Happy 2008!

Happy 2008 everyone! 2007 was a great year, full of wonderful changes and milestones! A new daughter, celebration of 25 years of marriage, an engagement, and a new employer for Fred and me. 2008 is sure to be full of fun and adventure, so stay tuned for all the details. I will continue to post as long as you continue to read!

Below are a few things that I read, heard, observed or experienced that made me stop, ponder, and say, "What???!!"

-Our local Baptist church has a sign in the courtyard that reads, "An English speaking church."

-The "S" in our local Shell station sign has been burned out for two months. They seem in no hurry to replace the bulb.

-A local church advertised "holiday trees" for sale. I would think a CHURCH could get away with calling them CHRISTMAS trees!

-Our local TV station claims to be "on our side." Are the other stations our enemies?

-After learning that we adopted a child, Fred and I have had to listen to people tell us about their successful pet adoptions. I fail to see the similarity.

-After asking a waitress three times what she was saying to me she blurted out that I needed to learn Spanish!

-I wanted to send some money to Russia with a pastor who was traveling there last week. I went to church and requested a check from the funds we raised at the auction. When I took it to my church's bank to cash, they charged me $10 to cash the check, because I didn't have an account there! Since when did it start costing money to cash a check from the bank from which the funds are drawn? Ten dollars!!

I could go on and on and on, but these are just a few of the things in life that really make you say, WHAT!!"

Happy New Year and GO GATORS!!

Christmas Vacation

Katya is ready to go back to school! She is so accustomed to a rigid schedule and no free time that she is restless and needing diversions! We have seen a few movies, visited friends and watched some TV. She misses her school friends and is very ready to return to a predictable schedule. When she lived at the orphanage, school was in the same building as the orphanage so she never actually left school, or her friends! She never had to occupy her own time or play independently so it is difficult for her to sit quietly and read or play. The weather has not been conducive to playing outside so I will have to get really inventive these last four days of vacation! Any ideas anyone?

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

My Solo Pajama Party

The gifts are purchased, wrapped, mailed or under the tree. The cookies won't be baked this year (too tempting) and the stockings are hung by the chimney with care. So what does that mean? A whole day spent in my pajamas! Yep, I didn't venture outside today and I had the most wonderful Saturday! No malls, no traffic, no crowds and most importantly, no more decisions! If it isn't bought, it isn't going to be under the tree this year! Fred and Katya did go shopping, and I stood by the window waving goodbye wishing them Godspeed as they ventured out to the madness of the holiday season! I watched two movies, scrapbooked a little and made an excellent pot of tortilla chili. Now that's the way to spend your Christmas holiday!
I hope all of you get an opportunity to relax and little and have a pajama day!

Now and Then...

Twenty-five years ago today I vowed to "have and to hold, from this day forward". Wow, what a ride it has been! Eleven different houses, four states, two countries, nine six-month deployments and now three children! Who would have thought...

I hope the next twenty-five years is as fun and fulfilling as the last! I'll keep you posted!

The Most Valuable Player!

Katya scored the winning basket today in overtime! The score was 14 - 14 and there was 36 seconds left on the clock. Katya made a basket bringing the final score to 16 - 14! She was named most valuable player! It was very exciting and she was THRILLED! She is quite a little basketball player and really enjoys competition! I think she now understands the rules and regulations of basketball and she practices everyday, even when it is cold outside. I am always bugging her to wear a heavier jacket, and she says, "Me no cold Mama, no cold in America, cold in Russia!" Granted it hasn't been very cold here yet, but tomorrow morning it will be about 22 degrees. I wonder if she'll think that's cold!

Home for a little over 3 months, and so much progress!

I am astounded at the progress Katya has made in the little over three months she's been in the USA. She is speaking in complete sentences, most of the time. They may not be grammatically correct sentences, but they are sentences! Tonight at the store the sales clerk had two piercings on her lip. Katya said, "Excuse, me, does lip ouch?" The sales girl said no. Then Katya replied, "It's beautiful, me love." As soon as we left the store, I said, "Mama does not love the piercings! You may not get your face pierced, ever!" Katya replied, "OK, OK, Mama! Wow, you angry!" I wasn't angry, I was just trying to drive the point home!! There is no "gray area" when it comes to my feelings about piercings and tattoos. Perhaps when Katya is an adult they will be out of style. One can only hope.

A Wonderful Christmas Concert

Last night Fred, Katya and I attended the Randolph-Macon College Winter Choral Concert. It was a wonderful concert and a wonderful evening! Katya loves hearing Steven sing and enjoys seeing Sabrina, the love of Steven's life. Sabrina also sings beautifully and Fred and I jump at any opportunity to hear them perform! We went to dinner after the concert and I was able to get a few ideas about what to stuff Steven's stocking with which was helpful. (See yesterday's blog.) Shave soap? At the mall? It's new to me but at least it's something! Boxer briefs was another. Now that I can handle!! Fred asked me if I wanted a roof rack for my car for Christmas. Ok, it's not exactly romantic but it's practical! Beats a vacuum cleaner I suppose.

This morning at church Katya walked up to the pastor and asked, "Whatcha doin' sweety?" Her English is really progressing, but we have to work on tact!

The pressure is on...

I love this time of year, yet I loathe it at the same time. The pressure to get "just the right gift", and stay within a reasonable budget is difficult. I hate meandering through the stores without the slightest idea of what to purchase for my family. I am blessed with children who aren't materialistic and really don't have a Christmas wish list. Name brands have never been important to them (with the exception of anything Mac!) so I lie in bed at night trying to come up with ideas. Katya came up with a few things she wants, mainly a pink cell phone! Who she will call I have no idea, but unfortunately most of her classmates bring their telephones to school everyday. This is the result of 9/11, when the kids were forced to stay at school all day with no way to contact their family. Up to that point cell phones were banned at school, but no longer. Fred and I feel a cell phone would be a colossal waste of money, but she now thinks because she told Santa Claus she wants one, she'll get one. Ugh. I was watching a morning news show the other day and the hosts were giving suggestions on how to remain calm and stress free over the holidays. The segment was followed by a commercial of a store that was opening at 5 AM the next day for "your shopping convenience." I had to laugh! Getting to a store at 5 AM is sure to induce stress, but I suppose there would be no traffic at that time of morning! It occurred to me recently why I love Thanksgiving so much. It has so much of what Christmas has, such as family togetherness, time off from work, good food, and time to just rest and be together. Yet it doesn't have the whole commercial aspect of buy, buy, buy!! I applaud my neighbors who decided they would exchange no gifts this year, instead they are going downtown on Christmas morning to work in a soup kitchen. Good for them!! Maybe next year my family will do the same.