Okay, Life Udate

Did I mention that G and I attended our first together therapy session? Mmmm, probably not, too stressed about other things. So we attended last Tuesday morning then went to the CMOM. G took a bit to warm up and never really talked with the therapist herself which made me want to jump in (I did some) with explanations and answers. Mostly though I controlled myself and didn't attempt to rescue G. She was mostly fascinated with the foam blocks and the big pillows the therapist had on the couch, heh. I haven't gotten feedback yet on the session, obviously.

My mom and dad completed an assessment questionnaire on G together that asked things like "Is child demanding?" "Gets along well with others?" "Makes transitions well?" So they were sort of one or two steps behind me. Well I said G is demanding sometimes or often and they said never?!?!? I think they meant no more than any other 4 year old but still. I said she is sometimes victimised by others (classmates) and they said rarely. This maybe just the difference between how much more I see her. If they were out of town grandparents I wouldn't have bothered with them but they see her a lot just not as much as I.

I think what surprised me most is that mom and dad both discussed it though I only asked mom to complete it. Don't get me wrong, I am very glad to have my dad's input even if it doesn't match mine. It helps to see what they think of G and how she acts. Now understand at this point the majority of G's issues I think have more to do with my parenting and the stresses of the last three years (personal job/finances) than with her adoption though all together I think we still have work to do.

So today I woke up much too early with a significant pain in my back between my right shoulder blade and vertebrae. This has been coming for at least a year but today the stresses of my life culminated in this sharp knife like pain that led me straight to the chiropractor. I walked in and said, "I don't know if you take walk ins or not but I am in so much pain I can't wait for an appt and I can't really move or breathe without hurting. Please please work me in."

So while I was filling out paperwork my phone rings. I couldn't get to it and ended up emptying my purse right in the floor. Another patient laughed and said, "That is so totally like me." I just don't understand it. I have a small purse not even 9" long or wide more like 6". How in the helk does a phone get lost in less than 6"? I digress...

Anyway, the call was from the headhunter. We will be getting together next week. At one point I thought she was going to transfer me to another person but either I misunderstood and she hung up or my phone hung up. The doc came in just at that moment so I didn't call her back. I will e-mail her to explain.

While I was checking out the phone rang and it was someone named "C", not really but I can't remember her name, about renting the house. So I am going to meet her at the house at 3:30pm and pray that she is the one to rent even though she has cats and dogs. I have cats and a dog so I know how destructive they can be. I am not saying all are but as a landlord now I can sure see why pet owners have a rough time finding a place to rent. I also understand why we sometimes lie about having pets or is that just me? Actually my last cat (still with me) came from a tenant (of someone elses) who wasn't supposed to have it and got caught.

So this afternoon I am at my mom's computer to print off lease apps, rental agreement, pet agreement, figure my budget, pay some bills online, blog (priorities you know), and just figure out the near future details. Next Monday, will be back at chiropractor after dropping G off at school. Then Tuesday therapy with G and hopefully Monday afternoon or Tuesday afternoon meeting with the headhunter.

Thank you all for your well wishes during this time. I know God is in His heavens even though all is not right with the world. He still reigns and I am trying to remember that.

Thank You, AZ Mom

Soon to be AR mom maybe, heh. The internet is an amazing thing really. The friendships made are like finding long lost friends whom you have never actually met. Amazing how one can "know" so many people without ever truly "meeting" them. I hope soon that will change and I will be able to meet some if not all the bloggers I follow in person one day.

Now here are the directions:

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find friends and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships will be propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly- written text into the body of their award."


Okay so this will have to be updated later when I have more time. I have eight bloggers I am thinking of so I will get back to this soon I promise. Did I mention that I dropped my personal laptop at the computer doc? I don't get it back until next week, major surgery is required. In the meantime I am using my mom's. I don't have quick access to the blogs I follow from here so I will have to do this in two steps. I hope to get step two done on Sunday but I will def let you know!

Very Productive Today

I put the "For Rent" sign in my for sale house's yard. Maybe that will take some of the burden off it for me. The realtor actually listed it for me on craig's list and said a renter might help it sell better. I have sent several resumes out but not much happening on them. Today I need to "dumb down" my resume (according to the news) so I can get a foot in the door.

I dropped my ill (personal) laptop off at the computer factory in town. Looks like it will be needing and getting new memory, hoping it won't be anything related to the hard drive at all. I am currently at my mom's again looking on the internet for a job. I need to renew my careerbuilder and monster.com profiles today too. It is just amazing how dependent on the internet everything really is. How do people without internet access live? Anyway I will get it back cleaned up and much faster the middle of next week! I guess like it or not my parents may be seeing a LOT of me until I get my computer back or find a job, whatever comes first.

G is at school today and tomorrow. There is a Chinese New Year celebration we are attending on Saturday (during nap time) which she and I are both looking forward to. We have gone to this one every year so far. Next Sat is a birthday party of one of our travel buds who is turning 5 before G much to G's chagrin. How unfair ;}.

You guys who commented on the beautiful pics were WAY too kind about them. I took those with my Cannon video camera that has poor quality pics on it. I was just trying to capture the snow since we really REALLY don't see it often here. By Saturday the temp will be back in the 60s. The normal temp for this day is around 50, though today it is a bit cold (30s).

It Snowed

No school for G today. We didn't get much but as we never get snow or rarely get snow any sign of it will shut the whole town down! We were able to get dressed and play tick tac toe but really there wasn't enough snow to do much else. She played on her "playground" in the back yard. We drove up (slowly) to my mom's because the country got a lot more than we did in town. G actually enjoyed sliding down the hill too this year as opposed to last March.

I love snow when it hasn't been trampled and looks so clean covering the dirty ground. In the Bible it says that Jesus blood will wash us white as snow and how kind of Him to give us a reminder of what it really looks like to be so clean spiritually!

So this young dad behind our house got his truck rigged with the sled behind it to pull the kids on the sled around the block. I just shook my head at the dangerousness of this; even told my mom what an idiot the man was (in my opinion). Then what does my dad do? Apparently, my opinion doesn't really matter much to him, heh.

Look ma, no hands!

G Conversations

Said at dinner tonight: "Mama, can I have some of that dip? You know the one? The one that wooks wike skin? Herewe I'll show ya." Leading me to the fridge to pull out the hummus!

Said after being told that I was fired from my job: "Why'd you get fie-herd? Gwanndaddy can worhk."

To say that this has been a stressful weekend is quite the understatement. I got an e-mail from one of the owners about my "dereliction of duty" for all of the "back filing" I left to be done. I e-mailed back and said, "It isn't dereliction of duty if I didn't intend to get fired." And he can't complain about all of it 'cuz some wasn't even mine!! I should have said, "Anyone that can keep filing up to date doesn't have enough to do!!"

I can't file for unemployment until the severence runs out, but I was in the unemployment office when they called to verify the severence so that is good. That is my only verification that they would hold to the promise of severence. I don't quite trust them. They are starting the "she is a bad employee we should have known" spiel that the did to everyone they fired over the last year.

I hope to have a new job before then. I got my resume today and e-mailed it to one place. I am taking my laptop to the computer shopt to get an estimate on cleaning it up. It took 3 hours to get the e-mail up today and then I couldn't get it to work properly. So surfing the blogs is a no go for now, I am having difficulty logging into blogger too. But I got this posted just in time for us to get ready for bed.

The Life of One of Our Own

Possibly in a very near future way to soon we in the adoption China community will lose another child. From Lydia's Caringbridge site:

" Well, first things first: we are HOME! We escaped cell block 8 tonight around 7 pm. YEAH!
Now for the other news, which is not so great. Lydia is not in remission. It seems as though the chemo barely touched the leukemia as she still has approximately 20% leukemic blasts already. We had a very up and down day, but bottom line is that this is not good news. We had a long talk with Dr. Li, Dr. Friebert, and Beth, the clinical nurse, and bottom line is that while we could do more chemo, since nothing has worked, it is difficult to imagine putting her through anything more, when good results are so unlikely. I know some of you may perceive this as giving up hope, but I would like to think we are trying to take into consideration Lydia's quality of life and how weary she is of being in treatment for over 160 days, with little to no progress. In the words of Dr. Li, she has a very, very bad disease. He has been in touch with the "experts" at St. Judes, Seattle and Cincinatti, and the consensus is that while we could do more, the end result is unlikely to be what we want anyway, with pain, suffering, misery and continued hospitalization all to likely no avail. Dr, Li's heart is broken. He had so looked forward to giving us good news. I know as an attorney it is painful when the result you fight so hard for is not always what you get, especially when you become personally and emotionally involved in your client.
So, we will await flow cytometry to see if the numbers are any different, but barring any earth-shattering differentiation in numbers, we are probably going to go the palliative care route, and head out to Florida in the very near future.
I want all of you to know that WE STILL BELIEVE! God is a good God and his heart aches for our suffering. I don't know his purpose in this, but I do know that Lydia has had such a full and joyous life. I wouldn't trade being her mother for any one else on the planet. It has been my great pleasure and distinct honor that God granted me the blessing of developing this amazing soul and spirit. I am having a hard time knowing how to communicate this to her family in China. Despite all the issues, I am pained for them, that indeed they have had to loose her twice. Very sad indeed for them and for us, but how amazing that two families worlds away gave life and love this amazing child. What an amazing adventure and love adoption is.
I also know that I want Lydia's life to have special purpose, and to that end, I am going to establish a foundation called "Lydia's Hope", and I am planning on writing a book with her illustrations to raise awareness for child cancer research. I hope you will join me in praising God for the life of this amazing child, and for the privilege of being her mother. Please pray for us in the coming days. I need increased wisdom and strength as do Mark, my parents, and Mark's parents. I will keep posting to this site, and keep you informed as to our continuing journey, and I hope to have additional photos posted as well.
God has some purpose in this and I will make it my mission in life to lift up that purpose. Thank you so much for your prayers and support. We have been truly bouyed by you all. As we continue this journey, albeit down a different path, know that your messages, prayers, and support are just, if not more important than before.
Love and Blessings to you all,
The Miyashitas and Raber
Mark Monica Liddy Max (the cats, Sherlock Aggie and Daisy)
The Rabers: John and Betty
The Miyashitas: Yoshifumi and Linda
And remember: WE STILL BELIEVE!"

Even though I lost my income I still have my daughter in good health.

Laid-Off

Well, as of Friday around 3ish I joined the ranks of the unemployed. Totally unaware but sort of knew it. I am only devastated in the loss of income and the company laptop. As far as the actual place of employment, well, I was embarrassed to tell people where I worked when they asked. Plus on accident one day I walked in, to ask a question of one male owner while he was discussing with another male owner porn videos that he was borrowing. Talk about embarrassment!! Of course neither man blushed, I however turned 4 shades of red!!

And as my mom likes to point out, this firing for lame reasons has been going on all year!! They were a devious company!! Which they were but they were steady income. I wasn't planning to retire from there but I was planning on getting out of debt from there.

Options right now are unemployment, look for a job in a depressed economy, and letting the house that won't sell go as in foreclosure. I am not living there and only own one thing, my car. I can rent from my dad or buy the house as him being the financier when I am again stable. The one thing I am afraid of is the unsecured debt that I accumulated in 2006 when I was unemployed from my own error in judgement. I am in repayment of all three of them and I don't want to mess that up at all. Roughly $311 a month total. That will probably be half the unemployment.

I wasn't raised to rely on debt nor get into it. I learned that on my own, heh. But I was raised to pay for what I owe no matter what so I am truly struggling with the letting the house go. It just isn't right but between food and basic living expenses I have now the house is $844 a month more than I can afford.

I am in a bit of self pity though I totally am not (at least trying) not to think "Why me?" Because honestly why not me? But you know the difference between a recession and a depression? Recession is when your neighbor loses his job, a depression is when you lose yours so I am in a financial depression!! Again.

Not to leave this as a total downer, I want you to click here for a wonderful conference I was able to attend last night and this morning (pre-planned for about a month). Sadly due to new circumstances and distance I am not able to attend in person tomorrow but will watch it streaming live (I hope) on my computer. Do you want to know or ever wonder who Jesus is? You will want to listen to the podcasts for January 22, 2009 through January 24, 2009. Alistair Begg and Sinclair Ferguson (both Scottish) expound the Scripture and bring the message of Who is Jesus, The Name Above All Names.

A Few Pics From FCC CNY

These are a few of the crafts we did at our Chinese New Year. No, G didn't wear her Chinese silks because she and I wore matching pink shirts.

There were several dances performed and although G was rivited she doesn't want to learn the dances herself. She doesn't want to wear the dresses some of the dancers wore.

A Family Needs Our Prayers

A Place Called Simplicity is a blog I have come to love to read. The mom just came home with her son and daughter from Uganda less than 4 weeks ago. They have a large family and just this week lost their home in a fire. They are trying to salvage somethings but it appears that all is lost.

They need the blog community to surround them with prayers. There is a drive to get Extreme Home Makeover involved here. The application for that went yesterday.

See what all you miss being off the internet for a week! Amazing! This is my worst fear. I have so many "treasures" that would be so tragic to lose. The family is grieving as well as bonding with the two youngest children.

Pictures of G

These were taken over the New Year season. This is G with my uncle and aunt and a few cousins. She was playing tic tac toe with my uncle and he was letting her win which I appreciate because I am not such a big "life is hard and you will lose some too" thinker at this age and no she doesn't always win with me either.

I liked this pic of her sitting in a tree. My dad helped her get up there and took the pic. Isn't she cute?

I Am Back and Look What Happened...

while I was away: this lovely blogger honored me with this award. Stop by her blog for her optimistically cynical take on life.

I am not clear on the rules as to the passing it on part but from her blog and the blog that nominated her I will follow with new blogging buddies or new blogs I have found and totally enjoy.

Gwendolyn at Alls Fair in Love and Chocolate with her stories of child care and life in general.
TabithaBlue at Fresh Mommy and her view of life. Her photos are exceptional.
Amber at Kiss My Cheek with her very moving stories of an incredible woman who survived a car wreck and her healing process.
Everyday Mom Designs and her stories on life with her soon to be toddler. She has an awesome shop at Cafe Press, stop by and give her a look see.

Book Review-Rex

Rex: A Mother, Her Autistic Child, and the Music that Transformed Their Lives by Cathleen Lewis is an outstanding book. If you have seen 60 mins then you have seen him! He was born with a cyst in his brain, born blind, born with serious problems with his brian, autistic and a musical savant. Cathleen describes her life with her son and the grace God provided daily to help her through. She writes how God used her son with all of his disabilities to bring her to Himself.

It is a book about a mother's love, courage and strength to face the challenges of raising a disabled child in a world that cater's to the non-disabled. She describes the break-down of her marriage to Rex's father due to the strain on the marriage from the disabilities. She goes into some technical detail about the disabilities Rex has, such as no membrane between the two brain halves and little to no connection between the two brain halves which is needed to do simple things like picking objects up from one side of the body with the opposite hand. These daily tasks we take for granted!!

This is a perfect book to recommend to a friend who may be struggling with bringing a disabled child into the world. Without the dedication of this mom and God's grace, this boy may have never had a fighting chance. This week is sanctity of life week. This book is a reminder that no matter the disability, all life is valuable.

CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES,

COME ON!! It's a celebration. And I don't mean the inauguration, I mean my computer is fixed, motherboard is replaced and I have blog access!! YEEHAW!! Y'ALL!

So I have lots to say and do and yes my company chose (against my wishes and requests) to move the payroll system half way through the year. Neither system is compatible with the other and once we left the first one they refused to help us get the data straight. They even sent on paper different quarter end and year end numbers than they sent electronically. This effected a few people but has created a living nightmare for W2s, not to mention one of my bosses who has never run a company this big (and it isn't that big) told all the employees that the W2s would be out on the 19th.

Let me just say I have had some very angry phone calls! Plus, I had told him that there would probably be problems (women's intuition) and he said, "Like what?" Leave it to men to not fully trust women's intuition. Then he was quite lax in trying to help me figure it all out. So I think we have the issues wittled down to less than 20 out of 1500 and should be printing Thursday. I just hope to keep my job through the year!!

Computer Update

We are back on the network for the desktop but I have no access to blogger from work as my laptop fried the motherboard which is to be replaced on Monday, Tuesday at the latest. Then I am going to list all the blogs from the favorites in my following list on the dashboard of blogger so if it ever happens again I can at least read everyone from my home laptop.

Yes I am priviledged to have a work desktop, laptop and my own personal (slow and old) laptop at home. The work laptop is supposed to be my main one but the IT guy is really nice to me and said I could continue to use it until they need it and the need will be based on who gets employed (nobody soon due to the economy). So I use the work laptop at home for work and personal and use it at work for blogs and any other need for work that may come up so I don't have to get out of our payroll system.

I have borrowed my mom's desktop to update this tonight while picking G up from spending the night. I have had to work late the past two days due to the W2s being all messed up. NEVER change payroll systems in the middle of the year, NEVER NEVER NEVER!! We did, thus the majority of wrong W2s!!

Cograts! A Computer Update! and Attachment Update

Things have gone from bad to worse in the computer department. My "n" key is giving me fits now. I already lost my "s" key so that is a difficult key to miss and I have to concentrate to make sure it works. Then the work laptop has totally conked out. Which is really sad because I saved all of my digital pics and videos on it until I copied them to a CD. Did I mention I am quite the procrastinator? Anyhoo, that is now not done and I just hope that the tech guy will not blame me for the broken computer. It is a refurbished one and over a year old anyway so we shall see.

Then the network is still down! Ugh!! I wonder ow much a new laptop would be and if I could work out a payment plan. I am anxious to see how much if any tax I will owe to AR and on the fed side. I don't have my W-2 from first thing yet and though I have all the info from Third thing (current job) we haven't printed them yet. Oh and I found a problem with the calculations from the system we used the first 6 months and the system we used the second 6 months after my boss made the announcement that W-2s would be ready on the 19th. He is so gung ho to get them out that he didn't worry or wonder about any problems. Granted we weren't supposed to have any but that is in a perfect world, one in which we don't live. So I am a wee bit wound up tight.

The attachment meeting today was basically just an assessment with me signing forms and briefly describing the major problems. I sort of feel silly because by training I am a master's level counselor so I had to check my ego A LOT! And she is the type of therapist I would be jumping in to say whatever it is before the thought is lost. I so see that in myself. I wouldn't call it interrupting per se just trying not to lose the thought. She used what I said on the phone as the presenting problems and for the life of me I couldn't remember what exactly I had said. Early onset alzheimer's here I come.

Now I will say she did point something out that I need to share. Remember when I said G stalls at bedtime and sometimes asks things that to me are totally non-important you know like how do you spell pinnochio and such. I typically just cut her off when she does that verses my willingness to talk about her adoption experience even if used as a stall tactic. But the therapist pointed out that to G even the spelling of pinnochio is important and I am basically negating what is important to her. So I will make an effort to tell her that "although 'stall tactic verbage' is very important to you, let's be sure to discuss it in the morning because mama dearly needs her sleep and can't focus on such an important topic right now." We will see how that works.

Now Anya at Hills Creek Quilt-something or other I will be contacting you. See the video for how I drew the winner. That is my notebook of names of entries, see why I blog?

I still have a review to do but may have to borrow my mom's computer to do so. So this weekend I will get that done and try to catch up with all my fav. blogs that I will probably now have to rebuild if the computer is really fried. I hope not. Praying for a miracle there!!

Computer Problems Causing an Unintentional Blog Break

The give away is officially over as far as receiving comments that is. I will be drawing a name with G's help Tuesday evening. I am on my mom's computer right now.



My personal computer is recovering from a virus and is just slow as Christmas. The work network is down and although I have a sprint card thing-y it has to run through the network which is down until Wednesday. Fun times I tell you.



The desktop is blocked on blogger so I am not able to get to comment nor read all of my standard blogs. Rest assured via google reader I am keeping up but cannot comment. I will be in contact with the winner on Wednesday or Thursday when the network has been assured to be up and running!! Thanks for the patience and I will also update on the appt for the attachment as well.



Plus I will be reveiwing another awesome book that you will want to read!!

Another Conversation

Driving home after a family visit G asked me why she wouldn't be as tall as her grandaddy, who is 6ft. I told her she didn't take after her grandad and then she said something I wasn't expecting. She said, "Why do I not wook wike my family?"

So I said, "Well, you do look like your family in China, your first family. You are adopted into our family. I adopted you and you adopted us." (yeah I know she hadn't a choice in her adopting.)

But before I could keep on she totally changed the subject my noticing that we were going a different way home, heh. I wish I could explain genetics to her but for a 4 year old I just don't know. I tell her she doesn't have her grandaddy's genes and I know by her response I know she is thinking "jeans."

Incase You Have Forgotten in the Economic Downturn

There are soldiers still fighting for our freedom and preservation of our nation. Here is a good reminder of that. Take a moment and some kleenex with you on the stop to this article. I know that as a nation we have not truly forgotten but sometimes when our own finances are in a mess or the economy is bleak we tend to not keep it at the fore front of our minds.

I found the link here this morning and thought I would share. Oh and when you see a soldier or here of a family member of a soldier, thank them!! Also, I saw a bumper sticker that said, "Thank a Soldier." Well, not only thank them but pray for them as well!!

Attachment Therapy Appointment Made

For Tuesday at 8am so I won't be too late to work!! Rock on. I go first by myself then later with G and the best news is no in home visits so I don't have to stress about the cat/dog hair and general mess of my house!!

And I will keep the blog updated with what we find out. And another best thing is that currently services are free!! YIPPEE!

Gut Punch

Recently I have had two incidents where I just felt like I had been punched in the gut. The first was when I left two original mini DVs to be transferred to DVD for a travel buddy. These are my only videos of China and gotcha moment. I am expecting them back in about a week or so. If it works I may do the rest of the tapes that way as my video camera is broken on that part and way too expensive to fix although I can get the problem diagnosed for $35 which would go toward the price of the fix but labor alone is $95 with parts up to $100, ugh.

Then the second punch came yesterday when the initial referral (no not that referral, I wish) came from the attachment place. I called and left a message Monday and was fine, but when the return call came I totally felt punched. I don't know how to explain it. I felt defensive (not angry), but like I needed to explain that it really isn't G, but more than likely it is me, and that we aren't crazy. (Well maybe a little crazy.) I really had to keep myself in check here with this irrational thought though.

Two things will keep this from happening, any money due (cause I don't have any and insurance won't cover it) or the services are strictly for another state in which we don't live. Today the call is coming to do the phone assessment in which I probably will talk non-stop. I will totally try to keep myself in check, and remember that although things aren't bad now if I don't get the assessment done things might get worse and that the assessment is just that an assessment.

I think I will feel better with educated guidance from a social workers or therapists who actually understand adoption stuff. If an adoption therapist tells me that what is going on is not adoption related then I would believe that more than a non adoption educated therapist saying the same thing, ya know?

Don't Forget

This give away is almost over. Go here and leave a comment for one chance to win. If you want two chances then post it on your blog but don't forget to leave me a comment that you did so. That way I can see it on your blog and more people can have a chance.

Remember the pouty model is only there for looks in anything frilly. She is not part of the give away or rather at least not yet, just kidding, sorta. No really, maybe.

Glenys Conversations

Last night driving into our driveway I saw ice on the trees. I showed it to G who said very suspiciously, "Who did dat?"

I said, "no body, it is raining and freezing on the trees."

So then she gets to the door way and sees more ice which she must excitedly point out to me. Then she said, "I hope it freezes so we can have anudder Chwismas."

I said, "Another Christmas?"

She said, "Yeah and eviebodie will have Chwissmas lights again." She had seen the lights through the icicles on the trees and decided they looked like Christmas lights, heh.

Finally, Something Wonderful in the Daycare!!

There are many great teachers in G's daycare. It is not the most diverse place as G is the only full Asian child, one little girl is mixed race Vietnamese and Caucasian. Of course the main race is white with a few African Americans there and then G. No Hispanics that I know of or that I have seen and though there is a decent Asian population between the two towns due to Hino Motors, though the kids tend to be older. But today, when I walked in there was a young Asian woman (beautiful girl) standing there. I thought she was a friend of one of the workers and wondered why the teachers kept pointing at her for me to look at. So I did. It was just the you know, once up and down like "yeah." Well, this is G's new teacher and I am so excited on two fronts.

She is Thai, adopted from Thailand. I asked her the "Where are you from?" with a double intent but would have not pressed had she just said the state (maybe eventually I would have asked because I can't not be nosey). But she offered that she was adopted from Thailand. I said, "Well, I did want to know that but I also meant mainly were you from here." I of course (the other teachers had already) told her that G was adopted from China.

She of course had never heard of her new town until her husband got a job 45 mins up the road (literally). They are in a good location though. She just graduated college, got married a week ago and moved then started her job today.

But I almost cried because I am hormonal and just so glad for G to have someone who looks like her in her class as a grown up role model. I so hope I am not disappointed. Okay, so maybe I put too much hope and expectations on G's teachers!!

Same Kind of Different As Me

Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore is a must read. This is a reminder that everyone has the same issues and needs no matter the skin color or education level. Everyone is worthy of friendship and all require the same Savior.

Denver Moore was a modern day slave. He escaped the plantation literally with no money, no plans to support himself, no education nor direction. He had no reason to believe that slavery had truly ended because he never saw anything but hard work on a plantation being kept down by "the white man" in the vicious cycle of borrowing from the plantation store only to be told at the end of the harvest there wasn't enough to cover his debt. He was a trapped share cropper living in the same plantation system that enslaved his family for generations. As a child, he watched his grandmother burn to death in a fire while his uncle (I believe uncle maybe older cousin) perished with her. She was asleep and couldn't be awakened but the uncle or cousin pretty much lost his mind and refused to leave the chair he was in. His father was assumed shot by a lover's jealous husband or boyfriend.

Ron Hall became a very wealthy man through dealing in art. He was a poor farm boy from Texas whose daddy either was a sharecropper or had sharecroppers on his land. He was able to go to college and married up a little in society. His wife was a very humble and gracious woman who became a Christian after they were married. She lived a life wanting to give back and give back she did. She became involved in a homeless shelter and convinced her husband to volunteer too. This is the setting where the lives of Ron Hall and Denver Moore intersect. Ron befriends Denver through his wife's encouragement learning things about himself in the process.

It is an incredible story with an incredible ending.

Sort of a Vlog post

This happened yesterday morning and please forgive my chortling, yes I said, "chortling." When something strikes me as particularly funny I can't help it. I made this video with a willing participant, actually she asked me to tell everybody about this little hair bow incident, and when I did I laughed all the more again.

Time for Another Great Book's Review

The American Patriot's Almanac by William J. Bennett and John T.E. Cribb is an excellent review of our American history. It is written with one story per day for one year. After each story there is a list of years with one outstanding historical fact for that date in that year. Oh and lest you think it is only positive all the time, this book lists the black eyes America has given itself on such things as slavery, women's right to vote and the Dredd Scott case among other items.

Between each month are other important documents or facts. There is the history of our flag and facts about a lot of the standards carried during the Revolutionary War. Between August and September are the Gettysburg Address, The Emancipation Proclamation, The Pledge of Allegiance and the American's Creed. Did you know we had a creed? I didn't.

Did you know that Alexander Graham Bell wasn't a citizen when he developed the telephone? That discovery happened on March 10, 1876, but his citizenship wasn't until 1882. He was very instrumental and interested in ways to help the deaf. That was his passion. He was born in Scotland in 1847.

Did you know that Senator Joseph McCarthy was right? In fact the Soviet Union did recruit Americans to spy for them during the Cold War. In McCarthy's zeal for notoriety and the tactics he used, he undermined the legitimate efforts to counter Communism. The speech he gave waving the list about took place on February 9, 1950.

How about the Teddy Bear, do you know the story? Two Russian Jewish immigrants, Morris and Rose Michtom, in 1903 were making them and selling them in their stores but the story of the name came from Teddy Roosevelt who refused to take "advantage of a terrified, trapped animal" caught by a guide so that the President could shoot it. A Washington Post cartoonist, Clifford Berryman "drew a picture of the President turning away in disgust" from the poor animal which led to the story of "Teddy's bear."

For more information about our history and what makes this country great, check this book out!! I can imagine it would be good for homeschoolers to use for initial ideas on research as well as public high school teachers to use for extra credit. I mean what could be better than picking your birthday out of this almanac and researching one of the many topics of history listed?

Saturday, I Think

Having Thursday off work threw my world in a tizzie. Friday when I left work, I left my work laptop thinking I would be back the next day. I guess I thought it was Tuesday for some reason. Ugh I enjoyed the day off I just didn't realize I would be so confused!!

So my mother has a few of her siblings and their family here. G woke up in a foul mood messing up our plans to go to the zoo. My new strategy is she will not get her way when she presents a bad attitude no matter what I have previously promised. Last Saturday it was missed museum and today it was missed zoo. Then she cried because she thought I was being nicer to our cat Simon than her. Well I probably was because he was being nice to me but not in the way G thought. So we ended up sitting and cuddling until her bad attitude went away but we still did not go to the zoo.

Nap was a bust today. Due to drainage, G woke up choke-coughing and I put some vicks vapo rub on her throat but she woke up for good after only about 30 mins. Then she had the audacity to say that we should come home from visiting Grammie's at 6pm so we could go to bed early!!! If anyone had followed this blog for long you would see the ridiculous statement this is. She never goes to sleep for min. one hour after getting in the bed. Thankfully, at our new year party two other mom's said the same about their girls and how bedtime was the most hated time of the day for them too.

I am calling the adoption center on Monday to see how to schedule an appointment for attachment evaluation so wish us luck. We will see how much of Gs bedtime issues are unconsistent mom (probably), not completely attached, or just typical 4 year old behavior. She just seems to be getting a bit more defiant lately.

Anyway, I am keeping up with names on the give away entries so go here and tell your friends. Remember to mention on your own blog for a two entries. Thanks,

New Year's Eve Re-Cap or Party Like You're 4!

Don't forget the give a way here.

Now on to the very fun new year's eve party hosted by a fellow blogger and adoptive family in our area. There were like 8 families who all received referrals the same summer/year that we met during the wait. Then we added one single mom and another family who was waiting but didn't get referral until the next year so there are 10 families who get together for birthdays and holidays. G calls them her travel buddies though only two are actual travel buddies. One of the families has a Guangxi beauty like G except from a different orphanage. Two other families share the same orphanage. We all supported each other through the wait and now get our kids together as often as we can.

So this family had us all over for a party for New Years. Yes we made it to midnight or "bednight" as G called it. We all had sparkling wine or "sparkling lime" as C2 called it. But all in all in G's estimation it wasn't a party but a "fake party" because there were no "puhcakes" or "birthday." (Mental note: Next time take cupcakes for the kids instead of fattening dip)

G had a great time though and all the kids played very well together despite the hostesses daughter trying to exclude her little brother, sorry O, G told me she was told to tell you "no boys allowed" but that is just the deal with having a big sister!

We almost didn't make it to the "bednight" though because about 15 til, G had had enough. So it took about 15 mins to get G together and our stuff together; then she grabbed my face and said, "Momma, staht da cahr wite NOW!" and with those orders I yelled one final good bye to my friends and skedaddled out of there. No point and witnessing a meltdown that early in the year!

We had actually arrived too early because I only half listen to directions or invites but that gave G the needed time to warm up to everyone. It helps us to have people come in on us rather than walk in on others.

Y'all I am just here to tell you I am still recovering from the party. I am tired and all my joints ache. It is hard to hang with a bunch of 4 year olds, HA!

Oh and I took a whopping 5 pics, yea me! I don't even know why I bothered to bring the camera, I am so lame sometimes!

Damned if We Do and Damned if We Don't

Or Otherwise Titled: Commission Urges 50 Percent Hike in Fuel Taxes to Fund Highway Construction (with parenthetical commentary from blog author)

"WASHINGTON -- A 50 percent increase in gasoline and diesel fuel taxes is being urged by a federal commission to finance highway construction and repair until the government devises another way for motorists to pay for using public roads. (Once a tax is implemented it is difficult to take away unless there is a generous Republican in office.)

"The National Commission on Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing, a 15-member panel created by Congress, is the second group in a year to call for higher fuel taxes. (I hope we aren't paying salaries for this commission. I hope it is totally honorary or else I know where the road repairs can come from!)

"With motorists driving less and buying less fuel (as we were told to do by the greens), the current 18.4 cents a gallon gas tax and 24.4 cents a gallon diesel tax fail to raise enough to keep pace with the cost of road, bridge and transit programs.

"In a report expected in late January, members of the infrastructure financing commission say they will urge Congress to raise the gas tax by 10 cents a gallon and the diesel fuel tax by 12 to 15 cents a gallon. At the same time, the commission will recommend tying the fuel tax rates to inflation.

"The commission will also recommend that states raise their fuel taxes and make greater use of toll roads and fees for rush-hour driving.

"A tax increase on this order would be politically treacherous for Democratic leaders in Congress -- a gas tax hike was one of the reasons they lost control of the House and Senate in the 1994 elections. President-elect Barack Obama has expressed concern about raising gas taxes in the current economic climate. But commission members said the government must find the money somewhere. (Second good thing Obama has done, first being inviting Rick Warren to pray to Jesus at the inauguration. Technically though it only rates as a 1/2 since he only has expressed concern over the tax.)

continued-
"'I'm not excited about a gas tax increase, but the reality is our current gas tax doesn't pay for upkeep of the system we have now,' said Adrian Moore, vice president of the Reason Foundation, a libertarian think tank in Los Angeles, and a member of the highway revenue commission. 'We can either let the roads go to hell or we can pay more.' (yeah you aren't excited except for the shivers up and down your leg in the vein of Chris Matthews, HA)

"The dilemma for Congress is that highway and transit programs are dependent for revenue on fuel taxes that are not sustainable. Many Americans are driving less and switching to more fuel-efficient cars and trucks (again like we were told to do), and a shift to new fuels and technologies like plug-in hybrid electric cars will further erode gasoline sales.

"According to a draft of the financing commission's recommendations, the nation needs to move to a new system that taxes motorists according to how much they use roads.

"'Most if not all of the commissioners have a strong belief and commitment that we need a fundamental transformation of the current system,' said commission chairman Robert Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a technology policy think tank in Washington.

"A study by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies estimated that the annual gap between revenues and the investment needed to improve highway and transit systems was about $105 billion in 2007, and will increase to $134 billion in 2017 under current trends.

"Projected shortfalls in revenue led the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, in a report issued in January 2008, to call for an increase of as much as 40 cents a gallon in the gas tax, phased in over five years.

"Charles Whittington, chairman of the American Trucking Associations, which supports a fuel tax increase as long as the money goes to highway projects, said Congress may decide to disguise a fuel tax hike as a surcharge to combat climate change.

"Transportation is responsible for about a third of all U.S. carbon emissions created by burning fossil fuels. Traffic congestion wastes an estimated 2.9 billion gallons of fuel a year. Less congestion would reduce greenhouse gases and dependence on foreign oil.

"'Instead of calling it a gas tax, call it a carbon tax,' Whittington said. 'As long as we label it as something else we may have the momentum and acceptance to move forward.'" (Are you effing kidding me? a carbon tax?)

continued-
"Bottlenecks around the nation cost the trucking industry about 243 million lost truck hours and about $7.8 billion per year, according to the commission.

"The financing commission thinks the long-term solution is a mileage-based revenue system. While details have not been worked out, such a system would mean equipping every car and truck with a device that uses global positioning satellites and transponders to record how many miles the vehicle has been driven, the type of roads and time of day. Creation and installation of such a system would take about 10 years.

"Moore said commission members were initially concerned that using technology to track driving might violate drivers' privacy, but they've been assured that such a system could be designed to prevent vehicles from being 'tracked in some big brotherish way.'" (Oh yeah? Well, how about this: B.S. there is no way this wouldn't be a big brother issue.)

Well one good thing that would come from this is that the Republicans would gain control of the house and senate in two years limiting the Obamessiah in his messiahship, at least if the nation will wake up!

Oh and don't forget the give a way go leave me a comment right now!

HAPPY NEW YEAR--2009-And A Give-Away, YEA!!

No, no, no, it isn't the pouty little girl you see in the pictures. Although, on a bad day might not be a good idea to ask, heh.

Nope not the G. girl but the skirt she has on. Beautiful, never worn by two girls (see tag is still on it) handed down to G from older cousin.

G is modeling skirt over lovely pajamas of her much older cousin M and her green long sleeve shirt. The pout is classical G visage when asked to don any frilly attire.

If I could give away the attitude with the skirt I would!!



So here is the deal, like many other give aways I have seen I will give one chance for each comment listed and then two chances for mentioning it on your own blog. Leave me a comment or a link to it so I can do so appropriately.

The skirt is 4T with a rose on the satin waist and free moving petals in the skirt body itself. It is very girly in a light pinkish-rose color. Perfect for the little girl who loves to play dress-up and it looks very easy to make so if you are a seamstress or know your way around a sewing machine (which I don't) this could easily be copied for b-day gifts and other gifts for your daughters friends!!
Good luck! And deadline for comments will be January 15.