Yes, as always, I am the world’s worst blogger. Here are some updates to keep you happy for a while at least…
First off, Happy Holidays to all and sundry. I’m in a Scrooge mood again this year, surprise, surprise but hoping this will be the last year I will feel this way. Part of it is yet one more year without our daughter (something we are really, really hoping will be remedied in 2010!) and the other part is being out of work for so long that even retail therapy is not an option. (BTW: most of you are getting hugs and kisses for Yule so… Love you, really!)
There is some sign of hope of that resolving sometime soon as well though. Heard back about the job that I really, really that they consider me a top candidate and that it is just the end-of-the-year scramble that is slowing the process down. Hope to hear shortly about a follow-up interview though so keep your fingers crossed etc.
I’m continuing to look of course, no putting all eggs in one basket, but, as per usual, there just ain’t much out there. This economy sucks and for all the so-called signs of recovery you couldn’t prove any of that by me and mine. (Yes, I know jobs always lag behind in a recovery but the jobless “recovery” seems to be becoming more and more of a “feature” of our US economy than a bug.) I really do hope things start recovering on the job front or it’s going to be a looooong 2010.
Speaking of 2010 though, and I say this with all due reservations because we have been repeatedly wrong, but this time we really do think 2010 is the year we will see our daughter’s face. The “when” is of course the question (and of course isn’t it just like the Universe to have the prospect of a job I really want come up at the same time as our referral may be only months away!) Anyway, as you may recall, our Log in Date (LID) is 4-25-2006. As of the last round of referrals, the CCAA has matched through 3-31-2006. Mind you it took all of 2009 to match March, but at least they are finally through the “monster month.” April is supposedly smaller, so we will see how fast they get through it.
Rumor Queen is predicting March/April at the current rate, the China Adoption Forecast site is predicting June and my own numbers put it somewhere in between. So anywhere from March to June is likely. That is, of course, only so long as they continue to refer at the same rate. They could go faster or, god-forbid, slower. We just don’t know.
I am tentatively excited. We’ve been burned so much in this it is hard to get my hopes up. We just sent in our latest round of USCIS paper work and who knows how long that will take to get approved (our agency said we should be fine… but aaarrggghhh anyway!) The CCAA just got a new director and who knows what he will do (though RQ reports a very early sign of potentially positive changes in their relations with the agencies anyway.)
So, we are making plans to actually start on Lorelei’s room after the new year and at least thinking about the things that need to be in place but also guarding our hearts because we just don’t know. I am really happy to be seeing bloggy friends who are only a bit ahead of us in line finally seeing referrals though. It give me hope. We’re also, as I said, rethinking last names. If anyone wants to through out a suggestion, feel free (be nice though!) LOL!
In other news, as many of you heard, Joseph the Elder (his new SCA name) and I won Queen’s Champion Equestrian. We were very much helped by the wind (since Jo is pretty much unflappable) and the practice with jumping/hitting reeds and birjas. I owe many profound and heart-felt thanks to Debbie for dragging me and Jo out to practices and events repeatedly the last few months despite late nights and bad weather! You are so wonderful. And to Stacy, who now says she’s got to stop training to her competition. LOL! Now I’m on the hook for running two EQ events. Yikes! Time to come up with nefarious things to do to my fellow equestrians. 
Paul will be heading over to visit the relatives in the Netherlands tomorrow. I am so excited for him. He hasn’t seen them in 20 years. It will be very good for him to have a chance to see them all. They will be scattering Oma’s ashes while he is there so he will also have a chance to say good-bye with the family present as well, so I am very thankful for that. Sometimes things work out the way they need to. We’ll miss him here at Christmas but hopefully he will be able to come see us next summer, maybe even after his niece comes home!
Well, I really should get back to housework. We’re having a crowd for x-mas eve and I am looking forward to that.
Many blessings and much love to all my friends and family,
Janice
