tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39805655008150551272024-03-13T12:01:36.299-07:00A Crooked CrownA Daughter of The King, wearing a crooked crown.Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07013837166172006170noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980565500815055127.post-72658499480102333102009-06-26T07:05:00.000-07:002009-06-26T07:33:45.357-07:00Friday...leaving for Beijing and then HOME!<div>Friday was our last day in Guangzhou, and as of yet, we had not really bought much, so we set out to get some gifts from the remaining open stores on Shamian. (It's kind of a ghost town these days...like the mall everybody *used* to go to.) This didn't sit well with Ross YunLong, who would grab something from nearly every aisle and beg us to buy it for him. He knew (it had been explained) that we were getting a gift for each of his siblings back in the states. A little temper tantrum, and a refusal to eat lunch, checkout of the hotel, and then it was time to meet our guide. We had a few hours to kill before heading for the airport, and she offered for us to go to a museum or the zoo. We asked the kids, and they (of course) wanted to go to the zoo, and we felt that was best. Our guide didn't seem too happy about our choice, but oh well. When we got there though, we saw they had a separate part of the zoo that is more like a Sea World (in a smallish, not so nice kind of way.) We exchanged our tickets and went there instead, since we'd already been to the zoo in Kunming. </div><div><br /></div><div>Again...what a difference from things in the states! At Sea World, during the dolphin show, there's usually the obligatory "pick the girl out of the audience and let her pet the dolphin and it then kisses her cheek" bit. Well, here...they have the girl get in a blow-up raft and the dolphins pull here around in the VERY deep show pool! (Can you even imagine the insurance premiums for the liability of someone falling out of the boat here???)</div><div><br /></div><div>Inside the aquarium part, there was a shark tank that was only waist high...and open on the top! You can just stick your hand right in with all the sharks! There's just a gal posted in front of it who says, "Just be careful!" Then, just like at the zoo where we fed the lion, they had a tupperware full of fish parts so you could feed the sharks. Bo, of course, had to let the kids do that! They gave them each this grabber thing. They loaded fish on one end, held it in the water, and the sharks would come at it and grab it vigorously, splashing water everywhere! Quite cool, actually!</div><div><br /></div><div>Then we were off to fly to Beijing, much to Ross' chagrin. He kept saying he didn't want to go to Beijing. He wanted to go to America! We got in late, slept, and then left for the airport in the morning. The flights from Beijing to SanFran, and then on to Denver were largely uneventful. The kids mostly watched TV. (In fact, they didn't sleep on the flight over, and only slept on the flight to Denver.) </div><div><br /></div><div>Kara was timid, getting off the plane here, but Ross was skipping and jumping and excited to meet his new siblings. He was silly and playing with all of them from the get-go! </div><div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0DvrJTHqKZQL6BWf6QQn7oKjz-kAu_CHG4MUS3_7nzxlCD5yiZ7sb0Ln-MJl7-G4EMlxfXsPlqtL0iqehV7FEAwu_Lqa8QMVzZNJMw1UZfSEQRkXN7snzsrqlxGS9d33HuPdM80UdT1qU/s1600-h/100_3008.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0DvrJTHqKZQL6BWf6QQn7oKjz-kAu_CHG4MUS3_7nzxlCD5yiZ7sb0Ln-MJl7-G4EMlxfXsPlqtL0iqehV7FEAwu_Lqa8QMVzZNJMw1UZfSEQRkXN7snzsrqlxGS9d33HuPdM80UdT1qU/s320/100_3008.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351644003462447570" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizirdITMMg3-aABgZxmDYb8LXl0c_f7N6LX9jqtwwvDgrzO9-kCyKkds1f_QFiL7VXWzga4TURUkCJni1J0U2wUih6AUvcLEJ2IdR0uCrt8MENRpc2kMh8Uf3ciLHMwMIMOTbRH3g3JLB8/s1600-h/100_3014.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizirdITMMg3-aABgZxmDYb8LXl0c_f7N6LX9jqtwwvDgrzO9-kCyKkds1f_QFiL7VXWzga4TURUkCJni1J0U2wUih6AUvcLEJ2IdR0uCrt8MENRpc2kMh8Uf3ciLHMwMIMOTbRH3g3JLB8/s320/100_3014.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351644007395526194" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn8LWZSvS5cO4YfbCdN4hRyC1hZDPTSVPg1r0xgDA91bUZl4VdbeMa-Wnikmh0-2s8gMvr_7JonPOZQARw7snSRj3GKRgNH5ks1qThw_p-NQnQMjsRhUySjk1NHuR6WIvDwM8EnYdif7HO/s1600-h/100_3017.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn8LWZSvS5cO4YfbCdN4hRyC1hZDPTSVPg1r0xgDA91bUZl4VdbeMa-Wnikmh0-2s8gMvr_7JonPOZQARw7snSRj3GKRgNH5ks1qThw_p-NQnQMjsRhUySjk1NHuR6WIvDwM8EnYdif7HO/s320/100_3017.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351644008963196114" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/138/A956EA26E160299BD3E7368FBFCF036B.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;" /></a>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07013837166172006170noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980565500815055127.post-72030842115106856752009-06-26T06:32:00.000-07:002009-06-26T06:54:34.416-07:00Don't Say I Didn't Warn You!<div>I told y'all I was a terrible blogger! I'll try to recap as best as possible. </div><div><br /></div><div>Thursday in Guangzhou started off great! Lucy's (which re-opened today) for lunch, and then met our friend back at the hotel. We took a cab with her to a sewing factory that employs girls who have aged out of their orphanages. It's really a ministry, and was started by a woman here in the states. (It's called DORCAS, but I can't remember what the acronym stands for.) Currently, there are 6 girls working, sewing those cute outfits that we all love from the store on Shamian, A Gift From China, as well as beautiful purses and other items. We even got to see the apartment the girls live in. </div><div><br /></div><div>After that, we all went to our friends current residence. (I say current because they just moved in, but it's being borrowed from friends and they will likely be moving in 3-6 months.) They live there openly as missionaries, although they can only attend the international church or the Three Selves Church. This family is amazing, and just hearing about the years they've been in Guangzhou and all the struggles of adjusting to life there was very humbling. Six months before they moved to China, they too had adopted their youngest daughter from Hunan, and they know how families are feeling by the end of their trip....ready for American food! They graced us with a fantastic dinner of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, salad, and dessert. Oh, and be still my heart, sweet tea...with ice!!!! </div><div>They are now foster parents to a nine year old girl with pretty severe CP.<br /><br /></div><div>Kara and Ross got into a BIG fight (their first) while we were there. It actually was good, because at least we had someone there who could interpret for us rather than trying to comfort and calm without any words. </div><div><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0mbEpk-21MdDwaxe3jcmH6xviaNBYYq5i15VLMzKOyAGUwhCt7SlyrhA7sz7_AL2GkQhnRSEsvOe5sUQGwb6JgeBw4hmfdoBbZaHCCDlX-7FvSSzcSIw10rtOE5ee5hn92kN0-PDm-l1p/s1600-h/100_2997.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0mbEpk-21MdDwaxe3jcmH6xviaNBYYq5i15VLMzKOyAGUwhCt7SlyrhA7sz7_AL2GkQhnRSEsvOe5sUQGwb6JgeBw4hmfdoBbZaHCCDlX-7FvSSzcSIw10rtOE5ee5hn92kN0-PDm-l1p/s320/100_2997.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351633739903818290" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6nSXEiRbqLFiYYmnGWylCmnQb5ntYsSGwYMPIoZq3iIY1wfQP-oH2OHQ_LCAmA0NUceQvCST0N9LUc1IKS4YUQM7ilFv40uFg2ArXqx0HTeevBgOZnAxEE7Dqmx4H1YEQ5z3yP4uDpKG/s1600-h/100_2996.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6nSXEiRbqLFiYYmnGWylCmnQb5ntYsSGwYMPIoZq3iIY1wfQP-oH2OHQ_LCAmA0NUceQvCST0N9LUc1IKS4YUQM7ilFv40uFg2ArXqx0HTeevBgOZnAxEE7Dqmx4H1YEQ5z3yP4uDpKG/s320/100_2996.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351633736929451346" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMKDzMSoLmincCfkezMVDAlPI8Ej5eU6tbkK5XOFT-88a7n9ZrHYSTeo5_eZ1qJ5WfY9Uu1trWfAG79kCKixVJMWsGBnojbSCKhKC1d0FPu8au_Hx44XG3bE9YcGUDjimdC0ltzmDMzUtG/s1600-h/100_3005.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMKDzMSoLmincCfkezMVDAlPI8Ej5eU6tbkK5XOFT-88a7n9ZrHYSTeo5_eZ1qJ5WfY9Uu1trWfAG79kCKixVJMWsGBnojbSCKhKC1d0FPu8au_Hx44XG3bE9YcGUDjimdC0ltzmDMzUtG/s320/100_3005.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351633744923417186" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/138/A956EA26E160299BD3E7368FBFCF036B.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;" /></a>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07013837166172006170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980565500815055127.post-43107159581807273032009-06-11T11:44:00.000-07:002009-06-11T11:49:40.997-07:00Guangzhou!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivtT216E40WW1IjYRmHd-JjSOSYCXJpyjAatsUvE3mdhi88ZU76pDU5XejWI738wE0nRSydUJGvPllh6ZmglrFOs6qPB3JgIgfwrCH4v9mBo5V57JorXcdI_3ZkBofiSZmnrB0wqdBruca/s1600-h/100_2994.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346144099908803394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivtT216E40WW1IjYRmHd-JjSOSYCXJpyjAatsUvE3mdhi88ZU76pDU5XejWI738wE0nRSydUJGvPllh6ZmglrFOs6qPB3JgIgfwrCH4v9mBo5V57JorXcdI_3ZkBofiSZmnrB0wqdBruca/s320/100_2994.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiqJa6yEIBAzft3tgsAZb1FCAUXjPraVCAfVPQbitQ8qJjJLI4ooFjoESF_uyXYG210WgaQWN2rn2XDQPdZSNz5C36sCz_PVdcYz7u95aMzMyYv3WYK0Jq-zSJ5QpT2t0_DFmixl1bIrwg/s1600-h/100_2993.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346144090985471666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiqJa6yEIBAzft3tgsAZb1FCAUXjPraVCAfVPQbitQ8qJjJLI4ooFjoESF_uyXYG210WgaQWN2rn2XDQPdZSNz5C36sCz_PVdcYz7u95aMzMyYv3WYK0Jq-zSJ5QpT2t0_DFmixl1bIrwg/s320/100_2993.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8kGuQHwhbRqYxlQdRJOtS7f7aFc66rPdrFzKjoe2wSj_2bkUpn40wvmrjVZrQudI2e-efdjrDgF7oiNGtA-3F9emnRJBpedm2vjp9WPJQxzwyX56l9dadBSRdM4ZcOkNdzgQGjscOz3Vx/s1600-h/100_2990.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346144084942169458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8kGuQHwhbRqYxlQdRJOtS7f7aFc66rPdrFzKjoe2wSj_2bkUpn40wvmrjVZrQudI2e-efdjrDgF7oiNGtA-3F9emnRJBpedm2vjp9WPJQxzwyX56l9dadBSRdM4ZcOkNdzgQGjscOz3Vx/s320/100_2990.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJbr6wW5EfaUzOKQQWDhUxKxbex4igulaH6w7Ww_Epp5pdT7g1UffO5jRfaj4UY-JZnD_FoiGtL0QGtPaKgW-1LbTu8O1_EXDUNIkrGKqST1vYrmqdOl_P-c6-nedsvDgotTfFRa7H6iC/s1600-h/100_2988.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346144082796354322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJbr6wW5EfaUzOKQQWDhUxKxbex4igulaH6w7Ww_Epp5pdT7g1UffO5jRfaj4UY-JZnD_FoiGtL0QGtPaKgW-1LbTu8O1_EXDUNIkrGKqST1vYrmqdOl_P-c6-nedsvDgotTfFRa7H6iC/s320/100_2988.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZd8D8Ysleodz6HUkfpW1FFbnuultO8kMNyTo7WWiVjKuRbgbsFyNxnBduin17YwMs4YoqXcOjqj1ZIOnxA7hrJZfTDnMCS1kTCQFz4H813cZPnP4YJRxfriPEolyeK4oCzKcXuu-lZPM/s1600-h/100_2980.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346144078487845282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZd8D8Ysleodz6HUkfpW1FFbnuultO8kMNyTo7WWiVjKuRbgbsFyNxnBduin17YwMs4YoqXcOjqj1ZIOnxA7hrJZfTDnMCS1kTCQFz4H813cZPnP4YJRxfriPEolyeK4oCzKcXuu-lZPM/s320/100_2980.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/138/A956EA26E160299BD3E7368FBFCF036B.png" /></a>After 1.5 hours delay, we finally got into Guangzhou late last night. It's so good to be in the homestretch! The Victory isn't as nice as the White Swan where we stayed last time we were here, but we're only here for 3 nights, so it's not a big deal. First thing this morning (Wednesday) we went to take our laundry to Tiffany's, with an obligatory stop at Starbuck's for Bo. We ran into Jordan though, and decided to take the laundry to his shop. Everybody who's been to Shamian Island knows Jordan! He did the kid's name in calligraphy, and then we had to head back to meet our guide and head to their medical examination.<br />I was absolutely dreading this. It took three nurses to hold Ellie down last time we were here, and all they were doing was checking her heartrate and temperature under her arm! Now, because of the Hague laws, the kids *have* to get shots. I totally expected YunLong to decide to take a hike upon hearing about the shots, but he and XiaoMei both were total champs. They didn't even flinch! Two shots for Ross, and four for Kara!<br />The kids weren't hungry yet for lunch, so we walked over the bridge to the "scary place" as my friend Ang calls it. I actually thought it was totally cool and fun! We loved walking through the blocks of traditional Chinese medicine. Our other guide told us that basically they pull everything they can out of the sea, and call it medicine. There were herbs and dried lizards, dried seahorses, and all manner of other things considered medicinal here. Then there were a couple blocks of domestic animals for sale; puppies, kitties, rabbits, fish, as well as chipmunks and iguanas. Suffice it to say, PETA would not be happy with the condition of the animal crates and the lack of water for the critters.<br />We headed to the jade market, and then to the pearl market, and by then the kids were starving. Lunch was in a Chinese restaurant at the mall, and then back to the hotel where we had planned to go swimming. Unfortunately, the pool was closed for maintenance. After resting in the room for a little while, we did some shopping here on the island, and headed for Lucy's (YES!!!! AMERICAN FOOD!) Unfortunately, they are also closed for maintenance!!! Arrrrrgh! We just can't catch a break!<br />We decided that we'd better take our only chance (dinner tomorrow will be with friends who live in Guangzhou) here to order PaPa John's Pizza (not normally a fan, but here, it's GREAT!). Knowing the kids would probably not like it, we got them dinner to take back to the room from the most interesting place. Our room looks down on the restaurant, and I'd been watching it, just fascinated. The have a pool set up...the 3 foot or so deep kind you get at a Walmart type store....and there are a couple of different types of fish swimming around in it. I'd seen people pick the one they wanted, the worker grab them out of the water and take it back, and then return with a filleted fish to be prepared. Not unlike our picking out the lobster we want, just in a much larger scale! We, however, stuck with rice, rice noodles, and a beef dish for the kids :-)<br />Some goofing off in the room, a skype call home, and it'll be time for bed. Tomorrow our guide will go the consulate for us. Because Kara XaioMei is 14, she herself has to go and sign, as well. Tomorrow should prove to be a really interesting day, and I can't wait to update!</div></div></div></div></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07013837166172006170noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980565500815055127.post-12726796262252734822009-06-11T11:41:00.000-07:002009-06-11T11:44:38.885-07:00Happy Birthday, XiaoMei!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcz-jn7Y_nThuRJpLAnEKYsD49bxjmXn1bVofKccs92bXpcggPPXrXy8qLe0iNyQJosAhgjoSyo_2-GO9c4mL7iQ56Gh-XGZXgM98TivJAClf6ftZx0VFH-PSb6HxrgA073iMBCM_WL-14/s1600-h/100_2971.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346142797970645890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcz-jn7Y_nThuRJpLAnEKYsD49bxjmXn1bVofKccs92bXpcggPPXrXy8qLe0iNyQJosAhgjoSyo_2-GO9c4mL7iQ56Gh-XGZXgM98TivJAClf6ftZx0VFH-PSb6HxrgA073iMBCM_WL-14/s320/100_2971.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUB3BHReiqodJ6dLGWcQJgzpOnAUbW8zIZbwg5oZ_yNlPAqiM0j_kmeJ9oU7F2ImuUlCR50o4PfpCLh3u4lfU0UxrLaveXD08iGWh6969MNgnI1AkxrAWwvyARiKPfZ7A3hZWHF9GiqjTP/s1600-h/100_2969.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346142791489316178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUB3BHReiqodJ6dLGWcQJgzpOnAUbW8zIZbwg5oZ_yNlPAqiM0j_kmeJ9oU7F2ImuUlCR50o4PfpCLh3u4lfU0UxrLaveXD08iGWh6969MNgnI1AkxrAWwvyARiKPfZ7A3hZWHF9GiqjTP/s320/100_2969.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1hFhlhj8ngnmKaO99y6QcJYkEbwWjhO88nz4sqlRx9W3SDoxYiI8IEAmytLhB3gcDosSWPqOb62ms2FTY8u260jTLrZpplHoMUKKVhu0n0LKdfhbkcxUntyMZXV4M4ldLkRbSTSmd1I-z/s1600-h/100_2966.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346142787841955906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1hFhlhj8ngnmKaO99y6QcJYkEbwWjhO88nz4sqlRx9W3SDoxYiI8IEAmytLhB3gcDosSWPqOb62ms2FTY8u260jTLrZpplHoMUKKVhu0n0LKdfhbkcxUntyMZXV4M4ldLkRbSTSmd1I-z/s320/100_2966.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEA3T3iui7y19T2BW6IoIWue-gcRIEzpOhb7zF1DqERqu2Lz2aJ9mtqL-cfNaQsHy7WNgRrdNargJF4tRV1HJ4rcg0oHar5Ay1NTGfTCzTIBlN_AihusMJfyhyATy-2zpI7WL0lmCfhXtj/s1600-h/100_2959.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346142784010386322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEA3T3iui7y19T2BW6IoIWue-gcRIEzpOhb7zF1DqERqu2Lz2aJ9mtqL-cfNaQsHy7WNgRrdNargJF4tRV1HJ4rcg0oHar5Ay1NTGfTCzTIBlN_AihusMJfyhyATy-2zpI7WL0lmCfhXtj/s320/100_2959.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdQCQCpjRghUtL_EFC5a2INvHf_RseypopmZ7XIZZKWPCg43eYvtVO4oe9TchKmPUD8m9hADxLk-BoahRqLwIdcsGSlt8FxkgmSbv99opxBmOATTF-l09C5JiE-W6nUrj1z8__aTiCkyH/s1600-h/100_2954.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346142781460700882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdQCQCpjRghUtL_EFC5a2INvHf_RseypopmZ7XIZZKWPCg43eYvtVO4oe9TchKmPUD8m9hADxLk-BoahRqLwIdcsGSlt8FxkgmSbv99opxBmOATTF-l09C5JiE-W6nUrj1z8__aTiCkyH/s320/100_2954.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/138/A956EA26E160299BD3E7368FBFCF036B.png" /></a>Monday, June 8th is Kara XiaoMei's 14th birthday! We celebrated by heading to Green Lake Park and renting a motor boat (as opposed to the paddle boat we got the other night.) There were also bumper car rides, although XiaoMei chose to not do them this time. We had a pretty quiet afternoon in our hotel room, waiting for our notary papers to arrive, but finally celebrated with cake (actually strawberry mousse) and opening presents. If you look closely at the picture, you'll see it's garnished with not cherries, but cherry tomatoes! Our evening was really fun though. We stayed out later than we have any other night here so far. We shopped for more shoes for XiaoMei, as well as a new skirt.<br />We discovered that we were within easy walking distance of Walmart, so we headed there for more clothes for YunLong, since he wasn't much in a shopping mood the day we got him. Tonight, he was all for it though, and was even mugging gangsta' style with the ballcaps. Dinner was below Walmart at KFC, and then back to the hotel for a very late night, drawing in the new books they got.<br />Tuesday, June 9th...I'm writing this from the Kunming airport, and our flight was just delayed one hour. We again took a walk around the park this afternoon; more basketball games, bumper cars, and lunch in the hotel room before we left for the airport. Not too much to post about, other than it's going really well. When we were getting ready to leave the hotel, YunLong asked our guide if we were leaving for the states! He's ready, and excited. XiaoMei, as always, is much more subdued. We'll get into Guangzhou and probably have a late dinner, maybe from Lucy's. We changed where we're staying though. At first, our guide and friends thought we'd be better off staying off Shamian since the kids are so much older and there's not much for them to do there. They thought they'd like the excitement and activity by the Holiday Inn Shifu. However, upon meeting and getting to know the kids, we all felt it better to be in an area that is far less crowded and where we can better keep an eye on XiaoMei (our independent girl) and YunLong (our monkey boy.)</div></div></div></div></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07013837166172006170noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980565500815055127.post-90592257717520769432009-06-09T08:25:00.001-07:002009-06-09T08:27:23.649-07:00Sunday, June 7th<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJNZyreer6x0yVh2HphnScEj2zf3zV6-h9M89hw5DuvX5tzvIkQqnDkn9-oDnR-iXmrcPfJZ4NPe7EfUGfp1WX4TqGwInChegrze0K3nya2zo4Vg8m_O6ZX3v52AH9u_8jKpHtBw0pnuz/s1600-h/100_2950.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345349789510927106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJNZyreer6x0yVh2HphnScEj2zf3zV6-h9M89hw5DuvX5tzvIkQqnDkn9-oDnR-iXmrcPfJZ4NPe7EfUGfp1WX4TqGwInChegrze0K3nya2zo4Vg8m_O6ZX3v52AH9u_8jKpHtBw0pnuz/s320/100_2950.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQG5K7cajv3zGz7cfn6RHyoL9_jg6V19yzjTNJTTDwoCs3uJrots9JBG2h2qyr1T85ymgf7A1SCWxMTN5ZbDn6ekECPPyNaUy24YeIKCG7EzqQHP62LY3jXaNNBHXurcxFWS9KS7_LCnWA/s1600-h/100_2942.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345349786369548322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQG5K7cajv3zGz7cfn6RHyoL9_jg6V19yzjTNJTTDwoCs3uJrots9JBG2h2qyr1T85ymgf7A1SCWxMTN5ZbDn6ekECPPyNaUy24YeIKCG7EzqQHP62LY3jXaNNBHXurcxFWS9KS7_LCnWA/s320/100_2942.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxymczDJKzIkdxNoMRGo0Z-XJ6ysEd7rXN2X-Np8iOysxk793GeCGgXfWcDFGH7_wL5ilHJY34NqO_0e2J5BzQs0BUAHqlh_KmzRj82YMNA0dxmMdaobA9_3Jrlnz7cOi0XWUNUzMkqvTp/s1600-h/100_2929.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345349782430004498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxymczDJKzIkdxNoMRGo0Z-XJ6ysEd7rXN2X-Np8iOysxk793GeCGgXfWcDFGH7_wL5ilHJY34NqO_0e2J5BzQs0BUAHqlh_KmzRj82YMNA0dxmMdaobA9_3Jrlnz7cOi0XWUNUzMkqvTp/s320/100_2929.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFJjboOIps9H-xJ3mK3XbaW_aZZHC4eR0eeG_aKeP3BqRTYcOw1j3fncGPGrwAeCt01cK36M_3XKaCR_U9msLcXqbFt2rt2mB0en8ptqx7eM1YGLcJo_fsuS2n-GpRIBBnEIMqa_dUtjEk/s1600-h/100_2920.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345349780149000130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFJjboOIps9H-xJ3mK3XbaW_aZZHC4eR0eeG_aKeP3BqRTYcOw1j3fncGPGrwAeCt01cK36M_3XKaCR_U9msLcXqbFt2rt2mB0en8ptqx7eM1YGLcJo_fsuS2n-GpRIBBnEIMqa_dUtjEk/s320/100_2920.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg29cbk_2IybCuKf0Lz94edfPNIqa26DzbWpcJM8tnFxrDdsqecNDVM2nw8xso3d4LdQFYUNTXluRGLowDhGIc3Mmg5tIam-sQKW_cimzc5K7BHY2FSPBCa4k1yGUkWadK025hJ6WmGipFx/s1600-h/100_2918.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345349776030722082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg29cbk_2IybCuKf0Lz94edfPNIqa26DzbWpcJM8tnFxrDdsqecNDVM2nw8xso3d4LdQFYUNTXluRGLowDhGIc3Mmg5tIam-sQKW_cimzc5K7BHY2FSPBCa4k1yGUkWadK025hJ6WmGipFx/s320/100_2918.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/138/A956EA26E160299BD3E7368FBFCF036B.png" /></a>Today was a really good day! We went to a Children's Park that had all sorts of rides, and surprisingly hardly any shops or people hawking their wares. You paid an admission just to get in, and then you bought individual tickets for rides. (Can you say coming and going?) YunLong had been here before, and had ridden some, but not all of the rides. XiaoMei had never been to a park like this. Sometimes she would be hesitant to try a ride, but YunLong was always encouraging her to try it, and that it was fun, not scary. He also is now quick to reach for Bo's hand to come ahead and see things with him. He's doing so great! It's harder for me to tell how XiaoMei is doing, but our guide says that whenever she asks her, she says she is very happy.<br />Towards the end of our time at the park, Bo and YunLong went into a building that has snow, and tube and sled riding, and forts. They give you a parka to wear, although YunLong had on shorts and Bo had on sandals, so they got quite cold. During that time, Jane and I got to talk with XiaoMei about some things at her orphanage. Through Jane, I told her that she will always be a part of our family....that it's forever.<br />YunLong wanted MeiDonLaw (written phonetically, I have no idea of the pinyin for that) which is McDonald's. He tried to convince XiaoMei, but she wasn't having it. She's not such a fan of American food! We ended up getting some take out from McD's and taking it back to the hotel room, since we have noodle bowls to heat up here for her. She ended up eating some of YunLong's drumsticks, after all though. (Their menu also has KFC type stuff on it here.) And just like last time we were in China....FRIED pies! You don't get any sweets here, and we've pretty much eaten rice noodles this whole trip, so it's a nice break from the monotony.<br />The whole day was incredibly fun, and the only iffy time was right before bed. It kept getting later and later, and they would not settle down. Constantly getting out of bed, turning on lights, noisy video games, even though they asked if they could just stay up to read, etc. Then the notes started. YunLong was writing notes, and XiaoMei was totally cracking up. I'm pretty sure they said something to the effect that we're schlumps or something! Oh well, today was certainly more than two steps forward, one step back. Closer to five and one, I'd say.</div></div></div></div></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07013837166172006170noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980565500815055127.post-47094040546921573352009-06-06T21:32:00.000-07:002009-06-06T21:36:20.431-07:00Highs and Lows<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNK6oqdMvQF1dDtGCENiL0QEWku4slrLYsGK5XqtklfhRkfeVzrP50z2YtWbmSTjVaiksPDDfsYhwsE9B0qqu6AD3k236vtfL2qeBIIvvseGndG9ZE1uuc6JPmkF_P1vSS8qrmD64LoY1P/s1600-h/100_2890.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344439857725909858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNK6oqdMvQF1dDtGCENiL0QEWku4slrLYsGK5XqtklfhRkfeVzrP50z2YtWbmSTjVaiksPDDfsYhwsE9B0qqu6AD3k236vtfL2qeBIIvvseGndG9ZE1uuc6JPmkF_P1vSS8qrmD64LoY1P/s320/100_2890.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnzMcX9ZHXPMgcF_d_EhVzx5i3B_ypRdIOEe-zK9_FHlvoKjYtEXco9mm8VcUo0zQGdJqGYlNi8rd15YC1t8nlQz7-2NlusowuUbwt6cJK-1UyqA00aSd1RSa-894CLlmlLCmyUXkaS8g/s1600-h/100_2867.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344439853601867714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnzMcX9ZHXPMgcF_d_EhVzx5i3B_ypRdIOEe-zK9_FHlvoKjYtEXco9mm8VcUo0zQGdJqGYlNi8rd15YC1t8nlQz7-2NlusowuUbwt6cJK-1UyqA00aSd1RSa-894CLlmlLCmyUXkaS8g/s320/100_2867.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvH5bDP9WBWJCdxtbsD6YMJZfGnoK5S0SlMHQcjUKYKYh4itlEGzVNNmfKOcWCKw7bLaOPDndAr6L3wbuHgBmgTQ4aJ2bN-aEwiyPIKVl3JW8dTcLkWN5sxHKLiHRTRSUW5AjQrL8xEJxc/s1600-h/100_2865.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344439849213613378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvH5bDP9WBWJCdxtbsD6YMJZfGnoK5S0SlMHQcjUKYKYh4itlEGzVNNmfKOcWCKw7bLaOPDndAr6L3wbuHgBmgTQ4aJ2bN-aEwiyPIKVl3JW8dTcLkWN5sxHKLiHRTRSUW5AjQrL8xEJxc/s320/100_2865.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhirS6OkPmgMM_TR6Dvz7MypIuw-Ke4vSATN0oYWSuIq9ThlzWca5sDuESQHyiwkZhzOLvxLy07s1-kFVsVoZnGkcsFbapAjLR5yA1p0uQ-0hXDAPHV1-KZnMEk2USWTzQC8xWqXBIDqmAJ/s1600-h/100_2862.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344439846853490418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhirS6OkPmgMM_TR6Dvz7MypIuw-Ke4vSATN0oYWSuIq9ThlzWca5sDuESQHyiwkZhzOLvxLy07s1-kFVsVoZnGkcsFbapAjLR5yA1p0uQ-0hXDAPHV1-KZnMEk2USWTzQC8xWqXBIDqmAJ/s320/100_2862.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/138/A956EA26E160299BD3E7368FBFCF036B.png" /></a>Saturday started off well. I caught the kids looking together at their photo albums that they each received, comparing the pictures. We got ready, had breakfast, and then headed out for the Minority Village. (Like Epcot, basically...not a "real" minority village.) It features typical architecture and costumes of the 20 or so minority groups, all in Yunnan. Anyways, we pay for our tickets, and are just inside of the park and see you can either hire a costumed guide for the day, hoof it, or rent one of those 6-seater family bikes. We opted for the bike, since the kids thought that would be fun. Bo and Jane were at the counter paying for it, and XiaoMei and YunLong were goofing around and pedaling the bike forward, while I was goofing around and holding them back or letting them get a little ahead and then pushing the bike back to its original spot. Two ladies walk up, one with a small child, and in rapid-fire Chinese start talking to me, and I could tell I was being thanked. Then the woman says she is "......(can't understand)........Mama," gesturing to herself. Now, we've many times in China, especially with Ellie's adoption, had people thank us for adopting, usually getting across the point that the children will have a bright future in America. But, this time it seemed different, and I gestured back, and in my limited, mangled Mandarin asked if she was his MaMa. She started nodding her head yes, hugging me, and then went over to YunLong, trying to hug and get him down off the bike to see him. He kept his head down, but I could see tears starting, and he was getting very upset or mad. I called Jane over and told her I thought this was his foster mom. She quickly came over and found out that indeed, she was. We aren't sure if YunLong had mentioned coming here the next day (although Jane didn't hear him say that) or if they took a gamble, knowing that adoptive families usually visit this tourist spot. Anyways, we hugged, said our thank-yous, to her for loving and caring for him all these years, and to us for giving him a family and a future. (The other woman was her sister, I believe, and the child was like YunLong's cousin.) Jane was quick to get us on our way though. It was very distressing to YunLong, and we got him down off the bike for a quick, face downcast picture, but then he got back on the bike and would not speak to them. Clearly, he was hurting. Within about 15 minutes though, he was enjoying himself again at the park. Absolutely crazy, but it did allow for some more closure, we believe.<br />After resting in the room for a few hours, it was time for a walk to Green Lake Park and the boat ride we promised the kids yesterday. We took a paddle boat out on the lake for about 50 minutes, and had a very pleasant time. The kids took turns paddling, and when we were in areas where there weren't other boaters, they both steered and paddled. Then we were off to a Sichuan style restaurant across from our hotel.<br />Now, YunLong is incredibly smart. Although he is the younger of the two, he is the one who speaks and explains things to XiaoMei. Now, this is not to say she is not bright! She definitely is! It's just that her cleft lip and palate were not repaired till she was much older, and she never received any kind of speech therapy. Her orphanage basically felt she couldn't do much in the way of schooling due to her lip, so there you go. She will definitely have a tough row to hoe, but we'll do what we can to make sure she receives the help she needs. YunLong has definitely got a sweet side, but the "little emperor" side can come out, too, and it did tonight. He was the youngest in his home, with sibling far, far older. The Chinese tend to be far more permissive than we are anyways, and because he was the baby of the family, we don't believe he had any discipline. The kids tease back and forth and have fun, but tonight at dinner it went too far. YunLong was really making fun of XiaoMei. She laughs it off, usually, or swats at him, but he took it even farther. We let him know, and then had our guide explain that making fun of her lip and saying derogatory things about her because of it are completely unacceptable. He (begrudgingly) acknowledged this rule. Back at the room, however, he started up again. So, he got told (in Mandarin), "NO!" with gestures about her lip. He took off to his bed and pouted. He did allow me to go in and rub his back though, and I told him (again, in Mandarin) that we love him, but we also love XiaoMei. I sent the kids in to get their showers, and XiaoMei came out without her hair washed. This wouldn't be a big deal, except that she had done that yesterday, as well, so I told her to go back and wash her hair. She shook her head no. So, I said that yes, she needed to go wash her hair; again, no. One more time, then I told Bo to tell her. She AGAIN said no! And he, more firmly told her to, and she did! I actually take this as a good thing. I think she's comfortable enough to risk NOT doing what we say! Oh, and after YunLong came out, I could tell that he had just run the water for enough time to have taken a shower, and then came out, un-showered.....<br />Sneaky little monkey.<br />We'll deal with that another day :-)</div></div></div></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07013837166172006170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980565500815055127.post-47294517530854347612009-06-05T08:36:00.000-07:002009-06-05T08:38:54.732-07:00A New Day<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzs0PXSFNf9eMumZyl20KFggTfThIIeM94rvtBh9QRQymJ24u0b300JtKf53hMPalWMMH_JBWUG2tpWCemhxwI9YeggYi3k2qc2WlXOKMJlbBoo7c3kExndDVI77Epgz49p4DKUYTXsiy/s1600-h/100_2845.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343868427012004130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzs0PXSFNf9eMumZyl20KFggTfThIIeM94rvtBh9QRQymJ24u0b300JtKf53hMPalWMMH_JBWUG2tpWCemhxwI9YeggYi3k2qc2WlXOKMJlbBoo7c3kExndDVI77Epgz49p4DKUYTXsiy/s320/100_2845.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwrWoUFMboRidVx0fBHdqpra2GdfxSFPgPzsOJUyieg94zSx8uNuKlxvg6_9wNFe8e7wPQg21jHMVZUFER7QE7nM7fVWL8DQGudd_0p3CMUEoPmn-4X6u_vmD64o38LMG5zuDUzqIFngQB/s1600-h/100_2797.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343868423636740322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwrWoUFMboRidVx0fBHdqpra2GdfxSFPgPzsOJUyieg94zSx8uNuKlxvg6_9wNFe8e7wPQg21jHMVZUFER7QE7nM7fVWL8DQGudd_0p3CMUEoPmn-4X6u_vmD64o38LMG5zuDUzqIFngQB/s320/100_2797.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcWxp04JGTUt-TpJ63Qxl1BSWbxrVv6WALnBDxMzg_O7-mvYHtP6YiVGYZD8WUsRkpFtvSDnEx-L3LAFd7s95s3A64L-JYfI9Z2sLipZiOBmUzQYzSTeziG7SFzaJrJdMxcozIXYbUaAjj/s1600-h/100_2769.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343868417589365426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcWxp04JGTUt-TpJ63Qxl1BSWbxrVv6WALnBDxMzg_O7-mvYHtP6YiVGYZD8WUsRkpFtvSDnEx-L3LAFd7s95s3A64L-JYfI9Z2sLipZiOBmUzQYzSTeziG7SFzaJrJdMxcozIXYbUaAjj/s320/100_2769.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7gYqwn0i2LP5d5eF5RCxgtXyxsV2aX3aFLDCBj5FY9_B9XFyvFJiOGNZ9aj1JtQE4Yt1MA66PGPYw4gcX1F68HyU0tCT_wUh-o1qGpmpwchd2yNwQ_znyWrF2miwL7waKp3HZoPa2yaHR/s1600-h/100_2767.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343868415708794802" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7gYqwn0i2LP5d5eF5RCxgtXyxsV2aX3aFLDCBj5FY9_B9XFyvFJiOGNZ9aj1JtQE4Yt1MA66PGPYw4gcX1F68HyU0tCT_wUh-o1qGpmpwchd2yNwQ_znyWrF2miwL7waKp3HZoPa2yaHR/s320/100_2767.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/138/A956EA26E160299BD3E7368FBFCF036B.png" /></a>Wow! Seeing as how difficult yesterday was for YunLong, I had no expectations for today to be much better, if not quite a bit worse. I was incredibly (and thankfully) wrong. YunLong woke up, knowing that today we'd eat breakfast and then head to the zoo, since our guide had explained that to him before bed last night. He woke up amicably enough, and I had him choose between his new clothes what he would like to wear. Bo, XiaoMei, YunLong, and I then headed to breakfast. Breakfast was fine, no incidents, and then it was time for the zoo.<br />We spent several hours at the Kunming Zoo, and had so much fun! This zoo would never be allowed in America. Besides the fact that many of the walkways were stone walking paths (definitely *not* ADA approved), there were steps and steep ramps everywhere. And the displays were so much closer to the animals than we are used to at home. The kids were quick to take over with the camera and the flips (video cameras) so we have MANY, MANY photos and videos! Everytime we got to steps or ramps, YunLong took off running up them, always waiting for us at the top though. He led us from place to place, and was familiar with the layout of the zoo.<br />The part that clearly let you know we weren't in Kansas anymore was the lion display. For around $1.50 each, the kids got to have a bamboo rod with string attached. On the end of the string was about a quarter of a chicken. They could dangle it over the lion, and tease it, and get it to jump after it, till it finally was quick enough to grab the meat. Course, for $12, we could have thrown a live chicken into the cage! (Really!) YunLong informed us though that it's cheaper to buy a chicken in town, just about $3, so we should get one there and bring it to the zoo!<br />After lunch at McDonald's (YunLong wanted it, and asked XiaoMei if we could have that), we went back to the hotel. The kids watched some Tom & Jerry, and YunLong set up ramps and tunnels for his remote car. Then the jumping on the bed started! After that, they looked at pictures on the computer. YunLong took over the clicking and picking what he wanted to see, also allowing XiaoMei to have turns choosing photos and clicking. I showed them the iVideo on my computer; you just click it and the built in camera can film you in front of it. Then....the BOOTY DANCE! YunLong is a total ham, and as soon as he saw he was on the computer screen, he jumped up on the bed and proceeded to act like a monkey, make faces, and the icing on the cake was the booty dance. There were even some "Walk Like An Egyptian" type moves at one point! XiaoMei and I were cracking up! (Bo was asleep in our adjoining room, so he missed it, but got to check out the video later.)<br />Dinner was at a local Yunnan style noodle house, complete with entertainment. YunLong did get reprimanded a little though when he went and unlocked windows. We took a stroll afterwards around Green Lake Park, which is beautiful. Tomorrow we'll go back in the afternoon and rent a little boat.<br />The most amazing part of the day though was when we got back to the hotel this evening. Jane had talked with YunLong about his foster family and what he knew. He didn't want to write down the address, although he knew it, because he said it was in his head. We wanted to let him call his foster family though, since he hadn't been allowed to say goodbye. Sure enough, he did know the phone number. Jane spoke with his his foster mama first, making sure it was okay, and then he got to talk. His foster brother and sister came home while they were on the phone, so he got to talk to them, too. I can't share much more on here about that, but suffice it to say it was a positive thing for him.</div></div></div></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07013837166172006170noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980565500815055127.post-33084656143143346282009-06-04T08:58:00.000-07:002009-06-05T08:14:21.787-07:00Seven Kids!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUiaOePbJ72yaBo_LH3A6pwNhLsMpVXyHMlukF6nzFCofgMpYVF1j5RceLZSCxpj-HWzFhG7FXFbZWYvu4n9Oa4uRyi5rB0aIWUXs3uXK7mb-hgXYjJTJc98O7TNgbEartui4MOVpJmxWP/s1600-h/100_2766.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343862028883646930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUiaOePbJ72yaBo_LH3A6pwNhLsMpVXyHMlukF6nzFCofgMpYVF1j5RceLZSCxpj-HWzFhG7FXFbZWYvu4n9Oa4uRyi5rB0aIWUXs3uXK7mb-hgXYjJTJc98O7TNgbEartui4MOVpJmxWP/s320/100_2766.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWUstimnRBGfiEQSgT-dlbisTdwwECoql1UYB7DzZJF1f1aoy5EwqWqM8YmDsR84ck4n6eAw2UGf_C-Xe_966o2g1nTDCKOWk509yGw3OFVuzZFBpkNgsZ5NiFoqVUeQ4UtrArzsBXw-2/s1600-h/100_2760.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343862018106113458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWUstimnRBGfiEQSgT-dlbisTdwwECoql1UYB7DzZJF1f1aoy5EwqWqM8YmDsR84ck4n6eAw2UGf_C-Xe_966o2g1nTDCKOWk509yGw3OFVuzZFBpkNgsZ5NiFoqVUeQ4UtrArzsBXw-2/s320/100_2760.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ltjNrbU_bNxv-4LYVYQeVLfth0hGsJu6QR2JuyaaEMF9FrPoQFfo40bwVVU6Nr4XPJvjrAX9uP28092My7mnWO3hNSLcd2pRUIVIxdb9VN8dXDn5ZkQQJs_VWPE3P1RDq2NLGuDQAvQA/s1600-h/100_2759.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343862013389039890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ltjNrbU_bNxv-4LYVYQeVLfth0hGsJu6QR2JuyaaEMF9FrPoQFfo40bwVVU6Nr4XPJvjrAX9uP28092My7mnWO3hNSLcd2pRUIVIxdb9VN8dXDn5ZkQQJs_VWPE3P1RDq2NLGuDQAvQA/s320/100_2759.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaIV95_Occbrn8m3YTEDyG9DkxgD_ZnV0jvjDFPnjuCGFdK66gsZU9ARykRwZzI4Bkvpk-ZqRbme-53ULt6jvD-elSn6LAENmAtaefO7Lu5SuWqAnHylj9BonWMCCxotsD8c54jKJHoGKP/s1600-h/100_2756.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343862010412117842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaIV95_Occbrn8m3YTEDyG9DkxgD_ZnV0jvjDFPnjuCGFdK66gsZU9ARykRwZzI4Bkvpk-ZqRbme-53ULt6jvD-elSn6LAENmAtaefO7Lu5SuWqAnHylj9BonWMCCxotsD8c54jKJHoGKP/s320/100_2756.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/138/A956EA26E160299BD3E7368FBFCF036B.png" /></a>I wish I could write a glowing report of how today went; however, that would be a lie. Knowing what I know about Kunming though, I was prepared for this.<br />We met and finalized YunLong's adoption today, much to his chagrin. (He has been in the same foster home for 8 years.) The orphanage staff showed up at his foster home today and took him. They told him they were taking him to the city (he lives just outside in the suburbs) to go to a park and that they would bring him home later. He had NO idea he was being adopted, and was completely lied to, to boot. He never even got to say goodbye to his foster mama and baba, or his older foster siblings...an older brother who is a police officer and a sister who is getting married soon. The nanny (who is a virtual stranger to YunLong, herself) was very mean to him...yelling at him and threatening him if he didn't stop crying and asking for his foster family (at the police station where Jane, our awesome guide, convinced them to use the faxed copy of our TA, which they normally won't do.) She also let the nanny know that that was not the way to talk to him, and comforted him and assured him nothing bad would happen for crying.<br />The afternoon was quite difficult. He's grieving hard, of course. That being said, I did get him to laugh some this evening, showing him photos on the computer and even a video of Bo singing on the Wii Guitar Hero game. He is smart as a whip, and the cutest (and tiniest) boy. He did give us a real scare earlier today at the Carrefore (like Walmart) store. As soon as we arrived, he took off running up the escalator/ramp thing. Fortunately, he stopped at the top, and was just being a boy...looked like something fun to do. He went in and took his shower tonight and got in his pj's, but came out sobbing again, crying that he wanted to go home with his mama and baba. We feel so bad for him. What is already a terribly difficult thing, was made so much more difficult by what they did to him.<br />Kara XiaoMei is sweet as can be. She is helpful and independent, but not in a bossy way. She smiles her beautiful smile at us, and so enjoys going shopping and clothes and all things pretty. What a delight!<br />Please, continue to pray for our little guy. He's hurting so bad.</div></div></div></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07013837166172006170noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980565500815055127.post-6926072590604058672009-06-03T16:02:00.001-07:002009-06-03T16:05:31.567-07:00Kara is Officially Ours!!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAYf68-gTkMi_wmRpkO4Z8ToxiybfexI-KkZHTAY3T6iHUct6Ot3MheeSW4uNG3-KUy85woXYxazEprGnzLy7pKtGACrTMcdoFWidZWZlprA3L26jYJYo72-hJaIPJb2oRsB4srexhq3VN/s1600-h/100_2710.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343241024676428770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAYf68-gTkMi_wmRpkO4Z8ToxiybfexI-KkZHTAY3T6iHUct6Ot3MheeSW4uNG3-KUy85woXYxazEprGnzLy7pKtGACrTMcdoFWidZWZlprA3L26jYJYo72-hJaIPJb2oRsB4srexhq3VN/s320/100_2710.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQOULlWdD7l_SowTXbhy-Q2hMRQx1qU46JLEMGXTd2NueKwYwbmUdmoVbFD4jnfZAPOHfCosBiWa_fCfY_0bTcXqzqQryuKzyM7K5N7Ynz9quMkOx6-ptJE0XmZF2pFDOj0pD6OX-PwuT/s1600-h/100_2709.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343241019679936722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQOULlWdD7l_SowTXbhy-Q2hMRQx1qU46JLEMGXTd2NueKwYwbmUdmoVbFD4jnfZAPOHfCosBiWa_fCfY_0bTcXqzqQryuKzyM7K5N7Ynz9quMkOx6-ptJE0XmZF2pFDOj0pD6OX-PwuT/s320/100_2709.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh169OHSLUg6_L433PvrJi1nA1q_2dK4PvAD_4LlSF4KSD1hfYalNUjUSY7ZiKagcxmtrvwXvP3PnBodQincOddZNJBQhDu2JrdYfN-WksMKvChzxg5yuYVTlRq7lZAKGJhyQm0BgHpZQ5B/s1600-h/100_2708.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343241016001808274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh169OHSLUg6_L433PvrJi1nA1q_2dK4PvAD_4LlSF4KSD1hfYalNUjUSY7ZiKagcxmtrvwXvP3PnBodQincOddZNJBQhDu2JrdYfN-WksMKvChzxg5yuYVTlRq7lZAKGJhyQm0BgHpZQ5B/s320/100_2708.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQGfc27NAoaOIJdtwgeOqdhJheLpiCJz-R_iLwKzje6o39gVjpmK1zdpv_QiiSCnULhkBiXJoQpfMl4DhpfnEEv1Ab25EJDyg7zKcQqCcuoEPCclCmNJw1AQ52kzs6tEg-8y9C2odE0AfQ/s1600-h/100_2707.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343241008665592850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQGfc27NAoaOIJdtwgeOqdhJheLpiCJz-R_iLwKzje6o39gVjpmK1zdpv_QiiSCnULhkBiXJoQpfMl4DhpfnEEv1Ab25EJDyg7zKcQqCcuoEPCclCmNJw1AQ52kzs6tEg-8y9C2odE0AfQ/s320/100_2707.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/138/A956EA26E160299BD3E7368FBFCF036B.png" /></a>Well, it’s official! Kara XiaoMei is officially a member of the family! After breakfast, we headed to the local CCAA/Notary office and finalized her adoption. Again, Kara was so sweet. She had to verbally agree to the adoption, which she did, but then teared up (so, of course, I teared up.) Our guide is translating the answers from the orphanage director that we had brought. We’ll be spending the afternoon at a park, and then heading to the airport. We’ll be flying to Kunming tonight, and meeting Ross YunLong tomorrow.<br />Crazy schedule!</div></div></div></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07013837166172006170noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980565500815055127.post-85928781080368251192009-06-03T08:54:00.000-07:002009-06-03T08:55:59.592-07:00Tuesday, June 2, 2009<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; WIDTH: 90px; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; HEIGHT: 31px" height="45" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/138/A956EA26E160299BD3E7368FBFCF036B.png" width="94" /></a>Our meeting with XiaoMei went so well! She is a sweet, quiet girl, and very pretty...such a sweet smile. We had a pretty quick appointment at the local CCAA office, during which she was obviously very quiet, and I’m sure scared and quite shell-shocked after her 3 hour car ride. It wasn’t until the directors of her swi left that she started to cry. We left the office, having signed the harmonious bonding period papers, and then went straight to the Carrefore shopping center to get her some necessities, like clothes, and shoes, as well as some fun things for her. <br />It became quickly apparent that XiaoMei is a girly-girl! Her favorite color is yellow, and she loves hair pretties. We were all getting pretty hungry, so we finished up shopping (after 1.5 hours) and went to the noodle shop right next to the hotel. Jane, our guide, left us there with meals ordered and plans to meet up at 6 PM to head out for dinner.<br />After lunch, we went back to our room for some “getting to know you” time. Even though we don’t speak the same language, we managed to have a nice afternoon, going through XiaoMei’s new things, doing Barbie hair (XiaoMei is good at braiding hair) and coloring. She even let me paint her nails! XiaoMei and I then watched a dvd we had bought her of a famous Chinese musician/actor and BaBa took a nap. I even got a laugh out of XiaoMei by making fun of Bo’s snoring! <br />At 6:00, we headed out with Jane for some dinner and it was actually cool out, so we bought XiaoMei a sweater. The area around the Confucius Temple is lit up, as are many of the pagodas, and it’s just beautiful. We’re now back in the room, XiaoMei is getting a shower, and I’m planning on hitting the hay. I’m exhausted! But thrilled with how things are going, so far.<br />Night, y’all!Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07013837166172006170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980565500815055127.post-67279615901477677942009-06-02T16:03:00.000-07:002009-06-02T16:09:26.009-07:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1TS3QGuscP6FUH_L0350ZOkEAsCHghcdwuTzLrqxCnYgc6cqDiM18NaWV10B2oHFv-2f69tE0KXjtkLzyWBI0anDIXGpgB5uHes53oPm2vZ5myzAYtKsc44vjsCiNlizdzkYnx29JAZoD/s1600-h/100_2644.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342871112480125458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1TS3QGuscP6FUH_L0350ZOkEAsCHghcdwuTzLrqxCnYgc6cqDiM18NaWV10B2oHFv-2f69tE0KXjtkLzyWBI0anDIXGpgB5uHes53oPm2vZ5myzAYtKsc44vjsCiNlizdzkYnx29JAZoD/s320/100_2644.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqCZizLGQdZ1LCH9MbyPMkBse_NTnDNGJWMysI_MWhPyOmGcmShlx7GolytBqQ2AKD6YLVTZi1FIsKO6MOd-GoHVTgwNxLOrMGM_YwcJHJrjZfhA-Z-l_mlZo9bk7hxVy-eYpkliyuOqn/s1600-h/100_2643.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342871109267577394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqCZizLGQdZ1LCH9MbyPMkBse_NTnDNGJWMysI_MWhPyOmGcmShlx7GolytBqQ2AKD6YLVTZi1FIsKO6MOd-GoHVTgwNxLOrMGM_YwcJHJrjZfhA-Z-l_mlZo9bk7hxVy-eYpkliyuOqn/s320/100_2643.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoFzr7RaBIzXB6To1WqrdZuj0gVX52o9sMa15goWQfiWRTgA64zYRnKZXYLjtBkfFldJouX6ppY60oPuy1n2HKjHgTsa4xi-Qk5ki_axcHjSY6B9aNjwrzQUP-6LqEZGr4lrV07OoPJv29/s1600-h/100_2646.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342871107132502850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoFzr7RaBIzXB6To1WqrdZuj0gVX52o9sMa15goWQfiWRTgA64zYRnKZXYLjtBkfFldJouX6ppY60oPuy1n2HKjHgTsa4xi-Qk5ki_axcHjSY6B9aNjwrzQUP-6LqEZGr4lrV07OoPJv29/s320/100_2646.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVmYe8yt7mESKLqkI7JxNuaSna7hWXQZbQscXj9JgGrKX0kmmysdpTy8cgr5OSQJwPD5K1HFJ-S6dyP9KI5yMq7WI9D2y3SP1KPOdnwDbnzAeHPCkfeT54d-iqgNCh8CkS2t6AKEDPr-2G/s1600-h/100_2637.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342871098458326962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVmYe8yt7mESKLqkI7JxNuaSna7hWXQZbQscXj9JgGrKX0kmmysdpTy8cgr5OSQJwPD5K1HFJ-S6dyP9KI5yMq7WI9D2y3SP1KPOdnwDbnzAeHPCkfeT54d-iqgNCh8CkS2t6AKEDPr-2G/s320/100_2637.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCBFD_ZWU1Pe2MWYCEQ9XkMcToenZFBCX6qC8Py2T2-soKwNVE8G2Nf2wbChBx7MDm75OLPDTpBgnfeAq9HX-lmgq_K7Uz8UIlqtXwtTCp2maQgIR40_nE8_xBMq4ie1caPLp517ZlYHz/s1600-h/100_2645.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342871091458129026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCBFD_ZWU1Pe2MWYCEQ9XkMcToenZFBCX6qC8Py2T2-soKwNVE8G2Nf2wbChBx7MDm75OLPDTpBgnfeAq9HX-lmgq_K7Uz8UIlqtXwtTCp2maQgIR40_nE8_xBMq4ie1caPLp517ZlYHz/s320/100_2645.JPG" border="0" /></a> Oh, my goodness! What a whirlwind. We left home for the airport at 5:30 AM Sunday and flew to San Fransisco, and with just a 1 hour layover, hopped on our plane for Beijing. That flight was about 12 hours, getting us there at around 2 (Beijing time). We had about 3 hours, so we grabbed a quick dinner at the airport, and then headed to our gate for our flight to Nanjing, Jiangsu. That was another 2 hours, plus a half hour drive to our hotel, putting us there around 10 PM. All of this totalled about 27 hours travel time, so we were *very* tired by the time we arrived. We called home, and hit the sack.<br />Her in Nanjing, we’re staying at the Mandarin Garden Hotel, and it’s beautiful. And although we loved the Jin Feng Hotel in Nanchang, Jiangxi (where we stayed with Ellie), this hotel has a much prettier view out front. Our daughter has probably left her swi in Sucheng City, Suqian District, since it’s a 3 hour drive for her. We are going to head down to breakfast, our first non-airplane/airport food in 2 days, and then we’ll be leaving for to meet our daughter at 10 AM!!! We are so excited to finally meet her, and have her join our family. And we’re so grateful for all the prayers. We only just learned of her about 6 weeks ago, but she’s already taken her place in our hearts and the hearts of our children. The fact that we were able to get all the paperwork done in time, with all the different government agencies involved, is a testiment to our good and faithful God. <br />More to come!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/138/A956EA26E160299BD3E7368FBFCF036B.png" /></a></div></div></div></div></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07013837166172006170noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980565500815055127.post-16955102920408542152009-05-25T18:11:00.000-07:002009-05-25T18:16:45.672-07:00Thank YouI just want to take a moment to thank all the men and women (especially my brother and sister) who have served this nation. Your sacrifice is not taken lightly. We thank God for your willingness to serve and protect our freedoms. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLdorEgMejmZnsGkan2QeLu37yFrHvkCwzUh7HqyYNroXjAjU9_0biVESqKlJIXc_714vG2-vRWWK6hlZnrwkHYlQ7btj0Z2XMwoq6nbAUR7gJxu2bDM5RYry-F4CZQrM_ERMwSRE-Bqx/s1600-h/House+stuff+375.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLdorEgMejmZnsGkan2QeLu37yFrHvkCwzUh7HqyYNroXjAjU9_0biVESqKlJIXc_714vG2-vRWWK6hlZnrwkHYlQ7btj0Z2XMwoq6nbAUR7gJxu2bDM5RYry-F4CZQrM_ERMwSRE-Bqx/s320/House+stuff+375.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339935039703794722" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">This was taken at our neighbor's home after Hurricane Charlie in 2004.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/138/A956EA26E160299BD3E7368FBFCF036B.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07013837166172006170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980565500815055127.post-37727264383751821312009-05-22T20:17:00.000-07:002009-05-22T20:29:30.792-07:00So much drama!I'm not even gonna run down all the drama of late, but let's just say...WHEW! It's all worked out now...all the paperwork is in China, and we're good to go! <br /><br />I know it's really lame to not be able to see any photos, but I don't think I'm able to post any just yet, but seeing as how we're leaving for China in <span style="font-weight:bold;">9 DAYS<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span>, you'll be seeing the kids soon enough :) <br /><br />Bo is back from his two weeks on the road, and now it's time to ready the rooms (which we're shuffling a bit) for our new additions. We have this three day weekend, and then Carissa and Nathan will be flying in. We wanted her to come a little early to get a feel for the area, as well as allow Annie and Ellie to get reacquainted with her. <br /><br />Our tickets over and back are booked, and our in-country itinerary is being worked out now. We are getting so excited, but with it is trepidation, knowing how difficult the coming weeks and months are going to be. But, it's all worth it, and we can't wait to bring our kids home!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/138/A956EA26E160299BD3E7368FBFCF036B.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07013837166172006170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980565500815055127.post-53258436002747547482009-05-20T09:53:00.000-07:002009-05-20T10:02:58.420-07:00Mary's at it, too!Whatever talents I may (and I use <span style="font-style:italic;">may</span> very loosely) possess when it comes to sewing, Mary far surpasses. She bought this pack of fat quarters, and wanted to make a purse out of it. She couldn't find any tutorials that I've saved that she liked, so she decided to make it up as she went. With very little input from me, she created this little, lined purse. She's awesome!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipbVqtV3lzkFniNEGes12ZwNyym9YA0J1DbzHugYk1mW9XD0LvZPRqTEdZOjn5JQ1P-_rQwTk9DY2PMGm87yBSNfOaYa2xmKFIraDl671Wx-sM26rkby2vbKboiy-Hb_-_lyk7JycZ-dnO/s1600-h/SANY0991.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipbVqtV3lzkFniNEGes12ZwNyym9YA0J1DbzHugYk1mW9XD0LvZPRqTEdZOjn5JQ1P-_rQwTk9DY2PMGm87yBSNfOaYa2xmKFIraDl671Wx-sM26rkby2vbKboiy-Hb_-_lyk7JycZ-dnO/s320/SANY0991.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337952193519037314" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsmQAhmoRRroucgtvtNNKEk0YaeYBhMQrDHAuAUFXw23PTdzt59b_7AZYuawfgc2TXG1wk1pZp-SRmIpIEhvCKya9jyi3aorwNttZwtYb0X0hKji1vjTUQBZJib3GWqwmCaFaorjSAx1J2/s1600-h/SANY0993.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsmQAhmoRRroucgtvtNNKEk0YaeYBhMQrDHAuAUFXw23PTdzt59b_7AZYuawfgc2TXG1wk1pZp-SRmIpIEhvCKya9jyi3aorwNttZwtYb0X0hKji1vjTUQBZJib3GWqwmCaFaorjSAx1J2/s320/SANY0993.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337952192789629602" /></a><br />Fat Minnie looking on.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-k1CPsklD5-0D_qa65V898QWtXQ1SZ2xclpsZT0hTA5t-J-ycPI_x55Bv7C1oVgSA3t29rRWqgWOtuImR0aZ5xPO99FjuBjgz-y3YdQARf70PvEPY8KljxJPNoJG3M6zm9kMwWXRQC5UU/s1600-h/SANY0997.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-k1CPsklD5-0D_qa65V898QWtXQ1SZ2xclpsZT0hTA5t-J-ycPI_x55Bv7C1oVgSA3t29rRWqgWOtuImR0aZ5xPO99FjuBjgz-y3YdQARf70PvEPY8KljxJPNoJG3M6zm9kMwWXRQC5UU/s320/SANY0997.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337952187232883906" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvBhQBe6ZorTMeGEa5T6EjZ6p8o9-etIhZY-PybwTd4rC8xLFI8NozOaY_TB6ZF46lCaKF0RVOhBcuTCa2ggRZe2_UoS82QAonvVTtJT6SXkM_3JwrXkMWgyUBO9Gy51UIuCDSFVUNcArX/s1600-h/SANY1100.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvBhQBe6ZorTMeGEa5T6EjZ6p8o9-etIhZY-PybwTd4rC8xLFI8NozOaY_TB6ZF46lCaKF0RVOhBcuTCa2ggRZe2_UoS82QAonvVTtJT6SXkM_3JwrXkMWgyUBO9Gy51UIuCDSFVUNcArX/s320/SANY1100.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337952183090397906" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9MnY-Jxh4oOFpARmEEr_Q9bVNRiHvDaKEs6yzwX0pAmDTZlnd8R0To73DUZEygGdSuHyF7ADhoh6E-vCQWyNBYzbR7h7-MGiznDyxepp2oBTYr3Mww-8ga2JegUcxCcU2tQvO5DBaSEBx/s1600-h/SANY1102.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9MnY-Jxh4oOFpARmEEr_Q9bVNRiHvDaKEs6yzwX0pAmDTZlnd8R0To73DUZEygGdSuHyF7ADhoh6E-vCQWyNBYzbR7h7-MGiznDyxepp2oBTYr3Mww-8ga2JegUcxCcU2tQvO5DBaSEBx/s320/SANY1102.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337952184689976498" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/138/A956EA26E160299BD3E7368FBFCF036B.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07013837166172006170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980565500815055127.post-75907929154321208822009-05-20T08:24:00.001-07:002009-05-22T20:33:27.326-07:00Christy's Craft ChallengeA while back,before the craziness of late, I had entered some of my sewing projects in a contest on a site called Crafty Nation, and won a free month's subscription to <a href="http://christynelson.net/challenge.php">Christy Nelson's Craft Challenge</a>. Basically, Christy sends you a package containing different items, and you have to come up with something out of those items. You can add your own items to what you make, but you must use each component that was sent. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW1GWlSz1uN1Wm_6iI1gDED6Typ2HvGERkRmxvWTLPFV5T9tBCYgh4wU3xmiah3I6ekJxtV1uPU1O-2h5CY7aSiWUlyiVDXreBnQSY580s4NuKxsVbuqokhBpETLCjDEgIRb2ufasEL6f1/s1600-h/100_2556.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW1GWlSz1uN1Wm_6iI1gDED6Typ2HvGERkRmxvWTLPFV5T9tBCYgh4wU3xmiah3I6ekJxtV1uPU1O-2h5CY7aSiWUlyiVDXreBnQSY580s4NuKxsVbuqokhBpETLCjDEgIRb2ufasEL6f1/s320/100_2556.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337945546399490514" /></a><br /><br />This month's featured floral scrapbook paper, blue fabric, silk flowers and leaves, floral wire, buttons, and hmmmm....I think that was everything. (Sorry, posting about a week after I made mine.) Anyways, I immediately saw a purse with a paper doll set.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi77inffGmTYAlkbVO2lGJiqzZ7aAlTfXjb1KFdRtIu07Ql2x8w8UKDMzYFOvg3U2jEwaumIp9BmJMciLWX-7DFBfPwbRMH2fibpcU-3K84L4mEtu4VqFvrT324wUH-QWpu23t-exxjoiVc/s1600-h/100_2557.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi77inffGmTYAlkbVO2lGJiqzZ7aAlTfXjb1KFdRtIu07Ql2x8w8UKDMzYFOvg3U2jEwaumIp9BmJMciLWX-7DFBfPwbRMH2fibpcU-3K84L4mEtu4VqFvrT324wUH-QWpu23t-exxjoiVc/s320/100_2557.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337945555054632994" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtuzLkQVpINrFfze0xxgaZl1CvMhb7Xd7p5E5EwzwPPNQ-4z5ry_Yx13LqPla2lLq6cPTtmF0ZmKHV-Y4NpClN7cMZGP-b1thAfjWqbUEa92wabk-yySURoG0cJUzkbfMXK1DT9Gnet_Fq/s1600-h/100_2558.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtuzLkQVpINrFfze0xxgaZl1CvMhb7Xd7p5E5EwzwPPNQ-4z5ry_Yx13LqPla2lLq6cPTtmF0ZmKHV-Y4NpClN7cMZGP-b1thAfjWqbUEa92wabk-yySURoG0cJUzkbfMXK1DT9Gnet_Fq/s320/100_2558.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337945558918718546" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswg7en9uFSjwAKzYzgVhCDCBp00PKWG3DiVs34xqMmp9IeSFdfLFoWsTfXxDNjNj-Fty6mqbS7ONXXwj6TWcJSfmjeoMRMEls4sZlb7xSRK7PZB6ianxJUD57-khu61mgoS5_-ykOr8pj/s1600-h/100_2559.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswg7en9uFSjwAKzYzgVhCDCBp00PKWG3DiVs34xqMmp9IeSFdfLFoWsTfXxDNjNj-Fty6mqbS7ONXXwj6TWcJSfmjeoMRMEls4sZlb7xSRK7PZB6ianxJUD57-khu61mgoS5_-ykOr8pj/s320/100_2559.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337945563670088546" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxOTHyiOp7KQiEqOTquM7YdxfupFWHtnLovLdAG5o3imHQqwsVcodfBuWRRoyMGahbr7AXXq6JAR75gMPAetGXd9-uxQmUSeR38XOEWJ6aARBrMSAN7PccrMidm9fX3SOt8dCVVCtC_1LF/s1600-h/100_2562.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxOTHyiOp7KQiEqOTquM7YdxfupFWHtnLovLdAG5o3imHQqwsVcodfBuWRRoyMGahbr7AXXq6JAR75gMPAetGXd9-uxQmUSeR38XOEWJ6aARBrMSAN7PccrMidm9fX3SOt8dCVVCtC_1LF/s320/100_2562.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337945566915672034" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwWmBIPrjDoPJnz5mZFFDhIx_dBtR09AfbSMY9MO2UMUPSQUrYNKyYdeyZsbXh-TU-rUgnOGEjJMQSzVIuVDEJQaTER_NvO_RdzlpJA4BdaIptlmqfjiwFJDjlJV1YuoSBvCX-HJAfJQY/s1600-h/100_2564.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwWmBIPrjDoPJnz5mZFFDhIx_dBtR09AfbSMY9MO2UMUPSQUrYNKyYdeyZsbXh-TU-rUgnOGEjJMQSzVIuVDEJQaTER_NvO_RdzlpJA4BdaIptlmqfjiwFJDjlJV1YuoSBvCX-HJAfJQY/s320/100_2564.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337946789045490098" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHrjHBjZR_QqyIa65bIOwNbAERHxkuJ7F-u9jrSTT8eI_9dIVX12a3TSonHCSGRjAmr8v121IKs3Pm5NxGRw6MylzPYoVKBprNA5jQOsP2OxkjcW8KsFJgZedRj64A1wuTdtJC4TKqcDy/s1600-h/100B2571.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHrjHBjZR_QqyIa65bIOwNbAERHxkuJ7F-u9jrSTT8eI_9dIVX12a3TSonHCSGRjAmr8v121IKs3Pm5NxGRw6MylzPYoVKBprNA5jQOsP2OxkjcW8KsFJgZedRj64A1wuTdtJC4TKqcDy/s320/100B2571.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337946794171862866" /></a><br /><br />Here's Ellie enjoying her new toy.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSSnptdNe20Y-wq5iBX-sn-3-JAziJmAaWMRFS1Z10HaSmThxYQ8SLpEoWa8CrAjc32rApjBnaI1wb2z4b5SYVeXVzdE9yk1UdwC8HlV-IAuMUdymuI8MOveJO1PCkDy5XzmxpxJDx96P/s1600-h/100_2610.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSSnptdNe20Y-wq5iBX-sn-3-JAziJmAaWMRFS1Z10HaSmThxYQ8SLpEoWa8CrAjc32rApjBnaI1wb2z4b5SYVeXVzdE9yk1UdwC8HlV-IAuMUdymuI8MOveJO1PCkDy5XzmxpxJDx96P/s320/100_2610.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337946795443687730" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6AncJxAbHOXYeF9vUiWaqe1uW07Lj1gE5lO3wXTPLYztWqyHr8O9CfGonxOhc0Yn-eftj9NKEcgKqueUU5gm5BjeAfFDJTAZI70HboSjKt17DBNeGSxKZXPSVBfnZIOcq4NhtLuc5vTmi/s1600-h/100_2611.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6AncJxAbHOXYeF9vUiWaqe1uW07Lj1gE5lO3wXTPLYztWqyHr8O9CfGonxOhc0Yn-eftj9NKEcgKqueUU5gm5BjeAfFDJTAZI70HboSjKt17DBNeGSxKZXPSVBfnZIOcq4NhtLuc5vTmi/s320/100_2611.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337947241720382450" /></a><br /><br />And Annie asked me, "Is it magical?" <br />That's all I need to hear! No matter what, if that's her reaction to it, I'd say I already won.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/138/A956EA26E160299BD3E7368FBFCF036B.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07013837166172006170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980565500815055127.post-49344722844350782282009-05-20T08:22:00.000-07:002009-05-20T08:23:50.261-07:00Quick UpdateOur paperwork arrived at NVC on Tuesday, May 19! Now, it just has to get sent to the consulate in Guangzhou, then on to the CCAA so they can issue our Travel Approval!<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/138/A956EA26E160299BD3E7368FBFCF036B.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07013837166172006170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980565500815055127.post-90542879824225038812009-05-16T07:50:00.000-07:002009-05-16T08:02:32.290-07:00Amazingly Good News!On Thursday, I called NBC to see if our paperwork had been released from the lockbox and sent on to them, and was told that they still did not have it. Then woke up Friday to find that not only had NBC received it, but we got our I800 Provisional Approval!!!!!<br /><br />I know all these terms and such make no sense outside of the adoption community, but let me assure you, this was GREAT news! At this point, NBC (National Benefits Center) will forward our approval on to NVC (I don't even know what this one stands for) and then they will do their thing with it (probably stamp it or something). They will then forward it to the consulate in Guangzhou, who will stamp it, I guess, and then it will be forwarded to the CCAA (Chinese Center for Adoptive Affairs), at which point, we can receive TA! (Ooops, yet another acronym. That one stands for Travel Approval :) Still a few more hurdles to jump, but on Thursday, upon hearing NBC didn't even have our paperwork, we thought that their was no way this would all get done in order for us to be on a plane by June 1st. Now...we're feeling very hopeful. <br /><br />The hardest part for us in this, is knowing full well that God is sovereign over all this. It's hard to think that it could possibly be in God's plan for XiaoMei to *not* come home and join our family, but we trust in His perfect Word. Thank you to those who have been praying for us. We are so grateful for your friendship.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/138/A956EA26E160299BD3E7368FBFCF036B.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07013837166172006170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980565500815055127.post-11053616649946713972009-05-11T20:59:00.001-07:002009-05-11T21:01:26.360-07:00Why I Miss Florida<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhac9jbRTxh45mr4VsVEwRsQDES9cllMXNRK2dUlzQxhKeZCTldgqIA8u_AquGp0dHiZiWB4Eal7ijRsN-P64jERpyVO9zCxL-CcOiqQszqn9JzDFqXVCk7yR9lmoPTL6qOyWhyphenhyphenrKtaexU/s1600-h/100_2493.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhac9jbRTxh45mr4VsVEwRsQDES9cllMXNRK2dUlzQxhKeZCTldgqIA8u_AquGp0dHiZiWB4Eal7ijRsN-P64jERpyVO9zCxL-CcOiqQszqn9JzDFqXVCk7yR9lmoPTL6qOyWhyphenhyphenrKtaexU/s320/100_2493.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334782592859379618" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCcGyDsbuTqqYe8yCIyC0PNFVHebhZzh1P48hGwl1ZKwYOO2aF316jlEL7bCIxNKPImLoDsA1KSD0e_vKCQ8_GgDTzBnXZdarRqIKjWfy1Itww0cfa8mkls7vWdYxp57d2fqmq9ibwNHn/s1600-h/100_2491.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCcGyDsbuTqqYe8yCIyC0PNFVHebhZzh1P48hGwl1ZKwYOO2aF316jlEL7bCIxNKPImLoDsA1KSD0e_vKCQ8_GgDTzBnXZdarRqIKjWfy1Itww0cfa8mkls7vWdYxp57d2fqmq9ibwNHn/s320/100_2491.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334782592762213602" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6s9dGhLnpeq5ugTLmBnnhuEYV60MPBc0syvp_viyN5-uQ_DnHsixiiBWCI6wGapdme5KHUJFYyhLIXX72zwNnEfbTP7UknNLdpyYLg6LgQKNNTxkWomwAhfFcdXciveZwbH5OrBy1W31/s1600-h/100_2489.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6s9dGhLnpeq5ugTLmBnnhuEYV60MPBc0syvp_viyN5-uQ_DnHsixiiBWCI6wGapdme5KHUJFYyhLIXX72zwNnEfbTP7UknNLdpyYLg6LgQKNNTxkWomwAhfFcdXciveZwbH5OrBy1W31/s320/100_2489.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334782584956652722" /></a><br /><br /><br />'Nuff said.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/138/A956EA26E160299BD3E7368FBFCF036B.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07013837166172006170noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980565500815055127.post-2512868409506996912009-05-11T20:44:00.000-07:002009-05-12T13:01:56.850-07:00Some More Sewing ProjectsBefore putting away my sewing machine to work on some other necessary projects, I managed to finish a few more items that I've been working on. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadlP464n9fqX9b_2RcsruEK5a73gVmnnb2nUje3gIe1el4eBg0ZKSaIEO8QWRPxw1yzj9pB1E0O1SzJ5BtUvVDPU-9h-_SCZ78Cg_7V_Rjk1Zum_X3fCJBOFbJeTyKlgDIZ-Wg0YSWccx/s1600-h/100_2534.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadlP464n9fqX9b_2RcsruEK5a73gVmnnb2nUje3gIe1el4eBg0ZKSaIEO8QWRPxw1yzj9pB1E0O1SzJ5BtUvVDPU-9h-_SCZ78Cg_7V_Rjk1Zum_X3fCJBOFbJeTyKlgDIZ-Wg0YSWccx/s320/100_2534.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334778757585896066" /></a><br />These are dresses I made for Annie and Ellie out of fabric I got at a thrift store for about $3 total. They love 'em, and I think they're cute as can be! I can't find the link at the moment, but rest assured. Someone more talented than I came up with the idea.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdBHnocv3XTQiGl3ujxpv9JwBoGP8LUkm6bU5t41PWwFiFpX6QVQeA34Dtcb_YBCZ3dxfpz9tJY3pr9Jm56qtc2sha6cxhWvYCkiGJaa7ryvs860hQhOrLVgIn4v6JaOnsgKrWLv0R-Kw/s1600-h/100_2535.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdBHnocv3XTQiGl3ujxpv9JwBoGP8LUkm6bU5t41PWwFiFpX6QVQeA34Dtcb_YBCZ3dxfpz9tJY3pr9Jm56qtc2sha6cxhWvYCkiGJaa7ryvs860hQhOrLVgIn4v6JaOnsgKrWLv0R-Kw/s320/100_2535.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334779285905638610" /></a><br /><br />Here is the purse I made for both my mom and mother-in-law for a combo birthday/Mother's Day gift. I used <a href="http://testerlola.blogspot.com/">this tutorial</a> and then made this make-up pouch to match, using <a href="http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=176509.0">this tute</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAgDywEtbpU0y-UX8A90uA3b7mRZFHuBnXmJ_lSKqdxU1dnKc4f6BLgZhlRxzem4T-g2k1bSrZUvJ6GOmGmdZmohGBkWQLO9ZXPc6l1HAzDWztp2n2-u5sJVb1oc4yPL8wxbFGgayohq1s/s1600-h/100_2537.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAgDywEtbpU0y-UX8A90uA3b7mRZFHuBnXmJ_lSKqdxU1dnKc4f6BLgZhlRxzem4T-g2k1bSrZUvJ6GOmGmdZmohGBkWQLO9ZXPc6l1HAzDWztp2n2-u5sJVb1oc4yPL8wxbFGgayohq1s/s320/100_2537.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335028256573577746" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I still haven't used a pattern for anything I've made. One of these days, I'll learn how to sew, for real, but for now I manage to make do well enough. <br /><br />Nothing new to post on the adoption front. I'll be keeping y'all posted.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/138/A956EA26E160299BD3E7368FBFCF036B.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07013837166172006170noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980565500815055127.post-38632761441577922222009-05-11T20:30:00.000-07:002009-05-11T20:44:11.189-07:00RoadblockThe new adoption laws have really messed things up. Sorry, but it's true. See, the Hague laws went into effect; these laws which are supposed to help children. So far, it has just seemed to slow things down, if not altogether deter parents from even going through the process altogether. We were at the stage of sending in our I800 when I last posted. Well, the part I didn't understand was that this next batch of paperwork *must* go to a lockbox first. (That's right. Lockbox. And if all you can picture is Al Gore, you're not alone.) Anyways, my agency talked to NBC (not the tv station, it's the US's agency that handles all the paperwork for adoptions) to see if it were possible, considering our tenuous situation, to skip or expedite the lockbox step. <br /><br />Guess what. It's not actually run by a government agency. See, it's contracted out to union workers. They're only permitted to work a certain number of hours, and no one is allowed to call them to explain why it's so critical that ours be sent through. They <span style="font-style:italic;">say</span> that the lockbox wait is currently one to two weeks before they send your paperwork to NBC (no...they don't actually do anything with it...just hold onto it for a while.) From others reports lately though, it looks as if it's more like two to three weeks. If that is the case, we will not have time to get Kara Xiao Mei's paperwork through everything it needs to get through for us to adopt her before she ages out. <br /><br />Somehow, this new process just doesn't seem like it truly has the best interests of children at heart. Seems like bureaucracy to <br />me. <br /><br />Sorry for this rant. I've just moved from jubilant, to sad, to ticked in a very short period of time and it's all coming out here, unfortunately. I plan to call NBC tomorrow or Wednesday...just to see if maybe, just maybe, they have received our paperwork. <br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/138/A956EA26E160299BD3E7368FBFCF036B.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07013837166172006170noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980565500815055127.post-44003644788188468872009-05-04T06:27:00.000-07:002009-05-04T06:33:13.052-07:00We have names!Still can't post pictures, however, I think it's okay to share the names we have chosen.<br /><br />Our daughter will be Kara XiaoMei and our son will be Ross YunLong. <br /><br />I know it's not much, but I should have some pretty regular updates from here on out. We are going to send a care package out to Ross later this week, although based on other's experiences with his orphanage (he's in foster care, but it has to go through the swi) he likely won't receive it, or will just receive a portion of it the day before he meets us. We want to wait a little longer before we send anything to Kara, because she has already been disappointed by a family backing out of her adoption and I don't want to get her hopes up if it looks like this final bit of paperwork won't be done in time. Plus, we know we'll have time to get something to her, even if we wait another two weeks or so. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/138/A956EA26E160299BD3E7368FBFCF036B.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07013837166172006170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980565500815055127.post-800380566627567692009-05-01T19:11:00.000-07:002009-05-01T19:42:36.677-07:00Our BIG news!For so long, we had NOTHING, NADA, ZILCH going on with the adoption. Everything with the paperchase this time around was slow. It took 8 months to complete our dossier. Back in February, we had decided that if it were at all possible, we'd like to bring home two children. We had contacted our agency and social worker, and since we weren't yet through immigration, we were able to change our paperwork. (Ended up having to pay all sorts of extra fees and everything, even though we got it done in time, but that's a whole different story about the efficiency of government work!) <br /><br />As of last Monday, April 20th, we still hadn't received our approval, but we knew it should be done pretty soon. On Tuesday, April 28th, we got a call from our sw at our adoption agency, WACAP about a girl who was close to aging out. They knew we were hoping for a second child, and especially one that was close to the age cut-off, which is 14. This girl will age out June 8th, so they weren't sure if the CCAA would even agree to us being her family, because we may not have enough time. However, we decided to try to pursue her adoption, along with the adoption of the son for whom we've been waiting so long. <br /><br />The CCAA said yes, they would expedite their end, so we were hopeful, but tentative. Our agency received our approval from USCIS, and sent off our dossier on Monday, April 27th. On Tuesday, April 28th we received PA (pre-approval) and on Thursday, April 30th our agency received our LOA/LSC, which is our Letter Seeking Confirmation!!!! <br /><br />So, here we are. Friday, May 1st. Bo will get home from a business trip tonight, and we'll be completing our I800, along with a slew of other paperwork. (It is remarkable how many forms our government can come up with, and how insanely wordy and complicated they can make things.) We need to choose names, since you now have to have their names chosen before traveling. First thing tomorrow, we need to find a notary so we can sign all the paperwork, and then FedEx them all to our agency. They'll get these off to all the various places they need to go, and we're praying that these agencies will cooperate with rushing them through. It's vital that this all be accomplished in as short a time as possible, because we need to be in province and have the adoption completed *before* June 8th, so we really don't have much time at all.<br /><br />We have already purchased a 12-seater car! Yep...we're now THAT family! We have so much to do before we leave, and my head is spinning trying to sort through it all. We weren't expecting to travel till November, so all the things that you need to have prepared....well, we don't. We need things like red envelopes, ayi gifts, medicines, and so much other stuff that I unfortunately don't remember from the last time we went to China! <br /><br />I cannot yet post pictures, but I will just as soon as I can, I promise! <br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/138/A956EA26E160299BD3E7368FBFCF036B.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07013837166172006170noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980565500815055127.post-77161145842622782452009-04-29T15:06:00.001-07:002009-04-29T15:06:45.715-07:00<img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bHQ9MTI*MTA*MjcxODYwNiZwdD*xMjQxMDQyNzkwNDU2JnA9Mzg2MzYxJmQ9Jm49YmxvZ2dlciZnPTEmdD*mbz1lNzJiMDUyZTAwYjQ*Y2E3YmY4MzNlZGRkNGFiNGYxYiZvZj*w.gif" /><div style="width:300px; text-align: center;"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://w26.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w26.photobucket.com/albums/c132/DeeFL/89024be9.pbw" height="360" width="300"><a href="http://photobucket.com/slideshows" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn.gif" style="float:left;border-width: 0;" ></a></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07013837166172006170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980565500815055127.post-51977408730129480602009-04-29T14:13:00.000-07:002009-04-29T15:09:13.055-07:00My newest form of therapyI have enjoyed sewing for years, although I've tended to limit it to things like curtains, pillows, and costumes that are only going to be worn once so it doesn't matter how well they're contructed. Lately, however, I've become really adventurous and even tried making some clothing. There are so many great FREE tutorials (I heart free!) to help guide you step-by-step through your project, which is perfect because I don't really know how to read a pattern, and I learn better seeing than reading. <br /><br />Oh, and turns out being totally thrifty and reconstructing things and doing then in a less than professional or correct way is a popular way of doing things now. Apparently I've been decades ahead of the curve! I'll post a slideshow of some of the things I've been making.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/138/A956EA26E160299BD3E7368FBFCF036B.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07013837166172006170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3980565500815055127.post-26742395469927332012009-04-29T13:56:00.000-07:002009-04-29T14:11:10.256-07:00I WON AN AWARD!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiylrxrIXKYYF2gug8ooR7jBZFnGOCYtzxpBbUTAPC7DU4ypeXJ-1v4ywSlojkm5VDN_0ZGKF-M1s4TGE7DgjlNRuMe-z36_8R40qkGJO_jvdASGlByKj_i8q6uWmVmAbA7oog9jiHbkSwD/s1600-h/pewter_trophy_lrg.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 297px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiylrxrIXKYYF2gug8ooR7jBZFnGOCYtzxpBbUTAPC7DU4ypeXJ-1v4ywSlojkm5VDN_0ZGKF-M1s4TGE7DgjlNRuMe-z36_8R40qkGJO_jvdASGlByKj_i8q6uWmVmAbA7oog9jiHbkSwD/s320/pewter_trophy_lrg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330223577618536530" /></a><br />That's right...Worst Blogger Ever! <br /><br /><br /><br />Okay, maybe not the worst...but right up there, I'm afraid. I get into moods where I like updating and adding pictures, and sharing with the two people who read this what all we're up to. But then I get in this mood where I hate fighting with my iPhoto program, which seems to take any pictures that I use for a post, and adds them to about 12 folders, which makes me crazy. I'm determined to not let this computer get all junked up like my last one. Oh, and speaking of my old computer....the one that Best Buy said would cost about $700 to fix....yeah, that one. Well, a friend from church fixed it....for freeeeEEEEEEE! (Said in my best Adam Sandler voice in the movie Bedtime Stories.) <br /><br />So, I'm going to spend today and tomorrow trying to bring this blog as up-to-date as possible, because I have a feeling things are going to start getting really crazy around here!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/138/A956EA26E160299BD3E7368FBFCF036B.png" style="border: none; background: transparent;"/></a>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07013837166172006170noreply@blogger.com2