Afghanistan. Just Afghanistan.

I had a hard time figuring out what to title this post.

Chris 's next deployment will be in Afghanistan for 6 months beginning next summer. Yes, he's Navy, and, yes, Afghanistan is land-locked. He's deploying as an individual augmentee" (IA) and will assist the Army and Marine Corps at the Combined Security Transition Command at Camp Eggers in Kabul, Afghanistan. The link has a lot of interesting information under Newcomers.

We expect to hear more soon regarding the dates he'll leave for Combat Skills Training Course at Fort Jackson, SC, and then off to Kabul after that. He'll still be performing his Yeoman duties; he's assured me his responsibilities will be within the camp walls.

There's even an IA Family Handbook that will help prep us. This is his first deployment since we've been married.

"CAN'T. RESIST. MUST. POST."

China Daily: "Panda cub debuts at Chongqing zoo"
Visitors look at an unnamed giant panda cub during its first public appearance at the Chongqing Zoo in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, December 10, 2007. The four-month-old cub was given birth by giant panda Ya Ya in the zoo.

1 & 1/2 years - Heard that before!

It just occurred to me yesterday that each month since our application was sent to China we've been telling people (and ourselves) it would be a 1 & 1/2 year wait for our referral. For 1 and 1/2 years we've been saying we'll get our referral in 1 & 1/2 years! BAK! Kerazy, huh?

Happy holiday season!

Adoption Status Update

The CCAA has "finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with their office before December 14, 2005." No sign of any great speed-up in referrals this month.