I let it slip away...

Our 20 something anniversary came and went. I forgot about it for the most part (as I have many of our past anniversaries), until many of my travel mates were posting. I read somebody's blog several months ago (maybe a year ago) who stopped counting and it did her a lot of good. I tried it too. It was hard the first month on the seventeenth I remembered everything. Same with the second month. Then I got to the point where I remembered the date, (the 17th) but not the calculation of time, i.e. 20 months). Now the seventeenth slips away as a regular day. But now as I find us closer to our referral date, I am noticing once again. Still not too excited, but getting there.
My friend R. says the closer you are to your referral, you still don't know your date. Are we 2 months out? Are we 4 months out? Are we 6 months out? (if we are six months out, shoot me N-O-W!)
On the positive side, it appears that the Olympics are not going to be interfering with the referral process per my agency and what seems to be happening with travel approval. I know of someone who will be China bound on 15 AUG. Good news. Although, my belief has always been that referrals will be effected in the September batch of referrals, not so much August. We will have to wait and see.
And finally to Nina, Alyson & Ford, and Dave(people I follow).......fingers crossed! You will be next! I a pulling for you!!!

My house, the pig sty!

I swear my house is as dirty as it can possibly be. We are infested with bugs! We are so disgusting that we have attracted bugs to our bodies. Yes all of the people in my house with a double X chromosome have LICE!!!! LICE!!! In case you did not read correctly I wrote.....L-I-C-E!!!! EEEWWWwwwwwwwww..............GGGrrroooossssssss.

Yep that is how I feel about it. Basically, on E's 13th birthday, she had a sleep over. I happen to be hugging 9:00 pm after singing Happy Birthday to the older one. I looked at C's hair and she was infested with lice. I saw hundreds of eggs. I had not noticed her scratching at all. So after a quick once over to check all of the party guests (only one had it) and the birthday girl (she had it) and me (I had it), my lovely and thankfully bald husband went the drug store to purchase nix to apply to the "dirty girls!" We stayed up until 11:30 that night combing hair. And we called all of the parents offering to return their "dirty" party girls to them. All declined. So the next morning, I combed again. I have since learned that a careful combing which should take a minimum of 2 hours per child should be done. On a side note, I already had lice once this year in May at school. Luckily, the children did not get it then.
Needles to say, E. will always remember her 13th birthday as the birthday she got lice, and I spent the evening combing our her best friends hair!
I have since spent a minimum of 5-6 hours a day combing. I did not realize that nit picking is a full time job!
I have acquired my PhD in LICE! I will type it again...eeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwww........ggrrooosssssssssssssss!

Happy Birthday, old one!

My older daughter, E, is officially a teenager. Today she is the big 13!!! Everyone says hold on teenage years. So far things have been great with her, me and us! I know that things may change, but I try to remember what it was like to be that age when I talk to her! So far it has helped. She talks to me about many things, of course not everything. However, I would never expect her to talk to me about everything! That would undermine the experience of being an adolescent! She has a great head for making excellent choices and decisions. I am proud of her everyday! One question however......with adolescents does forgetfulness appear? She seems to forget so much. She has lost countless things this past year. She will inadverntently forget to do something I just asked her to do (and she is not being difficult). Nonetheless, I welcome the babysitting years!!!!!!! Bring 'em on!!!
HAPY BIRTHDAY, E!

New Look!

I am the proud winner of a blog make over aka blake over! Miss Tiff ( aka June's mama) redid my blog. She a Miss R believe that my referral is coming soon!! I am glad someone has some optimism. I know I have been cynical for so long it is hard to turn off. Really I believe my month will be October! I love my new blake over...what do you think?

The British Virgin Islands 2008

Okay let me say that this vacation (we did the same thing last year) is the best vacation!! We charter a sailboat. We sail the sailboat from one beautiful island to the next. It is an amazing vacation......did I say that already? Our two daughters, the two of us. No TV. No outside stuff. No plans. No commitments. No rushing. Just lounging. Just snorkeling. Just reading. Just sailing.

Last year when we went I had delusions of grandeur that our little Flora would travel with us this year. In January when we started planning this trip, we were hesitant. What if referrals come and what if we are supposed to be traveling? We threw caution to the wind and decided to go for it. One of the few examples of not putting our lives on hold for China. I am glad we did it!

Tagged?!

OK what does that mean? For what? After a few minutes of research I discovered what it means .....Go visit Nina and Ford and Alyson to see.....
My six word memoir is

Family, Love, Laughter, and Health, Serendipity!

Now, you folks are officially tagged:
Rebecca
Tiffany
Leslie
Kim
Shannon

As to the person who tagged me.....thank you. I liked this one!