Hello Costco, my old friend

Yesterday was quite the enjoyable day. We went to see National Treasure and did some errands. The movie was great. It is hard to find a good adventure/action movie that is PG. This fit the bill. We enjoyed the first movie and the sequel was enjoyable too. We don’t go to the movies often, so this was a nice holiday treat.

We also went to Costco. Yes, that’s right my friend, we signed up for a membership yesterday. We had a membership a few years ago and with the prices of diapers and formula it only seems fitting that Costco is our new best friend. My buddy told me Costco is worth it even if the only things you buy there are diapers.

So, there we were in the warehouse style store with towering boxes and I a find myself saying things like, "Dave, will you eat 60 granola bars?" and "Should I get the 25 pound bag or the 50 pound bag?" Ahh, the joys of buying in bulk. It is great to feel like you are getting a deal! We also found a coupon online that gave us a Costco gift card for signing up. I think we will be making some regular trips there in the future. But not too regular, after all how long will it take us to eat 80 fruit snacks?

Holiday Traditions

We had a wonderful Christmas celebration. We were able to keep some holiday traditions and have some fun. I made the famous “Grandma Wakley” rolls, a secret family recipe that is from Dave’s Great-grandma (Spencer’s Great-Great grandma.) It was so secret that she took it with when we went to the other side. . . so her daughter and granddaughter pieced together the recipe and now it has been saved for the next generation.


My family always opens presents on Christmas Eve. It is a Scandinavian tradition. So that is something that Dave and I have adopted as our family tradition and since this was the first year it was just us for Christmas it was fun. Spencer made a haul! He wasn’t here to open all the goodies, but let’s just say the boy is well-loved.

On Christmas morning we also had our traditional monkey bread and citrus fruit. Dave’s family always has citrus fruit on Christmas morning and his dad has a special way of preparing grapefruit. Dave has picked up the technique and we have been enjoying grapefruit all week.


We also have been known to play a game or two around here. We indulged in a little monopoly. We have a special edition Star Wars Monopoly game that is so fun to play. . . Dave is always Han Solo. Unfortunately we couldn’t find it. . . it must be in the garage somewhere. So we played the regular kind. . . but with a fun new dice that makes it a pretty fast-paced game.

We also watched “It’s a Wonderful.” I LOVE that movie it is hands down the best movie ever made. I sobbed all the way through it. It is just the perfect movie. Ah, George Bailey, the richest man in town.

Sleeping is also a fun Holiday pass-time. . .It is a wonderful life.

Doing the math. . .

Well, here are the latest numbers. This is from the bits of information I can get out there about how long other parents have been waiting, what some “sources” are saying, and the buzz on blogs & discussion boards. . .

The average wait times for clearance on the new I-600 process is 4-5 weeks. Tomorrow marks 4 weeks for us. So, we are right in the ball park, (I hope.) The best guess from when we get the clearance to traveling is 5-14 days. So the numbers stack up like this. . .

Best case: We get our clearance tomorrow and travel within 5 days. We could be in Vietnam as soon as Jan. 7. : )

Worse case: It could take up to 8 week for our clearance. If we get the clearance Jan. 25 and if we travel 2 weeks later that puts the date as February 8. : (

Jan. 7 is probably just as likely was Feb. 8. The major concern for us is Tet*. Tet is the Vietnamese New Year celebration. Basically the country shuts down for a week plus. Imagine a celebration that is like Christmas, New Year’s and everyone’s birthday. That is Tet. So if we do not get to Vietnam before Tet starts (February 7) we will have to wait until mid-late February before we will travel.

Those are the numbers. . .we are still holding our breath in anticipation and asking the eternal question, “Are we there yet?”

*Tet is a wonderful holiday! Last year we had a Tet celebration and plan to make the celebration part of our family traditions. It would be great to be celebrating this year with Spencer. Last year we didn’t even know we were having a boy!

Christmas Surprise

The best Christmas present did not arrive, (our travel clearance from the US government to go to Vietnam and bring home Spencer.) BUT this is pretty darn awesome and I can’t image a better gift. We got pictures of Spencer this morning.

Our agency told us that we could send a little gift to Spencer. It had to be small and we had to get it to the coordinator rather quickly, so he could bring it with him to Vietnam on his next trip. We were so excited to have this additional connection with Spencer, to find him a wee Christmas gift and play Santa.

We hopped in the car and headed to Target. We knew we could find something there to fit the bill. We were gazing at all the infant toys; rattles, blocks, teething rings, stuffed animals. . . There were lots of choices. We finally settled on a fun rattle, shaped like a frog. It had lots of textured rings and it opened up to a shinny mirror like fabric center.

I was thinking about all the future Christmases we will have, looking for things that Spencer will like. This year was easy. . . I am sure when he is a teenager he will take after his dad and want all the technology toys : ) So I will enjoy the moment.

This morning we got updated pictures of Spencer. He is playing with the toy we gave him. Just awhile ago, that toy was in our hands and now in his. Just like soon, he will be in our arms. Our agency is so wonderful to coordinate this. They have really been a wonderful support and have gone the extra mile. We are very blessed.


If you would like to see the pictures, drop me an email.

: )

Joyeux Noel

Last night Dave and I watched a new Christmas movie that I have heard good things about but had never seen. It is a French film, “Joyeux Noel” (Merry Christmas). It takes place during the Christmas of 1914 during World War I, in the trenches. For a brief time the soliders from Scotland, France and Germany all put aside their weapons on the frontline and celebrate Christmas. I must admit I got goose bumps (it has bagpipes. . . what do you expect?) I also had a wee lump in my throat. It was quite touching. If you have Netflix or see it on the programming guide. (I think it was on the Starz movie channel.) This one is worth watching.

Still no news on Spencer. . .

Call a spade a spade

Dave and I were chatting yesterday and I was feeling pretty down that, here we are a few days away from Christmas and no news on Spencer. Nothing. I really thought that Spencer would be with us, or at the very least we would have our travel date. I have tired to “have my happy face on” but I just couldn’t be chipper thinking about our little boy so far away from us and knowing absolutely nothing about when we can be with him. So that’s when Dave said it, “Call a spade a spade, this is hard and we don’t have to pretend it is easy. It stinks to wait and feel that we have no control. You don’t have to have your game face on all the time.”

I surely love that man of mine. It was good advice. So here’s to not having my game face on and knowing it is okay to feel completely sad and aching to be with our son. He will be in our arms soon, but it is okay to miss him and it is okay to feel sad about this messy situation that USCIS has put so many families in.

Don’t worry feelings of excitement and happiness are around the corner. . .

2008 Election

There are some coo-coo campaign ads out there. . . Dave posted a ridiculous Mike Huckabee ad. (The man is two sandwiches short of a picnic.) Anyway I found this parody ad and thought I would share. It is good. . . I needed a laugh this morning.

Numbers Game. . .

At this stage of the adoption process it feels like a numbers game. I find myself looking at blogs, website and all the statistical analysis I can get my hands on to figure out when we can travel to be with Spencer.

We got our receipt from USCIS (United States Customs and Immigration Services) on November 30, which is when they "officially" received our I-600 requesting a visa for Spencer to enter the U.S. The letter said it could take as long as 60 days for them to "process" the request. So, anytime between Nov. 30 –Jan. 30. . . I thought, "I can live with that."

We have been waiting 19 days. On the Vietnam adoption discussion boards, one family that received their USCIS receipt on Nov. 19 (a mere 11 days before us) received their visa clearance on Dec. 10! So doing some quick calculations. . . it took 21 days. So we should be right around the corner. . . Oh the joy!

Then I read another Vietnam adoption blog that I follow. . .They got their receipt on Nov. 19 too. . . and they have not heard a thing. . . nothing. . . nada. . . zero. . .

So where does that put us? 60 days – 21 days + the will of the paper gods of USCIS = no clue.

I guess since I don’t have a choice . . . I can wait a little longer : )

More Projects. . .

It is the end of the year. . . and it seems a time to reminisce about 2007 and all that has happened. As I was making the annual scrapbook pages for my parents, I thought it would be great to do a scrapbook for the past year for our family. When I was a kid I really enjoyed looking at the pictures from vacations and basically all the fun memories we had as family.

I decided to make a digital scrapbook from the last year. It has been fun to look back and see all that has happened. It is such a good idea. . . I am going to go back and organize all the photos from the first three years of our marriage and put together some scrapbooks. I really like the online convenience of photo books. I hope the finished products look good. I think it will. . . It will be good to have all of our memories together and not scattered all over the computer in various folders.

Two sites I like are:

Shutterfly.com & Lulu.com

Woman of Leisure

Yesterday was the last day for my classes. Final grades are submitted and I am officially a Woman of Leisure (until Jan. 3rd when classes start again). . . . So what does a woman of leisure do?

Create a “Simpsons” family picture : )

www.simpsonizeme.com

Holiday Goodie Line-up

Here are some fun Holiday goodies. The Holidays are a great time to share recipes and here are a few that we love.

Appetizers:
Spinach dip (posted by request!)
Bacon Wrapped Chestnuts
Fruit dip
Creamy Shrimp Bagel Sandwiches
Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Bread:
Money Bread*
Bruschetta


* Monkey Bread is favorite around here. It is sooo easy. It is great for company or even just to have on a Saturday morning. I hope you enjoy . . .

Surprises Galore

What a great day yesterday! It was my birthday and I had some great surprises. My cute husband surprised me first thing in the morning with a gift. . . it was a gift card to the Four Seasons Hotel Day Spa. I was so shocked! I didn’t even know Austin had a Four Seasons. I can’t wait to go, Day Spas are very much a luxury and I will enjoy every second of it. It's quite lovely. . . It looks like it came out of the pages of Architectural Digest!


I got some emails from old and dear friends from college. I also got to talk to my sister-in-law, sisters and parents. It was GREAT! But the biggest surprise was that I got a call from my best friend in high school. We haven’t had a chance to chat on the phone or face to face for many years. I was so pleased to get a call from her. I can’t believe how much things have changed since we hung out in high school. . . I met her 20 years ago. . . wait. . . Is it possible I can be old enough to say that?

Another surprise was my friend Rae called and she brought me lunch from a delicious little deli. We had some little sweets too! She also gave me an embroidered blanket for Spencer. It is so beautiful.


But the surprises didn’t stop there. . . Dave took me to sushi for dinner and it was quite good. I also decided to try a new recipe, instead of a birthday cake. It was a peach pudding and it was delicious! I am going to include the recipe here: Peach Pudding. I think I am going to add it to the Holiday-Goodie line up! Anyway, I didn’t know if the pudding would turn out. . . it bubbled over the sides and made a mess and I thought it was ruined, but it was quite good. Next time I will use a bigger pan.

So, here’s to a day of surprises and happy thoughts. The only surprise I would have liked, but didn’t get would be our travel clearance to be with Spencer. . . but I can hang on a bit longer : )

The final baby items

Today we got the final big item on our list for Spencer. We needed a car seat. As we were looking at car seats and tiring to figure out how much he will weigh and what would work best for him we found. . . . The Travel System.

At first I thought the “The Travel System” is a marketing ploy to make you buy more stuff, (and it probably is) but I was mesmerized by visions in my head of this “system” working beautifully to make taking Spencer places a breeze.

The system is a car seat/baby carrier that fits into a stroller. . . Totally cool, I know! Then when he gets too big (22+ pounds) for the carrier he can go in the stroller. The stroller is also gender neutral so any little siblings can also use it.

So, we have the travel system and are only waiting for our little one to travel in it. . .

90 minutes & five 8-year olds

My primary class has been “working” for a party since August. Every Sunday after class they put a sticker on the chart, last month they put the last sticker on the chart. So, the kids finally earned a class party.

Yesterday was the big day. I don’t know who was more excited about it me or them. We planned the party as class. I had a list of things we could do, they picked decorating gingerbread houses. Thursday night Dave and I stayed up a little later then usual to make the all the houses. (We did them out of graham crackers.) By Friday morning, they were all as hard as a rock and ready to decorate.

We had gobs of candy for the kids and each person had their own icing bag. We had white, green, red and yellow icing. When the kids arrived, they were tentative and well behaved. As the time went on, they got more relaxed and were laughing a lot. As the kids were decorating the houses, it seemed one piece of candy would go on the house and the next in their mouth. . . and they seemed to follow this pattern quite faithfully.


Once the full effect of the sugar rush hit the kids were bouncing off the walls. They were having a good time and so was I. We also played a game called, “Pass the Parcel.” You start out with a wrapped box with a gift for each child in it, then you put it in a larger box and wrap it, then you put that in a larger box and wrap it. . . and so on, until there are enough “layers” of boxes to for each person to open. I started with a shoe box sized box and wrapped it 6 times. The final box was HUGE, 24x18x18. The kids noticed it as soon as they walked in to the room. The kids passed the present in circle while music was playing, when the music stopped whoever was holding the box would get to open it. It was fun to watch the kids linger in holding the gift before passing it on. I got every one a set of card games (Crazy 8, Go fish, Old Maid. . .)

As time was winding down, I only had about 15 minutes left before parents would start coming by. I had one more game, but not enough time to play it. So, I had my old reliable standby, animal balloons. All the kids got to pick a color and made swords and dogs. I had a great time and I think the kids did too. Other then the fact that our whole house was “sticky,” I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Nursery Complete

The nursery is complete and we are anxiously waiting “The Call.” The USCIS will contact us when we are allowed to travel. We are hopeful to go to Vietnam this month, but nothing is in place. Actually it reminds me of a quote from my sister Sandy, “You never know, until you know, and even then you might not be sure.” Ahh the joys of adoption : ) We will be so happy to have our little guy home, whenever it happens.



I finally got Spencer’s bedding complete! I thought I would post photos.



You will notice the awesome diaper bag on the changing table. That is an early birthday present from my mother-in-law. I love the styling. I can’t wait to break it in!



We got this white romper on Saturday. Spencer will look like a little angel in it.

Busy-Busy-Busy

It had been an amazingly busy week. With my class down on Monday it made Tuesday twice as busy. On Wednesday I went to the family history library with my friend Rae to get names ready to take to the temple. Then, that evening Dave and I judged “reflections” at our local middle school. It is a contest where students submit all types of entries from writing, dancing, music, video. . . It is a national PTA program. We were there for about 3 hours.

On Thursday we spent all day on adoption stuff, picking up documents, getting things state certified, making copies, Fed-Exing. .. Then we got a second set of travel shots. We were at the immunization clinic from about 5-6:30 PM.

Dawn to dusk, Friday was 100% work for me. My classes submitted final projects and I was really impressed. A lot of work goes into them and I love reading their research and some of the slides shows were pretty impressive. Finally on Friday evening, it seemed the busy week was over. We relaxed and spent some time with Jack (Jack Bauer from 24: season 3). It was nice to do nothing.

Saturday was an early start. We went to the Temple in San Antonio. We went with Rae, this was her first trip to the temple. We did baptism for her family names. It was such a special day. The spirit was peaceful and strong. She watched as Dave and I were the proxies. The sister missionaries who taught her got special permission to be there too. It was a full day, we finally got home about 5 yesterday evening. We grabbed a quick nap and then headed off to the Saturday evening session of stake conference. The speakers were wonderful. We heard from the San Antonio mission president and his wife. Her talk was hands down *best* member missionary talk I have ever heard, including general conference.

We finally got to bed at 11 PM, happy to see such a busy week gone. I am looking forward to working on some sewing, listening to the speakers at stake conference and perhaps catching a nap today : )

Christmas has arrived

Our Front Door with Holiday Cheer



Our Living Room



I love nativity scenes. I got this in 2003.



Our Fireplace



This beautiful crèche is German. Janelle gave it to us for Christmas in 2004, the detail is so beautiful. I love displaying it every year.

A pirate says Arrgggg!

I am going to give someone a black eye!

I teach online and the last two weeks have been amateur night at the state university. My class was down (as in ZERO access) for 24 hours. . .then when it came back up, 2 days worth of work was missing, (both mine and the students'.) Arrggg! So, after countless emails and trying to get things squared away it looked like things were under control, if you call “we will just have to live with the 2-3 day loss. . .” an adequate response.

So after this fiasco, this morning I go to login to take care of my class and get the, "Service Temporarily Unavailable" login message. This is unbelievable! How can they even think this is acceptable? They sent out emails explaining that there is a problem and they are working on it. It has been down all day. I just hope they don’t "fix" it like they did last week. I might have a small aneurysm.

Well, other then the small crisis at work, Thanksgiving was memorable. Dave and I spent 16 hours in the car on the way to Arizona to be with the family. We actually had a lot of fun. We have been married 4 years and this is by far the longest road trip we have been on together. We were saying this was a dry-run for our Vietnam adventure. Only the plane will not have as much legroom.

Well pulled into Dave’s sister place and were ready for a long nap. It was great to be with the family for the weekend. The dinner was fun and all the young cousins were hanging out. It made me think of Spencer and wondered what he was doing as all his cousins were playing. . . and drooling. (Three of them are the same age.) Dave got some great footage with our new video camera.

We ended up leaving a little earlier then planned, but we were glad to have the extra time with all the crazy weather. Dave said he would blog about our crazy snow-filled, 30 mph on I-10, no electricity, Roadway Inn . . .adventure. It was unforgettable!

As a side note. . . What’s the big deal with "Cyber Monday?" I am not seeing anything remarkable. I heard all this buzz about it in the Wall Street Journal, NPR and on the Today Show and Yahoo. . . . ehhh. . . Not too impressed.

Light Reading

We are getting ready for our trip to Vietnam. We have a huge list of things to get for Spencer and are getting geared up. We sincerely hope to travel in December (although it could be January.) We picked up some books for the trip (an absolutely must-have travel item.)

My sister recommended, “Twilight” and then a friend of mine also told me the book was a “page-turner” and that she couldn’t put it down. So, I got it for flight and think I will enjoy it. Dave picked up the last three Harry Potter books. We are standing there in the isle surrounded by books, I am looking at his stack of books (totaling over 2200 pages) and Dave says, “I hope this is enough. Maybe I should also pick up a book on Newton or the Nikola Tesla/Thomas Edison rivalry.” . . .That’s my guy : ) He is currently reading “1421: The year China discovered the world.” I have never met anyone else that reads the volumes of books that Dave does. We have lots of reading to keep up engaged on the way over. . . I know Spencer will keep up pretty busy on the way home.

Baby Shower

The baby shower was so much fun. I had a wonderful afternoon. It was so nice to be there and celebrate Spencer and adding him to our family. Jaroldeen was the perfect hostess and spending time with the sisters in the ward was very special.

Rae and I drove over together and some sisters were already there. Some sisters were hearing and some were deaf. It was great to chat with everyone. There was another sister there that is learning to sign too and it was great to chat and practice our sign skills.


There were blue and white balloons and it looked so festive. The plates had “It’s a boy” printed on them. The food was divine, crescent sandwiches with a delicate chicken salad. The menu was rounded out by a sweet jello salad, chips & dip, pumpkin bars and sparkling pear juice. The perfect fall luncheon.


We did play one game, we had to unscramble the names of baby food (aellpp = apple) and then decide which jar of baby food it was by looking at it. It was fun to see all the jars. So many looked exactly the same, then Monica busted out with, “you have to look at the texture and consistency.” I loved it! Old pros here looking at the jars and there were 5 jars of orange food that looked exactly the same to me, but there is a nuance to deciphering the food. I got 9/14, not too shabby for a novice.



The sisters were also very generous with some wonderful gifts for Spencer. The cutest things you’ve ever seen! Outfit, toys, bibs, lullaby bear, books. . . a cornucopia of all things baby! We are getting closer to Spencer coming home and his room is getting all decked out and ready for him.

The exclusive

It is official! Jay and Sarah are engaged! I got the full scoop after it happened last night. Let me set the stage.

Sarah is from Las Vegas and Jay has met the family on more then one occasion, but before he officially asked Sarah he wanted to speak to her father in person to ask for her hand. So last weekend Sarah’s mom came up to Salt Lake for a visit. When the mother-in-law to-be drove back to Vegas Jay went with her. For those unfamiliar with the drive it is about 6 hours. So, there is Jay spending 6 hours, in a car with the future mother-in-law. Of course Jay is so charming, how could she not love him?

When they arrived in Vegas Jay had a chance to talk to The Papa. I image Jay was a little nervous, but every one pretty much knew why Jay was there. (Sarah and her mom had gone wedding dress shopping that weekend.) So when Jay asked, the future father-in-law said that he had passed the test, and that if his wife liked him, that was all the approval he needed. Jay is such an easy and laid back guy, it is easy to see why people are so comfortable around him.

So, Jay flew back to Salt Lake yesterday. Sarah (the devoted fiancé to-be) picked him up at the airport. They drove back to his place in Salt Lake so he could pick up a few things. . . (like the ring!) Then they drove down to Provo where Jay had left his car before the drive the Las Vegas. Then Sarah had to go off to class and Jay got busy preparing for the moment. While Sarah was in class Jay went and got roses and candles to put around the living room. He had the place all set up and locked the door so Sarah had to knock.


Sarah came home and found that she was locked out. Jay came to the door and opened it only a crack, and stood so she couldn’t see in. Jay asked her to close her eyes. He took her book bag and led her in, eyes closed to a path of flowers that lead to the center of the room. . . . Then he asked her to marry him.

I was all choked up on the phone and had a little tear in my eye when Jay was telling me. Wow! What a great moment. We are so crazy about Sarah, we love her and feel like she is already a part of our family. We are all so lucky! I asked about the details and it looks like they will be married in the Mount Timpanogos temple. The date will most likely be January 26, 2008.

Sewing Project

I finally got going on Spencer’s bedding. It is looking good. I got the bed skirt done. I have the bumper cut out and ready to sew too, but it seems when I get time to work on it, it gets sucked away into some void. At any rate. . .here is a teaser of what the complete bedding ensemble will look like.

Attention children of the 80s

My sister just sent me this clip from "Xanadu," that crazy movie from 1980. We watched the movie on VHS on many a happy Saturday growing up. You might enjoy this animated clip from a dream sequence. . . (My favorite part is that the bird is wearing leg warmers . . . it is ridiculously wonderful. !) Enjoy. . .

Some Adoption Questions

A buddy of mine asked some questions about the adoption/travel and it occurred to me, perhaps some others might have similar questions. I thought I would post here to give you some more information about our trip to Vietnam to bring Spencer home.

When you travel to Vietnam, are you going to take bottles and formula and all that?

When we travel we will take bottles and burp clothes and all things that Spencer will need. We will probably be traveling with Spencer for a week to 10 days, so everything you would take with you for a week’s trip with a baby. We will not be bringing formula. We will get the formula there. We have been told that the formulas over there are a bit different and that immediately switching over to a new one can cause some tummy problem. The experts recommend that you slowly switch them over to American formula. So, we will use whatever he is currently used to and gradually make the change.

Do you know what they are feeding Spencer-I mean what kind of milk/formula?

We do not have the specific information yet. When we arrive to pick up Spencer, we will get all sorts of specifics from his nanny. We will find out what his sleeping pattern is, if he is used to sharing a crib, what type of formula he is used to, if he sleeps in a dark room or likes light, all of these things and more.

Are you going to take diapers/clothes/toys/etc. etc. etc.?

Our agency has put together a list of things to bring. It seems pretty complete:

10 stretch sleepers
Nice outfit to wear for arrival home
6-8 bootie socks
Disposable diapers, plan for 10 days
10 cloth diapers for burp clothes
2 different kids of pacifiers
Cream for diaper rash
Tylenol for infants
Anti-gas medication for infants
Any medication your pediatrician suggests
Powder-mix Pedialyte
Baby soap and shampoo
Baby thermometer
Hats
Diaper bag and plastic bags for dirty diapers
Baby wipes
Changing pad
Toys
Snugli/ Baby Bjorn
2-3 bottles (that use disposable inserts)
Disposable inserts & 2-3 types of nipples
Q-tips
Nail clippers for infants
3 receiving blankets
Antibiotic for ear/upper respiratory infections
Eucerin
Baby oil

Are you supposed to take gifts to his orphanage?

A big part of the Vietnamese culture is the giving of gifts to show gratitude. We will be bringing gifts to the nannies and orphanage workers to show our appreciation. Our agency also collects and distributes gifts (toys, clothes, shoes. . . .) to the children at the orphanage. They do a great non-profit work in Vietnam to help the children there.

Will you meet the birth family?

At this point it looks doubtful. But we will be given all the information available about how Spencer came into care. We know that he will have a special story and we look forward to telling him about how he came into our lives.

Are you going to take a pack n play or a travel bed for him to sleep in?

No, the hotels are really wonderful about providing pack-n-play type cribs. I think we will have enough stuff to schlep around : )

We are just really excited to bring Spencer home. His pictures get cuter and cuter. Before you know it, we will be on a plane and have him in our arms. It has been a fun to prepare and get things going for his nursery. It looks like a proper boy’s room and I will be posting pictures soon.

A friend from the ward is giving me a baby shower next Thursday. I am looking forward to it. I will be sure to post pictures and let you know about all the advice I get :)

Sometimes you win.. .

Sometimes you lose. Unfortunately, this adventure in the kitchen was a looser. The other day I was in mood to bake and wanted to try something new. I grabbed all my favorite cookbooks and had them piled high as I perused the pages for inspiration. Lots of recipes to choose from, some looked really fun and delicious. I knew I had to make a dessert. Then I happened upon it. . .Chocolate Apple Pie. It looked really pretty.

For those unfamiliar with the status of apple pie in our house, the rank is; 1) Water, 2) Shelter, and 3) Apple Pie. Dave really loves it. . . I am not a big fan, but I love to bake and so we both end up happy. This was a brand new recipe, we have two other recipes that are pretty darn good, but Dave said he would “sacrifice” and try the new recipe. (Little did he know. . .)

So I was in the kitchen having fun making this interesting chocolate pastry crust, that calls for eggs. The end product looked good. But when we finally were able to taste it, hmmmm. . .not so much. It definitely is not a top-tier pie. Dave did end up eating it, and was a trooper, after all it was an apple pie, even if it wasn’t the best.

On a good side note, I learned a new technique I will certainly use again. The top of the pie was not a single piece of pastry or a weave of pastry. The top of pastry was cut into shapes and layered on top. It looked so cool. The recipe had leaf-shaped pastry, I used star shapes. As you can tell it could have used more pastry and will note that in the future. This technique should work with any pie.

Making beautiful music

The opera highlights were great. The talent was truly amazing, I know for sure I want to see Faust. I was so impressed, not only with the music, but also the libretto. I also know for sure I do not want to see Candide by Leonard Bernstein. (I adore West Side Story, but this opera really isn’t my style.) I also got a little tear in my eye when “Rodolfo” sang "Che gelida manina". Check out the YouTube clip of Pavarotti’s rendition.



One thing I loved about the evening was that the symphony orchestra was front and center. The conductor made a comment, that being in “the pit” during the entire performance can give you a complex. So it was nice to really see and appreciate all the musicians, and not just the actors/signers on stage.

If I would change one thing about the evening. . . . it would be the seats. They were a bench style, think church pew. Only the seat was not as deep and was lower to the ground. They were fine during the first hour, but by the end of the 2 ½ hour performance Dave and I were both kind of squirmy. I am glad that this venue is not the permanent home of the Austin Opera, they just used it for the showcase.

Before you know it I will be reporting about the Carmen performance in the Spring. . . Life is good.

Austin Lyrical Opera

We are going to the opera! I am so excited. I really love the opera. We try to go once a year and this year we plan on seeing Carmen in Spring 2008. Yesterday I got an email from Austin Lyrical Opera with a buy-one ticket, get-one-free promotional for the performance this weekend. How could I pass that up? The performance is, “Simply the best, Opera’s greatest hits.” Some of 19 the selections will be from La Bohème, La Traviata, Aida, Carmen, & Faust.

The venue looks pretty cool. It seats 2,300 people and was meant to be a modern version of a Greco-Roman amphitheatre.

When I called to get the tickets they had only two seats left (sitting together) in the Upper Balcony (a.k.a nosebleed section) for Friday night. I snapped them up and even though we are in the “cheap seats” we can still hear just fine. . . now I just have to find my field glasses. . . I know they are around here somewhere.

I have seen Don Giovanni & La Bohème. Dave and I have both seen Julius Caesar, Romeo & Juliet, La Traviata, and Lucia Di Lammermoor. I know the list isn’t too long, but as long as Dave doesn’t develop a sudden love for Monster Truck Rallies, we'll keep our annual tradition.

Halloween spirit & Christmas miracles

We did not have a single trick-or-treater. . . not one. (3rd floor apartment + no neighbors with kids = Zero trick-or-treaters.) We did get a little Halloween spirit from my sister in Utah, she sent photos of the Jack-o-lanterns she, Jay and Sarah carved. They look pretty darn cool.


Sarah: Little Monster


Janelle: Jekyll and Hyde


Jay: Flag

We got news from our Adoption Agency. It looks like there is no way we will travel in November. That is out the window, (but now we are free to make Thanksgiving plans.) It is disappointing because we wish we were with Spencer right now. But this change is going to be a good thing for Vietnam adoptions. This will improve the process in the future. But we are a bit out of sorts as we are scrambling to get things done.

Yesterday we FedExed our new paper work and will hopefully get good news soon. It looks like the next step in the process is waiting (shocker). All the new required paperwork has to be gathered and translated. We are hoping we will get our new approval within 60 days. There is still a chance we could travel by the end of the year, but our window of travel could be anything from end of December to the first part of February. My friend had a dream with were Spencer at Christmas. So, we are praying for a Christmas miracle.

Jack & Alex

“Jack is the definition of ‘loose cannon’” Those are the words from my hubby’s lips as we watched Jack kill someone and say, "That's the problem with people like you, George. You want results, but you never want to get your hands dirty." CTU’s finest hard at work!

We are officially addicted. We finished the first season of 24. . . and took a break for a week before diving into the second season. We are now neck deep in the latest predicament. This show is pretty intense. My buddy told me season 2 was better then season 1. . and so far I agree with her. We are not fans of the “Kim” plotline. We think it is just filler. I am almost tempted to fast-forward the scenes she is in.

Small Rant Ahead: Another plotline I am under-whelmed with . . . Syler on “Heroes.” This guy is so one-note, I can’t take it! I call him the mustache twirler. That is all he does. . . sit there and say, “Look how evil I am,” twirling his villain’s mustache, while our heroine is tied to the railroad tracks. . . . Kill me now. This guy is a one-trick pony. The writers or someone needs to step it up.

We are loving 24, but probably the show we are most faithful to is Jeopardy. There is just something about the crazy combination of quiz show, competition, every-man, and Alex’s pompous demeanor. . . it’s just magical!

I am sure when Spencer comes home we will be exposed to Baby Einstein, Sesame Street. . . and heaven forbid “The Doodlebops.” But, for the moment we are enjoying the simple pleasures of CTU's finest, Jack Bauer and Alex’s over-pronunciation of any and all exotic words.

Counting the days

We are counting the days, minutes and seconds until Spencer is home with us. It looks like the time frames are fluctuating. The U.S. government (Citizen and Immigration Services) has changed some of their procedural protocols. This will effect our travel date. We just don’t know now if it will bump up our travel date, or extend our wait time.

Our agency is wonderful and really helping us during this transition period. In the long run, this is a good thing for the adoption process, but it just stinks that we are caught in the transition period. USCIS is mandating a 60 day waiting period for families (starting Nov. 17th). We might get our travel date before this comes into effect (which is what we are praying for) but we might get stuck with an extended waiting period. We have already been waiting. . . 76 days, thank you very much! So to add an addition 60 days to that time would be pretty disappointing.

We’re not losing a brother. . .

We are gaining a sister! That’s right, Jay and Sarah are getting married. (We all kind of knew it was coming.) We love Sarah so much, we are so excited to have her as part of the family. She is amazing, and Jay and Sarah are just perfect together and for each other! Updates will be forth coming. . .I have been promised an exclusive : )

Veterans Day

In two weeks we will be celebrating and honoring our Veterans. This is such a great time to think about all the blessing we enjoy in our lovely country. I did a little research on Veterans Day as we talked about in with our girls during Activity Days this week.

Veterans Day is a holiday honoring our military veterans. It falls on November 11, the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. Peace was reached for World War I at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the signing of the peace agreement.

Yesterday when we were with the girls (ages 8-11) we read a letter from President Bush about our Veterans. We also read a letter from my sister, a soldier in the Marine Corps. Here is an excerpt from that letter:

I have been in the Marine Corps for fourteen years have spent two combat tours in Iraq. The highlight of my day was mail call. I would just hope and pray to get something...anything from "The States" There were several groups who would write us letters and send us care packages and they were ALWAYS welcomed with open arms! Any news from home was good news!

It is very hard to be in a foreign country fighting and sometimes dying for the rights and freedoms of the local people. It makes me realize just how wonderful America is and how important the freedoms we have here are. Most Americans just take them for granted. The local people of Iraq are so grateful for the time, effort, blood, sweat and tears we have invested into their liberation. I see the hard ships they have suffered and the oppression they have been forced to endure and am so very grateful for my forefathers who fought for me to have the rights and freedoms I enjoy today. I consider it an honor and a privilege to fight for the rights and freedoms for the future generations of the entire world!

Thank you for your prayers and letters! They are more precious to us than you will ever know!

This year, make an opportunity to thank a veteran. You can send a card or a letter to someone you know or you can go to: www.anysoldier.com and find a soldier serving in Iraq to send a note to. I also have an address of a soldier serving in Iraq right now, I would be happy to send it to you. Just send me an email, (libraryofadventure@gmail.com.) It won’t take very long and it will make someone’s day.

Here is a picture of the letters and cards our girls made to support our troops and honor our veterans.