Out Of Review!

I'm a few days late in reporting this. Most of bloggerville is already aware seeing as how my e-mail blew up the night the box changed on the CCAA website. So thanks to all of you who sent congratulation wishes for me. I shed a few tears of relief that night.

But for my family and friends who may not understand, let me explain. This is a big step in the adoption process. My dossier has been sitting on a shelf in China since it was logged in on June 14, 2006. Just sitting there collecting dust. My agency reviewed it themselves before it was sent. They were confident that it said what the CCAA wanted it to say. But you really just never know with them.....

So prospective adoptive parents (or PAP's for short....and no, I don't mean the kind that require stirrups or Connie) sweat it out waiting for our dossiers to make it through the Review Room, which is where the dossier goes after they pull it from the shelf and dust it off a little.

The Review Room is where they go over it with a fine tooth comb. Making sure every "t" is crossed and every "i" is dotted. If there's a problem with something or the CCAA has a question, this is where it comes to light. Then you get pulled until the problem is fixed. Which can delay the process even longer. Because the CCAA doesn't necessarily put you back in the spot you were at in line. They may just stuff you in wherever they happen to be whenever you resolve the problem, which is by now further back in the line. This is not good news to PAP's who've already been waiting a long time just to get to this step. And who'll probably wait at least twice as long for a referral as we were told by our agencies when we started this process. Yep...the wait really sucks. But what can ya do, right?

So the good news for me is that I'm out of review with no questions!! Woo Hoo! Which means that China must think I'm okay after all. Thank goodness they reviewed me before that Blogger Bash video went up. I don't think the jello shot pics were ones I would've chosen for my dossier. LOL! It's such a huge relief to not have this hanging over my head anymore. The adoption is starting to feel real for me again. Like maybe China really will give me a kid at the end of all this.

Bodacious Blogger Bash '07

Here it is. What you've been waiting for. Enjoy a bit of our amazing weekend thanks to the creativity of our own Mrs Florida. Oh and the blow up doll... well that's Colleen who was there in spirit. She couldn't make it. But she had a good excuse seeing as how she was on her way home from China with her beautiful new daughter, Hannah.

I love my homegirls! And I miss them sooooo much...... but I know you guys are sick of hearing that.

Wow! What a weekend....

How do you sum up such an incredible time? I had the most fun I've had in a good long while. (And that was even without the margaritas. LOL!) There are similarities and differences amongst us all. But the one very strong common bond is our adoptions of Chinese daughters. I never could've imagined that my daughter would lead me to so many wonderful things in my life even before she was here. I'm forever grateful to her for that. And so thankful that I was lead down this path to her in the first place. My heart is so full.

I've never ever felt more at home with anyone as I did with this group of women. I've never been in an environment more open, loving and understanding. It's so hard to explain unless you were there to feel it. There was no drama, no catfights, no jealousy. That's hard to achieve with any group of women period. But when there are so many in a house together for several days.... Let's just be honest here, ladies. You know what I'm talking about. I've spent long weekends with large groups of girlfriends many times and before the end there is always something. There was none of that here.

Many of us are very different in our personalities, backgrounds, religions, etc. But there was just this wonderful sense of being allowed to be whoever you are with no judgement. I have never felt more comfortable and accepted. Ever. It sounds so mushy and sappy but it's all true. The weekend was magical. It really was.

There was laughter and tears. Serious, let your guard down and open yourself up to feeling vulnerable kind of talks. And raunchy, hilarious conversations too. Shared hopes and dreams. Similar experiences of pain and heart break. Everything was on the table at one point or another. No topic was off limits. But it was all okay. There was always someone to say "me too". And just this amazing sense of complete understanding. Even if we didn't share the same point of view, there was no judgement, no argument, no trying to convince the other person that you were right. Just loving acceptance. Pure and simple. The experience was amazing. I'm so glad I was allowed to be a part of it.

The trip was absolutely perfect. Just one big slumber party. Staying up late. Sitting around in our jammies sans make-up with bed heads drinking coffee every morning. No schedule. No activities planned. Just relaxation. All we did was hang out all weekend but there was never one second of boredom because we were together. And it was the most fun!

I have more to say about each of these amazing, beautiful women but it'll have to wait for another day. And stay tuned for the video that our sweet Tracy is putting together. For now, I'll share a new pic. You may have seen the one floating around of the whole group. So as to not bore you with it again, here's another. This one is the slumber party crew that spent all weekend together. The local gals were only able to join us for the afternoon on Saturday so they're not in this one.

I miss my girls.

So Worth It!

Cooler full of jello shots = about $25

The biggest bottle of tequila in the store = $37

Two tanks of gas to Georgia & back = $100

The BEST bloggy babe bash

in the history of womankind =

PRICELESS!

I miss my homegirls already.

Stay tuned. More later. I need sleep

Georgia On My Mind....

See ya on the flip side peeps! Be back on Monday....

if I survive the girls weekend.

Planes, Trains, & Automobiles

Within the next 3 months I'll be spending some time in each of these contraptions while I travel the world. Okay... maybe just travel around North America a little bit. I've decided to spend some money, burn up that use-it-before-the-end-of-the-year-or-lose-it vacation time, and have some fun! So I'm taking a few trips.

The first one is coming up in a couple of days. Me and my pal, Connie, are taking a road trip down south to visit some of the coolest blogger babes in the world. Who might that be? I guess you'll have to stay tuned to find out. I'm sure there'll be blogs lighting up from Canada to Mexico reporting the craziness that is sure to occur. It'll be the biggest, baddest, most bodacious, bloggy babe bash evah! There are blogger babes all over the country (and even one in Canada) packing their bags as I speak heading to party central for the weekend. I can not even begin to tell you how excited I am!! Only 2 more sleeps!

The second one is in September. I'll be spending a week laying on a beach in Mexico at an all inclusive resort. ALL inclusive. As in alcohol too. Woo hoo! I'm going with 2 other single mom friends (from our Single Adoptive Moms Group), their toddler daughters, and one grandma. You have no idea how much I need to do this. There are many margaritas waiting for me there. And maybe a really hot cabana boy.....

The third is scheduled for October. My BFF and I are heading to NYC for a long weekend. She's celebrating a very important decade birthday. (Not 20 or 30. But rhymes with the name Morty. LOL!) I love NYC! It's one of my favorite destinations. We plan on taking in the sights, catching a show, doing a little shoppy, and just re-connecting with each other. We haven't had a lot of time lately with our busy lives to just hang out together. So we get to devote several days to total and complete chick bonding with no interruptions. There's nothing better than girlfriends!

I'm really looking forward to all of this travel. I haven't taken a real vacation in a few years. I decided I need to get some of this out of my system before I have to settle down and be somebody's mom. And I decided to stop making excuses about why it should wait.

No more "I don't want to burn up my vacation days". Cuz truth is, I'm maxed out on carry over days and have to get rid of some.

No more "I don't want to spend the money". Cuz I worked my ass off for it! And I've got another year+ to pay off the second half of the adoption debt. I was responsible enough to pay off half already. So I'm taking a little break and spending some on ME!

No more "I can't wear a bathing suit until I lose some weight". Cuz lord knows I've been dragging my feet on this one so how much more time will I waste? Didn't I learn that time is not guaranteed? I need to get out there and enjoy life and all it has to offer...even if my ass is bigger than I'd prefer. Who really cares anyway? Nobody's worried about this but me so Let.It.Go.Krista.

Plus I freakin' deserve it!! So off I go to see the world...........
or at least just a little bit of it.

Another one...

Almost forgot. Happy 13 months to me! Let's hope I'm halfway there. Or more.

When I go back and read my archives from the early days and see my way off base hopes for how long I'd wait.....well, it just makes me laugh now. But here it is. Another month down. And I'll just keep plugging along until I reach the finish line. Whenever that may be.

Happy weekend all!

I've Been Zumba'd

So have you guys heard of this new fitness craze that's sweeping the nation? It's called Zumba. It's kind of like an aerobics class but the focus is on dancing. It's a mixture of latin dance, salsa, merengue', samba, hip hop, belly dancing and whatever else thrown in for good measure.

My former workout partner and I quit the gym right about the same time. It's been awhile ago. She had good reason. She got pregnant. Me? Well, I just got lazy. But since I finally hired someone else to split the hours at my second job, I now have 3 free evenings a week. So workout partner convinced me that it was time to drag my lazy arse back to the gym. She went on and on about this Zumba thing. Oh yeah... and her kid is now about 8 months old. So that tells you how long it's been since I hit the gym, right?

I was a little apprehensive at first. I've gained some weight. I'm way out of shape compared to where I was then. And I was totally convinced that I'd look like an idiot in this class. Well, the great thing is that most of the people in the class look like idiots! But nobody cares cuz we're all having so much fun!! If you like to dance, you have to try it. I didn't say you had to be able to dance well....but just be willing to attempt it.

This class will kick your ass! But it's so much fun you don't realize how hard you're working and before you know it, the hour is over. And it'll work you. We're all dripping with sweat when we leave. Even the cute little Barbie doll chicks who workout everyday are sweating their fake boobies off by the end of class.

I love it! I'm completely hooked. And it's working because the scale is finally moving in the right direction again. So go Zumba! I highly recommend it.

Blogger sucks this weekend. It refuses to let me title this post. I've seen others having this problem. But then some are not. I guess I'm getting picked on for some unknown reason. This doesn't really have a good title anyway cuz it's just a bunch of randomness. So there, Blogger. Take that!

I cleaned out the flower beds and trimmed the giant bush in front of my house last weekend. (I said in front of the house... get your mind out of the gutter.) Apparently, I was not careful enough and now have full blown poison ivy. I have it everywhere. Even on my friggin' face. Even in places I know I didn't touch. So how does that happen? Am I just that allergic to this crap? I think I've already scratched off several layers of skin. It's miserable. Yes my life sucks right now.

Griffey took several years off my life earlier this week. I let him outside long enough to fill my water bottle. When I called him in about 30 seconds later, he was gone. No sign of him. My yard is only fenced on two sides and that's only thanks to my neighbors. But he always stays in the yard. Always. Until recently. A couple of weeks ago, I let the little girl across the street walk him. She rang my doorbell and asked if she and her two friends could have a dollar for walking him. So I said okay. He didn't want to go with them and got all confused. I guess because I'm the only one that ever walks him. I had to encourage him to go and tell him it was alright. Cuz he just planted himself and stared at me but refused to move. Well, guess what... it totally screwed him up! Now he doesn't understand what his boundaries are anymore and thinks it's okay to just go wherever he wants. This is the third time he's run since then. The other two times I found him across the rear alley on the next street over playing with some kids. This time I thought he was gone for good. I couldn't find him anywhere! I was near panic mode trying really hard not to cry. I finally tracked his direction thanks to observant people that had seen him. By the grace of God (cuz don't you know I was praying hard at that point!) I happened to ask the right woman sitting out on her porch if she'd seen a runaway Pomeranian. She said "Oh yes. I have him right here in my yard. I thought he belonged to someone since he had tags." Thank goddess she corraled him otherwise no telling how far he would've gone. He'd made it four blocks! Needless to say, he's on lockdown now. I've been investigating this electric fence stuff. I could fence across the back but I have a driveway that runs up the side of my house. So don't think I can fence that. I'd have to have some big swinging gate thing to be able to drive though it. Just don't think that would work. So the Griffster may be getting a shock collar. We'll see. Still looking at our options.

I babysat for my sister's kids on Friday night. Always an adventure. We watched a movie, had pizza and then played outside for awhile. Tatum tries so hard to be a girly girl but it's just impossible when you're surrounded by three brothers. She decided we needed a make over and pulled out her make-up case. Guess what she keeps her fingernail polish, lip gloss, glitter junk, and eye shadow in? An Incredible Hulk carrying case! Is that not hilarious?! Poor girl.

I finally tried out my new Dyson vacuum. Love it! I was pretty grossed out by the stuff it pulled out of my carpet though. But it's awesome. I got the one that has "the ball mechanism". Soooo easy to push. And much easier to empty the bin. You just push a button and the bottom flips open. All the carpet trash falls right out into the garbage can. Can I tell you again how much I love it? LOL! It was a really good investment. I highly recommend them.

Referrals are out for this month. They matched through November 14, 2005. Congratulations to all the families who are seeing their daughters (or sons) for the first time. One of my homegirls, Colleen, is in China right now! She and her husband will meet their daughter Hannah tomorrow. I'm so excited for them!

I got several wishes done yesterday. Tonight I'll cut out the fabric squares. Remember, if anyone else needs one you better hit me up now. I may not be this craft motivated again for awhile. My e-mail link is in the sidebar.

Well, that about covers the randomness. Nothing deep and thought provoking today. Not even humorous. So if you read all that you must be really bored by now. I'll try harder tomorrow.

Need A Square?

Running out the door soon to start my busy weekend. Just wanted to let anyone who may be listening out there know that I plan to work on quilt squares this weekend. I even went out and bought some more fabric and everything. Woo Hoo! I had packed that stuff away after the big swap of my DTC group. I'm finally ready to start again. More importantly, I finally have some time to do another batch.

I know some of you I've owed for quite awhile......Michelle, Robin, Traci. I haven't forgotten you. Gina, I saw your e-mail. I'll get one out for you, too. If I've forgotten anyone else that I've promised one to, please refresh my already cluttered memory.

If anyone else wants one, you better catch me now. Not sure when I'll be feeling crafty again. Just send me an e-mail. The link is in my sidebar.

Enjoy your weekend everybody!

Happy 4th of July!

God Bless America and all but I'll be so friggin' happy when the morons in my neighborhood burn through their fireworks stash. Since when is it okay to set these things off until 3am on July 1st and 2nd when decent people have to get up for work in the morning. Oh and did I mention that my dog is completely stressed out by them. So in response he barks and paces every time he hears one go off. Tonight's going to be a long night.....

Hope everyone has the day off work like I do and enjoys it! And I apologize for my snarky mood. Must be the lack of sleep. :P

Family Fun Day

Sunday was a very rare occasion when all the members of my immediate family were off work on the same day. So we took advantage of it and had a cook out at my place. It started as me begging my bro-in-law to do some handyman things around the house and evolved from there. The next thing ya know everybody was coming over and we were having a party.

Grandma and Tanner tended to the beer can chicken while the men folk handled the work. The chicks took the rest of the brood to the park that's about a block from my house. So now I will subject you to what I like to call "pics of our family fun."

This is my sister's youngest, Teagan, and my bro's girlfriend's son, Braeden. That's too complicated. Can I just say my brother's step-son even if they aren't officially married or engaged? (Yet.... cuz we know it's coming eventually.) Anyway, I digress....

These two are only 6 months apart in age. They're little buddies already.

Monkey girl, Tatum, and my sister. Monkey boy Travis. When you're too little to fit in the swing... improvise. Braeden the little red headed rooster boy. It's a hair thing. It grows like a rooster. Cute, huh?Upside down monkey girl.Right side up. Just too pretty. Notice the haircut. In her defense, she told her momma that her bangs were in her eyes. But momma didn't act fast enough so she took matters ( the scissors actually) into her own hands.Tanner getting ready to get Uncle Travis to light the firecracker his friend gave him. In addition to playing with scissors unsupervised, their parents also encourage fun with explosives.
Wait. Check out his shirt. It's quite appropriate considering the circumstances. He and his brother recently got busted for playing inside of an old vacant house with a couple of their friends. Not stealing, not damaging. Just playing. Inside an old house in which they walked into through an open door.The small town police were called by a neighbor. Apparently they take this type of behavior very seriously and long story short.... the boys had to attend a short class on how not to be a juvenile delinquent. Yeah...seriously. If this is the worst thing they ever do, I'll be happy. But the shirt is much funnier now after the story, isn't it? Yes, we all have a sick sense of humor in this family.
Kristy (this is the girlfriend my brother's going to marry someday.... no pressure though Travis) and Braeden getting a little snuggle in. Big Travis.
Lil' Travis. He's lost a few front teeth and had one on the bottom loose. Which made it difficult to eat his corn on the cob. After an attempt at biting it, he declared it hurt his tooth too much. But rejected offers to cut the corn off of the cob for him. Somehow it tastes different not on the cob?
Unfortunately, Aunt Krista didn't think to get marshmallows. I lost cool points for that. Instead, we just allowed them to play with fire. Yeah... we like to live dangerously over here.
The two best buds hugging good-bye the way only toddlers can.

Somehow I missed a pic of the brother-in-law. Must be because he spent a great deal of time inside hanging ceiling fans and replacing electrical outlets and the such. Don't worry. He already had a plan. He gave me the dates of my next babysitting duty as payback. And declared it'd be an overnighter. What?! I didn't get any shots of Grandma either. She must of done a good job of avoiding the camera. Damn. Too bad cuz she had another obnoxious tee shirt on that was worth seeing.

At one point, Griffey had a little vomiting incident in the yard. Could it have been all the food he stole from people who are low to the ground and within his reach maybe? Tatum came up on the deck where me, my mom, and sister were sitting and asked innocently "How did Griffey throw up?" Almost in unison all three of us said "Like this..." and made a gagging noise. We about peed our pants but Tatum didn't think it was funny. We assured her that she also got the smart ass gene and will put it to good use someday.

It was gorgeous weather. Good food and fun with the family. Couldn't ask for a better day!

I Need An Intervention

83%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Mingle² - Online Dating

But the first step is admitting you have a problem, right? Well, I wouldn't really call blogging a problem. I mean, all my friends do it too and they're okay. It's not that bad really. It's not like it's at 100% or anything. I can stop anytime I want. If I wanted to stop, that is. But since it's not even a problem.....