Interesting Facts about South Korea

To pass the time, I have been doing some research about South Korea. So I am going to enlighten you with some random facts about my little girls' birth country, also reffered to as "The Land of the Morning Calm."

This is the flag of South Korea. The black lines are called Trigrams and they represent harmony. The yin-yang in the center, symbolizes balance within the universe.

South Korea has a population of more than 50 million people.

More than 2/3 of S. Korea is covered by mountains and highlands.

The National Flower is the Rose of Sharon. It represents the spirit of Korea. It is known to survive in harsh environments and to spread out from it's origin. This reflects the history of Korea and her people's survival through periods of trial and suffering. The Rose of Sharon embodies Korea as an independant nation with a long history.

It blooms from summer to fall for about 100 days. It's bulb opens in the early morning and closes up in the evening. In Korean its called Mungunghwa meaning "flower with endless life."

(I have already picked one out and can't wait to plant it once I know it won't freeze, I know it's hearty and all, but Colorado weather is tricky ;) It will be a tribute to our little princess and the trials and suffering that we all will go through to get her home. Those of her Birthmom, Foster Mom and the grieving process she will endure after leaving all she has ever known. We will watch this bush grow, and look back on the path that made our family whole. (just a side note)

Isn't it georgeous!

Moving On . . .

Most South Koreans use public transportation, rather than their own cars.

Koreans are known to throughly enjoy singing. Karaoke is very popular in Korea. They have Karaoke halls called noraebang or "singing rooms."

Soccer and Baseball are their favorite sports. S. Korea was the first Asian country with a professional Soccer team.

They sleep together as a family on a mattress on the floor, similar to a Futon mattress, called a yo. It is rolled up during the day and cleared away when it's not being used. Most houses have heated floors, which makes sleeping on the floor more comfortable.

English is taught as a second language in most schools.

Well that's all the random facts that I will share today. More posts to follow . . . for tomorrow: The Culture of Korea. I know you're excited!!!

Thankful Thursday

I have to say I am thankful for many things in my life, but today I am especially thankful for my baby brother. He's no longer a baby (just in case you were wondering) but a strikingly handsome, caring, loving, strong, hunky man. No, today is not his birthday, it's just a random appreciation for everything that he is. My brother is a Man of the Badge. That's right, he is a Police Officer. (I have never thought the term cop was very endearing)

Seems how Police Officers put their life on the line, catch bad guys and make sure everyone is safe both in their cars and in their homes, you would think that society would be so appreciative for what my brother does on a regular basis. I wish that were the case. He gets flipped off, cussed at, (verbally abused would be way more appropriate) amongst other horrific things that I never imagined he would face. Now don't get me wrong, even I look frightfully in my rear view mirror when I see the marked cars speed past or follow behind me. But if I am speeding, then I deserve a ticket, I was breaking the law! Granted there are those few, in every profession, that give those that are good a bad name, but imagine if the Men and Women in blue weren't out there to protect us! Also, imagine going to work everyday and doing a job where everyone hates you. Doesn't give you much to get out of bed for, if you know what I mean. But he does it, and he does it well. And to top it all off, he NEVER expects recognition for all that he sacrifices. NEVER.

So today I proclaim National Hug-Your-Hunky-Police Officer Day! So Uncle T, thank you for all you do and I pray for your protection everyday. You deserve more than what people give you on a daily basis, but please know that you are great at what you do and we ALL are so thankful for what you give each and every day. Sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, Thank You.

Homestudy . . . D-O-N-E!!!

Last night our Social Worker came over and did our Individual Interviews for our Homestudy. I went first, and then Chad came home from work and he did his. I feel it went very well. Our SW is the sweetest lady, both of us absolutely LOVE her. Thankfully, she isn't looking for things to "fail" us on, it's just mainly talking, and making sure there aren't any hidden issues that we need to discuss. Coincidentally, I don't think that there is any order in which the HS is performed, but I'm pretty sure we did it all backwards. First, was our Home visit, then couples interview, then our individual's. I've been looking at other timelines and discovered this minor detail. Oh well, it actually worked better this way, both for us and for her. I actually like the fact that we did it different, makes it all the more special. Speaking of special, it dawned on Chad and I that this is a monumental achievement in our Adoption Journey! No, really - the HS was the most daunting of all the tasks thus far, for us, anyway. So we celebrated with a dinner out, just the two of us, the boys were with Grandma, again - I LOVE our Grandma's :). Our SW will then type it all up and give it to us for review. Now, we just hurry up . . . and wait.

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For those of you wondering Escort or Travel? Chad and I haven't completely decided on this yet. We would absolutely LOVE to go pick our little one up in her birth country, see the sites, meet her Foster Mom - once in a lifetime opportunity, no doubt! However, we are praying diligently for God's will in this. We are preparing for both. I want the travel to be His plan, and not force it, if that makes sense. So, I did apply for my passport today and get my lovely picture taken, just in case we are meant to travel. Chad will be getting his too, just in case. Doesn't hurt to have a Passport, I have been told that it's nice to have, and that it saves preparation in the future. Either way, we will be prepared and are leaving the rest up to Him.

Up, Up, UP!!!

We are now #11! There have been exciting things happening to the list in the past couple of weeks. So far, there has been one referral a week for the past three weeks!! We can't believe it! There was a buzz on the Yahoo group that there were actually TWO referrals last Friday, but one was a little boy, so that doesn't affect our number. I KNEW the spring/summer was going to go fast! Keep them coming!!! Congrats to all of the families that have received their little ones!

A few of my favorite things

Every girl enjoys shopping. Especially for little girls and babies. Here are a few things that I have fallen in love with in the past couple of weeks, I just thought that I would share ;)

Mom's that have their babies have raved about the Beco Butterfly. So . . . I HAD to get one! I found this one on Ebay, rarely used, for a little less than other stores that offer this brand. To be honest, I loved the print and other stores didn't carry it. It's the 1.0 and most were pushing the newest 2.0. I have already purchased this and can't wait to put our little girl in it.

For those of you who don't know, babies in Korea are "worn" by their foster parents, and these have proven to be very helpful with attachment and bonding.

Here's the color swatch; I LOVE brown and pink together!

The next favorite thing, and I'm sure most of you will agree, is PotteryBarn. I LOVE all of their kids stuff. I had a regular Diaper Bag with each son and I hated both of them (the diaper bags). Everything got lost in the bottom. I never could find anything in them! Besides the fact that they were impossible to carry with a baby on the hip, they were ugly! Not this one! This time I'm going for a backpack . . . not just any 'ol back pack, a Pottery Barn KIDS backpack. Check this out!

Complete with our little girl's name inscribed on it. (Guess which one I like the best? You guessed it . . . .pink! I just wish there was more brown. Oh well.) I'm thinking she can use it when she gets older! A cousin bought both our boys a PB Duffle for Christmas last year and they are the coolest thing! Very durable and tons of pockets, thus more organization! This will be my next purchase!

Another favorite place is the Children's Place. I'm sure I'm not alone on this either. Once we were on the Girl's List with our agency I started looking for cute little girly dresses. I could finally stop looking and actually move toward purchasing. And although we have been on the list for almost 6 months, I still haven't purchased a dress for her. Two reasons; 1) I don't have clue when she will be born (I have a feeling that she is in fact born, just not sure) and 2) how big she will be when we get her. I want to get her a spring dress and I just don't know what size to get. Once we get her referral, I can celebrate with getting her the perfect dress, which brings me to my next favorite thing.

Isn't it just PERFECT! But wait . . . there's more! You have to prepare for that chilly Colorado spring air. A perfect dress has to have this to go with it!

A pretty pink princess can't go without . . . shoes!

My heart melted when I saw these little things. Aren't they just to die for! A must have, for sure! Well, I could go on all day with all the things that I have found that are pink and brown, but I don't have the time, and you all probably don't have the time to read all of it. Thanks for letting me share a few favorite things with you!

Thankfulness

I was looking back at some old posts, and discovered that I mainly post when the list has movement. So needless to say, NOTHING has happend on the list until this week (or late last week). We are now #13! It's only one, but I'll take it! I am still expecting a big jump like we had in January, though. I am faithful that the list has to move and that there are other things to post about.

Like . . .

K losing his third tooth. It is so funny to see a gaping hole when he smiles.

and . . .

Meeting so many inspirational families through blogging.
One in particular, that I just met, lost everything in a house fire. I heard their story through a great digital magazine called Serious Life. They have many children and they all got out of the house by the grace of God. They had just been home a month from Africa, bringing home their two newest additions, when the fire broke out. Their latest adoption adventure is also a great read. It has lead me to start researching Uganda, which may very well be the next country we adopt from, God willing. DH is already put that idea on ice many times ;) I love that he knows when to settle me down. We need to focus on this process and see where God leads us. WAY to early to be talking about #4!

I'm not one to hold on to material posessions, but it did make me think and to be thankful for what God has given me. Thankfully, they did get out and all of them are safe, but they start all over.
Their blog is www.aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com I encourage you to visit their blog and let me know what you think. You'll find the most inspirational stories on the sidebar.

I am so thankful for the blogging community. I have learned SO much from you all. The support and comfort is truly a blessing to me. Thank you ALL, from the bottom of my heart!

Training

This past weekend we attended our Training. We both were looking forward to it and it didn't dissappoint. Friday, our Social Workers' daughters talked about life as an Adoptee. It was great to see things through their eyes. Both were adopted from Korea, and are now in their 20's.

Then Saturday 3 families that have adopted through AAC, came and shared their adorable children and experiences. We were also blessed to have lunch with them all at a local restuarant.

We have enjoyed every step that we have gone through in this process, but the training made it all seem more real. Seeing the families with their children really helped us to envision our little girl. The term "pregnant on paper," is used often because that's what it is. There's nothing tangible to relate with. That all changed this weekend. It was awesome!

As far as the Homestudy, I keep telling myself that there's no hurry and it's all in God's timing. Appearantly, there has to be "spacing" inbetween meetings so we have the correct # of contacts with our Social Worker. You can't have all the meetings real close to each other. So we will be meeting again in the next week to do our individual interviews. I am very anxious to get it done, but we're not even #10 yet, so technically we shouldn't even be started. Patience. I would like to get the HS done, to apply for some grants and 0% loans, but again . . . all in God's hands and I need to just trust. This is His journey and He has all of the details worked out.

If you haven't visited Shelley's blog recently, she is sooooo close to making the $5000 mark on her Raffle! Can you believe it! Fellow bloggers have given almost $5000 to bring her little Claire home! Help her make her goal, plus she will be giving away TWO prize packages if she reaches it. She's extended it until Thursday! Visit her blog to buy tickets and to see what she's giving away!