Happy Thanksgiving

We had a really good Thanksgiving. My Baby Brother was home from school the last 3 days so he and K enjoyed some quality time. It was again another heart wrenching good-bye between them when it was time for him to leave for Grad school today. We were also amazed when K's Great-Grandma and YeYe showed up. He was released from the hospital on Tuesday and got the go ahead from all the doctors that he could travel. I just want to Thank everyone for their prayers because I really believe they helped. They have concluded that it wasn't a stroke (Thank you Lord!) but a very severe virus that attacked his central nervous system which cut off oxygen to his brain. This is actually a virus that is making it's rounds but is affecting everyone totally different. I do know the 2 most common signs is that you will have a severe headache and are super nauseated and beyond that is when everything is different. I'm pretty sure the same virus that attacked him, attacked me last week just I wasn't only nauseated but sick, heck my stomach and shoulder muscles still hurt.

Otherwise I'm disappointed by the Black Friday Ads. I really was expecting some great deals, I mean don't get me wrong, they are pretty good but I expected spectacular since the economy sucks. But honestly I'm done with my Christmas shopping except maybe a few very little things for stockings. I actually finished my shopping Wednesday night by buying my last gift for my bosses Daughter. K decided that she would love this gift and so that is what we got her. Lucky for me it was in the Toys R Us ad at half off the regular price plus with the extra discount I got, I paid hardly nothing. I mean it's the thought that counts anyway. So Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

A Few Prayers Please

K's YeYe (aka my Grandpa or K's Great-Grandpa) had a stroke on Thursday. Please keep him and my Grandma in your prayers that he will continue to get better and that she will keep up her strength.

Another Upward Swing

Wow, things here are really starting to turn around. I was suppose to have a Hearing today about my unemployment. The company who layed me off was being real jerks. They fought my initial claim and after I won that one, they filed their appeal which was being held today. The appeal was suppose to start at 9a and around 910a I got a call from the Judge who said that she hadn't heard from the company and she was giving them 5 more minutes and if she didn't hear from them she was denying their claim and dropping the appeal. Well it's now almost 1030a, I emailed the Judge and am waiting a response back to make sure I can go about my day but if they haven't called by now, I'm pretty sure she's dismissed their appeal. Whoo Hoo, Little Guys 1, Big Bad Company 0!

A Typical Tuesday NOT!

Well lets see, I got a second job, it's seasonal but at least it's some extra money. My other job is going well, it's only part time but it's steady work and I really enjoy it. Plus eventually I'll get to work at home 90% of the time. I mean how awesome is that. The deal originally was that I was going to be able to go full time in January as long as we got this bigger contract we were expecting, well last week we found out that they were only giving us half of what we expected. But my boss talked to me on Monday and said if I want too, she still wants to take me full time in January. So it was a happy but scary moment since this company is not even 3 months old yet and of course with the economy, it's a leap of faith that I'm going to take because my life had been in a downward spiral and finally except for the few things going on with my little C's adoption from China, our lives are starting on an upward swing. I truly have to believe that things are just going to get better from this day forward because somehow no matter how hard we have fallen in the past, we have always dusted ourselves off and survived.

Now the most amazing thing that happened today. My very Best and Closest Friend who I've know for 7 years now, never met face to face, emailed each other almost daily, who is K's Godmother and we talk about things that we talk with no one else about because there is no sense of judgement or fear that we would gossip behind each other's back because we live so far away. We talked today on the phone for the first time. How weird is that, to know someone for 7 years but never really heard their voice or their laugh (unless it was in the background of a video we sent each other of our kids). K also got to talk to her on the phone, she was going to sing her Happy Birthday but had other thoughts and then decided to hardly talk to her. Which is typical K, she has to be in the mood to talk on the phone. Our conversation was really about nothing, the weather, her kids birthday parties, things about K and just random thoughts that came to mind. But more than anything, it was so nice to finally be able to make the more human connection opposed to the intimate connection that we have with our words. I know today's call won't be the last especially because I want K to be able to have a strong connection with her Godmother. So a big Happy Birthday to K's Godmother and most of all to my Friend.

Prayers, School and This and Thats

Well today I spent over 3 1/2 hours in traffic and then had to sit through the class my new boss sent me too. It was actually a pretty easy class or at least it was while I was in the classroom. But who knows, it maybe a whole different world once I have to use what I learned in a real world setting. I also have another class next Thursday which I'm looking forward too. What I'm not looking forward to is that this class even without traffic is over 2 hrs away, across the river and out in the middle of nowwhere. I ended up not having lunch because there is no fast food or even resturants anywhere near this place because it's smack dab in the middle of the rich and famous neighborhood where all the professional baseball, football and hockey players, rap stars (I know of at least 2 that live there) and countless other rich people. I guess having a MickeyD's down the street from them would hurt their property value or something. So I guess I'll have to remember to bring myself some food next Thursday so I don't starve.

Otherwise K in the last few weeks has really been expressing her feelings. I hear sentences like "I miss __" "I'm sad because ___" or "I'm happy Mommy because ___". What breaks your heart is when she says that she is sad because she puckers out that lower lip and gets those big puppy dog eyes and it just breaks your heart. She told me yesterday this I'm sad Mommy and when I asked her why? she said because my baby sister is still in China. It took everything I had to hold it together especially with everything that has happened since Wednesday concerning my adoption from China.

So this is where the prayers come in, I get a letter from my Social worker that came directly from the head of Children & Family Services. It says that because my homestudy is 13 months old, that I must get a new one by December 15th. Ok, I'm thinking I've paid my damn homestudy agency enough over the last 4 years it shouldn't cost me anything or at least very, very little. Well they want to charge me over $2300.00 to update. This is the part that pisses me off is if I don't get this update by December 15th that they will close my file from China and I will NEVER be allowed to adopt from there if I live in this State. Actually let me put this more clearly is that I can still travel to China, adopt my little girl but I won't be able to come home because the State I live in requires that they give their approval before INS is allowed to give their approval. So basically I'll be able to adopt from China but never bring her home. What kind of crap is that?? What sucks is if my agency was in the same state I was in or even if I lived in a different state I wouldn't be going through this. My states regulations suck. I told my Mom after the year we have had I don't know how we will come up with that kind of money in such a short amount of time. I also said if I have to, I will move to another state so I can get a new homestudy and INS approval because I have not went through the hell I did with my agency fighting tooth and nail to even get my paperwork sent over to China and Logged in to not be able to bring home my future daughter and K's future baby sister. I have dreamed about my daughter from China for over 15 years and you can bet there is nothing going to stop me from bringing her home. So I'm not one to ask for a hand out because I've always done everything on my own and have always survived no matter what so this is hard for me to say I added a "ChipIn" to my sidebar in hopes that I can raise enough money to get the updated homestudy, otherwise if I don't raise enough money in time, it will be used to help me move to another state so I will be able to continue my adoption, drastic yes but if it has to come to that, then as I said I will do anything to bring my daughter home.

Election, We Won and Catching Up

Since Sunday, I have felt just exhausted. Not sure if I'm trying to come down with something, which may or may not have been caught from my boss's daughter. But that's ok, I love that little girl anyway and as long as K doesn't get sick, then were good.

I am so super excited that we won the Chicco Trevi Twin Stroller!!! YAH!! I stayed up until the polls ended to see who won since the race was so close. K would be in the lead one moment and then losing the next. It was nerve wracking. But I really have to thank all our family, friends, friends of friends, all my military buddies that I made while living in Germany, our blog friends, our yahoo groups we belong too and of course my Baby Brother's college campus buddies, graduate school buddies and Fraternity for helping K pull off her victory. This stroller has been on my wish list for so long and never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would own one since this would have been a luxury purchase. And we just don't have the extra money for that kind of purchase.

Otherwise someone has been stealing our firewood! Wonder whoo? Of course its my evil next door neighbors. I guess they think I'm stupid or something and I wouldn't have noticed all the knocked down weeds and tree branches leading to my wood pile. And the large V shape of wood taken from my nicely stacked even wood pile. So we have spent the last 2 days moving all of it up next to the house since that is our heating fuel. And you know I probably wouldn't have been so bent out of shape about it, if they didn't have piles and piles of wood of their own. Plus if I thought they were poor and freezing (which right now it's in the 80's), I wouldn't be so angry but heck they just bought a brand new boat, brand new dune buggy, plus they just spent over $7000 on a swingset for their kids, they sure aren't hurting. So it's a real shame they have to steal from people who are struggling.

So onto pictures which is why everyone is here, not to listen to my ramblings

This is K on Monday picking up pine cones to burn this winter

K with her Election Hairbows, so she could wear all of them I made her, she had 3 pigtails. Of course since we didn't want to show any partisan favoritism, I made a Republican, Democrat and Vote bottlecap center. And of course Kitty Cat had to have a bow too. Also my Mom took this picture this morning after I was already at work? Wonder what it is??? K sneezed her oatmeal all over her mirror this morning.

And here are a few pictures that I took before dinner tonight, it was so warm and beautiful outside. I was suppose to be working since I have a deadline for tomorrow on a big project but decided it could wait....guess I should be working on it instead of blogging right now.

Please Vote for K

K is a finalist in a Halloween Photo Contest and we need your vote. So please follow the link and go vote for my Little Bo Peep http://www.goodhappenings.com/?page_id=487

Remember Voting ends November 4th, ELECTION DAY :)