Flea Market October 11th

WOW a third post in less then 12 hours!!! I am obviously at work and up to nothing better with my time.

Anyway just thought I would post about our upcoming Flea Market... Yes we have dogs... but no we are not selling their fleas... And S from CA I hope you did not send those fleas packing toward the east coast for me to sell. Actually we have been lucky for the last two years to have no fleas. he farm/ dogs have been flea free and have not even had to have flea treatment. Must be good work being done by our chickens. Ok rambling again......

We have been trying to decide what to do for a fundraiser for some of the fees required by the agency. $340 for the workers at the orphanage. $350 humanitarian aide fund to be distributed to local hospitals and groups in Bishkek. $150 to be used for a blind group in Bishkek donated in the name of our agency. This is all humanitarian work so we kind of figured it would not be asking people to fund our adoption or expenses. Extra cash for those expensive plane rides is always welcomed though. HEHEHEHEHEHE!!! So on craigs list I posted a donation items wanted, I am picking up some items from some local people this weekend. Thank you to them!!! My big thank you will go out to Lorraine and Jay, who want their house CLEANED OUT. So I will be trekking to their place and emptying the contents into a truck for the flea market. (again no fleas allowed). This weekend Brian and I will be collecting "stuff" from our house. Anything not nailed down will be leaving. Watch out dogs better nail those tails to the floor. This is kind of fun and actually gives me a short term goal to look forward to. Check back on the 12th to see how we did!!!!!! OOOO and anyone reading in our area (Reading PA) come on out and buy stuff!!! Or if you have something you want to get rid of???? Let me know I'll try and come pick it up!!!!!!

This and That / and for Brian (Daddy)

Can you tell I am sitting at the computer??? Two posts in less then 12 hours. Still unfortunately no news... and now........ no news....... now???? nope still no news....

Ok so seriously Brian asked me to send him a link to our blog tonight ( which he has.... but just keeps misplacing). When I asked him why he sent me a link to his forum he is own. All car related stuff. Ok so Let me stop for a second. Brian loves Mustangs... And our little miss is being named after a Legendary Mustang person. But he evidently has been posting to his group about our adventures in adoption. While reading over the forum I was choked up a bit at the posts Brian has written. He started out as very leary about being a parent. And International Adoption even made him more faint of heart. But I finally convinced him this is something I wanted and have felt very strongly about for many years. So last year he finally said do what I need to do.... And one year later he is posting on forums about our journey. One person openly blasted him and told him he should think about the children here in our country who need homes. But after a very well thought out and well worded post from Brian this person kind of tucked his tale and in no uncertain terms apologized as he really did not understand anything about domestic or international adoption. People who do not know about adoption at all think that adopting domestically is as easy as "putting an ad in the paper". YIKES.... If it was only that easy. Not to say that for some it may be that easy. There are stories of people who just know someone who wants to give up a child for adoption and the deal can be made and the only fees paid are court/legal fees. But these are exceptions to the rule. In fact this kind of thing almost happened for us a year ago. And kind of started our adoption process. We found out that a friend's girlfriend was pregnant and they had decided to give the baby up for adoption. Well timing is just everything as we all know. The friend and girlfriend had already signed on with an adoption agency to try to find a match for them. They had no idea that Brian and I would have been interested in adopting the baby. But from there we said wow if this situation were to ever happen again we need to be prepared. So the home study process began. I haven't posted too much looking back about Brian so Brian..... This Blog entry is for you!!! Your thoughts and words tonight on the message board were over and above. You may not show it or say it but I think you are secretly more ready and more excited about being a Daddy then you let on. And you definitely have been listening to what has been going on even though I did not think you were.

Love ya.

An inch of good news and a yard of uncertainty

I woke up today ( working nights so waking up is 5pm!!) To find an email from K our in country coordinator addressed to all the families that currently have paperwork in Bishkek waiting for approval. Over the weekend there was a heartwrenching fiasco of negative vibes and activity that stemmed from some information given out by another PAP from her agency. (wow what a run on sentence) Anyway the rumor started out as nailbiting frightening news. An article had run in a Bishkek newspaper saying that adoptive parents are not being screened enough and the adoption process should be looked at. Well hello people isn't this what JUST happened. The government JUST restructured the program just initiated the Ministry of Education and a committee of folks to review dossiers. Anyway I am rambling on. The rumor that an article ran is true. The rumor that things are closing is not true. Slowing down?? No idea. If you are already moving at the speed of a snail how can you move any slower???

But the good news out of K's email today....... is we appear to be an inch closer to Little Miss. Its funny because I remember reading this same post from my California Blog/Bishkek Tag team partner a few weeks ago...... Our paperwork has been approved through the ministry!!!! And that makes 8 dossiers from our agency that are "pending a signature" That is the good news. The yard of uncertainty is the paperwork must now be signed by one person to approve its passage on to court. This person has been making him/herself unavailable for different reasons for the last few weeks. From hangnail to suffering from elephantitis of the fingers..... To just plain I am too busy come back tomorrow...... AAAAAAAAAAAAA

So anyway an ounce of good news for the day. Any news is better then none at all or bad I guess. So to celebrate an ounce or an inch of good news here is a photo!!!

Sad, blue, frustrated, ANGRY

So another week of frustration and feelings of this never coming to an end. Another week of no news for the kids waiting for us to come back for them. We did hear last week of one family who has received a court date? Another week has passed and the last member of the MOE has not signed off on the dossiers that are sitting just waiting for his/her signature. I just don't freaking (as this is a G rated blog I won't use the language I REALLY want to use) understand. Ne Ponimayu !!! Pragalista sign the papers already!! I will echo the sentiments of a fellow blogger. The new committee was formed to "SUPPOSEDLY" streamline the process. Why on earth would they appoint/elect members to this committee if the person either has an attitude of resentment towards adoption or foreigners or for whatever reason he or she just refuses to SIGN THE PAPERS. They obviously do not have the best interests of the kids in mind. Either that or part of their grand scheme is to bring the spoiled foreigners into their country when the temperature dips to sub zero and we all complain about the cold and lack of winter preparedness planning. Kind of hard to enjoy what looked like a beautiful mountainside when it will be frigid when we return. Its starting to look like I should search for some longjohns to pack in the suitcase. Anyway can you tell by my tone that I am a bit sarcastic, and very peeved off right now. A few hours ago over our message board came a rumor that set me into first a fit of tears. I left the house and started crying while I was driving. Now if we go back a few months one of my entries reiterates that it takes something big to set me to tears... I get upset and have been blue alot. But tears are not the norm. Poor Brian just had no idea what to even say or do. What could he say??? He's trying the best he can.... Then I was able to talk to Shannon who is out of th country right now.... That made things a little better... But then my blueness turned to anger.. And right now...... I would rather feel angry then sad.... So for right now Whoever you are, whatever you are doing, male or female, I hope that you can sense the anger that is directed straight at you right now. The children are the ones suffering and you Mr or Mrs ot sign the papers person do not seem to care. But even angry I want you to know that we are good people, we will provide the children with the best homes we can, with all the best that we can offer them, we have jumped through your country's hoops, we've signed extra papers paid extra costs, all we ask is for you to SIGN THE PAPERS!!!!!

Spaceba

Need well wishes!!

Any of you who are following along on this wait may have seen my previous post and picture of Little Miss's GOTCHA day dress. This dress was a gift from a girl I work with. I absolutely fell in love with the dress from the minute she gave it to me. The dress had been her daughter's dress and was only worn for a few hours for pictures. Her daughter is almost exactly one year older the Little Miss. But anyway, over the weekend her little girl was burned very badly while they were outside enjoying a campfire. I do not know all the details, but I know she was airlifted from the scene to John's Hopkins medical center in Baltimore. Please include her in your prayers, thoughts and well wishes. I hope to find out more and will update when I know how she is.

Rocks!!!

Not really any news on the adoption front at all. Our only big news is tons and tons of rocks. Lovin Craigsist, as I found free rock for the taking. Now this means many trips and much exercise, but I believe it will be worth it in the long run. We have been trying to figure out for a long time what to do with our front yard. The hill has been slowly eroding away in the front due to rain water running down the unplanted terrain. So we originally thought maybe we would hardscape the front and put in a front porch/sitting area since we are out front alot anyway. Well free rock settled what we will do. We are planting a rock garden... Can't kill it, don't have to feed it or water it!!! Then while planting said rock garden we got a call from friends asking if we wanted Hostas and Daylillies. Well of course we said and went off for more free stuff. Free is always good!!! Now if we can find free topsoil and a free pond liner for the koi pond I want to put in amid the rocks we will be stellar!! Before I head to work tonight I will grab some photos of the rock garden. Not finished yet but we still have tons of rock to move.

Uh OH!!!

Well Little Miss,

I just need to tell you something about your Grammy. Not to worry she is ok. However while trying to make your nursery number 2 at Grammy's house a beautiful place for a butterfly to fly away to.......... She kind of slipped.....and fell....... off the ladder.... onto her arm. Ouch!! She got a ride in an ambulance... Then the doctors at the hospital had to give her some medicine to make the ouch go away, and then give it a tug back into the right place... (It was dislocated) We joked with her that we needed pictures for the blog, but she did not quite like the idea. You will have to give grammy a huge hug and one great big smile that I know you are good at when you get to meet her. Hopefully that will be soon.

Some good email friends will be coming by to see you in a few weeks. They will be able to give you a hug from me, and take some more pictures. Could you be sure to tell the nice ladies you would like a better hairdo this time.. Actually some hair would do!!! They are also going to try to get Mommy some new Measurements of you, so don't worry we just want to see if you will fit in your butterfly outfit to come home!! I sure hope so its just too cute, and it is waiting for you to fill it. Hope you will like purple and dresses!!!

Love Mommy

Wait til October then call me

Unfortunately that is my news for today. I called my in country coordinator last evening, and her response was that my papers will sit at the ministry in Bishkek for at least a month before being signed. Thursday marks week two. So my coordinator told me to call back in October if I had not heard anything. This was less then a warm and fuzzy conversation.

For the most part my entries ave been upbeat and promising. This week starts with no good news, and a heavy heart. I am sad, I am frustrated. I feel as if I am watching for a pot to boil and it never does. Tuesday in Bishkek came and went. And while there was a miniscule amount of activity, there are still no court dates. The families who have been waiting for 6 months still have no news as to when they can bring their kids home.

So I am going to attempt to stop watching the pot. I am going to step away from the computer... I am going to go focus my attention on what is here now. The dogs will have two agility events in October, so I will be training for that. Maybe even try to lose some weight???!!!! Get in shape!!! Finish my house!!! Have some fall fun???

1 week down and ? to go

So who is counting right? Today My and my virtual document travel buddy's paperwork has been in Bishkek for one week. Somehow, this seems to have been a very long very frustrating week. No news out of Bishkek at all this week. No new dossiers signed by the committee, and worst of all still no news about court dates in Bishkek. Frustrated is a my new favorite word. The fact that I have no say and no control at this point is frustrating. The fact that there is no news is frustrating. To not be able to answer the question " When is the baby coming home?" Is frustrating.

What else is new? Well we have been getting some stuff done around the house. I painted the trim work in the living room. Brian put the trim up in the living room a few weeks ago and the dining room this week. This week I made sure everything matched!!! Maybe by the time we get a court date we will have a house that is 100% finished and not parts done here and parts done there.

For all my new friends waiting I continue to send out prayers, good thoughts, meditations, celestial power, mojo, juju and every other kind of good vibes. To the children waiting and the families waiting I wish for news. For the few among us faced with some medical challenges both personal and their children I am sending out well wishes for recovery.

Words for the week.....





Courage is fear that has said its prayers










"What makes a king out of a slave? Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage! What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder? Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage! What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the "ape" in apricot? What have they got that I ain't got? Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Woodsman: Courage! Cowardly Lion: You can say that again! Hunh! "




9/11 We remember

Play yard

Not much to tell today. We spent the day inside while Hurricane Hanna churned up the weather outside. Not too bad, a day of heavy rain and this evening some wind. It was muggy and humid but right now it is so wonderful to have the windows open and feel the wind coming in the windows. Being shut inside with the air conditioner on is just getting old. I am ready for this fall weather to stay.

My new found obsession (well on top of email, yahoogroups, and stalking blogs) is Craig's List. So far I have found a brand new crib mattress, an awesome standing activity table, and tonight the big catch!! The play yard!! I have been hunting these fellows for awhile. They are not made anymore but apparently highly sought after and still are sold for almost what they sold new. But tonight I hit jackpot with the help of craig's list. The mother of TWIN girls, unloading her Today's Kids playards. Thats right not one but TWO. This is my portable play room. Two of them together will hold the toys and child in while keeping the goofy dogs OUT... Now we can set up the play area in the basement and get out the toys!!!

Ahhh and not to forget!!!!

Tonight is Sunday!

Candle Night!!!

This is week three of our group candle vigil! I have had a candle burning almost all the time when I am home. And Tonight the candles will burn and glow again in the night. Mojo, Juju, Prayers, Wishing Stars Four leaf clover, lucky rabbits feet, shiny pennys in a well, whatever you personaly believe in!!! I personally have a nice combination of almost all of the above. One thing I do the most is chat with my four grandparents/ guardian angels. (at least the four I know). Poppop, Grammom, Mommom Gordon and Harry. I am sure they have a hand in taking turns watching out for our little miss. For now I am off to do just that, have a chat with the angels before getting some sleep.

Good Night/ Good Morning Bishkek

BISHKEK!!!!!

(Update 11:30am EDT) paperwork is definitely in Bishkek. Short trip as trips go. Went from D.C. to Memphis, to London then straight to Bishkek! Now we wait again. The hardest wait since we have no idea how long we will wait.

As of 6pm Bishkek time (that is 8am our time) My dossier should be in the hands of my in country coordinator. So I would assume that on Friday or Monday she will hand deliver those same papers to the Commission of Education. What does that mean??? Means one step closer. We are two signatures away from bringing our Kyrgz girl home!!! One from the Deputy of the Ministry of Education, and one from the judge of Bishkek. How long will that take. Well that is a good question. I have been told there is absolutely no rhyme or reason for how this operation works. So, that being said, we could be looking at any given time frame. This is the most scary of the time frames since we have absolutely no idea. Since the court system has been shut down for so long there are many many families waiting for their paperwork to be reviewed and sent for court dates. But again there is no set way that they decide on which papers they are going to sign. So we will just have to wait, keep praying, keep sending Juju, Mojo, good vibes, and the magic of candle light seems to help too.

Ok so in honor of my papers (and my fellow traveler from Ohio I must ask her if I can add her name here) arrival in Bishkek I am adding a video clip here. This is my first attempt at adding music to a video so it got a little fuzzy. But I think it is kind of cool...... Enjoy!!!!

Poyle Great Britain and The End of Summer

It would not be a Lesson in Geography if I every once in awhile did not insert some educational material. So my Geography lesson is "where in the world is Poyle Great Britain?" Well, if I can increase my computer skills some more I will try to insert a map here. But in words Poyle, Great Britain is just west of Heathrow airport. Ok for those like me who know that Heathrow is somewhere near London..... Heathrow is due south of London. London is in the southern portion of Great Britain. Evidently Poyle is a large receiving area for Federal Express packages. And... since this was Labor day weekend, our dossier has had a three day holdiday in the lovely southern Great Britain.

Labor Day Weekend overview.... While our paperwork sits and waits, The dogs and I spent the weekend at an agility trial. Not the best trial weekend we have had, but we had a fun weekend. Sabyr got her Novice Standard title, and a qualifying run in Jumpers class. Kasey ran her first trial and did well but failed to let the teeter come all the way to the ground before racing off to the next obstacle. She had a blast though. And Ripley??? He left his brains at home this weekend. Sure never picks the opportune time to leave brains behind as a weekend at an agility trial is not exactly a cheap weekend of fun.

Sunday night we lit candles again for all the kiddos waiting. Hopefully we will continue to see progress each week.