Our Journey For Cole

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! I received my 1st Mother's Day gift this morning. Marc's mom gave me 3 wonderful, and very useful books. We then headed out to Bonnie Ruth's for a fabulous brunch. What a nice Mother's Day, and the biggest surprise of all.....Grandma Linda bought a new construction house today!! That's right she is now the proud owner of her very own Texas home (3BD/2BA). She will of course be renting it out for now, as she's still living & working in CA, but she'll have it here waiting for her when she comes out to visit her grandson:) Oh, and might I add that she got the deal of a lifetime! Y'all might want to reconsider moving to Texas, seriously.

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Grapevine, TX

We spent an absolutely beautiful day in Grapevine with Marc's mom, had a wonderful lunch, and Cole got his 1st little outfit from his grammalin:) He's gonna love the dinos! The shop owner made us promise that we would bring Cole in for a visit....can't wait to!

Saturday, May 5, 2007

Some History on Uzbekistan

Ancient cities of Uzbekistan were located on the ancient Silk Road, the trading route between China and the West. The route took its name from silk, the commodity most in demand in Europe from China during the Roman period. Some of the most influential and savage conquerors came and ruled these lands. Alexander the Great set up at least 8 cities in Central Asia between 334 - 323 BC before the caravans began traveling through the Silk Road after around 138 BC China opened its border to trade. Between 484 - 1150 Huns, Turks and Arabs came from the west and the latest brought with them a new religion of Islam. Many mosques and Madrassahs were built in Uzbekistan cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva during this period, including remaining structures of the Samanids. Most of the cities were destroyed during the invasion of the Genghis Khan in 1220. Later Timur, known also as Tamerlane, resurrected once famous cities by using the labor of slaves and artists captured during successful crusades. Timur conquered Persia, captured Baghdad, and lead expeditions to Anatolia and India. Most of the architecture that is found in Samarkand was build by Timur and his grandson Ulugbek.

Friday, May 4, 2007

Back from Austin

Howdy y'all! After spending 45 minutes waiting for our criminal history background checks in the police dept. on Thursday, we jumped in the car & headed to Austin. We were making great time, and then wouldn't you know it, red flashing lights, oops, can you say 87 in a 70! That'll be $200 please. Guess we'll have to put the ticket in Cole's life book!! It's been a crazy chase, but I'm happy to report that our updated paperwork is finally complete! And now we wait...

Thursday, May 3, 2007

We have Cole's birth date

His birthday is February 28th. That's 2 days after his Grandpa Del, and 5 days after his Uncle Jeff:)

Year of the Dog

The Dog is the sign of fidelity. Loyal, honest and generous. You have a strong sense of duty. Others can rely on you completely without any fear of betrayal. Idealistic, fair and just, you are blessed with true moral integrity. Having a good sense of intuition, you work well with others. You are nostalgic about the past and don't adjust well to change. You are honest and faithful to those you love-but you tend to worry. Loyalty and trust are the key characteristics of this sign.

Celebrities born in the Year of the Dog
Female celebrities: Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Madonna, Uma Thurman, Cher, Sharon Stone, Claudia Schiffer, Mother Theresa.

Male celebrities: David Bowie, Gary Oldman, Andre Agassi, Ethan Hawke, Matt Damon, Elvis Presley, Norman Mailer

Adoptive Mothers Poem

Being an adoptive mother is not for every woman. She must possess not only the natural mother instinct but an understanding and appreciation of the situation that brought a child into her arms making her a mother.

The adoptive family comes to be by choices made, choices made by the first parents and by the adoptive parents. This bond the adoptive mother has with her child grows over time, like the child did within his first mother's womb. Day by day, touch by touch, with each tear, kiss, and memory made they became a family. Adoptive mothers have that special knack to let love grow.

The adoptive mother knows that she is a mender of wounds, not just of the physical skinned knees with a band-aid and a kiss, but of the heart. She gives love, acceptance, and permission to ask and talk about the day he was born and of his first parents. Adoptive mothers are embracers, not only of the child with many hugs and kisses, but of the child's heritage and history.

She embraces the facts of her child's past with strength for herself and the child. She's not only a memory maker planning family vacations, activities, and birthday parties, but also a memorykeeper. She's a tier of shoelaces and of hearts. She weaves lives together into a tapestry of a new family, with many different brightly, colored threads showcasing their individualities and family origins. Together they create one unit attached to each other.

Adoptive mothers are experts at finding lost objects, but understand and validate the profound, deep loss left by adoption. She allows the tears to fall and grief to be felt, allowing the mourning of the mom not there. She is secure in knowing that she's not a replacement, but a finisher of a race for someone who, for whatever reason, could not run any longer.

This role is not for the weak of spirit, or the easily wounded. Loving a child not born to her but calling him her own, but this is what she does, it is her calling. She is a mother.

Quick Facts

Uzbekistan, in the ancient cradle between the Amu-Darya and Syr-Darya rivers, is the most historically fascinating of the Central Asian republics. Within it are some of the oldest towns in the world, some of the Silk Road's main centres and most of the region's architectural splendours. When To Go The best time to visit is in spring from May until the end of June, and in autumn from September until November. The weather is mild and in April the desert blooms briefly. In autumn it's harvest time, and the markets are full of fresh fruit. If you're interested in trekking the mountains, summer (July and August) is a better time to visit; at all other times the weather is unpredictable and there can be snow in the passes from Christmas to February. You may wish to remain in the mountains to stay cool, as the rest of the country will be sizzling at this time. But remember, whilst the mountains are pleasantly cool in summer, they are freezing in winter.