A time to give Thanks

Thanksgiving is my all time favorite holiday. All you do is eat and enjoy your family. This year was especially good to my family. The food was yummy and my whole family is doing well. It was nice to see my cousins and my aunts and uncles. I hope that next year Grace will be with us.

Of course I went to Kohl's and JcPenney's the day after Turkey Day just to see what deals were available. I got the last magic bullet for Sandra and Rex and I got a bread maker for myself. I especially enjoyed spending time today with my best friend and her husband in Fredericksburg. She is going to have a baby girl in April. Grace is going to have a playmate that is very near her age which is very exciting.

Yesterday was my six month LID anniversary. Time is going by fast. I hope it continues. Before I know it, I will have Grace in my arms.

Waiting Family Dinner

I went to the waiting family dinner for my adoption agency last night. I took my parents with me. It was very interesting to see people with their new babies and the referral pictures. It is a good thing to see because you know that soon it will happen for you in the future.

I also visited with my grandparents today. We played poker and my mom was the big poker champ. I started out strong but lost the most. Tomorrow we'll play dominoes. It's my grandfather's favorite game. He was having a bit of trouble playing poker. It made me sad. But, I learned today that he had been hit by a streetcar when he was a boy and had to have stitches. It's those little stories that I want to remember and write down and share with Grace about her great grandfather. He led a very interesting life.

I'm posting the picture of my ladybug troll. I'm hoping she brings our May group good luck and fast referrals (come on May!)

The Ladybug Troll

Today when I went to Wal-Mart, I was looking for a digital hamster pet for my niece Alex. What did I find instead? The most hideous looking troll in a ladybug outfit. You would think that it would freak me out because most trolls do, but for some reason, it called out to me. It was fate saying, "Buy me, I'm lucky and maybe I'll speed up the wait time." So what did I do? I bought it of course. It is now on my desk at work, still in its box. I'm looking for another to send to send as a gift to another adoptive family. We could use all the help we can get with the wait.

The Brown Envelope

After a long and extremely BORING meeting today, I got a big surprise. I was already cranky and my neck is sore from sleeping on it wrong when I opened my mailbox and there was this huge brownish envelope at the bottom of my mailbox. I noticed something about federal government and travel. I threw my mail into my passenger seat and rushed to my house so I could examine it closer (I would have done it in my car, but I had to pee pretty badly and there were those kids who were throwing a ball around where my car and I was so I was a bit leery of getting hit). I ran inside, and scrounged through my mail. It was the great brown envelope. I have my number and everything now. Woo-hoo. I hope it bodes as a good sign that referrals will speed up. The next good thing is that I got my places everyone e-mail and it looks like my month will be soon going through review (maybe the next month or the following month). Yippee! Hopefully that is a sign. So, things are getting brighter on the adoption front. I honestly hope that it is a 12 month wait and not 14 or 18 or 24. I hope I can travel this summer because it would work out better (I could take more time off from work). I'm wishing and hoping and praying!

Right Here, Right Now
By Jesus Jones
BestAudioCodes.com

Favorite Smells

As I was walking Hope this evening, the smell of fresh clean laundry filled my nostrils. It made me take a deep sniff and ahhhh, contentment. I love the smell of fabric softner and clean laundry. It makes my walks with Hope even better. I also love the smell of BBQ, with meat cooking. I love the smell of a fire in a fire place and the smell of autumn (which still hasn't totally hit here yet!) Vanilla, a pumpkin pie cooking in the oven are also some of my favorite smells. The weirdest smell that I love is Hope's feet. I know that sounds gross but it has a fritoy, salty smell. Babies, stinky diapers and all also smell heavenly. My favorite smell though is my parents' house. I feel at home. Isn't it weird how just a smell can bring comfort? I'm thankful for the small things in life like being able to smell. My poor mom doesn't have a strong sense of smell. She's missing some good stuff!

Stork Alert

Man do I LOVE to get the e-mail entitled Stork Alert. I get all excited and goofy. I keep thinking, soon it'll be for me. I love to read people's blogs and see the beautiful faces of the babies that will be coming home with their parents in a short amount of time. I can only imagine when it's my time. I'll probably be a total basketcase. If it happens during the school year, Shannon, the other library chick, will have to reign me in. I'm sure I'll become a stalker of the Federal Express guy. I keep praying that the big day will happen for me in May. How awesome would that be? I'd still be in school and I can share my happiness with my students and my colleagues. But, I remain cautious and expect the day in late July or August.

What else has been going on? Not too much. Work is work. My poor teachers are overworked and stressed to the max. My students are right there with them. I can't wait for Turkey Day to come. It's my favorite holiday because all you do is eat, eat and eat some more for the whole week. YUM. I'm already dreaming of pumpkin pie, turkey and those brown and serve rolls. Less than a month to food happiness.