Waiting Wednesday

Yet another Waiting Wednesday and still nothing much to report on the adoption front. I hope something comes soon. I would LOVE some updated pics, a video or SOMETHING. Her first birthday is on Sunday and I hope to get some Dol pictures of her, at least. We'll see.

Anyways here is my list for the week:

10 things I LOVE about watching Korean Drama's. We have watched "Stairway to Heaven" and are now on "Be Strong Geum Soon." LOVE IT. There are four seasons of Geum Soon with seven discs of each season. There are six episodes on each disk. Yeah, we have been on this one for a while. I made a friendly wager with my hubby that we will finish the series before we get TC. He's more positive than me, he thinks that we will get TC before we finish. We just watched the third disk of season 4. We only have four disks left. We get one disk per week, on average.

We rent them through Netfl@x. And apparently, they're pretty popular. Because I can't seem to get my hands on more than one disk at a time. And they come from all over, not our local shipping center. I know, you can watch them on the computer for free, but I would rather watch them on the couch, comfortably. (Plus I want to win the bet.)

So here are the ten reasons I LOVE watching Korean Drama's:

1. The Language. I love hearing them talk. They are in English subtitles and it's actually not that bad, when you get used to it. But I love picking up on little phrases and the way they say things. Kaleb had an opportunity to earn a culture/language badge through Cub Scouts and we could actually come up with ten words that we have heard from these dramas. If I had an extra $400 laying around I would LOVE to buy the Rosetta Stone for Korean. I love learning different languages. Plus, it would be cool to have for when Joye gets older.

2. The Style. I love seeing what they wear and how they wear things. What types of things that are popular over there and what isn't. Pink is REALLY popular for guys to wear. I know it's getting to be more popular here, but they don't have the "girls wear pink and boys wear blue" think goin' on there. They put pink stuff on little boys and blue stuff on little girls. How different it is from here. Good different, that is.

3. Helps me understand the culture a little more. Geum Soon is a single mom and trying to raise her son on her own and she was abandoned by her mom when she was a baby. It really helps me to understand the pressure and difficulty birthmom's face. How "losing face" is so important. It has really helped me to understand the culture that my daughter is from. I have to remember that some of the movies/dramas that we make here in the US aren't indicative of our culture, per se. But it does give me an idea.

4. Helps me understand the people. Guem Soon is TOUGH. She never gives up. She goes through some hard things and just shakes it off and keeps going. I'm not saying that is an "Asian" thing because I am NOT fond of stereotypes. AT. ALL. But their way of life is tougher. It is. They sleep on the floor. With really nothing under them. The parents/in-laws in this drama sleep on a blanket on the floor. No mattress, no nothing. They sit on the floor. All. the. time. My back would be killing me! But they all have GREAT posture!

5. Helps me understand the social structure. Families are VERY important. VERY. It is at the center of their culture. They treat the older generations with respect and honor. That is something that our culture doesn't really adhere to. It's kind of sad. The older generation is regarded very highly in Korea, and I think that is really cool.

6. It's family-friendly. The boys sit down and watch them with us and I don't have to feel "on guard" the whole time. There are very few PG movies anymore, most are PG-13 or R. With that comes language, sexual content and drug references. My boys don't watch R, but I will let them watch a PG-13 here and there. Some of the things that are allowed these days is appalling. These Korean Drama's are perfectly clean. There is some very basic adult content but it is so subtle, the boys don't catch it. Kaleb LOVES watching them and looks forward to them every week. It's really cute.

7. Helps me to see how important mealtimes are. Seriously. Everything is based off of food. Instead of greeting someone, they ask "have you eaten yet?" They are ALWAYS eating. Which makes me hungry. I can't wait to try authentic Korean Food. Sometimes I just have to fix me some Ramen after watching them. It curbs the craving. And the dishes?! Yikes! They have like 20 little dishes each time they eat! BIG on side dishes. Makes my stomach growl just thinking of it . . . yum.

8. Respect. I respected my daughter's birth country going into this. But I really have developed a love and such an admiration for the Korean people. Although I have never been to Korea, I would love to go. There is just something pulling me to experience and meet the people. Because that's who my daughter is. She's Korean. She will always be Korean. Yes, she will live in America, but she was born in Korea. And I LOVE that about her.

9. The music. About 90% of the music in these Korean Drama's is American! Yeah, we just watched one with Leann Rimes playing in the background! HA! Who would have thought?! I love the Korean music in them though. It is so beautiful. LOVE the theme songs. LOVE the songs.

10. I learn so much when I watch them. They are just a tad soap-opera-y. Just a tad. Not much. But there are SO many secrets lurking around. It shows how hurtful secrets are. That is something we point out to the boys all the time.
Another thing is when they have a bone to pick - they pick it! They "call each other out" on things and make them come clean! It's really a learning thing for me. I'm NOT a secret person, but if I have beef with someone, I DO NOT call them on it (except my boys, I let them know when they are in the wrong.) Too much friction and confrontation. Ick. But it is neat how they are so forthright and up-front. They get it all out. :)

I just can't say enough good things about Korean Drama's. I am so thankful that we got turned on to them. It has been such a fun thing to have while waiting (for forever.)

So Happy Waiting Wednesday, AGAIN!

Waiting Wednesday

Well . . . . . I made it. Barely.

I'm just going to do the one I had planned for last week. ;)

Ten songs that manged to get me through the wait. We're still waiting, but I have to say it is beginning to draw to a close. Finally.

1. "God you Reign" by Lincoln Brewster. Because who else reigns? He reigns over me, our adoption, my family. Yeah, HE reigns.

2. "Today is the Day" by Lincoln Brewster. "Today is the day, you have made and I will rejoice and be glad in it." Brings me back to VBS and Sunday School. But it is SO stinkin' true. Everyday is a gift, and I need to rejoice in it, even if my daughter isn't here yet.

3. "Everlasting God" by (you guessed it) Lincoln Brewster. LOVE THIS ONE. If I had to pick one, just one off this list, it would be this one. Just. so. good. LOVE the scripture embedded in it.

4. "Surrender" by (again) Lincoln Brewster. OK. I know, enough with the 'Lincoln Brewster' already. I'm sorry! He's very inspirational. I had to list all four because they literally helped me re-group the times I wanted to throw a pity-party. Honestly, they jolted me out of a pity-party -that might be a bit more realistic. LOVE Lincoln Brewster. (I bet you didn't know that already)

5. "Something Beautiful" by NeedtoBreathe. LOVE this song. LOVE the group. I'm pretty sure it wasn't written for my beautiful little daughter, but it might as well have been. The boys and I were listening to this song RIGHT before we got our Referral Call. I know, totally cool. Listening to it brings me back to that awesome morning. It's a keeper.

6. "Wonderin'" by TobyMac. This song has taught me SO much. There's a part in it that says "I'm wonderin' if my dreams will steal me from you." Spoke volumes to me. Put everything back into perspective.

7. "Hold On" by TobyMac. This song helps me think of our transition. You would have to hear it to know what I mean. The lyrics are SO powerful and help me to realize that if we 'hold on' to HIM, everything will be ok. (Plus is there a song that TobyMac makes that isn't totally awsome?! I don't think so!)

8. "It Won't Be Like This For Long" by Darius Rucker. Yeah, Hootie. Hootie went country and I love it! Wasn't sure at first, but it fits him. Anyway - this song is indicative of phases and transitions in life that will soon pass. AND to take advantage of things because they don't last long.

9. "There is a God" by Leann Womack. This song needs no explanation. Just. plain. good.

10. "I Will Wait" by Aaron Shust. I WILL wait. However long it takes. We're getting there, day by day!

I LOVE music and it can change my mood in an instant. I got this idea from my friend, Michelle. She made a list of songs for her son and it helps her through the wait. I started thinking about it, and I went back to these songs time after time for encouragement. So Happy Waiting Wednesday everyone! Now I need to start thinking for a list for next week!

Class B

So . . . I missed Waiting Wednesday. I had a post all lined up and then was so busy that I forgot to post it! I know, pathetic. We have been busy finishing up school, add a couple Dentist appointments and putting together a Birthday Care Package for Joye and that results in NO time for blogging. Literally. So here we are on Friday and I have to make it a quick post. We are heading to Nanny's (my mom's) to help clean out the Chicken House. She blesses us with fresh eggs - it's the least we can do, ya know?

Anyways on to the exciting news. I just received an email from AAC stating that Joye has had her Visa Physical and that I need to send in a Class B waiver to Eastern to get her EP going! YAY! HUGE NEWS!!!!! It's just a paper stating that we realize that Joye is a little peanut and that she was born at a low birth weight. 5.2 pounds. She's just little and isn't in the target percentile for her age. No big deal. Good thing I stocked up on 12 month clothing - just in case. Looks like we won't be in the 18 month stuff for a while! That's ok! That could result in more shopping! :)

Great news. I did have a chance to catch-up last night and there is good news all over the stinkin' place! Friends getting close to VI and TC and rumors of EP's being submitted. Makes me all giddy! LOVING all the movement!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Waiting Wednesday

Yet another Wednesday passes and it's time for a theme. I have been feeling very excited about Joye coming home. It seemed so far away and out of reach, and now seems a bit closer. At night I think about the things that will change our lives forever when she finally comes home. The good things, of course.

10 things that I look forward to doing with Joye when she comes home:

1. Watching her sleep.

2. Snuggling with her.

3. Carrying her. With the help of the Beco that I have. :)

4. Playing with her on the floor.

5. Having her with us at mealtime and introducing foods to her. A little at a time.

6. Reading books to her.

7. Playing peek-a-boo and singing "Twinkle Twinkle" together. She won't understand a word at first, so I did get a Korean Children's CD to help us out a little.

8. Watching the boys play and interact with her.

9. Giving her kisses and telling her how much I love her.

10. Just being together. All of us. Seeing her little personality evolve. Getting to know her better each and every day.

I know the first couple nights home will be hard. She won't know us from strangers. But I pray everyday that her transition will go well. I just can't imagine being ripped from everything I know. My heart hurts for the fear and confusion she will face. We'll get through it and everything on my list will be totally worth it. :)

Happy Wednesday! One more down! How many more will there be, I wonder?

One More Month

Happy 11 months to my precious, adorable little girl!

In one more month, Joye will be a year old. I really thought that I was going to be in a deep state of depression the closer I got to May 2nd. But I'm actually doing OK. Who knew? By the look of things, we are closer to bringing her home than ever before. September EP's have been submitted and that means we're (hopefully) next! YAY! I can't help but be excited and hopeful that all this waiting WILL eventually end!

The light is little, BUT it is at least present at the end of the adoption tunnel. YESSSS!

Happy 11 months Joye - can't WAIT to hold you in my arms for FOREVER!