Dragonfly Chase

Privacy Please....

noreply@blogger.com (M) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 03:00:00 +0000

After much discussion-- the decision has been made to end this blog and take our new blog to a new site altogether. A private one-- one that is being created as I type this. There are several reasons for this.... Not the least of which is the fact that we do NOT want our daughter's face posted publicly for all the world to see. We would prefer to keep photos of our baby for just our friends, family, and of course those of you who request access. We also want to maintain a level of privacy due to the fact we will be out of the country for a while and do not want to invite any 'issues' with regards to the security of our home,etc.

In closing,we look forward to creating and posting on our new blog and we invite you to join us. If you are interested in following our journey-- please leave a comment to this post and we will e-mail you a web address and password.

Quick Update

noreply@blogger.com (M) — Thu, 03 May 2007 00:50:00 +0000

Just trying to catch up from a busy-busy last two weeks and wanted to post an update. Last weekend we were in Florida for my cousin's wedding - Congratulations Nathan and Angela!! - as well as a little time on the beach. If you're looking for a place to visit, I would recommend Destin, FL. I will try to post some pictures later this week for everybody.

Adoption Update

noreply@blogger.com (M) — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 01:45:00 +0000

We just wanted everybody to know that we have switched adoption agencies. This was a very tough decision for us, and required a lot of thought and research. We feel that this is the best decision for our family and we are looking forward to working with our new agency.

Tagged

noreply@blogger.com (M) — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 16:30:00 +0000

Hello Readers-- (J writing today)
Just wanted to respond to a tag (sent by E) and let everyone know what has been going on.
Adoption related news: Our agency signed 2 more provinces in South Vietnam and more babies should be referred shortly!! YAY!! We were very happy to hear this info. So, this should help our agency fulfill its quoted timeframe of 6-9 months since we turned in our dossier. YAY!!

Not much else new to report...

Now, on to this tag-- Here are 10 odd things about me (J):
1. I hate horses. No clue why-- I just do. Could have something to do with the way they smell. I am not big on the 'barn yard' odor.
2. I can close my nose without using my hands. I have always been able to this and I don't remember how I discovered this 'talent'.
3. I have developed a fear for driving alone on the highway. It just makes me very nervous anymore.
4. I am INCREDIBLY allergic to red dyes in food. I will break out in hives if I have something as simple as a Cherry Coke or 7-Up.
5. I make it a goal to read 50 books each year and I keep a book journal detailing all of what I have read. I always come up a couple books short- well, there's always this year!
6. I can NOT handle being told to 'calm down'. Most people will honor such a request to cool down a bit-- not me-- if I hear the words 'calm down' being directed toward me during a time of stress- WATCH OUT!!
7. I have never met a pen that won't make it into my mouth- I also chew on pen caps until they break. Gross, I know- a terrible habit for sure-- Especially when these pens belong to someone else!! OOPS!
8. I love combining bread and ketchup. Also, potato chips and ketchup are good too.
9. All the male cats (3) that I have ever had have been black- all black.
10. On the same note as #9, I can tell our cats apart by their meows-- just their meows and even in the dark.

Well, that's about it-- hope everyone learned something interesting.

Happy New Year

noreply@blogger.com (M) — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 00:42:00 +0000

Yesterday was the first day of Tet, the Vietnamese New Year. We celebrated at a local restaurant (Song Long) with our FTIA Vietnam group as well as the Cincinnati chapter of Families with Children from Vietnam. It was great to catch up with old friends (Candy, Perry, Leslie, Bob, and Dana) and make some new ones!

Seeing the families with their children was a good picture of what our life will soon be like.

The Vietnamese government shuts down during Tet, so there are no families currently in country. However, there will be two families traveling at the end of this week and our agency's director will be in country working to get contracts with new provinces. We will be watching their progress and wishing them the best of luck.

Adoption Fair this Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (M) — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 01:34:00 +0000

We just wanted to remind everybody of the Miami Valley Adoption Fair this Saturday. The fair will be held at Fairhaven Church in Centerville, Ohio (suburban Dayton) from 9 til 2. Whether you are interested in adoption or want to meet other adoptive families, this is a great opportunity. For more information, email adoptionfair@woh.rr.com or call 937-438-3073.

Newspaper Article

noreply@blogger.com (M) — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 01:02:00 +0000

This morning there was a great article in our local newspaper, the Hamilton Journal-News, about a local couple who have adopted two girls from China. Its always nice to hear about local families who have had this experience.

The author did a great job of using positive adoption language and capturing the parents feelings. If you get a chance, please read it!

Many people have asked us when we expect to get a referral. Currently, we hope to have a referral sometime this summer. Of course, there are several factors that could affect our timing, including the families in front of us and the number and type (age and gender) of referrals our agency receives.

Also, today we had our first snow of the winter! It was nice to wake up to a carpet of white snow, even nicer because we didn't have to try to get to work! Cincinnati, of course, shuts down with any measurable snowfall, so its good this didn't happen tomorrow.

Congratulations!

noreply@blogger.com (M) — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 01:10:00 +0000

A big congratulations goes out to Tara and Andy on their referral today! We are so happy for you!

Our agency has now had two referrals each of the last two months - very exciting!

Our Latest Trip

noreply@blogger.com (M) — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 00:09:00 +0000

This past weekend we traveled to Brown County, Indiana. Though it rained every day, we had a great relaxing time!

Located east of Bloomington and south of Indianapolis, Brown County is rural and very scenic. Its main town is Nashville, which was settled as an Artist's colony in the 1800s. Somehow, the town has kept that heritage and is the home of many current artists. The usual tourist trap knick-knack shops are almost non-existant. I didn't see one Confederate flag or a "hillbilly-" anything!

Janie and I went their last year and purchased a couple of oil painting for our living room. This time we picked up some framed photography, watercolor prints, glass, and metalwork. The prices are very reasonable and you can often meet and speak with the artist who created the work.

We found this glass dragonfly for the baby's room.

If you're ever in the area (Its about a 2.5 hour drive from Cincinnati) I would definitely recommend you stop by - they have a little something for everybody. If you enjoy the outdoors, there is a state park and golf course as well.

News and Notes

noreply@blogger.com (M) — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 01:23:00 +0000

I hope everybody is having a good year so far. For those of you who make News Year's resolutions, good luck to you. I have a couple of unrelated thoughts I'd like to share:

Where's the snow? We've had exactly one snowfall this winter. I hate to say it, but I miss the stuff.

Congratulations to our chat group friend Courtney who just received her referral. We are so happy for you! Also, happy trails to the two fellow FTIAers who will be traveling this weekend!

For anybody living in Southwest Ohio, the Miami Valley Adoption Fair will be held on Saturday Jan 27th from 9-2 at Fairhaven Church in Centerville. Its a great event to learn more and meet new friends. For more info email adoptionfair@woh.rr.com

Vietnam is now a member of the World Trade Organization. See Article from FoxNews. This will only help improve the Vietnamese economy and should make travel, trade, communications, etc easier.

Its 2007!

noreply@blogger.com (M) — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 05:42:00 +0000

Happy New Year!!!

Best wishes to everybody for 2007 - may your dreams come true in the new year!

Sights of the Season

noreply@blogger.com (M) — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 03:38:00 +0000

Just a few of my favorite images of the season.

Here are the finished wooden reindeer

J's favorite ornament from our Christmas tree.

Roadrunners and Meerkats

noreply@blogger.com (M) — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 02:37:00 +0000

Author's note: For those of you who don't live in a Time Warner Cable service area, their DSL service is named "Roadrunner." The even go so far as to use the cartoon animal and the "meep meep" cartoon sound.

In the cartoons, Roadrunner ALWAYS gets away from his nemisis Wil E Coyote. In real life, Roadrunner (at least the internet service) is more fallible. Sometime last Saturday (Dec 23) Mr Coyote (Internetus Interruptus) managed to kill my cable modem. Being the good customer I am, I immediately called tech support and, after a decent wait, got to talk to their customer support. With the holiday weekend, the best they could do was bring me a new modem Wednesday.

Fast-forward to this morning. Its 11:15 am, I'm home waiting on the cable guy who is supposed to show up between 11 and 2. I don't know about where you live, but around here public utilities aren't known for their punctuality, so I'm shocked when the doorbell rings, its the cable guy, and he gives me a "new" cable modem. He even comes upstairs and we test it out to make sure I can get on the Internet. At this point I am totally satisfied with the cable company and I head back to work.

After work, I come home and we are trying to use the computer when the cable modem stops working. After several minutes of testing, we determine the thing will work for about 5 consecutive minutes before it needs unplugged. So, again I call tech support- this is where it gets interesting:

First, the menu tells me that if I'm calling about the outage in the Anderson area to press 1, everybody else press 2. (Whoever you are Anderson folks, good luck!)

Next, I go through a couple of other not helpful menus that allow me to enter my phone number and that my problem is with my internet access. Then the waiting begins - the on-hold messages go like this:

"For answers to commonly asked questions, please refer to our website at http://www......."

If only I COULD get to your website! See thats why I'm calling!! If you just let me talk to a live person I could explain the whole thing.

"Please continue to hold. All associates are assisting other callers at this time. Your call will be answered by the next available associate"

Oh great, maybe I'm next???

"Have you upgraded to our digital cable yet. For just a few dollars more a month you can...."

Hey! I'm calling because the service I already have doesn't work - do you really think I'm in the mood to spend more money with your company?

"Please continue to hold. All associates are assisting other callers at this time. Your call will be answered by the next available associate"

Sure it will! I've heard that line before.

"Is the phone your calling from one of our new digital phones? If not now's the time to upgrade..."

Hmm, digital phone service is dependent on my non-working cable modem. So, if I had upgraded, I wouldn't even be able to call tech support! Great idea!

After about 20 minutes of this nonsense, we decide to go to their store located in a nearby mall. There are 5 employees sitting at terminals in a half-circle when we walk in and no customers. After a good 30 seconds (and probably some paper-rocks-scissors under the counter) one of them volunteers to help us. The other four sit there expressionless watching. Before I go any further, let me just say the man who helped us did a very good job (and even gave us a credit for our troubles).

The most surreal part of this experience was that I realized the rest of the staff was watching a TV located on the back wall. Being the cable company, I assume they have access to all 600 channels, things us mere mortals only dream of. And they are watching... Animal Planet. Even we get Animal Planet. And, how do I know they are actively watching the show? Because in the middle of serving us, this exchange takes place:

Worker1: What did you say those things are called?
Our Worker: Meerkats. M-E-E-R-K-A-T-S
Worker1: They're ferocious little creatures, aren't they?
Worker2: Oh, look at that!

Somehow, we managed to keep straight faces and get out with our new modem. Note to the cable company: More folks answering calls, less employees watching TV makes for happier customers.

The unofficial guide to Christmas Lights

noreply@blogger.com (M) — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 02:11:00 +0000

"You've taught me everything I know about exterior illumination"

- Clark Griswold to his dad, "National Lampoons Christmas Vacation"

Every neighborhood has its own 'Clark Griswold' - including ours (see pic), who is determined to create the best Christmas light display EVER in his front yard. Living in SW Ohio, the bar here is pretty high - a man in nearby Mason achieved youtube fame when his display was used in last year's Miller Lite commercial. Unfortunately, not every house turns out as well. So, without further ado, here is my unofficial guide to Christmas lights:

1. Pick a Theme - There is nothing more odd than a nativity set next to an inflatable Santa riding a Harley. Also, the mix of reindeer with nativity scenes - camels I get, but reindeer aren't indigenous to the the middle east. A good theme ties all your decor together and gives you ideas for purchases during the after-Christmas sales.

2. Less is More - You really don't need to have every inflatable or every different type of pre-lit reindeer. A nice display allows you to appreciate all the elements, not overload your brain with light. I'm sure the folks in the International Space station have plenty to do without seeing your lights.

3. Don't mix white and multi-color lights - ok, I actually did this... but if you do keep 'em separated. Stringing them in sequence is big no-no!

4. Put away the 1970s - at some point you threw away the silver garland, aluminum tree, and disco ball ornaments. Its time to do the same with your outside stuff. Especially those hard plastic decorations that have faded in the sun beyond recognition.

5. Just because its expensive, doesn't mean its nice - there are some crazy inflatables out there now - and many of them are just crazy! Its tough to shell out $150 bucks on decorations that will be out of style next year. 5a would be that there is a different between 'classic' or 'retro' and 'old junk'... if you can't tell, err on the side of caution.

6. Safety first... or at least in the top 10. Yes, putting Santa and eight tiny reindeers on your roof would make the neighbors jealous - but, if you fall off, they're sure to see the paramedics show up and THAT is never forgotten.

Keep these simple rules in mind and you'll be on your way to top!

If I've offended anybody, I apologize! Just remember, beauty is in the eye of the beholder! As long as you are happy with your work (and the neighbors aren't calling the mayor to complain) thats all that matters.

Reindeer Games

noreply@blogger.com (M) — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 02:04:00 +0000

First of all, for our loyal readers (hello Papa J), let me apologize for not posting for a while. I think my last post was before Thanksgiving... oops! With the holidays I should have some more time to post.

A few weeks ago, Janie and I decided to build a set of the white wooden deer to put out in our front yard. We found the plans online, purchased them on ebay, waited for the backorder, and finally got them last week. As you can see, we've been busy cutting, sanding and assembling them this week. In between holiday parties and get togethers with friends, we've managed to do everything but paint them and put bows around their necks (there's always tomorrow).

If your curious, the project is pretty easy, as long as you:
a) have a way to haul a 4x8 sheet of plywood (thanks Mom and Roger)
b) have a jig saw (it helps to have the scrolling wood blades)
c) have a moderate amount of patience
d) have a good partner to help you with the work!

Here are some up-close pictures of the project (and a cat who loves the camera).

Interesting Article

noreply@blogger.com (M) — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 03:08:00 +0000

Here's an interesting article I found regarding the growth of Vietnam's economy: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15674091/site/newsweek/

Business / Tech News

noreply@blogger.com (M) — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 00:59:00 +0000

As a technology professional, I often skim the tech headlines and yesterday saw that chipmaker Intel (think Pentium) plans to invest up to $1 billion in Vietnam. The story was on CNN. The mega computer company is building a manufacturing facility in Ho Chi Mihn City that will employ up to 1200 people. Its the largest American investment in Vietnam since 1975 and will obviously benefit the Vietnamese economy, especially since other technology manufacturers often locate their plants next to a major supplier like Intel.

Hopefully, there will be some benefits for Americans traveling to Vietnam (for adoption, business, or pleasure) such as increased international flights, more people who have some English proficiency, and better penetration of all the tech gadgets we can't seem to live without.

The Name Game

noreply@blogger.com (M) — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 02:03:00 +0000

No, I'm not referring to the silly rhyming game adults make kids play until some older-than-his-years child wants to rhyme with the name "Chuck". Our name game is trying to keep the name we have selected for our baby a secret. There are only a few family member who know and we've worked hard to not let the name slip out too often. While we've been very upfront with people about the adoption process, the name is one secret we like to keep to ourselves.

Of course, friends and co-workers like to have a name to refer to our baby. So, independent of each other, both of our sets of co-workers have created names for our baby that are based upon our first names. Where I work, the baby is referred to as Michaelena, while Janie's co-workers talk about baby Janette. Too funny!

Missing Picture

noreply@blogger.com (M) — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 01:59:00 +0000

If you read yesterday's post, you may have noticed there's a picture referred to that is there - thank Blogger for that little glitch - I have tried uploading a photo to my last post several times now with no luck.

So, here is a picture of our cinnamon roll bat dessert.

Its Monday Already!?!

noreply@blogger.com (M) — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 23:33:00 +0000

Wow - can't believe another weekend has come and gone by so quickly. You know what they say - time flies when you're having fun! We had a great time catching up with good friends (Friday and Saturday) and family (Sunday). The only negative was the Bengals' disappointing effort against Tampa Bay.

Friday night we went to a Miami U hockey game with our friends Curt and Shannon, their 14-month old Madison, Curt's dad Craig, and his girlfriend Jenny. Being Alumni, its always neat to see what's new around campus. The new arena is incredible - and a parking garage. For anybody who's ever had to park in Oxford, you'll understand my surprise. Madison, as usual, was the star of the show, sharing her popcorn with Janie (even the pieces she found on the floor) and almost dropping her toys onto the fans in the seats below us. Good reflexes, mom and dad!

Saturday, Curt, Shannon, and Madison came to our house for lunch. Janie found some neat Halloween recipes to make (see pictures). The top one is a skeleton vegetable platter and the bottom is a plate of bats made from cinnamon rolls and other candies. This was the first time Madison had seen our cats and dog, which made for a good deal of entertainment for everybody. Madison also "tested" the toys we have purchased so far - I'd say we've hit the mark!

Future Parent Tip: Bob Evans is a great place to eat because:
a) the usual crowd clears out around 6:30 to get home to watch Wheel of Fortune
b) they have a big kids menu
c) they bring your food quickly enough so the little one doesn't get too bored
d) oven fresh rolls - ok, that's for me!

Sunday, we did our normal chores, made an unscheduled trip to Home Depot, and had dinner with my mom and stepdad. I also finally got to catch up on my new favorite show, Jericho.

Tip: For old-fashioned folks like us without TiVo, many networks allow you to watch their shows online for free. CBS has all of its dramas available, and I believe ABC does the same.

We are in for another busy week, as Wednesday is our three year anniversary (like I said in the first paragraph - "time flies when you are having fun") and Thursday we have our fourth class at Children's Hospital.

Another Milestone

noreply@blogger.com (M) — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 02:02:00 +0000

Just learned from our coordinator that our documents have been translated and are now off to the IAD (International Adoption Department). Next, they will review our dossier and start the process of matching us with a child. Very Exciting!!

I also wanted to give everybody an update on recent adoption events. On Thursday, we had our second class at Children's Hospital, covering child development, speech therapy, and physical therapy. Again, we were impressed by the talent at the Center. On Friday, we had dinner with our informal local Vietnamese adoption group. We had a great time with everybody. Its so nice to have local people who are going through the same things you are at the same time. I can see all of us staying friends for a long time. If we ever create a formal group, our social worker is willing to give us a booth at their adoption fair - don't know if any of us is ready for that - yet!

Saturday, we attended an FTIA Waiting Families seminar in Loveland. There were a few couples who are in the same place we are, whether they are adopting from China, Guatemala, or Vietnam. We met our coordinator, Rachel, who was in town for the seminar. After months of emails and calls, it was awesome to meet her in person. We also talked to Candy, the Ohio FTIA Ohio coordinator, and our friend Perry and her adorable daughter Kiki.

To finish off the weekend, we volunteered at the Butler County Care Facility Octoberfest, which looked NOTHING like the picture below - though we had a good time.

Back to School...

noreply@blogger.com (M) — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 01:36:00 +0000

Just wanted everybody to know we are taking a lecture series on International Adoption offered through Cincinnati Children's Hospital. If you're in the Cincinnati area, you should check out their International Adoption Center. Its one of a few in the nation and has some really awesome staff. The head of the clinic, Dr Mary Staat, taught the first class last Thursday. She is great! From her opening statement "I'm an infectious disease pediatrician - that means I study diaherra" she had the class hooked. Its rare to find somebody so knowledgable about her field and with a friendly, open personality. We look forward to having her review our referral information when that day comes. Our future lectures include Sensory Integration Disorder, medical concerns after adoption, and attachment and bonding issues.

In other news, Kohl's has its new series of books/stuffed animals out for the winter. We have already picked up Dr Seuss's Sneeches and we'll probably go back for Green Eggs and Ham and the Grinch. The cool thing about this promotion is that you can get either a hard cover children's book or stuffed animal for $5. All of the proceeds go to a children's charity. They make great gifts, so buy a couple.

Weekend Recap

noreply@blogger.com (M) — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 23:57:00 +0000

We've given out the blog address to a lot of folks in the last few days, so let me just say "Welcome new readers!" Also, please post - its very exciting to read other people's comments. As for our end, we'll try to keep you both informed and entertained as we move through this process.

This past weekend, we visited Janie's family and got to talk to them in person about the adoption. We had a great time and (hopefully) answered everybody's questions. The entire family was very supportive and interested in the process. Thank you, Mom & Marty!

Over There!

noreply@blogger.com (M) — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 02:06:00 +0000

Janie talked to Rachel (our coordinator) today and she told us our dossier arrived in country yesterday and is off to be translated. Another hurdle crossed and one less reason for worry. So far, I have to say I'm a big fan of Fed Ex!

A couple of little hints for those of you still working on dossiers:
a) sign in blue ink
b) use your full legal name
c) make sure your notary paragrah is correct
d) double check everything (if possible with the agency) before you send it off to the consulate
e) relax - ok, try to relax

Now that our dossier is out of our hands, we have embarked on a new adventure - learning Vietnamese. We found a deal through a local library where we can get free access to the Rosetta stone software. I would highly recommend it, though the learning-through-immersion approach can be intimidating at first. However, after a few sessions, things start to click. Janie is a pro already, I have enough vocabulary to say "there is a blue cat" - you gotta start somewhere.

And of course, once I master Vietnamese, there are 28 other languages to tackle, including Mandarin, Arabic, and Swahili!

In other news, we will be out of town for a few days visiting Janie's family. We are looking forward to good food, family, and filling everybody in on our favorite subject.

The Saturday Baby Bazaar

noreply@blogger.com (M) — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 01:00:00 +0000

Friday night my best friend Curt calls up... "There's a mom's sale up by us this weekend. They have lots of clothes & other baby stuff. We are planning to go, would you like to join us?"

"Sure," I reply, " we're always up for a little baby stuff shopping and it would be nice to see you guys. Is this thing like a garage sale?"

"A little larger", Curt replies, "oh, and they take credit cards. It starts at 9, but we'd like to get there 15 minutes or so early, if that's ok with you."

"See you then", I answer and think to myself 'do we really need to get their early?'

Fast forward to 8:45 Saturday morning - location, a nearby Elementary school. This is when I realize this sale is definitely NOT a garage sale. First clue - the school parking lot is full. Second clue - the 400 or so people waiting outside. Third clue - people were bringing laundry baskets to carry their purchases.

After waiting in line for a few minutes we get inside. The ENTIRE elementary school is filled with baby and kids stuff, including the gym and cafeteria. The people, while determined, were remarkably well-behaved. As for the shopping, both couple did very well. As did the other 500 individuals we were there with. I would highly recommend attending one of these if they have them in your neighborhood.

After shopping, we had lunch and the wives decided to go shopping. The husbands stayed home and watched football (so stereotypical) as well as Curt and Shannon's one-year-old girl. This, of course, led to some interesting conversations "Did you see that touchdown??" "Do you see the duckie?" Everybody had a great time, though, and we can't wait to see them again!