The Wait is Over!!!

Ok, now that I have your attention, sorry for misleading you all. The wait I am talking about here is the long wait fans had to endure until our beloved Milwaukee Brewers made it to the post season for playoffs. Sunday they clinched a wild card berth and it's the first time they will play in the post season since 1982. Just to remind how you long ago that was, here are some things that were happening in 1982:

Cost of Living:
Average Cost of new house $82,200.00
Average Income per year $21,050.00
Average Monthly Rent $320.00
Cost of a gallon of Gas 91 cents
New Car Average price $7,983.00
US Postage Stamp 20 cents

Events:
The First Issue of USA Today is published
Disney Futuristic Park EPCOT ( Experimental Community Of Tomorrow )is opened
Tylenol capsules laced with potassium cyanide kill 7 in Chicago
Doctors performed the first implant of a permanent artificial heart designed by Robert Jarvik
Work begins on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC
Michael Jackson releases Thriller

Popular Films:
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Rocky III,
On Golden Pond
Porky's
An Officer and a Gentleman
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Poltergeist
Annie
Chariots of Fire
Gandhi

Popular Music:
Human League with " Don't You Want Me "
Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder with " Ebony and Ivory "
Olivia Newton-John
Steve Miller band With " Abracadabra "
Survivor with " Eye of The Tiger "
Chicago with " Hard to Say I'm Sorry "
Lionel Richie
Michael Jackson

Popular TV Shows:
Magnum, P.I.
Dynasty
Falcon Crest
Hill Street Blues
Knight Rider

Things sure have changed in the last 26 years. With all the bad news we seem to be hearing lately, it's nice to have this one bright spot to look forward too. And by the way, I am fortunate enough to be heading to the first ever playoff game at Miller Park!!!!!! Go BREWERS!!!

The BIG 4-0

Last Friday I turned 40. Wow, that is hard to say. I am not sure why, I have been saying it for the last two years just trying to prepare myself. I don't feel 40, at least not on most days. I celebrated like I was in my twenties, staying out way to late!!!!! Maybe 40 IS the new 30. I read an article last week called "The Magic of Turning 40" which made me feel somewhat better. Here is an excerpt:

"It is true, certain things may never happen at 40. It is unlikely that Playboy will want you as their centrefold, just as the likelihood of ever being a grandma fades. While you cannot turn back time “turning 40” suggests something exciting! The simple phrase “turning” means you can turn into anything you want to be. You can turn to anything that you want to. It also means you can turn on your passion, turn on your greatness, turn the page, turn the corner and move on! You are halfway through life, but you still have the second half. No matter where you are in your life, there are no rules where you should be. It doesn’t matter whether you are happily married, single or divorced 5 times. It doesn’t matter if you have too many children, enough or none. It doesn’t even matter if you are highly educated; college educated or barely finished high school. At 40, the doors are wide open and you can still do anything you want. "

You can become a doctor or lawyer and still have time left to practice

You can fall in love like a teenager and still have the time to grow up

You can marry a younger man without first having a facelift

You can have your first wedding anniversary

You can have children and still have the time to raise them

You can shop at Victoria Secret without looking silly

You can move to another country and still have the time to make it your home

You can take up a new sport without worrying about arthritis

You lived long enough to be sure about some things

You can say what you want and others will listen

You can still have fun without being medicated

You can do something that you have never done in your life

This goes out to all the women who are facing 40. So far it hasn't been too bad. And remember this motto to live by:

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming ~ "WOO HOO, what a ride!"Author Unknown

Everything DOES happen for a reason

Most of you by now know from reading my blog or from us talking about it, that our referral wait times have more than likely increased to 12 months. This means we are not likely get a referral until April of 2009, and then travel will occur around the months of July or August 2009. Athough this is something we didn't want to hear, it doesn't come much as a surprise as we were told up front from our adoption agency that the world of international adoption is constantly changing. And as it turns out, this may be a much better time for us to travel.

See in recent weeks, we learned that my mother has breast cancer. She has gone through two surgeries, and we just found out last week that her treatment will now include 6 months of chemotherapy and after that, six weeks of radiation. Depending on when she starts treatment, it will likely be June or July before it's completed. Because we are very close and she is one of my best friends, I always imagined her in the delivery room when I had a baby. I still imagine her being there, it's just in a different way now. It was a no brainer to ask her to come with us when we travel to Ethiopia. She has been preparing just as we have, getting shots, getting her passport, etc. So in the midst of learning about all she will have to endure in the next few months, she turns to me and says "See, this is why your referral has been pushed out. Now I will be able to travel with you!" So, I just want to say thank you Mom, for all that you do, all that you have done. For worrying about all of us, when you have so much on your plate. You are right, everything does happen for a reason.

5 Down......

Today marks our 5 month anniversary of officially waiting for our referral. I'd like to say that we are half way through, but based on some communications we recevied from our agency, we are not quite there yet. Last Friday we received word that we can expect a 12 month wait for an infant referral. I am somewhat torn, I feel sad that we will have to wait longer for our baby, however, maybe this means that situations in Ethiopia are allowing children to remain with their birth families. We are not sure of the reasoning for the slow down, it actually could be a number of things. I am not going to dwell on it, I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, so if this is how it's suppose to be, then so be it. We will use this time to continue to prepare and educate ourselves, and Randy and I are so blessed to have wonderful family and friends to help us stay busy as well.

In other news, it was great to see Aaron Rodgers lead the Packers to their first win in the post Favre era. Let's hope the Brewers can find a way to get their bats hot again so they can stay alive in the wild card race. Bowling has started, Randy and I belong in a couple's league. It's actually quite a fun way to spend an evening together with friends during the long, cold, Wisconsin winters. We both just wrapped up our golf leagues. It's too bad the golf season is so short, it would be nice if the seasons were flipped flopped and golf was as long as the bowling season, and bowling was as long as the golf season, but alas, that cannot happen in this climate. And of course, the Badger Football team is off to a 2-0 start, that reminds me, a year ago today we were in Las Vegas cheering the Badgers on as they played UNLV. Well, it was actually a year ago yesterday. Here is a picture of all of us at the tailgate party before the game, and then another picture of all the fans pouring into the UNLV stadium. Look at the long winding road of red!!! It's hard to believe this was an away game played 1500 miles away. I swear, every single Badger fan must have made the trip.

List Obsessed!

Number 51. That's where we are on the "unofficial" list for those of us waiting for a referral from our agency. Not everyone participates in the list, I have been told that approximately 40% do. So in reality we are probably around 127. Keep in mind, some of the families ahead of us are not all waiting for infants like Randy and I. Some are waiting for slightly older children, some are waiting for twins or siblings, and we all have different requirements as far as what health conditions we are willing to accept. Keeping all this in mind, it's hard to know exactly where we stand. When we were first approved and officially waiting back in April, we started at 101 so we have had significant movement. Just not in the last few months due to court closure. I am obsessed with this list and I check it every day. We have been at 51 for some time now.

So far we have not seen any referrals in the month of September. Next week it's the Ethiopian New Year and I hear many folks go on holiday so I am not too optimistic about seeing any next week either. It may be closer to October. Good thing I have tons of stuff to keep me busy and hopefully take my mind off the "list" for a while.

Who Knew?

Just got done working out on our Bowflex machine and it reminded me of an interesting fact our social worker told me last winter. We were giving her the grand tour of our home and she notices the machine. She instantly says, "Did you know an Ethiopian invented the Bowflex?" I had no idea. His name is Dosho Shifferaw and he is an Ethiopian immigrant who came to the United States 24 years ago. Click here to read more on this story. Hmm, I wonder why it wasn't until now, September, that I was reminded of this little known but very interesting fact. It hasn't been that long since I worked out has it????