Happy 2008!!

Well...a little under an hour until then! ;D

Mom and Dad are leaving tomorrow night for Chicago with my grandpa and then my other grandpa is driving them to Ohare on Wednesday!!!!!!!!! so 2 days until they leave for China and 1 night until I don't see them again for 2 WHOLE WEEKS!!! I still can't wrap my brain around it!! LOL!

We just got done playing our all night Monopoly game!! Christopher won! Like really won! He owned pretty much the whole board! LOL! It was a lot of fun! We still have a bunch of food and snacks left over! =D Our next all night Monopoly game will be next year (as in the next New Year! =D) and we'll have Sarah!! Although she'll probably be sleeping.....

Open Door: By Crystal Kershaw

Here's a fiction adoption story I found on www.briomag.com! Enjoy!

Emily paused in front of the red door. Her eyes strained to examine its intricate carvings, timeless Chinese symbols for nobility and prosperity. Dragons leaped toward her, their scaly tails whipping around gentle pagodas and lotus trees. "Right," she whispered. "This is the place." Groaning against the door’s thick weight, she went inside.
The Chinese consulate in New York City sprawled out before her. Emily felt an immediate rush of adrenaline as she wandered into its expansive reception hall. Colorful traditional costumes danced among the gleaming glass cases. Chinese faces peered out of the huge photographs scattered among them. Emily was drawn to a small, black-and-white photo peeking through the fog of images. It was of an emperor, surrounded by his royal family. Lost in the photo, Emily was startled at the sound of a voice behind her.
A pretty, petite woman in a red consulate blazer, seated behind a black lacquered reception desk, quietly addressed her. Emily flushed with confusion. "I’m sorry, but I don’t understand Chinese," she said softly. "I have an 11:00 appointment with Mr. San."
"Your name, please?" the receptionist replied in perfect English.
"Emily Hills. Mr. San is expecting me." The receptionist turned to her desk and dialed the phone. After a few minutes of brisk Chinese conversation, she smiled.
"You may be seated, Miss Hills. Mr. San will be here shortly."
Emily sat down. She couldn’t believe she was here. Adopted at the age of 1, she didn’t remember China except in occasional flashbacks. The smell of a spice could trigger a memory, or the slick feel of a silk shirt. Like clouds racing through a sunlit sky, the memories were pleasant, but they passed out of sight quietly and quickly.
Every year around her birthday, Emily pledged to capture one of those clouds. Each of her 12 years had passed without bringing her closer to her goal. Her 13th birthday had brought with it an intensity of longing she hadn’t felt before.
While she was waiting for her mom to get back from the supermarket, Emily stumbled on a National Geographic article about Northwest China. Captivated by the magazine’s shiny spreads, tiny memories began surfacing. Emily felt a knot twist around in her stomach. Seeing this magazine on this day — it had to be a sign of some sort, she thought. She stared in awe at a photo, taken in the province of her birth, of a mountain range surrounded by brilliantly flowering plains. Deep down Emily knew what this meant. The time had come to make a plan — it was time to know more.
Moving Forward"What do you think about me searching for my birth family?" Emily stammered that evening as she and her mother cleaned vegetables for her birthday dinner. "I stumbled on the Web site for the Chinese consulate in New York today during computer lab. There was a listing of consulate appointees, and one of them, Mr. San, is from Xining, too." Emily cautiously surveyed her mom’s reaction.
Emily’s mom put down her paring knife. "I understand your desire to learn more about your birth family, Em, and I’ll do what I can to help. But there are very few solid answers in China. Yes, you’re from Xining, but it’s not a small town. Mr. San is one of more than a million people who call Xining home. The chance he’ll have any knowledge of your birth parents is very slim."
"Slim is better than nothing," Emily answered without hesitation. "I thought I’d send the locket to Mr. San, along with a letter asking about the engraving. Maybe he’ll recognize it."
The locket was Emily’s prize possession, the story behind it her only tangible link to her birth parents. Emily’s mom and dad told her about the locket when they talked with her about adoption. They told her about their trip to China and visiting her orphanage. There, an orphanage worker had slipped them the locket as they walked through the courtyard with infant Emily in their arms. Through translated whispers, she explained it had been with Emily when she arrived. The old woman felt it was rightfully hers and had hidden it away. She wanted Emily’s new parents to have it.
After their discussion, Emily began to understand why she looked different than her parents. She also began keeping the locket in a heart-shaped box in her room. Late at night she’d wake up to see if it was there. After school she’d rush to her room to make sure nothing had happened to it. Emily didn’t have a special blanket . . . she had the locket. The story of how she came to have it, and the hope of what it meant, warmed her.
The locket itself was unremarkable, a style Emily had seen in many Chinese import shops. What set it apart was the intricate engraving on its reverse side. It seemed to be a crest of sorts — elegant Chinese characters surrounded by delicate swirls. Emily had shown it to many people, many times, endlessly searching for a beam of light, a clue — something to hold on to. Again and again the answer came back the same. It wasn’t a motto, so it must be a name. A family name. The name of a family Emily longed to know.
A Royal HeirIn her heart, Emily already knew them. She felt her birth family must be among the elite to have such a crest and locket. In the part of her heart where dreams ran free, she could clearly see who they must be. Forced underground during the communist revolution, they were probably descendants of an ancient Chinese dynasty. Emily had become a voracious student of Chinese history, and for years devoured every book she could find, slowing slowly feeding her growing imagination with stories of who her birth parents were.
Somewhere there was a key, a key that would open up both her heritage and the reason behind her adoption. Perhaps her parents’ noble blood imprisoned them. Perhaps on discovery, they’d been ripped from their home, sent to a prison camp and commanded to part with their infant daughter.
The royal blood Emily felt coursing through her veins colored her life a rosy hue. Racist remarks from kids at school, Chinese eyes being mimicked on the bus . . . nothing could penetrate Emily’s barrier of nobility.
She strove to fulfill her own high expectations. Finishing at the top of her eighth-grade class, she was entering high school with a full slate of accelerated courses. In ballet, she made the graceful bends and twirls of an aristocrat’s daughter. Excelling at art and calligraphy, her work was featured in countless student exhibitions. A noble persona touched her every move, informed her every action.
The night before Emily’s appointment at the Chinese consulate, her mom peeked into her room. "I could use some help with the laundry, kiddo. These clothes don’t fold themselves, you know!" She plopped an overstuffed basket of clothes on Emily’s bed and sat down beside her. "I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow, too, Em. I’m excited you have this opportunity, and hope you find what you’re looking for. Just keep in mind what’s important."
"What’s important is finding out who they are," Emily replied, her eyes filling with tears. "Once I know that, I’ll know how it all fits together. Then I’ll know who I am."
"Hon, who you really are is who you choose to become," her mom replied, softly stroking Emily’s hair. "You have the power to choose, Em, and that power doesn’t come from your birth parents or your real parents. That power comes from God and is given to you. Whether your birth parents were part of the imperial family or rice farmers doesn’t change that."
"But I know they’re special, Mom. I can feel it. They’re royal . . . one of the noble families in China. They . . . they’ve got to be," Emily stuttered through her tears.
"Em, we don’t know if they have a pedigree, but we do know something about them. We know they wanted something better for you than they could give themselves. We know they brought you to the orphanage because they loved you and had hope for your future. That’s nobility, Em. It’s about the quality of your heart. By that standard, you’re already nobility. Consulate or no consulate, I hope you remember that."
True IdentityThis conversation haunted Emily as she waited for Mr. San, her head swimming through waves of emotion. When Mr. San had called, telling her he had information to share with her, she couldn’t wait to meet him. Now as she sat waiting, the dragon of reality was poised. Yes, Mr. San had answers, but were they the answers she longed for? What about my nobility? What did it mean? Emily’s fantasies were as much a part of her as her coal black hair. Would the dragon eat at their core, leaving only the scattered bones of her dreams?
Emily closed her eyes and tried to imagine life as a farmer’s daughter. Would it change who she was, what she did, how hard she tried? Would finding out about her birth parents fill a void or create a larger one? Although her mom and dad had encouraged her search, she also knew on some level it must hurt them. Aren’t my parents enough?
Thoughts circled her mind, slowly forming a whirlpool of confusion and fear. Suddenly Mr. San seemed less like a friend and more like an enemy, a dragon rearing back its head, ready to breathe fire. Quickly rifling through her purse, Emily found a pen and scrap of paper and set to writing.
"Would you please give this to Mr. San?" Emily asked, her hand shaking as she offered the message. "I won’t be able to stay for our meeting." The receptionist nodded politely, accepting the note with a vague smile.
Emily turned, searching through streaming tears for the bright red door. To her surprise, as she opened it to the warm sunlight, it wasn’t nearly as heavy as it had been before.

Remembering You: Steven Curtis Chapman

Freaking Out Now!!!

I am freaking out now! 2 days until Mom and Dad leave! I forgot to add in most of the posts something. Mom and Dad are going home with my Grandpa on Tuesday and then leaving on Wednesday! Anyway, I can't believe it's only 2 days until I don't see my parents again for 2 WHOLE WEEKS!! And the next time Sarah will be with them!! I can't belive it's only 2 days until my life changes forever!! Wow!

4 MORE DAYS!!!

YIKES!!!! I can't believe Mom and Dad are leaving in 4 days!!!!! I am so excited!!!!!!!!!=D

How was everyones Christmas? =D

Merry Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!! Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

*Sarah,

Your picture haunts my head day and night.

I long for the day that is so close but, yet so far away.

I long to see your beautiful face,

And to hold you in my arms,

And kiss your face

And tell you "I love you, MeiMei."

That day is soon,

And although you don't know it,

You will have a forever family soon!

I love you Sarah,

Love your JieJie,

Caitie

Another Article!

New Year's Again!
By: Bob Smiley

New Year’s is here! Time to make those New Year’s resolutions. Time to write out that list of things you plan to do for the entire year or at least the next day. To help you start your own list, I’ll share a few of my family’s New Year’s resolutions.

• Listen! My wife wants us to work on listening to each other more this year in order to improve something. I didn’t catch the last part of what she was saying because the Texans were about to score! But hey, maybe you could listen to your profs and your parents more.

• Less shopping! My wife has told me that her resolution this year is to only shop on days that end with a “y.” I’m very excited!

• Be nice to your brother or sister! My oldest son, Colter, promises not to use duct tape on his younger brother this year. I overheard him tell another kindergartner he’s sticking with plain rope.

• Get a new hobby! Trenton, my youngest son, vows to learn more about knots and to study escape artistry.

• Exercise! My dad began jogging. He’s resolved to complete two laps around the coffee table every morning.

• Redecorate! My mom wants to buy a bigger coffee table.

These are just a few suggestions. Whatever you choose to do with these new days, be sure to thank God who gave you these days!
Remember that nothing in life is guaranteed . . . except the fact that if one doughnut is left in the room with my dad, there’s no doughnut left in that room. God doesn’t promise us the next day, so make the most of the one He’s given you right now!
If none of the above resolutions sound good to you, I’ll also include my personal New Year’s resolution list for 2005. Maybe one of these will inspire you.

1. I’ve done this before, and I’m going to do it again. I’m resolving to read the Bible through in a year. It’s really not hard at all. You can follow the Brio plan for reading it through in a year or simply read three chapters each day and five on Sunday. In one year, you’ll have read the entire Bible. This is important to me, because I want to spend time every day with my best Friend and Creator, reading the stories He left for me and seeking His guidance.

2. I’ll stop numbering everything.

3. I’ll stop telling people what to do. This is a really good one. In fact, it should be on your list as well! So write it down NOW.

4. I’m not going to be so nosy. My wife says I’m very nosy. Actually, she didn’t tell me that: She wrote it in her diary.

5. I won’t get distracted by other things to the point where I don’t finish what I started working on in the first pla –

The Way I See It - I Resolve To...

By Patrick Dunn

"This year, I will use electricity.”

That’s it. I’ve got my New Year’s resolution.

I know it’s small, but at least it’s a step forward from last year’s:

“In 2007, I promise to allow my liver to work.”

Maybe you’re working on your resolutions. Here’s some help: I heard one reason resolutions fail is that they can be too big, and that’s why I decided to make smaller ones. Plus, now I know why some of my other ones failed!

2006: This year I WILL become a really smart scientist.

2002: I promise to evangelize the Southern Hemisphere.

2000: I’ll stop being afraid of pecans. (OK, maybe only this is a big one for me.)

1999: Become daredevil stunt dude guy.

Another reason resolutions fail is you can set too many. This isn’t really a problem for me—or most guys. If we set them at all, they usually stay simple or all sound alike:

1. Workout more.

2. Go to the gym.

3. Start lifting weights.

4. Get bigger and stronger.

But girls? I’ve seen the list of resolutions some girls come up with, and it can be a recipe for discouragement:

Start exercising, stop snorting when I laugh, begin journaling, drink more water, paint toenails weekly, stop thinking about Josh, no more fast food, help youth leader, give 12 hugs a day, write Grandma, sing in worship band, memorize the Old Testament, no sneezing around guys, start quilting, get straight A’s, no more pony tails, tour with Relient K . . .

And this is just for January through March.

Now honestly, I have a tougher resolution for this year, but I’m afraid to start. It seems too hard.

“I want to start eating better.”

Simple, right? Not for me. There are some major reasons why this resolution will be difficult:

1. My food pyramid has three parts: cookies, foods I like, foods I don’t like.

2. I’m originally from Wisconsin. It’s hard to eat really healthy there—butter is considered a food group. And cheese is considered a vegetable.

3. Media pressure. Did you know guys are actually encouraged to eat bad? Whenever an ad on TV or in a magazine shows a girl and food, they’re usually dancing around eating yogurt, a fruity snack or drinking zero-calorie soda. But guys? They’re 400 pounds and grilling a steak the size of a water heater.

I got it! Maybe I could make a resolution to not make resolutions! Or I could make a list of stuff I WON’T do. That way, by not doing anything, I’d actually succeed!

(Example: I won’t run as fast as a cat. I won’t win the award of “Greek Dancing Champion.”)

Of course, I could just step out in faith, pray that God would help me eat better and remember how the Bible promises that when I am weak, He is strong.

I know that’s the best resolution I can make—although I’m still hoping for that daredevil-stunt-dude-guy one.

It's Getting Even More Real To Me!

Yesterday, our friends came over and brought their extra crib!! Dad and Mr. Winter set it up in my room and then Mom and I put all the decor on it after they left! =D This morning I just stared at it for about a half hour. Half of that half hour I noticed how the dust ruffle (or whatever it's called) was simply crooked and needed to be straightend (which I still need to do!) and the other half I imagined Sarah standing up in it ;).

11 More Days Till Travel! =D

14 DYAS!!!!!

See how excited I am? I spelled probably one of the easiest words wrong! 14 DAYS!!! That's better! But I'll be more specific! 14 days, what? You may be asking yourself. 14 DAYS UNTIL MOM AND DAD LEAVE FOR CHINA!!!! =D Which makes it only 16 or 17 days until I get to see our sweet girls face!!! We're bouncing off the walls and everything is just nuts here!! Mom is everywhere! Packing, packing, packing, shopping for Sarah, packing, and (you guessed it) more packing. So far though, she's only packed all of Sarah's stuff. She's waiting to pack her's and Dad's until, I think, the day before, because they're still using the stuff they need to pack! My room looks so crowded! Her suitcase and carryon bag are right where her crib is going to go.

Speaking of crib! That's coming on Friday! Some friends of ours had two cribs and said that we could have one! I can't wait until that goes up!

We also finally got Sarah's carseat! Turns out she's going to have to be rear facing because of her weight! She's going to be so tiny! I'll post a pic of that when I post one of the crib!=D

Only 6 or 7 days till Christmas!

MERRY EXTRA-EARLY CHRISTMAS!

And The Countdown Begins...Again!

At midnight tonight it will be 16 days until Mom and Dad leave for China!!! Which makes it about 30 days (I think) until Sarah comes home!!!! Praise the Lord!=D

I Got It Back!! =D

I went back onto Pyzam to see if the snowflake layout would work again (after about 5 tries for the past few weeks) and it finally worked!!! =D This has to be one of my favorte layouts!

We've Been Bumped

We've been bumped up!!! =( Bethanne called Mom's cell last night and said that our travel dates have changed because of the holidays. Gansu is closed down a whole week for Christmas! Why does China celebrate American holidays????! Mom and Dad will now be OFFICIALLY leaving on January 2nd and coming home on January 17th. No changes can be made! At least I think!!=O

This is Hilarious!

So this is what Dad posted this morning on his and Mom's blog! Its really funny! =D


Thursday, December 13, 2007
I dont do forms!

Dad (Joe) writing:
Yesterday was an experience. I went to the Chinese Consulate, which is at 1 W. Erie, not 100 E. Erie as their website claims. It was supposed to be soooo easy. Just drop off our passports and the forms we filled out for our visas. When I got up to the window the nice man behind the 2” bulletproof glass said “wrong form, fill out these,” and pushed two new forms through the slot.This may have been no big deal for the average adult. But having been on overnight salt spreading duty the past two nights, with a total of six hours sleep in the last 72 hours, I hardly qualified. Every time I’ve picked up a pen to fill in some form in the past two years, my lovely Lisa springs into action, alerting me to all the possible mistakes I could make. I’ve been trained to avoid filling out forms altogether and just allow her to do it. I only provide the all-important signature. (Truth is I hate filling out forms and she seems to actually like it. A perfect marriage.) But here we were Caitie, Jonah, and me with two forms that needed filling out and no qualified person to do so.I panicked. I called Lisa and the atomic transporter was on the fritz, so she wouldn’t be joining us. She was supportive but the reality was those forms were either going to be filled out by me or I’d have to bring them home to her and let her fill them out. I called Bethanne, our social worker, and so much more. She calmed me down and convinced me that I might actually be qualified to do this. (Okay, if anyone thinks I’m starting to sound like a weenie I’d like to remind you: sleep deprived, worried about screwing up the form and derailing the whole process by misspelling a name or something. Oh never mind.)So I went over to the counter where people fill out these forms and found no pens. I turned to my daughter Caitie and asked if she had a pen. She produced a remarkable contraption that she claims I bought for her. This was a long white pen that had large blue heart-shaped crystal on the top. Lovely. When you press the pen tip to paper the blue crystal lights up. Lift it and it shuts off. When you print instead of using cursive the pen blinks with each letter. Now the spring inside the pen has to be compressed so that there is electrical contact made. This makes the tip drag along the paper because it has to be lifted 1/32nd of an inch higher than any other pen. This created a lot of odd markings as I dragged the pen-tip from one letter to the next. But the blinking blue light was a special treat.The first entry on the new form required my “surname”. I never saw the word before. Was that my first name, last name, whole name? Then the next entry was my “given name”. Oh please!Caitie was really helpful. I went with her best guesses.We got through it. I’m sure it’s all fine. Anyway, I realized that I’d better relax. I’m going to China for two weeks and there’s probably going to be more surprises. If I can get bent out of shape over this, what’s it going to be like over there? When this realization hit me, I looked across the elevator we had just boarded and said to Caitie, “I need to relax.”She nodded and said, “God’s in control, Dad.”My cup runneth over.

We've Got TA!!!!!!!!!!!! =D

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!! =D Mom had left earlier to pick up Jonah from band practice when she called! I didn't recognize the number but I picked it up anyway wondering if it was someone I know, just not the number! Mom's talking to her right now! They're definatly leaving on the 26th and coming home on January 9th! Sooner then thought!!!!!!! =D I'm so excited!!!!!!! =D

I just recounted down and I've been giving the wrong countdown! More days until travel but it's only just a little!!!! It's really 17 days, 15 days until Christmas. I think I was mixing countdowns. ;)

I just can't believe we have TA!!! Sarah's so close but so far away!!!

16 More Days until Travel/ Lexi, Your Question

16 more days until Mom and Dad leave for China!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!! Which makes it only 33 more days until I finally get to meet Sarah!!! I can't believe how fast the days are flying by!!!!! =D

In answer to your question, Lexi. Mom is going to email me pics and probably what they did and stuff about Sarah - if that makes sense- and then I'm going to choose so pics and post them on my blog! =D I hope that gave you the answer you were looking for! =D

Candy Cane!

I found it on Matie Kay Creations!

Huh?

Okay so Lexi, you say that you still see snowflakes but I still see Santa? I am so confused!

17.5 Days until China!!!! =D

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????

What happened??????? My blog first had snowflakes on it and now it's Santa!!!!! What happened??? I didn't change it at all!!! =(
I am NOT in the mood to change this right now. I'll do it tomorrow. =(

Song...

I put a new song on the bottom and so far its not working....please let me know if it doesn't work for any of you. Thanks!

*Caitie*

18.5 Days and Counting!! =D

Only 18.5 more days until Mom and Dad leave for China!!!!!! =D

Guess Who Hates Snow...

Yeah, okay, I admit it. I do. But it's not me who I'm talking about. Ruby and Chloe (remember them...the last picture I posted of them the were cute little chicks?) well anyway, they're all grown up now and laying eggs! We only have 2 hens and we get almost 3 eggs a day now! Yum! =D Anyway back to snow. They hate it! It's so adorable though. They lift up they're feet all disgusted when they walk in it! Dad and Jonah were cleaning the coop this morning and the didn't like the snow so they flew up onto the wall and stayed up there until the guys were done cleaning. It was so adorable! They then stayed by the coop the rest of the day. They're pretty cranky now, because they can't dig in the dirt for bugs and they don't like the snow. I went out there just now to put them to bed and they kept tugging on my clothes and looking at the snow and then looking back at me. It was so cute! I don't have any pictures right now, but I'm taking some tomorrow to post.

I can't believe this weather!!! It's so cold out and we've had snow, sleet, and rain! I've decided I like summer the best. I like the heat and the sun and being able to go to the beach.

Have a great weekend!

Last Nights Travel Meeting

Last night Mom and Dad went to the travel meeting! =D Mom said it went really well. They really like Bethanne this time around. Which is really good! Julie isn't our Social Worker anymore. She had some problems with her pregnancy and had to leave. So Bethanne is now our Social Worker. Mom and Dad asked Bethanne when she thinks they'll be leaving and she said the end of 2007!! So that's 3 or 4 weeks away!! I can't believe it! Last year we were thinking 3 or 4 years and now its weeks away!! =D I can't believe Mom and Dad are going to China! =D She so close yet so far away!!! Right now Mom's looking at Plane tickets!! I'm so excited!! Mom was telling me everything last night and I was still going back to 3 weeks from now!! That's so soon!! I'm sooooooooooooooo excited!! =D SO I'm thinking if Mom and Dad leave on December 26th, because - not sure if every agency does this- they have to leave on a Wendesday they'll come home on January 4th,5th,or 6th. Hopefully sooner!! They're going to fly into Bejing and from Bejing into Langhouz(sp?!), Gansu - where they'll pick up Sarah!- and then stay in Langhouz for some amount of days and then Langhouz to Guangzouh (sp?!), to Hong Kong, and then Hong Kong to HOME!!! Bethanne told Mom and Dad that they'll land in Langhouz on Sunday and can either get Sarah on Sunday or Monday or Tuesday! You won't believe this though! The drive from the Institue Sarah is in is 5HOURS away from Langzouh! Bethanne said it's a long and bumpy ride so she'll probably be car sick, not smell to good, and cranky. =(
If I remember more from what Mom told me last night I'll post, but that's really all. SHE"S ALMOST HERE!!! =D