Of course, it's Halloween, and we have a scary pirate in the house, and a sweaty pumpkin, and the camera breaks.

So, no photos, unless we can bum them off other people.

To make it up to y'all in the lamest way possible, here's a blurry picture of The Boy (age 12) and the Christo pool fence (not actually by Christo). Yes, those are Tibetan prayer flags flapping prayerfully overhead.

I'm going to miss this yard.

Link: Part 1 Link: Part 2

As much as I’d like to think that all searches and reunions will end up with a “happily ever after” ending, I know this isn’t true. There is a story of a Korean adoptee that I once heard and I’ve been trying really hard to remember where I heard it from. I am pretty sure that I saw it on television, but it was long before... more

I read a blog earlier today called To Trick or Treat or Not?. And I found myself angry, furious, ready to spit nails, so angry that I wanted to cry. And unfortunately I posted comment.

I try not to post when I am mad. I tend to look like a jerk. Sorry Naomi.

Anyway I posted a comment... more

Languages are so confusing. I have a hard enough time pronouncing English correctly as it is.

After my parents and I finished the paperwork to complete our dossier my mom and I thought it would be great to learn some Chinese. My mother and I went downtown to our local library and checked out cassettes of common words and phrases in the Chinese language so that we could speak to Gracie in her native tongue. We popped the cassette into the cassette player in my mom’s car and AHHHHHHHH! It was too much, but at the same time... more

For the first few hours on Sunday, I was in shock. I couldn’t believe that this was happening. I immediately got in the shower and dressed. As we drove to my in laws for brunch I still couldn’t believe what my cousin, his parents, and other family members were going home three hundred miles away. I then became angry that he would drink so much in a short period of time to end up in the intensive care unit. I had myself convinced that he was dared or someone bet him that he couldn’t drink something or whatever.

By the time we had finished with brunch, my anger... more

It is amazing how much my “thinking” and views have changed from the time I first entered the adoption world till now. As with everything in life – I feel we learn, we grow and it shapes us into who we become. All our life experiences cause us to become “who” we are. It is neither right or wrong – just what it is.

I personally chose international adoption – partially because of the long waits for domestic adoption – but to be very honest – partially in fear that I’d have a birth member knocking on my door down the road. I was selfish, I didn’t want to share my “mothering” with another woman. Now I YEARN to be able to have Becca know her birth family – realizing that it would be... more

Everyone should be all geared up and ready for the Halloween Night of Fun. Everyone seems to be dressing up and attending Devils Night parties and standing in long lines to be scared by the ghosts and goblins of Haunted Houses too.

There is a cold chill in the air and winter is just weeks away. I love to see the little kids when they are dressed in big fuzzy costumes that keep them safe and warm.

We have been putting on music and watching spooky DVD's for the past week as a family. Tonight we were talking about old Halloweens of years gone... more

Before we were adopting Little J there was one song that would make me cry whenever I heard it. It was "Blessed Be" sung by Alison Kraus and written by Raffi, and it's on the "Country Goes Raffi" album, which I listened to a lot because Big J really liked the song "Baby Beluga" and made me listen to it over and over and over again in the car.

"Blessed Be" goes like this:

Baby dear, blessed be your shining light Baby dear, blessed by your morning smile Baby dear, blessed be your gleaming eyes Blessed be this precious child Our... more

Well in case none of you remember, my husband and I are heading to Las Vegas this weekend. This will be the second of our little romantic jaunts within a month's time. Last month we went to New York and can you say, "fabulous?"

As you may have guessed, from the way I carried on about our trip to New York my husband and I haven't done the best job in the finding time for each other department and we decided to change all of that. We know that we have been a spectacular success at the family thing. Whew boy, have we been successful...at least so... more

U.S. report questions China's role in peaceful world

A congressional commission is making loud "tut-tutting" sounds in China's direction.

"China's continuing record of proliferation, including its indulgence of North Korea's nuclear and missile programs and its involvement in Iran's programs, is deeply destabilizing," said the report by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

"And China's apparent willingness to value its own energy needs above the needs of international security is indicative of a nation as yet unprepared or... more