Just a little Update.....

I know it has been awhile since I last posted but we have been super busy. Being busy is a good thing as we tend to dwell less on the wait for Katie.

We are just about finished remodeling the house. There will be some tweaking here and there for awhile I am sure as I have found that redecorating has a domino effect. Once you change one thing then the next thing looks shabby or "not quite right". We are still finishing Katie's nursery and will have her furniture delivered next month.

Justin came home last weekend to work a gig for Marc. He DJs a teen Dance that he has grown from 2 people the first time to several hundred kids. He comes home about every 2 months to do this job. While he was home we double dated with he and his girlfriend Judy. We had a great time. Wow..What a kick in the head it is double dating with your son. I can't believe how mature he has become. Justin...I love you so very much and am so proud of the wonderful man that you have become.

Last week we had our Century 21 State Convention in Marco Island. We do this one every year and it is always a blast. Marc also is the MC for the general sessions as well as DJing the evening party so we basically get paid to play.

The referrals for this month should be coming out next week and will include through most if not all of January. That means we are still on target for a November referral. This coming week we will have the next waiting families meeting so I will post later this week with an update.

DTC Group Activities

I belong to two DTC Groups on Yahoogroups.com. One is May DTC and the other is Great Wall (Our adoption agency) May DTC. Basically, they are a way for people around the world who have sent their dossiers during the month of May 2005 to monitor when referrals are sent out as well as a forum for advise, discussion and support. Many of these people will be traveling with us or we will see them at some point while we are in China. While we wait we have some activities that will help pass the time and are fun and creative. One is The 100 Good Wishes Quilt Swap and the other is a Secret Pal Gift Exchange. I will tell you more about the Quilt Swap later but below you will see pictures of The Fabric Square and Good wish that was sent by us to our fellow DTC members and also the gift that I received today from my Secret Pal. The theme this month was welcome to America and she sent me a very cute patriotic outfit with 2 pair of matching socks. She told me in the card that she enclosed with the gift that her 10 year old son helped her pick it out but it was actually his second choice. A cute little bathing suit was his first..LOL. I am sending my gift out this week to my secret pal. I can't say what it is in case she is reading this BLOG. :) My fellow DTC Group members are fabulous people and I can't wait to get to meet them in China!

The Gift that my Secret Pal sent. Isn't it sweet!

Our wish for our fellow DTC family and our Quilt Square

Marc and I had to begin our immunizations today. We had the Hepatitis A and B shots. These are strongly recommended, as unfortuately China has very high rates of these diseases. The shots are given in a series that spans 6 months. We will also have a Tetanus before we go and possibly a couple of more shots depending on the province in China that we will be traveling to in order to get Katie.
OUCH!

Gabby's Big Adventure

The One That Almost Got Away!!

This is our chihuahua Gabriella or "Gabby" for short. She is a little bit of a dog weighing in at 5.5 lbs. She gave us the scare of a life time on Friday. Marc was taking our dogs up to the vet to be boarded for the day while we had workman in the house. Gabby is not a big fan of the veterinarian's office. When Marc got to the office and opened the door of his car Gabby jumped over him onto the ground and under the H3. Marc quicky closed the door so Buddy, our other dog could not get out and looked under the car for Gabby. SHE WAS GONE!!

Marc frantically looked all over the office plaza for her before finally calling me. He exclaimed over the phone to get up to the vet right away...Gabby is gone! I immediately got into the car (in tears) and drove towards the vrt's office. It is a short ride away but it crosses two heavily traveled streets. When I got half way there I saw a little flash running across the street in front of traffic. It was our lil Gabby! I pulled to the side of the road and called out to her. She ran towards me and jumped into the car. She was totally glad to see me. The squirt had gotten half way home...Unbelievable. I took her back to where Marc was and you never saw such a relieved person in your life. Gabby is not the type to leave our side so this was totally out of character for her. It seems Marc's timing was perfect in calling me when he did or I don't think that I would have seen her. We are so grateful that she is OK.

Our little Gabby sure has a mind of her own!!