Reunion

In recent years, the month of October has come to mean something special to us all. No, not because it's time to dress up like ghosts and goblins. Certainly not because it's the month of the Chicago Marathon. And, no, not even because the month of October has now been crowned with a 2005 Chicago White Sox World Series sweep.

Nope. October means that it's time for our annual reunion with the midwest travel group that accompanied us on our amazing trip to China. Every year since that wondrous event has been celebrated at the home of Mike and Cinda Z., parents of adorable little Mia. October doesn't actually have anything to do with our travel month in 2003. But it has somehow become the month most available to families on the calendar. And so it went for 2007 as well. Anita, Su (pictured in the blue sweater), and I packed up the car with CDs, books, and beverages and headed to the reunion.

While all of the families are located in the "midwest," we're not all very close in driving distance. The Z family are up in Gurnee, about 1-1/2 hours from us. One family is in Chicago. Another in Indiana. There has been a strong effort -- this past year in particular -- to find ways to keep the kids familiar with one another and allow them grow together. No easy feat, but certainly well worth the effort.

As always, Mike and Cinda were incredible hosts, sharing space, food, and spirits. The food was wonderful and the company even better. The kids had an amazing time together. And aside from some unanticipated wrestling moves and one bloody nose (the kids, not the adults), everyone came away from the day happy, fed, and extremely tired.

It is funny to see how the kids respond to each other with the passing years. The first year of the reunion featured more emphasis on toddler activities. Adults split time between watching kids, feeding kids, changing kids, and chatting with adults. With each passing year, the kids have evolved into independent little rug rats. They eat together, converse with one another, and bathroom accidents seem to be a thing of the past (thankfully).

And... the adults can actually find the time to really be adults, enjoying the conversation of good friends and remaining thankful that such a special event brought us all together.

I'm certainly realistic enough to know that life does get in the way from time to time. And there might be a point where these gatherings become difficult to maintain. As the priorities of people change, whether it be due to distance, jobs, location, or any number of reasons (no... birthdays do not count as an excuse), getting everyone together on one date might prove difficult. So we certainly treasure what we have right now. And we look forward to many more opportunities to share our lives.

I've seen your picture...

... Your name in lights above it. (Steely Dan - "Peg" from AJA)

I realize that it's been a while between posts. And for that, I apologize to the 4 or 5 people whom actually read this blog once in a while. I had several different event photos to put up on the site. Some t-ball. Some daily activities. But then came school pictures.

I'm still a bit stunned by the photos that arrived courtesy of Su's kindergarten class. Is this the same little girl we've been watching for the last few years? I THINK it's her. After all, she answers to the same name when called. Well mostly. And she seems to have the same mannerisms, eat the same foods, and has a voice that -- to borrow from SPINAL TAP -- seems to go to 11.

But we're certainly seeing a little girl growing up right before our eyes. Amazing. But she can still toss on a baseball shirt (Go Sox!) and mix it up with other dozen boys out on the t-ball field.

Back to schoolin'

Finally, a little activity before boarding the bus. As you might remember from previous readings (the small handful of you actually reading this site), our first attempts to capture some photo magic with Su starting kindergarten were thwarted when tornado sirens turned the afternoon and evening into an all-out frenzy of activity.

Well, a little over a week ago, I had the opportunity to work from home and I managed to snag a couple of pix of the little gal before she boarded her bus for school.

Su is having a great time with her school routine. She loves the bus (maybe her favorite thing), is making friends at school, and has already been a teacher helper. Of course, little does she know what's in store for the next 12+ years or more. Tee-hee.

Happy Monday!

Magic carpet ride

The day started out innocently enough. In fact, it was to be quite an exciting one. Thursday was Su's first day of kindergarten. And she was just giddy about taking the bus to school. I even arranged to get off work early and planned to be home to photograph the moment when she returned home from school, bounding off of the bus.

About 2:45, the bus was nearing its stop on the route near our home. But so was an unbelievable storm. We had been watching the skies for a little while and knew it would be a photo finish to determine what would arrive first -- our girl or the rains. We had heard that nearby DeKalb was in the midst of a tornado warning. Shortly after, so were we.

The bus that we watched go up one side of the nearby block failed to come up our side. And the tornado sirens wailed. A neighbor yelled out that the buses had been sent back to shelter areas. We hustled back to the house, grabbed flashlights and the pooch, and took cover in the basement as the winds and rains pelted the house. And within moments, we also lost power.

The initial blast did pass and we went upstairs to assess the damage. Nothing terrible in our area, although we would later find that nearby spots weren't nearly as fortunate. But the question of the day soon became: Where was Su's bus? Frantic calls to the school and transportation service confirmed that the bus made it back to the school (a VERY odd choice to take the 10+ minute drive back to the elementary school with a bus full of students when the middle school was 2 blocks away, as were other safe locations, in the middle of a tornado warning). After some time, all buses were released, although it took quite some time for us to be hooked up with Su.

Through it all, Su had been virtually oblivious to what was happening. She arrived smiling and waving. And had no real idea what the fuss was all about. Other kids on other buses were rain-soaked from open bus windows. Su didn't even realize that there had been a warning. She was just bored with the additional time back at the school and on the bus. But we were just plain relieved.

But that was short-lived. Our power didn't return all day. And the additional pouring of rain that continued through the day -- mixed with all of the rain we'd accumulated over the last week or more -- evolved into something unplanned. With nowhere to go and no power to the pump to push it out, the rain water invaded our basement.

Frantically, I worked to save items of value. Up went boxes, work samples, and children's toys. And the biggest task -- saving the music studio. If there was a shelf or a chair above the safe level, I piled on with electronics, boxes of equipment, and a couple of decades worth of recorded works.

With nowhere to go outside, water kept moving in from the outer walls of the basement. But with most items out of harms way, we just waited out the storms. By midnight, the power was restored. Water was quickly retreating. Of course, it was too late for the carpet.

So the weekend was spent tearing out old, soggy, cat-pee smelling (previous owners had cats -- apparently some who must have treated the entire basement as a litter box... cats suck), and hauling it up to the roadside curb. After serious cleansing, next comes drying, painting, and new carpet.

Oh yeah. On Friday, Su took the bus back to school. And this time the bus arrived on time. No winds. No rain. No problem.

Do not sit on the cows

This weekend was sort of a first for us -- at least in recent memory. This was our first little getaway for a couple of days since we were fortunate enough to have Su enter our lives. Well, the first overnight excursion that didn't involve a job interview of some sort. Yep, it had been that long. Destination? Madison, Wisconsin.

As the weekend approached, we were a little worried about the changing weather forecast. The chance for cooler temperatures didn't bother us -- not on the heels of so many 90 degree days of late. But the rain could be a problem. But we forged ahead. We had a room booked at a Holiday Inn Suites (complete with individual kid's suite), the dog-sitter was all set up, and we had a full tank of gas. Onward!

Of course, part of the way into our journey, the drizzle started up. But remaining optimistic, we wanted to make the most of our rare chance to get away. Upon arriving in Madison, we kicked off with lunch at Zuzu Cafe. What a find! And only a block away from the next stop on our journey, the Henry Vilas Zoo. After thoroughly enjoying the hummus plate and a relaxing, casual environment, we headed over to the zoo. Again, a little rain didn't dampen the mood. We had umbrellas to serve us when needed. And Su had a wonderful time.

Little did we know that this was to be the high point of our visit. After we left the zoo, the rains started to come down that much harder. We attempted to take in a little bit of the downtown area, but outside strolling became impossible. We rushed through a visit at the Children's Museum (highlight: Su with her first cow-milking experience), hiked back to our car, and then made our way to the hotel to check in.

Still, we were hopeful. We spent some time in the hotel pool (more of an indoor park), and then headed out for dinner. We dined at Sa-Bai Thong, reported to be the best Thai food in Madison. While the service was good and the atmosphere enjoyable, the food was average at best. And not nearly enough bite to the curry dish I had ordered.

Then the rains turned to storms. In trying to get to our car in the lot (in order to pull up to the door for the gals), I was nearly hit by a speeding car. And the rest was all downhill after that. Storms raged all through the night and into the morning, flooding out all of our entertainment options.

After attempting to drive around the rain-soaked city in the morning, we gave up and just headed home. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. It had been several years since we had an opportunity to enjoy ourselves away from the house, work, and employment-guided circumstances. The drive home was made that much longer by the lack of visibility during the next wave of storms.

A crushing end to a weekend with much hope. And so we head back into another work week.

Take it to the Max

I don't have an awful lot to report on with this post. More than anything, it's just a way to correct an awful realization: Max hasn't seen his furry little face anywhere on this blog site! At least not in the last several months.

For those of you not familiar with our huggable mate, we adopted Max from the Kendall County animal shelter in Yorkville (IL) when he was about one year old. Since that time, he's seen the arrival of our little girl and has managed to stay somewhat sane during our moves into 4 different "homes" over the past 3.5 years without any transition issues. He just goes with the flow.

Max recently enjoyed his 6th birthday. He's a giant walking pile of fur and a constant provider of drool and hair. But he's a goof. And he's wonderful with Su and her friends. Sure, he's not fond of the UPS delivery person. And he also seems to have a problem with certain print brokers in my industry. But the rest of the world is a happy, happy place for him -- and we're fortunate to have him in our family.

Sorry, Max. I'll do a better job of providing info on your future exploits. Gomez and your other canine "brothers" are asking. I'll try not to disappoint.

Gotcha!

Amazing. Has it actually been four years since our journey to China? Has it really been 1,460 days since officials from a far away land handed over a 13-month old child named Su over to two individuals who had no clue just what the heck they were doing? Four years ago on this date (August 11th of 2003) ended a 19 month adoption process and brought about the first day in the actual start of our new "family." And, frankly, I can't remember much about what life was like before Su entered our lives.

Part of the tradition in some adopting circles is to acknowledge the actual date that the new addition actually is handed over to the new parents. This day is referred to as GOTCHA DAY. It's a special date that deserves recognition, as it's a momentous occasion for the parents and becomes a special day for the child, more unique than birthdays or miscellaneous holidays. And it creates a wonderful opportunity to relive and retell the events that brought this family together.

Our Gotcha Day turned out to a very fun-filled day despite the continued 90 degree heat and awful humidity. We decided we weren't going to let the uncomfortable conditions take us out of having some outdoor fun. We decided to cope with the heat and embark on a little biking journey. We attached the trailer, strapped in Su, and headed out for the Batavia Art in Your Eye fine art show and festival. It was a chance to stroll through some art displays and also spend a little time in the park alongside the Fox River.

Later in the day, we dined at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, El Tesoro in West Chicago -- a favorite of Su's. Feeling quite full from our dining experience, we elected to take a trip to downtown Geneva and walk the main strip of shopping and assorted gathering spots. Armed with a handful of coupons from our volunteer time associated with the Geneva Viking 5K run last month, we strolled into Graham's for some incredible free ice cream. Feeling even more uncomfortable with the added calories, we elected to walk a little bit of it off before heading back home.

We concluded the evening by viewing one of the DVDs from our journey 4 years earlier, just staring in amazement at the footage of this little baby, once unable to even so much as crawl, and just marveling at how far she had come in such a short period of time. How far we ALL had come.