 10 years of this blog printed out. I have 10 years not printed. I would rather try to find a way to save my blog virtually at this point then print anymore of it out. I have more scrapbooks and blog books than any one person truly should and I know Briana will be super overwhelmed with what to do with all of them one day. 

Since it has been 20 years of you all only being able to read my written thoughts, I thought it would be a nice change for me to speak to you on video for the first time instead...  

 

 

Thanks so much for reading for all these years. It means so very much to me.