A Sort-Of Update

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.  We did--spent time with the fam in sunny, gorgeous California.  I haven't had Thanksgiving with my sis in many years as she was living in the UK, so that was marvelous.

Not much new here, although we have decided to explore the China Special Focus program more closely.  At this point we don't qualify for the general China program as we haven't been married long enough--I'm divorced so we need to be married for 5 years (it's been a little over 4).  Exceptions can be made for the Special Focus program, as children in that program may have more specialized needs that require extra advocating on the part of the adoption service provider.  The program works quite differently from Ethiopia, in that we are sent files on children to consider and should a match be made, we would request that specific child to adopt.  So it may happen that we adopt from China, yet we are also staying on the Ethiopia list.  Sort of dualing, although not officially as the Special Focus program operates so differently from the other programs.  Not sure if any of this makes sense...

Who knows what the future shall bring? 

Seattle Weather + Torn Dog Raincoat =

Nothing like a little duct tape and an extra-cool trash bag to keep the old lady dry in the pouring rain and wind when her yellow doggie slicker is kaput. 

And my new favorite Seattle joke:

Question: Why do you have to watch where you step when it's raining cats and dogs?

Answer:  Because you might step in a poodle.

Ha ha! 

Happy American Thanksgiving!

Not much adoption news right now from our little neck of the woods.  Dualing options are very much on the table, and we have been exploring specific programs; many are so different from Ethiopia it's hard to wrap our minds around .  Actually, the dualing process itself is really difficult to wrap our minds around, but we are getting there.  Some awesome options exist (China special needs in particular), although, of course, adoption is a business and an expensive one, so we may stick it out with Ethiopia and see what happens.  At the same time, we've waited to see what would happen for a really long time, and adoption isn't our first rodeo in trying to build a family.  What to do?  Not sure, yet.  We are weighing options, talking to different programs, re-evaluating what we can handle.  Lists, lists and more lists. 

In the meantime, we are prepping for the holidays.  I looooove Thanksgiving and Christmas--the lights, the music, the food, the family, the community.  And I dream of the day when I won't avoid the mall after Thanksgiving because children dressed up to see Santa is just....hard.  Maybe I'm the only one that feels that way, but maybe not.  But we are working on enjoying the moment (and finishing Christmas shopping in advance).  And hoping against hope that this is our second-to-last holiday season without a baby.  I'm realistic enough at this point to know it won't be our last.

So I leave you with this picture.  Yup, another day of diving in the Puget Sound....wait!  What is that on the ground, you ask?

Yup, snow.  We are officially Pacific Northwestern divers.  Feel free to call me Dr. Awesome-Badass amongst yourselves.  Time for a hot buttered rum (minus rum, so is that just a "hot buttered?"), a Snuggy and a movie.