She says that on her next birthday, she's going to be TEN!
.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
One Week from Today - March 17
One week from today, Bryant and I leave on a fun journey (long too, but fun). We will depart at about 7am from a local school parking lot. There will be 53 students (Juniors and Seniors) along with 21 adults (plus four bus drivers). The motor coaches will travel until mid-day on March 18th. We'll do a quick tour and sightseeing in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania - depending on the time and weather.
On Friday, March 19th, we'll re-board the buses for the trip into New York City - which is about 235 more miles. We'll do some touring there before we head to our Broadway Show. We hope to see Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick's Cathedral. Our Broadway show that evening (with VERY good seats) is Mamma Mia.
Midtown Manhattan is our agenda item for Saturday, March 20th. We'll go see the TODAY show, Macy's Department Store, and Madison Square Garden before heading to the Hard Rock Cafe for our lunch. Our supper that evening will be at Top of the Rock, a 70 story building known as 30 Rockefeller Plaza. We'll take the elevator to the top for an excellent view of the night sky. The kids will go to Rockefeller Center that evening to ice skate. The adults can go with them or head to either another Broadway show.
Sunday, March 21st will find us packing before getting back on the buses. We'll go to Battery Park to get on the ferry for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We'll go to Wall Street and also see the World Trade Center site. Mid-Afternoon, we'll head out through the Lincoln Tunnel, saying Good-Bye to the Big Apple. We'll pass through New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland, then the District of Columbia and Arlington, Virginia.
Arlington Cemetery is where we'll go first thing on Monday, March 22nd. We'll see the 9am changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, also viewing the memorial for the "Challenger" astronauts. We'll go to the Smithsonian, Museum of Natural History, Museum of American History, Holocaust Museum, Pentagon City Mall, and also the Rosslyn Subway Station that day. In addition, we'll have an evening tour of the memorials - especially the World War II site.
Tuesday, March 23rd is our day on "Capital Hill". We'll meet with our representatives as well as have a tour of the Capital. We'll walk to the Botanical Gardens. I am anxious to see the National Geographic Museum that day as well. They have the Terra Cotta Warriers on display until March 31st. This is the last time those figures will leave China, so I'm thrilled that I'll see them! We will also go to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts where we'll watch the show "Shear Madness".
I'm afraid that Wednesday, March 24th will be harried - We'll see the Iwo Jima memorial, which has a special place in my heart. We'll go to a few more museums and the Union Station before we begin the long, long journey home later that day.... arriving home late on the 25th of March, weather permitting.
Nine days looks like a long time on the calendar, but obviously, they'll be packed with plenty of activities! They will probably whiz by way too fast at some moments and drag eternally slow at other times... Isn't that the way that it goes? I plan to take a laptop with us and be posting photos here each evening, so that you can see what we've been up to. Hopefully, I will have enough time to accomplish that, but who knows!
Just think, one week from today, another adventure will begin!
.
On Friday, March 19th, we'll re-board the buses for the trip into New York City - which is about 235 more miles. We'll do some touring there before we head to our Broadway Show. We hope to see Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick's Cathedral. Our Broadway show that evening (with VERY good seats) is Mamma Mia.
Midtown Manhattan is our agenda item for Saturday, March 20th. We'll go see the TODAY show, Macy's Department Store, and Madison Square Garden before heading to the Hard Rock Cafe for our lunch. Our supper that evening will be at Top of the Rock, a 70 story building known as 30 Rockefeller Plaza. We'll take the elevator to the top for an excellent view of the night sky. The kids will go to Rockefeller Center that evening to ice skate. The adults can go with them or head to either another Broadway show.
Sunday, March 21st will find us packing before getting back on the buses. We'll go to Battery Park to get on the ferry for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We'll go to Wall Street and also see the World Trade Center site. Mid-Afternoon, we'll head out through the Lincoln Tunnel, saying Good-Bye to the Big Apple. We'll pass through New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland, then the District of Columbia and Arlington, Virginia.
Arlington Cemetery is where we'll go first thing on Monday, March 22nd. We'll see the 9am changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, also viewing the memorial for the "Challenger" astronauts. We'll go to the Smithsonian, Museum of Natural History, Museum of American History, Holocaust Museum, Pentagon City Mall, and also the Rosslyn Subway Station that day. In addition, we'll have an evening tour of the memorials - especially the World War II site.
Tuesday, March 23rd is our day on "Capital Hill". We'll meet with our representatives as well as have a tour of the Capital. We'll walk to the Botanical Gardens. I am anxious to see the National Geographic Museum that day as well. They have the Terra Cotta Warriers on display until March 31st. This is the last time those figures will leave China, so I'm thrilled that I'll see them! We will also go to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts where we'll watch the show "Shear Madness".
I'm afraid that Wednesday, March 24th will be harried - We'll see the Iwo Jima memorial, which has a special place in my heart. We'll go to a few more museums and the Union Station before we begin the long, long journey home later that day.... arriving home late on the 25th of March, weather permitting.
Nine days looks like a long time on the calendar, but obviously, they'll be packed with plenty of activities! They will probably whiz by way too fast at some moments and drag eternally slow at other times... Isn't that the way that it goes? I plan to take a laptop with us and be posting photos here each evening, so that you can see what we've been up to. Hopefully, I will have enough time to accomplish that, but who knows!
Just think, one week from today, another adventure will begin!
.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Elle's Week
This week is Elle's birthday - She will turn five on Friday, at least we think so. None of us will ever be 100% certain that March 12th is the actual date she was born. According to the few pieces of information we have, she was found on March 12th, left on the steps of an apartment building for employees of an oil refinery. Based on her umbilical cord, they determined that she was also born that same day.
Again this year, as in years past, I have wondered about her other family in China. Elle has not yet started asking the tough questions, but she does know that she lived in the orphanage before we came to pick her up, and as she says, "bring her home to her family". I have to wonder if her birth mother or another family member watched her from afar until someone picked her up from the steps that day. I wonder if they gave her a name, even a nick name, during the pregnancy. Did her birth father know that she existed? Did her other grandparents ever get to hold her? Was her birth mother alone and frightened or gritty and determined? Did the plan already exist prior to her being born, or was it developed quickly once the recognized her medical condition would require resources that they likely didn't have?
I ponder these questions, but recognize that in the future, Elle will likely have them too. I hope and pray that when it happens, the person she asks can be honest, but gentle with her. These won't be easy responses, but they must be truthful - We don't know all the circumstances surrounding her birth mother's experience, but we do know that she must have cared enough to be sure that Elle was wrapped in a warm quilt and placed somewhere that she would be found quickly. Elle went to an orphanage where she was cared for until we could bring her home. She most certainly is loved! She has made a huge impact on many people already in her little life. "God has heard your prayers" is a very suiting meaning for her name, don't you agree? He heard Elle's birth mother's wishes and he also blessed our prayers by sending her to us.
Happy Birthday, ElleAnna!
.
Again this year, as in years past, I have wondered about her other family in China. Elle has not yet started asking the tough questions, but she does know that she lived in the orphanage before we came to pick her up, and as she says, "bring her home to her family". I have to wonder if her birth mother or another family member watched her from afar until someone picked her up from the steps that day. I wonder if they gave her a name, even a nick name, during the pregnancy. Did her birth father know that she existed? Did her other grandparents ever get to hold her? Was her birth mother alone and frightened or gritty and determined? Did the plan already exist prior to her being born, or was it developed quickly once the recognized her medical condition would require resources that they likely didn't have?
I ponder these questions, but recognize that in the future, Elle will likely have them too. I hope and pray that when it happens, the person she asks can be honest, but gentle with her. These won't be easy responses, but they must be truthful - We don't know all the circumstances surrounding her birth mother's experience, but we do know that she must have cared enough to be sure that Elle was wrapped in a warm quilt and placed somewhere that she would be found quickly. Elle went to an orphanage where she was cared for until we could bring her home. She most certainly is loved! She has made a huge impact on many people already in her little life. "God has heard your prayers" is a very suiting meaning for her name, don't you agree? He heard Elle's birth mother's wishes and he also blessed our prayers by sending her to us.
Happy Birthday, ElleAnna!
.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Taz Rules? Maybe?
.Elle got a set of triple bunk beds for Christmas from my parents. They are for her American Girl dolls - Ivy, Mei Mei (Chinese word for younger sister, pronounced like the month May, so its May May), and Di Di (Chinese for baby brother, pronounced like my sister's middle name, Dee Dee). Interestingly enough, you can see who has "invaded" the dolly space. Elle hasn't really noticed it yet. She's pretty protective of her dolls, but also loves Taz a lot. I'm not sure who will win this battle.
.Interestingly, the night Elle got the beds, she was distraught because Ivy had no pajamas. She decided that Ivy was the mommy then, not the big sister. She had Ivy tuck in Mei Mei and Di Di, but the mommy didn't get to rest much because she was taking care of the others. Of course, we had to shut the lights all off and be very quiet so they could all go to sleep. We were then a little pressured to be sure that Ivy had some PJ's too. Good thing Granny is a speedy and terrific seamstress! She quickly took care of that once we found a pattern and some flannel fabric with ladybugs on it. Ivy can now be the big sister and not the mommy :-). Thank goodness!
.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Marching On...
Well, its officially March now. Can you believe it? This year is actually whizzing by. Too bad that I don't feel like I am getting anything done in the midst of life's craziness! Just so you know, I am surviving without Facebook this Lent Season, but my hope that it would "free up some time" was a TOTAL JOKE. What a misconception! I am just as far behind as I always am....
Some exciting news, however, is that Bryant and I will be leaving for a ten day journey on the East Coast later this month. My plan is to take a laptop along and post photos as often as possible so that you can see what we are up to. I am looking forward to seeing new places. That is something that I always enjoy.
Enough chatter for now. I need to get back to more pressing matters. Take care and I promise to keep in touch!
Michelle
Some exciting news, however, is that Bryant and I will be leaving for a ten day journey on the East Coast later this month. My plan is to take a laptop along and post photos as often as possible so that you can see what we are up to. I am looking forward to seeing new places. That is something that I always enjoy.
Enough chatter for now. I need to get back to more pressing matters. Take care and I promise to keep in touch!
Michelle
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