UPDATE!

We just got the last of our paperwork approved! All we're waiting on now is our travel date and getting our Visa's. LOL!

Tom put the approval notice on our bed when I came home, (He changed around our bedroom so we could move stuff out of Xia Bing's room). When he brought me in to see the new improved bedroom I saw the approval notice on the bed and couldn't believe what I was seeing. I didn't think it was real. I asked him if it was a notice stating that they recieved our paperwork. When I looked the 3rd time it finally dawned on me.

I cried a little. Shmoopy me.

Closer and closer.
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We're getting closer to finishing up the adoption process. Hopefully the last of the paperwork will be done in a week to a week and a half. Then we get our travel dates and visa's to pick up our daughter.

Tom and I have run the gambit of emotions in this process. Excitement, fear, worry, anguish, anger, joy, nervousness, zen. This past week was particularly painful when the Hague Program (a group under the Department of Homeland Security) insisted that because our daughter was 2 1/2 and not 2 we had to fill out extra paperwork and pay a fee of 340 dollars. This was AFTER they had already approved our paperwork. Tom and I were livid, hurt, and felt helpless. Tom ended up with a low blood sugar that day (he's diabetic) and I was so upset I was sick to my stomach. Holt (our adoption agency) pulled together and gave us a grant to pay for the unexpected fee. They have also been in contact with the Hague officers to smooth things over, move things along in an efficient manner and to make sure there are no other surprises. Our congressman's staff is also looking into getting us reimbursed because, in their words, they thought it was unfair and that Hague was holding our child "hostage for the chance of and extra fee".

Tom is working on Xia Bing's room right now. XD He's working so hard moving stuff, cleaning out her closet and making room for her. It's soooooooo sweet. Exept now he's moved into my study and started cleaning that...THAT kind of makes me nervous. LOL! I'm letting him because I know he's bored.

He still hasn't found a job yet. He's applied to several places but they either never contact him, tell him they are hiring people within the company first, contact him that they've already filled the possition AFTER saying that they would look at his resume or "Your skills are admirable but not what we're looking for at this time". And NH is supposedly one of the better places to look for a job in the country. He's frustrated and his self esteem is suffering a little. He'll find something eventually though. I know he will.

He surprised me last night. He's considering going back to school to study the culinary arts. He's thinking about becoming a chef. He's going to talk to his aunt, who works in the restaraunt (restaurant?)(spelling) business. I'm so proud of him. For all he's done in his past job, for all he's done at home, for his interest in and courage to consider changing professions. I'm gushing....But I really am proud of my husband. He's faced this so well.

Getting caught up on all your deviations and comments. I have the time now while I'm waiting for product data to come in. Our department is VERY under utilized right now, mostly due to the trimming of our old product line. Did I mention I found another possition in the company? Yup. I did. Miraculously. It doesn't start until January with some training this November. Kind of wish it would start sooner so I wouldn't be so....bored. But I can't complain too much. It means I can still afford to pay the bills and care for my family. It also promises to be an interesting job with a chance to travel to India next February. That's exciting.

Well, that's my novel. Love you all.

KG

Walter Cronkite's death is truly a sad event. Here was a man who meticulously researched his stories and reported to the public the facts and the news professionally until he retired. His career highlighted what journalism was supposed to be like, keeping detailed notes and lists of sources that could fill whole rooms. Mr. Cronkite expressed his awe at the first flight into space and the heroic efforts of the moon landing with the rest of us. He reported the tragedies of the Vietnam War with respect to troops and citizens alike. There so much more. I could spend pages writing about his broad casting.

His career also highlights the woeful state of current corporate journalism. The bland "Everything is 50/50" reporting despite the facts leaning to one side or another. The harping on celebrity deaths and "scandals" while events that shape our daily lives go un-noticed and uncovered because they don't get the ratings celebrities do. The schmoozing and kissing up to the politician/person of the day just so they can have "exclusive" access.

It makes me wonder what Mr. Cronkite would have thought of today's journalists.

Or what Edward R. Murrow would have thought.


These are the people who kept us truly informed. We should honor men like Walter Cronkite just as much as we honor Michael Jackson if not more.

It's men like Cronkite and Murrow and other old school journalists that really gave us the news as it was intended. Honest, thoughtful, factual and insightful.

Rest in peace Mr. Cronkite. Thank you for all you've done in your career.

Almost caught up on everything. I wanted to send out a general thank you to all of you who commented on a piece of artwork, added a piece as a favorite or added me to your watch list.

Normally I like to go to each person individually and thank them but There is such a back log in my messages at this point that I'll never be able to catch up to them all.

I have sooooo much to write. Tom and I had fun in Florida. We caught the Disney light parade and fireworks. Saw all kinds of great animals and ate at some fabulous restaraunts. The sun was out but it also thunderstormed quite a bit during our stay. As a result, I didn't get as much sun as I thought I would and "tinted" instead of tanned. Didn't even get a burn and wore no sun screen. LOL! It worked out for the best though because we caught some fun rides that were normally PACKED. (110 minute waites on some).

Unfortunately, many of my best pictures got deleted from my camera. I don't know how. I cried. There were some really great pics and I was eager to share them. Ah well, we'll be back at some point.

Never, not ever, have a Moorish Expresso at 8:00 Pm at night. It was a small 4 oz drink and it packed one hell of a punch. I walked the whole of the resort we stayed at, lapped people then jogged. I went to bed physically exausted and my brain still didn't shut down.

I didn't get a chance to check on messages and get caught up on Devart. O_O All the best laid plans, right? I ended up working on finishing a mural on the kitchen wall that's been unfinished for 5 years. Almost done with it. We also worked on MORE adoption paperwork. Fun. (I swear so much of it is SOOOO repetitive.)

Which leads me to my next announcement. Tom and I have been placed with a beautiful 2 year old girl from Xiamen City in Southern China. Her name is Xia Bing. We just got our acceptance letter from China. I flip back and forth from excited to euphoric to apprehensive and frustrated. (the last two because of paperwork.)

It's good to be back.

Love to all.

GG

Going on vacation again to Florida. It's currently 18 degrees here in New Hampshire and all I can think about is how fabulously WARM it's going to be in Florida. Florida, where spring will look like spring with blooming flowers and warmer temperatures. In NH spring looks like mud for the first month....actually our yard is still covered in a foot or two of snow. Next month it'll be a muddy, swampy wet mess.

I'll be going this Saturday and returning Sunday the 5th of April. I have the next week off too and I've made it my mission to get caught up on the comments, favs, replies, deviations and so forth here on DA. (100 messages and growing with little to no time to look at them. I'm afraid to see how much is in the deviations list.)

I'll try to take many pictures and post some of them here. I have some cute little clip art that I created too. I've been playing with the marker set I got from a friend. (thanks Mouse!) Nothing elaborate just little pictures of birds, bugs and flowers. I'm also hoping to have one of my other commissions done too so I can post that as well. The pictures from the children's book won't be posted until the book is published. (out of fairness to the author.)

Well, that's all for now. My work break is over and I need to go back to the grind. I miss talking to all of you on a regular basis. I hope all is well.

L

K