Thought you might be interested in hearing what a normal weekday looks like for me. I might have blogged about this once before, but just pretend like I haven't. :)
5:00am Alarm goes off for the first time. Hit snooze.
5:07, 5:14, 5:21am Alarm comes on multiple times. Continue to hit snooze.
5:28am roll out of bed and go to the bathroom.
5:28 -5:55 Brush teeth, put on makeup, fix hair, put on clothes including jewelry.
5:55am Make sure Jenna is up and getting ready. She almost always is. Head downstairs.
6:00-6:20am Make lunch, snack, breakfast times two. Most days I cram some kind of breakfast down my throat as well.
6:20am Get my bag, purse, Jenna's backpack (and jacket depending on the weather) and had out.
6:30am Hopefully on our way to school/work.
7:00-7:15am arrive at school. Give lots of love to JG and then she reports to before care at school.
7:30-7:45 Arrive at work. This is where my day starts. On any given day, there is at least one meeting or conference call and sometimes multiple or back-to-back meetings all day. On about 3 out of 5 days, I'll get to have lunch away from my desk. Most days my lunch lasts 30 minutes even though I have an hour slated.
5:00-5:30 leave work and head home. I try to be out of the office by 5:00 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday because we have plans after work. Sometimes that happens and sometimes it doesn't. I work very hard to try and make it happen.
5:30-6:30/6:45/7:00pm TRAFFIC. With the construction out towards our neck of the woods, the traffice is horrendous. On a bad day, when it seems like everyone is on the road, it can easily take 90 minutes for me to get home. On a good traffic day, I"m looking at about an hour and 15 minutes.
6:15-7:00pm arrive at home. Hopefully Steve is cooking dinner (or dinner is on the table). Eat dinner, clean up the dishes (if Steve cooked). On the rare occasion where Steve hasn't started dinner yet, I then start dinner (and he cleans up). 6:30-7:00 Eat dinner.
7:00-8:00 Clean up kitchen, get Jenna's bath, watch a bit of tv or work on the computer.
8:00-8:30 Jenna gets ready for bed. We do devotional, pray, then read (or snuggle) and she's in bed by 8:30.
8:30-9:00 that's what I get a shower (obviously, there's not time for showers in the morning)
9:00-10:00 PC, TV, read, do Bible study, fold laundry, review Jenna's homework etc.
10:00 BED.
Then the next day I start all over again. Maybe one day I'll let you in on what my weekends usually look like.
4.10.2011
4.09.2011
My Sweet Girl
This past Saturday, we had just gotten home from our photoshoot and running errands...it was pretty warm out and I'd just had a good lunch. I felt like I just needed to lay down for a minute and rest. But laundry was calling and Jenna wanted me to play frisbee with her. ARGH! What's a girl to do?
So I got Jenna to come in our bedroom and lay down with me and watch TV. I told her to watch the clock for 30 minutes and then wake me up if I fell asleep. I told her I'd get up and get the laundry going and then if we had time play frisbee.
Well, I fell asleep. And when she woke me up, it had actually been about 45 minutes. It took me a while to get woken up, but I was awake enough to notice the laundry basket in my floor was gone. When I got to the bonus room, this is what greeted me there:
My sweet girl had gotten up as soon as I fell asleep and sorted the laundry for me. Not only did she sort it, but she checked the pockets (like I always do!) and managed to get everything in the right spot except maybe a garment or two.
She was rewarded by a surprise monetary donation (she's saving for our Atlanta trip this summer) and a mean game of frisbee (which ended soon because it was so blasted windy, you couldn't aim the frisbee for anything and we both ended up running all over creation!)
Love my girl!
So I got Jenna to come in our bedroom and lay down with me and watch TV. I told her to watch the clock for 30 minutes and then wake me up if I fell asleep. I told her I'd get up and get the laundry going and then if we had time play frisbee.
Well, I fell asleep. And when she woke me up, it had actually been about 45 minutes. It took me a while to get woken up, but I was awake enough to notice the laundry basket in my floor was gone. When I got to the bonus room, this is what greeted me there:
She was rewarded by a surprise monetary donation (she's saving for our Atlanta trip this summer) and a mean game of frisbee (which ended soon because it was so blasted windy, you couldn't aim the frisbee for anything and we both ended up running all over creation!)
Love my girl!
4.08.2011
Build A Bear
Recently, Jenna wanted to make a trip to her all-time favorite place...Build A Bear Workshop. I made Jenna's first bear for her when she was a tiny infant. My niece and I took our kids there while we were still on maternity leave. Since then, I realized Jenna has inherited my childhood affinity for stuffed animals.
As a child, I had hundred of stuffed animals and if given the choice would choose a stuffed animal over any other kind of toy. Maybe it's an only child thing?
At any rate, it had been a while since we'd been to BABW and Jenna had really done some things to earn the trip. So off we went. When we got there, she wanted to know whether she could get something for Kylie? How could I refuse!
And you'll never guess what she chose? The panda bear! Matching ones for them both! Hers is a boy named Bamboo. Kylie's is a girl named Lily Rose. Here she is getting Kylie's stuffed (soft).
And yes, she's telling the girl that worked there all about our adoption and Kylie. It was very sweet. I told Jenna we'd take Lily Rose with us to China. Lily Rose told me she was really looking forward to it! :)
As a child, I had hundred of stuffed animals and if given the choice would choose a stuffed animal over any other kind of toy. Maybe it's an only child thing?
At any rate, it had been a while since we'd been to BABW and Jenna had really done some things to earn the trip. So off we went. When we got there, she wanted to know whether she could get something for Kylie? How could I refuse!
And you'll never guess what she chose? The panda bear! Matching ones for them both! Hers is a boy named Bamboo. Kylie's is a girl named Lily Rose. Here she is getting Kylie's stuffed (soft).
4.07.2011
Log-In-Date!
Yes, 3 posts in a day, but there's NO WAY I can NOT share the good news! I just received an email from my agency with our log in date (LID)!!!! A LID is the official date that China literally "logs in" your dossier! This is as official as you can get!
THIS IS SUPER EXCITING! I almost stopped breathing! We were told to expect the LID to come in 2-6 weeks. It will have been 3 tomorrow! SO EXCITED!
THIS IS SUPER EXCITING! I almost stopped breathing! We were told to expect the LID to come in 2-6 weeks. It will have been 3 tomorrow! SO EXCITED!
What are you doing tonight?
Here's the deal for my local friends...tonight, the Millsaps are having an adoption fundraiser at Monkey Joes. If you want to support this family's adoption AND somewhere to entertain your kids, then this is the place for you! It's tonight, from 5-8pm AND they have food you can buy that the Millsaps benefit from as well. Come on out and help the Millsaps bring their girl home from Ethiopia! Click the links above to find out more!
New Shoes
Something else that we did this past weekend...
If you'll remember, a few years ago I completed a 1/2 marathon. Part of the after-effects of that marathon was I lost part of both my big toenails. They didn't come completely off...just died and then grew out. I thought that was the end of it until a few months ago, I finally took all my nail polish off myself (after many months of pedicures) and noticed part of my big toenails was dead again. I did a 5k in December and thought maybe that was when it happened, but I wasn't sure why it kept happening.
So I decided to go to a local Athletics shop (Fleet Feet) and be measured to be sure I was in the right size shoe etc. I have always gotten a horrible back ache when I am on my feet too long. Anyway, the folks at Fleet Feet will actually watch you walk and fit you with the right size shoe etc.
Tracey helped me when I went in and told me to take my socks and shoes off and roll my pants up so she could watch me walk. She told me something I wasn't too surprised to hear. My arch collapses when I walk. What she did tell me that surprised the heck out of me was that I need a full size and 1/2 BIGGER than what I was in. For the longest, I wore a 6 1/2 shoe. After Jenna, I grew into a size 7. On rare occasions, I wears a 7 1/2. She put me in an 8 1/2. And she said I was a AA which is extremely narrow. When I was a kid, I was always hard to fit because of my narrow feet, but I thought I'd gotten more average. I ended up paying more than I've ever paid for a shoe, but they should last me a good long time.
You might be wondering why all of a sudden the interest in new running/walking shoes. Well, at Jenna's school, they are training for the kids marathon for the Country Music Marathon. While Jenna isn't doing the actual marathon, she is training 2x a week with her friends from school. So, in an effort to participate in something with her as well as trying to get healthier myself, I thought the first step would be new shoes. I'd like to do the Couch to 5k program using the app. We'll see though.
After I got fitted and bought new shoes, I thought it might be good to have Jenna fitted if she was going to be running this kids marathon. Nothing surprising came from her fitting though. She doesn't have the collapsing arches like me. She does have one foot about 1/2 size bigger than the other, but I've known that since she was little and apparently, it's fairly common. They did size her up by 1 size, but by that time, I was expecting it.
Here are our somewhat matching shoes.
We were outside playing frisbee, but let's hope that's just the beginning of where these shoes will take us!
If you'll remember, a few years ago I completed a 1/2 marathon. Part of the after-effects of that marathon was I lost part of both my big toenails. They didn't come completely off...just died and then grew out. I thought that was the end of it until a few months ago, I finally took all my nail polish off myself (after many months of pedicures) and noticed part of my big toenails was dead again. I did a 5k in December and thought maybe that was when it happened, but I wasn't sure why it kept happening.
So I decided to go to a local Athletics shop (Fleet Feet) and be measured to be sure I was in the right size shoe etc. I have always gotten a horrible back ache when I am on my feet too long. Anyway, the folks at Fleet Feet will actually watch you walk and fit you with the right size shoe etc.
Tracey helped me when I went in and told me to take my socks and shoes off and roll my pants up so she could watch me walk. She told me something I wasn't too surprised to hear. My arch collapses when I walk. What she did tell me that surprised the heck out of me was that I need a full size and 1/2 BIGGER than what I was in. For the longest, I wore a 6 1/2 shoe. After Jenna, I grew into a size 7. On rare occasions, I wears a 7 1/2. She put me in an 8 1/2. And she said I was a AA which is extremely narrow. When I was a kid, I was always hard to fit because of my narrow feet, but I thought I'd gotten more average. I ended up paying more than I've ever paid for a shoe, but they should last me a good long time.
You might be wondering why all of a sudden the interest in new running/walking shoes. Well, at Jenna's school, they are training for the kids marathon for the Country Music Marathon. While Jenna isn't doing the actual marathon, she is training 2x a week with her friends from school. So, in an effort to participate in something with her as well as trying to get healthier myself, I thought the first step would be new shoes. I'd like to do the Couch to 5k program using the app. We'll see though.
After I got fitted and bought new shoes, I thought it might be good to have Jenna fitted if she was going to be running this kids marathon. Nothing surprising came from her fitting though. She doesn't have the collapsing arches like me. She does have one foot about 1/2 size bigger than the other, but I've known that since she was little and apparently, it's fairly common. They did size her up by 1 size, but by that time, I was expecting it.
Here are our somewhat matching shoes.
4.06.2011
Grocery Shopping
This weekend was my big monthly shopping trip to the grocery store. I didn't save as much as I normally do because there just wasn't as many good sales as usual. I did save about 50% at Publix though. You can just save so much at Publix especially with their buy one, get one free offer.
This is what my kitchen floor looked like after bringing in almost all the groceries.
For some reason Kroger (I shopped both Publix and Kroger) had a bunch of empty shelves. In fact, one of the things missing was lettuce and I needed some. I have determined I'm going to take my lunch more often this month and I need lettuce for sandwiches. I went over to the produce in hopes of finding something that would work since their heads of lettuce were completely gone. And I found something. Just look. I've never seen anything like it!
So neat! It wasn't as cheap as a regular head of lettuce, but it will do. Super neat. It took us (we all went!) 2 hours to do both stores and it took a while to get all the bags unloaded and the groceries put away. Luckily we have 2 pantries (which was an accidental blessing) and this is what they look like after a monthly grocery shopping trip.
Of course, this doesn't count the stuff in the cupboard that is only for me (my low-fat, diet stuff), nor the fridge/freezer. I just love the look for a full pantry.
I think I'm pretty stocked up for a while. I'll go to get meats and staples next month, but that's probably about it. In June, my company is going to have it's own Farmer's Market and I can't wait. Jenna loves fruit and I'm hoping to increase mine and Steve's consumption of fruit. Having the Farmer's Market at my back door is going to save me lots more money (I hope!).
This is what my kitchen floor looked like after bringing in almost all the groceries.
I think I'm pretty stocked up for a while. I'll go to get meats and staples next month, but that's probably about it. In June, my company is going to have it's own Farmer's Market and I can't wait. Jenna loves fruit and I'm hoping to increase mine and Steve's consumption of fruit. Having the Farmer's Market at my back door is going to save me lots more money (I hope!).
4.05.2011
Weekend Photoshoot
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to take part in something pretty stinking cool...at least in my mind anyway.
As most of you know, I'm a self-proclaimed "blog 'ho". I read a ton of blogs. I use Google Reader and have 78 blogs listed. Thankfully, not all of them post daily or else I'd never have time to read them all. Several of them are China adoption blogs. And I have them all separated into different categories. One of the categories is called "Classics".
The blogs I put in "Classics" are those that I have been reading the longest and are pretty widely read blogs. You'll remember a while back, I had asked for prayers for a little boy named Stellan. Stellan was the son of the author of one of my Classic blogs written by MckMama. If you are interested in Stellan's miraculous story, you can go directly to MckMama's blog or just use the search function at the top of my blog and link over through my Stellan posts.
Anyway, MckMama's blog is probably one of the first, if not the first, that I ever read. It is the sole reason for my blog reading addiction! MckMama also does photography. Well, she is taking about 6 weeks with her family in an RV to travel around. She's stopping in several major cities to do photoshoots.
Well, guess what city she was in this weekend? NASHVILLE! I totally jumped on the opportunity to sign up. It was a quick session, but MckMama is just as cool and friendly in person as she is on her blog. I felt like I was talking to someone famous! I can't wait to see the pictures. The weather was very nice, but WINDY...so it will be interesting to see how they turned out.
I tried to take the low key approach letting everyone wear what they wanted and not trying to match colors etc. I didn't make a big deal over my or Jenna's hair which is a good thing since the wind destroyed it anyway. Jenna had a bit of a fake smile in some of them.
MckMama uses LOTS of color, so I am anxious to see what she does with us. As soon as I have them, I'll be sure to post them, so stay tuned....
As most of you know, I'm a self-proclaimed "blog 'ho". I read a ton of blogs. I use Google Reader and have 78 blogs listed. Thankfully, not all of them post daily or else I'd never have time to read them all. Several of them are China adoption blogs. And I have them all separated into different categories. One of the categories is called "Classics".
The blogs I put in "Classics" are those that I have been reading the longest and are pretty widely read blogs. You'll remember a while back, I had asked for prayers for a little boy named Stellan. Stellan was the son of the author of one of my Classic blogs written by MckMama. If you are interested in Stellan's miraculous story, you can go directly to MckMama's blog or just use the search function at the top of my blog and link over through my Stellan posts.
Anyway, MckMama's blog is probably one of the first, if not the first, that I ever read. It is the sole reason for my blog reading addiction! MckMama also does photography. Well, she is taking about 6 weeks with her family in an RV to travel around. She's stopping in several major cities to do photoshoots.
Well, guess what city she was in this weekend? NASHVILLE! I totally jumped on the opportunity to sign up. It was a quick session, but MckMama is just as cool and friendly in person as she is on her blog. I felt like I was talking to someone famous! I can't wait to see the pictures. The weather was very nice, but WINDY...so it will be interesting to see how they turned out.
I tried to take the low key approach letting everyone wear what they wanted and not trying to match colors etc. I didn't make a big deal over my or Jenna's hair which is a good thing since the wind destroyed it anyway. Jenna had a bit of a fake smile in some of them.
MckMama uses LOTS of color, so I am anxious to see what she does with us. As soon as I have them, I'll be sure to post them, so stay tuned....
4.04.2011
A Blog Break
OK, so I've taken a bit of a blog break lately. It wasn't really intentional, but the last week and 1/2 have just been crazy at work and at home. The weekends are crazy too, so I just never had time to sit down and blog.
But I'm back now and hopefully will have something to blog about. Now that our dossier is in China, I feel like there's not much to say. As of Friday, we've been DTC (dossier to China) for 2 weeks. We are still waiting to get our LID (log in date). The information we got from the agency was 2-6 weeks for that, so we are just now on the early end.
I am thinking that a new matching list will come out in about 3 weeks so hopefully we'll have a LID by then. We don't anticipate getting a referral this soon, but the April match will be the first one we actually might be eligible for!
I know it's short, but now that I'm back, I'll have some interesting posts over this week...come back tomorrow for more!
But I'm back now and hopefully will have something to blog about. Now that our dossier is in China, I feel like there's not much to say. As of Friday, we've been DTC (dossier to China) for 2 weeks. We are still waiting to get our LID (log in date). The information we got from the agency was 2-6 weeks for that, so we are just now on the early end.
I am thinking that a new matching list will come out in about 3 weeks so hopefully we'll have a LID by then. We don't anticipate getting a referral this soon, but the April match will be the first one we actually might be eligible for!
I know it's short, but now that I'm back, I'll have some interesting posts over this week...come back tomorrow for more!
3.23.2011
Journaling
On Wednesday nights, I go to a class about parenting with a small group of women from the church. The group is led by our pastor's wife, Tanya.
Tanya has 4 kids, one of which she adopted from Nepal (he's been home about a year). Tanya has the most marvelous ideas on parenting, several of which I have shamelessly copied!
One of the most recent ideas was journals that she keeps for each of her kids. She has the good sense to start writing them before each child was born (or adopted!). She sometimes writes several pages, sometimes just a few sentences. She writes funny or proud moments or just whatever is on her mind about that particular child.
I have a box of things that my mom wrote. A couple of them were letters she wrote when I went off to Kindergarten etc. And to look at those now, in her handwriting means THE WORLD to me. They are all I have left of her.
I went Friday night and bought 2 journals and began one for Jenna (it's NEVER too late) and one for Kylie. One day I'll be gone and those journals will be one of the few things my girls have left of me. If this is something you aren't doing, I'd strongly urge you to consider it.
And so the journey begins...
Tanya has 4 kids, one of which she adopted from Nepal (he's been home about a year). Tanya has the most marvelous ideas on parenting, several of which I have shamelessly copied!
One of the most recent ideas was journals that she keeps for each of her kids. She has the good sense to start writing them before each child was born (or adopted!). She sometimes writes several pages, sometimes just a few sentences. She writes funny or proud moments or just whatever is on her mind about that particular child.
I have a box of things that my mom wrote. A couple of them were letters she wrote when I went off to Kindergarten etc. And to look at those now, in her handwriting means THE WORLD to me. They are all I have left of her.
I went Friday night and bought 2 journals and began one for Jenna (it's NEVER too late) and one for Kylie. One day I'll be gone and those journals will be one of the few things my girls have left of me. If this is something you aren't doing, I'd strongly urge you to consider it.
And so the journey begins...
3.22.2011
Arrival!
I'll admit, I checked FedEx every day since Friday to see if our dossier had arrived in China. If memory serves me correctly, China is about 12-13 hours ahead of us. Sunday night, I checked again to see where our dossier was and believe it or not, it had already been delivered! It was delivered on March 21 at 10:30am China time.
We haven't yet heard anything from the agency so we aren't sure of the Log In Date yet, but we hope to hear something soon. At least we know the dossier has arrived safely in China! One step closer to Kylie!
We haven't yet heard anything from the agency so we aren't sure of the Log In Date yet, but we hope to hear something soon. At least we know the dossier has arrived safely in China! One step closer to Kylie!
3.21.2011
Happy 4th!
My little grandson turned 4 today! He's gone from this:
To this:
We don't get to see him as often as we like, but we love him very much. We hope your birthday was the best Gage! Mimi, Pops and Jenna love you very much!
3.19.2011
ON. THE. WAY.
Our dossier arrived back from the Chinese Embassy and yesterday, it left our agency and is now we are DTC...
DOSSIER
TO
TO
CHINA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It should arrive in China some time next week and I even got the tracking number so I can see it as it travels the world! I think that will be pretty exciting. When it gets to China, it will be hand delivered by our agency in China to the CCAA. They will immediately log it in and we'll get a LID (log-in date) and we'll find out the LID a few weeks later. It will then start to be translated which can take 6-8 weeks. After it's translated, it goes through other departments at the CCAA for review. The unfortunate thing for us is that unless there is a problem, we won't know where in the process it is after the LID. So in this case, no news is good news.
How long before we get a referral? We have absolutely no idea. We've seen families get a referral in 30 days, some 3 months, so 6 months. We just don't know what to expect. We'll keep you posted, but now begins the tough part. There's no more forms to fill out, no more certifications to get. Just waiting. And hoping the CCAA doesn't have any questions about anything in our dossier.
Thanks for taking this ride with us!
3.18.2011
More Scrapbooking...
Just to give you all an idea of what I've done during my scrapbooking retreats over the past years...
And most of those are of Jenna. Each year of her life is documented in one of these albums. Along with our Disney, Hawaii and Florida vacations. Both of our mission trips are in individual books.
While I was away at my weekend scrapbooking retreat, I learned that the Dollar Mart in our area has really good scrapbooking supplies for a fraction of the price of those in hobby stores. So. I went and checked it out this past weekend...
So this is the stash I got. Check out the price tags...
That's $1.25. Some stuff was just $1. Nothing was more than $1.25. It was super cool stuff. I had also recently placed an order for some Close To My Heart supplies.
Basically, I'm getting stocked back up. :)
While I was away at my weekend scrapbooking retreat, I learned that the Dollar Mart in our area has really good scrapbooking supplies for a fraction of the price of those in hobby stores. So. I went and checked it out this past weekend...
3.17.2011
3.16.2011
Report Cards
But she came through with all As and 2 Bs! The Bs were in Math and Reading. The ironic thing about that is she is SUPER in both. However, part of the reading issue is she is not able to answer questions about what she's read. And apparently many of the kids are having the same issue because a letter came home from the teacher asking us to really work with the kids on that.
I'd love for her to get straight As, but I can see the homework getting harder, so I'm proud she maintained so many As and just slid a little to the Bs in a couple subjects!
3.15.2011
Sleepy Head
Saturday night, after we'd changed the time forward, Jenna came upstairs with me to sit while I did my Bible study.
In about 10 minutes, this is what she looked like:
In about 10 minutes, this is what she looked like:
3.14.2011
Scrapbook Weekend
Last weekend, I went on my twice annual scrapbooking weekend. It starts at 3pm on Thursday and the big scrapbook room we set up in is open until the last person passes out at night. Then it opens as early as the time the first person gets up in the morning. We can stay until about 3pm on Sunday afternoon.
I always get there as close to 3pm as I can on Thursday and try to leave on Sunday around lunch. This retreat was no different. I got there about 3:15 and got unloaded and set up. But after a couple hours my eye really started to bother me. It just kept feeling a bit runny and was red. I kept looking at it and touching it and dabbing at it. At one point, I sent Steve this picture to ask him what he thought the problem was... (WARNING>>>IF EYEBALLS AREN'T YOUR THING, SKIP THE PIC!!!
I'm such a goofball, I know. But totally unlike me, I ended up going to bed about 10:00 because I felt like I just needed to rest my eye (no kidding huh!?)
The next morning I woke up and thought my eye was crusted shut. I got up, ran some warm water on a washcloth and cleaned up my poor eye. Then I looked in the mirror to see if my eye was still as red as the night before.
Um. Yeah. It was pretty bad and I'll admit, I was a little worried. I texted the photo to Steve and his response? "Yep. Looks bad." Thanks honey. It was still early (7am) and I headed out to the local walk in clinic at the request of my friend Rachel VG who assured me the clinic "did" eyes.
The clinic opened at 7:30 and I got there at 7:50. There were 3 people in front of me. While checking in, the lady says to me, "I assume you are here about your eye?" I just laughed. And then said, "Actually I have this rash..." Anyway, they took me back and when the doctor came in, she didn't even bother shining a light or looking at my eye. She said they'd had 3 cases of pink eye already that morning and it was either that or another infection. Either way, they were going to treat it as aggressively as pink eye.
I told her my eye wasn't itching or burning or feeling scratchy and that's why she thought it could be some other infection. She said the swelling was from me messing with it so much the night before. She sent me away with some prescription eye drops and the instructions to ice my eye when possible to reduce the swelling.
On a side note, they tested my vision which I was very interested in because the only vision test I've had since my LASIK surgery was at the LASIK office. I was kind of wondering if my vision was as good as the LASIK office was making it out. Turns out...IT IS. Her comment was, "You actually have excellent vision!"
My vision wasn't affected by the infection and she said while it was contagious, I should not worry about infecting my scrapbooking buddies unless they were touching my face or my eyes. After picking up my prescription, I headed back.
By the end of the weekend, my eye was better, swelling gone and my other eye starting to look red. Just as a precautionary measure, I started treating my other eye since it was highly likely I'd infected it anyway.
But despite the crazy eye-drama, the weekend was a success for me. I finally got all caught up on Jenna's school album, got our family album current and got many of my South Africa pictures in an album. In addition, I got 2 years' worth of vacation put into albums.
We have another scrapbooking weekend coming up at my church. It's not nearly as extensive as the other...just Friday and Saturday and we sleep in our own homes, but it is going to get me one step closer to being caught up.
I always get there as close to 3pm as I can on Thursday and try to leave on Sunday around lunch. This retreat was no different. I got there about 3:15 and got unloaded and set up. But after a couple hours my eye really started to bother me. It just kept feeling a bit runny and was red. I kept looking at it and touching it and dabbing at it. At one point, I sent Steve this picture to ask him what he thought the problem was... (WARNING>>>IF EYEBALLS AREN'T YOUR THING, SKIP THE PIC!!!
The next morning I woke up and thought my eye was crusted shut. I got up, ran some warm water on a washcloth and cleaned up my poor eye. Then I looked in the mirror to see if my eye was still as red as the night before.
The clinic opened at 7:30 and I got there at 7:50. There were 3 people in front of me. While checking in, the lady says to me, "I assume you are here about your eye?" I just laughed. And then said, "Actually I have this rash..." Anyway, they took me back and when the doctor came in, she didn't even bother shining a light or looking at my eye. She said they'd had 3 cases of pink eye already that morning and it was either that or another infection. Either way, they were going to treat it as aggressively as pink eye.
I told her my eye wasn't itching or burning or feeling scratchy and that's why she thought it could be some other infection. She said the swelling was from me messing with it so much the night before. She sent me away with some prescription eye drops and the instructions to ice my eye when possible to reduce the swelling.
On a side note, they tested my vision which I was very interested in because the only vision test I've had since my LASIK surgery was at the LASIK office. I was kind of wondering if my vision was as good as the LASIK office was making it out. Turns out...IT IS. Her comment was, "You actually have excellent vision!"
My vision wasn't affected by the infection and she said while it was contagious, I should not worry about infecting my scrapbooking buddies unless they were touching my face or my eyes. After picking up my prescription, I headed back.
By the end of the weekend, my eye was better, swelling gone and my other eye starting to look red. Just as a precautionary measure, I started treating my other eye since it was highly likely I'd infected it anyway.
But despite the crazy eye-drama, the weekend was a success for me. I finally got all caught up on Jenna's school album, got our family album current and got many of my South Africa pictures in an album. In addition, I got 2 years' worth of vacation put into albums.
We have another scrapbooking weekend coming up at my church. It's not nearly as extensive as the other...just Friday and Saturday and we sleep in our own homes, but it is going to get me one step closer to being caught up.
3.09.2011
The Verdict
My agency family coordinator called about 9:45am this morning. The first thing she said was that it was an "easy fix". Praise the Lord.
Apparently, the agency typically puts a cover form on top of the documents that go to the Embassy for authentication. This is something they have done for a while. On the signature line, they sign on behalf of the family. But for whatever reason, the embassy rejected our form because the signature didn't match the other documents. Of course it didn't. Because it wasn't us that signed it.
So, my agency scanned and emailed me the form and I signed it and overnighted it back. They were very apologetic and I was just thrilled it wasn't anything more serious and didn't include me having to deal with doctor offices or county clerks.
That little baby was what is now going to be causing a week's delay in getting out dossier off to China. But I have had a peace about it since Monday, so all is well.
The next steps? They will receive this package tomorrow and will set up the courier to deliver it the Embassy on Friday. The agency will pick up all the paperwork on Wednesday of next week and then our dossier will be ready to go to China on Friday (which is when all the China dossiers go together).
So, we are in the home stretch. I'm not sure what happens when the dossier gets to China. I think it has to be translated. Not sure if there can be any potential road blocks with that, but I'm sure there can be. I'll know more soon.
Thanks again for your prayers!
Apparently, the agency typically puts a cover form on top of the documents that go to the Embassy for authentication. This is something they have done for a while. On the signature line, they sign on behalf of the family. But for whatever reason, the embassy rejected our form because the signature didn't match the other documents. Of course it didn't. Because it wasn't us that signed it.
So, my agency scanned and emailed me the form and I signed it and overnighted it back. They were very apologetic and I was just thrilled it wasn't anything more serious and didn't include me having to deal with doctor offices or county clerks.
The next steps? They will receive this package tomorrow and will set up the courier to deliver it the Embassy on Friday. The agency will pick up all the paperwork on Wednesday of next week and then our dossier will be ready to go to China on Friday (which is when all the China dossiers go together).
So, we are in the home stretch. I'm not sure what happens when the dossier gets to China. I think it has to be translated. Not sure if there can be any potential road blocks with that, but I'm sure there can be. I'll know more soon.
Thanks again for your prayers!
Pray...Today is the Day...
...that we will find out what the Chinese Embassy found wrong with one of our documents. I don't know what time to expect to hear from my agency, but they are an hour ahead of us and I think they do their Embassy pick-ups pretty early.
I'm praying whatever it is will be easily corrected, but as I've learned, nothing in this process is "easy".
I'll update here, on FB and Twitter when I know more.
I'm praying whatever it is will be easily corrected, but as I've learned, nothing in this process is "easy".
I'll update here, on FB and Twitter when I know more.
Saving with Coupons
Since Steve lost his job about 18 months ago, I've really stepped up my couponing. Because of my busy schedule, I have taken to making a monthly menu and doing one big shopping trip per month. I do have to go grocery shopping in between times to get a few staples, but mostly, I go one time a month and that's it.
Now, most coupon experts will tell you it's harder to save money when you shop less frequently but I've managed to still save money here and there.
Sunday, after I got back from scrapbooking, I sat down to catch up on my coupon clipping and make my menu and grocery list. Steve kindly said he'd go to the grocery on Monday, but I decided to run a few places just to get the sale items.
Thought I might share my savings with you so those of you who have been contemplating couponing might be encouraged to try (or those that have been "off the horse" can get back on".
At CVS, I bought 4-12 pack of Pepsis, 4 packs of gum, 2-6 packs of Boost and a 40 count Advil liqui-gels. The Pepsis netted me a $3 ECB (extra care bucks), I had coupons for all the gum, the Boost was buy one get one 1/2 off AND I had a coupon and I had a $2 coupon for the Advil. In the end, I spent $29 before tax and saved $19 which was a total of 37.45%.
Then at Publix I bought Ritz crackers, popcorn, Pepsi and soup. All on sale or BOGO and I had coupons for all. I spent $29 before tax, saved $26, for a total savings of 47.37%.
Finally, at Kroger, I bought Tide, Downey, Secret deoderant (3), Fiber One bars, Toaster Strudel, Pantene, Bounty paper towels, and Charmin. I had e-coupons and regular coupons for everything. I spent $25. I saved $36. That's a whopping savings of 62%!!
So all in all, I saved $90 and spent $83. I think that's a pretty good day!
Now, most coupon experts will tell you it's harder to save money when you shop less frequently but I've managed to still save money here and there.
Sunday, after I got back from scrapbooking, I sat down to catch up on my coupon clipping and make my menu and grocery list. Steve kindly said he'd go to the grocery on Monday, but I decided to run a few places just to get the sale items.
Thought I might share my savings with you so those of you who have been contemplating couponing might be encouraged to try (or those that have been "off the horse" can get back on".
At CVS, I bought 4-12 pack of Pepsis, 4 packs of gum, 2-6 packs of Boost and a 40 count Advil liqui-gels. The Pepsis netted me a $3 ECB (extra care bucks), I had coupons for all the gum, the Boost was buy one get one 1/2 off AND I had a coupon and I had a $2 coupon for the Advil. In the end, I spent $29 before tax and saved $19 which was a total of 37.45%.
Then at Publix I bought Ritz crackers, popcorn, Pepsi and soup. All on sale or BOGO and I had coupons for all. I spent $29 before tax, saved $26, for a total savings of 47.37%.
Finally, at Kroger, I bought Tide, Downey, Secret deoderant (3), Fiber One bars, Toaster Strudel, Pantene, Bounty paper towels, and Charmin. I had e-coupons and regular coupons for everything. I spent $25. I saved $36. That's a whopping savings of 62%!!
So all in all, I saved $90 and spent $83. I think that's a pretty good day!
3.08.2011
Updated Timeline
Summer 2010 - We decide to move forward with adoption, begin researching agencies and countries.
August 8, 2010 - Applied to America World's China Program (Waiting Child)
August 13, 2010 - Received acceptance into China Program!
August 25, 2010 - 1st homestudy visit! (both of us)
September 1, 2010 - 2nd homestudy visit (Sandra's individual)
September 8, 2010 - 3rd homestudy visit (Steve's individual)
September 17, 2010 - Final homestudy visit! (home visit)
October 2010 - Physicals, doctor's forms and letters and trip to South Africa (lost 2-3 weeks while gone).
November 8, 2010 - Final document received to complete homestudy!
November 18, 2010 - homestudy complete!!!!
November 19, 2010 - Application to USCIS overnighted
November 26, 2010 - USCIS check cleared
December 24, 2010 - Merry Christmas Eve! Our USCIS appointment cards arrive!
January 18, 2011 - Fingerprint appointment at the USCIS.
February 14, 2011 - Received RFE (request for evidence) from USCIS
February 28, 2011 - Received I-797, USCIS approval!!!
March 1, 2011 - DOSSIER COMPLETE! On it's way to be authenticated!
March 2, 2011 - Dossier received by agency and approved.
March 4, 2011 - Dossier couriered to State Department and Chinese Embassy in Washington (approved by State Department!)
March 7, 2011 - Embassy rejects one document.
August 8, 2010 - Applied to America World's China Program (Waiting Child)
August 13, 2010 - Received acceptance into China Program!
August 25, 2010 - 1st homestudy visit! (both of us)
September 1, 2010 - 2nd homestudy visit (Sandra's individual)
September 8, 2010 - 3rd homestudy visit (Steve's individual)
September 17, 2010 - Final homestudy visit! (home visit)
October 2010 - Physicals, doctor's forms and letters and trip to South Africa (lost 2-3 weeks while gone).
November 8, 2010 - Final document received to complete homestudy!
November 18, 2010 - homestudy complete!!!!
November 19, 2010 - Application to USCIS overnighted
November 26, 2010 - USCIS check cleared
December 24, 2010 - Merry Christmas Eve! Our USCIS appointment cards arrive!
January 18, 2011 - Fingerprint appointment at the USCIS.
February 14, 2011 - Received RFE (request for evidence) from USCIS
February 28, 2011 - Received I-797, USCIS approval!!!
March 1, 2011 - DOSSIER COMPLETE! On it's way to be authenticated!
March 2, 2011 - Dossier received by agency and approved.
March 4, 2011 - Dossier couriered to State Department and Chinese Embassy in Washington (approved by State Department!)
March 7, 2011 - Embassy rejects one document.
3.07.2011
The Roller Coaster
If anyone tells you that adopting is not a roller coaster ride, they are flat out lying to you. I read a bunch of adoption blogs and I always thought things would sail right along. I rarely saw timelines where people had trouble getting their doctor to write a letter for their adoption, or a blog where the USCIS took 3 months to process their approval.
Then we had the scare last week with the State Department. And we made it through. We were told they were couriering our dossier over to the Chinese Embassy in DC and they "never" have any issues there.
Well, "never" just happened. At 8:40am, my cell rings and it's our agency. And you have to know... I knew immediately this was not good. Because why would the agency be calling? My family coordinator basically tells me that the Chinese Embassy has rejected one document because a "signature doesn't match". DO WHAT? What does that even mean? No one knows. They didn't say what document or what about the signature didn't match or what it didn't match to? We have no information. The agency will be able to pick the documents up on Wednesday and they'll find out then what in the world is going on. My family coordinator said she's going to the Embassy herself on Wednesday to see if she can perhaps explain the issue in question. But it's doubtful that will make any difference.
But either way, it's going to be yet another delay. And most likely another trip to the county clerk, the TN Secretary of State, the State Department and back to the Embassy. It's so frustrating. I was very excited thinking about our dossier being on it's way to China this week. Now I'm down in the dumps wondering if it will ever get there.
And I'm wondering if I'm the ONLY person out there this happens to? Because the blogs I read, their paperwork just sails on through. I happen to know I'm NOT the only one this happens to because my good friend who is walking this road with me had a similar situation with her agency review of the dossier.
Let's just pray that whatever issue with whatever document the Embassy has that it is NOT the doctor letter. God forbid. However, my coordinator said she re-reviewed all the documents and could not find anything close to what they are talking about. So I guess it will just have to be a surprise.
There are days when I literally want to throw up my hands. But that's not an option. All in God's timing.
So now...we wait. Again.
Then we had the scare last week with the State Department. And we made it through. We were told they were couriering our dossier over to the Chinese Embassy in DC and they "never" have any issues there.
Well, "never" just happened. At 8:40am, my cell rings and it's our agency. And you have to know... I knew immediately this was not good. Because why would the agency be calling? My family coordinator basically tells me that the Chinese Embassy has rejected one document because a "signature doesn't match". DO WHAT? What does that even mean? No one knows. They didn't say what document or what about the signature didn't match or what it didn't match to? We have no information. The agency will be able to pick the documents up on Wednesday and they'll find out then what in the world is going on. My family coordinator said she's going to the Embassy herself on Wednesday to see if she can perhaps explain the issue in question. But it's doubtful that will make any difference.
But either way, it's going to be yet another delay. And most likely another trip to the county clerk, the TN Secretary of State, the State Department and back to the Embassy. It's so frustrating. I was very excited thinking about our dossier being on it's way to China this week. Now I'm down in the dumps wondering if it will ever get there.
And I'm wondering if I'm the ONLY person out there this happens to? Because the blogs I read, their paperwork just sails on through. I happen to know I'm NOT the only one this happens to because my good friend who is walking this road with me had a similar situation with her agency review of the dossier.
Let's just pray that whatever issue with whatever document the Embassy has that it is NOT the doctor letter. God forbid. However, my coordinator said she re-reviewed all the documents and could not find anything close to what they are talking about. So I guess it will just have to be a surprise.
There are days when I literally want to throw up my hands. But that's not an option. All in God's timing.
So now...we wait. Again.
3.06.2011
Vacay
So, because of the pending adoption and Steve's lack of employment (i.e. our lack of funds), we won't be doing a big beach vacation this year (although I'm really going to miss it!). Instead we decided to do something a little closer to home...
We are going to Atlanta for a long weekend. We are going to stay at the Marriott which has an American Girl doll package which Jenna is super excited about. We are looking into a City Pass and definitely want to hit the zoo and the Coke factory etc.
Jenna can't wait. I'm pretty excited and while it's not the beach, it will be nice to get away and have some family time. Our trip is still several months off, so if you've got a particular favorite thing to do in Atlanta, please comment!
We are going to Atlanta for a long weekend. We are going to stay at the Marriott which has an American Girl doll package which Jenna is super excited about. We are looking into a City Pass and definitely want to hit the zoo and the Coke factory etc.
Jenna can't wait. I'm pretty excited and while it's not the beach, it will be nice to get away and have some family time. Our trip is still several months off, so if you've got a particular favorite thing to do in Atlanta, please comment!
3.05.2011
I'm Breaking Free
I recently started the Breaking Free study by Beth Moore. It's already getting pretty deep. The premise is for you to break free from whatever holds you captive and keeps you from experiencing a full Spirit filled life.
At first, I wondered what I needed breaking free from. And then I had a week. You know the kind. A WEEK. Where it seemed like I just couldn't get my head on straight. Nothing bad went on to speak of, but it was just a hard week and I'd had a pretty bad attitude. Unfortunately for those around me, my bad attitude spilled over onto everything I touched.
And it seemed like God was showing me every bad thing in me that I needed to break free from. I literally could make a list of my shortcomings that need God's touch on them.
Honestly, I'm still not sure what it is God is going to work with me on. I have some definite ideas for sure. It will be a roller coaster ride I'm sure. Y'all pray for me as I enter this journey. I'll keep you posted.
At first, I wondered what I needed breaking free from. And then I had a week. You know the kind. A WEEK. Where it seemed like I just couldn't get my head on straight. Nothing bad went on to speak of, but it was just a hard week and I'd had a pretty bad attitude. Unfortunately for those around me, my bad attitude spilled over onto everything I touched.
And it seemed like God was showing me every bad thing in me that I needed to break free from. I literally could make a list of my shortcomings that need God's touch on them.
Honestly, I'm still not sure what it is God is going to work with me on. I have some definite ideas for sure. It will be a roller coaster ride I'm sure. Y'all pray for me as I enter this journey. I'll keep you posted.
3.04.2011
Answered Prayer
Just wanted to let everyone know I got a call from our agency. Our adoption paperwork passed the State Department inspection!!!!
I am stoked and grateful for your prayers! The papers are now at the Chinese Embassy in Washington DC. They will be picked up next Wednesday and then they are on the way to China!
Thank you all for your prayers!
The Best Job in the World
On Sunday mornings, I work in our church's preschool area. It started out as volunteering once a month or so just to help out because they needed so much help.
Oddly enough, they put me in a variety of ages. Finally, I realized I wanted something more permanent so I told them I would do every other week in preschool and every other week as a front door greeter. When I went on a permanent rotation in the preschool, they permanently assigned me to "Baby A".
Baby A were the babies that were sitting up but not crawling yet. After a while, the 3 or 4 babies we had began crawling and so they moved me and the babies to "Baby B". And after a while, I got tired of trying to remember which week was my week to greet and which week was my week to be with my babies. So I told them I'd go full time.
And I started realizing I would wake up looking forward to seeing my babies on Sunday morning. Yes, they were MY babies now. And then every time one of them would go from crawling to walking and move up to the Toddler room, I'd be sad. But then when the baby that cried every time they were dropped off would reach for me when they came to class, THAT was when I knew I was in love.
I have NO IDEA where the whole love for babies came from. Well, maybe I do. Up until recently, I loved the babies, but I always longed for one of my own. Now that we are adopting, I think God has filled my longing freeing me up to love these babies unconditionally.
And after a few months, we had a bunch of new babies born and they reopened Baby A and I went back. Now, I get to hold the teeniest babies, feed them and yes, even change their diapers. This is what my job looked like several weeks ago...
Those are my babies. And I love them. A LOT. And I can't wait to see them every Sunday and I miss them when they aren't there. And you know what? I know that my love for these babies makes it just a tiny bit easier for their moms (and dads) to drop them off and worship.
I really DO have the best job in the world!
Oddly enough, they put me in a variety of ages. Finally, I realized I wanted something more permanent so I told them I would do every other week in preschool and every other week as a front door greeter. When I went on a permanent rotation in the preschool, they permanently assigned me to "Baby A".
Baby A were the babies that were sitting up but not crawling yet. After a while, the 3 or 4 babies we had began crawling and so they moved me and the babies to "Baby B". And after a while, I got tired of trying to remember which week was my week to greet and which week was my week to be with my babies. So I told them I'd go full time.
And I started realizing I would wake up looking forward to seeing my babies on Sunday morning. Yes, they were MY babies now. And then every time one of them would go from crawling to walking and move up to the Toddler room, I'd be sad. But then when the baby that cried every time they were dropped off would reach for me when they came to class, THAT was when I knew I was in love.
I have NO IDEA where the whole love for babies came from. Well, maybe I do. Up until recently, I loved the babies, but I always longed for one of my own. Now that we are adopting, I think God has filled my longing freeing me up to love these babies unconditionally.
And after a few months, we had a bunch of new babies born and they reopened Baby A and I went back. Now, I get to hold the teeniest babies, feed them and yes, even change their diapers. This is what my job looked like several weeks ago...
I really DO have the best job in the world!
3.03.2011
The Worst Thing...
At this point in the journey, the worst thing that could happen is for either our agency, the State Department or the Chinese Embassy to find something wrong with our paperwork. Honestly, I can't think what in the world it would be because I pored over those documents with a fine toothed comb.
However. As it tends to do, a delay in fact did happen. Yesterday afternoon I got a call from our Family Coordinator who was reviewing our dossier. It appears that Steve's physical form is half original, half copy. WHA? I know, that's what I said. But it looks like 1/2 of it was filled out, then a copy made, and the other half filled out and notarized. The notary and most of the form is clearly original. But she said the State Department sometimes will reject copies.
Now, it wouldn't be such a huge deal except for the fact that Steve's doctor's office is the most INEFFICIENT office I have ever had the displeasure of working with. At least in terms of returning phone calls and adoption paperwork (and then what else is there?!). It took them 2 months to get this form and the accompanying letter together. I literally begged them to please hurry. The LAST thing I want to do is have to ask them to do this again.
We can try and see if the form will make it through. And so we are going for it. Who knows what will happen. The courier goes Friday and we'll know for sure on Friday.
So, if you are reading and are a praying person...well, even if you AREN'T a praying person, please pray for us anyway. Please pray that we get a far-sighted State Department worker who will not notice half the form is apparently a copy. Or that if they notice, they'll have mercy and push it through. And if that is NOT God's will, pray that I will not have a total come-apart at the news. I know God is in control and I know Satan will throw whatever he can to keep me from remembering that.
I'll know Friday. And then you will too. Please pray.
However. As it tends to do, a delay in fact did happen. Yesterday afternoon I got a call from our Family Coordinator who was reviewing our dossier. It appears that Steve's physical form is half original, half copy. WHA? I know, that's what I said. But it looks like 1/2 of it was filled out, then a copy made, and the other half filled out and notarized. The notary and most of the form is clearly original. But she said the State Department sometimes will reject copies.
Now, it wouldn't be such a huge deal except for the fact that Steve's doctor's office is the most INEFFICIENT office I have ever had the displeasure of working with. At least in terms of returning phone calls and adoption paperwork (and then what else is there?!). It took them 2 months to get this form and the accompanying letter together. I literally begged them to please hurry. The LAST thing I want to do is have to ask them to do this again.
We can try and see if the form will make it through. And so we are going for it. Who knows what will happen. The courier goes Friday and we'll know for sure on Friday.
So, if you are reading and are a praying person...well, even if you AREN'T a praying person, please pray for us anyway. Please pray that we get a far-sighted State Department worker who will not notice half the form is apparently a copy. Or that if they notice, they'll have mercy and push it through. And if that is NOT God's will, pray that I will not have a total come-apart at the news. I know God is in control and I know Satan will throw whatever he can to keep me from remembering that.
I'll know Friday. And then you will too. Please pray.
3.02.2011
And We're Off!!!
This is what my desk at work looked like yesterday when I got back from getting all the documents certified by the county and state.
Steve ended up not being able to go take these last few documents to be certified but luckily I had no plans during the lunch hour, so I ventured out to do it myself. I had already had several of them done, so I kind of remembered where to go and what to do. However, one of the office buildings had moved since we were there last, so there was some panic on my part in having to figure out how to get to a new place.
That was my first stop and it was super easy to find (using Mapquest) and then there was absolutely NO WAITING when I got there. It was fantastic! I was in and out in no time at all. However, the state certification was a little more trickly because it was downtown and you have to navigate one way streets and parking meters/no parking zones etc. Many office buildings downtown have their own private parking areas, but they aren't open to the public. I managed to find the building fairly quickly, but the meters I had lucked up on the last time were covered and you weren't allowed to park there. I drove around the block several times before paying $6 to park in a public lot that was about 2 blocks away.
It was 50 degrees, so it wasn't too bad of a walk and I got my steps in for the day! The certification place wasn't crowded, but there were definitely more people waiting than last time. And bless the lady's heart...she's sweet as can be, but slow as Christmas.
Anyway, all that to say, I got everything done that I needed and here we are...
This is the complete dossier package...OUR LIVES ON PAPER...headed to China (which you can see on my world map in the background). OK, it's not actually headed to China right now. Right this minute it's on it's way to Virginia, where our agency is located so that I can use their courier service to run this little jewel over to the State Department and Chinese Embassy in Washington DC to be authenticated. Once it is authenticated then it really WILL be off to China.
I admit, I did get a little choked up leaving the state building knowing that this part of the journey was almost over. But then actually taking the pictures and putting it in the mail was anticlimactic. I guess I thought there would be angels singing or shafts of light from heaven. Not so much.
But it will be nice not to have to carry around my huge expand-a-file of adoption documentation.
And now...we wait.
That was my first stop and it was super easy to find (using Mapquest) and then there was absolutely NO WAITING when I got there. It was fantastic! I was in and out in no time at all. However, the state certification was a little more trickly because it was downtown and you have to navigate one way streets and parking meters/no parking zones etc. Many office buildings downtown have their own private parking areas, but they aren't open to the public. I managed to find the building fairly quickly, but the meters I had lucked up on the last time were covered and you weren't allowed to park there. I drove around the block several times before paying $6 to park in a public lot that was about 2 blocks away.
It was 50 degrees, so it wasn't too bad of a walk and I got my steps in for the day! The certification place wasn't crowded, but there were definitely more people waiting than last time. And bless the lady's heart...she's sweet as can be, but slow as Christmas.
Anyway, all that to say, I got everything done that I needed and here we are...
I admit, I did get a little choked up leaving the state building knowing that this part of the journey was almost over. But then actually taking the pictures and putting it in the mail was anticlimactic. I guess I thought there would be angels singing or shafts of light from heaven. Not so much.
But it will be nice not to have to carry around my huge expand-a-file of adoption documentation.
And now...we wait.
3.01.2011
WE GOT IT!
Our USCIS approval letter came in the mail yesterday!!! Of all the things that we sent the, apparently one of them was correct and we are now ready to move foward. Later this afternoon (on my lunch break!) I will be taking a stack of papers to the County Clerk to be certified and then to the State capitol to be certified. Once that's done (which should all be able to be done today), I'll make copies, write checks and send the whole package to our agency.
We are paying them to courier the dossier documents to the Secretary of State and Chinese Embassy in Washington DC to be authenticated.
Once all those documents are authenticated (which takes about a week), the dossier will be on it's way to China! We'll keep you posted when that happens!
We are paying them to courier the dossier documents to the Secretary of State and Chinese Embassy in Washington DC to be authenticated.
Once all those documents are authenticated (which takes about a week), the dossier will be on it's way to China! We'll keep you posted when that happens!
2.28.2011
Scrapbooking time!
If you've been reading any length of time, you know there is a scrapbooking retreat I attend every March and October. It begins on Thursday afternoon and goes until Sunday afternoon. Well, this Thursday, I'm leaving for the spring retreat and I am SO excited!
I remember the first time I went...I went in with my big rolling cart filled to the brim with scrapbooking supplies. Which consisted of paper, scissors, tape runner, markers and stickers. I thought I was hot stuff with the rolling tote. What I saw there knocked my socks off and let me know what an amateur I still was!
There were women with multiple totes, rolling high back chairs, ott-lights and accessories piled high on their table. I saw them using things like Cricuts, chalk, embossers, Xyrons, and all manner of things that I had no idea even existed!
I have become those women. I load up my big rolling comfy chair and every pice of scrapbooking equipment I own and load in. AND I LOVE IT! I'm determined this year to get caught up. I'm not that far behind. I just have what's happened this year for Jenna's school album and then I think I'm all caught up in her regular book until about summer of 2010. I want to do the South Africa album before I forget. But I need to look back and see where I am. Anyway, that's more than you want to know I'm sure.
Just know that this long weekend, I will be busy, NOT blogging. Making friends and catching up. I can't wait!
I remember the first time I went...I went in with my big rolling cart filled to the brim with scrapbooking supplies. Which consisted of paper, scissors, tape runner, markers and stickers. I thought I was hot stuff with the rolling tote. What I saw there knocked my socks off and let me know what an amateur I still was!
There were women with multiple totes, rolling high back chairs, ott-lights and accessories piled high on their table. I saw them using things like Cricuts, chalk, embossers, Xyrons, and all manner of things that I had no idea even existed!
I have become those women. I load up my big rolling comfy chair and every pice of scrapbooking equipment I own and load in. AND I LOVE IT! I'm determined this year to get caught up. I'm not that far behind. I just have what's happened this year for Jenna's school album and then I think I'm all caught up in her regular book until about summer of 2010. I want to do the South Africa album before I forget. But I need to look back and see where I am. Anyway, that's more than you want to know I'm sure.
Just know that this long weekend, I will be busy, NOT blogging. Making friends and catching up. I can't wait!
2.23.2011
Thanks
Since I posted this, I've gotten several emails, comments, and calls. Everyone has said they NEVER had a second thought about the post and think it's a shame I had to even go there. I agree.
But to everyone who has emailed, called, posted on FB or commented on the post, I just wanted to write THIS post to say thank you! I have found that so many of you are like me and would never have thought the worst in someone.
However, for those adoptive families that are reading, you might wanna be careful what you say especially if you are fundraising.
Ironically enough, there might now be an opportunity for benefactors to donate straight to a not-for-profit agency to support our adoption and still be able to take a tax deduction for the donation. I'm researching more on that. Hope to have the deets on the blog soon. Stay tuned!
But to everyone who has emailed, called, posted on FB or commented on the post, I just wanted to write THIS post to say thank you! I have found that so many of you are like me and would never have thought the worst in someone.
However, for those adoptive families that are reading, you might wanna be careful what you say especially if you are fundraising.
Ironically enough, there might now be an opportunity for benefactors to donate straight to a not-for-profit agency to support our adoption and still be able to take a tax deduction for the donation. I'm researching more on that. Hope to have the deets on the blog soon. Stay tuned!
2.22.2011
Space Day
A few weeks ago, there was a big day for the 3rd graders at Jenna's school. It's the day every third grader looks forward to...SPACE DAY!
Steve helped work with many of the other parents to turn the 3rd grade hall into the nose of the space shuttle. This is what it ended up looking like...totally cool...
The kids rotated through different stations all day long. They shot mini rockets...
Shot off bigger rockets...
And listened to a REAL astronaut speak!
And so much more! There were so many fun learning things to do. It was very cool even if I do say so myself and I took the entire day off work just to be there, experience it and help. I'm so glad I did. I left a tiny bit early after hearing the astronaut speak. Steve stayed to see the big finale which were big model rockets that the teachers shot off.
Jenna's got a small class this year with only 6 girls, but it's wonderful because they all get along wonderfully. I wish we could keep this class together next year. These kids (and Mrs. S) are GREAT!
Steve helped work with many of the other parents to turn the 3rd grade hall into the nose of the space shuttle. This is what it ended up looking like...totally cool...
Jenna's got a small class this year with only 6 girls, but it's wonderful because they all get along wonderfully. I wish we could keep this class together next year. These kids (and Mrs. S) are GREAT!
2.21.2011
Happy Monday!
So, one more post about the ongoing saga with the USCIS...I finally overnighted the document I thought they wanted on Wednesday for Thursday delivery. The operative word in that preceeding sentence is "THOUGHT". Thursday afternoon, I got a call on my cell phone which was from the number 816. That's all it said...nothing else. It was a true act of God that I even answered because normally, I would not answer something like that not knowing who it was. (Note to self: as long as we are doing this adoption thing, I'm going to HAVE to answer my cell regardless of whether I know the caller).
On the other end of the phone was "Officer H". He was a super nice guy who explained to me that he didn't just need proof that the divorce was final (even thought that's EXACTLY what the request said), but they wanted the agreement that basically gave the reason for the divorce and the visitation/custody arrangements with his older kids. He explained the reason they need it was so they can see Steve didn't abuse his ex-wife or kids and didn't have any custody/visitation restrictions. The kicker is that the agreement has to be signed by a judge and you had to be able to see the state seal. Ultimately, we sent two separate documents in first thing on Friday and I was hoping to hear back that it was what they needed.
I scanned the documents and emailed them in and included a note to please call me and let me know they received it and whether it was adequate. If it's not adequate, then Steve will have to go to the county court where his divorce was finalized and try to get the appropriate paperwork, so it could turn into a huge ordeal. I didn't get a call at all. I'm hoping and praying that the lack of a call meant it was what they needed and they went ahead and sent out the approval. Since he did call right away when I sent the wrong thing. However, I'm going to fax the documents tomorrow with the same message and hope I get some notification.
The officer was nice and said when he was getting close to approving something, he just let people fax or email in the needed documents. I might be reading into that comment too much, but I'm hoping getting these documents was more of a formality than anything. Guess we'll see...
On the other end of the phone was "Officer H". He was a super nice guy who explained to me that he didn't just need proof that the divorce was final (even thought that's EXACTLY what the request said), but they wanted the agreement that basically gave the reason for the divorce and the visitation/custody arrangements with his older kids. He explained the reason they need it was so they can see Steve didn't abuse his ex-wife or kids and didn't have any custody/visitation restrictions. The kicker is that the agreement has to be signed by a judge and you had to be able to see the state seal. Ultimately, we sent two separate documents in first thing on Friday and I was hoping to hear back that it was what they needed.
I scanned the documents and emailed them in and included a note to please call me and let me know they received it and whether it was adequate. If it's not adequate, then Steve will have to go to the county court where his divorce was finalized and try to get the appropriate paperwork, so it could turn into a huge ordeal. I didn't get a call at all. I'm hoping and praying that the lack of a call meant it was what they needed and they went ahead and sent out the approval. Since he did call right away when I sent the wrong thing. However, I'm going to fax the documents tomorrow with the same message and hope I get some notification.
The officer was nice and said when he was getting close to approving something, he just let people fax or email in the needed documents. I might be reading into that comment too much, but I'm hoping getting these documents was more of a formality than anything. Guess we'll see...
2.17.2011
Attempt 2
Phew! After that heavy post from yesterday, here's a little lighter update on the USCIS. On Monday, I had actually called the USCIS at the suggestion of my family coordinator at AWAA since it had been almost month since we'd had our fingerprint appointment and no results. I was transferred to the officer at on my account and left him a message. As you know, Monday afternoon is when the dreaded pink sheet arrived.
I was hoping the officer I'd left a message with would call me on Tuesday and I could ask him exactly what they needed just to be sure I got it exactly right. My agency also called and left a message. Neither of us received a return call on Tuesday. At the end of the day, my family coordinator suggested, if we didn't hear back from the USCIS on Wednesday, to just go ahead and send the copy of the divorce decree as they requested.
Wednesday, there was no return call, and so I began to write the cover letter that I would send with the RFE (request for evidence) and divorce decree. Instead of starting from scratch, I pulled up the cover letter I'd sent with the original application. And you know what? I'd already sent the divorce decree. And our birth and marriage certificates!
I contacted my agency again and they called the USCIS and miracle of all miracles, not only did an officer pick up, but MY officer! He just said to send the decree. So I whipped out the letter and put it in overnight delivery. Hopefully by the time you are reading this, it will have arrived and we are praying our approval will be on it's way.
I was hoping the officer I'd left a message with would call me on Tuesday and I could ask him exactly what they needed just to be sure I got it exactly right. My agency also called and left a message. Neither of us received a return call on Tuesday. At the end of the day, my family coordinator suggested, if we didn't hear back from the USCIS on Wednesday, to just go ahead and send the copy of the divorce decree as they requested.
Wednesday, there was no return call, and so I began to write the cover letter that I would send with the RFE (request for evidence) and divorce decree. Instead of starting from scratch, I pulled up the cover letter I'd sent with the original application. And you know what? I'd already sent the divorce decree. And our birth and marriage certificates!
I contacted my agency again and they called the USCIS and miracle of all miracles, not only did an officer pick up, but MY officer! He just said to send the decree. So I whipped out the letter and put it in overnight delivery. Hopefully by the time you are reading this, it will have arrived and we are praying our approval will be on it's way.
2.16.2011
A Needed Clarification on Our Adoption
I've been thinking about this post for several days now. I've debated about whether to say anything or not, but since it's not leaving my mind, I feel like I just need to say it and get it over with.
A friend recently brought up something I posted on my Facebook status that might have been misunderstood. I know many of you aren't friends with me on Facebook but I think hearing the full story might be beneficial especially to my adoptive family readers out there.
A couple weeks ago, I had tentatively finished up my taxes in Turbo Tax. Unfortunately, due to several things, it looked like (and turned out to be true) we would owe a large sum of money in taxes. My Facebook status was something along the lines of, "Looks like we'll owe $XXX amount in taxes this year. There goes the adoption fund!" The comment was totally tongue-in-cheek and wasn't exactly serious.
Apparently, someone who might have donated to our adoption fund saw that post and wondered if I was using their donation to pay my personal taxes. First, I don't know who this person is, or if anyone really said anything. But it was clearly bothersome enough that a friend of mine cautioned me about saying anything like that again on Facebook. I'm not angry at my friend. I honestly believe she is looking out for my own well - being in her caution. She doesn't want to see people stop donating due to a possible misunderstanding. As soon as she brought it up, I could totally see how someone who was not privy to the whole story might assume that I was using donations to pay my taxes.
I took the advice to heart and made a mental note for later. However, the more I thought about it, the more emotion bubbled to the surface. At first I was angry. Angry that someone would dare question my integrity. Angry that someone would know me so little to think I'd do something dishonest like using their donated money for something other than the adoption for which they'd intended it.
And then I got sad. Sad that a person's mind goes immediately to questioning instead of just assuming they don't know the full story. So, in case any of you saw that Facebook status and wondered...here's the story...
Steve and I have been blessed in that we had enough money in savings to start our adoption fund. For those non-adoptive families, adoptions (domestic and/or international) can cost upwards of $35,000. Though it's not my obligation to share with you where the money came from, suffice it to say in the last few years we've lost Steve's mom, my dad and both of my brothers. Therefore it might stand to reason we have accumulated some inheritance money wouldn't it? And while we did have enough money to start the fund, as most of the adoptive families know, you run though thousands of dollars by the time your dossier is sent out. We are blessed to have enough OF OUR OWN MONEY to pay our taxes this year. Our intent was for that money to take us further in our adoption, but clearly we're going to have quite a bit of fundraising to do before we have enough to cover the rest and all our travel.
All that to say, we have not, now or EVER, used any donated money to pay for anything non adoption related. I'm angry and saddened that I even have to defend myself publicly, but since there were a number of people who saw that FB post (some of you even commented on it), I felt the best thing to do after the fact was offer an explanation. And if you know me at all, you would have known that would be something I never would have considered doing. But if you are someone who has your doubts and you have donated money to our adoption, then feel free to contact me privately and I'll be more than happy to refund your money.
As for the rest of you who never had a second thought about my FB post, thank you.
A friend recently brought up something I posted on my Facebook status that might have been misunderstood. I know many of you aren't friends with me on Facebook but I think hearing the full story might be beneficial especially to my adoptive family readers out there.
A couple weeks ago, I had tentatively finished up my taxes in Turbo Tax. Unfortunately, due to several things, it looked like (and turned out to be true) we would owe a large sum of money in taxes. My Facebook status was something along the lines of, "Looks like we'll owe $XXX amount in taxes this year. There goes the adoption fund!" The comment was totally tongue-in-cheek and wasn't exactly serious.
Apparently, someone who might have donated to our adoption fund saw that post and wondered if I was using their donation to pay my personal taxes. First, I don't know who this person is, or if anyone really said anything. But it was clearly bothersome enough that a friend of mine cautioned me about saying anything like that again on Facebook. I'm not angry at my friend. I honestly believe she is looking out for my own well - being in her caution. She doesn't want to see people stop donating due to a possible misunderstanding. As soon as she brought it up, I could totally see how someone who was not privy to the whole story might assume that I was using donations to pay my taxes.
I took the advice to heart and made a mental note for later. However, the more I thought about it, the more emotion bubbled to the surface. At first I was angry. Angry that someone would dare question my integrity. Angry that someone would know me so little to think I'd do something dishonest like using their donated money for something other than the adoption for which they'd intended it.
And then I got sad. Sad that a person's mind goes immediately to questioning instead of just assuming they don't know the full story. So, in case any of you saw that Facebook status and wondered...here's the story...
Steve and I have been blessed in that we had enough money in savings to start our adoption fund. For those non-adoptive families, adoptions (domestic and/or international) can cost upwards of $35,000. Though it's not my obligation to share with you where the money came from, suffice it to say in the last few years we've lost Steve's mom, my dad and both of my brothers. Therefore it might stand to reason we have accumulated some inheritance money wouldn't it? And while we did have enough money to start the fund, as most of the adoptive families know, you run though thousands of dollars by the time your dossier is sent out. We are blessed to have enough OF OUR OWN MONEY to pay our taxes this year. Our intent was for that money to take us further in our adoption, but clearly we're going to have quite a bit of fundraising to do before we have enough to cover the rest and all our travel.
All that to say, we have not, now or EVER, used any donated money to pay for anything non adoption related. I'm angry and saddened that I even have to defend myself publicly, but since there were a number of people who saw that FB post (some of you even commented on it), I felt the best thing to do after the fact was offer an explanation. And if you know me at all, you would have known that would be something I never would have considered doing. But if you are someone who has your doubts and you have donated money to our adoption, then feel free to contact me privately and I'll be more than happy to refund your money.
As for the rest of you who never had a second thought about my FB post, thank you.
2.15.2011
iPhone Owners
Our iPhones arrived last Monday! I've been a little surprised at the number of snarky comments about us getting iPhones. I didn't realize anyone cared so much about what kind of phones we carried, but apparently it's important to some people.
Just for the record, I have wanted an iPhone for about a year. But I was not going to go back to AT&T to get one. Mostly because I didn't want to break my 2 year contract at Verizon. Anyway, as most of you know, I got up super early on the day they went to maket for current Verizon customers. I was glad I did (though I took some heat for it) because they did run out. And then they arrived on Monday which was like 3-4 days before they went on sale to the public.
Steve and I have activated and used them for a week now and while we are still learning, we do love our phones. We bought cases from case mate which have already arrived and we like them too. We've even ventured into the land of "there's an app for that".
So if you have a favorite app (free or for purchase), share! I love looking at different apps.
Just for the record, I have wanted an iPhone for about a year. But I was not going to go back to AT&T to get one. Mostly because I didn't want to break my 2 year contract at Verizon. Anyway, as most of you know, I got up super early on the day they went to maket for current Verizon customers. I was glad I did (though I took some heat for it) because they did run out. And then they arrived on Monday which was like 3-4 days before they went on sale to the public.
Steve and I have activated and used them for a week now and while we are still learning, we do love our phones. We bought cases from case mate which have already arrived and we like them too. We've even ventured into the land of "there's an app for that".
So if you have a favorite app (free or for purchase), share! I love looking at different apps.
2.14.2011
A Valentine Day Surprise
Wanted to give you all a little glimpse into my Valentine's Day.
I bought Steve a car charger for his iPhone and as usual, I couldn't wait to give it to him so I gave it to him yesterday. :) This morning I woke up to find my card and an iTunes gift certificate! So funny! I fully intended to lay out some steaks to thaw for dinner tonight, but didn't know if Steve would be able to fire up the grill tonight so I wanted to ask him after he got up and then have him lay them out.
Well, I forgot. And so by the time he got home (from attending a field trip with Jenna), it was too late to lay them out to thaw. So, this afternoon, he calls and asks me if I want to go to Chili's to eat. He had a gift certificate from Christmas that he wanted to use. I'll admit, I wasn't crazy about the idea because I figured the wait would be forever especially after sitting in traffic for 2 hours (which is now about the average commute time thanks to construction). Anyway, believe it or not, I got there in about an hour and 15 minutes and there was no wait. Steve had just sat down at the table with Jenna when I arrived.
I sat my stuff down and went to the ladies room. When I got back, there was an iPhone car charger and an envelope from the USCIS! I was super excited until I saw the pink paper peeking out from the envelope.
Most of you don't know what pink paper means when it comes to the USCIS. Well, it doesn't mean an approval. It signifies a request for information before they can move forward. It would have been so perfect to receive the actual approval on Valentine's Day. But they are needing confirmation of Steve's prior divorce..
I will tell you there is a sense of relief to at least know SOMETHING. Even though it's not what I wanted, at least I know what to provide to move on.
So tomorrow I start trying to get the information they need so we can move forward.
I bought Steve a car charger for his iPhone and as usual, I couldn't wait to give it to him so I gave it to him yesterday. :) This morning I woke up to find my card and an iTunes gift certificate! So funny! I fully intended to lay out some steaks to thaw for dinner tonight, but didn't know if Steve would be able to fire up the grill tonight so I wanted to ask him after he got up and then have him lay them out.
Well, I forgot. And so by the time he got home (from attending a field trip with Jenna), it was too late to lay them out to thaw. So, this afternoon, he calls and asks me if I want to go to Chili's to eat. He had a gift certificate from Christmas that he wanted to use. I'll admit, I wasn't crazy about the idea because I figured the wait would be forever especially after sitting in traffic for 2 hours (which is now about the average commute time thanks to construction). Anyway, believe it or not, I got there in about an hour and 15 minutes and there was no wait. Steve had just sat down at the table with Jenna when I arrived.
I sat my stuff down and went to the ladies room. When I got back, there was an iPhone car charger and an envelope from the USCIS! I was super excited until I saw the pink paper peeking out from the envelope.
Most of you don't know what pink paper means when it comes to the USCIS. Well, it doesn't mean an approval. It signifies a request for information before they can move forward. It would have been so perfect to receive the actual approval on Valentine's Day. But they are needing confirmation of Steve's prior divorce.
I will tell you there is a sense of relief to at least know SOMETHING. Even though it's not what I wanted, at least I know what to provide to move on.
So tomorrow I start trying to get the information they need so we can move forward.
Happy Valentines Day!
I just wanted to wish all of my readers a Happy Valentine's Day!
Jenna had her v-day party today and also a field trip to the Adventure Science Center. They discovered several years ago that 2/14 was a great day to field trip because no other schools are there that day!
More to come on those festive events!
Jenna had her v-day party today and also a field trip to the Adventure Science Center. They discovered several years ago that 2/14 was a great day to field trip because no other schools are there that day!
More to come on those festive events!
2.10.2011
Stranded!
The last 24 hours have been quite interesting. They had been calling for snow yesterday for about a week. At first it was 1-2 inches, then it was 3-4 inches and then they had 2 computer models and both were saying different things.
It was then, I figured we were in trouble. Lately, they have been pretty good at determining whether or not a "snow event" is going to happen although sometimes they are pretty far off with their accumulation predictions. They said it would start yesterday about 2pm. The schools were smart enough to close a few hours early before it even started. A bunch of people around here really give the school systems heck for doing stuff like that, but if they'd experienced what I did yesterday, they might cut them some slack.
2:00 came and went with nary a flake. Schools were out and I was contemplating whether the snow would really come before rush hour. For the readers that don't know, I live about 35 miles south of the city, so the commute on a good day with no traffic (what's that?!) is about 40 minutes. On a heavy traffic day (which is EVERY day thanks to construction) it can take me 90 minutes to get home. Average afternoon commute is an hour. Anwyay, I digress.
About 3:00, it started snowing. And in about 5 minutes, the roof outside my window at work looked like this:
Literally. 5 minutes. And you can't tell it in the picture, but it was really coming down. Unfortunately, my boss was in the next building, so there was no one to tell me when (or if) we could go ahead and leave. At about 3:15, my boss comes blowing in saying it was getting really bad and "Let's go". By the time I got my stuff packed up, dropped her at her car and got on the road, it was about 3:30. And this was my view from the car:
So yes, in 30 minutes, the roads were covered and the traffic was bumper to bumper both ways. See the cars coming the other direction? They were stopped just like we were. After sitting in traffic every day for an hour or more in the afternoon, I was in no mood to do it again. And with the snow coming down and the roads covering so quick, I knew the commute would be bad.
I had no idea just how bad it would be.
By 5:30pm, I had gone exactly .48 miles (a 1 minute drive according to Mapquest). I had only gone about a block. It was gridlock. I was so frustrated and upset and just wanted to be home. But after 2 hours, I quickly realized that I was going nowhere (literally) and it would be better for me to turn around and go back to the office. I managed to get down the next side street and make the block around without sliding into another car (though I did slide right down the street). When I rounded the corner to go back onto the street to the office, there was about 85 cars in two lanes trying to get out onto the main road.
It was then that I almost lost it. I couldn't get in touch with Steve because the lines were jammed and I was starting to get freaked out because I couldn't get ANYWHERE. I finally made my way around the block again and parked in an underground garage at the hospital located near our offices. Lucky for me, I had tennis shoes in the car that I'd put there at the beginning of the winter season "just in case". I donned my tennis shoes (with my work clothes) and started hoofing it. Yes, my friends, I began to WALK back to my office. Here I am walking...with my purse and my laptop. I had no hat, no gloves, only my coat and tennis shoes!
It wasn't far...probably 1/2 mile at best and less than that when I cut through the other building parking lots. But the traffic was that of which I have never in my life seen. And as I was crossing the park to get to the office, people started honking and I thought "Holy cow, they're going nuts".
Finally, I got back to the office. And lo and behold, I was in good company. Probably 15 people from my department alone were at the office, one co-worker had walked probably 6 blocks to get back after her car couldn't make it up a hill nearby. And we weren't the only ones. After about 30 minutes, our SVP came by and said they were about to re-open the cafeteria for anyone left so they could eat dinner. Imagine my surprise when I got down there to find almost 150 people hanging out for dinner including most of our senior executives...who incidentally served us all dinner from the deli line.
And the best part? The company paid for it! We hung out at the office until about 8:30 when the traffic finally cleared out. Then people started filing out. A co-worker of mine lives about 15 miles from where I do so he was kind enough to get me that far and then Steve and Jenna met me there and we trekked the rest of the way home. I think I arrived about 10pm. I've never been so happy to sleep in my own bed. I honestly thought I was going to have to sleep on my office floor. My boss and I had looked for hotels in the area, but they were all sold out.
It was truly something I wish NEVER to experience again. And there were hundreds and hundreds of people across the city stranded everywhere from their workplace to the interstates. It was crazy.
The roads were still pretty icy this morning, but the office opened about 10am, so at least the interstates had
cleared off by then. The temps weren't above freezing, but the sun was out today, so the roads were practically dry when I came home (which was early because I was in no mood to sit in traffic for more than 10 seconds today).
So that is the saga of getting stranded in the snow.
And for the record, I'm officially OVER the snow. I'm now ready for spring. I knew it would come sooner or later.
It was then, I figured we were in trouble. Lately, they have been pretty good at determining whether or not a "snow event" is going to happen although sometimes they are pretty far off with their accumulation predictions. They said it would start yesterday about 2pm. The schools were smart enough to close a few hours early before it even started. A bunch of people around here really give the school systems heck for doing stuff like that, but if they'd experienced what I did yesterday, they might cut them some slack.
2:00 came and went with nary a flake. Schools were out and I was contemplating whether the snow would really come before rush hour. For the readers that don't know, I live about 35 miles south of the city, so the commute on a good day with no traffic (what's that?!) is about 40 minutes. On a heavy traffic day (which is EVERY day thanks to construction) it can take me 90 minutes to get home. Average afternoon commute is an hour. Anwyay, I digress.
About 3:00, it started snowing. And in about 5 minutes, the roof outside my window at work looked like this:
I had no idea just how bad it would be.
By 5:30pm, I had gone exactly .48 miles (a 1 minute drive according to Mapquest). I had only gone about a block. It was gridlock. I was so frustrated and upset and just wanted to be home. But after 2 hours, I quickly realized that I was going nowhere (literally) and it would be better for me to turn around and go back to the office. I managed to get down the next side street and make the block around without sliding into another car (though I did slide right down the street). When I rounded the corner to go back onto the street to the office, there was about 85 cars in two lanes trying to get out onto the main road.
It was then that I almost lost it. I couldn't get in touch with Steve because the lines were jammed and I was starting to get freaked out because I couldn't get ANYWHERE. I finally made my way around the block again and parked in an underground garage at the hospital located near our offices. Lucky for me, I had tennis shoes in the car that I'd put there at the beginning of the winter season "just in case". I donned my tennis shoes (with my work clothes) and started hoofing it. Yes, my friends, I began to WALK back to my office. Here I am walking...with my purse and my laptop. I had no hat, no gloves, only my coat and tennis shoes!
 |
| If you look closely, you can see the cars behind me. The traffic was unbelievable! |
It wasn't far...probably 1/2 mile at best and less than that when I cut through the other building parking lots. But the traffic was that of which I have never in my life seen. And as I was crossing the park to get to the office, people started honking and I thought "Holy cow, they're going nuts".
It was truly something I wish NEVER to experience again. And there were hundreds and hundreds of people across the city stranded everywhere from their workplace to the interstates. It was crazy.
The roads were still pretty icy this morning, but the office opened about 10am, so at least the interstates had
cleared off by then. The temps weren't above freezing, but the sun was out today, so the roads were practically dry when I came home (which was early because I was in no mood to sit in traffic for more than 10 seconds today).
So that is the saga of getting stranded in the snow.
And for the record, I'm officially OVER the snow. I'm now ready for spring. I knew it would come sooner or later.
2.05.2011
Saturday Update
I am pleased to report I have enjoyed a nice leisurely Saturday. I spent the morning straightening up the house. Then my good friend Mindy came over and patiently taught me some tricks in Photoshop! It's going to take me time to get the hang of it, but Mindy and I have been meaning to get together forever. I'm so glad we finally got around to it!
Then, I updated my coupon book and set my menu for the month. I realized I was about to miss Kroger's Mega Event so I hurried up and made my grocery list. I totally racked up! It took me 2 hours but I got everything we needed for the month, and more. I spent $250, and saved $105 (31%) which was $50 under my budget. I think we'll make a run to Costco tomorrow and finish off the stuff we need in bulk. I love saving!
As for the adoption, still nothing from the USCIS. I've heard it can take anywhere from a week to 2 months to get the results. I'm really trying to forget about it and rest in God's perfect timing. But it's always easier said than done. So, we'll see what tomorrow brings.
Well, I'm off to eat a bite of dinner. I'm exhausted after all that shopping. :) Hope you enjoyed a leisurely Saturday too!
Then, I updated my coupon book and set my menu for the month. I realized I was about to miss Kroger's Mega Event so I hurried up and made my grocery list. I totally racked up! It took me 2 hours but I got everything we needed for the month, and more. I spent $250, and saved $105 (31%) which was $50 under my budget. I think we'll make a run to Costco tomorrow and finish off the stuff we need in bulk. I love saving!
As for the adoption, still nothing from the USCIS. I've heard it can take anywhere from a week to 2 months to get the results. I'm really trying to forget about it and rest in God's perfect timing. But it's always easier said than done. So, we'll see what tomorrow brings.
Well, I'm off to eat a bite of dinner. I'm exhausted after all that shopping. :) Hope you enjoyed a leisurely Saturday too!
2.04.2011
iPhones!
If you follow such things, you'll know that the exclusivity contract between Apple and AT&T (which allowed only AT&T to sell the iPhone) ended recently. And Verizon (which is who we use for cell service) jumped right on board. Steve and I just completed our 2nd year of our two year contract and we were MORE than ready for some new equipment!
But when we heard rumors the iPhone was coming to Verizon, we decided to hold out. It was tough sometimes, but thanks to my Apple guru friend, Brian, we did it!
The iPhone was made available for pre-purchase to current Verizon customers starting at 2am my time yesterday morning. And you know what?
I set my alarm and got up and purchased them at 2:05am.
And I'm STOKED about it.
I should have the phone no later than the 10th when it goes public to everyone else. And I can't wait.
I know there are probably Droid lovers and Apple/iPhone haters etc. reading my blog. But this is not a post to start a comment war about that. It's simply a post to let you know that I have joined the iPhone community (as has Steve) and we are happy about it. :)
But when we heard rumors the iPhone was coming to Verizon, we decided to hold out. It was tough sometimes, but thanks to my Apple guru friend, Brian, we did it!
The iPhone was made available for pre-purchase to current Verizon customers starting at 2am my time yesterday morning. And you know what?
I set my alarm and got up and purchased them at 2:05am.
And I'm STOKED about it.
I should have the phone no later than the 10th when it goes public to everyone else. And I can't wait.
I know there are probably Droid lovers and Apple/iPhone haters etc. reading my blog. But this is not a post to start a comment war about that. It's simply a post to let you know that I have joined the iPhone community (as has Steve) and we are happy about it. :)
2.03.2011
Confession
On Wednesday night, I attended a class at church with 3 other moms call The Parent Adventure. It was a small group of moms, but it turned out to be perfect. The facilitator is the wife of our church pastor. One of the first things she asked us is what we hope to get out of this class and what our "win" was (like in the future).
My answer to the latter was that I wanted Jenna to learn to talk to me and that there always be an open line of communication between us and for her to always feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit on her life.
For this to make sense, you must understand that my girl (who is 9 1/2 years old) a) became a Christian last March (2010) and b) is not an ultra-emotional child. I guess when she became a Christian, I expected her to show visible signs of wanting to do better...no lying, talk back, etc. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed when I didn't see immediate improvement and conviction. But Jenna doesn't usually cry. If she's crying, you better pay attention because something is wrong...she's sick, hurt or worse.
About a week ago, I caught Jenna doing something she'd been told over and over not to do. I caught her red handed. And she told me to my face that she wasn't doing what I'd seen her doing. So I called her out. But then the funniest thing happened...she acted like nothing had gone on. She didn't act the least bit remorseful. In fact, she actually got over-animated. I was stunned. I kept talking to her about consequences of actions and how I couldn't believe she'd lied. And she continued to act like there was nothing wrong...showing absolutely no remorse whatsoever. And I started to worry because it was SO obvious that she didn't care. But as we continued to talk, her animation came to a fever pitch until I asked her if she'd done something else I needed to know about (this was a total shot in the dark, just trying to get her to show some remorse for what I'd caught her doing). She immediately started to tremble and tear up.
Unknowingly, I'd hit the nail on the head and uncovered something else she'd been doing that she shouldn't have been. Her animation was her attempt to cover up the guilt that was about to bubble over. Long story short (too late), she began to sob unconrollably and confess these things she'd done and say how sorry she was. We were up late into the night with her sobbing with conviction. Ultimately, we got down on our knees and prayed for forgiveness and talked about ways to do better and to call down the Holy Spirit to help during times of temptation (this was done on a child's level mind you). And the days since have been better. I've seen little subtle changes in her. She responds the first (or second!) time I ask her to do something, she fulfills her duties around the house with no complaint. She even says ma'am when answering a question.
After this whole thing, I went to Amazon and purchased a sweet little devotional book for elementary kids. It turned out to be the neatest little book so far and I can definitely recommend it.
Every night at 8pm, we head upstairs, she gets in her PJs, brushes her teeth, takes her allergy medicine and we sit down to read our daily devotional and pray. Then we spend the rest of our time reading our books. She reads her book for school, me whatever I am in the middle of at the time. Tonight, we got to talking after the devotional about sinning, God, the Holy Spirit etc. And then we talk about how God doesn't differentiate between "big" and "little" sins. Then Jenna points out that God sees in our heart no matter what we say on the outside. And then..."Yeah, I mean, God really knows what's in our heart! Like it says in I Samuel..." and then she quoted...verbatim...to me I Samuel 16:7:
"But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
And I thought my own heart would burst. There is absolutely nothing better than hearing your child recite a scripture from memory and using it in the correct way! This was a memory verse from her homework a few months ago. Thank you Jesus that she is hiding Your Word in her heart! May I learn from such childlike faith!
As our conversation continued, she began to tear up and her chin began to tremble. She confessed another sin in her life which is going to require confession to her teacher at school and asking for forgiveness, which as anyone knows is never easy. But she wept and we prayed for courage and I have no doubt that she will make things right tomorrow with her teacher. I've been blessed to watch the Holy Spirit continue to convict her. And I'm humbled that God is working in her life despite me and my mess ups.
Anyway, I'm a proud, and humbled, Mama tonight.
My answer to the latter was that I wanted Jenna to learn to talk to me and that there always be an open line of communication between us and for her to always feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit on her life.
For this to make sense, you must understand that my girl (who is 9 1/2 years old) a) became a Christian last March (2010) and b) is not an ultra-emotional child. I guess when she became a Christian, I expected her to show visible signs of wanting to do better...no lying, talk back, etc. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed when I didn't see immediate improvement and conviction. But Jenna doesn't usually cry. If she's crying, you better pay attention because something is wrong...she's sick, hurt or worse.
About a week ago, I caught Jenna doing something she'd been told over and over not to do. I caught her red handed. And she told me to my face that she wasn't doing what I'd seen her doing. So I called her out. But then the funniest thing happened...she acted like nothing had gone on. She didn't act the least bit remorseful. In fact, she actually got over-animated. I was stunned. I kept talking to her about consequences of actions and how I couldn't believe she'd lied. And she continued to act like there was nothing wrong...showing absolutely no remorse whatsoever. And I started to worry because it was SO obvious that she didn't care. But as we continued to talk, her animation came to a fever pitch until I asked her if she'd done something else I needed to know about (this was a total shot in the dark, just trying to get her to show some remorse for what I'd caught her doing). She immediately started to tremble and tear up.
Unknowingly, I'd hit the nail on the head and uncovered something else she'd been doing that she shouldn't have been. Her animation was her attempt to cover up the guilt that was about to bubble over. Long story short (too late), she began to sob unconrollably and confess these things she'd done and say how sorry she was. We were up late into the night with her sobbing with conviction. Ultimately, we got down on our knees and prayed for forgiveness and talked about ways to do better and to call down the Holy Spirit to help during times of temptation (this was done on a child's level mind you). And the days since have been better. I've seen little subtle changes in her. She responds the first (or second!) time I ask her to do something, she fulfills her duties around the house with no complaint. She even says ma'am when answering a question.
After this whole thing, I went to Amazon and purchased a sweet little devotional book for elementary kids. It turned out to be the neatest little book so far and I can definitely recommend it.
"But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
And I thought my own heart would burst. There is absolutely nothing better than hearing your child recite a scripture from memory and using it in the correct way! This was a memory verse from her homework a few months ago. Thank you Jesus that she is hiding Your Word in her heart! May I learn from such childlike faith!
As our conversation continued, she began to tear up and her chin began to tremble. She confessed another sin in her life which is going to require confession to her teacher at school and asking for forgiveness, which as anyone knows is never easy. But she wept and we prayed for courage and I have no doubt that she will make things right tomorrow with her teacher. I've been blessed to watch the Holy Spirit continue to convict her. And I'm humbled that God is working in her life despite me and my mess ups.
Anyway, I'm a proud, and humbled, Mama tonight.
2.02.2011
If you have ever had to file with the USCIS...
...then I want to hear your comments. I'm clearly entering the phase I like to call OBSESSING over getting our results.
When we went for the biometrics (fingerprints), the lady never gave us a time frame of when to expect results. It's been more than 2 weeks since the appointment in which they told me they sent them over the internet to be processed IMMEDIATELY. I kind of thought that meant in a week, maximum TWO, that we'd have our results.
Not so much.
Today I got fixated enough that I tried to call the USCIS. The first guy I talked to, "Matthew", was nice enough but he couldn't find my receipt number in the system, which I was reading directly off the official notice from Homeland Security. Then he says to find me, he's going to have to transfer me to a "higher level of customer service"...Ooohhh weeeeee...that sounds important. Yeah it must be.
Because the wait time to speak with someone was 10 to 15 MINUTES.
UM NO.
I've tried to blog hope to all my favorite China Adoption blogs to research timelines, but it's too hard to keep up and most timelines don't go into the details...
So for all you China Adoption Readers (CAR) out there...
HOW LONG FROM THE DATE OF YOUR FINGERPRINT APPOINTMENT WITH THE USCIS DID IT TAKE TO GET YOUR RESULTS?
If you tell me it took a month, then I'll gladly wait another 2 weeks and not obsess. I just need to know a guesstimate...and no, "Matthew" wasn't able to tell me even that.
Help a sista out....
When we went for the biometrics (fingerprints), the lady never gave us a time frame of when to expect results. It's been more than 2 weeks since the appointment in which they told me they sent them over the internet to be processed IMMEDIATELY. I kind of thought that meant in a week, maximum TWO, that we'd have our results.
Not so much.
Today I got fixated enough that I tried to call the USCIS. The first guy I talked to, "Matthew", was nice enough but he couldn't find my receipt number in the system, which I was reading directly off the official notice from Homeland Security. Then he says to find me, he's going to have to transfer me to a "higher level of customer service"...Ooohhh weeeeee...that sounds important. Yeah it must be.
Because the wait time to speak with someone was 10 to 15 MINUTES.
UM NO.
I've tried to blog hope to all my favorite China Adoption blogs to research timelines, but it's too hard to keep up and most timelines don't go into the details...
So for all you China Adoption Readers (CAR) out there...
HOW LONG FROM THE DATE OF YOUR FINGERPRINT APPOINTMENT WITH THE USCIS DID IT TAKE TO GET YOUR RESULTS?
If you tell me it took a month, then I'll gladly wait another 2 weeks and not obsess. I just need to know a guesstimate...and no, "Matthew" wasn't able to tell me even that.
Help a sista out....
Happy Birthday Bethie!
Just popping in quickly to wish my niece a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I won't tell you how old she is, but I will tell you I met Beth at the same time I met Micah (my stepdaughter). And I loved them both from the time I met them. It's been an honor and privilege to watch Beth grow into the young woman, wife and mother she is today. So much to be proud of for her.
So, happy birthday sweet Bethie! I hope today is the best ever!
So, happy birthday sweet Bethie! I hope today is the best ever!
 |
| This is Jackson...Bethie's prized possession! Jackson says, "Happy Birthday Mommy!!!!" |
2.01.2011
No news is...well...NO NEWS
I don't have much to say today except we are staring down the barrel at 2.5 months since we first filed our application with the USCIS and there were still no results in my mailbox today. 2.5 months is the approximate and average time "they" say to get the entire process done. Looks like we are going to be waiting the full 2.5 or may even 3 months.
I'm trying not to get discouraged, but I have to admit, I call Steve every day about lunch time to see if he's gotten the mail, just in case. Every day it's the same and I'm starting to get bummed and frustrated. Not many non-adoptive families really understand. I get the question all the time, "How's the adoption going?" And the answer is always the same, "We are waiting on __________________" and the blank is the only thing that changes. Waiting on our reference letters, doctor notes, physicals, social worker, USCIS, agency, China...whatever. Always waiting on something.
But it's all good. The holidays were such a good time to have to wait because we were so busy with holiday activities that I didn't have time to obsess. And everyone knows that January/February are the slowest, most boring months of the year. But again, it's all good. This is really just the beginning and I'm sure the easiest of the waiting. I imagine the hard part will be waiting for travel acceptance after we know how she is. So I should embrace this waiting now. :)
OK, back to waiting...
I'm trying not to get discouraged, but I have to admit, I call Steve every day about lunch time to see if he's gotten the mail, just in case. Every day it's the same and I'm starting to get bummed and frustrated. Not many non-adoptive families really understand. I get the question all the time, "How's the adoption going?" And the answer is always the same, "We are waiting on __________________" and the blank is the only thing that changes. Waiting on our reference letters, doctor notes, physicals, social worker, USCIS, agency, China...whatever. Always waiting on something.
But it's all good. The holidays were such a good time to have to wait because we were so busy with holiday activities that I didn't have time to obsess. And everyone knows that January/February are the slowest, most boring months of the year. But again, it's all good. This is really just the beginning and I'm sure the easiest of the waiting. I imagine the hard part will be waiting for travel acceptance after we know how she is. So I should embrace this waiting now. :)
OK, back to waiting...
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