Kindergarten Photo

Mary (Nathan & Emily's Mom) dared us to post our Kindergarten photos! So in honor of the new school year, here is Elena's Mommy back in 1976. What happened to my beautiful natural blond locks?! And thank goodness Giggy & Papa paid big bucks so as to slap some braces on those teeth!

I had to call and ask my Mom (Giggy) which picture was from what year and it made me feel so special that she remembered exactly what I was wearing & what my hair looked like for my first few school pictures. =)

The IA Experts

Since I've been back at school I've had to endure the questions about when Elena is arriving. Many of you know this drill. Most of my colleagues have been very sympathetic and supportive. However, there are two people which purport to have more knowledge and insight about adoption from China than I do. Obviously the hours I spend online reading and searching out information and talking to my agency and people that have BTDT count for nothing! Can I just tell you how infuriating it was to listen to these fools? One lady knows somebody who got their child "about 5 months ago" and "didn't have to wait so long" and it's probably because I don't live in a big metropolitan area. Ok. That must be it. Trying to explain LID and the recent slowdown of referrals (7 days last time!) has absolutely no impact on her. Then again, this is my second run in with this woman who had previously given me an article stating that by adopting internationally, I was perpetuating the cycle that "we Americans" had put into motion, keeping other nations in poverty and unable to keep their children. Yeah, well, "my fellow American" Chairman Mao contributed a bit. Of course when I asked her if she had read the article she gave me and did she know it was anti International Adoption, she didn't want to talk about it. Convenient. This time I also got, "wasn't my wait already extended?" Well, yeah, because every other week you ask it is still delayed and we have no freakin' idea when things will speed up! As if I don't constantly think about how horrible this wait is and how all of us are pretty much in the dark as to the CCAA's plans. Oh, and another person kept insisting that they also knew someone who adopted from China and it didn't take this long so I should confront my agency and make sure my paperwork is really being processed or maybe I should have researched my Chinese agency more. Yeah, my Chinese agency, uh, like I had a choice?! You're really in the know, bud. So anyways, I'm avoiding these idiots as much as possible.
I know this is rambling, but I am still ticked off with their comments. Plus it's pouring rain here and I'm kind of melancholy because originally I was supposed to be getting to see my daughters picture around this time! Same ol' sob story.

I am reading "My Half of the Sky" and although it's a novel, the cultural bits are both inspiring and confusing and frustrating at times to my Western mind.

I'm going to end with a quote from the main characters Grandma which I'm trying to keep in mind as I find my possible referral date on the RQ's latest chart.

As Waipo always said, "Good fortune turns to disaster,
disaster to good fortune. The cycle has no end, nor
can the mystery of it be explained."

Two for Tuesday 3rd ed.

"Officer Buckle & Gloria" is great fun for adults & kids. The pictures of Gloria the Dog are hilarious! (Check out the book to find out why!) Peggy Rathman (www.peggyrathmann.com/officerbuckle.html) also wrote "Ruby the Copycat" which my students read & enjoyed this summer. A good story & lesson.

My other recommendation is for both the little ones and first/second graders. "Knufflebunny" by Mo Willems has amazing picture/illustrations and is a sweet "cautionary" tale. Anyone who has ever had a blankie or stuffed animal permanently attached to their side will understand!
Enjoy the reads and let me know what you think!

Referrals!!!!

Enjoy a moment gazing at Christi's beautiful Abbey Zhou Zhou and Mary-Mia and Rod's lovely TWIN girls Rose & Marie!!!!

I have to get up at what time tomorrow?!?

School starts up for faculty/staff tomorrow! The craziness begins again! Just in time really as I've been on the computer waaaay too much this summer. I've never thought that going back to school would be good for my mental & emotional health, but this year...! =)
Enjoy your week everybody, I'll check in again soon.

Case Solved!

I don't think the fun has been spoiled, Secret Pal, Cari! =) I'm so glad it is you. You really hid your identity well! I had NOTHING solid to go on...and I figured you weren't in Florida! Really, if this wait wasn't so frustrating and me being on summer vacation with nothing to do, I probably wouldn't have spent hours trying to suss out who you are!
I figured you were married by the way you wrote that kind comment regarding the singles program possibly closing. Previously you wrote that you were in China with your Mom so I wasn't sure if you had adopted already. The blonde hair comment gave me nada! Last week I was talking about blogging with a friend and started playing around with the sitemeter. I noticed a Minnesota viewer popping up right around the time you left comments. Of course I raced over to the Feb DTC roster and found several families in MN. One was married, with a daughter from China and moving to Florida. But the website hadn't been updated and they sounded too busy to be doing this. The others weren't right somehow. And then there was NO website listing for you. Aaaargh. Then I started reading some of your comments on other blogs and realized that Cari might be the Cari with no website, but clicking on your screen name gave NO blog. Dead end (but love your party pants picture!).
Anyway, yesterday I just couldn't read anymore RQ comments and went over to the Feb DTC blog. I clicked on some of the names of the particpants and (thankfully) *Cari* was near the top. Still no MN confirmation, but I found a post with If happiness is in your destiny, you need not be in a hurry and it was sooooo you! I swear I said Yes! aloud and pumped my fist in the air! Also, the blonde hair, frequent traveler and talk of Florida (you sent my boxes from Stacey, Jon & Mia's address!! VERY CLEVER!!) Then you affirmed my guess today and to validate it all, I got your WISH postcard this afternoon. So timely and so optimistically you! Thank you! (And yes, this time it had a MN stamp!) Cari, I'm so glad to "know" you and be able to follow your journey to your little girl! What fun I've had figuring out your identity. You are an awesome pal, secret or not!

Belated Birthday Wishes to my Brother

S, Please forgive me for not blogging your birthday on the 23rd. Things have been crazy around here, as you know. Plus, you've kind of turned 29, oh, I don't know, four or five times now?!! =)
Happy Birthday with love to my 'little brother'!

Hot on the Trail!!

Ok, it has been several months now that I've received absolutely wonderful, thoughtful gifts from my Secret Pal. She is sooooo sneaky that she even must have talked the postmaster into not putting postmarks on her packages!! She has given me a few clues but none that I could put together...until now! (I hope...) If she does mercifully give me a positive answer to this question then I will share the smart sleuthing I have done the past few days.
And it would be sooooooo nice to be able to thank you personally, SP! =)

So here goes:
Secret Pal, do you have three sons?

Diversions

...so as to ignore the fact that the CCAA has sent just 9 piddly days of referrals...utterly ridiculous. (Congratulations to those families up through 7/22, though!)Here it is, my brown hair. Remember folks, it's just dye (I keep reminding myself that too!)





Gotta go paint my living room now. Pot of Cream above the chair rail and Stone Brown below. I've got so many plans now I won't be able to check the RQ site 20 times a day! (Somewhat of a relief, really.)

Fun Fun Fun

The rumor boards are silent. Someone commented that you can hear crickets. So sad.
So before I tune into RockStar: SuperNova *Go Ryan Star!* I thought I'd type this in.

The darling Ruby Cate & her Momma Amy introduced me to this fun time wasting slogan making site I plugged in some names and this is what I got:

The Ellie of your Life.
Gives A Meal Kaitlin-Appeal.
Show Me The Giggy!
You've Got Questions. We've Got Papa.
Dannette Born and Bred.
Sometimes You Feel Like a Shane, Sometimes You Don't. There Ain't No Party Like A Bernie Party.
Let Your Gracie Do The Walking.
Dude, You're Getting a Shannon!
It Makes Your Shannon Smack.

I had a good laugh as some of them are truly applicable!
My new hobby (thanks to my SIL Dannette) is going to be redecorating my house on a budget. I have PLENTY of time and the plans she's made for me will definitely keep me busy! (Thanks, Dannette!)
Oh, and I dyed my hair brown today. Doesn't look too bad. I'll see if I get any comments over the next few days! (No comment = disastrous move!)

Two for Tuesday 2nd ed.

Here is the second installment of the Two for Tuesday Book Recommendations! I have lots of favorites so it's hard to choose which ones to feature. I have one I want to display, but it is going to my Secret Pal in the next week or two so I'll just have to hold off! Soooooo, here are this weeks choices. Let me know what you think!



The Usborne books such as That's Not My Kitten: Its Ears Are Too Soft (Touchy-Feely Board Books) by Fiona Watt and Rachel Wells are great ways to teach adjectives & negatives, “That’s not my puppy, his nose is too squishy.” The most popular ones I’ve seen are the kitty, dog, teddy & dolly, but there are dinosaurs, tractors, truck, train & monster topics among others. In fact I just found out my second cousin, Abby (age 1) really loves her kitty book and always tries to lick the touch & feel paws! These books really make the “not” concept stick. A few months back, my niece informed us, “I like Taco Bell not very much.” There you have it.


I introduced this great book to my 5 year olds and up and they loved it! Then the mean ol' school librarian =) discovered it and now uses it in her lessons! “Wild About Books” by Judy Sierra & Marc Brown is lots of fun and great for more advanced language & vocabulary learning. It’s a fun read for adults, too as the main character spreads the joy of reading to all animals in the zoo. The illustrations are fun to look at and discuss even without reading the text.
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Closing the Singles Program??

More & more agencies are trying to get their singles to turn in their paperwork asap. What has been a rumor for years has more & more indications of becoming a fact. It seems China just might be about to totally shut down adoption for singles (which already are allowed to be only 8% of adopting families). Past years have shown that singles already logged in (LID) would be grandfathered in. Needless to say, singles who have spots for 2007 or are looking forward to their child having a sibling and those of us waiting to hear grandfathering *will* happen are very upset & concerned. Will we have to wait til October/November for confirmation?

Back to School

I got my Welcome Back to School letter today...I sure don't miss getting up early and bus duty, but I do miss the kids. We are accredited for the second year in a row! A truly awesome job done by faculty, staff & students!
My friend Angie gave me this gorgeous picture painted by her cousin, Paula Ordonez. It helps remind me exactly why I work in the public schools!

Province Trend for My Small Agency

An interesting question was posed over on the RQ site. Does your agency tend to be referred children from certain provinces? This list shows a trend from the info I have.
Sichuan
Jiangxi
GuangXi
Hunan
GuangDong
GuangDong
Anhui
JiangXi
Hubei
ShaanXi
GuangDong
JiangXi
GuangDong
JiangXi
Hunan
GuangXi
Hubei
GuangXi
GuangXi
JiangXiu
JiangXi
GuangDong
Jiangxi
Anhui
Back in February/March I had a poll on where Elena might be from. Sichuan and Hunan seemed to be the leads. Looks like now we might have a slightly more informed guess!

Confessions of a Professional Career Hopper

I loved teaching 1st grade so much this summer that I've seriously been considering switching careers. I've thought about this for awhile as speech therapy has gotten more into classroom inclusion and I've become more of a tutor. However, over the past year, I've been focused on paperchasing and expecting to have Elena fairly soon...and, of course the blog reading addiction took over!
But this summer and the wait has brought me back to the here and now. I'm totally bored! I've been looking into the 'career switch' programs locally, but became discouraged when I realized 1. My pay scale (which is the same as teachers + my M.Ed) would drop to ZERO years experience in the field despite having worked in the schools for five years, 2. the programs are basically two years (the second in the field) and I don't know when the CCAA will match me and can't just drop my 'internship' to head to China and finally 3. I had kind of forgotten that going to school again would cost money!
Back to reality -stay the course.
So...instead I'm looking for a time consuming hobby, one that will keep me focused on something other than the adoption rollercoaster. I'll let you know when I find something! Right now I've got some reading to do...

6 Month LID

Happy 6 Month LID to us, Elena!
When I first started my paperwork, the wait for referral was 6 months and I was all concerned about being in China when the school year started. Ha! Well, we all know the 6 month wait is totally out the window. The CCAA wants the wait to stabilize at 12-13 months and I hope & pray that we are halfway through this wait. Going with the referral trend however, it is more likely we are only 1/3 of the way through (late Oct referral??). This is tough...is Ellie born yet? Or if not, do her birthparents know she might be a girl? Is her birthmom taking good care of her? Is she thinking about what she might have to do if she gives birth to a girl? I feel so helpless.
As those in the process of adopting from China know, there is a singles quota. I think it's 7% of an agency's total dossiers sent to China. So there are looooooong wait lists for singles vying for a spot. In fact, some agencies have a big essay application submission in Oct/Nov. I started seriously going to seminars and filling out applications last August/September and amazingly I found a spot with one of the local agencies when I went to their info meeting. My Mom basically told the Social Worker I'd take the spot right then and there! =)
Anyway, my whole point is that last week one of agencies I applied to called and told me there was a singles spot available. LAST WEEK!! This was the first agency (other than the one I fell into) to offer me a spot since applying. Basically a whole year later if you look at paperchasing and my LID 'anniversary'. CRAZY. So I keep reminding myself (and so does my Mom) that even with this extended, rollercoaster wait, I am still way ahead of where I could be in this journey. And no, it doesn't really help with my immediate frustration (!) but I keep repeating it in my head. I'll probably only really believe it when I have Elena in my arms. =)

Got Books?!

Joannah recently received the book 'Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats', a very beautiful and informative book for parents and older children about Chinese Culture. This gave me a great idea. Being a speech-language therapist in a school *really* pushing reading (language) and a total book lover (Thanks Mom!), I'm doing a "Two for Tuesday Check Out This Book" section. In fact, my "send to" Secret Pal, who isn't so secret anymore (ok, so I forgot I was signed in when I made a "secret" common on her blog!) graciously endures the books I include with each month's theme! And yes, I have officially run out of things to blog about since this wait is taking FOREVER!!!



So for my first Two for Tuesday Book Favorites, I would like to suggest 'Pinkalicious' by Victoria & Elizabeth Kann. My girls in summer school loved this book and even the boys thought it was funny. You can also use it for a good citizenship/self control read aloud. The illustrators site www.elizabethkann.com/pinkalicious.htm has some really cute coloring pictures to print out.

And since it is still summer, despite Lisa finding Halloween Peeps in the stores, the younger set would really dig 'Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea' by Jan Peck. My niece chimed in with the repetitive part at age 1 1/2). It is a great language learning/chanting book. Peck also wrote Way Up High in a Tall Green Tree which has some more obscure animals (Australian maybe? Hi Lee-Anne!)but has the same kind of word pacing.
Check 'em out, or let me know if your children already have them. Tell me what you think. And if they remind you of other favorites, well, I could really use new suggestions for this school year....only 12 days away... =0

Oh Bernadette

Donna was showing off her sweet lil' pup and asked about her readers "fur babies." My scanner isn't working so here's a photo of a photo. This is one of my favorite puppy pictures of Bernie. She looks like a toy! Look at that little nose! Just like an olive. If we stuck on a red one she could be Rudolph! =) Or Olive the other reindeer. Haha. Ok, it's Monday...

Here are "The Girl's," Bernie & Gracie, in 2006.

Clones?!!

Shannon or Cat?!!


My very good friend Anonymous commented that in the post below I look like Faith Hill. My Aunt Roberta thought that back in the early '90s when Faith (& I) were going through the big curly hair phase (you know, before Faith went so glam!) My Mom just told me that she thinks I kind of resemble Cat Dooley (a fashion model now hosting So You Th*nk You C*n D*nce). We both have this weird way of moving/not moving our mouths when we talk. ( I think it's b/c of the big teeth/mouths!) And long noses and blond hair. I'll add that her roots are probably done more often! One thing I am sure of is that from the neck down there are no similarities!

So this tag goes out to you all. Is there a famous person you look like?

Girls on the Town

Me & my niece at Chucks.

4 Tag

Ok, no one tagged me on this, but I figured it was better than clearing out the dishwasher!

Four past jobs:
Bartender at the Majestic Theatre in NYC – Phantom of the Opera 8 times a week.
Usher at the Dominion Theatre in London- Grease with Debbie Gibson 8 times a week.
Software Development Staff-Wrote the not so helpful ‘help’ sections for engineering product selection software. It was dull, but I was thankful for the job which helped me realize I needed something different and got me back to college for my M.Ed.
Speech Language Therapist in the public schools- Fantastic but often frustrating job.


Four movies I could watch over and over:
Room with A View (I should have been born in this time period.)
So I Married an Axe Murderer (Cracks me up every time!)
Breakfast Club (Child of the ’80’s.)
When Harry Met Sally (Probably on everyone’s list!)

Four places I have lived:
San Diego, California
Hull, England
Oslo, Norway
Jacksonville, Florida


Four television shows I love to watch:
Rockstar (I’m a wanna be!)
Worlds Next Supermodel (I hate the bickering stuff, but love to see how those plain looking girls can be turned into works of art on their photo shoots.)
Last Comic Standing (I want Jay Mohr back as host though.)
Grey’s Anatomy (Can’t believe they killed off Denny…)

Four places I’ve been on vacation:
Backpacked around France, Germany, Italy, Austria, UK
Minden, Nebraska (In 2004 with my Grandma to visit extended family. Fell in love tractors that summer =))
Manzanillo, Mexico (all-inclusive resort last summer-fabulous!)
Tivoli Gardens & Legoland in Denmark (I was in 5th grade.)

Four websites I visit daily:
chinaadopttalk.com
my school web site/email site
various blog sites
spafinder.com (I can dream can’t I?)

Four favorite foods:
My Mom’s Chocolate Chip Cookies (THE BEST)
Iced Caramel Macchiatos (nonfat of course)
Mexican Food (Haven’t found anything decent in this state)
Gold Medal Ribbon or Raspberry Truffle Ice Cream (Well, really, pretty much any flavor ice cream will do!)

Four places I’d like to be right now:
China (obviously)
At the theatre watching a play or musical
Hawaii (Maybe one day on my honeymoon! Snort…)
California (Because it’s Friday night and so many of my best friends still live there!)

Four favorite cds I’m listening to right now:
Marty Casey & Lovehammers- Marty Casey & Lovehammers
All the Right Reasons- Nickelback
The Battle for Everything- Five for Fighting
Wicker Park Soundtrack- Various Artists

Please feel tagged!

For the Mommy (ME!!)

Thank you, Secret Pal, for my wonderful "Mommy" care package! I've used up my camera battery but will get pictures up tomorrow. I just wanted to let you know that everything arrived and everything is amazing (as usual!) You covered all the bases-
Ellie's bib is sooooo sweet (I love Mommy!) and the Oriental table runner is gorgeous. Those bath fish confetti are too cute! The fragrance and gel will definitely get me going in the morning now that school is around the corner. And theres more...(!) The Quilt of Wishes is such a great gift in itself...and so cool that it is signed *and* with a wish from the author! The heart with hope scripted on it made me tear up. On the back it says "where there is hope there is faith and where there is faith there is everything". We were supposed to have referrals right around now, ya know! As always, thank you for your well thought out gifts and generosity. You always find things that I love! I really wish we could do some retail therapy together...
PICS TO COME!

Botanical Garden Fun

The heat index dropped a bit yesterday so K and I went to the Botanical Gardens. I've been there at better times of the year bloomwise with my students, but it was a fun day out nonetheless. K. described the Gardens as "beautiful" and was thrilled to see a couple of butterflies. She is fascinated with The Little Einsteins (Red Rocket is her best friend!) and they have a story about butterflies. UPDATE: I'm having trouble sizing pictures in Photobucket. I'll fix 'em later...I hope!


K and "Baby K" at the entrance, waiting for tram ride around the grounds (BTW, Mermaids are big in this town. Kind of like that Cows on Parade thing in Chicago. There is an interesting Mermaid at a local mall which looks like she is chocolate with a tin foil tail!)

K. loved riding the creature crawler tram. (So did Aunt Shannon who needs to remember to bring a stroller for her niece the next time!)



This flower has ants on it...you can tell she's a bit leery of posing so close!

Isn't she lovely?! And the flower is nice, too!

Peek-a-boo!

I'd post K's attempt to take a picture of me smelling the roses, but it's more of a "blurry fingers" shot.

A great outing- even the potty training aspect! I figure since she announced her success to three strangers on the way out of the building, I can add "Way to go, K.!" here. =)

I''ve been Tagged!

This one from Kristen in New Jersey.

1. I am... good hearted and well meaning.
2. I want... my daughter…now! =)
3. I wish... my friends lived closer. It’s so hard to keep up with all the changes in everyone’s lives.
4. I hate... when animals are hurt.
5. I miss... hanging out with my West Coast friends.
6. I hear... Bernie licking her paws. Thought it was allergies, now I just think she’s OCD.
7. I wonder...if someday my prince will come!
8. I regret...being so naïve during my college years.
9. I am not...a good dancer. Really hurt my musical theatre career!
10.I dance... only in the middle of big crowds. A drink helps!
11.I sing... like Lisa Loeb to Nickelback and Metallica songs.
12.I cry... more than I want to, always have.
13.I am not always...a good conversationalist on the phone.
14.I make... my bed each morning. NOT!
15.I confuse... pretty much everyone when I tell a story or joke!
16.I need... to learn how to be patient and trusting of the universe.
17.I should...learn a hobby other than reading adoption blogs!
18.I start...things I need to do last, first.
19.I finished...a half marathon last summer. Don’t think it’s gonna happen this year though.

If you'd like to be tagged (i.e., need something to update your blog!)please consider yourself tagged! I know some of you are busy recuperating from Waiting Mommy Summits and school starting, and even just trying to keep cool in this insufferable heat. Still, it's a great way to learn about your blog friends! Hope to see some takers!

The New Blog Heading

is all thanks to Connie's artistic and technical talents! Isn't it gorgeous? Many thanks, Connie!

More of my favorite niece!

My brother & SIL have been talking to their daughter K. about the baby in Mommy's tummy. After months of insisting that "It's a GIRL!" she is accepting the fact that "It's a boy," now that she herself is having a girl! K. accompanied her mommy on a checkup and K. informed the Dr. that SHE was a Dr. too! The Dr. was very amused and had K. wear some gloves and rub that gel on her Mom and also hear her brother's heartbeat. Then K. demended that HER baby get the same treatment, so she got to sit up on the bed and get "her baby" checked out too. It was all very funny.
My brother & SIL have also been talking to K. about how Ellie is in China right now with her family. On our trip yesterday I asked K. when she though Ellie might come home & live with me.
K:She's in your tummy
Me: Well, actually she's in China right now.
K: With her family.
Me: That's right. But she's in my heart.
K: Oh, a beautiful Valentine!

Isn't that sweet? I know it's a simple association of hearts and Valentine's Day and hey, it's just awesome that at 2 1/2 she's still remembering the word Valentine here in August! But I thought it was the cutest reply! I only wish Ellie would be here for Valentine's Day. But Ellie will certainly be my Beautiful Valentine for all time!

This post is getting long, but I wanted to add something funny that happened. I mentioned in the last post that I *love* having K's car seat in my car. I had it there a few times last summer for babysitting. It's nice that it's there, like I have a purpose.
But anyway, I still had it in the backseat of my Jetta when I went to drop off my dry cleaning. The attendant kid asked, "Where's the baby?" Of course, I'm bewildered and look behind me, not knowing what to say (because there isn't a baby, ya know?) A look of fear actually flashed on his face before I could figure out what to say. Finally I got the words out- something like, oh, I'm the aunt, she's at home. I'm sure he was confused, but I was cracking up as I drove away. Guess it's time to give the seat back before I start replying, "OMG, I must've left her at the mall!" =)

K & Shannon's Day Out

Singin' I Just Can't Wait to be King (Lion King)-She knows all the words! I love having that carseat in my car!

We went to the local Children's Museum. Thumb-in-mouth, fascinated by the Merry-go-Round.

Edith Ann?!
Workin' for her lunch.
Everybody outta my way!!

K kept popping the bubbles faster than I could help her make them!

We spent 30 minutes dancing and watching the weird movements. She loves to shake her thang! =)

What a cutie!



Then we went to Chuck E. Cheese.
Then K was dropped off back home.
Then Aunt Shannon took a nap!

Happy Birthday to my SIL, D!

Hope you enjoyed your "fun" day! I wish you much happiness in your new Birthday year!
My SIL D has a 2 1/2 year old and is due to deliver a boy in early November, so I figured a "free time" gift would be nice for her. (Ok, and I'm pretty broke lately with Gracie's surgery!) Anyway, K and I had a great day out and we also picked up a SURPRISE birthday cake (from Jaime's, the best in town!)and stored it in my fridge (it has a lot of room as some of you know). K and I finished our day and were walking up her front walk when she demands, "Where's the cake?" I remind her that it is a SURPRISE and not to tell Mommy so she'll be SURPRISED. Daddy will bring it over later. What does my sweet lil' Petunia do as soon as she walks in?! Spills the beans of course! K LOVES birthday parties. Of course if Giggy gave you a gift every time it was someone else's birthday, you'd be a party fanatic too! Let us eat cake!

As if there wasn't enough to worry about...

BEIJING - Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated in southern China as Typhoon Prapiroon slammed into the mainland on Thursday, pounding an area already battered by storms with more heavy rains and winds, state media said. Stormy weather was forecast from Thursday to Saturday for the provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan and Hainan, China's southernmost island and a popular tourist destination. Authorities evacuated about 400,000 residents in low-lying areas of Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan, which lies about 370 miles southwest of Hong Kong in the South China Sea, Xinhua said. Ferry and railway services linking Hainan to the mainland were also suspended.

Typhooon Prapiroon

WHATEVER!!!

My blog is worth $0.00.
How much is your blog worth?

I've seen this on other people's blogs and thought I'd try it out. What a disappointment! =) Obviously this Tristan/Techno-whoever doesn't know squat about how much my blog is worth to me and Elena and my eight cyber friends!=) It's not a fancy blog, doesn't reveal my deepest thoughts (I have a private journal for that), but it does serve a purpose. Plus, when I get my referral and journal our trip to bring Elena home, that's when the value skyrockets, right?! But right now I'd say it is worth at least a dollah fiddy, wouldn't you?!
At school if we are "special" we get a pin that says "Whatever it Takes". My very humorous assistant principal broke the pin to reveal his thoughts on the whole matter...WHATEVER. Sums up a lot of things, doesn't it?!