Now – don’t get excited. We haven’t received a referral but we have decided to start making some preparations and at least thinking about things such as: What kinds of toys to take, what to do with the animals while were gone, what kind of clothes, etc.
Well, we have the animals worked out. One of my sister’s will be house sitting and my mom lives close enough to check on them daily. After all my doggies and kitties love “Aunt Cassandra” and “Grandma”. The mere mention of “Grandma” puts my oldest doggie, Elka, in a full pant, jump, and run around mode. Did I mention she loves her Grandma??
We have some toys picked out that we though might be fun. The first is a soft bunny teether toy. It came from the wonderful Wally World and the funniest thing is that it has the name RAE initialed on the front. Rae is my nickname and used to be my initials before I got married. My entire family and Troy’s family only calls me Rae. Troy and I joke that Troy’s family doesn’t even know my full name!! And if Troy calls me Rachel, I think I’m in trouble!! We bought a Little Tykes hammer that makes sounds when you hit it on something. We also have an inflatable ball, another teether/rattle, some blocks, and a soft book.
Other things we are taking are a blanket to leave with our child, and disposable cameras in the hopes to get a few pictures back from during the time we are gone. (Is 2 too many to give them?)
We are going back and forth on all the electronics to take with us. I really hate to lug around the camcorder, laptop and camera. Our camera doubles as a camcorder, but it just isn’t the same. I did learn about, thanks to my grandfather, disposable camcorders you can buy that have 20 minutes on them. Then you take them to the store and they put it on cd for you. You can also review and erase so you get the 20 minutes you want. They are small (same size as a disposable camera) and only about $20.00. This sounds great, but you can’t load them onto the computer while there to send to the Dr. I’m not sure how we are going to handle that yet. I’m not even sure the Dr. really needs the video, as he really just talked about the photos.
We also ordered coats finally. Troy needed one and I needed a heavier coat in case we go to Russia anytime soon. We ordered Extreme Squall Coats and they look great and warm!! I ordered a Paradise Aqua color. Usually I am a black or tan girl, but thought I’d go out on a limb. We ordered Troy a dark green. Here’s to hoping these coats will come in handy. Thanks mom for helping me pick them out and placing the order for us!!
If anyone else has any ideas about what else we might need, let me know. I am particularly interested in the electrical converters. We bought one that we used in St. Lucia, but I’m not sure it will work in Vlad after seeing the Marlowe’s pictures with the sockets in the background. The box we have is square but the prongs come out all different ways. Let me know!!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
A Little Bit O’ Fun
One of my good friends and co-workers, Sue, went on vacation and left me with a mess of a real estate closing. As a thank-you she came back from vacation bearing a gift for me in the form a book called “Bad Dog! True Tales of Trouble Only a Best Friend Can Get Away With”. This book is full of short stories written from a dog’s perspective about how much damage they can do!! It is the most hilarious book.
So, Sue and I decided that Jerry, my very own mutt, needed a story of his own (a true story). (Sue did a wonderful job!!)
Title: Jerry Owns a Boat
Owner: Rachel Williams
Age: 2 years old
Breed: Hound, Ridgeback Mix
Damage: less than $10.00
I love paper! Any kind of paper! My Mom has repeatedly told everyone in our house not to leave paper things on the coffee table because that is MY area for reading materials. Anything placed there is fair game for my perusal. Well, my Dad, Troy, is a great guy. He loves to hunt and fish and do great outdoors stuff. Dad bought a really nifty Grady-White fishing boat from some nice man on the coast of Virginia a few hours away from our house. He got a very fancy green piece of paper called a “Certificate of Title”, folded up in a nice envelope, which he carefully placed on the end table next to the couch. Dad had to mail this piece of paper to an important place so he could officially own the boat. For two days I left that very enticing piece of paper alone. I was trying so hard to be good. But, my Mom and Dad decided to run out to the grocery store one morning, and there it was, the very piece of paper I had tried to avoid. It sure was tasty! It shredded so wonderfully! The only mistake I made was leaving pieces of it for identification purposes. Mom and Dad came home, and wondered what the paper was. It wasn’t until they saw the green parts that they knew. Poor Dad, in slow motion (which is very interesting to watch if you know what I mean), he brought his hand to his mouth and looked at Mom. Mom quickly let me out the back door, and she and Dad had to contact that nice man on the coast of Virginia to ask him to apply for another one of those green pieces of paper. I could hardly wait, but Dad took it right away to the important government office and I never got another taste.
The End
That day I thought Troy might make me take Jerry back to the SPCA. We had to explain to the fellow that Troy bought the boat from that Jerry ate the title he had signed over to Troy and he kindly applied for a replacement title and then signed the new one over to Troy. When Troy got the new title he didn’t let it out of his sight or below 5 feet off the ground until he could personally deliver it to the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries for the new title in his name!! It has since been resolved and Troy is the rightful owner. I tease Troy that Jerry just wanted to own his own boat, but I still get the evil eye when I mention the whole situation!!
So, Sue and I decided that Jerry, my very own mutt, needed a story of his own (a true story). (Sue did a wonderful job!!)
Title: Jerry Owns a Boat
Owner: Rachel Williams
Age: 2 years old
Breed: Hound, Ridgeback Mix
Damage: less than $10.00
I love paper! Any kind of paper! My Mom has repeatedly told everyone in our house not to leave paper things on the coffee table because that is MY area for reading materials. Anything placed there is fair game for my perusal. Well, my Dad, Troy, is a great guy. He loves to hunt and fish and do great outdoors stuff. Dad bought a really nifty Grady-White fishing boat from some nice man on the coast of Virginia a few hours away from our house. He got a very fancy green piece of paper called a “Certificate of Title”, folded up in a nice envelope, which he carefully placed on the end table next to the couch. Dad had to mail this piece of paper to an important place so he could officially own the boat. For two days I left that very enticing piece of paper alone. I was trying so hard to be good. But, my Mom and Dad decided to run out to the grocery store one morning, and there it was, the very piece of paper I had tried to avoid. It sure was tasty! It shredded so wonderfully! The only mistake I made was leaving pieces of it for identification purposes. Mom and Dad came home, and wondered what the paper was. It wasn’t until they saw the green parts that they knew. Poor Dad, in slow motion (which is very interesting to watch if you know what I mean), he brought his hand to his mouth and looked at Mom. Mom quickly let me out the back door, and she and Dad had to contact that nice man on the coast of Virginia to ask him to apply for another one of those green pieces of paper. I could hardly wait, but Dad took it right away to the important government office and I never got another taste.
The End
That day I thought Troy might make me take Jerry back to the SPCA. We had to explain to the fellow that Troy bought the boat from that Jerry ate the title he had signed over to Troy and he kindly applied for a replacement title and then signed the new one over to Troy. When Troy got the new title he didn’t let it out of his sight or below 5 feet off the ground until he could personally deliver it to the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries for the new title in his name!! It has since been resolved and Troy is the rightful owner. I tease Troy that Jerry just wanted to own his own boat, but I still get the evil eye when I mention the whole situation!!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Not Much New
This post is about exactly what the title means. There just isn’t much new to report. Still waiting. Waiting for a referral. Waiting for accreditation. Waiting for the day we meet our son and the day we bring him home. We’ve been waiting a tad over 6 months now since our dossier went to Russia and it’s been over a year since we started the process.
I did get my second Hepatitis shot last week and that was no fun. Then the nurse tried to talk me into a flu shot and a booster for Parvo even though I had that stuff before I went to college. I held my arms close to me and said, “No thanks!”
Becky and Carey have inspired me to look at bedding this week and we think we may have chosen a set. Originally we were going with a puppy theme, but then I decided that with three dogs all ready, we may overwhelm our child with puppyness and wanted them to have a break from the dogs in their own bedroom. Besides that, Troy created ceiling fan pulls from fishing lures which he cut the hooks off of, so I think that may have been a hint.
So, here is the set we are thinking of. We would get the four piece set and there is also a matching lamp and valance we would get as well. Let me know what you think!
I did get my second Hepatitis shot last week and that was no fun. Then the nurse tried to talk me into a flu shot and a booster for Parvo even though I had that stuff before I went to college. I held my arms close to me and said, “No thanks!”
Becky and Carey have inspired me to look at bedding this week and we think we may have chosen a set. Originally we were going with a puppy theme, but then I decided that with three dogs all ready, we may overwhelm our child with puppyness and wanted them to have a break from the dogs in their own bedroom. Besides that, Troy created ceiling fan pulls from fishing lures which he cut the hooks off of, so I think that may have been a hint.
So, here is the set we are thinking of. We would get the four piece set and there is also a matching lamp and valance we would get as well. Let me know what you think!
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Tagged, Etc.
I feel like I have been so out of the loop lately with the adoption world. This is not necessarily a bad thing as I just realized that we are closing in on 6 months of waiting for a referral and I’m not even sure where the last month has gone. Hopefully time will continue to fly by until referral. I did check in with our agency today and received some positive news about the goings on in the adoption world. I also realized that Troy and I need to update our homestudy regarding a change in job for Troy and also some additional forms that may go along with that. That will keep me busy the next few days!!
Meanwhile I was tagged by Joy to list 8 random things about me. So here goes:
8 Random Things About Me (don’t laugh!!)
1. I have a seriously huge collection of My Little Pony’s from the 80’s. I also have been collecting the current ones as well.
2. I can’t sing or clap to a beat, but I marched (on beat) with the high marching band as a flag girl and I loved every minute of it!
3. I can only cook a few things well. Troy does most of the cooking.
4. I listen to audio books on CD in the car on my commute to work. I especially love the Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum series. Oh, and I still like to read an old Harlequin every now and again.
5. I like to cross-stitch but am famous for starting one project before finishing another and have a whole bin of unfinished projects. (I should start working on those!!)
6. I was voted Most Friendliest Female my senior year in high school.
7. I wouldn’t trade Troy for the world, but I miss living in my dorm room at college surrounded by all my friends. It’s hard to keep up with everyone now.
8. I can’t wait to be a mom. There was a time I thought I might never want kids until I met Troy and knew right away I wanted to start a family with him. It’s amazing what the right man can do to you!! We can’t wait to be parents!
Well, I can’t tell who has already been tagged, but I’m going to tag Mandy on this one!! Hope you don’t mind!!
Meanwhile I was tagged by Joy to list 8 random things about me. So here goes:
8 Random Things About Me (don’t laugh!!)
1. I have a seriously huge collection of My Little Pony’s from the 80’s. I also have been collecting the current ones as well.
2. I can’t sing or clap to a beat, but I marched (on beat) with the high marching band as a flag girl and I loved every minute of it!
3. I can only cook a few things well. Troy does most of the cooking.
4. I listen to audio books on CD in the car on my commute to work. I especially love the Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum series. Oh, and I still like to read an old Harlequin every now and again.
5. I like to cross-stitch but am famous for starting one project before finishing another and have a whole bin of unfinished projects. (I should start working on those!!)
6. I was voted Most Friendliest Female my senior year in high school.
7. I wouldn’t trade Troy for the world, but I miss living in my dorm room at college surrounded by all my friends. It’s hard to keep up with everyone now.
8. I can’t wait to be a mom. There was a time I thought I might never want kids until I met Troy and knew right away I wanted to start a family with him. It’s amazing what the right man can do to you!! We can’t wait to be parents!
Well, I can’t tell who has already been tagged, but I’m going to tag Mandy on this one!! Hope you don’t mind!!
Friday, November 2, 2007
Sad News
When Troy and I first started this blog we decided that we would try to keep any negative news out of it so that when our son read our blog it would only be filled with happiness. We feel that out of necessity, however, we must share this bit of sad news with everyone as it will forever affect us and our son.
It is with great sadness, that I write, that my father Daniel Alexander passed away on Tuesday. We are so happy he has become one of God’s angels, but will miss him forever.
I’d like to tell you some of my favorite memories of my father, if you would like to hear them.
When I was a child my dad would run down the hall chasing me yelling “I’m mean and I’m green” (pretending he was the Incredible Hulk) and wrestle with me and tickle me like crazy. I would scream and scream “Help!!” for my mom and she would just laugh and say, “You got yourself into the mess, you have to get yourself out of the mess.”
Every summer for many years, my dad and I would take off from Orlando, FL (where I grew up) and drive all the way to Trenton, TN to visit my grandmother. Along the way we played the “Gas Station Game”. We would each pick 3 major gas stations and count them on the 13 hour trek. The trick to the game is you actually have to see the gas station off the interstate, so as you can imagine, we spent a lot of time denying seeing the others gas stations!! All in good fun of course.
Most recently, my dad and I became hooked on playing Jeopardy and watching Survivor. Since season 2 of Survivor, every Thursday night, with an occasional exception, I would go and have dinner at my parents and my dad and I would play Jeopardy. Now you need to know my dad was a history major at Washington & Lee University and he knew EVERYTHING!! Playing with him was pretty amusing as the only times I even had a prayer was teen week when the categories were ‘pop music’ or ‘5th grade math’. (You get the idea!!) Now every once in a blue moon I would have a good night, but no matter what after the first round when it was announced who would go first in Double Jeopardy (the lowest score) my dad would call out my name!! It was always, “And Rachel goes first in Double Jeopardy!” and of course I would try to argue my points to no avail. We even had a silly ‘song’ we sang each time a daily double popped on the screen!! It was quite hilarious. After Jeopardy we would watch Survivor and bet on who would be voted off. We had so much fun.
One more thing I am so happy about is that some months ago Troy and I decided that we would name our son Daniel after my father as we knew he would not be with us forever. We were planning to keep it a secret (and yes, this is the first time I have posted the name on the blog) but my big mouth just couldn’t do it and one Thursday night, when my dad was feeling good, I told him. He looked so proud and surprised and happy all at the same time and he couldn’t even say a whole lot to me the rest of the night. I just know he has already met our son and is keeping watch over him now.
I miss him so much.
Wedding day next to my mom and dad - 1996
My dad and mom at Lake Michigan, in Wisconsin, 2004 (one of my favorite photos!!)
It is with great sadness, that I write, that my father Daniel Alexander passed away on Tuesday. We are so happy he has become one of God’s angels, but will miss him forever.
I’d like to tell you some of my favorite memories of my father, if you would like to hear them.
When I was a child my dad would run down the hall chasing me yelling “I’m mean and I’m green” (pretending he was the Incredible Hulk) and wrestle with me and tickle me like crazy. I would scream and scream “Help!!” for my mom and she would just laugh and say, “You got yourself into the mess, you have to get yourself out of the mess.”
Every summer for many years, my dad and I would take off from Orlando, FL (where I grew up) and drive all the way to Trenton, TN to visit my grandmother. Along the way we played the “Gas Station Game”. We would each pick 3 major gas stations and count them on the 13 hour trek. The trick to the game is you actually have to see the gas station off the interstate, so as you can imagine, we spent a lot of time denying seeing the others gas stations!! All in good fun of course.
Most recently, my dad and I became hooked on playing Jeopardy and watching Survivor. Since season 2 of Survivor, every Thursday night, with an occasional exception, I would go and have dinner at my parents and my dad and I would play Jeopardy. Now you need to know my dad was a history major at Washington & Lee University and he knew EVERYTHING!! Playing with him was pretty amusing as the only times I even had a prayer was teen week when the categories were ‘pop music’ or ‘5th grade math’. (You get the idea!!) Now every once in a blue moon I would have a good night, but no matter what after the first round when it was announced who would go first in Double Jeopardy (the lowest score) my dad would call out my name!! It was always, “And Rachel goes first in Double Jeopardy!” and of course I would try to argue my points to no avail. We even had a silly ‘song’ we sang each time a daily double popped on the screen!! It was quite hilarious. After Jeopardy we would watch Survivor and bet on who would be voted off. We had so much fun.
One more thing I am so happy about is that some months ago Troy and I decided that we would name our son Daniel after my father as we knew he would not be with us forever. We were planning to keep it a secret (and yes, this is the first time I have posted the name on the blog) but my big mouth just couldn’t do it and one Thursday night, when my dad was feeling good, I told him. He looked so proud and surprised and happy all at the same time and he couldn’t even say a whole lot to me the rest of the night. I just know he has already met our son and is keeping watch over him now.
I miss him so much.
Wedding day next to my mom and dad - 1996
My dad and mom at Lake Michigan, in Wisconsin, 2004 (one of my favorite photos!!)
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