Family Is Forever

Gotcha Day X5

2011-10-29T14:38:00.000-04:00

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!

Memorial Weekend

2011-05-29T07:46:00.000-04:00

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.

45 Days 'til Spring

2011-02-03T11:45:00.000-05:00

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

I Miss You, Little Brother

2011-01-23T07:04:00.000-05:00

One year in heaven.... Jan. 23, 2010

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)

2011

2011-01-21T09:12:00.000-05:00

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

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-22T20:44:00.000-05:00

How did it get to be Christmas already?   Only 3 days and it will all be over.....again.   I love the season, I love the spirit of Christmas, but it also makes me sad and blue.

We're having a 'white' Christmas this year. Don't think there was ever any doubt about that. It hasn't been bad yet....but it's only the 2nd day of winter.   January and February are looming.   What snow we've had so far has been beautiful. And as long as I don't have to drive in it, I'm good looking at it thru the window. Mailia on the other hand loves it.   She doesn't seem to ever get cold, and still tries to sneak out of the house with just a T-shirt and jeans, instead of long-sleeves or a sweatshirt. She went ice-fishing with her Dad today and caught 8 fish. They're going out again tomorrow.
I love this picture of her with her Ron Jon boogie board in the snow.   lol    Santa is bringing her a sled, but in the meantime she made do with what she had. She said the boogie board was "ok", but the skim board is "lightning fast".
She joined the 4th grade girls basketball team and is doing really well. Plus she loves it. So now we spend one night a week at karate, two nights a week at b-ball practice, and then b-ball games every Sat. starting in Jan.   She wears us out, but we're all enjoying it. Santa is also bringing her a basketball hoop which will cause shrieks of joy!   We got a letter in the mail today from the school saying that Mailia has been selected as student of the month. Another proud mommy moment.

Otherwise not a whole lot going on up here. I lost my job b/4 Thanksgiving when the trucking co. I worked for went under. I'm desperately searching for another job, but like just about everywhere, jobs are few and far between. I worry that Jan. and Feb. will be even more depressing if I don't get out of this house and do something.
I miss Florida. I miss the sunshine. I miss going to the grocery store in my capris and a t-shirt. I'm going to miss planting my garden in Feb. I'm seriously going to miss the Daytona 500. I miss our house. I really think we made a mistake moving back. We both wanted to be close to family, but because we live about 35 miles from the nearest family members, we rarely see them. Not at all what I was expecting. It's actually quite depressing. No family get-together for Christmas this year, so I don't expect to see anyone except my mom.
Oh well, just kinda feeling sorry for myself I guess. I'll stop complaining now and post a few pictures.   I'll be ok when spring rolls around and life is new again. I'll miss the smell of orange blossoms, but so looking forward to the smell of my lilacs.

Oh yeah, I miss walking my dogs in my shorts and flip-flops. Takes me 20 min. to put on enough clothes to go out and walk them now. But it's so quiet and still when we go after dark that I always enjoy those walks, regardless of the weather.

Hoping you all have a VERY Merry Christmas, and a Happy and Healthy New Year!

AND.........DID I MENTION???????

2010-12-03T13:53:00.000-05:00

JIMMIE JOHNSON WINS HIS 5TH NASCAR CHAMPIONSHIP!!!

Pictures!

2010-12-03T13:51:00.000-05:00

Hello from Blogger-land!

2010-12-03T13:05:00.000-05:00

Wow! Where did the last 3 months go?!   I've got lots of catching up to do. Seems facebooking is quicker and easier than blogging. But for those who don't facebook, I'll try to update a little more often.

When I left off, Mailia was just starting 4th grade. A lot has happened since then. She loves her new school, new friends, and riding the bus. She joined a karate class and is enjoying that very much.

In late Sept. I travelled to England to visit my sister, Cindy. What an awesome time we had. We visited York, which is a city established by the Romans in the 8th century. It was breathtaking. We also visited the home and burial place of the famous Bronte sisters, Emily, Charlotte and Anne, where Wuthering Hts. and Jane Eyre, among other famous books, were written. I love, love, love old history. We visited pubs, ate fish and chips and Yorkshire pudding and took tons of pictures. I was there for 9 days, but it was gone in a flash. Hoping to go back in the spring or early summer.

October was warm and beautiful. Went for walks and drives just to view and photograph nature at her best. I've missed the fall colors.

I started a new job when I returned from England, but sadly, it ended just 6 weeks later. The owner couldn't keep the place open in our present economy. I'm looking for work again.
Mailia was an astronaut for Halloween. It was a deal we made last spring when we went to Kennedy Space Center and she wanted that astronaut suit SO badly. Fortunately it still fit. She went trick-or-treating twice....once at the lake where Aunt Sheila and Uncle Ron live. We all rode in a little hay wagon around the lake, while she jumped off and on for the goodies. She scored HUGE both nights.

We also rode a zipline this fall, at one of several visits to local apple orchards and pumpkin farms. We even talked my 76 yr. old mom to try it...she did and she loved it!   Mom, Mailia and I did a corn maze too. Will probably not ever do that again. lol

In late Oct. we went to Greenfield Village & Henry Ford Museum. I hadn't been there since I was a kid, so I enjoyed it all and Mailia was totally fascinated by everything. We rode in a Model-T Ford, and visited the garage where the first Ford was built, the lab where Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, and the Wright brothers cycle shop.

November was relatively quiet...the weather turned cold, the beautiful leaves were gone and it was time to stay mostly indoors. Mailia joined the girls basketball team at school. Her first game is tomorrow. She made the honor roll for first semester with ALL A's. The school had a nice ceremony to honor all those who made either all A's or A's and B's.    Mailia and I went to get flu shots....Mailia was out of sorts the next day, but never missed any school. I, however, was down for nearly a week. Never had a reaction to a flu shot before.
We celebrated Thanksgiving twice!   Wonderful food and good times with family. The day after, we put up our 'fake' Christmas tree, and hope to get our 'real' one this weekend.    Dec. 1st came and gave us our first measurable snowfall. It wasn't a lot, barely an inch, but it was enough for Mailia to make snow angels and try out her snowboard she bought at a yard sale this summer. She can't wait for the really deep snow to go sledding and ice fishing.
I think that brings us fairly current. I'll post some pictures of the above events.

First Day of 4th Grade

2010-09-11T16:46:00.000-04:00

School finally started here this past Tues., day after Labor Day. Mailia was sooo ready. She loves her new school, has made many friends already, and the bus picks her up and drops her off right at the end of our driveway. Couldn't be much nicer for a parent.

Fall is definitely around the corner. The 80s and 90s are gone. Most days are low-mid 70s falling to the upper 40s at night. Just a few leaves starting to turn.

I start a new job on Monday. Am anxious to get back to work. And with Christmas coming, the timing couldn't be better.

We're still settling in here. But the stacks of boxes are gradually dwindling. Still doesn't feel like 'home' tho. I'm thinking it might take a year of 'firsts' before it becomes 'home'. Still half expect to find Darrell's mom sitting in the living room.

So many things I miss about Florida, but then there were so many things I missed about Michigan when we were IN Florida. NOT looking forward to the long, cold winter, but the glorious fall leaves and the rebirth of nature's best in the spring, will make that one season seem worth it. I'm looking forward to planting some tulip and daffodil bulbs this fall that we will get to enjoy next spring. And the lilacs in May. Yes, I'll be counting the days until spring.

New GM (gov't motors) Car

2010-09-09T14:33:00.000-04:00

Public Service Announcement!!!

2010-09-05T14:36:00.001-04:00

(borrowed from a friend)

Information about Gonorrhea Lectim:

The Center for Disease Control has issued a warning about a new virulent strain of this old disease. The disease is called Gonorrhea Lectim. It's pronounced "Gonna re-elect 'em," and it is a terrible obamanation.

The disease is contracted through dangerous and high risk behavior involving putting your cranium up your rectum. Many victims contracted it in 2008...but now most people, after having been infected for the past 1-2 years, are starting to realize how destructive this sickness is.

It's sad because Gonorrhea Lectim is easily cured with a new drug just coming on the market called Votemout. You take the first dose in 2010 and the second dose in 2012 and simply don't engage in such behavior again; otherwise, it could become
permanent and eventually wipe out all life as we know it.

Please pass this important message on to all those bright folks you really care about.

Summer Continues

2010-07-26T00:31:00.004-04:00

Let me get my complainin' outta the way first.......It is SO FREAKIN' HOT!!! Window air conditioners can only do so much. And it's not cutting it. Feels just like Florida summers, but at least there we stayed indoors in the a/c and didn't notice the heat so much. I am SO looking forward to fall, although dreading what comes after :-/

I have so much I'd like to do in this 'new' house, but way too hot to attempt anything right now. Darrell, however, has spent most of the last week in our flooded basement. We had some heavy rains over the past few days and at it's worst we had 4" of standing water in the basement. There is no sump pump down there and not even a drain. Darrell bought a pump, then he and Mailia spent hrs. and hrs. down there trying to suck up what they could with the shop-vacs. Darrell has found a couple of leak sources and repaired them. So hoping there aren't more.

Took Mailia to check out her new school this week. She liked it all except the uniform policy. It is much, much stricter than her school in Kissimmee. But overall she came away with a good feeling and we immediately headed out to start shopping for school supplies. She's excited about going back to school now, but school here doesn't start until Sept. 7th. About 3 weeks later than Florida.

We spent another day last weekend on the water with my sister and brother-in-law. Applied sunscreen liberally! We finally got our own boat running and hope to get it in the water maybe tomorrow. After all the work on the basement this week, Darrell wanted a down day...so today was it.

We took Mailia to our local drive-in movie theater last night. She thought that was the coolest thing ever! We took our own popcorn and stopped at the local rootbeer stand for a gallon of the good stuff. We saw Toy Story 3 and Despicable Me and Mailia laughed through both of them. She can't wait til we go again.

It's not Daytona (not even close) but Michigan Int'l Speedway is only about 40 min. away from us. So guess where we'll be on Aug. 15th? :-)

Will try to post an assortment of pictures. We had 2 fawns in the backyard this evening and I was able to get some pretty good pictures of them before Mailia opened and slammed the backdoor. :-/

Mailia is fascinated by the Amish, as we see them in stores and on the roads. I took a picture of one of their horse and buggies parked next to us at the boat launch site last weekend. None of them were in the water, so I guess they just came down to watch the boats.

And my newest niece was born this past Mon. Dannica Lynn arrived weighing 10# 2 oz.!!!

Do you have the Obama Countdown Widget?

2010-07-20T05:25:00.000-04:00

Do you have the Obama Countdown Widget?

4th of July Weekend

2010-07-05T07:12:00.003-04:00

We had a great holiday weekend. Lots of water and sun. And no sharks or jelly fish or even gators to look out for. lol
Mailia went tubing for the first time and LOVED it. I see skis and wakeboards and kneeboards in our future.
Saturday was very relaxing with a bbq and paddle boat rides. Sunday was tubing day, accompanied by sunburn (me). But it was all worth it.
Spending time with family and making memories is priceless.
Today, Monday, is a day of rest. We're staying home. I think.

A Final Win for the 3

2010-07-03T08:57:00.002-04:00

Wish I'd been at Daytona last night.
Jr. took the #3 to Victory Lane for his Dad... the very place that his Dad lost his life in the #3. A fitting tribute and emotional ending to one of Nascar's greatest, from Nascar's most popular.

Wish I could be at Daytona today too.
Love, love, love restrictor plate racing.
Love and miss the sights, the sounds, the smells of Daytona Int'l. Speedway.
All the best to the 24, 48, 88 and 5.

Sweet Sixteen

2010-07-01T09:16:00.003-04:00

My oldest "little girls" are sixteen years old today. Andi and Kinker.
I found them abandoned on the side of a road back in the summer of 1994. They were maybe 4-5 weeks old, hungry and nearly emaciated. Someone had cut their whiskers off and Kinker's tail was broken.

They are both still very active and almost 'kittenish' at times. I love these little girls. We'll celebrate with tuna fish later today. lol

The Long Road Home

2010-06-30T06:28:00.002-04:00

We have finally arrived in the Great Lakes State. The land of pine trees and corn fields and apple orchards, as well as frigid winters, the highest unemployment rate in the country, and Amish horse and buggies on the back roads. I remember it all, but after nearly 20 years away........culture shock is an understatement.

We left Florida late on a Sat. night, leaving most everything we own locked in a trailer in the driveway, but the most important 'things' were packed tightly and securely into the vehicles...our 6 cats, 2 dogs and the five of us. Your travel prayers went with us and we were very grateful. A normally 18 hr. drive turned into a 24 hr. road trip filled with many, many stops for potty breaks and dog walks.

We arrived late on Sun. night and then woke on Mon. morning to our new world. Hot and humid with NO central air. We took a trek around the property, investigated each room's nooks and crannies and then started work. The trailer with our things would not arrive until the weekend, but every room including the garage and basement still contained all of my mother-in-law's things. The sorting began.......keep, sell, donate, pitch. It took all week and we're still not finished today.

The carpet in EVERY room was all circa 1960 and I knew I could not live with it for long. We pulled back a corner of it and discovered gorgeous hardwood floors. So we began tackling the carpet removal as the sorting continued, with temps near 90 and 3-4 fans blowing hot air around in each room.

The trailer arrived on Fri. and on Sat. family arrived in droves and worked until it was all unloaded. All those nooks and crannies we had just cleared were soon filled up again, this time with our things. Boxes upon boxes, bins upon bins were everywhere, and they still are, but there are fewer of them each day.

I now know that this is where I will die one day, because I don't EVER want to go through this moving process again. It has however made me realize how much 'stuff' we had that we don't need.

What happens from here is anybody's guess. Still so much to do........scraping wallpaper, painting, some remodeling.......but we need to find jobs too. I'm not too worried about it tho, the good Lord brought us here so I'm guessing He has a plan.

Mailia loves it here. She loves her room, the freedom to be outside to roam, and the many, many cousins to play with. Darrell is exhausted and although he doesn't say it, I think he is missing his mom quite a bit. I too find it a little difficult at times, as I keep thinking she'll walk into a room any minute now. It doesn't feel like 'our' house yet, and I sometimes wonder if it ever will.

The 90 degree temps gave way to 70's yesterday and today and it is WONDERFUL. We found a window ac unit in a closet and then 'inherited' 2 more just yesterday. So when the 90s come back this weekend, we will be a little more comfortable.

I'll close this time with a few pictures from the move as well as our old and new houses. I miss many, many things already, and the list will probably only grow. But family is here. We can drive to each other's houses in 30 min. or less, and when we say good-bye it's so nice to know it won't be another year or so until we see each other again. Time will take care of the rest.

*************************************************************************************
Well blogger seems to be having issues with photos so I'll have to try to load those later. It's time to get back to work. We had the internet, our new phones and satellite tv all hooked up yesterday. It's so nice to be in touch with the world again.

Sports Award

2010-06-10T09:08:00.003-04:00

We were invited to Sports Awards night, so we had a good idea she would win something.
She won the first place trophy for most miles ran by a 3rd grader.
64 Miles!
Those 7:30 am runs really paid off, along with the Smile Mile and the 5Ks.
Her coach is very proud of her (as are we) and is going to miss her on the team this fall.
Today is the last day of school. I'll be going over to pick up her records this afternoon. Still feels so unreal. But the moving truck will be here in just 6 short days.
Hoping God will sustain me.......I'm going through the motions in a fog.

And Life Goes On......

2010-05-26T09:27:00.002-04:00

...but not without changes. Our lives were forever changed with the death of Grandma Hauer. Little did we know how much. But here we are just two months later and making a major life change.

We are moving home to Michigan.

It's hard to put into words how I feel about this, because my feelings change by the hour. But there is just no looking back now. The moving truck will be here in just 3 short weeks.

Many stars aligned so perfectly that we could not look away. A plan and a path presented itself and while it took me much longer than some to realize it, I eventually came to a similar conclusion.......this was meant to be.

And so it will be.

Much work to be done here before we go, so this may be my last post for awhile.

I would love your prayers for safe travel, as well as encouragement as we face our new lives.

Next post from Michigan, where Grandma Hauer's house will be our new home. Thankfully it is summer. The weather will be just one issue that we will have to adjust to.

Signing off from Florida..........

PS.......Yes, we visited Kennedy Space Center last weekend. :-) One place I wanted Mailia to see before we leave.

Grandma Hauer

2010-03-29T11:08:00.003-04:00

Mailia's Grandma Hauer passed away suddenly, yesterday. What a special woman she was.
She was 86 years old and had gotten up and drove herself to church for Palm Sunday. She suffered a heart attack shortly after arriving at church and passed yesterday afternoon about 4:45.

Our hearts are broken once again.

Darrell and Mailia had plane tickets for this coming weekend......they were going up to spend Easter with Grandma Hauer, and they were all counting the days.

Darrell did not get there in time to see his mom one more time. This is the most heartbreaking for me.
But he and I are very thankful that Mailia got to spend good quality time with Grandma Hauer at Christmas. And I'm equally thankful that I snapped this picture while there.

We will miss you Grandma Hauer. But we know that you are with Grandpa Hauer now, and I know that's something you've looked forward to for a long time. We will see you again.
All our Love,
Darrell, Shirley and Mailia

Just for Fun

2010-03-13T11:47:00.002-05:00

Birthdays #7, #8, #9, and #10.

The Birthday Girl

2010-03-08T07:45:00.003-05:00

Ten years old today. Where did the time go? She was just six when she became our daughter.

She had a nice birthday week-end. We drove up and spent the day in St. Augustine on Sat., and then celebrated her birthday yesterday with cake and ice cream and presents.

Today it's cupcakes for her classmates.

Sure wish time would slow down. I'm going back now to look at pictures from her first (7th) birthday with us.

Happy Birthday Mailia!!!

Does this mean??????

2010-02-23T12:55:00.002-05:00

More and more these mornings are happening..........Mailia came out of her bedroom this morning with huge tears in her eyes and then just stood in the middle of the floor looking at me. I thought something was seriously wrong, so when I said "Mailia, what's wrong?" she told me through her sobs that "my shirt is too small".

That's it?!?!?!?!? (of course I didn't say that) but are you kidding me?

It's a uniform shirt.......one of many she has. Shouldn't be a big deal right?

Lord have mercy..........could this mean what I think it means????????

I am sooooooo not ready!!!

#48 wins race #48

2010-02-23T11:47:00.002-05:00

There's a lot of talk these days about folks being tired of watching Jimmie win.
That's not an issue at our house (lol) but I can understand some of the critics.

However, after reading some of the commenting on Nascar.com I believe the critics should understand that Jimmie is only doing what he's supposed to be doing.....winning races.

He doesn't cheat...his car passes inspection every week. He gets lucky sometimes (like this past weekend) but he's the first to say so. Luck is a HUGE part of the sport. And winning is not his fault (it's not a fault at all) but it IS the fault of the other cars, drivers and teams. They can all change the outcomes of these races, if they work hard enough, employ the right people, and luck falls their way.
So don't hate Jimmie because he's beautiful, oops I mean a winner. Acknowledge that for the moment (actually the last 4 years) he has the best team, the best car and the best of luck.

(and yes, he's gorgeous too) lol

Last Cross Country Meet

2010-02-16T09:34:00.004-05:00

The Smile Mile this past weekend, concluded the cross country season.
She finished at 8 min, 32 sec, her personal best for the mile. It was 41 cold and windy degrees that morning, but she was determined to wear shorts since sweats would slow her down. Besides, she is never cold. She will miss running. Three days a week, since the start of the school year, they meet and run at 7:30 am, rain or shine or cold.
Now the Girl Scout cookies have arrived, so we'll be sitting at booths this weekend selling cookies. No school on Fri., it's Rodeo Day at the county fair. We won't be attending the rodeo, but she is anxiously looking forward to the fair.
We haven't heard yet whether she'll win a trophy for running this year. They won't have the awards ceremony until just before the end of the school year. But she's hoping she'll win one. I think her chances are good since, in addition to a few school-sponsored meets, and the Smile Mile, she also ran a 5k and a 5.2k.
Not really sure why, but two of the Tampa Bay Buccaneer cheerleaders were at the Smile Mile, so M. wanted her picture taken with them.

Trying to Move On

2010-02-04T14:30:00.002-05:00

I have got to move past this 'funk' I've been in since Rick passed. Words like fog, daze, zombie, surreal, all describe my world the past couple of weeks.
But thanks to time, family, friends, prayers and sheer will, I am feeling a little better each day. I have my moments, but at least it's not hours now.

So the timing of the 2010 Nascar Racing season couldn't be better. Just 10 days away now from the start of the Daytona 500. And just what is a picture of Tony Stewart's car doing on my blog???? We are a Hendrick Motorsports family............Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Jr. and Mark Martin.

Tony Stewart was my brother's favorite driver. And I made a promise at Rick's funeral that I would cheer for Tony this year. Doesn't mean I won't also cheer for my Hendrick boys, but it won't be that hard to be a Tony fan either. Tony is a good guy and a great driver/team owner. He is colorful and passionate about what he does and generally makes every race interesting...especially with his commentary afterwards. So, Tony and Hendrick it is this year.
May the best man win! I love you Rick!

In Memory of Rick

2010-01-23T22:00:00.002-05:00

My brother Rick lost his battle with lung cancer this morning. My heart is breaking. I don't have words to express this sorrow.

My only comfort is knowing he is in heaven now.....no more coughing and struggling for each breath, no more pain and worry and fear. He is home, where he'll be waiting for the rest of us to join him one day.

Be at Peace, Rick. I will see you again. Until then, I'll miss you so much. I love you Rick. See you soon.

Thank You Massachusetts!

2010-01-20T10:27:00.003-05:00

Now we really have HOPE with CHANGE we can all believe in. The change that Obama has brought about has not benefited anyone I know.

His presidency so far has been one of broken campaign promises (transparency), granting rights to terrorists, bribery, shady back-door deals and spending our money and our childrens' money like it was water.

The Obama-Pelosi-Reid regime has finally hit a brick wall. Their arrogance has finally met it's consequence. The people say ENOUGH!

Thank You Massachusetts voters! The relief felt around the country today is HUGE!

Christmas and trip to Michigan Pix

2010-01-07T18:06:00.004-05:00

New Year Update

2010-01-07T15:10:00.002-05:00

After a rather last minute decision, Mailia and I flew to Michigan on the 27th of Dec. to spend time with family, and most importantly, for me to spend time with my brother. That afternoon we had a family gathering at a sister's house that included all 9 of my siblings. Yup, there's 10 of us. Rick was there with the aid of his oxygen machine (and his wife) and tho he seemed to enjoy himself, he was very clearly exhausted from struggling to breathe. He stayed as long as he could, many pictures were taken, and we all seemed to realize that getting all 10 of us together may never happen again. The next night Rick was admitted to the hospital via the ER. His bad lung is now non-functioning, and the good one had pneumonia.

He was released from the hospital on New Year's Eve with antibiotics, steroids and morphine. Hospice was discussed, but they have not been called in yet.

On New Year's Day we drew the winning name for our quilt raffle. The winner was Sharon Covart of Jacksonville, FL. I don't know Sharon, but I think she is a friend of a friend. Anyway, she had donated to the raffle via Paypal, so I went back to my paypal account to find her address so we could mail the quilt. Not only did I find her address, but I found this note, in regards to her donation:

"If I am lucky enough to win this beautiful quilt, I would like your family to keep it!! I am praying for you all and God Bless you!!"

She has no idea what a blessing that was. There was no question at that point what we would do with the quilt. We drove to Rick's house and presented that beautiful quilt to him, along with Sharon's message. What an emotional and poignant moment that was. One I will remember forever. Although Rick has not spoken the words, we all know that there is just no way he'll be able to take his dream trip to Brazil. But he knows how hard we tried and he is overwhelmed by our efforts. I wish to thank each of every one of you who helped us in our endeavour.

I would also ask that you keep Rick in your thoughts and prayers. His daughter was to be married in June of this year, but due to his declining health, moved the wedding up to the end of this month. He and we are hoping and praying that he will be well enough to attend. He very much wants to 'walk' his daughter down the aisle.

Mailia had a wonderful time that week. She has been wishing to play in the snow for 3 years now. Well she got her wish. She made snow angels, went sledding, tobogganing, 4-wheeling and ice fishing and even got to finally make a snowman. She so wants to move to Michigan. She played with cousins, had sleep-overs with cousins as well as a night spent with Grandma H.
And due to our record breaking cold here in Florida the past couple of weeks, we might as well move to Michigan. Yesterday morning it was 27 degrees at home, 33 degrees here.

I'll post some pictures a little later.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-18T10:04:00.006-05:00

This is quite possible my last post of 2009. Just wanted to send my friends and family our wish for a Merry Christmas. My family's hearts are heavy this year as my brother Rick, battling lung cancer, has been given just months. We were able to raise enough money for his dream trip to Brazil, but not certain he'll be able to go now. We are praying for a Christmas miracle and would appreciate your prayers as well.

Mailia and I will be traveling 'home' to Michigan (aka the frozen tundra) to spend time with family, and especially Rick. Mailia is truly hoping for some of the white stuff...me, not so much.

May you and yours have a blessed Christmas holiday!

No words needed....lol

2009-11-23T15:18:00.002-05:00

History was made tonight.....

2009-11-22T20:56:00.004-05:00

Jimmie Johnson won his 4th consecutive Nascar Championship. Has never been done before in the 61 year history of Nascar.

And Hendrick Motorsports finished the year with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place points finishers. Total domination of the sport this year.

Now we have to wait til mid-Feb. to see our favorite drivers again. Hoping to be trackside at the Daytona 500.

Mailia is of course on top of the world about her Jimmie. She's been wearing one of his t-shirts all day and flaunting his victory in our faces. lol
Congratulations Jimmie and the entire 48 team!

Quilt Raffle Update

2009-11-20T09:18:00.002-05:00

The quilt is finished and it is BEAUTIFUL!

If interested in winning this heirloom quality quilt, please click on the chip-in on the right side of this page..."My Brother's Wish".

My brother has stage IV lung cancer and this is his family's way of trying to raise funds in order to allow him and his wife to take a mini-vacation together, while they still can.

More information can be found at our quilt raffle site: http://ourfamilyquiltraffle.blogspot.com/

Suggested donation for the raffle is $5 per entry or five entries for $20.

And again, if you cannot donate monetarily, we welcome your prayers.

Thanks so much!

Her First 5K

2009-11-15T18:50:00.003-05:00

When she first brought home the registration form for this 5K, I initially said "Oh Mailia, I don't think so". My concern was that she wouldn't be able to finish. She, of course, was sure she could. So I told her I would talk to her coach and see what he thought.
He convinced me that she could do it. He said that she wouldn't finish near the front, but she wouldn't be in the back either. He thought she would probably finish around the 35 minute area.
I don't know what "place" she finished, but she finished with a 29:39. Her coach was stunned! There were over 1500 people running this morning and she finished somewhere in the top 1/3.
We are soooo proud of her, her coach is proud, and I think she was pretty proud of herself.

Pictures are before the run, during the run, and then after with her very pleased coach.

My Brother's Wish

2009-11-11T09:03:00.002-05:00

I have added a chip-in here in order to hopefully raise enough funds to allow my brother and his wife to take a mini-vacation to some place warm this winter. My brother has stage IV lung cancer so a trip like this will not be possible in the near future. We are hoping to make it possible through donations. We are truly grateful for any help you can lend, whether it be financial or in the form of prayers.
Thank you and God Bless!

The Quilt

2009-11-09T15:15:00.003-05:00

http://ourfamilyquiltraffle.blogspot.com/

Wow! Apparently I've been running an illegal gambling operation. I received a notice from PP threatening to close my account, because I referenced them and Chip-In for the quilt 'ra**le.
I was informed that ra**ling is a form of gambling and is not legal. I sent an email to my adoption yahoo groups alerting them to this policy since ra**fling has been a popular way to raise funds for adoption costs. You should have heard/seen the uproar that has caused.

Anyway, I have removed the chip-in as well as all references to PP. I have also removed anything that mentions a ra**fle.

We will still be awarding the quilt to one lucky winner, but the entry process has changed. It will now be through DONATIONS but we must express that anyone wishing to enter our contest is NOT required to Donate! A simple comment or email is all that's necessary.

So, anyone wishing to enter our quilt event please either leave a comment here on the blog, or email me at hauer7@earthlink.net and I will provide more details.

I'm sorry for any inconvenience this causes.

Halloween 2009 aka Jack Sparrow

2009-10-31T21:25:00.003-04:00

And then she was mine......

2009-10-29T17:50:00.003-04:00

Five o'clock came and went........we got word that they were still at another hotel where more little kids were meeting their new parents. Didn't know until much later (days) that Mailia's friend Sara was one of those kids. I knew Sara's parents from the orphanage yahoo group, but we had never met. Days later, while in Guangzhou, our final stop in China, we all met in person quite by accident while our girls were getting their medical exams. Coincidence? I think not. lol We remain friends to this day.

Anyway, the minutes and hours dragged by and then FINALLY we were called and told to wait down in the elevator lobby. Even then we waited and got to watch another family receive their little girl first. And then time stood still...........I watched the elevator lights as it made it's way up to our floor........the door finally opened and out stepped my daughter.

Her first word was "Mama" and her next words were "where's Baba?" (daddy) Daddy was waiting at home but we called and talked to him very soon afterwards.

We had about 20 minutes to ask all those questions I had prepared, and then the orphanage rep. and our Chinese speaking guide both left. This little girl who didn't speak a word of English was suddenly left with total strangers. Silent tears ran down her cheeks for a minute or two while I tried to hold her and comfort her the best I could. My heart was breaking for her and I was scared to death that I would not be the mom she deserved. But........

Within about 30 minutes this kid was laughing, giggling, jumping on the bed, eating snacks we'd brought, trying on new clothes I'd brought, and on and on and on. None of us were able to sleep for hours that night. We were all on a huge, huge high.....running on adrenalin.

I could write about the rest of our trip for hours, but I won't. It's just been an awesome trip down memory lane today. I remember all the feelings and emotions like it was yesterday, instead of three years.

Thanks for going along with me for the ride. LOL

I'm posting a few pictures here too:

One when she stepped off the elevator and then one taken today, 3 yrs later, in the same outfit.

Then one in the little red, white and blue dress she wore home to the USA, and then one today, 3 yrs. later in the same dress.

TOO FUNNY!!!!

3 years ago 10-29-06

2009-10-29T08:50:00.002-04:00

Three years ago today, I woke up in Beijing on what would be the day I became a mom. The sight-seeing behind us, I was now scared, apprehensive, nervous, you name it. Would my daughter hate me? Would I really be a good mom? What have I done?!?!?!? Thoughts of what might be going through Mailia's mind on this day also kept running thru my thoughts. Is she scared? Is she nervous? Does she realize that after today she will leave all she's ever known? Is she heartbroken or is she anxious? Does she wonder why she has no say in all this?

My friend (and travel companion) Audra and I spent the 3 hr. flight to Nanchang making a list of questions to ask the orphanage representative who would bring my daughter to our hotel that night. My one and only chance to learn as much as possible about my daughter-to-be.
I wish I'd kept that list, but I remember some of the obvious questions:

Did she know I was coming for her?
Is she happy or sad about that?
What is her personality like?
What foods does she like/dislike?
Eating habits, sleeping habits, potty habits, etc. etc. etc.

It was a fairly long list but like I said...it was my only chance to ask about the first six years of my child's life. As I learned, very quickly, there was just no possible way to ask all the questions that would come up from that day forward.

We got settled into our hotel in Nanchang and began the wait. Word came that she would arrive around 5:00pm. It was only noon. I tried to eat, but my stomach was in knots. Tried to take a nap....not possible.
So we walked. And walked. And kept checking the time. It was going soooo slow, no wait!, it's going so fast. What was I thinking???? There's still time to change my mind. OMG when will she EVER get here?!?!?!?!?

Three Years Ago..........

2009-10-28T09:23:00.004-04:00

Three years ago this week, we were tourists in Beijing.
I was not yet a mom. But oh how my life was about to change.

Cross Country

2009-10-26T20:55:00.004-04:00

Her school hosted a neighboring school for a one mile run. She finished 11th and her best friend (since K'garten) Allan finished 12th. Guess you know he took some grief for that. lol

Mailia's "Jimmie"

2009-10-20T08:54:00.003-04:00

Once again "her Jimmie" is on his way to the Championship. And just like the past 3 years, he is on top of the leader board. We all have our favorite drivers, and fortunately they all drive for the same team......Hendrick Motorsports, so if our own favorite is not faring well in a particular race, we ALL cheer for Jimmie. Jimmie Johnson #48. Mailia LOVES Jimmie and the 48 car. She doesn't sit and watch an entire race, but will check in periodically to see where the 48 is. When the closing laps are near she stands in front of the tv and screams and cheers him to victory. And it works most of the time. :-)
Nascar fans around the country have been complaining that the racing has become 'boring' because Jimmie wins all the time. No such complaining in this house! Five races down and just five more to go..........will Jimmie win his 4th consecutive Championship? At least one of us hopes so. LOL

Petting Farm

2009-10-19T07:05:00.002-04:00

We finally got some cooler weather, so we headed out yesterday to a local petting farm. She had a blast. She chased and caught chickens and ducks, held baby ones, milked a cow, rode a pony. The day finished with a hay ride and a pumpkin patch. She was the most fascinated by the tractors and wished she could drive one. :-) Very nice day.

Just practice

2009-09-26T09:39:00.002-04:00

This is what 'my little girl' chose to be for Halloween this year....Cap't Jack Sparrow. (sigh)
We started searching for the costume early, fortunately, since it was hard to find her size. But we finally found one and she loves trying it on and practicing her "ahoy maties". :-)

She joined the running club again this year. First meet was yesterday morning. And then she was called out of class later and awarded "student of the month". She brought home a progress report yesterday and once again it was all A's and B's.

Yeah, she's our tomboy....but we are so proud of her!

Remember

2009-09-11T08:38:00.002-04:00

Much better!

2009-08-30T12:39:00.002-04:00

Today's skateboard attire.

Words can't express.....

2009-08-30T11:35:00.003-04:00

This is how I found her in the kitchen yesterday, making a sandwich. My first reaction was "omg, you weren't outside like that, were you?!". Of course she says "yeah mom, I was skateboarding". After my initial horror wore off, I learned that the helmet was hot, but wet washcloths help. sigh.......

Ted Kennedy

2009-08-30T09:19:00.003-04:00

I didn't agree with Ted Kennedy's politics most of the time, but acknowledge the good things he did do. I didn't approve of his lifestyle most of the time, but acknowledge that he had turned his life around. Listening to his sons and his nieces and nephews the past few days has given me new respect for Ted Kennedy the family man.
While watching a lot of the coverage of his funeral yesterday, I kept asking myself "why". I couldn't seem to stay away from the tv or computer screen. The only answer I could come up with was that being a child of the '60s, the Kennedy legacy is instilled in me forever. The images of the family during their greatest tragedies are forever burned on my brain. I think the elaborate funeral was a little (ok a lot) over the top for a senator. But it was befitting a Kennedy. Poignant and comforting to know that the brothers are together again, at last. May they all rest in peace.

Night Launch

2009-08-29T00:42:00.002-04:00

It was a SPECTACULAR night launch of space shuttle Discovery. Quite possibly the last night launch. Will be sad to see the shuttle program end.
Mailia and I stayed up to watch this one. Liftoff at 11:59 pm. Not quite the view as this picture, but still spectacular.

First Day of 3rd Grade

2009-08-24T08:40:00.003-04:00

Well, she was right! She couldn't sleep. lol She's been up since 5:30. Could not wait to put on her new clothes and GO! I bet she sleeps tonight. lol

All Ready for 3rd Grade

2009-08-23T22:32:00.003-04:00

I just don't remember ever being this excited for school to start. She had her clothes laid out about 6:00 tonight, got her shower out of the way, and then came to tell us when it was 9:00 and time to go to bed. She was giddy with excitement all day. Her only concern was that she was so excited she might not be able to sleep. lol
She's riding the bus for the first time this year and she is also super excited about that. I know it will all wear off, probably sooner than later, but it makes me happy to witness her excitement.
Here's to a great year Mailia!
Love, Mom

Just 6 more days....

2009-08-18T13:55:00.004-04:00

I think I can make it now. lol

Took her to the park today to wear off some of her energy. The playground equipment and the splash pad were not enough, however. She also took her heelys, her skateboard, her in-line skates and then decided to climb a tree after that.

If only I had an ounce of that energy.

There was a wonderful breeze coming off the lake (compliments of TS Ana) and lots of big shade trees, so it was a nice quiet respite for me. Ahhhhh.

Two Weeks Until School Starts

2009-08-08T10:49:00.002-04:00

Hope I can hold on that long. lol It's been a long, hot, 24/7 summer.
I sooooooooo need adult conversation. lol

Girls Day Out

2009-07-21T14:34:00.004-04:00

Took Mailia to see UP 3D this morning.
We'd both been wanting to see it all summer. What a cute movie. Haven't been to a theater in a long time, but wanted to see it in 3D. It was cute, it was sad at times, and SQUIRREL!!! it was funny! lol
We went to see it out at Downtown Disney and we were the only 2 people in the theater! Must be the tourists don't get up very early, or they go in the evenings. We went to the 10:30 am showing because it was cheaper.
Now we're looking forward to see Ice Age:Dawn of the Dinosaurs in 3D.
After the movie we went to Starbucks for an iced mocha latte (me) and a strawberry/banana smoothie (M). Thanks Aunt Linda!
Made for a nice and fairly inexpensive girls day out.

Now this is CREEPY!

2009-07-17T21:07:00.002-04:00

Stepped outside the back door tonight to take a picture of our pond that reappears after our summer rains.
Nearly stepped on this perfectly intact snake skin. He (or she) had to have JUST slithered out of it, as I had been out there maybe an hr. earlier to bring a cat in. Took all the courage/guts whatever I had to pick it up, but felt like I had to measure him.
lol Darrell says it's a black racer or a king snake. Either way, it's from a snake that is harmless, unless you're a lizard or a frog or some such.
Still gives me the willys though, just looking at the pictures. He measured 51" long. M. would have screamed and had nightmares and and then vowed to never to go outdoors again...........but I didn't let her know I found it. I'm thinking of sending it to a nephew that I know would think it's the coolest thing ever. LOL

Cousins

2009-07-09T13:01:00.004-04:00

Two days at the beach, two days at home in the pool, and two days at Universal Studios.....having cousins come to visit is AWESOME! They headed home to Michigan this morning :-( so Mailia slept until noon. Playing with cousins is also exhausting. lol

GOD BLESS AMERICA! Happy July 4th!!!

2009-07-04T18:07:00.001-04:00

Family, Food, Fun and Fireworks!
I LOVE the 4th of July!!!

The grill is hot, the burgers await, and the kids are counting the hours til they can light up their world with fireworks.

And if that's not enough fun................the Coke Zero 400 begins at 8:00 at Daytona. A little sad that we're not there this year, but then again, we won't have to drive home at midnight with 200,000 other fans. lol

Hope y'all are having a great 4th too! Please be safe tonight.

When Legends Leave Us

2009-06-26T09:03:00.002-04:00

Can't say I was ever a huge Michael Jackson fan, but like many, many others, I grew up listening to his music. I watched Charlie's Angels and went to sleep after Johnny Carson's monologue.

Mortality has a way of slapping you in the face sometimes, and this week has been one of those times.

Rest in Peace, Michael, Farrah and Ed.

Last day of 2nd grade

2009-06-04T20:21:00.003-04:00

She finished the year with an all A-B Honor Roll certificate for the year. She has greatly improved her reading this year, but it is still the one area she struggles and maintains a B average. But she worked all year to try to be the one with the most AR points and she did it. She came home with this certificate today along with a $25 gift card to Toys R Us! We'll have to make a trip there soon.

I ordered books thru the Scholastic book club all year long and put them back for this summer. We'll be reading each day, and going to the library for more. Next week starts swimming lessons. Summer is officially here. lol

Last Brownie Meeting

2009-06-02T21:41:00.003-04:00

Last official Brownie meeting. A trip to the beach in a couple of weeks is being planned as a last hurrah for the girls and their leaders.

1st Place Trophy!

2009-06-02T19:01:00.005-04:00

She's been bouncing like Tigger and can't stop smiling and saying "I can't believe I got a trophy!".
She is one happy kid. She got first place in her age group for the Cross-Country Club, with a total of 58 miles! All those early, early mornings of running laps last fall and winter really paid off.
So here's our celebrity with her trophy, as well as a picture of her and her coach.

We ended the evening with awards night at Brownies. More badges and her 1-year pin. Emotional goodbyes as we said farewell to both of her troop leaders, who are moving away this summer.

3rd place finish

2009-05-30T11:23:00.003-04:00

She got a 3rd place finish in her school's "Olympic Mile" run this week. I love that the top three are girls! lol She was thrilled that she got 3rd because 'those other girls are FAST'. lol We've been invited to Sports Awards night this coming Tues., where rumor has it she'll be receiving a trophy. She has quite a few ribbons for running, but has never gotten a trophy. She is going to be on top of the world! She also received a stopwatch after the Olympic Mile, which has been her constant companion. We now know that it takes 6.45 minutes to get home from school and 9.3 minutes from Publix to home when it's raining, along with times for many various other things like cleaning her room, skating down the driveway, etc. Stuff we all like to know. LOL

Typical Florida Seabreeze Storm

2009-05-25T20:22:00.002-04:00

We've got a long, wet summer ahead of us. These pictures are just from today's storm. I'm ready to cry 'uncle' already!

Why We Love NASCAR

2009-05-25T15:03:00.002-04:00

Actually, there are many reasons why we love Nascar, but just moments ago, roughly half-way through the Coca Cola 600, Nascar participated in the national moment of remembrance. The race cars pulled into pit road and shut off their engines. Every member of every pit crew lined up against the wall, all flags were lowered to half staff, and every fan in the stands stood for a moment of silence to remember all those who serve, and have served, to protect and defend the USA. It was a HUGE moment of patriotism, that ended with a very loud "God Bless America". A very moving tribute. Tears were being wiped away by fans, crew members and even some drivers while they waved little flags in their cars.

Every Nascar race begins with a prayer and the playing and singing of our National Anthem. May it always be so.

Thank you NASCAR for honoring our heroes, both on and especially off, the track.

Beautiful Sunset

2009-05-25T08:45:00.002-04:00

The week-long rain has finally ended. I think Daytona ended up somewhere around 27". We stand at 11". So very grateful that it is over, at least until a tropical storm or hurricane heads our way. But for now, and through at least Sept., we are in the typical summertime pattern of thunderstorms each afternoon. Much easier to live with. Yesterday's t-storm ended just in time for the sun to peek out before setting. The picture doesn't do it justice, but it was beautiful!

Hope the sun shines on your Memorial Day! It is shining for all it's worth here.

Remember to Remember

2009-05-24T10:11:00.004-04:00

"I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free, and I won't forget the men (and women) who died, who gave that right to me..."

..........................................And to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, UNDER GOD, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS AMERICA!

Be careful what you wish for....

2009-05-22T15:49:00.003-04:00

A week ago we were wishing for rain. Lawns were brown, wildfires filled the sky with smoke. It started raining Sun. night and it is still coming down today. Daytona Beach is at 20" and counting. We are more fortunate here with just around 9". We have a new (and hopefully temporary) pond in our backyard, but the house is high and dry. So I am determined not to complain too much. We wished and hoped and prayed for rain and we got what we asked for.

More Wedding Bells

2009-05-12T08:33:00.003-04:00

My beautiful baby sister was married this past weekend. Sadly, I was not able to be there, but my heart was there. Congratulations Lisa and Mike! Here's wishing you a beautiful life together. You both deserve it.

The Brownie troop at the Nick Hotel

2009-05-11T09:37:00.004-04:00

They swam and slid down slides until they looked like prunes. They got slimed, had manicures and saw Sponge-Bob in 4-D. A very good time was had by all.

BTW........slime smells like pickle juice! Who knew?!?

From my daughter..........

2009-05-11T09:25:00.003-04:00

Hope your kids love you this much. LOL

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T07:55:00.001-04:00

Myspace Comment Codes

It's Girl Scout weekend at the Nick Hotel

2009-05-09T09:20:00.004-04:00

She's on her way to a wet and wild weekend at the Nickelodeon Resort with the Brownies. All paid for with proceeds from GS cookies. She is sooo excited! A sure to be fun time of swimming, water slides, Sponge-Bob and green slime. Who wouldn't be excited?!?!?
lol.
I'm so glad she got in with a very active troop.
She wanted me to put pictures of her badges on here. She's very proud of them, and rightfully so.

She cleans up nice.

2009-05-05T19:02:00.002-04:00

We don't often get to see her looking this nice. She's usually in camo or nascar wear. And she wears a uniform for school, so I was quite pleased that the school allowed the kids to bring nicer clothes for picture day. Can't believe how much she's changed in 2 1/2 years.

It's Bean Pickin' Time

2009-05-03T18:17:00.003-04:00

Nothing like fresh picked. I'm cooking them as I write. Lots of green tomatoes, but I'm waiting for the juicy red ones. Been thinking about BLTs for a month now. And salads with tomatoes that have real taste.

The photo op

2009-04-28T11:38:00.003-04:00

This is the most cruel, insensitive, unfathomable decision, to-date, to come from the Obama administration. Flying a jumbo jet over Manhattan to photograph Air Force One. And it's only been 100 days of this administration. Can you imagine the next 1300+?!

"The White House issued an apology"

Really? No harm, no foul?
Someone needs to be waterboarded!

Love Without Boundaries

2009-04-27T15:44:00.002-04:00

Please consider visiting the LWB Born in my Heart Auction on ebay. All proceeds go to pay for life-saving heart surgeries for China's orphans.

There are still a ton of items on the LWB Art Auction that have crazy low winning bids. Please go SHOP! We have urgent heart babies that need to be moved for surgery asap and we are hoping to raise their funding through the Art Auction.

The Art Auction closes in less than 24 hours!! Please post to your groups, on Facebook or wherever!

Here's the link:

http://stores.ebay.com/Love-Without-Boundaries-Store/Born-in-My-Heart-Art-Auction.html

When you go to that link, you will see baby Lacy. She is gorgeous! And she is hoping the Art Auction is a success so that she can get the heart healing surgery she needs to have a long life!

We have other heart children hoping for a successful auction too. You can see them on our fund raising page. Here's the link to that:

http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/medical_sponsor_child.cfm

Mei, Hui, Dessie, Yvan, and Joshua are all waiting for their chance to be healed! Mei and Hui's situations are especially urgent.

Please help us spread the word!

Thank you!!!

Anne Little
Heart Surgery Coordinator
Love Without Boundaries Foundation
http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/
"Changing the Lives of Orphaned and Impoverished Children in China"

Please join us for the 6th "Born in my Heart" fundraiser on April 23-28
http://stores.ebay.com/Love-Without-Boundaries-Store

__._,_.___

Back from Chicago

2009-04-20T10:50:00.005-04:00

We didn't get home until midnight last night. Mailia did NOT want to get up for school this morning. But we had an awesome weekend. The wedding was beautiful, the reception was fun. She got to spend lots of time with her aunts, uncles, cousins and grandma and did not want to leave when it was time to come home.
Pillow fights, sleepovers, dancing....it just doesn't get much better than that. :-)

Spring Break Was Exhausting

2009-04-15T09:44:00.004-04:00

At least it was for Mailia. Two sets of cousins/aunts and uncles kept her busy the entire week. We are so fortunate to live where out of state family likes to vacation. :-)
After Gatorland, the beach and Sea World the first part of the week, she spent 3 days on the beach in Daytona. Then home to color Easter eggs and play some more with cousins.
She went to school on Monday, but came home not feeling well. Woke up Tues with a temp of 102.2 So off to the dr. we went for antibiotics. But, enroute to the dr. we got rear-ended in traffic. No one hurt, no major damage to our vehicle, just an annoying delay that made us an hr. late for the drs. appt. She's home again today and resting. Hoping she's feeling better tomorrow as we are scheduled to fly to Chicago for my nephew's wedding.

Have a Blessed Easter

2009-04-11T07:40:00.002-04:00

Spring Break

2009-04-10T09:35:00.003-04:00

I haven't been able to post in quite awhile. My computer crashed several weeks ago, had to buy a new one, and I finally have it up and running.
M. has had a very busy spring break. My sister and her family were here and they took M. to Gatorland, the beach and then Sea World. Now my niece and her family are in Daytona Bch., so yesterday I drove M. up there and dropped her off for a couple more days of fun in the sun, the surf and the pool. She will need to go back to school in order to get some rest. :-) She's hoping to be back in time to color Easter eggs tomorrow night.

This next week will be a whirlwind as well. She'll have just 3 days of school (one of which is a field trip day) and then she and I are flying to Chicago (on Thurs.) for my nephew's wedding next Sat. Looking forward to spending time with a lot more family.

Manatees

2009-03-16T10:25:00.003-04:00

Here in the theme park capitol of the world, it is refreshing to know that this park is nearby. And only $9 for adults, $5 for kids. It's a diamond in the rough. Quiet, peaceful, leisurely. And the only rides are a (very slow) boat or a tram to get to the park from the entrance. Can you say "ahhhhh". Even M. enjoyed herself.

Mailia loves Jimmie :-)

2009-03-08T13:58:00.003-04:00

And baseball, and basketball, and skating, and skateboarding, etc.etc.

Wanted to say "thank you" to all who sent online birthday wishes. She really enjoyed hearing from her Fu sisters, her friends and family.

Happy 9th Birthday!!!

2009-03-08T13:42:00.003-04:00

Seemed like Christmas, almost! She had 2 celebrations so far, and one more to go.

As predicted, she LOVES the pitching machine, new bat, and most of all, the Jimmie Johnson goodies: chair, shirt, poster.
Happy, Happy Birthday, Mailia!
xoxoxo
We Love You!
Mom and Dad

Going Camping

2009-03-06T16:22:00.003-05:00

It's her birthday weekend (she'll be 9 on Sun.) and there's so much going on that she can barely contain herself.
She took cupcakes to school today, and then came home to find packages had arrived in the mail with her name on them. She nearly peed herself, but I told her she has to wait until Sun. to open them (mean mommy). She also got 2 cards in the mail, one with $10 in it and another with a $25 Walmart gift card. She has been screeching ever since......I have $35!!!! My very own card!!!! This is soooooooooo awesome!!! Happy Birthday to me!!!
Yippeeeeeeeeeeee! :-)
But tonight is also her first overnight campout with the Brownies. It's a 'test run' for not only the girls, but for the leaders as well. :-) Tonight they'll be 'camping' in tents out in the country in the leader's back yard. She is sooooooo excited. She now has her own canteen and mess kit, OH BOY! Tent camping is a thing of the past for me. I much prefer an RV these days, but when you're almost 9, this is just the coolest thing ever!
Next campout is the end of the month, on a small island out in the middle of Lake Toho....only accessible by boat. She can't wait for that one either. A final campout is being planned at the Brevard zoo later in the spring.
No big birthday party this year. Finances mandate that we keep it small. But she's a happy camper (literally) right now. We got her a Jimmie Johnson camp chair and new Jimmie t-shirt, along with a pitching machine to give Dad a break. :-) She will love all of these. Then her Lai Lai will be here on Tues, (with more presents, I'm sure) and we'll go to her favorite Chinese restaurant for dinner. Again, Dad will get a break. He doesn't like Chinese food.
What a fun birthday weekend in store!

What will you do with your $8.00?

2009-03-03T06:42:00.003-05:00

And other things that keep me up at night, and make me go "hmmmm". Not intending to become too political on Mailia's blog, but then every child in this country is, and will be, affected by the policies of today.
While the president and his sidekicks toss around billions and trillions as if they were wooden nickels, they tossed us poor folks a bone by cutting our income taxes by $8 a week. Thank you Mr. President, you really are our 'saviour'! Of course this will only apply if you have said income to begin with.
Meanwhile, (while raking in that $32 a month), utilities are going up, tolls are going up, once tax free items are no longer tax free, school budgets are cut, schools are closing and combining, class size is going up, sports, music, art, etc. are all being cut, teachers being laid off. Not to mention, homes that have been lost, credit histories destroyed, life savings 'stolen' by the rich and greedy.....I could go on for pages, but won't. You get the picture.
We will survive, because that's what we as a people do, regardless of who's in charge.
But it WON'T be because our president 'gave' us $8 a week. Is this the 'change we can believe in'????? A handful of 'change'?????

The Lion Roars

2009-03-01T20:47:00.002-05:00

March certainly came in like a lion this year. It was 83 degrees yesterday, 53 today, extremely windy, and supposed to be around 38 tonight. It is snowing in Alabama, Georgia and S. Carolina.
Must be that global warming thing :-)
I'm not complaining (much). Another couple of months and this cool weather will be a distant memory. We're running about 2 weeks behind in getting our garden in, but with this cold weather, it's probably just as well. We'll get to it this week. Just tomatoes and green beans this year. They'll both be ready before we pack up to move. Just can't let spring go by without planting something.

The Amaryllis

2009-03-01T08:24:00.004-05:00

Our "Ugly Duckling" story.

We received an ugly, dormant, dead-looking flower bulb for Christmas, from my little sister.
I'm sure you've all seen them at Christmas time in/near the garden center at most big box retail stores. I never really gave them more than a passing glance.
Now I would buy another one or two, for myself as well as inexpensive gifts. What a fun gift this has been!
Mailia and I followed the directions on the box, which was basically sticking it in the dirt and watering it. For four weeks it did nothing. By the end of January, after looking at a 'dead' bulb in my kitchen window for a month, I was "this" close to tossing it out and proclaiming it DEAD! But as it was a gift, I decided that it wasn't hurting anything by sitting there, so I would let it rot first, before throwing it away. :-)
I'm sooo glad I waited.
When the first little green sprout popped out we were all thrilled. After that, I became convinced that the plant was on steroids. More than once I thought that if I stood there long enough, I would actually see it grow. Each morning we were even more amazed than the day before at how much it had grown over night.
Finally after two full months, it is in full bloom, and it is BEAUTIFUL!

Lessons learned: Don't give up! Don't judge a book by it's cover. Be patient with others as God isn't finished with them yet. :-)

If you see these 'ugly ducklings' at Christmas time next year, consider getting one (or two). They are worth the wait.

Flat Stanley

2009-02-28T09:11:00.002-05:00

Flat Stanley came home from school with Mailia yesterday. He will be spending a few days with us so we can show him around here. Then he will be heading to Aunt Sheila's in Michigan to see how things are different up there. Last night he went to Publix with us to help sell Girl Scout cookies. We (they) did very well! :-)

The Daytona 450

2009-02-16T11:23:00.002-05:00

What a rotten, pitiful ending (unless you're a Matt Kenseth fan) to this great American tradition. Called because of rain. In hindsight..........I'm soooooooo glad we stayed home to watch it. The let down was huge, but not as bad as it would have been, trying to navigate the crowds of unhappy, even angry, people all trying to get out of there last night.
So I will stop whining now because we didn't get to go this year. :-)

The Great American Race!

2009-02-15T06:45:00.002-05:00

The Daytona 500 is today! Finally! NASCAR has the longest running season in sports, (10 months) but those two months that they don't race, are the l-o-n-g-e-s-t. There is just no explaining the roar of the engines, the speed, and the wins, unless you're another NASCAR fan. And nothing comes close to actually being in the stands when the 'most famous words in motorsports' are announced........."Gentlemen, start your engines!"
We are not able to attend this year, and that has been a little tough to accept. Mailia so wanted to see Jimmie and get his 3-peat t-shirt. I wanted to see Jeff's new paint scheme up close. But mostly we wanted to hear the roar and simply be there and be a part of the greatest spectacle in racing. That's not happening this year, but we will be watching this afternoon and cheering our favorite drivers to victory.
And when all is said and done...........we will not have to battle the traffic to drive home afterwards :-)

The Smile Mile

2009-02-15T06:32:00.002-05:00

Mailia ran "The Smile Mile" yesterday in Orlando. She finished in 8 min. 40 sec. Not bad for her first time out. It's a great event for kids. All kids get a medal for finishing, no matter how long it takes. She was worn out after, fell asleep in the car going home, but she was happy and proud of herself. We were too!

Moving to the North Pole

2009-02-07T10:56:00.004-05:00

Desperate times call for desperate measures. We are in the former, and planning the latter.
Mailia's Dad was laid off his job (again) back in Nov. He got another job almost immediately, but it pays barely half of what he was paid at the prior job, and no benefits. We have tried to stay positive, but as you all know, jobs that pay well and offer health insurance, are rare to begin with, and hundreds, if not thousands, of people in our shoes, are all vying for that rare job. We have done all we know how to do, selling things on Craig's list, yard sales to sell the rest, and a moving sale in the works. We are hanging onto our house by a thread, while the phone rings off the wall with other banks wanting car payments and such. Each day seems to be more discouraging than the day before.
So we have started to make arrangements to move back to the North Pole (Michigan) where we will have a place to stay with family, and most of all, family to help us get back on our feet. It is very humbling, to say the least, to have to start over at this point in our lives. Losing everything we've worked for all these years is hard to swallow, but we know that we have each other. If a change isn't made soon, I worry that our relationships and even our health could be affected by all the grim scenarios that surround us. We don't want that for ourselves, and we can't have that for Mailia.
Not wishing to bring gloom and doom to all my friends out there, just a little heads up about what's going on in our world. With the internet, and this blog and email, I will never be far from my friends anywhere. Will just be closer to family.
I try not to think about sub-zero temps and blizzards and such, but know that that's the trade-off for the ungodly hot summers here in Florida. We will adjust.
We have no set date yet. If we can hang on a little longer, M. and I plan to pack as much as we can into a U-haul and head north when school is out in June. Dad will stay here for awhile and try to sell the house. If a job becomes available in MI for either of us, we would have to go much sooner.
I've heard that the way to make God laugh is to tell him your plans. :-) So He may be chuckling right now as I write this. But whatever happens, we will do what we have to do.
I'll update the blog if/when there are any new developments. For now, we are enjoying our warm weekend and lots of sunshine. :-)
Hugs,
Mailia's Mom

8 Days til Daytona!

2009-02-07T10:51:00.003-05:00

The Bud Shootout is tonight. We all watched the practice sessions last night because it's been soooooooo long since we heard those engines roar. :-) Jimmie is growing a beard, Jeff is cute as ever, and his #24 paint scheme is great. We are unable to actually attend the race this year, but we'll be track-side in our living room next Sun. afternoon.
Welcome back to Daytona boys!!! We've missed you.

President Barack Hussein Obama

2009-01-20T12:29:00.002-05:00

America is watching, the World is watching. Our hopes and our futures are in yours and God's hands.

God Bless America!

Good-Bye President Bush

2009-01-20T11:50:00.004-05:00

Thank you for keeping us safe for over 2600 days! Be well. God Bless.

26 Days til Daytona!

2009-01-20T11:35:00.002-05:00

But who's counting?

Goodbye 2008

2008-12-31T17:51:00.002-05:00

What a tough year it has been! But tonight we will reflect on all the ways 2008 was good to us, and look forward with our hopes and dreams for 2009.

Everybody, please be safe out there tonight, if you're traveling anywhere. We will be staying in for a cozy evening of movies and junk food. Mailia has sparklers and noise makers at the ready, and we've encouraged her to wake us up before midnight. LOL.

Here's to great 2009 for us all!

Oh my gosh! Santa DID bring a skateboard!!!

2008-12-25T11:05:00.001-05:00

Among many other things. Hope Santa was good to all of you.