I've Been Tagged by Mary (Nathan & Emily's Mom)!!

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I've seen this going around and got tagged by Mary (Nathan & Emily's Mom)!!! So here we go...

A - Available or Taken: Available.

B - Best Friend: Barbara, Becky, Jeananne, Tonya, Kim, and the "Village".

C - Cake or Pie: Cheesecake!!!!!

D - Drink of Choice: Regular Pepsi!!!!!

E - Essential Item You Use Everyday: computer!

F - Favorite Color: Blue!!! I'm obsessed with Blue!

G - Gummy Bears or Worms: Gummy Bears (orange and red ones).

H - Hometown: Portland, OR

I - Indulgence: Shopping!!!!

J - January or February: February - the month I was DTC.

K - Kids and Names: McKenna and Poopsie (cat).

L - Life Incomplete Without: My daughter, family, friends, and my cat.

M - Marriage Date: See "A" above.

N - Number of Siblings: 5!!!!! 3 brothers and 2 sisters! I'm the spoiled brat youngest!

O - Oranges or Apples: Oranges.

P - Phobias or Fears: Public speaking! Clowns, Comedians, and street performers - I'm always afraid they are going to single me out in a crowd and come up to me!

Q - Favorite Quote(s):

"Time heals all wounds".

"Whatever you do today is important because you are exchanging one day of your life for it."

"Live in your hopes and not in your fears." - Johnny Majors College football coach

"Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways. The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring rains will come again." - Sarah Ban Breathnach Founder of the Simple Abundance Charitable Fund

"Even the things you cannot imagine are possible." - Eloise V. Gary

"In dreams and in love there are no impossibilities." - Janos Arany (1817-1882) Poet


R - Reason to Smile: I have my health, family, friends, cat, and the "Village"!

S - Season: Spring - I love the Cherry Blossoms and the feeling of hope for all things new again.

T - Tag 5 People: They've already been tagged Mary, Kelli, Connie, Allison...

U - Unknown Fact About Me: I ran 9 marathons.

V - Veggie You Don't Like: Brussel Sprouts.

W - Worst Habit: I have a nervous habit of wringing my hands, which makes them all dry and calloused.

X - X-rays: Teeth.

Y - Your Favorite Food: Honey Walnut shrimp, sushi, Fettuccine Alfredo with Broccoli, steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, salmon.

Z - Zodiac: Scorpio. Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Snake.
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Favorite Foto Friday

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The U.S. Figure Skating Championships are going on right now in Spokane, Washington. In 2005, they were in Portland, Oregon, and I had the pleasure of going to all the events. Here is a picture of my favorite skater, Sasha Cohen. Unfortunately, she is not competing in this year's event.

3rd Package from February 2006 DTC Secret Pal

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I received my 3rd package a couple of days ago from my February 2006 DTC Secret Pal! Inside was a really cute Ladybug refrigerator magnet and another "Fortune Cookie" coin purse with the hint, "Moles can be a good thing. Can you guess?"

She spoke of having "inside information" from a "mole". I'm guessing the "mole" is Kelli! Of the 3 other ladies in the "Village", she is the one that is most active on the Yahoo groups and has many, many cyber friends.

Is it just a coincidence that the Ladybug refrigerator magnet goes perfectly with the Ladybug kitchen timer that Kelli was admiring during the cooking class at my house, when we made chili?

Could my February 2006 DTC Secret Pal be Kelli's "Twin"?????

Favorite Foto Friday

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Here's another picture of my Mom and ALL 6 of us kids! That's me again on my Mom's lap and that's my Maternal Grandmother on the far right. This picture was probably taken around 1967.

December 2007 Referral???

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I've posted some referral timeline predictions before (see July 7, 2006 and June 15, 2006 posts in the Archives). Here are the updated Actual LID's covered and the Estimates. My prediction is still the same as my July 7, 2006 post. I expect my referral to be in December 2007, based upon the average of 14 days of LID's (Log In Days) a month.

Referrals Announced..Log In Dates Covered
04/25/06.................05/31/05.-.06/06/05 Actual
05/22/06.................06/07/05.-.06/15/05 Actual
06/22/06.................06/16/05.-.06/28/05 Actual
07/31/06.................06/29/05.-.07/13/05 Actual
08/25/06.................07/14/05.-.07/22/05 Actual
09/25/06.................07/23/05.-.08/09/05 Actual
11/02/06.................08/10/05.-.08/25/05 Actual
11/30/06.................08/26/05.-.09/08/05 Actual
01/03/07.................09/09/05.-.09/27/05 Actual
01/29/07.................09/28/05.-.10/11/05 Estimate
02/26/07.................10/12/05.-.10/26/05 Estimate
03/26/07.................10/27/05.-.11/10/05 Estimate
04/23/07.................11/11/05.-.11/25/05 Est.
05/21/07.................11/26/05.-.12/10/05 Est.
06/25/07.................12/11/05.-.12/25/05 Est.
07/23/07.................12/26/05.-.01/09/06 Est.
08/27/07.................01/10/06.-.01/24/06 Est.
09/24/07.................01/25/06.-.02/08/06 Est.
10/22/07.................02/09/06.-.02/23/06 Est.
11/21/07.................02/24/06.-.03/10/06 Est.
12/20/07.................03/11/06.-.03/25/06 Est.
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2nd Package from February 2006 DTC Secret Pal

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The 2nd mysterious package arrived in the mail the other day from my February 2006 DTC Secret Pal.

Inside was another "Fortune Cookie" coin purse with another clue. It said: "Buckeyes are often nuts that stand alone". Now I am sure that my Secret Pal is from OHIO, the Buckeye State!

Also inside the package was a bookmark that has the Twelve Ways to Keep Smiling and a cute little Chinese New Year shirt / ornament. My Secret Pal must know one of my "Village" friends because she wanted to send me a "surprise" that only they would know about. Hmmm....?????
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10 Months Since LID

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Today, 1/14/07 is 10 Months since LID (3/14/06)!
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February 2006 DTC Secret Pal

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I have the most awesome February 2006 DTC Secret Pal! She is always so creative! I received a package a few days ago. I almost didn't receive it due to a mix up by the postman. It went to the neighbor's house. Inside was a very cute Ladybug kitchen sponge holder and a tiny "fortune cookie like" coin purse. Inside the coin purse was a slip of paper, like the kind in a fortune cookie. It said:

My Secret Pal is from:

a) Ohio
b) Florida
c) Melbourne, Australia

My clever Secret Pal will send one package a week, for the 4 weeks in January, and then finally reveal herself with the last package! I have the best Secret Pal! She always sends such fantastic gifts and is always so much fun!

I'm guessing my Secret Pal is in the U.S.A. The package had a mysterious return address, "Penguin Place", so I'm guessing she's from a place that's colder right now. I will guess OHIO!

I will keep you posted on the next package! I can't wait to find out who my February 2006 DTC Secret Pal is!!!
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Favorite Foto Friday

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Vacation to Disney World March 2003! Thunder Mountain Railroad.
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11 Months Since DTC

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Today, 01/10/07 is 11 months since I was DTC.

DTC 2/10/06
LID 3/14/06
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Thank You Cindy, Kelli, and Heidi!!!!

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As mentioned in the post from 12/31/06, our "Village" had this wonderful Post Christmas Mei Mei party. I wanted to show you the wonderful gifts from Cindy, Kelli, and Heidi! Thank You Ladies!
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Cindy crocheted this wonderful pink baby blanket, with such an intricate pattern! She also gave me the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs CD Book!
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Kelli knit this awesome purple felt toddler hat! Plus, she made a DVD, with pictures of a Chinese orphanage, and pictures of our "Village" get togethers, set to music! She also brought us Flash Cards from China!


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Heidi is frantically running around planning for her daughter to come home, but she still managed to find the time to pick out this great cup and plate!


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Thank You Ladies!! You have made this a very special Christmas!!
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I've discovered Gymboree!!!

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I went shopping inside a Gymboree store, for the 1st time, on 12/2/06, for Christmas presents for Kelli, Heidi, and Cindy (the 4 of us all make up our own little "Village" of single adoptive moms awaiting our daughters).

Oh, no!!! I've created a monster!

I LOVE that store! They have the cutest clothes that I've ever seen!

Here is the "explosion" of purchases that I got for McKenna:
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Favorite Foto Friday

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The Lobby of the Waldorf Astoria. Vacation in New York April 2005.
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Referrals announced Jan 3, 2007 cover LID's 9/9/05 - 9/27/05

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On 01/03/07, the CCAA's Website was updated to show, "The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before September 27, 2005".

This means referrals for Log In Dates (LID's) 9/9/05 - 9/27/05.

19 Days Worth!!!
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Happy New Year 2007!!!

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Happy New Year 2007 to all those who are still awaiting their children from China! May 2007 be the year that our children come home to us!

2007
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