Dirty Undies be damned

After taking a nice, long 2 1/2 hour long nap I am feeling energized and ready to tackle the emptying of the suitcases. After noticing that they have already broken the leather strap, the next thing I noticed was this nice little card tucked next to my dirty undies:

How special is that? This is why I have always put my dirties right on top. Why I decided to be a nice girl and put them in a ziplock this time is beyond me. And don't lecture me about how I should make it easier for them to their job...I'm a nurse, remember? A little stinky pants is nothing compared to the stink most nurses deal with every day on the job.

...or are you just happy to see me?

I know some of you out there may think you have the best Dad ever, but you are wrong.  I DO.  Every year for Valentine's Day (or as I am now referring to as Single Awareness Day) he buys my mother, his mother, my sister and me a bouquet of flowers.  I just assumed that since I was in Dallas last week that he would just save his money, but I was wrong. 

Yesterday afternoon this is what greeted me:

And yes, the balloon really is that big.  It's a good 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide at the top.  Since my camera is still dead and I still have not bought a new one, Michael was nice enough to snap a few photos. 

Can you believe that??

Pimped out...

...the blog, that is.  Evidently those classes last week were good for more than just building tables.  I learned a little about code and with a little hint from Kristen (check out her pimped out new blog!) I was able to take it to the next level.  I've pimped two blogs today and I'm ready to tackle more!  Actually, I downloaded someone else's template last night before I went to bed so if you saw it this morning and are now reading, you are now seeing two different templates.  Did I mention how psyched I am that I did this one all by myself?  I don't have any playful doo-dads to make the header sparkle, but hey, payday is next week. 

This isn't the only change I'm contemplating...I'm going to color my hair also this weekend.  I don't know if it was from being all cooped up last week or I'm just ready for spring, but there's nothing like the feeling of satisfaction you get from changing your look. 

Another random thought (thanks to staying up for the first time in weeks and a big gulp of Diet Dr. Pepper--yes, I'll be getting back on the wagon tomorrow) have you ever noticed how much Hal Holbrook looks like the theatre-lovin' muppets?  Let me know what you think...

Thank you!

Thank you so much to all those that congratulated me on my milestone yesterday. I know it was any other day, but it really feels good to have that year behind me.

I thought my head was going to explode yesterday after class. I stayed up until 11 pm studying, typing up my notes, etc. I even DREAMED about those stupid build tables in my sleep. Today was better. I like problem solving so our first exercise of the day was to correct all the mistakes that "someone" made yesterday after class. Surprisingly I was able to whip through those pretty quick. This afternoon I spent my time building a charting table called "China Trip". I was going to build a table about the dossier process, but I just wasn't ready for all the questions that the adoption subject brings up so I switched to what needs to be done prior to going to China...visas, passports, vaccines, etc. I think I'm getting the hang of things, but I don't trust that I will remember anything tomorrow.

Is it wrong that I am already in my jammies? Is it worse if I say I have had my jammies on since 5:30? I have to admit, this time around the trip has not been near as lonely. Actually, I've sought out the quiet. I'm not sure what has changed other than my soul is more settled. My mother is coming with me next month when I come down. That should be pretty entertaining!

After I posted last night, I went back and re-read some of my earlier posts. Have you ever done that? gone back and read old journal entries? It's pretty interesting. I'm glad I have kept up a blog. I know it's not often an interesting read, but that's ok. This is for my daughter's benefit and for mine. Someday she will know how much I longed for her and how I celebrated every little passage of time that brought us closer. I can't help but think and wonder about her and her birthmother...has she been conceived yet? born yet? What are her birthparents like? Are they married or single? Are they looking forward to her arrival or do they know what is going to happen next? So many questions with little hope of ever knowing the answer.

I watched the movie "Juno" last weekend. I really enjoyed it, and I appreciated that they show the struggles that both the adoptive parents and the birth mother have. Initially I was rather turned off at how perfect the adoptive mom was behaving--the pictures were arranged just so, she was dressed perfectly and was very careful at what she said. Half way through the movie I realized that ALL of us adoptive parents go through the same thing. None of us have escaped the dreaded homestudy visit and the crazed cleaning that preceded it.

I also appreciated the grief that was delicately expressed by both parties. You can tell that the adoptive mother had struggled with infertility and the pain that comes with it and the grief expressed by the birthmom upon the birth of her child. It was palpable and something that is often not expressed openly by adoptive or birth parents. Both sides are touched with loss and great job--just not at the same time or for the same reason.

You've come along way, baby...12 months to be exact

One year/12 months/365 days.

I finally reached my 12 month LID...I guess I'm sitting with the big kids now! When I first started this process and I encountered families that had reached and surpassed the twelve month mark, I was in awe. It's a rite of passage, a badge of honor and at the time it was a sign that you were more than half way through your journey and that much closer to your child!

For me it means I'm a year closer to my child and I'm happy to have this much time behind me. January was a rough month for me...kind of like the year leading up to my 30th birthday! Nothing really changed after my birthday, but I don't approach them with dread now. Actually, I look forward to them because I look forward to each new experience and I'm liking the change that maturity brings. I'm hoping the same is true with each passing month or year as I wait for MayLing. Each passing month doesn't mean the wait is less difficult or less painful, but I want to look forward to each new experience and the hope it grows me in some way.

In keeping with tradition...what the heck am I talking about...I don't need a LIDversery to have Chinese food. The locals recommended Pei Wei's Asian Cuisine, but I didn't know it was a chain and in some way related to P.F. Chang's. While it was good, I wasn't really excited about Asian Fusion food. Oh well. I shared my big news with a classmate that I have really gotten to know over the last few training sessions. As someone who lives an alternate lifestyle, I guessed that she would not be negative if I told her my choice to be a single parent. I guessed correctly and she offered any support that I needed. I felt I needed to tell her before class tomorrow (we work at distance campuses for the same company) because I'm learning to build code into a specific computer application. As part of the training and testing, we are required to build something we know well. Well, I probably know more about international adoption than anything else in life--at least until I develop some new hobbies. So, the news will be out amongst my little training group by the end of the week.

The weather has gotten cold in Dallas! Strong storms moved in during the middle of the night and the high today only got to 46*. How's that for bad luck? It's supposed to be cold all week with freezing rain by Friday.

And why do the Texans force corn on me every meal? I swear, corn flakes for breakfast and corn for lunch and dinner. Ugh.

Howdy, from sunny, warm Texas!

It's amazing that I can go from blustery, miserable 12* to 75* in the span of a few hours. The plane was two hours late...would you like to hazard a guess? It's not because of the winds. It's because they overbooked the plane and didn't have enough room for all the luggage. Evidently they also needed to take back some late bags so they needed to upgrade to a bigger plane. It looked like the same size plane I always take, so I think it may be a line of hooey.

Ok, so Kris tagged me for a new blogger quiz. Unfortunately since I'm not on my home computer (and therefore without a mouse), I'm not going to do this the way I'm supposed to. I'm supposed to list 7 weird/interesting facts about myself that you may not know. I've decided to kick it up a bit to let those at home play along.

1. I used to dissect dead stuff. It's true--but I never killed anything! I received my first microscope when I was 10 and moved beyond examining hair pretty quick. The neighborhood boys would bring big bugs or things fished out of the creek for me to look at under a microscope.

2. I carved my name into the Eiffel Tower. I'm not the kind of person that generally destroys private property, but I felt the urge to leave my mark on the world...starting with the Eiffel Tower.

3. I have extra holes in my head. It's a genetic thing--and it's a pretty cool party trick. I can hang earrings from the upper part of my ear. Evidently it's not limited to my family. When Rosie O'Donnell used to have a daytime talk show (back when she was nice) she showed off her holes. Maybe it's an Irish/Scottish thing?

4. I was an introvert, but I have become more outgoing as I have gotten older. People find this odd since I have the ability to talk to anyone and draw just about anyone out, but it wasn't always like that.

5. I have a torn retina that almost blinded one of my eyes. I'm not exactly sure what caused it, but the eye doctor said I had to have been hit really hard.

6. I love comb overs and mullets. A couple of weeks ago I saw an entire family of mullets--papa mullet, mama mullet, two young boy mullets and one 5 year-old girl mullet! I wish I'd had my camera...it was awesome! If you are sporting one, I can't promise not to point and laugh. Now you are warned.

7. I am bowel obsessed. But I'm sure you have guessed that already. It's partly being a nurse. People can handle pain, bad news, and crappy hospital food, but if they can't poop that's what they are going to focus on.

Ok, this one is your bonus question. You need to tell me the name of the person I'm talking about.

8. A couple of weeks ago I went to one of my local theatres and as I left the theatre to use the bathroom, I literally ran into a super model. I'm not kidding. Can you guess who it was? If you know where I live you might be able to guess, but if I don't get any good guesses, I will post a hint tomorrow. I will tell you that she is currently on a commercial that I guarantee you have seen (unless you don't watch TV).

CNY Traditions...a new look

SuFei reviews CNY traditions in northern and southern China and the age old question--are Beijing or Hong Kong men better husbands?