Adoption Status Update

This past month (December) the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) matched babies with families whose applications were received February 24 through 28, 2006. Finally, all applications from February 2006 have been matched with babies! It took six months to get through them all. Hold on, because March supposedly had TONS of applications!

We made the paper!

Operation Welcome Home was at BWI airport to welcome home the troops as many of them transferred to other flights. But not my DH -- this was his final destination! A journalist and photographer from the Washington Post were there to document the homecoming, and the following photo made page one of the Metro section on December 24. The article, "Cheers, All Around" didn't mention any of our story we told them (drats!) and sadly they got DH's branch and rank incorrect in the photo caption. But, hey, HE'S HOME!


Currently, we are traveling in NC to see his family. Let me be exact: currently, DH is watching the UNC Tar Heels after having Mama's barbeque chicken and red potatoes.

Going to get DH!

I gasp for air as I write this post. Maybe my scarf is on too tight (it's 17 outisde with a wind chill of 2). No, it's not that. It's that in a few hours I will be leaving to pick up DH at the airport after he has been in Afghanistan for six months. I have missed him more than I have let anyone -- even myself -- know. I can't wait to see him!!!!

Welcome home, sweetheart, from all your friends and family. We've missed you bunches!

You have heard this before! (and before, and before...)

Today marks 2 & 1/2 years since our dossier/application was logged in the CCAA. And yes, at this rate, we probably still have at least 1 & 1/2 years to wait, just like we told you a year ago.

It has been a year since I wrote in my journal for this adoption. Amazing how time flies. Amazing what we thought back then.

Also amazing is the friends and connections we've made through the adoption process and this blog, and the good things that have happened.

Thanks for tuning in.

Introducing "The Harley"

Here she is, DH's Harley Davidson Street Bob. Let me tell you, the picture does not do it justice. I got to see it in person today and it is HOT! The guys at the dealership perked up when they knew I was "the wife" and had to show me every purty detail. Clearly I will have to take a back seat to her when DH comes home. Did I mention he is coming home soon?!?!

Adoption Status Update

This past month (November) the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) matched babies with families whose applications were received February 18 through 23, 2006.

There comes a time in every blogger's life when she needs to apologize for being too busy with life to blog about it. Sorry.

Yard work still?!?

Here it is, nearly December, and I am still doing hard labor yard work. Six hours of stacking firewood, snapping kindling, mowing (leaves mostly), raking (more leaves), and cleaning flowerbeds. Sure, research to-date hasn't shown that a girl can give herself arthritis, but allow me to present to you the first case study: me. My sister - Happy Birthday, JoAnne (that's her on the right in the picture and her oldest daughter on the left of me) - tells me I simply need to elicit additional help when I need to open jars - the handle of a knife, a knock on the counter top, grab some young 'en off the street.

But that's OK because DH is going to be home soon!

U.S. Dept of State China Adoption Numbers

Ah, yes. I remember when we were completing our first round of China adoption paperwork in early 2006 and how I shuddered when I heard our social worker say the wait from log in date to referral might go to 14 months. And now the wait is at 33 months and growing.

There's definitely fewer children being referred out of China, and the US Department of State's number of adoptions from China show that. In the government's fiscal year 2005, there were nearly 8,000 adoptions from China to the United States (the highest number on record). In fiscal year 2008, there were half as many adoptions as in 2005 - and that's not because there wasn't a pile of applications waiting (ours included)! Even from 2007 to 2008, the number of adoptions dropped by nearly 30% to 3,900.

Hopefully next week we'll hear rumors on how far the CCAA got with matching during the month of November. I am hoping they match through the end of February 2006!

My vet, my love

That's "vet" for veteran, my sailor, my DH, my love. A few days have passed since Veteran's Day, but I still wanted to post.

Seven years and seven months ago my DH and I first met. We spent a total of five days together before he deployed on the USS Enterprise for six months. At some point during those six months he sent me a ratty, time-yellowed poster with a poem titled "Loving a Sailor" on it. The poem reads as follows:

Loving a Sailor is not always gay,
and loving a Sailor is a high price to pay.
It's mostly living with nothing to hold,
it's being young but feeling old.
It's having him whisper his love for you,
it's whispering back that you love him, too.
Then comes a kiss, a promise of of love,
knowing you're watched, approved from above.

Reluctantly, painfully, letting him go,
while you're dying inside from wanting him so.
Watching him leave with eyes full of tears,
standing alone with your hopes, dreams, and fears.
It's sending a letter with the stamp upside down
to a faraway love in a faraway town.
It's going to church to kneel and to pray,
and really meaning the things that you say.

And though you know that he's far away,
you just keep loving him more each day.
Being in love will merit your dreams,
with thoughts of heaven where love's light gleams.

Days go by and no mail for a spell,
you wait for a word bearing he's well.
The letter comes and you're filled with joy,
you're like a small child with a new shiny toy.
With fingers that tremble, and heart beating fast,
you tear open the letter and read it so fast.
Yes, he's doing well and he misses you so,
and it's filled with the love you want to know.

Weeks are a month, and months are a year,
you're waiting for the day that you will have no more fear.
Time passes slowly, yet it's gone very fast,
you're barely aware it's here until it's past.

Yes, loving a sailor brings bitterness and tears,
loneliness, sadness and dependent years.
Loving a Sailor isn't much fun
but it's worth the price when his time is done.
Remember he's thinking of you everyday,
he's sad and he's lonely for being away.
So love him, miss him, and try to be braver,
and always be proud of loving a Sailor.

Yeah, pretty corny. But the sentiment was not so corny that I would not reply with a poem of my own for him!

And loving a sailor and “promises” of things to come
May be the certain fate of some;
For deep in your heart you dream of the fun
Removing the injustice time apart has done.

Who would have thought that "Five Day Chris" and I would have come this far? To my vet, my sailor, my love, I say that I am so proud of you for so many reasons. And I can't wait for you to freaking be back home already.

Adoption Status Update

This past month (October) the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) matched babies with families whose applications were received February 16 and February 17, 2006. A two day batch is quite painful to see. February 2006 was considered to be a relatively "small" month in terms of the estimated number of applications China received, and yet they are now starting their fourth month in matching those February applications with children.

There are no rumors of a speed-up in the China adoption referral process. At this rate, our referral would come mid to late 2010, and we would likely travel two months after receiving the referral.

Just to recap, two of the reasons for the slow down that have been officially stated by the Chinese government are 1) there are more domestic adoptions within China, thereby reducing the number of children available for international adoption, and 2) there are fewer children being abandoned in China.

Dory

This is Dory. I picked her up to foster her last Saturday, wrote a glowing (and truthful) review of her on the Lost Dog Rescue website, took her to an adoption event yesterday, and today she is going home with her new owner. She is a sweetheart and will be a wonderful companion for her owner and her other lab.

I approached fostering a dog as kind of like applying Bondo to a dog-chewed window frame, to temporarily fill the hole in my life created when Sammy died. (I am still working on that window frame, Sammy.) Of course I knew no dog would be all that Sammy was to me, but I needed something, and I knew I didn't need it for too long. I saw only a very little bit of Sammy in Dory. And I saw Sammy more easily in my daydreams.

Gosh, I still miss Sammy something bad. And I miss my DH something real bad, too. Thankfully, he will be home soon.

EZ and G9

If you go WAY back to post #2 in 2006 you will come across the name Guilbeault (that's G plus 9 letters). Marci Guilbeault was the dear one who accidently gave away the fact that DH had set up this blog as a gift for me. Marci's DH worked with my DH back then, and now, just look-a-here I say, they're back together again!

Pics from the Humanitarian Mission

Here you go! Pics from the mission DH went on to provide donated items to students at a school in Kabul. In the first picture is Sophie, the girl whom Chris referred to in an earlier post.

The sigh heard from waiting IA PAPs

IA PAPs = International Adoption Prospective Adoptive Parents = us.

Let me make this simple. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced that those of us waiting (and waiting) and having our "Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative" paperwork expiring in the meanwhile (and expiring again), do NOT need to switch over to a more labor-intensive application.

Our USCIS paperwork expired once already, and we were allowed one free extension. The paperwork will expire again next April - three years from the date we originally filed the paperwork. Although we will need to pay $$$ to refile again, it is a relief not to have to worry about completing the application required of new IA PAPs.

THE 'STACHE

Well folks, here it is after four days. It's not the best, but certainly not the worst.

Sorry I haven't been able to post much lately. Being a Chief is much busier than I expected. I get up early and get to bed late, but it makes the time go by faster. As Carol mentioned earlier, I did go on a humanitarian mission earlier to a local school and met some great kids. They were all very glad we were there to hand out supplies, but most were pretty shy; with the exception of one young lady. Sophia was very outgoing and spoke excellent English. She was very helpful in the distro of the supplies in letting us know what was needed and what was not. She was also pretty good at getting little extra for herself, like the candy that some of us were carrying with us. I should have some photos of the trip a little later. Take care. DH

Updates from Afghanistan

Here's some fun updates from DH in Kabul:

• A few days ago he helped deliver donated supplies to a school in Kabul where he met a 16-year old student who expressed much thankfulness for ISAF's efforts


• He's working two jobs now: the one at his former rank and another as chief petty officer


• The moustache-growing contest has begun (I anxiously await more updates on this one but am not putting any money on DH being the grand champion)


• He has already voted for the next president

Adoption Status Update

Rumors are that this past month (September) the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) matched babies with families whose applications were received February 10 through February 15, 2006.

All signs (i.e., estimated number of applications sent in during the last half of February 2006 and the rate of matching over the past year) seem to indicate it will take another two months to complete referrals for February 2006.

Yesterday, again

Just as in yesterday's post, today's post will deal with something from yesterday. Could this be a theme for a week's worth of posts like the "I am thankful for" posts? Doubtful.

I rather enjoyed yesterday's quote in my personal planner:

One can never pay in gratitude: one can only pay "in kind" somewhere else in life.
-Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Pay it forward. I do like it.

International Day of Peace

Yesterday was the United Nations' International Day of Peace.

It also was a day of Global Ceasefire.

Cheers to those who were able to honour the day.

PINNING PHOTOS

DH is back. I want to thank everyone for all of their words of encouragement and crongratulations. It was a long six weeks, but definitely worth it. I don't have much time right now, but I wanted to upload a couple of pics for evreyone to see of the ceremony. I will get more out later.

Chief.

Presenting Chief Ezzelle

I just heard from DH Chief Ezzelle, and he said the pinning ceremony went very, very well. We - Granny; Mama; Dad, Joyce, and Grandma Ezzell (Yes, Ezzell is the correct spelling; it is another story for another day); and I - secretly sent "letters" to be read at the ceremony. DH Chief said it was quite emotional, and he was going to kick some ass for our covert operations. Pfffft, bring it on.

As part of Mama's letter, she wished DH good luck with ironing his new uniforms because she felt he may be out of luck if he thought I would help him with that. Apparently that got the whole crowd laughing. And what can I say? She is 100% correct.

Pictures will be mailed on a CD. I'll post them as soon as I get them!

Recorded on the Deck Log... and waiting

Waiting to hear from Chris about the pinning ceremony (to take place in about 6 hours) and to receive pictures from it has got me biting my nails in excitement. Good thing short nails are in fashion.

I stumbled across a web site called Goat Locker which has a wealth of information about the rank of Chief Petty Officer (CPO). There WAS a "deck log" for CPO Selectees where DH recognized some important people on his road to CPO. I blushed at how he flattered me - and thanked his family and several role model sailors.

CPO Pinning Ceremony

On Tuesday, September 16th, after six weeks of induction, DH will advance into the rank of Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy. The whole family is absolutely over-the-top excited about this well-earned and honorable achievement in Chris's life, and we anxiously await pictures - and possibly a video!

DH's Dada (grandfather) made Chief when he was in the U.S. Navy and stationed in Naples, Italy. Below is a picture of Dada being pinned by Admiral Charles Brown in the early 1960s.

My reason #3 for getting married

No doubt about it, reason #3 is electronics support. It is right behind lovin' and partnerin' and right before additional financial support. Honestly, I haven't given my list of reasons that much thought. I am just blogging because I have not experienced this level of ... ahem... frustration since I was single.

I've been told our brand of TV loses compatibility via the HDMI cable with our brand of set top box, and now I've got to switch to using component cables, and

I

just

don't

get

it.

I can not seem to get my brain to work in the area of electronics. On top of that, I have not yet found a diagram for connecting an HDTV with set top box with DVD player so that I can figure out exactly which and how many component cables I will need to buy and in which holes in which component they will be jammed - er - plugged.

I can do this (I think I can). I will do this (I think). Until then, I am perfectly satisfied with unplugging component cables from the set top box and plugging them ever so gently in the DVD player when I want to watch a DVD. Which is now.

Adoption Status Update

This past month (August) the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) matched babies with families whose applications were received up to and including February 9, 2006.

As far as I can tell from Log In Date (LID) polls, that was a pretty decent-sized batch of applications. If I had to guesstimate based on data from the past year, I would say it might take 4 months for them to get through making referrals for applications that were received/logged in during February 2006. Let's hope I am wrong and it only takes 3 months!

Is this ironic? Nope.

Oh how I long to use the word "ironic" properly. But my nephew-in-law looking for his wedding band in the ocean surf - on the day of his very first wedding anniversary - is not ironic. Somewhat humorous, yes; a bit sad, yes.

Alas, his love for his wife transcends any stinking wedding band.

The MCPON and Prized Charge Books

I am posting greetings on behalf of DH CPO Select, who is VERY busy (and getting very skinny) during his induction to Chief Petty Officer. September 16 is the pinning ceremony and how we wish we could be there. He sends his best and thanks for the good thoughts (and goodies)!

I have some totally awesome pictures to share of DH and his CPO Select roommate Tim presenting their charge books to the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON), Joe Campa Jr., who is the senior enlisted person in the Navy. What is a charge book? As far as I know, it has words of wisdom, advice, and congratulations from other chiefs. Note the fancy smancy wooden box within which the charge book is kept.

You've got a lot going on now, DH CPO Select; know that we are back here supporting you and cheering you on!

Day 7 of 7 Days of "I am thankful for..."

I am thankful for

VACATION in Rodanthe, NC

which starts Saturday!

We will all miss Chris and the others who can't make it this year! But we will send postcards... and sip wine coolers... and eat seafood... and splash in the ocean - ALL FOR YOU!

Day 6 of 7 Days of "I am thankful for..."

I am thankful that the

7 Days of "I am thankful for..." is almost over

cuz just look at what my frozen pizza looked like tonight!

But really, I am thankful it was easy to "reassemble" the pizza.

Day 5 of 7 Days of "I am thankful for..."

I am thankful for

Happy Things and Happy Thoughts

sent our way by friends & family.

This box of happy things contained artwork by the Lordos girls,

cherry tomatoes, a toy for Max, sticky notes and pens in my favorite

colors, Hello Kitty containers, more snacks, and bubble wrap to pop!

Day 4 of 7 Days of "I am thankful for..."

I am thankful for

our 4 year-old great-niece

who leans towards the Webcam,

and asks DH, who is deployed nearly 7000 miles away,

"What time are you coming home?"

and ...

for our 7 month-old great-nephew

who is nothing but smiles and giggles!

Day 3 of 7 Days of "I am thankful for..."

I am super-duper thankful for

having a loving AND brilliant dear husband (DH).

Here he is with the other Chief Selects

and Command Sergeant Major in Afghanistan.

Day 2 of 7 Days of "I am thankful for..."

I am thankful for being able to

laugh at paying $28 for a breakfast sandwich.

After all, I could have taken a moment to put a dime

in the parking meter while I ran into the deli

to get an egg and bacon sandwich

thereby avoiding the parking ticket!

Day 1 of 7 Days of "I am thankful for..."

I am thankful for the few friends who are willing to try out

the RADISH RECIPE.

And those delightful resealable bags the radishes come in!

Adoption Status Update

This past month (July) the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) matched babies with families whose applications were received up to and including January 31, 2006. It has taken the CCAA six months to match babies with applications received in January 2006.

We all hope they will get through February applications quicker because there appears to have been fewer applications logged in during February, and, heck, February has fewer days!

Farewell Good Girl Sammy

Many of you knew that Sammy, one of our mangy curs, had been very sick off and on for the past two weeks. The vet, who was absolutely wonderful to both Sammy and me, believes it was a tumor that was causing her to be anemic and that today the bleeding took another turn for the worse. I stayed with Sammy through the euthanasia, comforting her and her comforting me.

The meds she was on gave me an extra wonderful week with her; I got to see her play with her toys once more and she even went down the stairs last weekend to say Hi to Chris via Skype.

She was 11 years old and had a wonderful and silly life with us. She would sniff Chris and then sneeze on him. She would growl ferociously (but never mean it) when you tried to take away her toy. She hogged our king size bed and snored worse than Chris. She would roll around in the grass with her squeaky ball in her mouth. So very many very good memories.

My DH, Chief Select

It is with both great pleasure and honor that I announce DH's advancement to Chief Petty Officer (E7). I echo the Navy's words, "STRONG COMPETITION BETWEEN QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS IS ONE OF THE STRENGTHS OF OUR NAVY AND YOUR SELECTION SPEAKS HIGHLY OF YOUR ABILITIES." He was the 9th out of 117 E6 Yeomans in the WHOLE Navy to be advanced this year. Well done, baby! Good show! We are all so proud of you!

Below are Chris's Dada's (grandfather) Chief Petty Officer pins that Chris will have pinned on him during the advancement ceremony in mid-September. Granny, get yourself a plane ticket to Afghanistan because you know Chris wanted you to pin them on him!

In closing, the following excerpt is from the Navy Chief Petty Officer's Creed and best captures what it means to advance to Chief Petty Officer (CPO) in the U.S. Navy.

"In the United States Navy -- and only in the United States Navy -- the rank of E7 carries with it unique responsibilities and privileges you are now bound to observe and expected to fulfill. Your entire way of life is now changed. More will be expected of you; more will be demanded of you. Not because you are a E7 but because you are now a Chief Petty Officer. You have not merely been promoted one pay grade, you have joined an exclusive fellowship and, as in all fellowships, you have a special responsibility to your comrades, even as they have a special responsibility to you. This is why we in the United States Navy may maintain with pride our feelings of accomplishment once we have attained the position of Chief Petty Officer."

THANK YOUS AND GOODBYES

DH here. Sorry it's been so long since my last post. It takes a while to get adjusted. Well, let's start with the goodbyes. Most of you know that my last job in the Navy wasn't very military like at all. I was in an office with all officers and I was the only enlisted. Don't get me wrong, the guys I worked with were great, but there will always be that separation between Os and Es. But, when I arrived at Fort Jackson for training and we were all thrown into the barracks together; I was one of the boys again. I missed all the joking around and just talking about anything you can imagine (some things I can't repeat here). Through all the early mornings and MREs, I never had a bad day, because someone was always there to make me laugh. Living with 30 guys in one room, you're going to make a few friends. But, the training only lasted a few weeks and we were off to Kuwait. Most of us stayed in Kuwait for an additional week of training, but a few left the next day for their IA duty stations and we had to say goodbye. You wouldn't think that people you have only known for a few weeks would make that much of an impression, but I could see it when those of us staying behind, all dead tired from all of the travel, either stayed up or got out of bed at midnight to say goodbye and stay safe. While in Kuwait we had some time on our hands and I spent most of mine with Louis "Sal" Salazar and Dave Bene. We were kind of thrown together, because Sal and I were the only cool kids in our tent and Dave, just a couple of tents down, was the only cool kid in his. A few people were actually calling us the three amigos. Just like before, training ended and we were headed to Bagram, Afghanistan. Dave and Sal stayed in Bagram and I traveled on to Kabul. We said our goodbyes very briefly and we now keep in contact via e-mail. Unlike my earlier years in the Navy, I think we'll stay in touch. E-mail makes it much easier. A photo of the three amigos is below.

Now there are several people that I would like to thank that have been very helpful since this this deployment began. Mike & Missy Marshall (Mike was actually in Iraq at the time) who hosted me the week I was in Norfolk and let me borrow a car since the Navy was too cheap to pay for a rental. Randy & Margaret Lacher who let me lounge in their pool on the ridiculously hot days in Norfolk. The George/Snead Clan down in SC. Danny, Sumie and the kids were great hosts to me during my few off duty hours while I was at Fort Jackson. I think I would like to spend every July 4th down there. Mom for sending the cards that brighten my day each time I receive them; I got one today. Carol and Mike for sending my favorite trail mix and pistachios, you wouldn't believe the amount of people that asked, "Is that the mountain trail mix from Sam's?" Dad and Joyce for e-mailing the photos of Grand mama's Birthday Party and Daniel's Wedding that I missed. Mom and Dad George for dog sitting when Carol came down to SC to visit me before I left. All of our neighbors, Rebbecca, Sharon, and the Lordos Family that have graciously agreed to dog sit for Carol's vacation to the Outer Banks. And Miss London Lordos for keeping Carol company and helping her walk Max while I'm away. The poor military car/motorcycle salesman, Phil, that has had to deal with a million questions from me concerning the Harley Davidson I have now put down a deposit on. Then there's my beautiful wife. How can I can thank her for everything that she is to me? She's simply the best. I miss her terribly, but it's my thoughts of her that get me through each day. I could never make it without her. Carol, Thank you.
Chris

Another gift for the hall of fame

I know I have told you before that my DH (dear husband) is truly amazing, an incredible giver of gifts. He's given me diamonds, dozens and dozens of roses and other flowers (I just got a peace lily from him this week!), coupons for "Carol time" (those of you who are introverts will understand), fine jewels from Caribbean islands, a replication of my favorite tablet/notebook from my childhood that flew out the back station wagon window, a Catrina (how many times can I link to that page in this post?), sweet pajamas, and the list goes on and on. Fer cryin' out loud - he "got" me this blog!!

But this, my friends, this latest gift takes the cake -- or rather, it takes the POOP! Yeah, baby, Doody Calls, and "when nature calls, Doody Calls answers." That's right, I'm talking a pet waste removal service... once a week, scheduled right before I usually mow the grass. They were here today... quick and efficient. Check out the video on the link, and no, that is not one of the guys that came to our house today.

I swear, can life get any better than this? *MUAH* to DH!

If he could put Time in a Bottle

He really, really wishes he could, but...

He's at a new command with a lot to learn and has been working 13 to 15-hour days. He wishes he had the time to blog, e-mail, call more often, but it just is not possible right now. He wants all of us to know that he appreciates the comments on the blog and the e-mails and asks for our understanding that he is not always able to get back to us quickly. Hopefully, he says, he will have more time later.

I am a lucky girl: DH and I have exchanged regular e-mails and I have been able to get phone calls from him almost daily. Just as my family and friends are here for me, so am I here for you if you want to know how Chris is doing. Well, yes, I am glad you asked, there may be days when the sign on my door reads, "Husband Deployed: Proceed with Caution." But those days should be rare!

OK, so the lyrics to "Time in a Bottle" don't really match up with the content of this post. So what.

Recipe

It's Friday morning. I am at work. I haven't sipped my coffee yet, but I am going to share with you a recipe that Chris was not interested in partaking in, but he knew I would be making quite often while he is deployed.

INGREDIENTS:
1. pita bread
2. sliced radishes
3. crumbled feta cheese
4. fresh parsley sprigs

Put ingredients 2 through 4 in the pita bread. Enjoy!

Now, time for that coffee!

PHOTOS OF THE CONVOY

As you all can tell from Carol's post; I am finally here. I will update you all on things here in Afghanistan later. But for now, here are a few photos from the convoy. There is one of me in the gun turret of the Humvee. The other two are of the camels that delayed us for a few minutes. That fella on the top actually tried to eat our headlight. Chris

He's there!

Chris has safely made it to International Security Assistance Force Headquarters (HQ ISAF) in Kabul, Afghanistan. He's super tired after not sleeping for 48 hours because of the travel schedule. He will start work tomorrow.

Here's some information on HQ ISAF from the welcome packet:

"On 9 August 2003 NATO assumed authority for the ISAF mission, and HQ ISAF was formed shortly thereafter. HQ ISAF is the combined/joint headquarters, which manages and executes all NATO-led combat, security and reconstruction efforts. The HQ compound takes up the area of approximately one city block, about 400 meters x 400 meters square. As of October 2007, 37 different nations have contributed over 41000 troops to the NATO/ISAF Mission. HQ ISAF consists of approximately 1700 personnel from those supporting nations. It is truly an international as well as US Forces Joint tour experience. ISAF has been charged with securing Afghanistan from the Taliban, al Qaida and factional war lords, so as to allow for the continued growth and validation of the Government of The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA)."

BACK FROM TRAINING

Just back from training a few hours ago. It was much more intense than expected. The second day specifically; we woke at 0400 and didn't return to our tent until 730pm and had an hour long meeting after that. We had the opportunity to shoot our weapons one last time. I have never been a gun person, but I have to admit it's been kind of fun. Then convoy training. I was assigned as the gunner; the guy that sticks out of the top of the Humvee and provides security. The first day we were out in the sun for over 6 hours; it was brutal. The last day it was only about 3 1/2 hours and we started early morning before it got too hot.

I have to say that we learned more in 2 1/2 days in the desert than we did in 2 1/2 weeks in SC. Not to say that the training at Fort Jackson/Camp McCrady wasn't valuable, but there's only so much you teach in the pine trees of SC when you're headed to the desert.

I did get some pretty cool pictures and I will post them when I get to my final destination, which should be pretty soon. There is one photo where the convoy was delayed and it wasn't by a bad guy, but a CAMEL. He actually tried to eat the headlight of the Humvee I was in. That was at the end of the long day and it was a much needed laugh for everyone. This will probably be my last post for a few days; I've got some traveling to do in the near future. Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm doing well and thinking of you all. Take care, Chris.


PS
It's still hot. I went to the gym the day before we left for training and it's always freezing cold in the gym. It was this day as well. I walked over to the thermostat and it was set on 84 degrees. I can't believe 84 degrees is cold to me. Carol's going to want the house cooler than I will want it when I get back.

IAs Preparing for Boots on the Ground

Check out this video about Individual Augmentees Preparing for Boots on the Ground. Most of it is about the Ft. Jackson/Camp McCrady training, but the last section appears to show some of the Kuwait training.

Excuse me while I return to... doing nothing.

Yes, Honey

Yes, honey, I mowed the grass tonight. (Third time, BTW.)

Seven time zones away, in the desert, in 115 degree climate, and he's on my case about keeping the lawn mowed.

He's the bestest!

FINALLY A COUPLE OF PHOTOS

Finally after several attempts. This is where I am currently living. There will be more photos later when I have a faster internet connection. There's not a lot to report today. We're all basically sitting around waiting for the next training cycle. The main purpose of this first week is to get acclimated to the weather and to get rid of our jetlag. I am well on my way to getting rid of the jetlag, but I think I could spend 10 years here and never be acclimated to the weather. Did I mention that it's freaking hot?
They have a movie theater here on base and show movies all day long. I watched "The Happening" the other day and I can honestly say it's definitely ok to wait for video on this one. It was actually kind of boring. Well, gotta go get my one cup of coffee for the day; it's water the rest of the day. I will be out of touch in the near future for 3-5 days. If you have any questions; Carol knows what's going on. Chris.

BUT IT'S A DRY HEAT

IT'S FREAKING HOT!!!!!!!!! The only quoted temperature I've heard was when we landed at the airport at 10:00pm and it was 100 degrees. They said it would regularly get between 115 and 120. I got the full dose of it yesterday at about noon when I was the only one still awake. I think the Sun decided to direct it's full force directly at me for being stupid enough to be outside when all of my shipmates were sound asleep inside their air conditioned tents. I did get a little satisfaction this morning when I found out that many people were up as early as 3am, because they were sleeping so much yesterday. I slept quite well and woke up refreshed.
I forgot to bring my thumb drive with me to the Internet Cafe, which is where I'm typing this, so I'll have to get the photos up later. Take care, Chris.

FINALLY HERE

DH here again. Just a quick note to let everyone know that I'm here safe and sound in Kuwait. After about 20 hours of travel and hurrying up and waiting, we had a beautiful sand covered Army tent waiting for us in the middle of the desert(I'll never ask Carol to go camping ever again). I'm trying to stay awake all day right now so I can get on schedule; I don't know if I'm gonna make it to 10:00pm tonight. It's currently 9:00am; seven hours ahead of you guys on the east coast. I'll try to get up some photos of our tent later this week. Take Care, Chris.

LONG FLIGHT AHEAD

DH here. We've finally finished our army training here in beautiful SC and we're scheduled to fly out this evening. We're headed to Kuwait for one more week of training before we all split up and head off to our new locations. I've met a few people here that are going to the same location and Command as me; so at least I will not be the only new person there. The training we received here has been very interesting and the Army has done a very good job of hosting us. It's kind of funny that the only complaints from anyone here are all about the Navy side of the house.
I must say that the best part of the 3 weeks here was spending time with Carol when she came down last weekend. Hanging out with Danny, Sumie and the kids when Carol wasn't here was quite entertaining. We had a great 4th of July with some outstanding fireworks. I have attached one of the videos I shot of the fireworks; I tried e-mailing to Carol but the file is kind of large and would not go through. Just a few more hours here and we're off on our 20 hour trip. See you all in 6 months.

Adoption Status Update

Rumors are that this past month (June) the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) matched babies with families whose applications were received up to and including January 25, 2006. That was three days worth of applications since the last batch of matching/referrals (January 21 & 22 were weekend days). Ouch.

The CCAA has been working on applications received in January 2006 for the past five months. All bets are that they will finish matching the applications received in January next month, especially since the CCAA was closed January 28-February 5, 2006 for the Chinese New Year, so there should be few, if no, applications received during those days.

A Man in Uniform - Hot cha cha

Yep, I am a sucker for a man in uniform - especially when he's mine!


I had a lovely weekend in SC visiting Chris before he leaves the states on Saturday, July 5th. I also spent a few nights with my little brother, Dig, and his girfriend, Sumie, and her three kids, Mika, Kenji, and Emily. Great fun and what sweethearts - the whole lot of them!

And when I got home, I found out that my Dad had stacked all the wood!

DH'S FIRST POST

Hello everyone. This is my first post. Not much to say; just that our training here at Fort Jackson is almost complete and I have qualified on my M-16, so I can officially go forward with my deployment. We will finish up our Army training on Tuesday and use Wednesday for some administrative stuff. We're not sure what we'll be doing Thursday and Friday(hopefully some time off), then hop a plane to Kuwait for more training Saturday Night. But, the big news is for this week-end. My beautiful wife is flying down to visit. I'm really looking forward to seeing Carol tomorrow night for dinner and then spending more time with her on Saturday and Sunday. Below is a video of me shooting a .50 caliber machine gun(it was lots of fun). Enjoy.

Pronouncing Beijing

A long, long time ago I had my learning experience in correctly pronouncing the verbs "to eat" vs. "to be" in Mandarin.

Check out this entertaining and informative video on how to correctly pronouce Beijing.

First fruits of summer and DH's carbs

Delicious were these golden cherry tomatoes!
Not quite so delicious is the food Chris is eating on post.


Navy chili mac is apparently tastier than Army chili mac (pictured left). Can you say "carbs" along with me?






Something tells me those ribs were A-OK. But why so many forks? Must be some hungry men.

Full Battle Rattle

Here he is, in all his glory, otherwise know as "full battle rattle" comprised of:

• M-16


• 60 pounds of body armor


• Kevlar helmet (complete with crooked chinstrap and goggles)


• Elbow pads


• Knee pads


• Camelbak for hydration

Two years and waiting

Today marks two years that our application (a.k.a. dossier) to adopt from China was received in China. When we started the process, the wait for being matched with a child was a year, with rumor that it may go to 14 months. Oh, how terrible, I thought. Currently the wait is two years and 5 months, and all signs point to the wait increasing. My guesstimate is that we have another 15-24 months wait ahead of us.

Today, I am trying to reflect on my feelings about the wait... but I find that I can't, or is it "won't", reflect all that deeply right now; certainly not in the office while I write this post.

I incessantly keep track of the rumors and watch the progress (albeit slow) being made. Each month another batch of prospective adoptive parents are matched with children. Six to eight weeks later they travel to China to get their child. How truly wonderful for them. One day it will be our turn.

I miss my DH who is off in training to deploy to Afghanistan. I could use a big hug from him right now.

Alright, I've done it. I've shed a tear or two.

Mowed grass. First time. Ever.

Friday night I mowed the grass for the first time ever in my life. Actually, I do recall mowing a few strips of grass when I was about 14, but my Dad took the mower away from me because I mowed too crooked for his liking (Happy Father's Day, Dad). DH had told me what I needed to know, and I turned down the suggestion to mow the grass once myself. Lying around and eating bon-bons overrode that smart suggestion.

OK, so it went like this:

It didn't take too, too long to find the primer button and then off I went.

Several minutes later it died out on me. I called the George Technical Support Line (thanks little brother) and learned all about mulching mowers, checking the height of the blade, going slow, mowing half strips, not flooding it, etc. Mind you I already knew some of this... in theory.

Off I go mowing again, and it dies again. At this time the Lordos Technical Support Team shows up - in person - including the ever helpful 2 year old, CJ, who informs us "It's not working." Hands-on help and a few more tips and the mower and I are off and running... for a second or two.

One last valuable lesson I learned on my own and that is this: Check to make sure there is gas in the mower.

Kids, get out your Crayola crayons and color my face Radical Red at the end of my first time mowing. Yes, it's in the box of fluorescent crayons.

Frosty Father's Day!

Buy a Frosty this Father's Day weekend, June 14-15, and 50 cents will go to the

Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption!

You could be giving a child the gift of a family.Rockin' Frosty! (Warning: Music ensues!)

Adoption Status Update

Rumors are that this past month (May) the China Center of Adoption Affairs matched babies with families whose applications were received up to and including January 20, 2006.

Gone. Wah.

I dropped my DH off at the airport this morning. For those of you who know what a tough a$$ I am (as opposed to a delicate flower), I will tell you his deployment started to sink in yesterday. I found myself prey to several cries and at least one temper tantrum. Alas, I will see him again in a few weeks when I go to SC for a weekend visit.

Got wood?

Hot stuff! Thanks to DH and his splitting, I'm set for winter! Wait - I've got to stack all this!!

We're Here! But...

We're here at the lovely log cabin in the mountains. But... we forgot our camera. So allow me to share with you some Google images similar to the ones we've observed in our first two days here.

Our dogs LOVE swimming in the pond at the bottom of the hill.

We saw deer one morning.

Pandas (sneezing) make us smile again & again

Earthquake in China

So sad.

Adoption Status Update

This past month the China Center of Adoption Affairs matched babies with families whose applications were received up to and including January 12, 2006. On those 3 days (January 10, 11, and 12), apparently a "large-ish" number of applications had been received. Yes, folks, we are still looking at another 1.5 to 2 year wait for our referral.

Update on China Adoption Program (Adoptive Families Magazine)

"In recent high-level conversations, representatives of the China Center of Adoption Affairs assured U.S. adoption agency representatives that its adoption program would continue in future years, albeit at the slower pace than recent years due to a decrease in numbers of children available for adoption. Although adoption travel permissions may be halted in August due to Olympic Games congestion, officials denied that the adoption program would close either temporarily or permanently as a result of the Olympics."

Another wreath?!?

It must be an illness. Every few months, the gals and I get together for "craft day" (make no assumptions of my craftiness capabilities). All I can ever think of to craft is a wreath. This one is number 5. Does anyone know of a support group that helps poor souls like me?

Getting myself to a bookstore

National Geographic Magazine's latest issue focuses on China. Tons of different feature articles online and in print. Lots of videos, too. I was wowed by the fascinating aerial pictures of China. I think this issue will make a nice keepsake for our child.

Introducing Ms. Gumble

Congratulations to our great-niece Hailey on getting a new last name: Gumble! (Remember the Gumbles?) Today was the court date for Dave's adoption of Hailey, and now Daddy and Hailey have the same last name.
Apparently there was some confusion earlier on Hailey's part... she thought her new name was going to be Hailey Dave Gumble. She LOVES her Daddy - and Mommy, too!