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!