Our coordinator called this afternoon with "good news"! Our Travel Arrangements came in! (TA) We are leaving for China on Wednesday, August 22nd! We will be there through September 6th. I am so incredibly excited. I can hardly think. I need to get Kai's package sent today to be sure he gets it before we get there! In a little more than 3 weeks we will finally meet Kai!
So, see, I WAS nesting!
Friday, July 27, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Care package and nesting!
I found out this week that we can send a care package to Kai's orphanage. So, yesterday, I went out and bought a few things to put in a box. We'll send him a little photo album with pictures of us, the house and his room, a stuffed animal, a disposable camera so they can take pictures of him in the orphanage, and some stickers and candy.
I have also been "nesting" like crazy. You hear about this when you are pregnant. You know, the woman decides she will redo an entire room in a day or something like that. Well, I have been feeling this desperate need to get all the little projects around the house that I have started completed. Yesterday after finishing up two projects that required some rearraning of furniture, I realized I wanted to changed the color of our bedroom. We have a lot of paint in our garage as a result of repainting every room in the house when we moved in. So, I went out to the garage, chose a rich brown, Mocha, by Sherwin Williams to be exact, and started putting it up on the walls to see if I liked it. And guess what? I DO!
Today I need to finish painting our room, then hang the vintage floral prints I finally cropped and framed, and spray paint some other picture frames black to match the room better. I also want to rent a carpet cleaner this week as well. I wish I always felt this motivated.
I have also been "nesting" like crazy. You hear about this when you are pregnant. You know, the woman decides she will redo an entire room in a day or something like that. Well, I have been feeling this desperate need to get all the little projects around the house that I have started completed. Yesterday after finishing up two projects that required some rearraning of furniture, I realized I wanted to changed the color of our bedroom. We have a lot of paint in our garage as a result of repainting every room in the house when we moved in. So, I went out to the garage, chose a rich brown, Mocha, by Sherwin Williams to be exact, and started putting it up on the walls to see if I liked it. And guess what? I DO!
Today I need to finish painting our room, then hang the vintage floral prints I finally cropped and framed, and spray paint some other picture frames black to match the room better. I also want to rent a carpet cleaner this week as well. I wish I always felt this motivated.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Trying not to be a cheeseball, although I do love cheese...
I just wanted to take a second here and highlight two blogs that I really feel have changed my life. Honestly.
In my everyday life, I try to work on the goal of surrounding myself with people and writings, and/or art that inspire me and push me to be a better person, think differently, act differently, be responsible. I am so incredibly inspired by so many people... my friends, my family, my community at church. There is just so much to learn from them, and I love that.
I read in a book once that a person can probably look at his/her bookshelf filled with favorite books and recall what was going on in their life at that time and how a particular book changed them. Now, I am a library person,(one of my two favorite places to be, the other is the grocery store. Ah, love to read and eat!) but I do purchase the books that I need to be present in my house. They remind me to not forget those lessons I learned. If I do start to forget, they are waiting there as a friendly reference.
I wish I had these blogs in hard copy and not just on the computer, to put on my bookshelf. These two blogs have just floored me regarding China and adoption. Even if you are not interested in China, or adoption, I believe they serve as a powerful testimony to the power of one person, of love and compassion and of, "doing".
They are:
http://chinesestarfish.blogspot.com/
This is the blog of a South African woman who decided to start her own fostering center in China. She takes in babies that have special needs and then arranges their surgeries, etc. so that they will have an increased chance of getting adopted. This woman is amazing. We have spoken over email a few times. Yes, she finds time to email as well. I am hoping to be able to arrange a visit to see her, although I don't know if time will allow it.
and
http://lwbchinablog.blogspot.com/
Started by a few volunteers, this group provides surgeries, medical care, schooling, and foster families to the orphaned children in China. Check it out.
In a time where all the news is either about the war or Paris Hilton, these blogs are incredibly refreshing.
Let me know what you think.
Kate
In my everyday life, I try to work on the goal of surrounding myself with people and writings, and/or art that inspire me and push me to be a better person, think differently, act differently, be responsible. I am so incredibly inspired by so many people... my friends, my family, my community at church. There is just so much to learn from them, and I love that.
I read in a book once that a person can probably look at his/her bookshelf filled with favorite books and recall what was going on in their life at that time and how a particular book changed them. Now, I am a library person,(one of my two favorite places to be, the other is the grocery store. Ah, love to read and eat!) but I do purchase the books that I need to be present in my house. They remind me to not forget those lessons I learned. If I do start to forget, they are waiting there as a friendly reference.
I wish I had these blogs in hard copy and not just on the computer, to put on my bookshelf. These two blogs have just floored me regarding China and adoption. Even if you are not interested in China, or adoption, I believe they serve as a powerful testimony to the power of one person, of love and compassion and of, "doing".
They are:
http://chinesestarfish.blogspot.com/
This is the blog of a South African woman who decided to start her own fostering center in China. She takes in babies that have special needs and then arranges their surgeries, etc. so that they will have an increased chance of getting adopted. This woman is amazing. We have spoken over email a few times. Yes, she finds time to email as well. I am hoping to be able to arrange a visit to see her, although I don't know if time will allow it.
and
http://lwbchinablog.blogspot.com/
Started by a few volunteers, this group provides surgeries, medical care, schooling, and foster families to the orphaned children in China. Check it out.
In a time where all the news is either about the war or Paris Hilton, these blogs are incredibly refreshing.
Let me know what you think.
Kate
Monday, July 9, 2007
The phone finally rang!
We have Letter of Confirmation!!!! Betty called me this afternoon around 2pm! I love this woman! She said that she was not expecting us to receive this information so early. Oh yeah! (I didn't tell her that I was hoping for it last week.) I guess we were the last people on her list that she thought would come through this time. But as she said, "Sometimes the CCAA surprises you and works fast." How about that? Our paperwork is moving fast through China! Who would have thought? I am so excited!
What does this mean as far as when we leave for China? Here is what I understand after talking to Betty:
We overnight our signed Letter of Confirmation.
Then we wait 2-3 weeks for Final Travel Approval
Then we actually travel 3-5 weeks after that.
Which puts us at 6 weeks best case scenario (which is of course what I shall be pulling for!) and 8 weeks bad case. It is 6 weeks because it may take a week to get the signed Letter of Confirmation to Beijing.
So, that would be towards the end of August. August! That is when I wanted to get him, but all signs pointed to that being wishful thinking. It looks like it could happen now!
Pretty darned cool. I just want to thank anyone and everyone who has been praying and thinking about us and Kai this whole time. Josh and I are surrounded by amazing friends and family and wonderful church community. It just means so much to Josh and Elizabeth and I and to Kai too, as I believe it makes a huge difference. What a super-great-fantastic day!
Kate
"The hills are a-live, with the sound of muuuuuuu-sssic...AAAHHHH, ahhh, ahhh, ahhh...."
Oh, to have a billowing skirt to twirl in right now.....would just make the moment perfect! Ha!
What does this mean as far as when we leave for China? Here is what I understand after talking to Betty:
We overnight our signed Letter of Confirmation.
Then we wait 2-3 weeks for Final Travel Approval
Then we actually travel 3-5 weeks after that.
Which puts us at 6 weeks best case scenario (which is of course what I shall be pulling for!) and 8 weeks bad case. It is 6 weeks because it may take a week to get the signed Letter of Confirmation to Beijing.
So, that would be towards the end of August. August! That is when I wanted to get him, but all signs pointed to that being wishful thinking. It looks like it could happen now!
Pretty darned cool. I just want to thank anyone and everyone who has been praying and thinking about us and Kai this whole time. Josh and I are surrounded by amazing friends and family and wonderful church community. It just means so much to Josh and Elizabeth and I and to Kai too, as I believe it makes a huge difference. What a super-great-fantastic day!
Kate
"The hills are a-live, with the sound of muuuuuuu-sssic...AAAHHHH, ahhh, ahhh, ahhh...."
Oh, to have a billowing skirt to twirl in right now.....would just make the moment perfect! Ha!
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Almost done with the room!
I worked like crazy on a quilt for Kai for the last two weeks. Then once it was almost totally put together I laid it out and thought, "You know what, I don't like this." This happened after I spent 8 hours working on it at home to finish it up before we left for vacation.
SO, after we got back from vacation, Josh and I decided to head out on Saturday and get it all done. And we did. We bought two quilts and we did all the painting and bed purchasing this past weekend. Josh put the bed together in no time, with Elizabeth's skilled assistance. Elizabeth has also already broken the bunk beds in by falling off the ladder on the way up!
I still have things to do in his room, like window treatments, etc. But it is almost done. Now we just need to get a call about our Letter of Acceptance (LOA). I am hoping for today or tomorrow!
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