I know I've been completely MIA recently, which is funny because I was finally getting into a good blogging rhythm. But this week has been very emotionally charged. This week was my second time participating in Heather Forbes' Mom's Conference. Heather spends several days leading us through some emotional work, digging into the past and working toward forgiving and healing from childhood scars. Then she teaches strategies to deal with the present and look forward to the future.
It's a fantastic conference, though it knocks my emotional legs out from under me for five days straight. I worked through some specific issues during the first conference and then continued the work during this conference. I can tell that the first conference made a positive difference because the second was difficult but was not quite as painful as the first.
I may post more about the conference but I haven't decided yet. I learned a lot but it made me feel very vulnerable. I'm not sure I want to share that vulnerability online, though maybe some of my observations and experiences could help someone else. Who knows? I'm not sure when the next Mom's Conference will be but I highly recommend that women attend. Heather is an inspiring mentor and I've learned a lot from her.
Friday, June 19, 2015
Monday, June 15, 2015
I love mail!
Today was an awesome mail day! First we received our travel packet from our agency. I'm shocked and impressed by how much information this packet contains.
Reading through it, I started feeling overwhelmed at how many decisions have to be made before we travel. I had to remind myself - one step at a time! One step at a time!
Then we received our Zulily order, which contained two pairs of shorts for our daughter. It was really hard to find shorts that were modest!
I was so amused at how our order came in two packages and they were two different shades of blue. One was delivered by OnTrack and the other by USPS. Efficiency? Not really!
We bought both of these tops at Macy's yesterday, both on clearance. I'm a bit worried they will be too big for our girly, but at least they are light material and will work well with the Taiwan heat.
We bought this cute purple suitcase a couple years ago when we made some really short trips. Hopefully she likes it because it's now hers!
Though to be honest, I'm wondering if we will even need a separate suitcase for our daughter. Her clothes are so small they seem like they will fit in our suitcase!
But, the airline gives us two free checked bags each and we're only taking one suitcase for the both of us and one for her. She'll probably like having something of her own to travel with. We also ordered her a backpack as a carry on. It won't ship for another two weeks though. I can't wait until it gets here!
Is it the end of July yet?
Reading through it, I started feeling overwhelmed at how many decisions have to be made before we travel. I had to remind myself - one step at a time! One step at a time!
Then we received our Zulily order, which contained two pairs of shorts for our daughter. It was really hard to find shorts that were modest!
I was so amused at how our order came in two packages and they were two different shades of blue. One was delivered by OnTrack and the other by USPS. Efficiency? Not really!
We bought both of these tops at Macy's yesterday, both on clearance. I'm a bit worried they will be too big for our girly, but at least they are light material and will work well with the Taiwan heat.
We bought this cute purple suitcase a couple years ago when we made some really short trips. Hopefully she likes it because it's now hers!
Though to be honest, I'm wondering if we will even need a separate suitcase for our daughter. Her clothes are so small they seem like they will fit in our suitcase!
But, the airline gives us two free checked bags each and we're only taking one suitcase for the both of us and one for her. She'll probably like having something of her own to travel with. We also ordered her a backpack as a carry on. It won't ship for another two weeks though. I can't wait until it gets here!
Is it the end of July yet?
Saturday, June 13, 2015
AIT letter
One more tiny step complete. Our AIT letter arrived today.
This letter gives notification that our daughter is "likely to qualify as an orphan for the purpose of eligibility for immigration benefits as an adopted child of US citizens." What's odd to me is that they don't make the final determination until after our adoption is finalized in Taiwan.
If for some reason they determine our girl is not eligible to immigrate, it will be too late. By that point, she will already be legally recognized as our daughter by the country of Taiwan. *insert sarcastic voice here* Oh no. We will have to move to another country. Whatever will be do?" */sarcastic voice*
My husband and I have tossed around the idea of someday moving to another country for a couple of years, just to experience a part of the world. Yes, it would be a shock if we were forced to move rather than making the decision ourselves. But after the initial panic response, we'd be excited for the opportunity. Of course, this is highly unlikely to happen. I'm pretty sure that everyone involved in our adoption is certain that our daughter meets the definition of an orphan and thus will be granted permission to immigrate to the United States.
I am slightly disappointed that we have not been able to finalize travel dates yet. We need to confirm our AIT appointment (where our daughter gets her visa to come to the US) so that we can confirm the day we meet her so that we can buy a plane ticket. But the agency in Taiwan has not yet confirmed this date and our coordinator is now on vacation until Wednesday. Hopefully we will have plane tickets in hand by the end of the week.
Then I can start the countdown for how many more days until we meet our daughter!!
This letter gives notification that our daughter is "likely to qualify as an orphan for the purpose of eligibility for immigration benefits as an adopted child of US citizens." What's odd to me is that they don't make the final determination until after our adoption is finalized in Taiwan.
If for some reason they determine our girl is not eligible to immigrate, it will be too late. By that point, she will already be legally recognized as our daughter by the country of Taiwan. *insert sarcastic voice here* Oh no. We will have to move to another country. Whatever will be do?" */sarcastic voice*
My husband and I have tossed around the idea of someday moving to another country for a couple of years, just to experience a part of the world. Yes, it would be a shock if we were forced to move rather than making the decision ourselves. But after the initial panic response, we'd be excited for the opportunity. Of course, this is highly unlikely to happen. I'm pretty sure that everyone involved in our adoption is certain that our daughter meets the definition of an orphan and thus will be granted permission to immigrate to the United States.
I am slightly disappointed that we have not been able to finalize travel dates yet. We need to confirm our AIT appointment (where our daughter gets her visa to come to the US) so that we can confirm the day we meet her so that we can buy a plane ticket. But the agency in Taiwan has not yet confirmed this date and our coordinator is now on vacation until Wednesday. Hopefully we will have plane tickets in hand by the end of the week.
Then I can start the countdown for how many more days until we meet our daughter!!
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Best news yet!
who wanted a family.
And a family in America...
who wanted a daughter.
After lots of paperwork...
and lots of tears...
the little girl and the family learned
that they will soon be united.
We have travel approval!!!
We will meet this beautiful child at the beginning of August. Family Date soon to be confirmed.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Cheese!
Say cheese!
Tonight we tasted my homemade feta cheese. It was a tad salty so I rinsed it off before putting it on the pizza.
Success!
Tonight I only used up the partial jar of feta. I still have another full jar and will let that age a bit longer. I am thrilled that I was able to make cheese from a gallon of milk.
We want to attempt cheddar cheese next, which has to age for six long months. I love aged cheeses so I'm excited about the possibilities.
Tonight we tasted my homemade feta cheese. It was a tad salty so I rinsed it off before putting it on the pizza.
Success!
Tonight I only used up the partial jar of feta. I still have another full jar and will let that age a bit longer. I am thrilled that I was able to make cheese from a gallon of milk.
We want to attempt cheddar cheese next, which has to age for six long months. I love aged cheeses so I'm excited about the possibilities.
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Catch up post
Last week was crazy and this week is already proving it will be a doozy. My husband has been working insane hours, projects that require he start at midnight and don't wrap up until 4 or 5 in the morning. Then this weekend served up a huge work emergency, one that will require almost round the clock maintenance this week.
Personally, I hate going to bed by myself. I try to stay up as late as possible to keep him company. Our house layout is the opposite of what one would expect; our living space is upstairs and the bedrooms are downstairs. What makes this hard is that the flooring is cheap Pergo and it creaks anytime you take a step. So if I'm up before my husband, I have to be super quiet so that he can continue sleeping. I'd rather stay up late and get up late with him, even though this sleep schedule is less than ideal for my body.
Sorry if that sounds like I am whining. I'm tired... it's been a stressful few days and looks like it will continue to be stressful for a few more. I'm hoping I can detach myself a bit from his work. Since hubby works from home, I get caught up in the flow of what's going on and it affects my ability to get my own work done. Normally we manage it just fine but with less sleep than normal, we're struggling a bit.
This is going to be an issue when our girl comes home. I can already tell. We don't have any extra space to set up an office for my husband; he works on the dining room table. So staying up late may keep our daughter awake or she may be a heavy sleeper. I'm not sure. I have a feeling I'm going to have to pick a schedule and stick to it, so that I go to bed when she goes to bed and get up when she gets up, regardless of my husband's work schedule. That would be ideal. There are a lot of changes coming!
Personally, I hate going to bed by myself. I try to stay up as late as possible to keep him company. Our house layout is the opposite of what one would expect; our living space is upstairs and the bedrooms are downstairs. What makes this hard is that the flooring is cheap Pergo and it creaks anytime you take a step. So if I'm up before my husband, I have to be super quiet so that he can continue sleeping. I'd rather stay up late and get up late with him, even though this sleep schedule is less than ideal for my body.
Sorry if that sounds like I am whining. I'm tired... it's been a stressful few days and looks like it will continue to be stressful for a few more. I'm hoping I can detach myself a bit from his work. Since hubby works from home, I get caught up in the flow of what's going on and it affects my ability to get my own work done. Normally we manage it just fine but with less sleep than normal, we're struggling a bit.
This is going to be an issue when our girl comes home. I can already tell. We don't have any extra space to set up an office for my husband; he works on the dining room table. So staying up late may keep our daughter awake or she may be a heavy sleeper. I'm not sure. I have a feeling I'm going to have to pick a schedule and stick to it, so that I go to bed when she goes to bed and get up when she gets up, regardless of my husband's work schedule. That would be ideal. There are a lot of changes coming!
Monday, June 1, 2015
May wrap-up / June goal
May's 30 day challenge has not actually ended. Yes, May is over but I got a late start to my cheesemaking and it took longer than I expected. The cheese will be ready to taste-test on Wednesday. At that point, we'll decide if it's edible. If so, we'll be making pizza with it.
I've been thinking about June's challenge and I don't think I can set one. We are still hoping to travel to Taiwan at the end of July, though if the judge doesn't issue first ruling soon, we may not be traveling until August. I have an overambitious list of things I want to accomplish before travel. I don't think it's wise to concentrate on just one challenge this month. Instead, I'll be working my way down my list.
Here's what I am hoping to accomplish before travel.
Packing test run
Finish KonMarie'ing my house
Deep clean my house
Write up a menu for the first two weeks home
Grocery shopping for all non-perishables for the above menu
Summer clothes shopping for Jeff, Cin-Ru, and myself
Plan the actual trip
Finish blog design and launch my new blog
And, I want to make decent sized strides in my Chinese ability. I did join a June mini-challenge to read Chinese materials for at least half an hour each day. This means something written by native Chinese speakers for native Chinese speakers, not for those learning Chinese. There is a huge difference. This is in addition to my normal flashcards and my writing attempts.
Looking at my list, I'd better get busy!
I've been thinking about June's challenge and I don't think I can set one. We are still hoping to travel to Taiwan at the end of July, though if the judge doesn't issue first ruling soon, we may not be traveling until August. I have an overambitious list of things I want to accomplish before travel. I don't think it's wise to concentrate on just one challenge this month. Instead, I'll be working my way down my list.
Here's what I am hoping to accomplish before travel.
Packing test run
Finish KonMarie'ing my house
Deep clean my house
Write up a menu for the first two weeks home
Grocery shopping for all non-perishables for the above menu
Summer clothes shopping for Jeff, Cin-Ru, and myself
Plan the actual trip
Finish blog design and launch my new blog
And, I want to make decent sized strides in my Chinese ability. I did join a June mini-challenge to read Chinese materials for at least half an hour each day. This means something written by native Chinese speakers for native Chinese speakers, not for those learning Chinese. There is a huge difference. This is in addition to my normal flashcards and my writing attempts.
Looking at my list, I'd better get busy!
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