I'm back!

I got back late last night, and so much has happened in the 3 days I was gone!

It "appears" [[AA have allocated up until 15 Feb 2006. :( I was really hoping to get to the 17th... [[AA are now SEVEN days from our date. That makes me very uneasy. Seven. It's like that "cusp" number! There is a (slim) chance we could be included in Nov - but more likely we'll have to wait til Dec. Which ticks me off, I REALLY wanted to be IN CHINA in Dec. Gosh, I'm a whinging old cow, aren't I?!! I should be looking at the bright side - WE ARE GOING TO SEE (a picture of) OUR CHILD THIS YEAR!!!


I'm going to make a slideshow of the photos I took while I was travelling home. Yes, I travelled alone - I took the photos while I was driving! I wanted to prove to MrT I didn't doze off while I was driving!!

My car. I love it. BUT... (yes there's always a big butt!) murphy's law has once again haunted me, and just before I left (for my 8 hour drive) - the engine malfunction light came on! Can you believe it?!! The car is 18 months old!!! I was sooo $#%^@# mad! I took it to a dealer, waited there for 2 1/2 hrs, apparently there some fault in the exhaust system. I told them I HAD to drive back to Adelaide, that day, so they consulted the head mechanic etc. and said it'd be ok to drive home - but it'd need to be looked at when I got home. The car drove like a dream. No problems. But now I need to get this damn problem fixed, before I can register it here. Argh.

So, photos will come. I must get showered, and ring a dealer here.

Slideshows:
Fun with the Kids
8 hr Drive with myself!

Registration

Here in SA, our "adoption Registration" last for 3 years. In Nov, we'll have been registered for 3 years (despite our agency's early chuffs that we certainly wouldn't need to worry about re-registration. HA!) So we need to update our financial info, homestudy, medicals and police clearances. We've got our medicals tomorrow. Joy. I was going to eat light today - in the hopes I'd be a couple of kgs lighter at the Drs... but I caved, and have just devoured a scrumptious super fresh chocolate donut. Gee it was worth it!

It feels like forever since the last lot of allocations were sent - it's only been about 3 weeks! I'm sooo hanging out to see where C.c.@.a get up to! I hope I'm not too devasted. I've been convincing myself that they'll get up to 17 Feb - (hi! to all those logged in on 17th!) Then it'd only be 5 days til us. I do think, the 17th is a bit ambitious though. But, on the other hand I really really hope they get there!!!

Have you swung by Ford and Alyson's place? Gosh Alyzabeth An has such an angelic face! Sounds like her lungs are quite so angelic!
Happy 2nd Birthday Alyzabeth An!
Life for you (and for your Mama and Baba!!) will never be the same again!

Happy 31 to us!

3 word Sunday

Well... ALMOST My New Car!! I've booked a flight to Melbourne (in the next state), for next Sat morning. I'll pick up my new car. Then stay a couple of days with family, and drive home on Monday! People are so surprised when I say, I'm buying a car in another state!!! Why is it so weird?! This car was at least $5k cheaper, than any here in Adelaide. So I booked a $100 plane ticket, and the will probably pay about $140 in fuel to get home.... I'm still miles in front!!

She's a Holden Captiva LX. A top of the range, 7 seat all wheel drive. Full leather interior. Climate control. Reverse parking sensors (yay!). Power Steer. Automatic. 6 stack "in dash" CD ... I'm in love! I'll say goodbye to my MIL's little "run about", that she's kindly leant to me while she's overseas - I'm SO looking forward to being able to fit my grocery shopping in the boot, and having 4 doors again! Little cars are easy to park, and a bit cheaper on fuel... but I've stuggled with it's "smallness"!! I fill up the tiny boot with 2 school bags, music book bags and library bags!

Other very exciting news this week... V.irgi.n Pa.cfic (Airlines) released new flights direct from Adelaide to Bali! And as with most new routes, they were super-duper cheap! My SIL rang, and said "we're going!" ~ she's taking her 5 kids... and wanted to know if I had my money ready, we had to come too!! So I did it. I booked FIVE tickets to Bali for March next year. I was just about shaking when I booked an INFANT in with our family!! Then when it came to the passenger detail bit... I had to supply "sex, name, date of birth".... YIKES!!! So I made an executive decision that SHE is going to be a girl. I put in her name!!! But was really stumped on the DOB! So I put in 01/01/08! After I finished the online booking, I rang V.irgi.n to make sure they knew I wasn't purposely entering false information! The girl was fantastic. She was really exciting for us (maybe my high pitched squeely voice gave her the impression I was excited?!!) She said it was fine, and as soon as we have the information, if we could let them know. Argh!!! We'll be taking our baby to Bali!!! I really, really, really hope, we go get her in Dec (or Jan at the latest) - so we've had a couple of months at home to settle in! If not - we may be taking a very irrated little person on a packed plane!!! Man! Its just so surreal! I keep thinking, if I'm this beside myself booking a holiday... how am I going to be, booking our China trip - to go get her?!!!

September 2008

Here's a little slideshow of when we went to the Royal Show, and an excursion with H-Man's class yesterday, to Cleland National Park - to visit Australia's native animals. Enjoy!

*Sorry had to hyperlink it, couldn't find a place to add it to the blog! Don't have time to work it our - Chewy Dog has vaccinations at the vet in 15 mins!*

New plans

Like with our adoption "wait"... we are now stuck in the "housing wait"!! And as with our adoption wait, the longer we wait, the more we change our mind on certain things!!! I've been looking into some different builders and plans etc... and this is now the leader! Its cheaper than the other house we were all keen on, and its a steel framed home (and apparently there are lots of termites up where our land is... great!) We really like this one - it's a wee bit smaller (less cleaning, right?!) we'll make a few small modifications to the internal structure but other than that - we like it just the way it is!

Last night, we went and saw W@ll-E we won free tickets from the local radio station. It was a nice "feel good" movie - and humanity's "materialism" was the storyline. The scary thing is... it's possible our world could end up, a rubbish tip. Well... I'm off to find something I can recyle, and then I might go for a walk so I don't end up like a "screen fixated butterball"!!

3 word Sunday

I'M SO TIRED!

How funky is this pic?! Found it in Goo.gle Images when I keyed in "tired"!

I'm feeling exhausted. Spent. Wasted. Droopy. Lifeless.

Was up cleaning til 1145pm - for our Open today... one person came through. Urgh. I guess I should be thankful for small mercies... least the house is clean?!!

I looked at some new display homes yesterday - I think I've found a new "winner"! It's nearly $20k cheaper than our last favourite - but the finishing and appliances etc are much better quality. So - its a win-win situation!

Test drove a Toy.ota Kl.uger yesterday... very nice. Alot easier to drive than I expected. I thought it'd be quite heavy in the steering, but it was easier than my Subaru!! I've put an offer in on one... just waiting to see if its accepted.

... ahhhh... I'm so tired.

EDIT: I'VE BEEN AWARDED!

THANK YOU CHELLEY! I'd like to "pay it forward" and award the following "Gems"

* Janet * - Janet you crack me up ~ particularly fond of your "kick in the pants"!!!

* Mary-Mia * - I can never read you blog without grinning from ear to ear!

* Heather * - Are you sure you're not a comedian?!!

* Connie * - Our LIDs are close... our personalities even closer?!! I love ya, girl!

Friday already?... again?!!

Its funny, I get to Monday, and it feels like the week ahead is soooo long... and then BOOM! Its Friday - the week has whizzed past in a blurr and I still haven't achieved, all I'd hoped to achieve!!!

Miss M has a friend staying over, and we're off to the Show today, to meet with one of H-Man's friends! We had an absolutely ball last year - and are really looking forward to it again today! The weather is divine! The sunny is out in full, a little puff of wind and forecast temps of 22C. Nice!

On a completely different note -
I just sold my car, and when our house sells, I'll buy a 7 seater. Anyway, during the sale process, many people asked, why I was selling my car. I'd say, "because I'm after a 7 seater - we have 2 kids, another one on the way - and we are forever couriering other kiddies around the place as well!"
Immediately after mentioning "another one on the way" - people ALWAYS look at my stomach!!! I notice their glance, and add "That's just fat - we're adopting a child"!!! I love it! They never know what to say!!! I shouldn't do it really - but its just so entertaining!

I'm STILL UBER excited about the prospect of seeing Mini by Christmas!!!

**EDIT:* A couple of my esteemed readers have asked about the house. Had considerable interest, but no-one interested enough to put in an offer.... YET! Still have regular opens, and now that it's listed "for a price" I feel that we're only getting "serious" buyers through.... all the nosey neighbours have been through! After two weeks "on the market"... the agent asked us to drop the price!!! HA! Good on ya?!!! It wasn't well received here, and we said we'd revisit that thought after at least another month. Apparently, that's "the industry standard" to ask the vendor to drop after two weeks!!!! Unbelievable. Our market here has been excellent for about 2-3 years. Houses selling within 4-6 weeks on the market, many on the first open. In the last 6 months, things have started to slow - the "medium" is currently about 90 days on the market. Mr T told our agent, that ALL Agents have had it too easy too long.... now they actually have to work for their money!!! Then I added insult to injury, by adding "I'll drop my price if you'll drop yours!"... I was told, that wouldn't happen!!! I reckon, if I'm paying them multiple thousands of dollars... they can darn well earn it! We have a great house. (Everyone that has come through, loves it... we just need someone to love it, that has $$$!)

Happy Fathers Day!

Today was Father's Day, here in Oz! So here's a photo tribute to the great Dad's in my life...

The sexy Father of my children...

My Daddio...

The Daddio of my Children's Sexy Daddy...

HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO YOU ALL!!!

Friday already!

The week has flown by! (yay!) It's Friday, and it's the first day of the Royal Adelaide Show. The show runs for 9 days. We manage about 160+ staff over the 9 days... it's pretty full on! Its a great Show, as it combines the rides / Show bags as well as the Agricultural side of our State. One of the jobs I do during the Show, is "typing for the cows"... well, that's what I call it, but my Official title is "Beef Steward"!!! Which doesn't sound nearly as cool?!!!

The farmers bring their bulls through (leading them by a rope, attached through a nose ring), up a "run" to be "scanned" and weighed. Scanning is like an ultrasound, to measure fat and EMA (eye muscle area). I type in the results, and sit with Councillors, who record the same results and write on the competitors cards, for judging. The heaviest bull was 1300kgs! He was massive! He was so long, his barely fit in the scale holding pen! Anyway, why am I dribbling on about bulls?! Well, the funniest thing happened -

As the farmers were all lined up with their bulls; the bull being scanned, farted! Unfortunately, it was a very wet fart, and was definitely more of a "SHart"! and poo sprayed up the lady's leg, who was next in row!!! She let out a laugh and says "Ha! dirty thing it's sh!t on me!!!" Well, she spoke too soon, and the bull really let one rip - and TOTALLY covered this poor lady in poo!!!! LIke, head-to-toe in poo!!! She stood there with her mouth open, she couldn't believe what had just happened! I called out, she might want to close her mouth... just in case it happened again!!! Well, we all had a laugh (even the lady)... hey, what else can you do, when you're stuck in line (no way to get out) and a bull has just totally sprayed you with poo?!! There is a saying "you can't work with kids or animals"... I tend to agree!!!

*sorry to those eating!*

Mr T was off at 5.15am this morning, and probably won't be home til about 11pm. This will go on for the next 9 days! Its the one week of the year, that he is 100% dedicated to the job, and nothing will take him from The Show. So naturally, we always assumed, we'd be travelling to China in September - because it's the one time we really can't go!!! But God has smiled upon us, and were through Sept (as in, we know we won't be travelling this month!!!) and hopefully travelling Dec/Jan. Which still isn't fantastic, as far as timing goes - Mr T has arthritis - and China is awfully chilly in Dec/Jan!!! Not to worry - we'll just take lots of lotion and pills!!! NOTHING is stopping me now, Baby!!!

Roll on September!

As we roll on into September, I thought I'd share with you the pic on my China Calendar this month. Isn't it fantastic?! Its the Giant Buddha at Mt Leshan in the Sichuan Province. The pic was taken by the awesome photographer Micahel Y@mashita.

Spring

Excellent weather?!

Pansies

Too busy!

Enjoy

Mild nights

Break from school

Excitement... referrals?!!

Royal Show

I'm daring to post about the recent rumours... a 9th Feb cutoff?!! Oh My! Thats 9 days we can cross off?!!!! Only 13 more logged in days before ours?!!! Oooo~ a November referral MIGHT actually be a possibility? Thats only 7 days referred in Oct, then 6 in November?!!! Even if we work on averages (5 days per month) - we SHOULD still see Mini before Christmas... .just not in the flesh.

Either way, we'll be flat out til the day we see her, if we sell the house in the next month, with 6-8 week settlement... lands us right around the same time to move!!! Now my knees are really knocking!!!

On top of all that, I sold my car on the weekend, so I'm driving my MIL's car while she's away ~ so once we've sold the house, I need to go car shopping too!!!

Hmmm.... let me think if there's anything else, I can try and fill my days with?!!! Oh wait... Hman starts cricket next term and Miss M is back at basketball!!! All this with Mr T flitting to and fro between here and Indonesia!

...I need a valium!

**EDIT** ITS CONFIRMED! A family has received their referral, and they were logged in on 9 Feb 2006!!! Yipee!!! I am bouncing off the walls with excitement!!! SUCH good news! Cc.@a are "officially" 13 days from our logged in date!!! Come on Cc.a@~ you can do 13 in the next month, can't you?!!! My goodness, I think I would pee my pants, if they did!!!

Far out!!! I was just thinking, Mini has DEFINITELY been born, and is actually waiting either in an orphanage or with a foster family, just for us. Her Nannies or foster family will be talking to her about us! Gosh!!! This is really going to happen, hey?!!