Update on the family

Chester graduates from Phase II of his training on Tuesday. Can you guess where McGyver, Princess and I will be heading next weekend? That's right-to Kentucky where he will be stationed for the next 3-5 months for more school. Anyone know any good hotels/restaurants in the Fort Knox Kentucky area?

U*Haul and I have been visiting colleges. We visited one last week that has been recruiting him pretty heavily to play football for them. Once we toured the campus and talked with the coaches, students and faculty we both felt like this was where he would be able to flourish, not only in football but more importantly academically. On the drive home he told me that he didn't need to tour any more campuses, this was where he wanted to be. We were both pretty excited until the next day when he got the letter in the mail telling him that he has been wait-listed. He applied too late. Please send good thought, prayers, etc his way that he is able to get in.

McGyver is in Texas visiting his Dad this week. He called me from his Dad's boat while they were fishing in the Gulf just to rub in the fact that he is wearing shorts and tank tops and I'm still bundling up in my winter Parka and boots. I keep reminding myself that we will all be down there for Spring Break and I can bask in the sun then.

The boys are out right now picking up Chinese food. We are having Chinese in honor of the Chinese New Year. I had a procedure done yesterday that has left me a little under the weather so my plan to cook us up a big old feast was scaled back to take out food from our local restaurant. In my mind I have been fast forwarding to this time next year when we will be hosting our first Chinese New Year party with Dreamsicle here to help us celebrate.

I knew her when..

McGyver and I went to Vegas a couple of weeks ago. While we were there we visited with my sister, Sugar and her family. Her daughter has been writing and singing her own songs for quite some time. We watched some video of my niece performing and I was completely blown away. So much so that I told my niece I was going to become her stalker aunt. She comes from a family of inherently bad singers so I have no idea where she got that voice from. Upon returning home I received a call from Sugar telling me that my niece's video was released on ITunes! I immediately downloaded it onto my IPOD and now I run around playing her video for everyone that dares come near me. She is amazing. If you have an IPOD, go to ITunes and download the Podcast for Kantalk. You will not be sorry.

Is Zen A State?

If it is, I want to move there. I have been out of town for the past week so imagine my suprise when I checked the big board to learn that JUNE LIDS are in the matching room! That's right boys and girls-the McGyver family will be matched with their Dreamsicle sometime soon! I lost complete control over my emotions when I read that. I did not expect to have the reaction that I did but I immediately started crying and ran downstairs to share the news with McGyver. He got a lil' teary eyed himself and we laughed and cried and held each other tight for quite a while. Since that moment I have had such a sense of peace. It sounds strange but just knowing that sometime probably within the next 30 days our family will be matched with the little girl we have dreamed and prayed about has calmed me. I realize that we will not know the specifics of our sweet Dreamsicle for a few months after that until we actually receive our referral but we will be matched. The most important day of our journey until we actually travel to get her will be happening in a very short while. I love the inner peace and warm feeling I am enveloped in right now and I wish that I could remain in this state right up until we receive our referral. Do you think Mapquest would have directions to Zen?

Come On Baby, Light My Fire

Last week I attended a local conference at a hotel. The meeting was held in the morning so there was a breakfast buffet set up. After feasting on a multitude of goodies from the buffet, the hotel servers started tearing the buffet down. One of the servers started to remove a chafing dish from the table with the intent of placing it on a rolling cart to take away. Somewhere in the middle of picking the chafing dish up off the table and placing it on the cart, the sterno can fell onto the carpeted floor. Now may be a good time to tell you that the sterno can was still LIT! The server panicked when she saw that the carpet was on fire and kicked the can. This resulted in the can rolling across the carpet and landing directly underneath the table linen. While the can was rolling, it was spilling its contents onto the carpet so there was a trail of fire which started at the initial point of contact on the floor and ended at the table linen which began to smolder. After about 30 seconds of watching in disbelief, I ran across the room (in very cute, but very high heels I might add) grabbed the pitcher of water from the table next to the buffet line and threw it on the fire. Others joined in and we were able to douse the fire (along with the poor server who seemed unable to move away from the flames) using the pitchers of water from nearby tables. What a way to start a day.

Insomniac

I. Can't. Sleep. Let me rephrase that-I fall asleep, sleep soundly until 1:00 am and then my eyeballs suddenly open and I cannot get back to sleep. This has been going on for the past 3 weeks and I have tried a variety of remedies-from just laying in bed, to listening to relaxing sounds, to actually getting up and logging in to my company and working. Nothing is helping. If you read my last entry here, I started exercising and eating better again this past week. Part of me was hoping that would help but it hasn't , at least not yet. I only drink one cup of coffee in the morning and have not been drinking anything besides water after that lonely cup o' joe so I am stumped.

So what does lack of sleep do to someone like Mrs. McGyver? Yesterday it caused her to put on one brown shoe and one black shoe (exact same style, just different colors) and not notice it until she stepped foot into the office. This morning she finished her morning routine and began applying hairspray only to realize that she had picked up the wrong can and was spraying mousse instead.

Anyone got any good night sleep tricks?

Positive Thinking

McGyver and I have decided that we need to focus on the positive things in our life right now. Things that we do have a certain level of control over. With that in mind I have come up with the following list of things I want to do for the next 6 months. I'm going to be brave and post them here to help keep me accountable.

1. Eat healthier

2. Exercise regularly-not only do I feel better physically when I exercise, it sure helps alleviate stress.

3. Start on Dreamsicle's room by January 28th

4. Complete Dreamsicle's room by March 15th

5. Complete Dreamsicle's 100 wishes quilt by May 31st (hint to my family on this one-I am still waiting on squares to finish this project)

6. Do something adoption related every week-read a book on attachment, bonding, meet with other adoptive families, etc.

7. Write in my journal every day.

8. Make sure my family knows how much they mean to me every. single. day.

9. Be a better listener and more available to my friends.

10. Tie up all of the loose ends at work so that when I take my Dreamsicle leave I can feel good about the state I left my office in.

This is the year I will become a mother to my daughter, whether that happens in March, May or July it will happen this year. That's the most important thing, right?