I wonder if she will like us?

Grandparents waiting the arrival of Violet Ann Ake.  We couldn't be more excited.  God has taken our whole family on an unexpected wonderful journey-the adoption of our precious Chinese granddaughter.  Of course the waiting for that call giving us pick up dates has been the hardest part for us.  Waiting to board that plane has turned out to be the "big wait game."  Violet's parents have had other issues to deal with-like getting the paper work just right. We have to wait for one more confirmation after confirmation before the next step can be taken.  Good thing they are getting all the details straight and not me.  Granddaddy George is having a difficult time waiting for the travel plans to be "etched-in-stone."
I am so happy that I will be traveling with Tripp, Renee and Abbey.  We are thinking Abbey may need a little one-on-one from an adult, so lucky me-I get to go!  I do not take this lightly and I feel blessed to go with my children to go fetch my little namesake (part name sake).  George's doctor doesn't want him to go because of the pollution in China. It could kick him into a full blown case of Sarcoidosis (a condition he has lived with for many years.)
We could not feel more loved by our church family.  They have showered all of us in so many ways-welcoming our grandchild into a world that she is not familiar, encouraging us as we prepare to go to a strange land to celebrate the adoption of this tiny 17 month old little girl.  I wonder if she will like us?  I wonder how long it will take her to get use to us, and I suppose for us to get use to her?
It is amazing and wonderful to have the Christian and non-Christian world acknowledging and embracing this international adoption.  Two parents, a big sister, and four grandparents feel embraced and loved as much as an adoptive family could possibly feel loved at this moment in time-- Blessed by the one and only God above!
A BIG surprise!  God has finally given us some options for travel-and November 14th is the chosen day !!!!!!  (returning Dec. 1) The reason for this date is to avoid trying to get Violet's visa during the week of Thanksgiving.  The US consulate celebrates Thanksgiving and we all know how hard it is to get important matters taken care of during a holiday. A lesson I've learned again is that God reveals His plan in His timing.  Patience is not anything that I'm very good at practicing, but it has been a little over a year process and of course we are ready!  Am I alone in this endeavor?
Please pray for us as we pack and travel to a far away land.  Please pray for safety for all of us and that we will not get sick.  Please pray that Violet will embrace her new family, and that this adoption be the biggest and best Thanksgiving celebration we have ever had.  Our family and friends will celebrate a traditional Thanksgiving meal early this year-November 11. That way George will be able to have this precious holiday with us.
 Bon Voyage!

Thanks Facebook!

     A childhood friend reappears in my life - and I'm talking about the first neighborhood we lived in when I was in the first grade friend.  Haven't thought about that time in my life in a very long time!  And if she had not jogged my memory I would not have remembered other  friends from that time period either.  Sad but true. I use the excuse that we have moved around so much I have found it difficult to keep up with people from years past. That is a regret, but just imagine the elation and joy I felt when I figured out who this mystery person was from years gone by!
     One day as I was reading the posts on my Facebook page, I came across a post from someone that I did not know at all.  I assume (and that is a dangerous thing to do) that I had to approve this friend on Facebook, and I do not remember doing that either.  Her picture did not ring a bell, and after fifty some years I'd like to think that is normal.???  Her post went something like, "I remember eating sloppy joes at your house.  We never ate things like that at my house." Well, that made me think,  "What?  "That must have been when we lived on Alder St." I said to myself. "That was a hundred years ago."  "No that couldn't be,"---so I went on reading the other Facebook  posts, thinking I would come back to her post later.  I got distracted and did not remember the post until 2am the next morning.  Now I could not go back to sleep-phew! I hate when that happens.  So I got up and went to my computer and found my Facebook page.(Some things never go to sleep.)  I had become somewhat alarmed since I did not remember "friending" this person. I wrote back to her and asked if we could e-mail each other so she could jog my memory in a more private format.  She was happy to do that, and so our journey into memory lane began. When she told me her maiden name I immediately went back in time, remembering the tiny little girl that lived one street over from my childhood home. She had a beautiful smile, dimples and a spunky little personality. 
     She told me the names of the teachers we had together and what had happened to some of the classmates we had in our classes. She mentioned names that I had long ago "packed away."   She shared about her family members and her children and I did the same. Even though I did not recognize her face, she kindly said, "Oh I would have known you anywhere!  You have not changed at all!"  Really? Is that possible? Anyway, she surely lifted my spirits.
     This was a wonderful story and memory to share with my 87 yr. old father who remembers more than I do. He added great details that I had missed as a child. We laughed and laughed and shared good memories of living in that old neighborhood. Although I've heard some harrowing stories about the social media, this social media incident has enhanced my life in a most wonderful way. Thanks Facebook. 
I hope I get to visit in person with Linda Wilkerson real soon.

A rooster in my neighborhood...

OK! I'm a city girl and I'm not used to hearing a rooster when I go outside. At first I did not believe George when he said he heard a rooster one morning, but now I hear that brazen chicken every day, and not just in the early morning. Just about every time I go outside, I hear the confident cock-a-doodle-do from this creature I haven't seen yet. At first, I felt a little-"put-off" having a chicken in my neighborhood, but now I find some kind of crazy satisfaction when I hear him. I even get tickled and think, "if this isn't the craziest thing!" My ears always perk up like my little dog Millie does when she hears something interesting. The foreign sound makes me smile and I think that this must be what I would hear if I lived on a farm. From what I understand from George, the rooster is getting brave because he saw him out near the street..makes me wonder if these creatures are multiplying and if they might start wandering around the neighborhood. I'm sure I'm getting ahead of myself, but I do contemplate how the neighbors might feel about chickens roaming around. I haven't heard any conversation about him.
This morning as I sit on the porch with my cup of coffee and my iPad I hear that noisy little chicken bolting out "good morning" many times. I chuckle to myself and again wonder how the city might feel about our little neighborhood pet. I won't tell because I've become quite fond of him.
I was telling a friend about the rooster and she informed me that it is now quite "chic" to have chicken coops in the city. What? She even told me that our city recently had Tour D'Coop with proceeds going to Urban Ministries. Guess that puts a different twist on my story. Ha!