I've Been Tagged...

I've been tagged by Jessica. This is a book tag! I love to read although starting today most of the reading I will be doing going forward will be for school. Yes, I am torturing myself and taking the last four classes I need to complete my degree. Anyway, here it goes...

Here is how it works.
1. Pick the nearest book that has 123 pages.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next 3 sentences.
5. Tag 5 people.

The book that is the closest to me is, Double Cross by James Patterson (unless you count the text book I'm reading for homework).

The fifth sentence on page 123: "That was a relief to hear."

Next 3 sentences ~ "Thanks for saying that chief. I guess I'll keep offering, then." "Please do."

Hmmm...let me see, who can the next lucky tag victims be... I choose Angie, Robin, Ruth, Leslie, and Pam. Get those reading glasses on ladies, lol!

Don't You Just Feel This Way Sometimes?

Me too...

(loved this picture, he just looks so frustrated, lol)

Thanks Kelly B. !!

I received the most thoughtful package in the mail from my fellow ladybug, Kelly B., on Tuesday. In it was a very sweet note of encouragement and the bib above. It came at just the right time, I was sick and moping about thinking about the wait. Isn't it just the cutest bib? She made the ladybug applique. I can't wait to see our daughter in it :o)

Thanks Kelly, I am so grateful for your friendship and generosity!

Happy Birthday...

to my sister-in-law Jennifer and my brother Steve.

Their birthdays are Wednesday and Friday respectively.

Hope all your birthday wishes come true!

We'll get together and celebrate when we get back....

Leaving on a jet plane...

tomorrow morning we are headed off for a long weekend in the winter wonderalnd of MN. The weather guesstimate currently has the tempature for the day at high of 16 and a low of -13 with snow showers. Why would we want to take off for the hinterlands? It's simple, for us southerners a "real" winter will be a great change of pace and allow us to play in the snow once this year.

Have a great weekend and check back next week for pictures :o)

Happy Valentines Day!

Love is....

Love is the greatest feeling,

Love is like a play,

Love is what I feel for you,

Each and everyday,

Love is like a smile,

Love is like a song,

Love is a great emotion,

That keeps us going strong.

I love you with my heart,

My body and my soul,

I love the way I keep loving,

Like a love I can't control,

So remember when your eyes meet mine,

I love you with all my heart,

And I have poured my entire soul into you,

Right from the very start.

- by Meghan -

Matt, I love you more every year, happy Valentines day!

Hope everyone has a great valentines day with your loved ones!

17 Months Down....

Our paperwork has been officially been logged in with China for 17 months as of 2/5/08. We are now one month past our original worse case scenario of 16 months. One more down and ???? to go... Pass the cookies!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Wishing you all a prosperous and happy New Year!

Congratulations...

to all those families who have received their referral or made it through review this month. Your are one step closer to your little ones, CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Our agency has updated their site to provide the information formerly in the CCAA box ~

"The CCAA has finished the review of the adoption application documents

registered with the CCAA office before October 31, 2006.

The CCAA has finished the placement of the children for families whose application

documents were registered with the CCAA office before December 27, 20."

At least this month includes a few more days. We are currently 253 LID days away from being matched. If you take out weekends (both Saturday and Sundays) we are only 183 days away. I like that number better yet it still feels so far away. In the end there is nothing to do but wait, hope, dream, repeat...

2008 Year of the Rat

1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008

The Year of the Rat (February 2, 2008- January 25, 2009) marks the beginning of a new cycle of the Chinese lunar calendar. Each year of the 12 years in the cycle is named for an animal - Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Ram, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar. According to legend, the animals raced across a river to determine their order in the cycle. The rat crossed the river by riding on the back of the ox, jumping ahead at the last minute to win the race.

People born in the year of a particlar animal are said to share characteristics with that animal. You are imaginative, charming, and truly generous to the person you love. However, you have a tendency to be quick-tempered and overly critical. You are also inclined to be somewhat of an opportunist. Born under this sign, you should be happy in sales or as a writer, critic, or publicist. Some Rats: Charlotte Bronte, Truman Capote, Catherine I, Mata Hari, Wolfgang Mozart, William Shakespeare, George Washington.

For 2008...

To all my friends who sent me best wishes in 2007,
or promises of good luck if I forwarded something; it did NOT WORK.

For 2008, could you please just send either money,
chocolate or gasoline vouchers.

Thank you!

I'm with Calvin...

Sometimes I live in a state of denial (for a larger image click on the cartoon)!

For more Calvin go here~
25 Great Calvin and Hobbes Strips.

Enjoy!

Awesome quote...

Blood may be thicker than water, but love is thicker than anything.

~Goldie Nash

I thought that this was an awesome quote. Someone at my office brought me this Dear Abby column today. In short it is about someone not including an adopted child in family photos. I have to admit I was a little upset when I read this. My heart broke for that child. Who could be so unconcerned with hurting a childs feelings? Biology does not mean that you will or won't be a better parent, what matters the most is the love and care that you provide your child. Sometimes you have to wonder what makes people tick!

My favorite comic strip...

I love this comic strip! Calvin is such a little terror ;o)

16 Months LID and STILL counting...

and waiting, and counting, and waiting....

like the picture up on the right corners says -

Wait, hope, dream, repeat...

Congratulations to those who received referrals...

Congratulations to all those who have received their long awaited referrals. Wishing you all speedy travel arrangements and wonderful "gotcha" days!

To the rest of us... sending you all warm thoughts as we continue on this long, long journey. I know despite our excitement for those who have received their referrals these days bring sadness and disappointment to many of us. Wishing each of you fortitude, strength, and grace during the wait this year.

Keep the faith our time will come...

Happy New Year...

Here's to you...

Wishing you all a happy, safe and prosperous New Year!

As 2007 winds down...

It’s that time of year again… a time to say goodbye to the current year and ring in the New Year. It’s time for a reflection on the year that has just passed by, very rapidly I might add. Looking back on 2007, the blur that it was, I can honestly say it was a pretty good year. That doesn’t mean that we haven’t faced some challenges but if I checked the scale the good has outweighed the bad.

The biggest challenge this year was dealing with “the wait” is I now call it. Most of you are aware of where we stand on the adoption front but in case you are not here is a brief recap. Matt and I have been logged into China for 15 months and 3 weeks to adopt our baby girl. We thought by now we would have at least been looking at a picture of our daughter as we waited to travel. Unfortunately, it seems like our referral will still be a long, long way off. The reasons for this are varied and despite speculation we know nothing concrete about why or when things in China will change. The frustration and anger associated with this wait have been documented here at various times so there is no need to rehash them here. In addition to the wait we have dealt with the loss of friends and the illnesses of family.

Yet despite the disappointments, losses, and frustration we have basically had a good year. While the wait has been difficult, at times more than others, it’s amazing how many other things we did accomplish in 2007. We sold our condo and bought a house. This was no small feat given that the real estate market has been deteriorating steadily the last year or so. We managed to get a fairly good price on the condo and a great deal on our house. We both got promotions at our jobs. We have seen family members healed and made new friends. We’ve watched families receive their referrals and others bring their children home. What inspiration these things are, they do make it all seem real somehow. Our support system is the best; we couldn’t have made it without you guys. You all know who you are :o) All in all we have a lot to be grateful for.

Earlier I read over some of my posts from last year and ran across this ~

Patience is a hard discipline. It is not just waiting until something happens over which we have no control: the arrival of the bus, the end of the rain, the return of a friend, the resolution of a conflict. Patience is not waiting passively until someone else does something. Patience asks us to live the moment to the fullest, to be completely present to the moment, to taste the here and now, to be where we are. When we are impatient, we try to get away from where we are. We behave as if the real thing will happen tomorrow, later, and somewhere else. Let's be patient and trust that the treasure we look for is hidden in the ground on which we stand."
Henri J.M.Nouwen

It's as true today as it was when I first read it. As I sit and write this I’m trying to think about next year and what my goals for 2008 (besides the obvious things) should be. I know for sure I need to worry less and live more. I think I want to start writing letters to our daughter that hopefully will convey how much we have always loved her, even before we knew her. I should begin reading adoption related books. (It has seemed so far away so far that I haven’t read any!) The rest hasn’t come to me yet but I’m sure it will. Thank you to all of you who have shared your lives with us and for being such a big part of ours. We love you all and look forward to continuing our relationships next year. Wishing you all only the best on 2008!

Christmas Day...

Christmas has come and gone once again. We spent the day with hanging out with our family.We had fun hanging out, opening presents, and having a family dinner. Below are some pictures of our day. I know, they are mostly of my nephew but he's just so darn cute ;o)

Merry Christmas...

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

~ Luke 2:10-11

Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!