Here we go!

Michelle and I (Muriel), just got back from Milwaukee and we are so excited about Kazapalooza 2010. All of the planners will be working hard to iron out all the details but we need some information from you! Please go to the sidebar and answer the polls so we can finalize some details. Here is what we do know now:

1. It is June 18th-20th

2. Friday night we will be renting out the entire Children's Museum for a pizza party. The kids will have run of the place and there is a quiet room there as well. We will have a keg...It is Wisconsin don't ya know.

3. We are staying at the Hilton and there is an indoor water park. The park is not huge or fancy but it will definitely be a lot of fun for the kids and the bonus is....IT IS ENCLOSED AND THEY HAVE A TIKI BAR!



4. The price of the hotel per night will be $159 or lower (plus taxes)for a standard room. We do not know the final rate as of now. 1 and 2 room suites will be available for an up charge.

Standard room.

5. All the Kazamoms will receive a $25 gift certificate to the spa. yes, I am serious.

6. We have negotiated a rate of $7 per night for parking.

7. Wireless Internet is free.


And the best news of all...





















THEY HAVE A STARBUCKS IN THE LOBBY! The man above is Courtney, the catering director, and he may think Michelle and I are a little crazy! :)

In closing, a word from our sponsors:



Ummm, this is going to be a totally fun weekend. If you do not come you are a floppy face. (That is a direct quote)

The second planner is....

The second planner is Karen Kitzman!


As an inaugural member of the Kazapalooza groupies, I was so honored and excited to accept a position as rookie planner. Now that I consider all of the Fabulous First Four as my friends “in real life”, I look forward to working with them on an even more personal basis to create another memorable event. We became a Kaz family 2 ½ years ago when we adopted our son Nicholas from Zhezkazgan. Yes, we are in the minority! Where’s Zhezkazgan? Surprisingly Zhez can be found rather easily smack dab in the middle of most Kaz maps. We are officially in the Karaganda Region but most adopt from Karaganda city instead of the little mining city of Zhez. Our lives have forever been changed for the better thru adoption and even more than we imagined by gaining an incredible second family thru all of our fellow Kaz families. The fabulous four have created a truly unique and precious gift to us all so we can maintain friendships and create an environment for our kids to feel “just like everybody else”! See you in Milwaukee!
Karen Kitzman, very proud wife of Patrick and mom of Nicholas (age 5) – home forever in April 2007
We are two mid-westerners (Missouri and Wisconsin) and a really cute central Asian living in Lexington, Kentucky and loving life!

Exciting announcement.....

We have two new planners joining our Kazapalooza team this year. Tonight I am proud to introduce Lori Anderson-Printy!!!! Here are a few words from Lori:

I am excited and honored to play a role in Kazapalooza 2010. Last year we attended for the first time less than 6 months after adopting our sweet Kaz daughter Nina. The immediate welcome into this amazing community of Kazapalooza families was one of the many unanticipated blessings of our adoption experience. The Kaz adoption community is relatively small and I am grateful for events like Kazapalooza that celebrate my daughter, my family and our Kazakhstan adoption.

So much of the hard work has already been done by the Kazapalooza founders. In just two short years they have succeeded in creating a reunion of friends and families that already feels like an annual tradition! I just hope that I can find a meaningful way to contribute to this wonderful event.



Lori Anderson-Printy

Wife and friend to Dart Printy since 1989

Mother to Kiefer 18, Aidan 14, Nolan 9 and Nina 2 (home forever 1/7/2009, Ust Kamenogorsk, KZ)

Waiting again on daughter # 2 sometime in 2010???


Stay tuned for the announcement of the second new planner!

Kazapalooza 2010

The dates are June 18th-20th, 2009 in Milwaukee.

We are going to look at hotels on November 6th...we are hoping to stay at one with a water park!

It's going to be a great time!

Save the date!

Pictures lost

I spent a long long time on the phone with Shutterfly and am unable to get the account back. Apparently, some people or person ordered photos and changed the account settings and never changed them back. Maybe Shutterfly was not the best way to share pictures. We will be glad to have someone take control of figuring out a way to share our photos next year. Any volunteers? I apologize to all of you who did not see them. Steve (Tougie's dad) has very nicely downloaded all his photos to this site: http://gallery.me.com/steve_morrison#100057

He is a great photographer and he managed to capture the true beauty of our kids and the event. Enjoy.

Shutterfly

PLEASE, if you went onto Shutterfly and changed the password please e-mail me and let me know. murielcollison at hotmail The entire account has been changed and I can't access it. I have requested a new password and have been informed the account is not linked to my e-mail anymore. I am not mad, just want to solve the problem without having to sit on hold forever with Shutterfly.

Thanks to our Sponsors!

We could not have had a successful event without the help of our sponsors. Please support them throughout the year!

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

Burp Itty Burp:
www.burpittyburp.com

Holly G Bows:
www.kickassbows.com

Lokey Rentals and Sales, LLC

Charms 123
www.charms123.com

Elena's Gift Shop:
www.elenasgiftshop.com

Heart and Seoul:
www.heartandseoul.com

Born in our Heart:
www.borninourheart.com

Charms 123 & Scrap and Tell
www.charms123.com

Many Hearts One Beat:
www.manyheartsonebeat.com

Mandy's Moon:
www.mandysmoon.com/Qstore/Qstore.cgi

Collison & O’connor, Ltd:
www.collisonandoconnor.com

Pensacola Investors:
www.pensacolainvestors.com

B and B Transportation,Inc:
www.bandbtrans.com