The end of vacation week!

Tomorrow is Sunday, and then back to work and school we go! We had a nice week. We didn't end up going to the waterpark. Her friend couldn't go, and (duh!) there were no available tickets for the day we were supposed to go, anyways! Didn't occur to me that this is an INSIDE park, so obviously there would be limited capacity. Thus the duh! :)

BUT...she did have her friend over, and I had so much fun laughing at/with them all night! :) They decided to play dress up, and kept coming out in the most amazing outfits/combinations thereof! They loaded themselves with makeup, and looked like Geisha girls!

This is Shao. Please note that the pastel flowers on her head are actually my spring wreath for my front door! I also took them to the movie "The Tooth Fairy" which was very cute. And before we did THAT, they went outside and built a snowman, er, woman, which they named Frostina. Very cute! They had a blast, and I just LOVED hearing them giggle and chatter.

On Friday we went to a local school for beauticians, and got pretty! :) I got a perm, and my eyebrows waxed, and Shao got a haircut and a manicure! All for WAY under $100, including generous tips! The only drawback was...these kids are students, and they are SLOW. We were there FOUR hours! Lucky we weren't in a hurry. I KNEW they were slow, so was prepared to be there awhile. It took Shao by surprise, even though I told her. But it was fun.

So...church tomorrow, which I am looking forward to as usual. I love my church. And I think tomorrow is pot-luck lunch day...it is supposed to be the third Sunday of the month, although I did not see any notice of that in last week's bulletin. We'll see!

Blessings...Nancy

Happy Day!

Tomorrow is my birthday...and yesterday I got my VERY large (Thank You, God!) tax refund. SOOOO, that being said, my girl and I spent the day together. We went shopping...and for what seems like ONCE in my life, it was mostly for ME! FUN! I think the last time I bought something for myself, other than underwear! :) was 3 years ago!!!

So...we went to WalMart, we went to Kohls, we went to Payless Shoes, we had lunch at a Chinese Buffet (Happy Chinese New Year, everyone!), and went home happy. I got 5 or 6 blouses, 2 pairs of pants, a really cute sweatshirt, a ring, a necklace, and a new pair of shoes! WAHOO!!!!

So now I am done spending money, except for about $100 more this week, to take Shao to an indoor waterpark. We will both enjoy it, and after all, it IS February vacation! Many of her friends have jetted off to places like the Virgin Islands, the Dominican Republic, Florida (although that wouldn't be my choice this year...it snowed there this week!!!) So I decided we deserved a little treat. We are going with one of her friends and HER mom, so it will be fun.

My mom is in Florida right now, and left a birthday card for me with Shao. I got impatient, and opened it tonight. And it made me cry. Listen...my mom does NOT show emotions. I can't ever remember her telling me she loved me...although I know she does. But instead of the usual "Love, Mom" on this card, it said "You are the best Valentine I ever received, Love, Mom." Let me tell you people, that was precious!!!!!!!!!

Tomorrow we go to church, then at 5 or so, to my sister's for a birthday dinner. She is so sweet to do that for me! Usually it's just cake at Mom's, but since she's away, I've graduated to dinner! :)

Cold here today, but sunny. Very windy, which cuts right through you. Thankful for my nice warm apartment (gotta love a rent that includes the heat!) and for my sweet daughter, who had a really fun day hangin' with her mama, according to her! :) She acted as my fashion advisor, and I can't go far wrong...that girl has STYLE oozing out of her!

Blessings...Nancy

Snow Day!

By 8PM last night, we already were informed that there would be no school today...thus, no work for me, either! So we slept in, had lunch instead of breakfast (yep, it was that late!) and have been doing some way overdue straightening up, in between just goofing off! :) Right now it is not snowing, but they are saying more is on the way. The wind has REALLY kicked in, and it is dark now, so it is beginning to ice up. I imagine we will have a delay tomorrow morning, for school, but I do think we WILL have it. The storm hasn't been quite as bad as predicted, so here's hoping it won't be too bad tonight, before it ends!

I am starting, finally, to feel better. This has been a long process, which kind of took me off guard. Somehow I thought I would come home from the hospital, and things would just move forward smoothly. Silly me! Instead, it has been 3 steps forward and 2 back. Last weekend saw me feeling miserable, and back on pretty much only liquids. But for the past 3 days I have been feeling fairly well, so I am praying that the worst is behind me!

I have two more days of work, and then we have a week off. Not what I can afford, but nothing I can do about it! Thankfully, I should be getting my income tax refund back any day, and so I am not worried. I am, in fact, extremely grateful. It is a pretty big amount, and if I am careful, will keep us going for months! I am in the red every month, so I can use it to make up the deficit each month. YIPPEE JESUS!!!!!

I AM going to take a little and do a few things...for myself, and for Shao. I am going to do a little clothes shopping for me...I think it has been 2 or 3 years since I bought myself anything, other than underwear! :) AND next week Shao & I are going, with a friend and her mom, to an indoor waterpark in Waterbury, where we used to live. I can't wait...I LOVE the water!!! It should be a blast. It is open from 10 AM to 10 PM, so we will be there for quite awhile! Not the whole time, but it will be fun! It is a little pricey, but actually a lot less than I thought it would be.
And I knew it would be something Shao would love. Not to mention me! :)

So that's pretty much the happenings around here. I am thankful for my improving health, for a warm house, for a precious daughter. Life is good.

Blessings...Nancy

New Experiences

So, it's been a LOOOONG time since I posted. But I've been BUSY! Very busy...um, well...busy sleeping, for the most part! So here's the details...fun times!

During the second week of Jan., I began to not feel well. Couldn't put my finger on it, but I just didn't feel well. Over the Martin Luther King 3 day weekend, I did nothing but sleep and moan. I had pain in my stomach, and even a sip of water caused major stabbing pains. By Sunday night, I had a fever, chills, sweats...miserable.

So I had my brother drive me to my Dr.'s on Monday. That alone tells you how bad off I was...to ask someone to drive me, to not be Ms. Independence. I tell you, I was one miserable puppy!!
They took me in, and within minutes, said they needed me to go to the ER Clinic 10 minutes away, so they could do a cat scan, and also get me rehydrated with IV fluids. So off we went, and I had my brother just drop me off, knowing I would be there for awhile.

I got hooked up to an IV, got a cat scan, and the verdict: massive infection of my colon, and I was going to go on my first ambulance ride to the hospital! WOOHOO! It might have been interesting, except for the fact that every bump in the road killed my stomach!

First time in a hospital! Such fun. I was immediately hooked up to an IV pump, that ran continuously for 3 days...between the saline, the pain meds, and the IV antibiotics, it was a busy little machine! I named him Patrick. He became my close buddy! On Thursday I was finally unhooked, and they actually let me begin to eat. Hospital food IS all it's cracked up to be....really, really awful. Not nice.

SO...I came home Thursday night, having kept lunch down, which apparently was a benchmark. However, that was one of the LAST meals I would keep down for awhile. I had THOUGHT I would be back to work on the following Monday...yeah, RIGHT! On Monday I went back to my regular Dr., for a followup. He just rolled his eyes and wrote me a release to work for yesterday. And as it is, it still took it out of me to work yesterday. And I am not doing my noon time run this week, to give myself time to rest in between the morning and pm runs. But I AM eating again, albeit I am being VERY careful WHAT I eat. I will have to be careful for the rest of my life, as things with nuts and seeds can be very painful. And trust me, I do NOT want to do this EVER again. It was NOT fun. Not. one. little. bit.

ShaoXi was a dynamite nurse and help during all this. I missed her dreadfully while in the hospital. The first night she slept downstairs at my mom's. But after that, my brother slept upstairs, so she could be in her own house. That helped alot. So...we are doing fine. We survived it all, and God has provided for us, financially, so that I was able to pay Feb. rent with no problem. Our church handed me $100 in grocery cards, so we are good until I get paid again..which won't be until NEXT Friday! And then we have a week of winter vacation, so no pay again. sigh.

Blessings...Nancy

Hard Day's Night

Last night has to post up there in the top ten of bad ones. Or maybe I should say HARD ones. Here's a little background: Shao has to do a report on someone who is a hero in her life. She, precious girl, chose me. She was given several different virtues, and has to write a paragraph about how her hero (me) embodies that virtue. Over the Christmas break she got started by interviewing me, and asking lots of questions. This week she has begun to write it.

The first paragraph was about fidelity (faithfulness). She equated my promises to the Chinese government that I would care for her, love her, etc., as fidelity. Yep, that was pretty easy. But the second paragraph. OH, the second virtue...that's when things got tough.

She wrote it up on my computer, and then, as is my habit, I looked at it, and went over mistakes, etc. with her, and suggested she change wording, etc., in some places to make the sentence more understandable. So...this virtue was forgiving/forgiveness. And her example? It is something I am working on every day. Some days I am forgiving. Some days I have to hand it all back to the Lord, and ask for help in forgiving.

You see, just after Christmas in 2000, someone killed my 6 year old niece, her half brother, and their mother. He was in custody within 24 hours, has been to trial (a year ago) and is serving 3 consecutive life sentences with no chance for parole. He was 24 at the time of the murder. He had been on the police's radar screen for at least 10 years. He was a bad child, and an even worse man.

But...I am called to forgive. And I do NOT want my life to be about hate. I can't live there. I can't do that. But forgiveness...that is hard. That is a daily handing over to God. And this is not something I can discuss within my family, which makes it even harder. Because they do NOT forgive him. They hate him with every fiber of their beings, and probably always will. And if I told them my feelings, they would probably never speak to me again, as they would see it as a betrayal. So it is a heavy burden, this need to forgive.

And the hard part of last night? Well, in her paragraph, Shao wrote that someone had come in to their home and shot them. But that was incorrect, and without thinking, I corrected that. When she re-read it, it was devastating to her. And I understand. Because interestingly enough, when I was told that Rachel, Kyle and Kitty had been killed, in their beds, I figured they had been shot, also. And no one thought to tell me any different. Until the next night...when I was watching the evening news. And that was the big story, of course. And the reporter began to tell how they were stabbed with a knife. And somehow...that seemed so much more terrible. I don't know why. I guess because I felt if he had shot them, it at least was quick, and hopefully they did not even have time to wake up. But that was not the case. And I stood in my mother's living room, and felt like swooning...or throwing up...or screaming. Forever. I began to sob. ShaoXi is her mother's child. Somehow, we think alike. And it broke her heart all over again to learn the truth. And mine as well, for her sake.

So it was a late night. She needed to talk. She needed to be reassured. She needed to just sit by me. We cried together. We discussed it a little. She was only four, so remembers bits and pieces, but not the whole. It was so sad. And I had to tell her...it does NOT get easier. I no longer cry every single morning upon awakening. I don't, truthfully, think about Rachel every day. And MOST of the time, when I come across a photo of her, I smile, not sob. But sometimes...oh, sometimes it is fresh and new and raw, and it hurts SO much. And I can barely talk. And I miss her. I miss her terribly. She would be turning 16 this March. Almost grown. I wonder what she would have been like. I KNOW she would have been gorgeous. She was a beautiful kid.

Some times being a parent is so very hard. It hurts me when my child is sad. And it is even worse when we are both heartbroken and sad at the same time. I hope I was able to comfort her. I hope she is okay. She slept with the night light on. I understand. For a year after Rachel died, I did not sleep much at night. EVERY sound was that of a burglar breaking in. I was living in fear, and it was not a happy thing. I no longer live that way. And I try not to go back there. Last night was tough, but I was okay.

I miss you, Rach! I'll see you again, I know. But I have to wait awhile...my mission down here isn't over yet! I still have lots to do. But some day...some day I'll get to hug you, and I won't have to let go for all of eternity. That's a happy thought, one I'll hang onto!

Josh, Rach, Alyssa holding ShaoXi, Jake

Christmas 2000

Blessings...Nancy

January....BRRRR!!!

We are all snuggled up here in our house, side by side on our respective computers! I have done a little housework, some dishes, making beds, straightening up...now I'm havin' fun! :) We got back to our regular work/school routine this week, and while I don't particularly like having to set the alarm clock, it is good to be back in the groove! I like quiet weekends. Shao has no plans to have friends over, or to go to their houses. That's not to say that it might not still happen. But I hope not. We did a LOT of things over the Christmas holidays, and it's nice to chill out! AH...speaking of the devil...phone just rang and it's for Shao...hmm. Okay...this blog is doing odd things. So this will be one big paragraph, as it is not letting me space down! Sorry about that! Let's see...not much new here. Same old, same old, really. Isn't this riveting? :) But I like boring sometimes...beats stressful all to heck! :) Church gets back to normal tomorrow...two services instead of one, and Sunday School in the middle. I've missed Sunday School....two Sundays before Christmas my nieces were dedicated, so I went to that church. Then the Sunday before Christmas we had a huge snowfall, so didn't go. And then it went to one service w/no Sunday School for the holidays. Not sure what classes are being offered this session. I really enjoy SS, both for the learning and the fellowship. Oh...and I joined our new church last week! The previous SS session I went to a new members class. So I am official now! :) Yikes, this one big paragraph thing is driving me nutty! What in the world?!? Maybe I'll just leave big SPACES since I can't go down a line! I'm gonna sign off...this is making me beserk! Blessings...Nancy

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, and that the start of your new year was a blast! We stayed home, Shao went to bed around 9:30, and I stayed up and watched the ball drop...and then some. Insomnia is just so lovely!!!

I HAVE MY COMPUTER BACK!! Can you see me doing the "Snoopy Dance of Joy?" Cuz I AM!!!! So far so good...I got it back yesterday afternoon. Happy days!

Miss Shao has one more day off but I have to go back to work tomorrow morning. However I've been told I am to expect a brunch tomorrow. Sounds good to me! :)

Shao & I went to NYC on Tuesday with her friend Megan, and Megan's mom, Martha. Of course, we picked the very COLDEST day of the entire year to go. But we went anyways, and had a blast! Didn't get to do alot of the things we wanted, due to the cold and the long lines, but it was fun, anyways. Martha treated us all to the Christmas Spectacular show at Radio City Music Hall. WONDERFUL! Not to mention we got to sit down, and get warm for two hours! :)
We went to Chinatown, and Shao & Megan did some shopping in a cool store there. We had supper at Mr. Tang's Restaurant...yummy! Saw Rockefeller Center, all the Christmas decorations, and walked for miles. Went in and out of a million stores...mostly to get warm! :)

It is snowing here, just a tiny bit, but the big issue is the 50 mph winds! BRRR. Not looking forward to having to get up tomorrow and deal with the cold. Much prefer staying home! :) In my pajamas, thank you very much!

We are looking forward to a wonderful New Year. Who knows what God will bring to us this year? It is exciting to watch things unfold. He is ever faithful, and has such great plans for our lives. How blessed we are!

Blessings...Nancy