Happy Thanksgiving...

It's that time of year... the air is getting a little cooler, the leaves are turning (okay not so much in FL but it sounded good ;o) and we are gearing up for the holiday rush. It's also a time of reflection, time to think about all that I am grateful for ~ family, friends both old and new, my job, the soldiers that serve us, the list is long. Thanksgiving is family, friends, food, football and fun. It's turkey induced coma's and naps. Most of all it's a time to thank God for those we love and all we have. I've been abundantly blessed this year and hope all of you have to! Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Delights...

On Thanksgiving Day we’re thankful for

Our blessings all year through,

For family we dearly love,

For good friends, old and new.

For sun to light and warm our days,

For stars that glow at night,

For trees of green and skies of blue,

And puffy clouds of white.

We’re grateful for our eyes that see

The beauty all around,

For arms to hug, and legs to walk,

And ears to hear each sound.

The list of all we’re grateful for

Would fill a great big book;

Our thankful hearts find new delights

Everywhere we look!

By Joanna Fuchs

CONGRATULATIONS....

Congratulations to the Clark and Summerville families! Two of my fellow ladybugs have received their long awaited referrals for their children. Wishing you speedy travel arrangements and wonderful "gotcha" days! Hope your celebrating this weekend :o)

Beautiful Sunset...

I was surfing the net looking for a cool picture for my Thanksgiving day post when I ran across the beautiful sunset picture above. I don't know where it was taken but I wish I could see the real thing. I can just imagine kicking back and letting the craziness of the day go while watching the sun go down, can't you?

They Did Their Share...

On Veteran’s Day we honor
Soldiers who protect our nation.
For their service as our warriors,
They deserve our admiration.

Some of them were drafted;
Some were volunteers;
For some it was just yesterday;
For some it’s been many years;

In the jungle or the desert,
On land or on the sea,
They did whatever was assigned
To produce a victory.

Some came back; some didn’t.
They defended us everywhere.
Some saw combat; some rode a desk;
All of them did their share.

No matter what the duty,
For low pay and little glory,
These soldiers gave up normal lives,
For duties mundane and gory.

Let every veteran be honored;
Don’t let politics get in the way.
Without them, freedom would have died;
What they did, we can’t repay.

We owe so much to them,
Who kept us safe from terror,
So when we see a uniform,
Let’s say "thank you" to every wearer.
~ Joanna Fuchs

For those of you who have or are serving our country, a salute to you today and every day. THANK YOU for your sacrifice, dedication and loyalty to the rest of us. May God bless and keep you...

Fourteen Months...

have come and gone since we were logged into China. As you all know by now predicting when we will bring our baby home has become impossible for a couple of reasons. The first being that doing straight statistical math puts us so far out from receiving our referral that we can't wrap our minds around that possibility. The second is that China uses "Chinese math" which, in relation to referrals, can only be calculated by China. Speculation and rumors abound but the truth is only China knows what is going on, what is causing the delays, and what or if they are planning to do anything to correct the situation. I think they will try to correct the situation but as with anything it will take time. Referrals did come in from some new orphanages this month and that is a good sign. Soooo... that being said we are still 14 months closer than we were before.

Now on to holiday shopping, they will be here in the blink of an eye...

Referral day...

To all those families who received their referrals today.

Wishing you speedytravel arrangements and wonderful "gotcha" days!

Update: CCAI matched 37 families!

Rascal Flatts Concert

I went with some friends Sunday night to see Rascal Flatts and Jason Aldean at the Ford Amphitheater. We got there a little early and had a mini cookout. Thanks for dinner Andy! Both Jason and Rascal Flatts put on a great show. One of the highlights was when Rascal Flatts had a group of Marines come up on stage to honor them. Here are some pictures of the fun, enjoy!

Christmas Idea...

As you all already know I'm big on supporting our troops. A friend sent me the information below today. This idea will take little effort and cost no more than a card and stamp. When you are making out your Christmas card list this year, please include the following:

A Recovering American soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue,NW
Washington,D.C. 20307-5001

Please show your support for our soldiers this holiday season. Being injured, in a hospital and away from your family must be terrible at Christmas. They sacrifice so much on our behalf and it would be great to show them that we are grateful. Please join me in sending our soldiers a little holiday cheer.

What a day...

On Halloween I spent the day with my nephew, Joshua, his mom Jennifer. I volunteered at Joshua's Fall Festival. The kids started the day by having a costume parade. Josh was a fireman for this part of the day. The kids were lined up by class and then paraded around the circular drive at the front of the school. They were so cute! Afterwards all the volunteers went to the hall to finalize prep for the festival and get to our assigned stations. Josh goes to a small christian school, SonRise, so the festival was held inside. There was a hula hoop toss, bowling with corn ear pins, an apple toss, a discovery barn, sensory boxes, a pumpkin toss, a find your letters pool filled with fall leaves, pumpkin decorating, and last but not least cookie decorating. Each class was brought in and assigned a station. The director then allowed 6-8 minuted per station and yelled switch. Let me tell you, it was quite an experience ;o) I was stationed at the pumpkin toss. Some of those kids have quite an arm! Retrieving pumpkins for 62 kids wore me out. The festival went quite well and the kids had alot of fun.

After school we went to see my brother and dad for lunch. Then home to rest up for trick-or-treating later. For that part of the night Josh was a skeleton. It was cute costume and he had so much fun "scaring" the neighbors. It was quite a day, thanks Jenn, Josh and Steve for including me in the fun!

Check out the slide show below to see all the fun!

Halloween 2007

Here some pictures of our family & friends this Halloween. Enjoy!

Happy Halloween...

Wishing you lots fun as you take your little goblins trick-or-treating!

Thank you Secret Pal...

My Aug/Sept CCAI Secret Pal sent me the cutest little Halloween bibs and burp cloths from Bumber Crop Baby for this months swap. Aren't they cute?

Thanks Pal you've done it again!

Send a soldier a message...

As you all know I have a soft spot for the men and women who are fighting for our country. Politics aside, I think that we, as a nation and individuals, should support our troops. They are fighting for us and our way of life. It is a thankless job, one that requires much sacrifice not only their part but of those they love. These men and women are heroes and deserve recognition for all that they do.

Today while I was surfing the net I found these two websites Any Soldier and America Supports You. At the first you can find a list of soldiers to send mail. The second site allows you to send e-mails which are then posted. I encourage you to take a few minutes of your time to send a letter or e-mail to one of our soldiers. I'm sure that any word from "home" is a welcome respite for someone so far away from home and family.

For all of our soldiers...You and yours are in my daily thoughts and prayers. Thank you for your courage and the sacrifices you make for us all.

I've been Boo'd...

My Ladybug group did a cyber version of Boo Bags. Wendy was my Boo buddy and sent us a box full of goodies. She include Halloween socks for me and our little one to be, a matching book, a multi-color pumpkin light, pretty fall kitchen towels, beaded pumpkin coasters, milk and white chocolate truffles (still debating on whether to share those), and a pumpkin t-shirt for Matt to wear when passing out candy on Halloween night. Check it out below... the cat didn't come in the box ;o)



Thank you Wendy!!

Something to look forward too...

Next week I am going to spend the day helping out at my nephew's Fall Festival. There will be a costume parade (nothing scary, he goes to a Christian school) and then the kids will spend the remainder of their school day at the festival. After school we are having lunch with Grandpa and then going trick-or-treating. It will be a nice break to hang out with the kids and have some fun. Come back next week for pictures...

Random thoughts...

Lately it seems like more than ever we have begun to lose our optimism about the "wait." It seems like it is the proverbial albatross around our neck. Even when it's not there, it's right there under the surface. For those of you fellow adoptive parents you know exactly what I mean. This wait has turned into a living, breathing thing that unexpectedly rears it's ugly head when you least expect it. It's made appearances at Target, at the mall, and even at family dinners. There you are going about your day and wham it hits you right between the eyes. This is not the first time I've mentioned it nor am I the only one to do so. Our optimistic thoughts for an increased number referrals per month has dwindled until they are but a shadow of hope. Yet hope I do.

I hope and pray each night for the perseverance, faith, and dare I say it, patience to get us through. Despite the trepidation of seeing yet another tiny batch of referrals I check the CCAA site and our agency's referral site regularly hoping for a decent number of referrals to be announced. Obviously we're still waiting for that large referral batch to arrive. Yet I continue to hope, I continue to yearn for a swift conclusion to this long journey. Hope and faith are what can and will carry us through. It will not be easy but it can be done by taking one day at a time.

Happy Birthday to you both...

Christina's birthday was last Wednesday and Lynn's big 30 is tomorrow.
Hope all your birthday wishes come true!
Happy Birthday, I love you both!

New Squishes...

I have finally added some additional squish pictures to my quilt blog.
Check them out at my 100 Good Wishes Quilt site.

Lovey Swap...

My Worth Waiting For group did a "Lovey" swap this month. A lovey can be a stuffed animal or something else that babies and small children carry around with them for a sense of security. My swap buddies were the Hearn family. They sent me the softest pink blanket and a ladybug mug. Thanks guys I love them both. Check them out...