MARCH 2006
March madness...begins 3/1/06! This
is absolutely my favorite time of the
year...basketball tournament time and Spring
is arriving. What more could you ask for...a
referral?
Today is March 3, 2006 and Mel and I
had our first date 10 years ago today! Today
is also Dad’s birthday. We babysat Lily
today and oh my goodness....what a treat!
So 10 years ago today Mel and I had our
first “date”. Where do I start, back in 1992
when I was single and working for the law
firm in Knoxville a co-worker friend of mine
Susan mentioned, “I am dating this guy and
he is perfect for you”! Now how odd is that,
she was dating a guy who was perfect for me.
Well time passed and I moved to Overland
Park, Kansas and did not meet this “perfect
guy” until June 26, 1993 after my 10 year
high school reunion. After my reunion, I met
Susan and another former co-worker Jennifer
at a local club “Desperados” for some
country dancing. We had not been there very
long when this “gentleman” came up and asked
me to dance...you guessed it... the
gentleman was Mel. We danced a couple’s
dance called the “Sweetheart Schottische”.
We had never met much less danced together,
but it seemed as if we had known each other
for years and the dancing was the same. Well
at the time I thought Mel was still dating
my co-worker friend Susan, so there were no
thoughts other than friendship.
I traveled to Knoxville quite a bit over the
next year to visit family and to dance on
Club Dance and Mel joined me several times.
We continued to keep in touch and would
occasionally run into each other when I was
in Knoxville. Christmas 1995 was a very
special Christmas...I received a Christmas
card from Mel that “hinted” of his feelings
for me. We continued to keep in touch and
when I mentioned to him I would be coming
home for my father’s birthday; he suggested
we should go out. At this point we had been
friends for nearly 3 years so I really
didn’t know what to expect. Long
story...short that date was the beginning of
a very special relationship that has
continued to grow over the last 10 years. We
were lucky to have found each other and to
have our friendship turn into love.
Today is Saturday March 4, 2006 and
we are both still “glowing” from babysitting
Lily. Mel had to work late, so I arrived
first with the take out Chinese from
Imperial Garden. I began reading to Lily her
Dora book and it wasn’t long until we heard
a knock on the door...she said “Mel’s here”!
We then prepared the table for dinner and
let me tell you...she knows where everything
and I mean everything is. I would say Lily
where is your cup...”in the pantry” and she
would show me. She is amazing!
While we were eating I took off my glasses
and she said, “why you take off your
glasses...can you see me”? I explained to
her that my glasses were for things far away
and she seemed to understand. She then found
a toy that needed the batteries changing;
once again she knew where the batteries were
and knew where finger nail clippers were.
We then settled in to watch “Big Bird Goes
to China”...oh my word we all were amazed.
We now have it on our wishlist! You just
can’t imagine how much we enjoyed this
evening with Lily. at one point the cat
Sunny was on Mel’s lap, Lily was leaning on
me, I was leaning on Mel and the dog Lucky
was laying on Mel’s feet and we were all
just watching the video.
At some point in the evening I asked Lily if
her diaper was wet...she replied “no”. I
asked her if she would tell me if it was
wet...she replied “no”. Of course I laughed
and laughed. She heard me tell Mel he wasn’t
too old to get in the floor and play with us
and she said, “come on Mel, you aren’t too
old to play in the floor.” Of course we both
laughed pretty hard at that too. We also
played Dora cards and read many more books
and by the end of the evening, we were all
tired but boy did we have a GREAT time. What
a special little girl...we can’t wait for
her and “ladybug” to meet.
Today 3/5/06 we had our Chinese class
and we reviewed our lesson books and began
doing phrases and things you might say in
conversation. After class we went to a new
restaurant, the “Boathouse” which is on the
river in Chattanooga. There is a park where
people walk and bike and the activity of the
river. We look forward to bringing “ladybug”
here for a walk for a bike ride.
3/6/06
This is the message that was on the CCAA website today:
The CCAA has finished the review of the
adoption application documents registered
with our office before July 31, 2005.
The CCAA has finished the placement of
children for the families whose adoption
application documents were registered with
our office before May 25, 2005.
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Quilt Squares - good wishes we have received so
far
Emily's baby picture with both dresses
Ladybug's books
Emily and Mel - Cades Cove
Happy Birthday little brother
Great finds from Prospect School sale
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Today 3/9/06 I went by and visited
the First United Methodist Child Development
Center and met the Director, Lana. I updated
“Ladybug’s” estimated time of arrival so
that we can maintain our place on the
waiting list. When I initially contacted
Lana back in August of 2005 the wait times
were still 6 months and we thought we would
be home and possibly needing child care in
late summer of 2006. Now with the wait time
increase, we probably won’t need child care
until late 2006 or early 2007.
Today 3/10/06 we are
expecting company. My little brother Kevin
is coming up and bringing 2 of his children
Hunter and Rachael.
Kevin and the kids arrived in time for
dinner, we had Chinese take-out from
Imperial Garden. The funniest thing happened
just after they arrived. Kevin asked Mel a
question and when Mel responded both Kevin
and Hunter thought Mel was speaking
Chinese...we all got a big laugh out of it.
We laughed so hard we couldn’t remember what
the question was or even what Mel had said.
3/11/06
We traveled up to Maryville and took
Hunter and Rachael to see Kevin (their Dad)
in a bike race. We staked out a nice little
spot along the race course and took in the
beauty of the mountains while watching the
race. We also visited a nice Garden Center
where Hunter looked at plants and flowers.
We then met up with Kevin for lunch. After
lunch we drove through Cade’s Cove and just
were overwhelmed with the beauty of the
mountains and nature. We must have seen over
50 deer as well as many birds and other
livestock.
After our trip through Cade’s Cove, we took
Hunter and Rachael to Dad and Purcey’s and
we all had one of Purcey’s well known
“meals”. Of course there was Purcey’s
infamous cream corn as well as cornbread and
roast beef and just about anything else you
can imagine and desert, yes cheese cake.
We had our Chinese class today 3/12/06
and we learned numbers and also
reviewed phrases. We really are beginning to
recognize words and phrases. This evening
Kevin arrived with Rachael who is staying
with us for the week.
3/13/06 Today I was surprised by
Rachael. I was at my desk working and she
passed me a note...”Aunt Emmie do you want a
bagel? Yes or No or maybe later”. This may
not seem like anything special, but oh my
word, what 9 year old have you met that
thinks of others like this. While I worked
Rachael was my secretary...today was the day
to call in for Oprah tickets in April. We
had high hopes but after getting a busy
signal hundreds of times or the message “all
circuits are busy”, we have no tickets to
Oprah, but we do have a phone named the
“Oprah phone”.
We had our private Chinese lesson tonight
and Rachael went with us. Lina was very kind
and said we were doing very well. She shared
with us some cultural information and as
always we are just amazed at all we learn.
After the lesson I watched the NCAA
selection show with Rachael and explained
the tournament and the brackets with her. I just LOVE this time of year...Tennessee got
a #2 seed for the first time in several
years.
Today is Tuesday 3/14/06 and me and
Rachael cut out quilt squares for the quilt
swap. We cut out about 25 squares, I have
about 50-60 more squares to cut. This
evening we went to my Chinese exercise class
and Rachael learned to count to 10 in
Chinese. After class we went to dinner and
then to Hobby Lobby where we bought lots of
stickers and some goodies to go on the
wishes for the quilt swap. We then drove to
Chattanooga to pick up Mel at the
airport...it was a very late night, but not
too late to watch American Idol when we got
home.
3/15/06 Today is “hump day” and we
are all tired. We made dinner together and
cooked hamburgers. Rachael made turnovers
all by herself too. Rachael has made some of
the cutest things, she drew ladybugs and
wrote “waiting for ladybug”. On another
piece of paper she drew and she wrote,
“welcome to China”. She is just so talented
and thoughtful. She also made cookies all by
herself today and I taught her oven safety.
Today 3/16/06 our dossier has been
in China for 90 days now. We went to a
second hand children’s sale at Prospect
school. We found something so special...a
pink sailor dress. I have a picture of me in
a blue sailor dress that my Grandmother
painted. A few years ago my sister Teri gave
me the actual dress I had on in the picture
and it was a pink sailor dress. Check out
the picture of the dress purchased for
“ladybug” with my picture. After the sale we
met Mel for dinner and then afterward we
stopped at Lily’s and gave her some cookies
Rachael made and a “Mickey Mouse” puppet
Rachael made. They had so much fun playing
and Lily loved her puppet.
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! (3/17/06)
and Happy Birthday little brothers Colin and
Kevin.
One of our special moments in March was
volunteering at a Christian concert put on
by the group NewSong. I took part of the day
off and my niece Rachael and I drove up to
Loudon and picked up a friend of mine from
high school and we drove up to Knoxville.
NewSong has teamed up with Holt
International, our agency, to work with
their Sponsorship program. That means that
at each of the stops on the tour they have
children available to sponsor for only $25 a
month. It is called a “Bridge of Hope” to
help support these children until they are
adopted. They encourage these sponsorships
by telling the story of Bertha and Harry
Holt who adopted 8 children from Korea 50
years ago and founded this agency. Harry
Holt believed that “every child deserves a
home.”
As of Intermission, 110 children had been
sponsored and by the end of the show I
believe we reached our goal of 150 sponsors.
Interacting with people who were very
emotional as they looked at the packets of
children who needed sponsorship was
incredibly moving and held special
significance to each of us. To be part of
something that is helping some of
“ladybug’s” sisters and brothers in China as
they wait for their families to come get
them was very moving.
As we were waiting for intermission, I began
to look at some of the packets of the
children waiting for sponsorship. There were
hundreds if not thousands of packets,
stacked neatly in piles on long tables. One
packet seemed to be larger than the rest as
my eyes focused in on it. I picked it up and
the darling little girl was named Pei Fu. My
heart felt an immediate connection...as I
read through the information my heart
stopped when I saw her birth date
11/25/04...Thanksgiving day...the day before
we lost Martin. I then noticed packet of
another little girl from China Qun Fu and
her birthday was October 11, 2004 which also
had significance for us. I just could not
sponsor one without sponsoring the
other...so I filled out the paperwork for us
to sponsor both Pei Fu and Qun Fu.
3/18/06
We had a lazy morning since we
didn’t get home from the concert until 2:15
am this morning. Mel decided that me and
Rachael should have a “girl’s day out”, well
we did and we shopped til we dropped. We
found the cutest lime green tennis shoes for
her and some pink ones for me. We also found
her a few cute outfits and we found some
goodies for “ladybug” too. We found 3 cute
dresses for Lily and a Dora outfit too. What
a fun day! We dropped by Lily’s to visit and
gave her the new dresses and Dora outfit.
Rachael and Lily had fun playing together.
Jill and Robert gave us the cutest “Baby
Gap” dress in my favorite color bright pink
for “ladybug”.
In the evening Tina, Hunter and
Audrey(Kevin’s wife, son and daughter)
arrived. We visited awhile and then Tina
showed me the scrapbook she had done for me
and Mel. Oh my word...the tears were flowing
then...she captured family memories over the
last few years with nice captions. The bonus
was a nice bag with ladybugs all over it.
Speaking of ladybugs....yesterday when
Rachael and I picked up my friend Dee Dee,
she gave me some really cute
things...ladybug house slippers, a scarf
with ladybugs on it, a ladybug charm and the
cutest ladybug bag.
Today 3/19/06 is Sunday and we went
to our Chinese class. Afterward we came home
and prepared dinner for birthday celebration
for Kevin. Rachael had made the cake and I
decorated it. We had a nice meal
together...”Aunt Emmie’s famous spaghetti”
and then birthday cake.
Today is March 20, 2006 and I am
just tired...tired, tired, tired. I guess
when you burn the candle at both ends
eventually you have to rest. Our company
left and we caught up on our zzzzzz’ss.
Today 3/21/06 is Tuesday and did I
mention all the “ladybug loot”. Check out
the pictures...I think we have purchased
nearly 40 books for her and these are just a
few of the outfits purchased recently. We
have also received goodies from others who
know how fond we are of “ladybugs”.
My quote for today 3/22/06:
Life is not a matter of milestones, but of
moments. Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy
Today is Friday 3/24/06 and we
received a call from Kate Morgan from our
agency. She just called to check in with us
and remind us of things to do while we are
waiting. She did say she doesn’t expect us
to get a referral until December of this
year and then not travel until February of
2007. As much as you hear the rumors and as
positive as I have tried to be...this hit me
like a ton of bricks. When I think about it
I just can’t imagine another 8 months until
we see a picture of “ladybug” and then 2
more months until we travel. For the first
time...I am feeling this wait is hard and
that life is not fair. Why is family
building so hard? Everyone says it will be
worth it and we are ready to find out. We
just need to focus on the moment and on what
we have, because we do have many blessings.
Kevin and Rachael stopped by on their way
home. Rachael had made me a ladybug bracelet
and some beaded earrings. She also made a
box for the goodies that had a kitty cat on
it. She is just so thoughtful. I made her
favorite macaroni and cheese and they
enjoyed a quick sandwich before leaving for
home.
It is Saturday 3/25/06 and both Mel
and I feel a little under the weather, but
it didn’t keep me from yard work. I love to
garden, plant flowers, mow, rake, fertilize.
Just about anything to do with the yard or
flowers I love. Once basketball season is
over, I pretty much spend all my free time
in the yard. Today I fertilized, seeded and
limed the yard. I also pulled weeds and
raked the woods. Since this was the first
time I had been in the yard since late Fall,
I feel like I am 80. I ache all over...even
my fingers hurt. After a few Saturdays like
this...I will be in yard shape.
Today 3/26/06 is Sunday and Mel is
really feeling bad. I went to class on my
own and then did some shopping. In class we
learned some key phrases in Chinese for
shopping, we also reviewed quite a bit too.
The news of the day is...the Tennessee Lady Vols won....they are now in the “elite
eight” and play North Carolina on Tuesday.
Today 3/27/06 is Monday and I am in
a referral funk. I have so much to be
thankful for yet I am only thinking of what
I don’t have. This quote pretty much sums it
up and I need to focus on what is says.
Patience with others is love,
Patience with self is hope,
Patience with God is faith.
Adel Bestarros
Today is March 28, 2006 and I am
looking forward to tonight’s game between
The University of Tennessee Lady Vols and
The University of North Carolina Lady Tar
Heels. Well it wasn’t the best game...so as
you can imagine blue beat our orange this
time around. The Final Four teams are
set...Duke, North Carolina, LSU and
Maryland. I think I am pulling for LSU...go
tigers.
Today 3/29/06 I found this saying
in our Holt International magazine that came
yesterday. “Adoption is like a journey. You
travel beautiful mountains and valleys, but
sometimes it’s hard too.” Each day of
this journey we are learning how hard it can
be...some rumors even suggest the wait could
extend to 18-20 months. Right now all we can
do is wait...so wait we will even if it is
hard.
Today is March 30, 2006 and my Mother
would have been 75 today. I always try
to do something on her birthday to remember
her, whether it be working in my
flowers...as she loved to do or just
spending some time thinking about her and
the woman she was. There wasn’t much my
Mother couldn’t do, she was way before her
time...she could make beautiful things with
a little bit of fabric and some thread. She
made Barbie Doll clothes before there were
patterns to do so. She could look at a
picture and then draw a pattern and make
just about anything. She was also very
handy, once I remember when I was small she
finished our "unfinished" basement and she
actually hung drywall, if she wanted
something done she didn’t wait around...she
would just do it. She loved to go
shopping and she treasured her friends many
of which were long distance. She was an avid
painter and created many "treasures" that we
display in our home.
 When my Mother passed away, my sister in law
Christi’s Mom Libby gave me a writing of
things Mom had shared with her. This is what
she said about me.
Your Mother said to me..."You were her
socialite. Your Mom said you kept her in
touch with the real world. Wilma called you
her special child. The one that would sneak
into bed just so you could have her all to
yourself. She loved going shopping with
you. Wilma said you would show her things
that she might otherwise have missed. She
appreciated you for enjoying hearing the
stories of when she was a little girl."
Libby Morris
This is the message on the
CCAA website today 3/31/06:
The CCAA has finished the
review of the adoption application
documents registered with our office before
August 31, 2005.The CCAA has finished
the placement of children for the
families whose adoption application
documents were registered with our office
before
May 30,
2005.
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