2009 - The Year in Photos...

Holiday '09 Re-Cap

Steve and I traveled to Seattle on Wednesday to spend the holidays with my family. Lucky for us, this year the weather cooperated! (unlike last year's 3 ft of snow). Nope, this year OTHER parts of the country got to experience the holiday "joy" of a white Christmas...and I am happy to report, we enjoyed sunshine and temps in the 50s in Seattle - whoo hoo!


On Christmas Eve we joined my parents in taking the ferry over to Vashon Island for a mini day trip and lunch. The views from the ferry were outstanding. You could see the Olympic Mountains to the west, and Mt. Rainier to the south. Later in the evening, we met up with my sister for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory (one of my favorite restaurants) before church. My parents' church choir was singing at the 11 p.m. service, so we were able to have a leisurely dinner beforehand.


Christmas morning the sun was shining again (unheard of weather for Seattle at this time of year!) In an effort to reduce stress and save money for adoption expenses, the family had agreed to celebrate a low-key Christmas this year and just exchange stockings, which was fun. Of course Luna and Killer rec'd some new toys from Santa as well...


In the afternoon we went over to my Aunt & Uncle's place in Issaquah, where we had the chance to catch up with them, my grandma, and my cousins. Lots of food and sweets were had by all. Good times.

There were definitely some "Lia-inspired" gifts this year (which I graciously accepted on her behalf). My sister got me an adorable leather Ladybug wallet. My stocking contained a Panda beanie baby, my cousin K.C. gave us a collection of ladybug toys and magnets, and a cool magnet that is a map of China...and my grandma gave me the MOST adorable ladybug musicbox you have ever seen. The ladybug's body opens to reveal the inscription "Granddaughter, you are cute as a bug" - and the musicbox plays "You Are My Sunshine". So sweet...

Saturday we stopped at California Pizza Kitchen on our way out of Seattle, then drove back over Snoqualmie Pass in gorgeous sunny weather and blue skies as far as the eye could see. We stopped at Safeway in Cle Elum for a quick potty break, and Luna decided that those five minutes we were gone would be a good time to raid the leftover pizza box and eat one entire piece of BBQ Chicken pizza, and smear the second piece around the passenger seat. KIDS! Did I mention Luna doesn't typically eat wheat because it gives her gas? NICE. Thank goodness for leather seats, napkins and hand sanitizer...the mess was easily cleaned up, but I kept waiting for Luna's gut bomb to explode. Lucky for us, that never happened. I suppose this was good practice for traveling with a toddler. Every mom I know keeps a box of wipes in her purse for such occasions... I may as well get used to it. :)

A Holiday Message...

THANKS GEORGE!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU TOO... :)

32 months...and Fingerprinting...again!

Today marks 32 months that my dossier has been logged in with the government in China. How many more to go? It's hard to say. My agency says to expect up to 12-18 additional months... But God willing, 2010 is going to be the year...finally. So SEE YA 2009! This will be the fourth Christmas that has passed since I applied to adopt. Four years! Who knew? Hopefully by next Christmas, I'll at least have a photo of Lia. Fingers crossed. This time of year is difficult for many of us in the adoption community. We watch others as they go from Halloween, to Thanksgiving, to Christmas celebrating with their little ones and experiencing each holiday thru the eyes of their children. For those of us who continue to wait - we are happy for our friends and family - but it is also bittersweet.

The good news, is that I received my fingerprinting appointment notice from Homeland Security yesterday - whoo hoo! I know, not many folks would celebrate being invited to get fingerprinted by the federal government as a holiday "wish". But for me, it means that paperwork continues to move forward (at least on the U.S. side) and my immigration paperwork will be ready and up-to-date whenever my match finally arrives! So next week I will head down to the federal building at the appointed hour and have them scan all my fingers into their fancy computer...

...AGAIN.

It's beginning to look a lot like....

We had a great Thanksgiving in Spokane. Steve's mom flew in from Denver on Tuesday, and my parents & Uncle Dave drove over from Seattle on Wednesday. It was the first time our parents had the chance to meet one another since Steve and I have been together, which was kind of nice. We managed to put together the entire Thanksgiving dinner successfully and it actually wasn't as stressful as I thought it might be...hooray!

My parents drove home on Friday, but Steve's mom has stayed thru the weekend and returns home tomorrow. On Sunday we decided to start our Christmas decorating. First, to the tree lot, where we found and gorgeous (and not too $$$) Noble Fir.

It is really fresh and smells amazing!

We enjoyed pulling out all the decorations, some of which have been passed down from our grandparents, through our parents, and now us.

Then we hung our "Candy" lights on the inside of the front window above the garage. Finally, we started on the outside lights. Our house is too tall to take on the whole "outlining the roof" thing - so we settled for decorating our entryway arbor, and two trees near the front porch. I think it looks great! It's been fun to see all of our neighbors out decorating. It's been (relatively) warm the past couple of days (temps in the 40s) so everyone got out to do their lights before the REAL snow and cold are upon us!

Giving Thanks...

(on the fence in our backyard this week...Wild Turkeys!)

This week I give thanks for lots of things...

First and foremost, my health and my family's health - thank you God! Especially that my sister's breast cancer has been in remission for 6 MONTHS now. YAY!

I am so grateful that Steve and I are both employed and able to put food on the table and pay our bills. I know a lot of families have fallen on tough times this year.

I am thankful for all the old friends I have stayed connected with - or reconnected with thru Facebook - and for the new friends I have met in Spokane this year.

I am also thankful for this beautiful house we were able to move into in August, and the two mini-vacations we were able to take to the Oregon Coast this year. I am thankful for our loving pets Luna and Killer (who turned 12 this week!), and for the beautiful spirits who visit our yard daily in the form of deer, turkey, and quail. I am also grateful for finding a terrific aqua class with a great teacher nearby, so I can burn off steam (and calories) every few days. Hooray!

I am thankful for our new social worker "N", and the agency she works for here in Spokane, that helped us complete our new homestudy. Through her diligence and commitment, we were able to complete the process in only three months. I am also thankful to my agency in Colorado, CCAI, who helped step me thru the process of applying for my I-800A. Thank you to my friends Linda, Beth, Megan, and Betsy who provided personal references for me (again!). My I-800A application was mailed out to Texas last week.

I am thankful for so many of my adoption community friends, who met their beautiful children this year, and by sharing their successes, motivated me to submit my Medical Needs Checklist for the Waiting Child Program. Marcy, Amy, Laurie, Kim, and Kris J. - I am thankful for each one of you! Thanks also to Beth, Holly, Dana, Kris F. and Lillian - all adoptive moms themselves - who regularly provide me with the encouragement to keep moving forward and stick with the program, knowing that my daughter IS out there.

I am thankful for all the generous folks out there who - even in this time of economic hardship - are willing to give a few of their own dollars to help out those less fortunate. The generosity I saw at the food bank drive, and at the adoption agency auction last week, renewed my sense of hope in humanity. Thank you.

I am also thankful that Steve's mom will be able to join us in Spokane for Thanksgiving this year...I haven't seen her since March 2008. It will be so good to spend some time with her.

...and of course I am thankful for Steve. He is an amazing daily presence in my life. Even on the toughest days, he helps me remain centered and reminds me of all the good things we are blessed with in our lives...including one another. It only gets better from here baby! :)

FINALLY, I am thankful (in advance) for the rollercoaster ride that sure to ensue over the next 12-18 months, and all the folks who are willing to take this ride with me...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

31 Months

Today marks 31 months since my dossier was logged in over in China... Our new homestudy was approved by my agency this week, so it is soon to be mailed off to the USCIS (immigration dept.) in Texas, where it will undergo another approval process that will likely take several weeks to complete... *sigh*. I saw this quote this morning - and it struck my heart even more than ever today:

"Hold fast to your vision. Do something everyday to bring it into manifestation and watch it unfold"
~Michael Bernard Beckwith

When I updated my homestudy, I also talked with my social worker about special needs kids, and what types of children (and what types of needs) I might be able to parent. This is important as an estimated 85% of the children in China's orphanages have been labeled with some kind of special need, and the wait to adopt a "special needs" child is often much shorter than to adopt a healthy baby. Many of the "needs" these kids have, wouldn't be considered a "special need" in America - or they are issues that would be corrected shortly after birth here in the states. It is rare that you see an American baby with a cleft lip or a club foot...that is because, in America, where we have better prenatal screening, and newborn care services, those issues are often corrected right away. The same with seizure disorders and minor holes in the heart... I know the resiliency of kids. I saw it every single day when I worked at the children's hospital. And now, working for the adoption agency, I continue to see kids who are labeled "special needs" thrive once they are home with their adoptive families. I don't know if Lia will have a special need or not, or what that need might be...but I feel at peace knowing that we have opened up more pathways for her to be matched to us.

Most of my friends in the adoption community have already seen this video, but I thought I would share it here for my friends and family who have not had the chance to see it:

A Happy Halloween!

We had fun decorating our house for the kiddos this year. We didn't get many trick or treaters (maybe 25 total?) but it was still fun. The front porch looked great!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Autumn in Spokane

Steve took the photo of this tree in our backyard about three days ago. Today, there are very few leaves left on the tree...but we've got a heck of a bunch of leaves covering our back deck. Call in the leafblowers!!!

There hasn't been a lot of interesting news to report. My parents came to Spokane for a visit about 10 days ago, which was nice. It was a quick trip, but we had a chance to show them our new place, and got in a visit to the resort in Coeur d'Alene for lunch. We're looking forward to a visit from Steve's mom over Thanksgiving.

The weather has been all over the map the past month - from 70 & 80 degree highs, to 18 degree lows...typical fall weather I guess...especially in this part of the state. Not nearly as much rain as Seattle and western Washington. Actually, Spokane reminds me quite a bit of Denver in terms of weather. I like it.

Downtown, they opened the outdoor ice rink this week. Seems a little early to me, but I guess I need to suck it up and realize that winter IS coming! (Hopefully it just won't bring the record six feet of snow we saw last year). I don't mind if it's feezing cold - but snow is a pain in the butt. Especially in such large amounts. Although this winter will mark the FIRST winter that I've ever had a garage for my car! WHOO HOO. Hallelujah! Yes, that's right folks, I lived in Ellensburg for 5 years, and Iowa and Colorado for 13 years, and just went thru Spokane's worst winter in 50 years...all without a garage. Meaning, I've had the pleasure of scraping the windows and/or scooping off snow for TWENTY years now...(and people wonder why I need a chiropractor?) I am so excited about parking my car in the garage, that I *almost* WANT it to snow, just so I can feel the pleasure of backing my clean, warm car out of the garage... :)

In other news, Steve's on-air shift is moving from morning drive to afternoon drive this week. No more 4 a.m. wake-up calls! This is exciting news for me, but more-so for Steve. He did an amazing job with his morning show over the past year, bringing it from #11 to #3 in the ratings (YAY!)...but waking up at 4 o'clock every morning gets old pretty fast. Especially living this far north, where in the winter, it stays dark until 7:30 am. and starts getting dark again around 4 p.m. Now he will actually be able to go to work during the light of day, and although he will have to stay a bit later (and still come home in the dark) at least he will be able to stay up a little later with me in the evenings.

In adoption news, our social worker finished writing our homestudy report this week, and has sent it to my agency for review. Fingers crossed for a speedy and seamless review, so we can move forward with getting our USCIS (immigration) approval. That process will probably take another several weeks - especially with the holidays coming up - but I'm trying to keep a positive outlook. My goal is to start 2010 with all the required paperwork updated and in place.

30 Months (and 3 years...)

Today marks 30 months of Wishing for Lia...

...and Thursday marked 3 years since the day Steve and I met.

Dear Universe,

How about us meeting Lia and bringing her home WITHIN the next 30 months, and giving Steve and I at LEAST 30 more years together?

Sounds good to me too. :)

~ Julie

The Road Less Traveled...Homestudy #2

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood...

On Sunday we endured a 3-hour visit from our new social worker to update my homestudy. Of course, in the days leading up to this, I was a mad woman trying to clean, organize and decorate the house. I laughed at myself the entire time, because as part of my job - I am constantly telling people NOT to stress about the homestudy - that it ISN'T a white-glove inspection of their home...etc. I guess this is a good example of "Do as she says, not as she does!" LOL.

Anyway, our new social worker "N" is great. She was very friendly and calm. She said our 18-page bio report was the best she'd EVER read. HA! Maybe she says that to ALL her clients, but I'm guessing that the past 2.5 years I've had to read books, get to know other adoptive parents, and actually WORK in the field...has paid off. "N" said she's never met anyone more prepared... You can say that again sister!

So of course, this was my 2nd time through the homestudy process, but it was a first for Steve - and of course he did wonderfully. Who doesn't love Steve? As an "adult member of my household" he has had to have all the background checks and answer a lot of questions that I'm sure he had NO IDEA he was signing up for when we met three years ago THIS WEEK! For the record, I was not worried one bit about how he would answer N's questions. :) No, I was more worried about dusting and straightening bookshelves and putting out clean handtowels in the bathroom.

Now we wait for N to write her report. Then she will submit it to my agency for review and make edits as necessary. Then it will be sent off to the USCIS (Homeland Security) for immigration approval...and then we will wait some more...

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference...

So we're still moving down this road. Some days it's like wading through a swamp. But we've strapped on our hip waders and we're working our way through. Moving forward...slowly, but with determination...and trying to enjoy the journey along the way.

It's Coming Along...

Not a lot to report lately. Still doing some unpacking and decorating of the house. Steve's been working a ton of hours, and I've been busy with work myself, as well as wading through lots of homestudy paperwork. I'm happy to report it IS coming along!

FBI clearances have been received. All eleven state clearances were requested and are now coming back (slowly). My four personal references were submitted (thanks friends!) Our doctors have completed and submitted our medical releases. We've written our 18-page bio Q&A (that's single-spaced, typed) and have sent it off. Next? We schedule the actual home visit with our social worker. I'm not too stressed about this, as I've been through it before and also I realize it is more to determine that our house is a safe and appropriate environment in which to raise a child more than anything else. Mainly I just want the house to look somewhat organized. We've been in this house almost two months now and there are still a lot of bare walls and unpacked boxes, but each weekend we get a little bit more done.

Our social worker will be on vacation for a week in October, so I'm hoping we can get this appointment scheduled sooner than later. After that, we will be waiting on her written report so we can go get our immigration fingerprints done and then wait for our immigration approval. Again, I've done this all before - it's just been three years. I know everything will get done in it's own time, and when the timing is right. It's just hard for someone like me to not want to control the entire process from beginning to end. But so far I have been able to maintain a respectable level of restraint during the frustration and seemingly endless red tape of the process. I'm learning patience. I know these are the Universe's lessons for me: giving up control and practicing patience. Good lessons for a mom-to-be I suppose.

29 Months!

I'm currently knee deep in paperwork getting my adoption homestudy updated. Since we moved to Washington state in March 2008, I've needed to get a homestudy update. And my I600A (U.S. immigration approval) expired in September '08. With the move into our new house last month, we'd finally saved up enough money (close to $3k) and I was able to get the "paperchase" started again. I won't even get into how complicated all this paperwork is, but just know - it could be a fulltime job by itself! But nose to the grindstone...I WILL get it done. Hopefully a couple of years from now I will be able to look back on all this and laugh...OK, maybe not laugh, but at least look back at these years of waiting with relief and a smile?

In the meantime, for the next two weeks I will read Kris and Laurie and Kim's blogs and remind myself that there IS someone amazing and worth waiting for at the end of all this!

Labor-less Weekend

Steve and I had a great Labor Day Weekend. For me, it was "labor-less". Steve had to work a couple of remote broadcasts from furniture and mattress stores in the area. Doesn't it seem like mattress and furniture stores are ALWAYS having sales? And the number of mattress stores always blows my mind. Now clearly, everyone needs a mattress, but how do all these mattress stores stay in business? Do THAT many people buy new mattresses that often?

Anyway - we headed down to Spokane's "Pig Out in the Park" food festival on Sunday. Had myself some banana nutella crepes - yummy. Also did some shopping for some artwork to hang in a couple of strategic places in our new house. Good times!

This coming week is exciting because THREE of my adoption world friends are reaching milestones this week. Kris and Laurie both leave tomorrow for China - whoo hoo! They will be meeting their girls next Monday. I can hardly believe it. All three of us submitted our applications and dossiers to CCAI during the same time period three years ago. Their girls are so cute, and I can only hope to be following in their footsteps soon! My friend Kim, who has been in Kazakhstan since July has finally had her adoption approved and has gotten permission to take her daughter out of the orphanage on Wednesday, so they will be coming home to Memphis in just a short couple of weeks!

Summer Beach Trip 2009

We arrived home from our week at the beach on Friday night. We had an amazing time, but were also ready to be home for awhile. The last few weeks have been crazy - for us and for the dogs. First our sudden move on the 7th, then a weekend trip to Seattle, then back for one week before heading out to the coast for our beach trip...WHEW!

The house we stayed at in Oregon was right on the cliff above the beach. It was a "round" house, so the sound of the ocean waves would come in the windows and literally bounce off all the walls in the house. So even sleeping in the back bedroom (away from the ocean), you felt like you were sleeping seaside with the window open. It was awesome! We also visited some amazing restaurants on this trip. The Blackfish Cafe in Lincoln City was AMAZING. Pan-seared scallops with pumpkin risotto - followed by a "homemade Ding Dong" for dessert. OMG (aqua sport class here I come!)

We also drove south to Depoe Bay one day and were amazed by the serious waves crashing on the rocky coast down there! All the tourists standing up on the lookout were trying not to get drenched by the huge fans of ocean spray being shot up by the sea. Enjoy the photos!

A lot going on...but not a lot going on...

Does that make sense? I'm feeling overwhelmed. Lots of stuff going on...but really nothing interesting to report here. Just tackling one project at a time. This weekend we were over in Seattle for my company's picnic, which was fun. Of course we also packed in back-to-back visits with all my family members while over there. Adding in the four-hour drive there and back (each way) and you've got a fairly action-packed weekend! And now here I am back at the new house. Which currently is a MESS. Not fun to come home to complete disarray - UGH. Here's a photo of my office:

...and here's one from the kitchen/dining area:

Can you tell the difference? Not really? Neither can I. That's the problem...and I'm surrounded by this...

I know it will get there eventually. I want to enjoy this house more, but right now it is somewhat out of control. I'm also trying to get into my routine of going to the gym 2-3 times/weeks again for Aqua Sport class. So far in the past two weeks I've made it four time...baby steps.

Also trying to get started on renewing my USCIS (immigration) paperwork for the adoption - which by itself could be a full time job with all the new hoops and bureaucracy that is involved.

On a positive note - we did fit in a quick trip to IKEA over the weekend in Seattle. We went in looking for a desk for Steve, and possible some framed artwork for the house...but I fell IN LOVE with this little girl's room they had mocked up:

Isn't it cute? The way it is designed reminds me of what it would be like to live inside a cartoon like Kai Lan or Dora...very anime-ish...but adorable - and very reasonably priced! I love IKEA.

28 Months...and a New House!

So yesterday came and went in a blur. I missed my 28 Month mark! The last week has been crazy. We literally got approved for the house on Monday, signed the lease Wednesday, and moved Friday! Because of some upcoming events out of town, we needed to either get moved now, or wait until September...and neither of us wanted to spend another three weeks w/out A/C (though the weather has cooled down somewhat this week).

We hired some folks to help us pack Thursday, and spent 11 hours on Friday getting moved. LONG DAY! But overall it was SO worth it, because the house we are in now is just amazing. We are a bit further from downtown, and Steve has to add about 10-15 min. on to his commute, but the space - as well as the peace and quiet of this neighborhood - have won us over!

The new house:

"The Sweet Life" (plaque above the front door):

Moving Day!:

Terraced backyard w/patio...our private oasis!:

Steve and Killer - taking a break from moving on the front porch:

It's a Sunshine Day!

Have I mentioned it's been hot? REAL HOT. The temps here have been over 90 for about two weeks straight. Of course, the weather on the east side of the state is more stable than it is over in Seattle, where they had temperature spikes of up to 103 this past week (yikes!) The problem is, for most folks in Washington state, it doesn't make sense to install central A/C in their homes. We just don't get a LOT of hot weather this far north - and thankfully we don't deal with the humidity of the midwest and south U.S. Believe me, after six years living in Iowa, and "enjoying" summer temps of 95 degrees with 95% humidity... I am GRATEFUL to live somewhere that cools off at night!

Unfortunately, our 1939 brick house with no A/C is very slow to cool down, especially the 2nd floor (where the bedrooms are - of course). We had hoped the huge pine trees that surround the house would keep it shady and cool and it does - up to about 80 degrees. I guess we can be thankful for the shade they DO provide, but I can tell you - it is still toasty inside the house - our thermostat reads 79 degrees most nights when I go to bed (and that's on the main floor).

The other issue is that our landlord decided to put the house back on the market in June. She is a retired lady who is trying to pay two mortgages every month (our rent only covers about half the mortgage on this house). Although it is priced pretty high, and less likely to sell in the current market (not to mention the current weather), we've had to show it half a dozen times, and of course keep it in "show" condition at all times. Showing it requires me leaving the house with the dogs (so they don't have barking fits at strangers coming in the house)...so it's quite an ordeal. The bottom line is, even if she doesn't sell the house by October, she plans to put it back on the market again next spring. So it makes sense for us to be considering other options at this point.

So we saw a house this past weekend that we REALLY like! It has been up for sale, but the owners are also open to renting it. They recently relocated to California and are using a property management company here in Spokane to handle the rental. So we submitted the rental paperwork on Wednesday and have our fingers crossed. It is about ten minutes further south of downtown, but a much larger, newer (1979) home with A/C. It is perched on the side of a hill and looks west out over the city to the surrounding mountains. I can't imagine how beautiful the sunsets will be!

Yes - this will be my FIFTH move since I started this blog (in November 2006)...crazy, huh? The negative part is that moving always sucks - things get broken, and it's a lot of work. But in this case, the postives FAR outweigh the negatives! Hope to be able to share more details (and photos) very soon. Looks like August is going to be even busier than I had first thought!

All the Single Ladies!

It's been an exciting few weeks. A lot of my single gal pals in the adoption community are finally seeing their dreams come true over the past month!

A few shoutouts to my Florida friends Kris and Laurie who have been amazing, supportive (albeit long distance) cyber friends throughout this process, and who have both seen their daughters' faces for the first time recently! I wish them both speedy travels to their little ones.

Also in my thoughts every day this week has been my Memphis friend Kim, who is in Kazakhstan with her new daughter! Kim will be staying in Kaz for the next couple of months, visiting and bonding with her daughter as her paperwork moves through the courts over there. Kim is one brave woman! She is experiencing a multi-faceted adventure: new motherhood, traveling, and culture shock all at once - and all by herself in a foreign country. Every day, I am in awe of her courage and determination. GO KIM!

Meanwhile, the process for me continues to be S-L-O-W. I wish I had some exciting news to report. The only news for now is "keep waiting". So that's what I continue to do. If everyone could please add to their daily prayers for the Chinese government (otherwise known as the CC@@) to speed up the adoption matching process (for me and for the thousands of other families in waiting) I would certainly appreciate it! Bottom line, I know it WILL still happen eventually. When the time is right. When the perfect child has been born and is waiting for me, I will be matched with her. And I know it is selfish of me to try and force the process or complain about the speed with which such magic happens...but... (Dear Universe, sooner rather than later would be GREAT - thanks!)

27 Months!

...since I was logged in by the CCAA in China...

...enough said.

Fourth of July Weekend

This weekend was a lot of fun. It was supposed to be a 3-day weekend, but Steve worked Friday morning to make-up for a day he took off earlier last month...and for me, there was a bit of work drama on Friday due to the fact that the communications center in Seattle that houses the server for my organization's website had a fire late Thursday night, so our website and email went off line for about 24 hours from Friday-Saturday. Still, we had some time to chill out in the backyard on Friday before the temps got too high.

Bright and early Saturday morning, Steve and I headed over to northern Idaho to the region's largest amusement and water park. His station was broadcasting from the waterpark, so we spent a few hours there. It was wicked hot (95 degrees) and while Steve had to work under the station tent meeting and greeting fans and running some prize drawings, I had the opportunity to cool off in the water. As usual, I was a little bit self-conscious about being in public in a swimsuit, but once the temps topped 90 and I saw all the thousands of folks (of all shapes and sizes) stripping down - I decided to go for it - I grabbed an inner tube and floated the lazy river right along with the rest of 'em - and it was heavenly!

After the station promotion was over, we had planned on exploring the rest of the amusement park, but it was just too darned hot - so we skipped out and headed back into town - stopping for a late lunch in Coeur d'Alene along the way.

Personal fireworks were banned in the city of Spokane several years ago, and with the $500 fine heavily enforced, it was nice and quiet around our neighborhood - perfect for afternoon naps! Later in the evening we decided to head downtown for the public fireworks display over the river. After grabbing slushees at Sonic, we decided to avoid the crowds and head straight over to the station to watch the fireworks from the TV news weatherdeck - which has a great view overlooking the city.

A few other station employees were there with their families, including one family that has adopted from China (twice) so it was fun for me to meet them and watch their girls enjoy the fireworks show. Steve snapped about 200 photos during the fireworks show and several of them turned out great. What a great weekend it has been. Enjoy your independence everybody!

A Sad Day...

I was (and still am) extremely saddened by the death of Michael Jackson yesterday. From watching the Jackson 5 cartoons on Saturday mornings as a young child, to rollerskating to the hits from Thriller and dancing with my hairbrush/microphone to “Bad” in the bathroom mirror…many of my childhood/teen memories include the soundtrack of Michael Jackson. Regardless of his eccentric and sometimes strange behavior in recent years, I believe he was simply a misunderstood individual, who now deserves to rest in peace - I hope the media will let that happen.

"...And the dream we were conceived in will reveal a joyful face...And the world we once believed in will shine again in grace...Then why do we keep strangling life? Wound this earth? Crucify its soul? Though it's plain to see, this world is heavenly...BE GOD'S GLOW. We could fly so high, let our spirits never die...In my heart I feel you are all my brothers. Create a world with no fear...together we cry happy tears."

- Lyrics from"Heal the World"

Michael Jackson, 1991

See the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W61Q-EZ8R7M

Rest in peace MJ.

Father's Day Weekend

My parents and Uncle Dave came to town on Saturday to spend a couple days with us. We had a nice backyard BBQ on Saturday evening (while the weather was still nice!) I even made my grandma's famous potato salad which turned out AMAZING (thank you for the recipe Grandma - who knew it was so easy?) On Sunday morning, we took them to Anthony's restaurant on the Falls and had a lovely Father' Day brunch. Here's a pic of my folks on the deck at Anthony's:

Afterwards, we took them by Steve's station to show them the studio where Steve does his show, and so Dave could see how the radio station works. We even had them cut some promos and Steve played them back - just for fun. As those who know Uncle Dave are aware...he has Down syndrome and music has been his "business" since he was a young boy. He will sit for hours in his room spinning his old LP's and singing along. So to see a REAL deejay booth was pretty exciting for him:

The rest of the weekend's weather was rainy and chilly, so we watched some movies, went to Spaghetti Factory, and Steve was even able to score them some free tickets to the Suzanne Somers cabaret show at a local casino (Suzanne Somers being one of Uncle Dave's all time favorite ladies!) So overall, a very fun weekend. Love you guys! XOXO

House Hunter

Although I was born and raised in Seattle, over the past fifteen years, I have lived in many places and moved no less than 12 times. During that time I have rented apartments and homes of all shapes and sizes. I’m going to go ahead and admit it - I am an HGTV addict. I tivo episodes of House Hunters every week and watch other buy/sell/rent shows with a vengeance that most people reserve for sports-viewing (since I'm not a sports fan myself).

On the weekends, in addition to checking in on adoption blogs and Facebook friends, I research real estate. Steve thinks I should get my real estate license. But I really enjoy this as an extracurricular hobby. Besides, I truly consider it research - someday I will live in my dream house and actually OWN it so I can make it truly mine. But for now, work transitions and saving for adoption expenses keep us from taking the real estate plunge. Some days that frustrates me – but most of the time, I think it is exciting. I’m not tied down to any specific location. We could end up anywhere, and with the timelines on China adoptions ever-growing, who knows when that will happen or where we’ll be living…but it WILL happen eventually… the good news is, over the past two years, I’ve never lived in a house long enough decorate a nursery, so I’ve never had anywhere in a house to go sit and be sad about the wait.

Anyway, just for the sake of research, this morning I decided to take a look at what kind of single, detached home we could buy for $300k in all the various towns where I’ve lived, and still be in a safe, family-friendly neighborhood which is within a 10-15 min. commute to a downtown area. Here is what I found:

Seattle - 2 beds, 1 bath – 750 sq. ft

This is near the neighborhood where I grew up.

One car garage in back.

Denver - 3 beds, 2. 5 bath – 1500 sq ft

No yard, 2-car garage in back. Close neighbors on both sides!

Des Moines (Iowa) – 4 beds, 2. 5 bath – 2250 sq ft

Lots of land - but no trees and a lot of grass to mow!

Spokane – 5 beds, 3 baths – 3200 sq ft
Backs up to a state park, with no neighbors behind you.

It’s funny when I compare all these places –I’ve imagined myself being able to live quite happily in any one of them. Somehow that is comforting. It reminds me that – no matter where we end up raising Lia – home isn't about renting vs. owning, or how many bedrooms or garage spaces you have...it truly is about where the heart is - so we will be happy. :)

26 Months (+ one day!)

Okay - so clearly the whole skunk episode was traumatic and threw me off schedule for the week, because I totally SPACED that yesterday was the 10th of the month - which was the 26th month anniversary of my log in date in China. So dear baby Lia, when you read these blog entries years from now, please know that I didn't forget you yesterday. In fact, I was wearing my new ladybug charm necklace all day yesterday...but due to "skunk brain"...I simply forgot that it was the 10th of the month.

When I found the "26" photo with the dolphins, it reminded me of my trip to Puerto Vallarta in 2006, where I invested in the experience of a lifetime by swimming with dolpins for an hour...it was SO COOL. My particular dolphin was named Nacho. I'm not sure what I expected a dolphin to feel like, but Nacho felt really smooth and rubbery. Nacho was so friendly and calm. I think we can all learn some lessons from a creature like that...it was seriously one of the best things I've ever done. This photo brings back great memories!

Where the Wild Things Are...

2:30 a.m. - Sleeping with the bedroom window open. Our Yorkie needs to pee. Steve gets up to let him out. The dog comes back in, but suddenly there is commotion. Both dogs are jumping at the backdoor and barking…going crazy in fact. I hear Steve telling the dogs to hush in an intense, low voice – (in case I might have slept thru all the commotion - I wish!). I hear a rustling in the shrubs outside the bedroom window…first, I think "oh my gosh, a burglar?" and then it hits me…

THE SMELL!

I jump out of bed to slam the window shut…but it’s too late…the malodorous funk of SKUNK has permeated my nasal passages. I hide my head in my pillow to filter out the smell. It doesn’t work. I wake up in the morning, certain the odor is still clinging to me. Steve assures me it is not.
GROSS!!!