Update..good and bad
12 years ago
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Gotcha Day X5
5 years ago today, October 29, 2006, I met my daughter in Nanchang, Jiangxi, PRC. Miss Fu Miao Li became Mailia JoLee. Happy Gotcha Day Mailia and Happy Mother's Day to me!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Memorial Weekend
Can't believe it's been nearly 4 months since I updated this blog. SO much has happened in the world since Feb....horrible earthquakes (Japan), floods in the south and a week of violent and deadly tornadoes in our southern and plains states. The destruction and the suffering by the survivors is incomprehensible. The one bright spot is the demise of Osama bin Laden....FINALLY!
Nearly 10 years he remained free to roam this earth after ordering the 9-11 attacks.
Our little corner of the world has seen changes as well, just not as dramatic as those above. To our great relief, Mailia's Dad and I both have jobs now. D is working part-time for Home Depot and I am working at a farm/trucking company...quite the change from my previous offices. Neither job pays well, but we are fortunate and thankful for both.
Winter finally gave way to Spring. Very few days of sunshine, and tons of rain throughout March, April and May, but on the days that it was nice.......the area literally exploded with Spring color. Haven't seen the magnificence of Spring in many years....the greening of the trees and lawns, the daffodils and tulips and lilacs, and the smell of fresh mown grass. Even the sound of the lawnmower was heavenly. Summer is just around the corner...we made it through our first Michigan winter. There were days that I didn't think we (actually I) would.
We had a horrible ice storm in Feb. that left us without power (lights, heat, water) for four days. We hung blankets over windows and doorways and 'camped' in the living room, thanks to our generator, space heaters and melted snow. It was humbling, to say the least, to buckle to Mother Nature.
Mailia turned 11 years old in March. We didn't have money for a party, but promises were made for something special this summer. She takes everything in stride and knows that our financial situation was poor.
Basketball season finally ended and we are now a month into softball. She made the honor roll every semester this year and we are amazingly proud of her. She still has another week of school left, but I've been assured that she will make the honor roll this time too. Not to mention, she never missed a day again this year.
My sister (Sheila) and I have been to two different Bob Seger concerts this spring. We absolutely LOVE Bob Seger....always have. Will never tire of his music and neither will many, many others, as evident by his sold out performances. It's an awesome feeling to be in the midst of that many people who know and sing every word to every song.
On the sad side of things, our 10 yr. old Siberian Husky, Maya, was diagnosed with mammory cancer a couple of weeks ago. It has spread to her lungs and although she is doing fine at the moment, we know that very soon she will struggle to breathe and we will have to make that saddest of decisions for her. We are heartbroken. She at least got to experience one winter, and for this I'm thankful. She loved the snow and the cold.
For the most part, I have adjusted to our new life in Michigan. I will forever miss certain things about Florida, sunshine being number one. But I've re-discovered the beauty that only Michigan can provide, not the least of which is family. Hard to believe we've been here nearly a year already.
Nearly 10 years he remained free to roam this earth after ordering the 9-11 attacks.
Our little corner of the world has seen changes as well, just not as dramatic as those above. To our great relief, Mailia's Dad and I both have jobs now. D is working part-time for Home Depot and I am working at a farm/trucking company...quite the change from my previous offices. Neither job pays well, but we are fortunate and thankful for both.
Winter finally gave way to Spring. Very few days of sunshine, and tons of rain throughout March, April and May, but on the days that it was nice.......the area literally exploded with Spring color. Haven't seen the magnificence of Spring in many years....the greening of the trees and lawns, the daffodils and tulips and lilacs, and the smell of fresh mown grass. Even the sound of the lawnmower was heavenly. Summer is just around the corner...we made it through our first Michigan winter. There were days that I didn't think we (actually I) would.
We had a horrible ice storm in Feb. that left us without power (lights, heat, water) for four days. We hung blankets over windows and doorways and 'camped' in the living room, thanks to our generator, space heaters and melted snow. It was humbling, to say the least, to buckle to Mother Nature.
Mailia turned 11 years old in March. We didn't have money for a party, but promises were made for something special this summer. She takes everything in stride and knows that our financial situation was poor.
Basketball season finally ended and we are now a month into softball. She made the honor roll every semester this year and we are amazingly proud of her. She still has another week of school left, but I've been assured that she will make the honor roll this time too. Not to mention, she never missed a day again this year.
My sister (Sheila) and I have been to two different Bob Seger concerts this spring. We absolutely LOVE Bob Seger....always have. Will never tire of his music and neither will many, many others, as evident by his sold out performances. It's an awesome feeling to be in the midst of that many people who know and sing every word to every song.
On the sad side of things, our 10 yr. old Siberian Husky, Maya, was diagnosed with mammory cancer a couple of weeks ago. It has spread to her lungs and although she is doing fine at the moment, we know that very soon she will struggle to breathe and we will have to make that saddest of decisions for her. We are heartbroken. She at least got to experience one winter, and for this I'm thankful. She loved the snow and the cold.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
45 Days 'til Spring
And each day is going by so slowly.
The Blizzard of 2011 gave us just a glancing blow. (thank you God) Chicago, Missouri, Texas and the East Coast seem to have gotten the worst of it. We got snow and high winds and two "snow days" for Mailia, but nothing like some folks got. Mailia played in the snow for awhile yesterday, but the wind was still pretty strong, so she wasn't out long. Today the sun is shining and a lot less windy, so she and her Dad are going ice fishing. I will be staying in the house where it is warm, until Spring, probably.
Basketball season is winding down, and she continues to improve. Her team swept the tournaments last weekend, with a lot of help from her. Her coach calls her Pittsford's Michael Jordan. lol
The Blizzard of 2011 gave us just a glancing blow. (thank you God) Chicago, Missouri, Texas and the East Coast seem to have gotten the worst of it. We got snow and high winds and two "snow days" for Mailia, but nothing like some folks got. Mailia played in the snow for awhile yesterday, but the wind was still pretty strong, so she wasn't out long. Today the sun is shining and a lot less windy, so she and her Dad are going ice fishing. I will be staying in the house where it is warm, until Spring, probably.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
I Miss You, Little Brother
We miss you so very much.
Miss me a little - but not too long
And not with your head bowed low
Remember the love that we once shared
Miss me - but let me go
For this is a journey that we must all take
And each must go alone
It's all a part of the Master's plan
A step on the road to home.
(author unknown)
Friday, January 21, 2011
2011
Three weeks into the new year already.......and I'm still waiting for my New Year's wish to come true....a job. I don't think that's asking a lot. I don't need millions (but I'd take it), but it would be so nice to not have to borrow/take money from family to buy a few groceries or put gas in the car. The once a month paycheck from SS is not meant for 3 of us to live on. I literally spend hrs. each day searching the job boards, then faxing, emailing or snail-mailing our resumes. These bleak days of winter are growing ever longer.
Mailia got two 'snow' days this week, although they were actually 'ice' days. Freezing rain and freezing fog made for impassable roads. She enjoyed them to the fullest though....her Dad salted the driveway and she spent a lot of time out there 'shooting hoops' with the basketball hoop she got for Christmas.
Our Christmas was small but good. In addition to the basketball hoop, Mailia got a new red sled (she loves it), a new Wii game and a bunch of winter clothes. We had my Mom and her husband over for Christmas dinner, then went to my sister's that evening, where she presented me with a gift of an Obama Chia Pet. LOL She definitely got me with that one. Something I've always (not) wanted.
It was quite hilarious actually, and she was pretty proud of herself for coming up with the 'perfect' gift. :-)
During the Christmas break, Mailia was able to spend time with some of her cousins. She went sledding with them, and spent the night with some of them, and they in turn spent the night with her. We had a New Year's breakfast at my step-mom's house and M was able to play with even more cousins there. So all in all, Christmas was good. Different than what we're used to, but still good.
We are all busy with basketball. Practices one or two nights a week and then tournaments on the weekends. She is playing really well. Both of her coaches have told us that we have a basketball player on our hands. It's hilarious to watch the games that end with scores like 8-6, or 6-4. :-)
Other than that, we're pretty much just waiting for SPRING!! No more planting my garden in Feb., it will be more like mid-late May. But I'm so anxious to see everything come back to life. Meanwhile, I'm perusing the seed and flower catalogs in hopes of things to come. :-)
Here's a few pictures of our Christmas and winter, thus far.....and a request for prayers, good thoughts and good wishes that at least one of us finds a job soon!!
Oh, and she wanted me to write that her basketball jersey is the #48...special request of course! lol
Mailia got two 'snow' days this week, although they were actually 'ice' days. Freezing rain and freezing fog made for impassable roads. She enjoyed them to the fullest though....her Dad salted the driveway and she spent a lot of time out there 'shooting hoops' with the basketball hoop she got for Christmas.
Our Christmas was small but good. In addition to the basketball hoop, Mailia got a new red sled (she loves it), a new Wii game and a bunch of winter clothes. We had my Mom and her husband over for Christmas dinner, then went to my sister's that evening, where she presented me with a gift of an Obama Chia Pet. LOL She definitely got me with that one. Something I've always (not) wanted.
It was quite hilarious actually, and she was pretty proud of herself for coming up with the 'perfect' gift. :-)
During the Christmas break, Mailia was able to spend time with some of her cousins. She went sledding with them, and spent the night with some of them, and they in turn spent the night with her. We had a New Year's breakfast at my step-mom's house and M was able to play with even more cousins there. So all in all, Christmas was good. Different than what we're used to, but still good.
We are all busy with basketball. Practices one or two nights a week and then tournaments on the weekends. She is playing really well. Both of her coaches have told us that we have a basketball player on our hands. It's hilarious to watch the games that end with scores like 8-6, or 6-4. :-)
Other than that, we're pretty much just waiting for SPRING!! No more planting my garden in Feb., it will be more like mid-late May. But I'm so anxious to see everything come back to life. Meanwhile, I'm perusing the seed and flower catalogs in hopes of things to come. :-)
Here's a few pictures of our Christmas and winter, thus far.....and a request for prayers, good thoughts and good wishes that at least one of us finds a job soon!!
Oh, and she wanted me to write that her basketball jersey is the #48...special request of course! lol
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