I've not been a very good blogger lately. If anyone actually follows my blog regularly, I apologize, and I do hope you'll keep coming back. There's just nothing much to report. We have had a pretty low-key October - the warmest I remember ever - and the driest - thank goodness for the rain this past week! (After re-reading my post, I realized our October was busier than I thought!)
We made our annual trip to the state fair this month, which is one of our favorite things in the world. We love to eat all the bad-for-you food and people-watch. We even enjoy all the displays and demonstrations, which are basically the same every year. This year we actually rode a couple of rides - a ferris wheel, which was much slower than I remember them being - and some crazy spinning thing that made me scream. It was quite the rush, and I was dizzy when I got off, but it was a lot of fun. We have some traditions that we follow every year, and this time was no different: Stopping by our political party's booth for stickers and obnoxiously wearing them all day; signing petitions at the peace booth; getting Mt. Olive pickles - I choose the hot n' spicy and always wonder why I'm torturing myself; eating other very specific things throughout the day (I won't name them all so as not to appall my readers); going to the garden show and the Village of Yesteryear; and buying something at one of the demo booths - believe it or not we have never regretted any gadget we've purchased at the fair. This year's winner was the Monster Floor Steamer, and so far so good! It was another successful, fun-filled fair adventure. I've heard that our state fair is the best in the country, and I do believe it is.
We also spent a great weekend out of town for a family wedding a few weekends ago - Chris' brother Brandon married his sweetheart Terra. They are so young and fun. We actually felt a little envious - and old! We're so happy for them and wish them all the best life has to offer - and we can't wait for them to start having children! They say that won't be happening for quite awhile, and I totally understand and think that's a good plan. We were married six years before we started "trying" - so no, I'm not going to become an annoying family member who continually asks them "when?" - believe me. Back to the wedding -- In addition to being a beautiful, heartwarming celebration, it gave us a chance to see family and folks from our hometown we hadn't seen in ages and get to know some of them better, and that was really wonderful. Unfortunately, it was also a bittersweet time for us because we remember when Brandon and Terra got engaged and picked their wedding weekend that we were projecting to be in China - we're so glad we didn't miss their wedding, but I have to say it would have been nice to be in China, too. Maybe next year this time? That might be a long stretch, but one can hope.
After the wedding we traveled to my younger sister Rachel's house for my niece Savannah's 4th birthday. What a big girl she is now! I miss that tiny "spooky cat" (Chris' early nickname for her because of an outfit her mama dressed her in on Halloween in 2003), but I am loving watching her grow. She is such a joy - most of the time anyway!
Last night we had a grand time at Lizard Leap, the home of our dear friends Kat and Doug and their super kid Charlie. They hosted a potluck and a bonfire, which feels a bit strange to say with the fires happening in California, but with all the recent rain here it was very safe - and it was so nice that it was actually cool enough to enjoy the warmth of the fire. As always, we laughed and enjoyed good conversation with friends, whom we've only known in adulthood but who are becoming more and more like family.
I've also been fortunate to spend time with some fellow waiting adoptive parents this month. Their presence in our lives is a true gift and helps to make the wait for our children a little less painful. Thank you for your friendship and for the community you are creating with us.
Halloween isn't a holiday we've ever celebrated much - we haven't even always been home at trick-or-treating time, and I don't think we've ever been to a costume party. I never even took the opportunity to experience what I've heard is the biggest Halloween celebration in the country at my university - I just wasn't into it. But for some reason this year I felt a little more festive than usual and decided to buy a few decorations for our front porch. We have had this one little wooden ghost for years that we found at the farmer's market, and at some point Chris purchased a jack-o-lantern with an actual lightbulb (for the years we're lazy and don't carve our own pumpkins). But that's been the extent of our decor. Now I've added this big spider to the front door and spider webby stuff everywhere - on the door around the spider, on the mailbox and on a large bush just beyond the porch. It's kinda cool! In the past I thought anything more than a few pumpkins was just plain silly, but I have to say it was fun to do more. Maybe this is an expectant mom thing?
On that note, we have become increasingly frustrated with the inefficiency of the foster care system, which is still sitting on our licensing paperwork. I guess we should have anticipated this, but we're naive and optimistic. Our social worker has assured us our paperwork has been logged in, and just a few days ago she emailed me that we should have our license by the end of the month....which of course is this Wednesday. We're not holding our breath at this point. However, being the eternal optimist I am thinking that we could be getting the call in a matter of weeks, even days, so I'll be getting as much sleep as I can in the days ahead!
I don't typically announce what I'm reading because it usually isn't anything I figure most people are interested in, but I have to share my latest read: SAVING GRACES by Elizabeth Edwards, the amazing, courageous, super smart (and I could go on and on) attorney, mother of four, and wife of presidential-hopeful John Edwards. Wow. I couldn't put the book down and literally stayed up most of the night Friday reading it. Maybe it was simply because she lived in my city for years and went to the same college I did and even talked about places I know very well - or maybe it was because she lost her first-born son and she opened up about the depths of her grief in a way that few people do - or maybe it was because she spent much of her fascinating childhood in Japan, the eldest daughter of a decorated naval officer - or maybe it was because when it comes right down to it she's a regular person who speaks to regular people, but who has accomplished extraordinary things and has inspired millions - or maybe it was because I was so aware of her vulnerability as she chronicles her first battle with breast cancer in the book and battles incurable cancer now. Whatever it was I felt so drawn to her, like I knew her and like she was speaking directly to me. I was actually sad when I read the last page and the book was over - it was as if I was saying good-bye to a friend. I once heard John Edwards say in an interview that his wife is the smart one, and I think he's right. I'm a fan of his, but I have to say I wish she was running for President! May she live to see her husband win in 2008, her daughter Cate continue to grow as a leader herself, and her youngest children grow into adults. And may we all receive the gifts she has yet to give our country and the world.
Happy Halloween.
We made our annual trip to the state fair this month, which is one of our favorite things in the world. We love to eat all the bad-for-you food and people-watch. We even enjoy all the displays and demonstrations, which are basically the same every year. This year we actually rode a couple of rides - a ferris wheel, which was much slower than I remember them being - and some crazy spinning thing that made me scream. It was quite the rush, and I was dizzy when I got off, but it was a lot of fun. We have some traditions that we follow every year, and this time was no different: Stopping by our political party's booth for stickers and obnoxiously wearing them all day; signing petitions at the peace booth; getting Mt. Olive pickles - I choose the hot n' spicy and always wonder why I'm torturing myself; eating other very specific things throughout the day (I won't name them all so as not to appall my readers); going to the garden show and the Village of Yesteryear; and buying something at one of the demo booths - believe it or not we have never regretted any gadget we've purchased at the fair. This year's winner was the Monster Floor Steamer, and so far so good! It was another successful, fun-filled fair adventure. I've heard that our state fair is the best in the country, and I do believe it is.
We also spent a great weekend out of town for a family wedding a few weekends ago - Chris' brother Brandon married his sweetheart Terra. They are so young and fun. We actually felt a little envious - and old! We're so happy for them and wish them all the best life has to offer - and we can't wait for them to start having children! They say that won't be happening for quite awhile, and I totally understand and think that's a good plan. We were married six years before we started "trying" - so no, I'm not going to become an annoying family member who continually asks them "when?" - believe me. Back to the wedding -- In addition to being a beautiful, heartwarming celebration, it gave us a chance to see family and folks from our hometown we hadn't seen in ages and get to know some of them better, and that was really wonderful. Unfortunately, it was also a bittersweet time for us because we remember when Brandon and Terra got engaged and picked their wedding weekend that we were projecting to be in China - we're so glad we didn't miss their wedding, but I have to say it would have been nice to be in China, too. Maybe next year this time? That might be a long stretch, but one can hope.
After the wedding we traveled to my younger sister Rachel's house for my niece Savannah's 4th birthday. What a big girl she is now! I miss that tiny "spooky cat" (Chris' early nickname for her because of an outfit her mama dressed her in on Halloween in 2003), but I am loving watching her grow. She is such a joy - most of the time anyway!
Last night we had a grand time at Lizard Leap, the home of our dear friends Kat and Doug and their super kid Charlie. They hosted a potluck and a bonfire, which feels a bit strange to say with the fires happening in California, but with all the recent rain here it was very safe - and it was so nice that it was actually cool enough to enjoy the warmth of the fire. As always, we laughed and enjoyed good conversation with friends, whom we've only known in adulthood but who are becoming more and more like family.
I've also been fortunate to spend time with some fellow waiting adoptive parents this month. Their presence in our lives is a true gift and helps to make the wait for our children a little less painful. Thank you for your friendship and for the community you are creating with us.
Halloween isn't a holiday we've ever celebrated much - we haven't even always been home at trick-or-treating time, and I don't think we've ever been to a costume party. I never even took the opportunity to experience what I've heard is the biggest Halloween celebration in the country at my university - I just wasn't into it. But for some reason this year I felt a little more festive than usual and decided to buy a few decorations for our front porch. We have had this one little wooden ghost for years that we found at the farmer's market, and at some point Chris purchased a jack-o-lantern with an actual lightbulb (for the years we're lazy and don't carve our own pumpkins). But that's been the extent of our decor. Now I've added this big spider to the front door and spider webby stuff everywhere - on the door around the spider, on the mailbox and on a large bush just beyond the porch. It's kinda cool! In the past I thought anything more than a few pumpkins was just plain silly, but I have to say it was fun to do more. Maybe this is an expectant mom thing?
On that note, we have become increasingly frustrated with the inefficiency of the foster care system, which is still sitting on our licensing paperwork. I guess we should have anticipated this, but we're naive and optimistic. Our social worker has assured us our paperwork has been logged in, and just a few days ago she emailed me that we should have our license by the end of the month....which of course is this Wednesday. We're not holding our breath at this point. However, being the eternal optimist I am thinking that we could be getting the call in a matter of weeks, even days, so I'll be getting as much sleep as I can in the days ahead!
I don't typically announce what I'm reading because it usually isn't anything I figure most people are interested in, but I have to share my latest read: SAVING GRACES by Elizabeth Edwards, the amazing, courageous, super smart (and I could go on and on) attorney, mother of four, and wife of presidential-hopeful John Edwards. Wow. I couldn't put the book down and literally stayed up most of the night Friday reading it. Maybe it was simply because she lived in my city for years and went to the same college I did and even talked about places I know very well - or maybe it was because she lost her first-born son and she opened up about the depths of her grief in a way that few people do - or maybe it was because she spent much of her fascinating childhood in Japan, the eldest daughter of a decorated naval officer - or maybe it was because when it comes right down to it she's a regular person who speaks to regular people, but who has accomplished extraordinary things and has inspired millions - or maybe it was because I was so aware of her vulnerability as she chronicles her first battle with breast cancer in the book and battles incurable cancer now. Whatever it was I felt so drawn to her, like I knew her and like she was speaking directly to me. I was actually sad when I read the last page and the book was over - it was as if I was saying good-bye to a friend. I once heard John Edwards say in an interview that his wife is the smart one, and I think he's right. I'm a fan of his, but I have to say I wish she was running for President! May she live to see her husband win in 2008, her daughter Cate continue to grow as a leader herself, and her youngest children grow into adults. And may we all receive the gifts she has yet to give our country and the world.
Happy Halloween.
Comments
rach
We are so happy to have met you and Chris. I totally agree that having each other as friends truly helps the wait for our children. We hate to think what this wait would be like without you guys.
Your friends,
David & Penny