Since the title of my last post was "Monday, Monday" this seemed appropriate as the next title!I am soooo glad the weekend is here. For the first time in almost 6 months, I am off work on a Saturday!! I had decided several weeks ago to take the day off so I could at least go to ONE of my nephew's basketball games. He is playing in one of the local Upwards basketball leagues but only has about 2 or 3 games left in this season. I am looking forward to sleeping a little later tomorrow since I usually have to be up and out of the house, somewhat professionally dressed, in order to be at the tutoring center by 9am. But the game doesn't start until 11am so I get to sleep a little!!And tomorrow I go pick up my new bed!! I am so excited about that. Tonight I tackled the job of taking apart the old bed, then rearranging the furniture in my bedroom in preparation for tomorrow. Now I have my old bed and mattress set in the 3rd bedroom, the new mattress set in my computer room, and my bedroom sits mostly empty for just a few more hours, yippeee!!Gee, could I be more sillier, being this excited about a new bed?On a more somber note, I am in shock and disbelief that our nation has suffered yet another senseless school shooting this week. I wanted to offer my prayers along with everyone else's. Lord, I ask for your prayers of peace among the many who knew and loved the victims of this senseless tragedy. Give them the strength and the wisdom to get through the sad days ahead and to find a way to go on. I pray that the students of Northern Illinois University are able to continue their studies despite all that has happened. I ask all of this in the name of your son, Jesus. Amen.In honor of the victims:
Who likes Mondays? Not me!!!! Especially when you've had a pretty nice, but busy, weekend.This weekend I finally received a package I had been waiting for... I have bought a book from Amazon.com called "Adopting On Your Own: The Complete Guide to Adoption for Single Parents." I haven't had time to really start reading it but at first glance it looks as though it will have a lot of good information for me. Thanks to Mary for posting it on her blog in the list of books she has read! I also have an adoption handbook that my sister has lent to me. She has an 8 year old son they adopted domestically but the book does have a section on international adoption as well.Now the reason why I didn't have time to read that book this weekend is because I was so busy!! I had to work on Saturday, then I went big time shopping in the afternoon. I haven't been able to sleep really well in a long time so decided it was time to finally do something about it. Since I can get a better night's sleep when I'm not actually sleeping in my bed it didn't take long to figure out that the bed was the culprit. Waking up stiff and sore every day was a big clue. So Saturday I got a nice new mattress set from a store called The Dump... it's an interesting place with lots of great deals on furniture! I didn't see the actual bed I wanted there so after bringing home the mattress set, thanks to my brother-in-law, and having dinner with my sister, brother-in-law, and the kids, I went to Value City Furniture where I bought a beautiful new bed that I will pick up next Saturday! Then it was off to Sears for a new comforter and sheets, and new pillows too. They were having a great sale. So it turned out to be the best weekend to buy all of this, the bed was on sale too. Sunday I had a few more errands to run, then I came home to do laundry and rearrange my living room. By the time I finish straightening out my bedroom next weekend (I'm going to rearrange it too), I think I'll be exhausted.Here's the new bed I bought, not the same mattress set of course, but it will be so pretty!
Just for fun... I thought I'd post a pic of my computer set up. I actually just cleaned and reorganized things in this room last weekend, it wasn't looking so pretty before that, not that it's all that pretty now, just looks better!! The computer is actually open to the home page of my myspace site.
For some strange reason, today was one of those days where I just wanted to crawl under a rock and stay there, just waiting for it to be over. I felt all day like I was doing everything wrong and it would never be right. Then, to make matters worse, a co-worker's daughter came to visit him with her new baby. He was proudly showing off his brand new grandson and I don't begrudge him or the mother the pride, he is a beautiful baby. But this gentleman just turned 50 and has a beautiful new grandson to show off. I, on the other hand, am 41 and I don't even have children yet. I want to get this adoption journey started, I know it's what I am supposed to do but there are still obstacles in my way. I did read on another blog that there might be some positive changes happening for adoptions from Guatemala so I am hopeful about that at least.Maybe I won't crawl under that rock after all... I think I just need a good cry.
What a difference a year makes!! A year ago I was in the worst pain I had ever felt in my whole life. I basically felt as though I were having a heart attack 24/7. Nothing I did could alleviate the pain... no amount of painkillers, etc. would even touch it. I slept lying straight on my back with a heating pad which most nights actually did allow me to sleep. A co-worker of mine suggested that my symptoms sounded exactly like what she went through when she needed to have her gallbladder out. Knowing how difficult gallbladder problems are to diagnose, I demanded that my doctor check me for this and surprisingly enough my demands were met. I was sent to the hospital for a GB ultrasound. I had to be there super early on a Friday morning, 6am to be precise. The ultrasound tech did her job, then told me that she wasn't supposed to say anything but that I could expect to be having surgery very soon as I definitely had stones. I then had to start stalking my doctor's office for the results of the ultrasound because my pain was not only not going away, but it was intensifying. I finally went back to the urgent care part of my doctor's office on Saturday and they called in to consult with a surgeon who said I should be given a pretty good painkiller and if that didn't take care of the problem, I was to page the surgeon and they would admit me directly to the hospital for emergency surgery. So the doctor at the urgent care put me on Vicodin and that did the trick, I felt pain-free for the first time in about 2 weeks.
Now did I mention that I was a teacher at the time, and had a class of 26 5th grade students that I was teaching while feeling like I was having a heart attack 24/7?? That was no fun. Then I was teaching while on this super painkiller. Quick emergency surgery over the weekend would not have been a good idea as I had no sub plans written, and no way to let a sub know how my classroom discipline plan worked, who the trustworthy students were, etc. I ended up at the surgeon's office on Monday afternoon and they said yep, you're having surgery and the sooner the better (ummm.. no duh, I had that figured out already!). I was home about 30 - 45 minutes when the scheduling desk from the surgeon's office called to tell me that Thursday, Jan. 11th was the day. So I went into school the next day (Tuesday, Jan. 9th) to let my AP know I needed time off and start preparing sub plans for about 2 weeks. I was given a wonderful sub, she was a retired teacher who was always around our school so she came to see me after school that day and we talked awhile, then she came back Wednesday afternoon and I introduced her to the kids, telling them I was going to be out for a little while due to a medical procedure. What shocked faces!! The sub stuck around with me after school and took the Social Studies materials from me, telling me she would take care of that, I just needed to let her know what to do for the other subjects.
The surgery was fine but lasted longer than expected as it turned out that my gallbladder was way more infected than expected. They came very close to completely opening me up but thank God my surgeon was able to complete the procedure laparoscopically (I think I spelled that right!). But I woke up with a drainage tube and a little bottle due to the infection in my liver and had to stay in the hospital for 2 nights. No fun!!
But it's been a year now and I am so thankful that is all behind me. The only lingering side effect I have is that after I went back to work last year, I suffered a gallbladder attack, even though I didn't have one, as a result of eating a very healthy salad for lunch (I didn't know my body couldn't handle the roughage yet). That attack, and the resulting sickness, was almost worse than what I had gone through before the surgery. So the lingering side effect is I still cannot eat a salad... even looking at lettuce makes me think of how sick I got and I start to feel sick. I can eat veggies and I can cook with them, just can't put it all together in a salad yet. I am hoping that goes away soon because salads are sooo good!!!
I know this post is totally nonrelated to the topic of my blog, but there is simply nothing new to report on that front. I still cannot even begin the process.
I've been looking for a full time job since this summer. I've been frustrated at times and I've felt like giving up at times. I so want to get this adoption journey started but so many other factors have to line up first, the most important being me having gainful employment. Then, of course, there are the issues facing international adoption at the present moment but I'm trying not to think about that.Last night I was feeling more and more frustrated. I am so tired of being a substitute teacher. The kids have absolutely no respect for their regular teachers much less a substitute. Don't get me wrong, I've had some wonderful days subbing and met some truly great kids. I have a stack of drawings and notes they have given me at the end of the day to show for it. But it's really a thankless job and it's hard not knowing from one day to the next whether or not I am working, and what time I have to be at work. Knowing that I had a job interview this morning, I decided to give my frustrations to the Lord last night. I prayed for Him to take this burden from me and said that the only thing I wanted for Christmas was a "real" job. The interview went extremely well. I used to work for this company so I already know a lot about it and I still have a really good friend who works there. She actually "telecommutes" because she lives in a different state. About an hour after I got home from the interview and my trip to the post office and the grocery store, I received a phone call offering me the position. Of course, I accepted!!! So I start work on Monday.I don't know where this will take me. But I do know that this company is really good about allowing people to telecommute even if they live locally. Which would be ideal for a single mother with a newly adopted baby!!So I am going to take this journey for now. I am going to keep the tutoring job, but I just won't work as many hours there. And the rest of it is in the hands of the Lord....
So I decided to start my Christmas shopping today. I never intended to start this late but wasn't sure I was going to be doing Christmas at all this year. I decided to do it but to keep it small, after all it is the thought that counts. So far I have bought small gifts for my 2 wonderful nephews. I know they will get so much from everyone in their lives, from parents to grandparents to their other aunt but I wanted them to have something special from me.
I am praying that this holiday season will bring good news to everyone. I pray for those who are currently awaiting referrals and TAs from China. I pray for those who are awaiting for that "out of PGN" or "Pink" call from Guatemala. And I pray for those who are waiting for their opportunity to get this crazy but so worth it process started. There is so much uncertaintity in it all for me, but I am not giving up hope.
Never forget:
I saw this on another blog and I just couldn' resist!! It is so hard to believe that the holiday season is upon us. Just click on this link for a fun surprise, and I don't mind if you laugh!!
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9540865244
It's been a while since I posted so I just thought I'd say there's nothing new to report. I'm working very hard at the jobs I do currently have but they are not what I want for the long term. And yes, I did say jobs... I have 2 of them!!
I keep hoping and praying that some things in my life will start looking up, first on the job front so that I can get back on track and start the adoption process. I think I should probably start some of the paper process early, like making sure I have my birth certificate, deciding who to get my references from, etc. I do have a passport since I've already traveled outside of the country twice - to China in 1999 and to Ukraine in 2002. I know I needed my birth certificate for my passport but the question is... where is it? I'll need it to renew my passport most likely... it expires in 2009.
It's almost 9:30 p.m. on a Saturday night and I am getting ready for bed!! What is wrong with this picture? I am a single woman!! But I am sick!! I have been coughling like crazy for a few days now (as a bronchitis sufferer, this happens every time I get the slightest cold, sinus infection, etc.) and I have next to no voice. I am completely wiped out yet all I did today was work for 4 hours (not a strenuous job, I tutor!!) and spend some time walking around a local craft show called Santa's Stocking.
Well, that's all for now. I hope to have something really good to report soon!!
As you can see from my last entry, titled "Very Scary," there are indeed some troubling things going on in regards to Guatemalan adoptions.I urge everyone to sign this petition that will be sent to the President. Every signature counts, please think of the babies who are waiting to come home with their forever families, the babies yet to be born, the babies yet to be matched, and the families in the U.S. who can give these children a home.Here is the link:http://www.petitiononline.com/foafoa1/petition.htmlAt the time I have posted this link, the peitition has 28,472 total signatures. I signed it myself just a few days ago and I believe I was somewhere in the 11,000 range of signers. Please sign!!
