My Dream World

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2010-06-02T11:37:00.001-05:00

Change is in the air. I'm not sure how it will affect us, but I know it's coming. Praying it's not as hard as I think it will be.

Remembering

2010-05-28T08:06:00.002-05:00

Memorial Day was established as a holiday to honor soldiers who have given the ultimate sacrifice in the field of battle to remind us that freedom is far from free. To these brave men and women who gave their lives for my liberty, I say "THANK YOU!". It seems so inadequate, but I am truly thankful and I have the utmost respect for our military heroes.

For me, Memorial Day is also a time to remember the family members who have passed from this life into the arms of Jesus. My parents, grandparents, Chris' mom and uncle. We miss them and there is an ache that won't go away until we see them again...and we WILL see them again! Praise the Lord!

Happy birthday, Daddy! May 28, 1943 - Jan. 23, 2005

Pretty Cool!

2010-05-17T20:20:00.002-05:00

I was contacted via my blogpost regarding Relay for Life by HotelsCombined.com. They support several charities and if you become a fan on Facebook, mention them on Twitter, or blog about them they will make donations in your name to their supported charities. I'm choosing World Vision as my charity and all I have to do is email them to let them know about this post. I think that's pretty cool!

Relay 4 Life

2010-05-16T10:38:00.009-05:00

If you're a friend of mine on Facebook you know that I've been raising money for The American Cancer Society's Relay 4 Life. Thanks to my wonderful friends and family, I reached my $200 goal. I haven't participated in a Relay in a long time, but something made me want to this year. I'm not sure why, but it was important.

I signed up with the Little Miami United team and recruited a friend to walk with me on Sat. night. Gracie and I had already decided that she

would go with me and I tried to explain what cancer is and why I feel so strongly about finding a cure. I lost both my parents to cancer and have other family members and numerous friends who've been affected by this horrible disease, so I when I am able to do it, I raise money, walk, or buy "pink" products to do whatever little bit I can.

Gracie was a trooper! Our team captain made out a schedule with each participant walking in 30 minute blocks. Gracie was always paired with someone older so that if she got tired, she could just go sit for a while. My girl not only fulfilled her 2-30 minute obligations, she walked each time Heidi or I walked...for the full 30! She walked appoximately 3 miles all by herself! She never complained about being tired or wanting to go home, until the very end when she wasn't feeling great...I suspect too much junk food. She had a blast and we will definitely do this again together.

This is why I walk. I miss them so much. I think they'd be so proud of their Chinese princess.

Blessings

2010-05-11T09:40:00.005-05:00

I'm feeling a little depressed today so I decided that instead of dwelling on what's bothering me, I'd count my blessings instead. This is off the top of my head as I type, so they're in no particular order.

1. Jesus loves me, this I know...for the Bible tells me so!
2. Chris is the most amazing husband on the planet! I love him so much that sometimes it makes me cry.
3. Gracie...wow! There are no words to express how much I love my daughter.
4. My friends love me...and I love them, so much!
5. I have 2 beautiful sisters and I wish with all my heart that we could be together more often.
6. My pastor and my church family...Jesus with clothes on!
7. I have a wonderful home and we are all healthy...except for Chris' shoulder and my left elbow!

Gracie's school was on a 1 hour scheduled delay today, so we got to sleep in. She always crawls in bed with me when Chris leaves for work at 5 am. This morning we woke up at the same time because a big crack of thunder made us jump. There is nothing in this world like cuddling under the covers during a thunderstorm. I'm so thankful that I got to start my day that way. Thank You, Lord for my blessings!

Spring!

2010-05-10T10:32:00.002-05:00

Spring is finally here and the grass is green, the trees have leaves, and the flowers are blooming! Time for a new look to the old blog! Since this is the season of new beginnings, I once again hope to be a more faithful blogger. So many things going on right now and some of them I can't talk about...not even here. I'm thinking of beginning a journal for those thoughts that just can't be shared anywhere else. We'll see...

Hello!

2010-01-21T17:27:00.003-05:00

Well, so much for being more faithful! My last post was about losing a beloved family member and this one is finding us grieving yet again.

My mother-in-law passed into the arms of Jesus on Dec. 23rd in the wee hours of the morning. It's difficult to lose a loved at any time, but the holidays make it much more difficult. Chris is an only child and was very close to his mom. Mike, Chris' dad is lost without his soulmate and Grandpa and Grandma George have now buried BOTH of their children. It's just not supposed to be that way! Gracie never knew my parents because they both passed away before we adopted her...my mom April 22, 1996 and my dad Jan. 23, 2005, only hours after we got home from China. She loved her Grandma Cheryl and misses her, but like most 6 year olds she doesn't dwell on it. It's been almost a month now and the healing is beginning, it's gonna take time.

Rest in peace, Cheryl George Wilson 7/23/1950-12/23/2009

Update on Bo

2009-09-09T08:06:00.002-05:00

At 3:22 this morning, we lost our little Bichon. We knew things weren't looking good for him because he had been refusing food for a couple of days and drinking a lot of water and then throwing up. He lost weight in that short amount of time and got so weak he couldn't stand. Monday night he moaned all night and I didn't get much sleep, but I wanted to be there for him if he needed me. I made an appt. yesterday to take him the vet today and I had a feeling he wouldn't be coming home with me. Last night Chris slept on the couch holding him in his arms. While Chris was loving on him, he stopped breathing and then his heartbeat slowed down until it was gone. I was asleep upstairs and Chris called my cell to get me to come downstairs. He didn't want to wake Gracie and he didn't want to get up because he wanted me to see where Bo was when he died. He looked very content laying next Chris on the pillow. :-) It was my best case scenario...we didn't have to make the decision to put him down.

Chris and I refer to ourselves as Mommy and Daddy to our furry children because like Gracie, they need us to care for them and are totally reliant on us for their well-being. The thought that comes to mind is that Bo was content because he was in the arms of his father and felt no fear...only love.

Someday, hopefully not for a long, long time...I'll feel the arms of my Father around me as I pass from this life into the next. I hope I have the same "smile" on my face that Bo did.

Not yet...

2009-09-04T11:47:00.002-05:00

Today was supposed to be the day we said goodbye to our sweet dog, Bo. Strangely, a couple of days after I made his appointment he started acting different. He decided to explore the house and the backyard and not sleep quite as much. Chris and I talked about it and decided that maybe now was not the time. We know it's inevitable, but we agreed to wait. Wed. I called to cancel the appointment and the vet tech who answered the phone was so happy...he's a pretty popular little guy. I don't know how much longer we have with Bo, but I know that we are cherishing the time we have.

Wow!!!

2009-08-29T18:44:00.002-05:00

I have just spent Friday night and Saturday in the most wonderful, worshipful atmosphere! I attended a Beth Moore simulcast at Vineyard Community Church in Tri-County with my friends Janice and Tonni, some friends of Tonni and about 90,000 other sisters in Christ. I love Beth Moore Bible studies and have attended a retreat called "Loving Well", but this was my first simulcast. Basically, Beth was in Green Bay, WI but there were 516 satellite locations around world and we were all connected via satellite. Technology is awesome!!

More later....

Saying goodbye

2009-08-27T22:27:00.002-05:00

On Friday, Sept. 4th we will say goodbye to our beloved Bichon Frise, Bo. He is 15 years old, blind, and very frail. He can barely walk and is shaky when he stands still. It's time. Chris and I have been through this before...first with Rosie, then with Woody. It's been 3 1/2 years since we've had to make this decision and it never gets easier. This sweet little dog has been an important member of our family for 11 years and he will be greatly missed.

Gracie is extremely upset. Yesterday, unbeknownst to me, she overheard me making the appointment with vet to euthanize Bo. She screamed, "I can't take it anymore!". I've seen temper tantrums, but I've never seen this kind of heart break. She was unconsolable and wouldn't even come near me. As far as she was concerned, it was my fault. She ended up laying on the couch cuddling Bo and cried herself to sleep. Today things are much calmer, but my sensitive little princess is very sad and "wishes Bo didn't have to die".

Mommy wishes it too.

Sisters

2009-08-24T15:19:00.002-05:00

This past weekend we made a trek to Paducah, KY to spend some time with one of the families we were in China with. Stevie and Gracie are "Hunan Sisters", but you'd swear they were blood sisters and spent every day together!

When Dana, Stevie, and Ellie were here in July, the girls renewed their bond of sisterhood and became so very close. Stevie slept on the trundle in Gracie's room and I don't think either of them got more than 3 hours sleep the 2 nights they were here! The sound of giggles and shared secrets went on long into the night and when the time came on Sunday for the Collins ladies to leave for home...there was weeping and sobbing such as you never heard before!

Fast forward to this weekend...We departed at 8:30 in the morning for the long drive to Paducah, first stopping so I could get a caramel macchiato at Grinders. I'd only had 2 hours of sleep the night before, so coffee was a NEED! We stopped for lunch in Glendale, KY to visit with a sweet friend we know from YMX and had a wonderful meal at The Whistlestop. This is definitely a place I want to visit again...wonderful home cooked meals with tea so sweet it makes your teeth hurt! On the road again! Gracie slept for a little while, but the anticipation of seeing Stevie again was more than her sweet little self could stand! The lack of sleep made Mommy more than a little grumpy, so I was rather perturbed that every time I managed to doze, Gracie started talking. Doesn't make for a great trip.

The minute we got to the Collins abode, Gracie was out of the car and she and Stevie were in each others arms. The next thing we know, they'd disappeared upstairs not to be seen again for a long time...they had a lot to catch up on!! Our evening was spent in the company of Dana's parents, Bobby and Sherry who are 2 of the sweetest people I've ever met, as well as Suzanne Murphy and her daughter Gracee and her mom, whose name is escaping me right now I'm embarrassed to admit. Suzanne traveled to China with Dana because Steve needed to stay at home with Will who was just a little guy at the time. Dana, Suzanne, Chris, and I spent most of our time together while we were there and we became family. Anyway, after grilling burgers and dogs and eating dinner, the rest of our evening was spent just visiting and having a great relaxing night.

Sat. started out a lazy day, which was good because I was still a little tired even though I was asleep the moment my head hit the pillow! I don't know what time the girls went to sleep because they were still going strong around midnight! Dana and Suzanne had videotaped our Gotcha Day and we spent the morning reliving the most exciting day of our lives...the day our Hunan princesses were placed in our arms and thus becoming a family. I remember feeling so sick that day...my nerves were stretched to the breaking point! What I didn't realize is that my feelings were plain to everyone because my face is an open book. I looked scared to death!! I was also crying almost immediately upon entering the room where the babies were waiting. I didn't know that Gracie's nanny walked right by several times while she was pacing trying to get Gracie to stop crying...I just didn't know which one she was! I think I cried as much Sat. morning watching that video as I did that day in Changsha...such a beautiful memory.

Sat. night was spent at Will's baseball game and then off to a grand re-opening of a Paducah landmark, Parkers Drive-in. Apparently it caught fire during last winter's ice storm and burned to the ground. Well, now it's rebuilt and open for business and Sat. night they had a band called Classic Waxx (Dana's brother is the drummer) come and play to celebrate. CW plays '50's and '60's tunes and it was so much fun to watch the kids dance. They wore themselves out!!

Sunday we attended church at Olivet Baptist where Steve and Dana and the kids are members and then we went to Chong's Chinese Restaurant for lunch. We hung out there as long as we could...putting off the inevitable. We hugged and said goodbye in the parking lot while Gracie and Stevie clung to each other. Then the tears started. The sound of their sorrow broke our hearts! We finally got Gracie in the car and she sobbed (loudly) for about the first 50 miles of our trip home. I'm not exaggerating!! According to Mapquest, it was about 50 til we got to the Western KY Parkway and that's when Gracie finally cried herself to sleep. She slept for another 140 miles....when we got on the Bluegrass Parkway. After that she was sad, but no more tears.

We're planning another visit soon...not sure if Stevie's coming here or if Gracie's going to Paducah, but soon the sisters will be together for another weekend of giggles, secrets, and tears.

Blowing the dust off

2009-08-23T21:21:00.004-05:00

I guess I need to blow the dust off of my blog and start posting again, since it's been since Thanksgiving! Lots of time has passed but a new school year seems like a good time to get it going again. Hopefully this time I can be more faithful.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T00:13:00.004-05:00

I have so much to be thankful for today. First being my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I don't even want to think about where I'd be without Him. Next, my amazing husband...I love him more every day and I am so blessed to have him in my life. I look forward to growing old with him...someday! LOL And then there's Gracie. I can't even describe how much I love our daughter. Then there are my sisters...I love them so much! And I wish I could've been with them today...but more about that in a minute. I have the most wonderful friends and I'm so thankful for them. Some I've known for a very long time, others are only for a short while, but all of them are such a blessing to me. I'm very thankful for our pastor and the church family we've come to love. We have a beautiful home, Chris has a good job and a great boss. We have our health. So many things to be thankful for today.

This morning, I called my sister Carol to wish her a Happy Thanksgiving. And found out that the lump in her breast that we were so afraid of was only a cyst. Breast cancer is a very real fear for us, so this news brought happy tears and gave new meaning to the word "thanksgiving".

This afternoon, my sister Kristie called me to let me know that she's getting married. I'm so very happy for her! She's been through so much crap in her personal life and she definitely deserves to be happy. I wish her and Chuck the best and can't wait to see her walk down the aisle.

These are just a few of the people and things that I find myself thankful for today. How about you? Have you counted your blessings lately?

Recovering

2008-10-20T23:15:00.002-05:00

This is the first time I've felt up to being on the computer for any length of time, so I apologize for the lack of updates. If you read Chris' blog, at least there's been a little info.

I'm doing pretty well, all things considered. Not much to report. I sleep alot, lay on the couch alot, and sleep alot. I do walk around the house, but when I went upstairs tonight I seriously overdid it. So I'll try again tomorrow.

Chris is doing an awesome job and I'm just so blessed to have him. Gracie is acting out a little. I think it's part scared, part not liking the fact that I can't do things for her. But I missed the stinker so much!! Today, she wanted to lay next to me and cuddle...I had to say no. I miss doing that with her. Soon, I promise!

Thanks to everyone for their prayers. They have been felt and appreciated.

One week from today

2008-10-10T08:14:00.002-05:00

I'll be having surgery. Not gonna share too much about why...let's just say it's been a long time comin'! I'm having a partial hysterectomy and due to some issues, like an ovarian cyst, my dr. has chosen to do this abdominally. I'm happy to finally have a dr. listen to me and offer a solution, which is actually the solution I'd hoped for...but I'm starting to freak out a little. I'll be in the hospital from Friday morning til sometime Sunday. I won't be able to drive for 2 weeks and the recovery is approximately 6 weeks. I'm blessed with wonderful friends and neighbors who are already making a schedule to take turns bringing meals, babysitting Gracie, and just checking on me in general because Chris will only be able to stay home with me the first week and everybody tells that there's no way I can care for Gracie by myself at first. I thank God for seeing a need and finding a way to fill it.

If you think about it, I'd appreciate your prayers in the next few weeks. I know that everything will be ok, but a little peace would sure be welcome.

A new day

2008-10-09T12:48:00.005-05:00

After the ugliness of the past couple of days, today I'm enjoying the sound of Gracie and her best friend, Katelyn playing upstairs. I've open countless tubes of lip gloss and glitter and helped with crowns and earrings. They are dressed up in sparkly princess dresses and "high heels". The giggles echoing down the stairs are infectious and I can't help but smile listening to them.

Children are a blessing from God and they are only little for such a short amount of time. I plan to enjoy every minute of Gracie's childhood. Someday she'll dress up in a fancy dress and high heels with real makeup on her beautiful face and leave home to face her future. My prayer is that by the time that happens, she won't have to deal with what her mommy and daddy have had to deal with on her behalf.

As parents, we are the ones who pass on prejudice and bigotry. Children aren't born hating others because of the color of their skin or their ethnicity. It's learned in homes filled with ignorance. I grew up in a home like that. My father, as much as I loved him, was a first class bigot. My sisters and I were told that if we ever came home with a "n", we'd never be welcome in the front door again. I don't know how, but all 3 of us have somehow overcome that attitude and hate being with ignorant family members who think nothing of slinging racial slurs and making fun of other people. We have sworn to make sure our children don't have to "unlearn" hate. Kristie, Carol, and I spend very little time with our extended family and when we do have the opportunity to be with them, I'm appalled at what seems to be the "norm". I had a heated conversation with one uncle who had the gall to tell me that "those people" are different. I informed him that my daughter was one of "those people" and she was a precious child of God. I left soon after that conversation and haven't been back. I'm willing to turn my back on them if they can't accept her for who she is.

Hate hurts everyone. Please join me in praying for a world where children are no longer ridiculed because of the color of their skin or for their ethnic background. It has to stop somewhere. Let the change begin in your home with your children.

May God bless you.

Busted!

2008-10-07T17:55:00.002-05:00

I'd like to thank everyone for their support following the ugly racial comment an "anonymous" poster left on my blog. And thanks to my site meter and some friends at YMX, I know who it is. The city and IP address has been verified and this post is for the sole purpose of exposing him.

Mykel was too much of a coward to post his name on his comment, and he must've thought I was a complete moron who didn't know how to connect the dots. I'm really not surprised because I've seen how he treated people who disagreed with him at YMX. Then when they disagreed with him or had him backed into a corner he couldn't get out of...he called their Christianity into question. Nice.

I think the saddest part of all this is that Mykel is a youth pastor. If he casually throws out slurs like "chink" on a blog, just how does he treat his students? He has been entrusted with leading kids to Jesus and he calls a 5 year old girl a "chink cheerleader". I wonder if he uses the "n" word or spic to describe kids too.

If this post sounds angry...well, sorry. If you have a problem with me...then man up and take it out on me. Leave my child out of it.

VICTORY

2008-09-07T18:32:00.005-05:00

Today was not only the first day of regular season play for the NFL. It was also the first regular season game for the Little Miami Panthers. I don't think I've ever seen anything cuter than than the pint-sized gridiron warriors and their perky, pom-pom shaking counterparts. So what if they have no idea what the difference is between defense and offense...these 15 little girls cheered their little hearts out. So what if they weren't exactly in synch or weren't sure which was left and which was right...they put their whole self into it. My little cheerleader was a sweaty little mess with a smile on her face when she got in the car. She didn't even realize that her team won! She just had a great time entertaining the crowd.

And for the record...the Little Miami Panthers beat the Anderson Wildcats 12-0. I think the adults were the only ones keeping score. Maybe we could learn something from the little ones.

A big step

2008-08-28T14:10:00.010-05:00

So today was a huge day in our little household. Gracie rode the school bus to her first day of kindergarten. She bounced out of bed at 7 a.m., excited to meet her day. She requested a bowl of Cheerios for breakfast and decided that she wanted milk in them, for a change. She then put on her new clothes and, for the next 45 minutes asked if it was time to walk to the bus yet. Mommy took some pictures with her iPhone and then we walked to the corner...where we waited another 20 minutes. The bus was 15 minutes late...my guess is that alot of moms wanted pictures! LOL

Apparently she had a good day...she hasn't stopped talking about it yet. And contrary to what Chris said on his blog...she was a good girl today. She has a folder in her backpack with her disciplinary record in it and today she got an A+. Wait til next week....

It's been a little rougher on Mommy than on Gracie. Mommy looks forward to the new adventures this year will bring, while mourning that her "baby" is now a little girl.

Yikes!!

2008-07-11T23:16:00.002-05:00

I know it's been a long time since I posted anything, but for some reason Blogger has not been my friend. I couldn't access my account and when I tried to get them to email me...nuttin'! Anyway, I will try to come up with something to say in the next couple of days. I promise!

The Big Reveal

2008-04-14T13:23:00.003-05:00

Lately Gracie has been obsessed with all things baby. Some good friends of ours welcomed their first child, a gorgeous baby girl, into their family last month. When Baby M was a week old, Gracie and I went to have our first visit. Now, when S was pregnant, Gracie was full of questions...shocking isn't it? We told her that S had a baby in her tummy and the doctor would take it out when the baby was ready to be born. Well, as you may imagine, this raised some pretty intense questions. Like, when was I in your tummy, Mommy? I told her that she wasn't born in my tummy, she was born in my heart. That worked...for a little while.

This weekend, we decided it was time to wade into waters we hadn't been into before. We have always been open with Gracie about how we became a family. She has seen the pictures of our Gotcha Day in China, she has always known she was 15 months old when we met. We just hadn't taken it any further. It was time. Thanks to some other friends, we had the perfect opportunity. We were given a children's book entitled "I Love You Like Crazy Cakes" when we first got home with her. I tried to read it to her a couple of times and I just couldn't get through it without tears. Still can't. It is written by a woman who also adopted from China.

The book begins talking about babies in an orphanage (although that word is never used) with nannies taking care of them. They have beds and friends...but no mommies. Across the ocean, a woman lives who has friends and everything she could ever want or need...except a baby. This is usually where the tears start, btw. Gracie interrupts at this point to let me know that she is the baby and I am the mommy. So far, so good. The story talks about the lady traveling to China and meeting her baby for the first time. More tears. Then at one point, the Chinese mommy is mentioned. Gracie and I hadn't gone down that road yet. I finished the story, then took her in my lap and explained that the reason she was born in my heart and not my tummy was because there was a lady in China who carried her in her tummy until she was born. I told her that we don't know who she is, and never will, but we know that she loved her baby very much. I then asked if Gracie knew why I knew that the Chinese lady loved her. She, of course, asked how and I said, " Because she gave you to me.", at which point Gracie asked a myriad of questions. Was I born in a hospital? Is she dead? Can I see her? I told her again that we don't know who she is because she didn't tell us her name. That seemed to satisfy her.

We then knelt by the bed to say our prayers, and along with praying for God to bless Grandma and make her well...we asked God to bless Gracie's Chinese mommy and take care of her.

I know that she can't possibly grasp all that we talked about. I know that there will be some HUGE issues later. For now, I'm just glad that we have finally been able to have the conversation. I know I probably should've already talked to her about it...I just couldn't find the words. Thank God for children's books to help you have the hard conversations. And thank You, Lord for giving me the right words to say.

Hmmmm....

2008-03-13T10:09:00.000-05:00

Advanced Global Personality Test Results

Extraversion	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	66%
Stability	\|\|\|\|\|\|	23%
Orderliness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	53%
Accommodation	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	63%
Interdependence	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	36%
Intellectual	\|\|\|\|\|\|	23%
Mystical	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	36%
Artistic	\|\|\|\|	16%
Religious	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	90%
Hedonism	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	63%
Materialism	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	43%
Narcissism	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	43%
Adventurousness	\|\|\|\|\|\|	30%
Work ethic	\|\|\|\|\|\|	23%
Self absorbed	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	43%
Conflict seeking	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	43%
Need to dominate	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	63%

Romantic	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	70%
Avoidant	\|\|\|\|\|\|	30%
Anti-authority	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	50%
Wealth	\|\|\|\|\|\|	30%
Dependency	\|\|\|\|	16%
Change averse	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	56%
Cautiousness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	50%
Individuality	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	36%
Sexuality	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	63%
Peter pan complex	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	43%
Physical security	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	83%
Physical Fitness	\|\|	10%
Histrionic	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	43%
Paranoia	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	36%
Vanity	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	63%
Hypersensitivity	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	76%
Indie	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	31%

Take Free Advanced Global Personality Test
personality test by similarminds.com

Sounds like I have Mutiple Personality Disorder!!

Back to reality

2008-02-26T22:54:00.003-05:00

Well, we've been home for a week now. When we got off the plane last Tuesday night we were wearing shorts, t-shirts, and flip flops. It was 12 degrees...Fahrenheit. Let's just say that there was a mad sprint to the car, dragging luggage, no less.

We got up Wed. morning to 6 inches of snow. Strangely enough, the roads weren't bad. But that didn't stop the idiot drivers from being...well, idiots. We had to go to my grandmother's funeral in my home town, a drive that usually takes around an hour and 20 minutes. It took 3 hours. I missed the funeral completely. I won't go into that story...because I don't know who reads this.

The snow has continued to fall, off and on. I work at Gracie's pre-school on M,W,F. Every single day I should've worked...we've had a snow day. So, my vacation has gotten lengthened into 2 weeks. I'm not complaining. In fact, it's snowing right now and I'd be willing to bet we won't have school again tomorrow. Maybe we should just cancel for the rest of February and start again in March.

Update: Our district ran on a 90 minute delay this morning...which means NO PRE-SCHOOL! Yep, the vacation go extended one more day.

Update

2008-02-17T14:34:00.002-05:00

So it's now Sunday and our Caribbean getaway has been awesome!! We've thoroughly enjoyed the weather, the water, the food, and the shopping...but more importantly is the time we've spent together as a family. No tv, no phone, no interruptions. It's been amazing. I ended up getting pretty fried the second day at the pool...yes, Jen, I was wearing sunscreen...so I spent most of my time in the shade on the third day, listening to Metallica on my iPod and watching Chris and Gracie have a blast in the pool. Our afternoons are spent on the balconey while Gracie naps. It's extremely relaxing to watch the boats go by. There are alot of cruise ships that pass by and Gracie is so excited every time she sees one. Now she wants to go on a big boat, and so does Mommy.

This time together has become even more important because at 12:45 this morning I got a phone call that I lost a member of my family. My granny, who has suffered so much lately, passed into the arms of Jesus early this morning. Granny is the one who took us to church before our parents got saved. She made sure we attended Vacation Bible School and she pretty much planted the seeds that are now bearing fruit in my life. Around her house you would always find her Bible and her Upper Room devotional sitting on the end table beside the couch. As she went about her daily chores, there was always a hymn being hummed. Granny didn't have much of a singing voice, but she sang anyway. She sang for her Jesus. The Bible says to make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye saints. And she did. I have seen with my own eyes, her kneeling by her bed to pray. To pray for her children to come to the Lord, for her husband, my Papaw...who came to Jesus shortly before his death in '94. Granny was a prayer warrior. When she lifted you to the Throne of Grace, you knew it. She was the most spiritual woman I've ever met.

Someday, I want to be like Granny. I want to be able to pray like that and shake the foundations like she did. I want my baby girl to know that her mommy prays for her every day and to raise her to pray also. I've got some pretty big shoes to fill. Better get started.

I love you Granny. Godspeed.

Day 1

2008-02-13T23:19:00.003-05:00

Hola!!! I'm sitting on our balconey with a cup of Earl Grey, looking at the lights of the Mayan Riviera on the horizon. STUNNING!

We left the house at 2 am because the roads are still questionable in some places. Our travel agent told us to be AT LEAST 2 hours early getting to the airport. We get there at 3:15. And wait. And wait. Finally, at 5 am, someone shows up at the check in counter. The rudest old broad I've come across in a long time...but that's another story. Our flight is at 6:15. Or is it? At 6 am we are informed that they are waiting for a crew and we won't board until 6:45. I'm starting to get angry at this point. It hasn't been the most stellar of mornings. We do indeed board at 6:45 and we are the second people on board because they let those with young children board first. At least SOMETHING WENT OUR WAY.

We now have instead of a 65 minute layover in Houston...a 35 minute layover. Oh wait! Let's de-ice the plane for 20 minutes!! We got to Houston as our connecting flight was scheduled to leave. We literally ran full bore through the airport. Did I mention that I have shin splints and a very crabby 4 year old? We barely make it and are the last ones on the plane. We walk to our seats, only to find them taken by the couple who sat behind us on the flight from Cincy. She looks at me and says, "Get over it. Be glad you made it and go find another place to sit." At this point, I realize why fire arms are not allowed on airplanes. I wanted to put a cap in her ***. Somehow I managed to not make an *** of myself by cussing this sweet child of God out in front of the entire assembly. I walk to the back of the plane and there are no seats together. There is NO WAY my baby is flying with strangers. I tell the flight attendant what happened and she removes the offenders. However, this sweet child of God looks at me and says, "I can't believe you're kicking us out of our seats after we held the plane for you." NO, I'M KICKING YOU OUT OF OUR SEATS!!!! At this point, I'm in serious need of a drink.

The rest of the day has gone wonderfully! Gracie is quite the intrepid little traveler. She charms everyone she meets and is quite the attention magnet. It's been a LONG DAY!!!!

Oh, I forgot. DON'T FLY CONTINENTAL!!!! As soon as we get back home, we're letting our travel agent know how awful this has been.

Time flies...

2008-02-05T14:49:00.001-05:00

I just got back from picking up Gracie's registration packet for kindergarten. KINDERGARTEN?? How in the heck did THAT happen?! There's no way she can be that old. Alas, she is. So, I'll fill out the forms, get the birth certificate, citizenship papers, and adoption papers and take them to the board of ed. on Feb. 21st. Then, on August 28th, I'll put her on the school bus for the first time. There's not a doubt in my mind that one of us will be bawling like a baby...and it WON'T be the 4 year old. She'll likely be the youngest in the class because she won't turn 5 until Sept. 26th. *sigh* She might be ready for this, but I know I'm not!

Three years ago today...

2008-01-10T10:50:00.000-05:00

Chris and I were in Changsha, China. We left the Dolton Hotel on a bus with 9 other families and our coordinator to go the Children's Welfare Office. The bus ride was strangely quiet and the tension was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. We were FINALLY on our way to meet our daughter.

We arrived at a non-descript government building and got on the elevator. We entered a room filled with women sitting with babies on their laps. Gracie was here, in this room! We waited and witnessed the couples we were with receiving their girls. There was one baby who was screaming her head off...having a Hunan Hissyfit. Guess who that wound up being? We were nearly last to have our names called, and I was already crying. But when she was placed in my arms, it was hard to say who was crying harder. Gracie was DEFINITELY crying louder! It was there our adventure began.

The last 3 years have been amazing!! We have witnessed a metamorphosis from scared, malnourished infant...to self-assured, opinionated 4 year old. She gets more beautiful every day! She is loving and affectionate, independent and stubborn, feminine and girly...in other words, PERFECT!

I thank God every day for this tremendous responsibility. Raising a child who loves Jesus. Her favorite song is Jesus Loves Me, and she talks about Him all the time. She says Jesus lives in her heart. It's humbling to know that we are the ones who are influencing her knowledge. We know that later on, she will have many others who will influence her opinions. Right now we are just happy that she knows who she is in Christ. A Chinese Princess. A Child of the King.

A new beginning

2008-01-03T12:09:00.000-05:00

Last year had it's ups and downs, joys and sorrows. It was a year of meeting new friends and saying goodbye to old ones. We bought a new home and sold our old one, and along with that left our old comfortable neighborhood for the unknown.

One thing has remained constant...God has had His hand on all of it. When you're going through it, it's sometimes hard to remember that He has a plan for whatever it is you're going through. I'm not a resolution making person, but one thing I really want to do this year is stop and listen to His voice. I've always tried to do that, but I think we all could be more deliberate about it. I also want to spend more time in The Word. With the move, I've had to leave my old Disciple Bible study group. In doing that, I've sorta fallen out of the habit of reading my Bible. I'm not going to make a grand goal of reading my Bible completely through, but I do want to make more time to read, study, and just BE with God.

So, this year is a new beginning. One filled with mystery to be sure, but if we trust the One who loves and wants only the best for us....it will be joyous, despite the pitfalls.

God bless all of you as you embark on the adventure that is 2008.

From our house to yours...

2007-12-19T21:40:00.000-05:00

We wish you all the blessings of this holy season. May you all rediscover the joy of Christmas in your hearts this year.

God bless you!

Big 10 vs. SEC

2007-12-03T14:54:00.000-05:00

Well, the stage is set! The Ohio State Buckeyes will do battle with the LSU Tigers for the National Championship. LSU was the one team Chris was hoping the Buckeyes wouldn't have to play. All I have to say is, only two teams beat the Tigers this year...and one of them were my beloved Wildcats! If Coach Tressell is smart, he'll be calling Rich Brooks for some pointers. I'm definitely rooting for the Buckeyes...but I'll have some things to say if they lose. LOL

I've been tagged!

2007-11-29T14:48:00.000-05:00

My friend PK tagged me last week...and I'm just getting around to doing it. Sorry PK!!

The best old television series in comedy is: The Beverly Hillbillies

The best cult movie in comedy is: Young Frankenstein

The best novel in classic fiction is: Gone With the Wind

The best high-fat food in cooking is: Fried Chicken

The best recent movie in comedy is: Shrek

The best fairy-tale film in fantasy is: Beauty and the Beast

The best fiction novel in young adult literature is: Little Women

Now I'm gonna tag Nettie, Jean, Chris, and Jenny

WooHoo!!!!

2007-11-16T15:20:00.000-05:00

As of 10:30 this morning, we no longer own 2 houses!!! We finally closed and can breathe a sigh of relief as this is finally behind us. I don't really know how we did it for 6 months, but God definitely made provision.

And I am really not at all surprised that Chris was informed today that he got a raise. His review was due at the end of June, but due to his boss' health issues, this is one detail that has stayed on the back burner.

Isn't that just like God?

Who knew!?

2007-11-15T13:36:00.000-05:00

Cash Advance Loans

This totally cracks me up!! But I think it's a hoot because my darling husband, Chris, got rated at JR. High!!! Neener, neener, neener.

If you want to see how your blog rates, just click on the picture and enter your blog address.

Company's coming!!

2007-11-14T01:00:00.000-05:00

Chris and I are blessed to be able to host some friends of our from YMX Wednesday night. Adam and Todd will be traveling to Atlanta to attend the National Youth Workers Convention and they are breaking their trip at our house. I've already got a pot of chili made and Chris is going to make one of his famous breakfasts Thursday morning to send them on their way. I love being able spend time with them again. They are wonderful men of God whose passion for youth is evident in their lives. I hope they enjoy their stay as much as we are going to enjoy having them here.

Please help!

2007-11-12T12:43:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to help raise money to help hurting youth workers. If you'd like to make a difference in someone's life, please use the Chip In button to the right. Any amount is greatly appreciated! God bless you!

New computer

2007-11-08T00:52:00.000-05:00

Sometime Sunday my beloved laptop got horribly sick. I'm not sure if it was a virus or what, but I know that I hit by spyware, adware, and a black door Trojan. UGLY! After much debate and lots of advice, it came down buying a new laptop. Again, lots of advice and debate later, we decided that it came down to 3 contenders. A Sony Vaio, a Dell, or a Macbook. After being informed that Macs don't get viruses...the choice was made. I now have a Macbook. By the time we bought it, iWorks, a 3 year warranty, and a pink case (because I'm a girly girl!), we topped out our budget. But I think it was worth it. I'm still adjusting but I really like it. We caved to peer pressure. We bought the one computer we said we never would. Once again, I have to tell myself...NEVER SAY NEVER!!!

WOOHOO!!!

2007-10-18T20:55:00.000-05:00

As of today our house is under contract!!! We are barely breaking even, but it will be heaven to not have 2 mortgages hanging over our heads. It's been a LONG 5 months and we are so thankful to be at the end. We are supposed to close on Nov. 16th, so we're praying that no suprises pop up to ruin it.

Great Expectations

2007-10-06T20:33:00.000-05:00

I recently talked my husband, Chris, into blogging. First at MySpace, and then, since he seemed to have a desire for more traffic, I told him that he should sign up for a blogspot. I've always known that he was much better at the written word than I am. I'm a talker. I can sit forever and talk your ear off...writing...not so much. I'm surprised I have any readers because I know that I'm just not good at this...but I do try. When we were in China, he was in charge of the group emails and everyone loved hearing about the trip as seen through his eyes. Some of them were just hysterical. Especially the ones making fun of me, because they were so spot on.

His post entitled The Story of Grace has generated a couple of really unexpected responses. Two of our friends from YMX have brought up the idea of Chris coming to their respective churches and telling the story in person. One is in California, so sadly, it's a bit out of reach to pull off. The second is only about 4 hours away, and looks like it may actually happen. Chris has preached several times at our home church, but never did I think that he'd "take his show on the road". Who knows where God is leading us with this, but I know that I've been approached by members of our congregation asking when he is planning on entering seminary. He's always said that he didn't think that would happen. I'm not so sure.

If you have time, check out his blog...I have the link on here. Please excuse the spelling...I still haven't had any luck getting him to use a spell check!

Free Burma...on the correct day.

2007-10-04T11:16:00.001-05:00

Free Burma

2007-10-03T12:05:00.001-05:00

An end in sight?

2007-10-02T12:45:00.000-05:00

Sunday was really frustrating, as far as the open house is concerned. Basically, at the end of it, our agent wanted us to spend a couple of grand having it professionally painted and caulked. The complaint most often heard was that the house looked a little dirty. HELLO! It was freshly painted right after we moved out. It's been empty for 4 months. Anyone who buys it is going to paint again ANYWAY! There's no way we can afford to drop that kind of cash into it. I'm willing to pay to have it professionally cleaned, if we need to, but she wants that done BEFORE the painting...um...no.

Today, she called Chris and told him that there was a possibility of an investor buying it. He offered 90K cash, but then her battery died on her phone so we don't know any details yet. We'd pretty much break even. Part of me just wants this to be over...the other part is disappointed because, aside from being really small, it's a nice house. All the appliances are 7 years old or newer, and the hot tub stays. But we can't go on like this indefinitely. Maybe this is what we need to do. Just walk away.

Open House

2007-09-26T14:58:00.000-05:00

Wouldja believe that we still haven't sold our old house??? Our agent has decided that we need an open house, so Sunday between 12 and 2, she'll be (hopefully) very busy showing our house. We really need it to sell, now more than ever. It's hard to imagine where the money for our adoption will come from with that hanging over our heads.

Here we go again!

2007-09-17T21:07:00.000-05:00

Chris and I have decided that Gracie should have a little sister. Bet that got your attention! We are now on a disrupted adoption list through Children's Hope International. Basically what this means is that someone who adopted a child internationally has decided that they cannot parent the child. Apparently it's fairly common. Anywhere from 1 to 1-1/2% of all international adoptions through CHI alone end in disruption. That's where we come in. We have decided that since we can't go back to China, we'll expand our family this way. We prefer China, but will take any child offered to us...it makes no difference to us. We are also open to sibling groups. So we may be adopting more than one. We want girls, but will accept a girl and a boy, as long as they aren't older than Gracie. It's very important to us that she be the oldest child. We don't think it's fair to her to suddenly be the youngest after being the only for 3 years. We know that there will be attachment and bonding issues, but we think we can overcome all that. We just want another child to love and bless our home.

Answered prayers

2007-09-12T14:17:00.000-05:00

Chris' mom is out of surgery and her doctors are optimistic. She has 4 stints and will probably be sent back here for rehab either tomorrow or Friday. Thanks to all who have stood with us in prayer!

Surgery

2007-09-11T10:02:00.000-05:00

Chris is headed to Cleveland Clinic tomorrow to be with his dad during his mom's surgery. It seems I was wrong on how Mike got to Cleveland to be with Cheryl. He rode up in the ambulance with her instead his brother taking him. Chris didn't think he'd be able to be there for the surgery, but with Mike there alone...if the worst should happen...someone has to bring him home. I wish I could go, but it's just not possible. We can't take Gracie and I'm working Mon, Wed, Fri at the pre-school. So he's going alone. I hate that.

What a day!

2007-09-10T11:52:00.001-05:00

Today was the first day pre-school. Gracie had a blast! And so did her mommy. I know it's only the first day, but I loved working with the kids. I was mostly on potty patrol and class clean-up, but I know that as I learn more, I'll get to do more with the little ones. I was thrilled that Gracie didn't mind having to share me. After the open house Thursday night, it looked like that might be an issue. There are 2 little boogers in each class who have the potential to drive me crazy, but I expected that. I figure that out of 25 kids only 4 were a problem. And that could just be because they were testing their limits. I'm blessed in this job, and the great women I work with. It's gonna be a great year!

Update

2007-09-03T13:48:00.000-05:00

After looking at her records and the vein mapping that's been done, not one doctor in Cincinnati or Columbus will even touch Chris' mom. They're afraid she'll die on the operating table. The good news is that she's being sent to the Cleveland Clinic. Which is exactly what I hoped for anyway. Chris' dad has already applied for a leave of absence under the FAMLA, so he's free to take care of her for the next 12 weeks. Chris' feelings, and I agree with him, are that this is a one-way trip. Neither of us believe she will survive. Again, the good news is that she's a Christian and ready to meet her God. The bad news is that Chris' dad isn't and we fear that this will drive him further away. I just pray that IF she doesn't, he doesn't push us all away. Please pray with and for us.

Chris' mom

2007-08-29T20:55:00.000-05:00

We just found out that Chris' mom has 3 blockages in her heart. They are not due to plaque, but hardening of the arteries caused by diabetes. They are discussing whether or not to do a triple bypass, which frankly would likely kill her. She's just not in good enough health to withstand that kind of surgery. If you think about it...please pray for her.

HAHAHAHA!!

2007-08-28T20:52:00.000-05:00

Ok, I'm a geek. I gave in to the peer pressure. I now have a MySpace and a Facebook. Actually, a friend of mine from YMX, Adam, sent me the invitation to Facebook. I registered and then didn't do anything with it. Then, last night, my friend, Jen talked me into doing a MySpace. 24 hours later, I have a few friends on each one. Too funny!

Sorry!

2007-08-28T15:45:00.000-05:00

I've neglected my blog for a couple of weeks, although I doubt anyone noticed. Not much going on here except for getting ready for preschool to start. How funny that Gracie and I will be there together! I'm really looking forward to this new opportunity. I'm sure it'll be a learning experience for me as well as the munchkins.

More...

2007-08-13T15:06:00.001-05:00

showings. A total of 3 so far today, with 2 of them being repeats. Just buy the darn thing already!!

Ch Ch Ch Changes!

2007-08-13T14:53:00.000-05:00

I got bored with what my blog looked like so I thought I'd change things up a bit. I don't know where everybody gets all their cool stuff...so I just stuck with what was offered, although I changed the fonts and colors a bit. I kinda like the new look.

No change

2007-08-09T10:57:00.000-05:00

Not much going on. We've had 4 showings this week, but no bites. It's been so stinkin' hot, we're pretty much cave dwellers at this point. Too hot to go outside! We did go with friends to a pool yesterday, which was really fun and completely wore the kids out. Long naps are a beautiful thing! Hopefully I'll have something more interesting to blog about later.

Square one

2007-08-03T16:23:00.000-05:00

We just found out that there will be no lease/option. The couple can't get out of their current apt. lease and have decided to wait until after the first of the year to buy outright. I feel sick right now and very scared. We can't afford to go on like this indefinitely.

Yay Gracie!!

2007-08-03T14:30:00.001-05:00

It's been a week since we had to share our bed with a 3 year old. HALLELUJAH!!! She started out by sleeping in her bed with the ceiling light and her bedside light on. I've convinced her to sleep with just the bedside light. She has a night light on too. I'm not gonna push it. She'll turn the light off when she's ready. I'm just thankful that things are started to move toward normal...whatever that is!

No go

2007-08-01T09:29:00.000-05:00

We are back to just the lease/option. After we countered the purchase offer, the buyer withdrew. She just wasn't willing to pay what we needed. I'm kinda glad. I'm really happy about being able to help someone become a homeowner who might be able to any other way.

Tick, tick, tick

2007-07-31T15:17:00.000-05:00

The offer that came in was 12k under what our asking price is. Considering that we've already lowered our price 10k, this was unacceptable. We have countered are now waiting for an answer.

When it rains, it pours!

2007-07-31T11:45:00.000-05:00

We met with our agent last night about the lease/option opportunity and while we were there, there was another showing at the house. Apparently we have acheived the multiple offer territory that I've heard so much about! This morning we found out that the people who looked last night are preparing an offer too! Yay!! And right now, yet another showing is taking place. Crazy! We've had 23 showings since May 10th. We've had one lowball offer we didn't even consider about a month ago and nothing since then. Hopefully, this will be over soon.

A light at the end of the tunnel!

2007-07-27T11:06:00.000-05:00

We may have sold our house!!!! A young, newlywed couple with a new baby is interested in our house. They have requested a lease/option, which wouldn't be our first choice...but we'll take it. As happy as I am that this may be over, I think I'm more excited about the prospect of helping someone. This couple can't get a house any other way and are in a pretty nasty situation where they live now. I hope it goes through...for the sake of both families. We're meeting with our agent Mon. night for dinner to work out the contract. Praying for a sale!

I've been tagged!!

2007-07-17T22:44:00.000-05:00

So, Adam and Patti have both tagged me, so I have to figure out 8 random facts about me. But first, the rules:

1. Players start with 8 random facts about themselves.
2. Players who are tagged should post these rules and their 8 random facts.
3. Players should tag 8 other people and notify them that they've been tagged.

Now, let's see....

1. I didn't get my driver's license until I was 18 years old. My dad didn't think 16 was old enough or mature enough to get behind the wheel of a car.

2. I grew up on a 206 acre farm that had a gravel road that was 1/4 mile long leading to the house.

3. I was introduced to my husband by his ex-girlfriend. LONG STORY!

4. My daughter is Chinese and shares her first name with my mother.

5. I'm a rabid Kentucky Wildcat Basketball fan. Go Big Blue!!

6. I live in the Cincinnati area and I HATE the Bengals and the Reds.

7. Actually, I hate baseball. PERIOD.

8. I'm addicted to HGTV. My husband calls it "The Devil Channel".

Now, who to tag!

Ruth
Cathy
Katie
Jean
Beth
Brian
Bryan
Jeff

And for anyone who reads this...YOU'VE BEEN TAGGED! Have fun!

Silence

2007-07-16T13:54:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posting. Just haven't had anything to say. Not much going on...YMX is back in business and I'm a happy girl! We had 3 more showings on the house this week, but no offers. Gracie is still having issues at night. Last night she wanted to go back to Deer Park. I have no idea what to do, so we're just plugging along letting her sleep with us at night. So, there's the update. Hopefully, I'll have something interesting to write about soon.

Withdrawal

2007-07-09T14:36:00.000-05:00

I'm realizing just how addicted I am to my favorite place on the web. YMX has been having issues since Sat. morning and the forums, where I spend WAY too much time, are unable to be accessed. I feel so bad for A, who's been working on this for 3 days. I know he has to be just tearing his hair out. The people there have become my friends and I've been blessed to meet 15 (I think) of them in person. It's weird to some people I guess, but I feel like I've known many of them forever. It's kinda cool to be able to connect with people from all over the world. Most are here in the good ol' USA, but the UK and Europe are also represented in our little community. I can't wait until I can "talk" to my friends again. I miss them.

New price

2007-07-05T15:56:00.000-05:00

We lowered the price of our house...AGAIN. Chris has painted the two rooms that were a little less than neutral and now with a new price, hopefully we can get rid of it. It's only been 2 months and the average is 3, but it doesn't make me any less nervous. Anyone in the Cincy area need a nice little house?

A pain in the butt!

2007-07-01T09:15:00.000-05:00

How many times have I said that something was just that...a pain in the butt? I can't even count that high! Well, now I know EXACTLY how painful that can be. Without being too graphic, I've had a HUGE abcess on my...you guessed it! The last week has been so unbelievably painful, I can't even describe it. I haven't been able to sit, lay down, walk, you name it. Wed. I went to have it drained. That was fun...NOT! They don't drain them. They pop them like a zit. I screamed and cried. I was embarrassed when it was over, but I couldn't help it. My primary dr. saw me when I was leaving and asked how I was. I said, "Didn't you hear the screams?" He said "That was you!? Girl, you could do voiceovers for horror flicks!" It's nice to know I have a future in Hollywood! LOL

Separation anxiety

2007-06-23T15:43:00.000-05:00

With all the excitement over the new place, we didn't take into account that 2 members of our family may not be so happy about the change. Our 12 year old Bichon Frise, Bo, is unhappy and confused. Most of the time he won't ask to out...he just pees in the upstairs hallway. He hates that the yard isn't fenced in, so he's on a tie-out. Pretty much all he does is sleep all the time. I know that some of this is just because he's an old man now, but it's frustrating and sad at the same time.

The other not-so-happy member of the family is Gracie. She loves having a playroom in the basement and having another 3 year old to play with. She and the little boy next door play together almost every day. It's at night where she's having issues. She wants to go to the "old house" and sleep in her "real bedroom". It's a major fight to get her to go to bed...complete with fullblown Hunan Hissyfits. When we do finally get her to go to sleep, she cries and has nightmares. Last night, I gave in and put her in our bed. I hate doing that because it's a bad habit that I'll just have to break later. But I'm at the end of my rope. I feel so bad for her! It breaks my heart to see her suffer like this. I just don't know what to do for her. Who knew that toddlers could be so complex!

Nervous

2007-06-22T09:34:00.000-05:00

It's been a week since we had a showing on the old house. We were average 2 per week, and now NOTHING. Our agent isn't worried, and we trust her judgement, but she's not the one facing 2 mortgage payments. We're tossing around ideas at this point...lowering the price again, or possibly a lease option. Not sure if we want to do that, but we're keeping an open mind about it. Now Chris just has to paint a couple of rooms and recaulk the bathtub. Hopefully, that'll help it sell, but we have to get 'em in the door first. *sigh*

Settling in

2007-06-19T22:06:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been almost 2 weeks and we are mostly unpacked. There are still boxes to go through and put in their permanent place, but for the most part, it's done. We've completely lost one box of Gracie's clothes that had her bathing suits and a couple of things we'd bought for our trip to Cozumel. I guess I'm going to have to just replace them, but I know as soon as I do...I'll find them.

We finally got rid of the former owners old appliances tonight. I posted them on Freecycle Sunday night and I got 30 emails wanting them. I chose the one who wanted all of them and would come and get them today. I can now park in my garage! Although, the Quest takes up all the space. We can't get Chris' Pacifica in there with my van, and I can't walk around the van. I love it, but it's HUGE!

Still no offers on the old house...I'm trying to not get scared. I know God will provide, but it's hard to not worry about it.

THANK YOU, JESUS!!

2007-06-09T20:47:00.000-05:00

We are now moved into our new house!!! Our neighborhood is phenomenal. My two next door neighbors are awesome. One has 2 boys, one of which is Gracie's new best friend. They play together every day. The other brought over a loaf of banana bread to welcome us to the neighborhood. It was still hot! We are so incredibly blessed!! I thank God every day for this new place and for His many blessings. We still haven't sold our other house, but I know that He will provide our every need.

Birthdays

2007-05-29T11:33:00.000-05:00

I've never been one to avoid birthdays or to lie about my age...but dang!! I sure don't feel 42! I guess it's because I didn't become a mom until I was almost 40 and having a three year old gives you the illusion of being younger. Who knows? I only know that I'm grateful for every year I've been granted and look forward to many more.

And the big birthday present this year is closing on our new house at 5:00 pm. today!! Then we're off to Red Robin to celebrate. It's funny, I used to get a fancy dinner out at places that required a reservation...I wouldn't change my life for anything!!

Memorial Day

2007-05-28T22:08:00.000-05:00

I don't know anyone personally who has fallen in battle or been injured in the War on Terror...but I am so grateful to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in order for me and my family to be free. My thoughts and prayers are with the families for whom this is a day of mourning the son/daughter, husband/wife, brother/sister, or friend will not come back to them. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Update

2007-05-25T11:10:00.000-05:00

There's not been much to blog about lately. We've had lots of showings on our house, but no offers yet. I'm trying to not be anxious because we've only been on the market for 2-1/2 weeks. But it's hard because after Tuesday, we'll be responsible for 2 mortgages. Which leads me to the good news!! We are finished with all the paperwork and the loan is ready to go. We close on Tuesday the 29th at 5:oo pm. I am so excited about our new house. We ordered a new bed and night stands and they arrived today. I am really hoping we get the keys Tues., but I'm not holding my breath. We gave them until the 5th to get moved, so my guess is that they'll take it.

Tomorrow, Gracie and I are going to meet my sisters, Carol and Kristie, and Carol's daughter, Kendyl (8) for lunch and a movie. We're going to see Shrek 3. This will be Gracie's first theater experience and she can't stop talking about it. I think it's gonna be a great day. I can't wait to spend a girl's day out with my family.

And another one!

2007-05-19T16:52:00.000-05:00

Just got the call that there'll be another showing tomorrow afternoon at 3:00. That's 3 in 6 days...not too bad. Now we just need an offer.

Car shopping

2007-05-19T07:48:00.000-05:00

My Nissan Quest (which I absolutely LOVE) gets absolutely horrible gas mileage. So, I'm looking to terminate my lease early and get something that is a little friendlier on the budget. Not too mention fit in the garage in the new house...which the Quest does not do. I started out looking at Sentras and Altimas, but I'm now intrigued by the Versa. It's cute and different, comes with a CVT, and I can get it completely loaded for under 20K. That's impressive. We have to wait and see how much money we have after we move, of course, because I have 5K in negative equity at this point. But, if we can pull this off, I can go from a $367 car payment to one that's under $200. Well, worth the 5 K!! Since our house payment for the new house will be around $1300 and we still have to pay $800 for this mortgage until it sells, having a much lower car payment would be a godsend!!

Chris update

2007-05-17T09:12:00.000-05:00

I was just reminded that I need to do this. I took him back to the dr. on Monday because, while, his chest was improved, his ear infection was worse. So, armed with Prednisone, he stayed home a couple more days. He went back to work yesterday and was able to make it all day. He's feeling much better, but he's still coughing. It took me about 2 weeks to get over it, so I know it'll be awhile before he's 100%, but I'm very thankful that he's better and that he didn't have to be hospitalized.

Woot!!

2007-05-16T14:07:00.000-05:00

We had a showing last night and we have another one tonight. This one is a friend of ours who is ready to take the plunge from renter to home owner. She's seen the pictures of our house and her mom is excited to see it. This would be great!!

Not again!

2007-05-11T14:13:00.000-05:00

Chris now has pneumonia. Man, this year has sucked for being sick in our house. Hopefully, we can leave it behind when we move. Poor guy...if I hadn't just been through it in March, I'd have no idea just how miserable he really feels. He's a great patient though. Most wives complain about their husbands being big babies when they're sick. Not Chris. I have to bully him to get him to let me do things for him. He takes such good care of me, it's nice to be able to give that back to him. Pray for him to get well soon.

What a difference a week makes!

2007-05-09T13:43:00.000-05:00

Last night we put an offer in on a 4 bedroom, 2-1/2 bath house with an open floor plan, full basement, and a 2 car attached garage. This morning, much to my surprise, I got the call that our lowball offer had been accepted!!! We also put our house on the market last night, so now I have the stress of probably having 2 mortgages for a while. My husband says that no matter what happens, I can find SOMETHING to stress over! LOL

Gracie's sick

2007-05-01T10:18:00.001-05:00

Gracie's had a cold for a couple of days, but nothing major. Last night after her bath, she went to bed, but cried off and on until about 12:30. I went to bed at 1:30. Sometime after that she climbed in bed with us for about 20 minutes, then, complaining of being hot, she laid in the hallway floor in front of the bathroom. We have laminate floors, so they are nice and cool. Around 3:45, I woke up to her screaming and crying and Chris trying to calm her down. After another bath, mopping the floor, and doing laundry, I put her to bed about 4:30.
She hasn't thrown up again, but is running a fever. She is refusing to let me take her temp, because she doesn't want to put it in her mouth. My temporal themometer broke. If she doesn't get better better by tomorrow...she's going to the doctor.
I hate seeing my baby sick.

The search continues

2007-04-30T07:42:00.000-05:00

We looked at the house yesterday and we both really liked it. We came back to our house and wrote an offer. An hour later, our agent called to say that someone had just beaten us to it. Oh well.... We have an appointment Wed. night to look at another one on the same street, so maybe we'll have better luck.

The End

2007-04-27T09:29:00.000-05:00

Our contract expires today. The seller's agent called Monday wanting us to extend until after the hearing on June 14th. We vetoed that idea quickly! We haven't heard back from them. Sunday we're looking at a house we both think is a great one, but it was built in '76, so it doesn't have the beauty and character of the one we lost. But it has alot more usable space, even though it is the same sqare footage. We will have to do a complete kitchen remodel because everything is original and ugly. But that'll have to wait until we sell our present home. We plan on putting in an offer and hopefully, will have an answer soon after. We're hoping to be in by the end of May, because it has immediate occupancy. The best part is that it's not a foreclosure, so we shouldn't have the issues we've been living with since Feb.

A new complication

2007-04-20T16:23:00.000-05:00

We found out today that it isn't the bank holding things up. Apparently this lien is the result of taxes not being paid, not by the owners who were foreclosed upon, but the previous ones. The former title company screwed up and didn't pay them, so the state is pissed and wants it's money. This is not going to be resolved quickly, because the title company is refusing to pay, the bank says it's not their problem and they're refusing to pay. When our extension runs out next week, there won't be another one. We're walking away. The good news is, we're entitled to getting our $500 earnest money back. It's just really disappointing. Gracie is upset and has started praying that God will give us this house. I can't seem to make her 3 year old mind understand that God has another house for us.

We have an appointment with our real estate agent to go looking at houses next Sunday afternoon. We have 4 properties to look at in our area, but we're also going to go look at houses in Kentucky. It's hard to get excited about it at this point. I just know that, no matter what, God has a plan.

Ugh

2007-04-17T10:58:00.000-05:00

The hearing has been continued until JUNE!!!!! When this extension expires on the 27th, we're asking for a 20% decrease in the agreed price and closing by May 5th. If they don't agree...no contract. It looks like I'm back to researching houses.

Sigh

2007-04-16T21:27:00.001-05:00

Still waiting for news on the hearing.

The Saga Continues

2007-04-10T08:03:00.000-05:00

The appeal is being heard on Thurs. the 12th. Our extension goes until the 27th. We can't get out because our window of opportunity closed on when we signed an extension on March 27th. At this point, we could be sued for commissions from the selling agent, the title company, and the mortgage broker. Looks like we're seeing this out til the bitter end. I just hope it ends soon. I can't take much more.

I'm done

2007-04-05T12:36:00.000-05:00

The State of Ohio is now appealing the settlement made between them and U.S. Bank. This means that we may not close until July. I'm finished. I'm trying to convince Chris to tell the selling agent that we want our earnest money back and find a new buyer. Two closing dates have come and gone at this point. We've been jerked around enough. It's not worth it. I haven't slept in over a week. The stress is making me short tempered and nasty. No house is worth this. I feel like we've wasted 3 months on nothing. I just want to stop the ride and get off.

Waiting...

2007-04-03T13:40:00.000-05:00

We're still waiting to close on our house. Ugh!! I'm so not patient! I think it'll be Friday the 6th, because that's the deadline.

On a happy note...We're expecting company on Thursday! Todd and his family are headed to Florida for Spring Break and are spending the night at our house on their way down there. We are so excited to meet them! Gracie is loving that there will be kids in the house to play with.

FINALLY!

2007-03-27T10:47:00.000-05:00

The lien issue is over!! The bank and the state reached a settlement today!! We are signing a contract extension that's good until April 6th, but we should close well before that. Thank You, Jesus!!!

Improving

2007-03-23T10:39:00.000-05:00

I'm finally starting to feel better. I still am low on energy, but that too is getting better. I think I'm just now realizing how serious my situation really was. I knew I was pretty sick, but I'm finding out that, had I not gone to the dr. on Wed., things could've been really ugly. I never really thought about the fact that pneumonia can kill you. I mean, I know that elderly people are at risk, but I'm young and healthy. It never occurred to me that I could've died. Apparently, my oxygen levels were dropping pretty rapidly and that's definitely not a good thing. Gracie is still a little freaked out about it. She has told me repeatedly that I'm not allowed to go back to the hospital...I have to stay home with her. And the people from my church have been wonderful. I'm very thankful for all the prayers that were directed my way. Obviously, God wasn't ready for me yet.

It ain't lookin' good

2007-03-18T21:53:00.000-05:00

So, there's still one lien on the house. The State of Ohio refuses to settle with the bank. They want their hearing on the 29th. They've also implied that they will take the house. Not sure where this leaves us at this point. Chances are, it'll go up for sale again and we know we'll go for it. So the process will start over. We're still hoping we can close on the 29th...after the hearing, of course. Chris didn't tell me all this until today. He didn't want to worry me while I was in the hospital. So now my stress level has gone through the roof! I'm really losing hope at this point.

After a break...

2007-03-17T21:08:00.000-05:00

Well, I had a short "vacation". Wednesday afternoon I ended up in the hospital with double pneumonia. On top of that, they called in an infectious disease specialist because they couldn't figure out what kind of pneumonia I had. He tested me for a bunch of stuff, including Legionnaire's Disease and congestive heart failure and HIV/AIDS. It was almost funny...almost. It was closer to scary. I'm happy to report that it ended up just being viral, which is more rare than bacterial. WHEW!

What I learned is that I can't stand being away from my baby. I missed her so badly!!! As happy as I was to be home, it had NOTHING on being with her again.

Whew!!

2007-03-12T15:40:00.000-05:00

We just found out that the lien issue has been resolved. We're just waiting on a clearance to close. It's still possible for this Friday, but more likely for next Friday, the 23rd. Thank You, Jesus!!

Another trip to the doctor today. This time it's a viral infection. My temperature went up to 104.3. Freaked me out a little. It's now 102.8. Not good, but at least it's coming down. And the vicodin cough syrup seems to be helping. I've now been sick for over 3 months. This sucks!

The appraisal is in!

2007-03-09T13:11:00.000-05:00

Our appraisal came in at 165K!!! We were hoping for 16o, so we are thrilled that it came in above what we hoping for. Now let's just get to closing!

New development...we were just told that there are not 1, but 3, tax liens on this house. It's looking bleak for closing next Friday. Apparently, the bank who has the house tried to stick us with these liens. I can't wait to find out the name of the bank. I'll let everyone I know who they are, and their dirty business practices.

Well, that was quick!

2007-03-07T09:34:00.000-05:00

Our house isn't even on the market yet and we're showing it tonight! She's a friend of my sister's and wants a small house. She's really excited about what is included and all the work we've done. She'll also let us stay until we can move into our new house. Is this too good to be true?

Next...

2007-03-05T11:26:00.000-05:00

Chris met with our loan officer today and submitted all the estimates. The next step is the appraisal. He is supposed to appraise the house based on what it will be worth after all the work is done. Please pray for a high appraisal. We won't know for sure about closing until this step is finished. But it looks like the 16th is definitely possible. The sooner we can get started, the sooner we can get in!

SHOPPING!!!

2007-03-03T13:57:00.000-05:00

We just got home from Lowe's. We picked out our appliances (stainless), bathroom fixtures, including a Jacuzzi bathtub, some of the lighting, a pantry cabinet, and my kitchen faucet. We still have to pick out the tile for the kitchen floor, and the make a decision on the countertops. We also need to to pick out bathroom tile and shower doors. But, after about 2 hours of shopping...Gracie was ready to get outta there. And so was Mommy. More fun stuff ahead!

Catching up...

2007-02-28T11:29:00.000-05:00

We had a walk-through on Sunday with our gc and our real estate agent. We're not going to have to tear out as many walls as we thought, but we are still going put insulation in them. We are going to have to do more to the kitchen than we originally thought. Things I wanted to do anyway, but Chris didn't think we had to do. He got vetoed. I got vetoed on tearing down the deck on the back of the house. I wanted (and still do) to keep it. I also don't get a bigger closet. We've chosen all of our paint colors, the color and type of shingles for the roof, and we've settled on what type of countertops (Silestone), now we just have to choose a color. We are getting estimates on the floors, the electricity, the countertops, the roof, and the insulation on Thursday. We aren't scheduled to close until the 29th, but we're shooting for the 16th.

On the health front...I've been to the doctor AGAIN. I thought I had bronchitis, but he says that, even though I don't have all my usual symptoms, it's a sinus infection. He ordered a lung x-ray...which completely freaked me out after I thought about it. My dad coughed for weeks before his doctor ordered an x-ray. That's how his cancer was discovered. I slept for 2 hours Monday night worrying about it. I called Tuesday morning and my doctor said my lungs were perfectly clear. He was looking for pneumonia, not cancer. So, I left the pharmacy with a z-pack, Prednisone, an inhaler, and Claritin. Pray that this is the cocktail that kicks this!

Underway

2007-02-21T14:10:00.000-05:00

The paperwork is all signed, the general contractor has been tentatively approved, FULL STEAM AHEAD! We're doing a walk through with our gc on Sunday, so I can take window measurements in the kitchen. I'm trying my hand at making window treatments. I haven't sewn in over 20 years...so this should be fun! We'll be shopping for countertops and appliances soon too...I can't wait! I know there's alot to do, but time is going to drag by, I have a feeling.

Wireless!!!!

2007-02-19T16:57:00.000-05:00

Finally, our laptop is connected to the internet!! Wireless is a beautiful thing!

Chinese New Year

2007-02-19T11:51:00.000-05:00

We just spent the most wonderful weekend in St. Louis! We celebrated ringing in the Year of the Pig with Gracie's "sisters" and their families. The girls are all within a month of the being the same age (3), and were all adopted from the same orphanage at the same time. The bond formed with these families is nothing short of a miracle. We only see each other once a year, but the girls act like they're together all the time. They are so cute together! I hope we can continue to foster their "sisterhood" and that they will want to be together when they're adults.

My Dream World

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Remembering

Pretty Cool!

Relay 4 Life

Blessings

Spring!

Hello!

Update on Bo

Not yet...

Wow!!!

Saying goodbye

Sisters

Blowing the dust off

Thanksgiving

Recovering

One week from today

A new day

Busted!

V*I*C*T*O*R*Y

A big step

Yikes!!

The Big Reveal

Hmmmm....

Back to reality

Update

Day 1

Time flies...

Three years ago today...

A new beginning

From our house to yours...

Big 10 vs. SEC

I've been tagged!

WooHoo!!!!

Who knew!?

Company's coming!!

Please help!

New computer

WOOHOO!!!

Great Expectations

Free Burma...on the correct day.

Free Burma

An end in sight?

Open House

Here we go again!

Answered prayers

Surgery

What a day!

Update

Chris' mom

HAHAHAHA!!

Sorry!

More...

Ch Ch Ch Changes!

No change

Square one

Yay Gracie!!

No go

Tick, tick, tick

When it rains, it pours!

A light at the end of the tunnel!

I've been tagged!!

Silence

Withdrawal

New price

A pain in the butt!

Separation anxiety

Nervous

Settling in

THANK YOU, JESUS!!

Birthdays

Memorial Day

Update

And another one!

Car shopping

Chris update

Woot!!

Not again!

What a difference a week makes!

Gracie's sick

VICTORY