Something Weird! **Update

My good friend, Connie, threw out a dare to find something weird in your house so I decided to play along. Here's mine. And just to prove that this really isn't some new clothes hanger contraption, notice the can of paint on the dresser in the background and that golden color on the ceiling. See I really did start out using this ladder for it's intended purpose. I'm doing a little makeover in my bedroom. It started before the holidays but I got busy and didn't move beyond the ceiling. I plan to finish this project in February. Hopefully. That's the plan anyway.

Oh yeah. I was just trying the color out. This was not an accident. I hope these colors work. We'll see when the project is finally complete. I've got all new bedding, new curtains, new accessories, a new trunk and a new chair. I plan on adding a new ceiling fan, lamps, and carpet (when the budget allows). Remember that thing I said about being a procrastinator? I bought the bedding over a year ago. Yeah.... whatever.
Oh and so far Tuesday isn't as bad as Monday. Although my partner called in sick, which means I get to do twice as much work for the next couple of days. But I'm going to my first FCC Waiting Families Group meeting tonight so that might be cool and definitely ups the point value on whether this will be a good day at the end of it. And I had a funny phone conversation earlier with my niece. She cracks me up so that improved my mood, too. For a laugh at the expense of a four year old click here.

*Update: Since half of my commenters said they couldn't see the pics, I re-loaded them. Can you see me now?

Today Sucked!

Warning: Major vent just ahead!

I hate Mondays in general but this one was particularly bad. First, I started off with a Motion to Suppress at 8:30am. I don't generally talk about my job much here but today I'm making an exception. A Motion to Suppress is a hearing where the defense tries to prove that the evidence in a case was not legally obtained. If the judge rules in their favor, the evidence is no longer admissible in court which generally screws the whole case. You need evidence to convict the bad guy. These kind of hearings piss me off. Today especially. This was a perfectly solid case. The bad guy broke into two different houses on two different dates during the night while the families were home inside sleeping. He was linked to both houses through his fingerprints. When I interviewed him he confessed to both, thanks to my skilled interrogation techniques :) And of course I advised him of his rights! What am I... an amateur for chrissake?! I don't think so. But they were trying to get my confessions thrown out nonetheless.

I'm not a morning person at all. So to have to get raked over the coals on the stand by some sorry ass defense attorney before I was even fully awake was no fun. (Apologies to any defense attorneys out there... but I strongly dislike your profession.) Needless to say, I won. The bad guy realized he was sunk so he plead guilty right then and there. He'll be sentenced in 4 weeks. Score one for the good guys...

So then I have a busy day at work trying to catch up since I wasted the whole morning in court for that crap. Miss lunch and rush home after to meet the cable guys. Seems I got talked into switching my internet and phone to one of these bundles where they put everything together.... phone, internet, and cable. It was supposed to save me $40 bucks or more a month. Good deal, right? I double and triple checked with the salesman that this was an easy no hassle switch. Cuz I'm a creature of habit. I don't like to be inconvenienced when it comes to things like this and I'm very much not a technology genius. He reasurred me that it was.

Well, of course it was NOT an easy switch. First, the phone technician shows up and when I show him where the cable and phone hook-ups are, his response is "Oh man. This isn't good." Then the cable guy shows up. Why there are two different guys when this is all the same company is beyond me. He repeats the "Uh-oh. This isn't good." Seems they need to drill holes in my house, run things through the basement, install boxes, etc. All things they can't do cuz they're not the guys that do that. WTF!? So I tell them fine. Re-schedule this and we'll leave it as is until then. Well, seems the phone guy already ported my phone number to their company which means that he has to install the phone or I won't have phone service. But if that happens, my internet is gone since it runs through my old phone line. I end up calling the sales guy who luckily is in the area so he stops by.

Now I have three men standing in my computer room trying to figure this out. All I knew was that somebody better be coming up with a solution and quickly cuz I was not amused. So everybody gets on the phone with their supervisors and they rig me up somehow. But not before they drilled a couple of holes in my house and ran a wire up the outside. Yeah it's pretty. But I got 2 free months of service for my trouble.

Wait. The story is not over. Just over an hour after the techs leave, my mother calls me ON MY CELL PHONE to ask why my phone is out of order. WTF!!!?? Are you kidding me? Sure enough... no dial tone. So I call the cable company ...on my cell since now I have no phone service....and 35 minutes and 3 different people later somebody pushes some buttons on their big computer screen and it's back on.

I am not in a good mood right now.

Another Full Circle Moment

Yesterday was the big annual adoption fair in our city. It was very surreal for me to be there this year. I went last January 28th with the intention of getting some info on how long the singles waiting lists for China had gotten. I was turning 34 in February and had decided that I needed to start moving forward with my plans for motherhood. But as a result of this adoption fair, my conversations with 2 women I met at different agency booths, and an adoption seminar the following weekend... my life and my plans changed drastically. I don't want to repeat the whole story again so click here and read that to understand why this event was so significant in my life and click here if you want to read about all the signs to point me in the right direction that followed.

I found both of the women that I spoke to last year and filled them in on the happenings over the past 12 months. They were both thrilled! These two women represented the only two agencies that I tried to work with. The first one I got on a waiting list with and the second provided me with my singles spot immediately and became my agency. All of the people I spoke to last year at the other booths were not very welcoming. They all tried to steer me away from China adoption because of the long waiting lists for singles. Not only were these two women very supportive and extremely personable, but I remember opening up and talking to both of them about my plans. Plan A and Plan B. I felt the need to stress over and over to them that I wasn't ready to move towards adoption but that I was going to try to get pregnant first. They both listened with no judgement. Complete strangers. I ended up talking to both of these women individually for about 45 minutes each. So to find them again, tell them how much I appreciated that, and deliver the good news was so meaningful to me and will be a part of this journey that I'll never forget.

This day was even more surreal to me in the fact that I participated in the fair this year! Our "Single Adoptive Moms Group" had a booth to recruit others. Last February, I met Kati and Kim in our parent education classes which were required as part of our homestudy. We immediately bonded as the only singles there. We formed friendships that started with just the 3 of us hanging out, talking, going to dinner. We realized how valuable this resource was for us. The support, the connection, the shared experiences of other single women who are going through the same thing. So we sought out a formal organization only to find out that our city didn't have one. Surrounding big cities did .... but not ours. We decided to start it ourselves and the "Single Adoptive Moms of Dayton" support group was born! Here's me and Kati at our booth.

We have moms represented from China, Vietnam and Guatemala so far. Some are home with their children, others of us are waiting still. Yesterday we recruited a Kaz mom, a few paperchasers representing these same 3 countries and even a few thinkers. We had a representative from our local children's services agency ask if she could put our group info in their newsletter because they have single moms who've adopted domestically or through foster to adopt. The more the merrier! So we should start to see some new faces amongst us soon. How exciting!
This is Kim. She had her own booth representing the organization that gave her a financial grant to assist in the adoption of her 7 yr old son from Guatemala. She was required to promote the organization as a part of the agreement with accepting the grant. Our booths were right next to each other so we got to hang out all day. Several of our other moms came by throughout the morning, too, so we had an impromptu get together right there at the fair. I always enjoy spending time with these women. They're all remarkable in their own right and I truly feel comfortable amongst them. We all "get it" and never have to offer explanation or listen to criticism about our single mom status. If those of you out there don't have this kind of support, whether you're a single mom or an adopter or whatever it is you need to feel connected, go find it or start your own group. It is a priceless treasure.

So this was a very full circle moment kind of day for me. To be standing in the place that literally changed my life, to be there with 3 very good friends that I wouldn't have known otherwise, to have a booth there with them and to now be so engrossed in this adoption community was an amazing feeling. Just goes to show you how much can change in a year's time.

Double Cuteness

Some folks in bloggerville have issued a dare to post old pics of yourself. Well, it started with kindergarden pics and then went on to prom pics. I have no prom pics and don't feel like digging the other ones out from storage. So this will have to do. My grandmother sent this pic the other day. She'd made these dresses for me and my sister when we were babies. She included a piece of this fabric for Mia's quilt. Can you believe she still had this fabric over 30 years later?! My sister and I are two years apart in age so I'm guessing from the looks of her, I'm not quite 3 in this one. Which means it was probably 1974 or 75. There's no denying that my sister is a natural redhead after seeing this pic. Are we not just the cutest little things in our matching dresses?!

Favorite Foto Friday

I really have nothing spectacular to blog about so I thought I'd share a photo of Percy the Penguin x 4. I'm taking Percy #1 to China with me. He'll be Mia's first toy. He's perfect for the job... just the right size to both fit in a suitcase or be carried by a baby, very soft and fluffy, sits up by himself and oh so huggable. Of course it had to be a penguin. Are you kidding me?

I was told by an experienced mom, Amy from Ruby In Her Own Time, (but sorry... they're password protected now) to have multiples and to rotate them. If you keep an extra in case the original gets lost, it doesn't work. Cuz you can't give your kid a brand new one when she knows all the spots and stains and wear marks on her favorite. She won't be fooled. So rotate them around so they all wear evenly. Of course, you have to be sneaky about it. Slip it out from under her arm at naptime or maybe try the "Hey what's that over there?" and pull a switcheroo when she looks away. And never let on that there is actually more than one.

Percy #4 went to Massachusetts to live with Ruby on her 2nd birthday. So now there is only Percy #1 thru 3 sitting on that shelf patiently waiting for Mia. And they said they'll wait as long as it takes.

PS. Thanks for all the advice. I'll be purchasing the hot pink 4GB Ipod for myself as a birthday present next month. I'm making myself wait cuz I spent a bit too much money in January. I found some Pottery Barn baskets on sale that I was planning to buy for a bookcase that will be in Mia's room. Since they were on sale I went ahead and got them now even though I don't plan to start that project until March. I'm re-doing my bedroom in February and found a chair and trunk on sale at Pier-One so I bought that, too. This was all money that was budgeted for these projects but I just bought them early since they were on sale. Hey, I saved a bunch of money that way! I love being a savvy shopper! Happy Friday my friends!

Should I?

I must admit that sadly I'm not very technologically advanced. Thank goodness for Connie's computer genius or else I might not even have a blog. Yep... she designed my template. I told her what I wanted and she made it happen. And whenever my computer gets janked up, I put in an emergency call. (Thanks girlfriend!)

Anyway, I think I may be the only person on the planet who doesn't have one of these I-Pod thingies. I've been tossing the idea around. It'd be nice to have for my walks and for the gym (uh yeah... when I go back to that place, I mean). It'd be a way to entertain myself on that long plane ride to China, too. I'd just get one that plays music. I can't see myself every needing to watch a movie so bad that I'd be willing to stare at a 2 inch screen to do it. But then I have to decide the size, right? How many songs I want it to hold. My birthday is next month so maybe this will be my present to me. And I'd have to get the hot pink one....of course!

So what do you guys think? For those that own one, is it worth it? Any opinions or advice I need to know before I whip out the credit card? Do you think it'd be wise to buy one on E-bay? Can ya help a mechanically deficient sista out here?

Happy Birthday Carla!

My sister and I are opposites in a lot of ways. I'm 5'8 and she's 5'2. She's a redhead and I'm not. She wears glasses, me 20/20. She got married young and had 4 kids. I got married at 27, divorced at 29 and am still waiting on my first kid. She's a crunchy, very liberal, Democratic pseudo-hippie type. (Said with all the love in the world sis. LOL!) I'm just a bit more conservative in my views. In spite of our differences, she is my best friend. I'm sure there are still days when we drive each other crazy but all in all I can't imagine life without her. Carla has 4 children whom I adore and speak of frequently here. Check out their adventures at her blog The Tales of the T's.

We'd always planned for her to be in the delivery room when I gave birth. But since my path took me down a different road to motherhood, our plan is for her to accompany me to China so that she can still share this experience with me. There's no one I want there more. In a perfect world, my other best friend, Lisa, will get to go too. That would be like winning the lottery for me to have both of them there to share this great travel adventure with. And for them to witness that moment when Mia is finally placed in my arms. Sigh....

I hope you have a great day sis... even though you have to work. Happy Birthday & I love you!

It's Over....

And I can finally have my life back! The preparations for the big fish fry last night has consumed all of my time for the last several weeks. Those of you who read regularly will remember that we planned this in order to raise money for one of my fellow police officers whose 9 yr old daughter had to have a bone marrow transplant. She is doing well and they are hopeful that she will make a full recovery. But the officer's wife had to leave her job to care full time for their daughter which will create quite a financial strain for the family. The community was so generous. Not only did they come out to support us last night but their giving spirit was amazing. Almost all of our food was donated except for the fish and sausage which was still at a discounted price. This is the hallway where our raffles and silent auction were set up. We had so many really nice items donated. Everything from autographed sports memorabilia, food and shopping gift certificates, jewelry, amusement park tickets, airline tickets, a bike, expensive lotions, perfume and cosmetic baskets, leather coats.... everything. You name it, we had it. The raffle stretched from one end of the hallway to the other.
These were the before shots when we were still setting up that afternoon. Look at all that stuff!
I'm curious to find out our numbers when they're all counted up but I bet there were at least 500 people there. It was a packed house. That hallway was so congested that people were elbow to elbow. Here's a shot of the cafeteria once things got rolling.
Here's a pic of the gym completely empty before we got started.
Now look at it. There were people all over this place. In the gym, cafeteria, up and down the hallways. Everyone had a great time. Many people told us that this was the biggest and best fish fry they'd ever been to.
I was in charge of a liquor raffle. I affectionately refered to these girls as my liquor b!tches. These are actually my best friend Lisa and my other good friend TT. We worked as a team and walked through the crowd raffling off a bottle of liquor. I held up the bottle and yelled over the crowd to get people's attention, while TT handed over the buyer's raffle tickets and Lisa collected their money. I've done this for Lisa before at her church's annual fish fry and it was always a great money maker. But it only took one of us. We decided after about the first 30 seconds of selling that we needed to team up because there were just so many people and it would've taken all night to get through the crowd doing it alone. As it was with our assembly line technique it still took us nearly an hour to get through the whole place with each bottle.
We did 5 bottles throughout the night. We made almost $500 bucks. You can tell by our shiny, sweaty faces that it was a hot and exhausting job. My voice was just about gone at the end of the night. We even had a band! This pic below is the "Cop'rz". They're a group of police officers who play the DARE concerts for kids in schools and other community relations events. This is a pic of them drawing a raffle winner.
The night was a ton of work but in the end was a great success. Both the officer and his wife along with some of their extended family were able to come out and join us for awhile which was nice. They were very touched by everything that we did. And there wasn't a dry eye in the house when the grandma got up and spoke to thank everyone. She was the only one composed enough to speak but then she got choked up too and couldn't finish. That moment made all this work so very worth it. Our profit from the night was just over $19,000!!! And that doesn't include our pre-sale ticket profit and all the private donations that came in these last couple of months. We sold 655 pre-sale tickets!! I wonder how many people we had walk in at the door. I can't wait to see what our attendance numbers are. I'm very excited to see just how much we're able to give the family after our expenses are figured and we total everything up. We did a good thing! And that makes all the bumps in the road, the stress, the fights, the hard work, exhaustion, lost voice and aching feet so very very very worth it.

Tonight's The Big Night!

Sorry I've been absent. Just been crazy busy. Remind me to never volunteer for something like this again. I think I've found new levels of just how high a person's stress can go. Tonight's the big night. The fish has been delivered, the beer will be there this afternoon, we're going over to start set up in a couple of hours. Let's hope we can pull this off. We're expecting a huge crowd. Which means we'll be packed in like sardines. It'll be hot and loud. All of the things I detest. But I keep reminding myself that it's for a good cause. Every time I've been near to punching someone's lights out... I just remind myself of that. Tomorrow it will be over. Wish me luck!

7 Months!

Happy 7 Month LID-versary to me! They should give all of us waiting parents an award for patience.

As of today my dossier has been logged in for 7 whole months! No one except the CCAA knows how long I'll have to wait to meet my daughter. Well, at least I'm 7 months closer to my girl, right? And every day that passes is another step in the right direction. I'll wait as long as it takes. But I won't always be happy about it. :)

Thanks Secret Pal!

This definitely put a smile on my face after a bad couple of days. The apple-tini and jammie time last night helped too. My June06 DTC Secret Pal sends good stuff every month but so far this is my favorite! I love this little ladybug lunch sack. When I saw that it had Mia's name embroidered on it, I got a little teary. I tried to use it for my lunch (cuz I brown bag to work most days) but my food wouldn't all fit.....bummer. So it'll wait for Mia to use someday. My favorite color is pink so of course I loved the beautiful sweater and socks. I can only imagine how precious my girl will look in it. The pink pig bath mitt was very special since our daughters will most likely be born in 2007 which will be the "Year of the Pig". The pink stuffed little girl is cute, too. Me LOVES all of it!!

Thanks again SP for your thoughtfulness. I love getting these packages in the mail every month. It helps make this long wait easier. I also like choosing the gifts for my own SP that I send to every month. It's a fun part of this great group. It'll be so awesome to see my fellow June Bugs getting their referrals and bringing home their daughters when the time comes. And I'm sure I'll end up in China at the same time as some of them. This group is such a good way to get to know people all over the world that share this special connection. I'm so glad I joined. And I can't wait to see who you are in the end of all this, my Secret Pal.

Triple Shot Apple-tini .... mmmmm

It's been another one of those days. I'll be glad when this whole fish fry business is over and my life returns to normal. Otherwise I'm gonna need a straightjacket soon. I can't even discuss what happened today with TPBIC but let's just say it was a good thing we were on the phone with each other and not in the same room. Cuz it was ugly. Very. Time for a drink and a cooling off period.

*Updated to answer the question of the baby. She delivered a healthy baby boy on Saturday.

Connie Tagged Me

Isn't it funny that we as mature, intelligent, educated adults still play these little high school games? Yeah... okay so they're fun. Here's my ABC's.

A - available or taken: Available... technically. But I'm with Connie on this one. At the moment, I'm not interested and not looking. I've got more important things to focus on. But I don't mind a little company now and then (wink wink) .... and then he can leave. Hey, a girl has needs.

B- best friend: I have to count my sister, Carla, and my bestest bud, Lisa.

C- cake or pie: Cake with buttercream icing...mmmm.

D- drink of choice: If we're talking the alcoholic variety then margaritas. Although I've been experimenting with martinis lately. Apple-tinis, raspberry-tinis and cosmopolitans.

E-essential item you use everyday: The toilet. :)

F-favorite color: Pink. And green but only if it's paired with the pink. LOL!

G-gummy bears or worms: If I had to choose... then worms but neither are my cup o'tea.

H-hometown: Well since it says it here in more than one place already... Dayton, Ohio.

I-indulgence: Cheesecake.

J-January or February: February it's my birthday!

K-kid's names: She will be Mia Renee (chinese name) when she gets here.

L-life incomplete without: As sappy as it sounds... my daughter. And the other important people in my life.

M-marriage date: May 31,1999. The day I found out he was cheating Dec 10, 1999. The day my divorce was final May 2, 2001. Yeah... he was a bastard.

N-number of siblings: 1 younger sis and 1 younger bro plus a half-bro & half-sis from my father's second marriage.

O-oranges or apples: Both.

P-phobias or fears: Not too fond of heights. Even bungee jumping didn't cure it.

Q-favorite quote: "Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul instead of waiting for someone else to bring you flowers." My single woman's motto....

R-reason to smile: Because my daughter is finally on her way. I just have to be patient.

S-season: I love the Fall. Pumpkins, hayrides, apple cider, Halloween, the leaves changing. Love all of it!

T-tag 4 people: I'll tag my sis, Carla. Any other 3 people who want to do it ...feel free to help yourelf to a tag.

U-unknown fact about me: I had braces when I was 24. Now I wear a retainer at night when I sleep..... alone.

V-veggie I don't like: Brussel Sprouts. Blech!

W-worst habit: I'm always running late. Always.

X-xrays: I was scanned every 12 hours or so when I spent 16 days in ICU. I'm pretty much radioactive.

Y-your favorite food: All of it.... hence the need for the new year's resolution diet.

Z-zodiac: Aquarius

GO BUCKS!!

* Update : We lost... and I don't wanna talk about it.

Just a little stressed...

Last night I came home from work and had a triple shot apple-tini for dinner cuz this pic pretty much sums up how my week went. And probably how it'll continue to be until January 21st. I mentioned a very time-consuming project in my last post so I'll explain.

There is a police officer that I work with whose 9 yr old daughter had to have a bone marrow transplant. Her 4 yr old sister was the donor. She's doing very well so far with the treatment and was even allowed to come home from the hospital much earlier than expected. She's lost all of her hair from the chemo and because of her weakened immune system she's not allowed to leave the house. Her family members have to wear masks around her. She has to travel about an hour away to the children's hospital for follow up treatments 2 to 3 times a week. She's not completely out of the woods yet. Her body has 100 days to reject the donor and she is about halfway through. But she is doing well considering. His wife had to leave her job to care for their daughter and he has since returned to work after exhausting all of his paid leave. His wife may be off work for as long as a year while they get their daughter well again. You can imagine the financial burden on the family to be reduced to one income when you need two. They also have two other children. So an idea was hatched to have a fish fry to raise money for the family.

I agreed to help with this project. I told the person who came up with the idea and got the ball rolling to put my name down for whatever she needed help with. Well, no one signed up for the "Donations Committee" except for one other officer's wife... and she didn't even know it. He had put her name down without consulting her first. Nice. So I agreed to do that even though I'd not planned to take on something so big that I have no experience with. But ya gotta have donations or there's no money to do this thing, right? So it's been a little stressful especially trying to handle all of this over the holidays.

Why am I about to pull my hair out? I'll tell you. I can't get into a lot of detail cuz I know that some of my co-workers read this. But let's just say the person who is basically in charge (who will now be referred to as TPBIC) and I are butting heads. At first, even though she said she assigned committees because she couldn't do everything herself, she wouldn't relinquish control and trust everyone to do their job. I understand accountability but if you want me to do this... then let me do it. Second, let's talk about accountability. About 2 1/2 weeks before the fish fry, I call TPBIC to ask about food donations. I've only been getting cash and items for auctions and raffles so far. Someone thinks they may be able to get some food donated so who should I direct this person to. She gives me the name of the guy in charge of the kitchen. I call him and he tells me "I'm not in CHARGE of the kitchen I just told her I'd help out." So I panic a little. The person who is supposedly running this thing doesn't even know what is going on with our food? Do we have food? WTF is going on?! That problem gets solved. Let's move on to the next.

During our meeting last night, the guy who we've now determined is in charge of the kitchen... the experienced guy who has done this many times before at the venue we've chosen.... stands up and tells the rest of us inexperienced folks in no uncertain terms that this has the potential to be a disaster. Because we have a completely unrealistic idea of how many people we can do this for. He tells us to scale this back. There were 1000 tickets printed and being sold for this and he tells us that 600 pre-sale would still be a pretty packed house. So what does TPBIC say not 5 minutes later "The parish has said that we can use their big lighted neon sign out in front to advertise it and draw more people in." What!? Are you not listening?! We possibly already have too many people as it is.

So let's move on to the next disaster. All the permits we need that TPBIC was told weeks ago to start working on have not been done. The fish fry is in 2 weeks! Some other experienced people come up with a potential solution. That's still trying to be worked out and I will know more on Monday.

Oh and did I mention that TPBIC is giving birth today? Yep, she went in at 6am this morning to be induced. Yet, she thinks she will still somehow have time over the next 2 weeks to do all the things she refuses to except help with. And she has 3 other children at home including a 16 mth old. Everyone else involved in this project can see the reality in this but not TPBIC. I know her heart's in the right place but, unfortunately, her head is not which is causing a lot of stress for the rest of us trying to pull this together.

These are just a few of the issues that are going on with this project. I can't wait until it's over. Between trying to handle my real job and all of this, I've been so busy I haven't even gotten to eat lunch for the last 3 days. But I'll put my effort in to make this a success out of compassion for the family. I've been there. I've been sick and I've been through a very difficult recovery. I can't imagine having to go through that with my child. I've recovered and I want to pay it back in a way, I guess. So I'm hoping and praying that we can pull this off and make it a success for their family's sake. So I'll suck up my stress for the next couple of weeks because I know it can not possibly even compare to theirs.

So please say a little prayer for the family and their beautiful little 9 yr old who is struggling right now. And understand that I may not have the energy to post a lot until this thing is over. Alright, time to get up and go start getting all the Christmas decorations put away. Not looking forward to that either and I've procrastinated it long enough. Thanks for the vent.

Thanks Guys

My Philly friend figured out that she has to go to City Hall to get her local police clearance. So problem solved. Thanks for all your comments and advice. It's nice to know that there is help out here if we need it.

Nothing much to blog about. Sorry but my life is boring this week. I'm a little tired. Worked my second job last night which makes for a twelve and a half hour work day. Yucko! But it's help paying for the adoption so it's worth it. I've also taken on another very time consuming project which I'll maybe blog about this weekend. Just don't have the energy tonight.

But I did start my new year's resolution "I'm going to make it up the Great Wall!" diet this week so feeling pretty good about that. So far no problems or challenges. I've walked twice this week with Griffey. He's on a diet, too. He weighs 16 lbs which is big for a Pomeranian. Too big. So we're both trying to make some positive changes this year.

And congratulations to all the families that have received their referrals yesterday.!! There are many new beautiful babies who now have families. Click here and scroll down to the Jan 3rd post to see some of them. All LID's through September 27th, 2005 have now been matched. This means the wait is still around fifteen to sixteen months. Which is actually good news in a way. If they stay referring at this rate, I'll have Mia home before Christmas. This is my big dream. I'm not giving up hope yet.

Yawn. G'nite.......

Any Philadelphians in the House?

Okay loyal readers I'm counting on you for some help here. :)

I've got a friend who is frantically paperchasing in Philadelphia. She's a single mom trying to beat the new CCAA regulations. She has some questions about how to get a local police clearance letter. She has a "state" police clearance already because she was originally paperchasing for Vietnam and that is their requirement. But her agency said that one is not good enough and she also needs "local" clearance. She called the Philly Police and the guy on the other end of the phone was perplexed and had no idea what she was talking about. She's also a little confused about some of the certifications. Apparently, the China contact at her agency speaks English as a second language and they're having some communication issues.

Anybody in Philly can help? E-mail me please. There's a link in my sidebar.

Happy New Year 2007!!

I'm feeling hopeful about the new year. Optimistic. Refreshed. I'm excited. I feel full of potential to move forward and make some positive changes in my life. Some of which are way overdue.

• One of which is to have Mia home within the next 365 days. I realize that this is completely out of my control but I have faith. Please let it be so.
• I'm going to get healthy this year!! Once and for all. No more yo yo-ing up and down with the weight. I'm gonna get strong and fit so I can feel good. I want to be the best mom that I can which means taking care of myself, too. And I'm gonna make it up the Great Wall dammit!
• I'm going to get my house in order. Get all the little things done that need to be done. Especially Mia's nursery! I can't wait to see that finished. At the rate you're going Connie, you should run out of projects soon. Maybe you can take a drive north and help a sista out!
• I'm going to work my arse off to get as much of this adoption debt behind me. I'd like to start out my new life as a mom without all of that hanging over my head.
• I'm going to make more of an effort with my friends. I'm starting to recognize that I've been isolating myself a lot here lately. I'm going to make more time and be a better friend this year.
• I'm going to start a journal just to jot down a short note about what I've done every day and anything that I feel may be important at the time. I want to be able to look back and see what I was doing on the day that Mia was born and found. I hope I haven't procrastinated so much that I've already missed it.
• I'm going to be spontaneous and have fun! This is my last year to be crazy and reckless. I'm gonna have to be a responsible adult soon.

I hope that you can all keep whatever new year resolutions you make for yourselves. I pray that 2007 will bring many positive changes for all of us. Especially those of us waiting for our babies. I never imagined that this silly, little blogging hobby would have such an impact on my life but it has. I'm constantly amazed at the connections I make and the support shown. I've made some new friendships that I know will last a lifetime. And I'm grateful for that. So to all of my bloggy buddies, real life friends and family, and strangers who just happen to find my life interesting.... I hope you continue to follow my crazy adventures as I travel this path to my daughter, Mia.

Happy New Year! 2007 is gonna be awesome!