Did I mention schools out!

Did I mention schools out! I think we have been to the beach every day this week! Our motto is " work hard and play hard". This morning we woke up early and decided to take a bike ride before a 10 o'clock conference call for work. I thought I would post some pics from this morning.

We decided to stop and have some breakfast and move the conference call from 10 o'clock to 11 o'clock!( one of the perks of knowing the boss!) This is the view of our bikes from the table where we were sitting.

On our bike ride we passed by this school. Wow life must be hard for those kids.

Here is their playground actually on the beach!

I couldn't resist! I just had to stop and swing!

You really can't see the bikes well in this picture but they are quite common on Balboa. They are 4 person bikes with a little cover over the top. They are really cool.

The bike trail we rode on this morning is about a 3 or 4 mile path. It runs past some really beautiful houses, some boardwalk shops and restaurants, and of course the beautiful Pacific Ocean. It is always full of people walking, jogging, rollerblading, or riding their bikes. We always have a great time!

Pictures from Play to Win

Clinton and friends!

Clinton, Kelley, and friends after an exhausting 3 days. I love the toothless grin!

The many faces of Clinton!

Dr.Simon Koletsky and Kalisto.

I took a break from dancing long enough to make a peanut butter sandwich for a hungry friend.

Annabelle is always involved in Play to Win. Here she is with her new friend Andre.

Belly dancer extraordinare with the Italian King!

Here I am dressed as an angel not looking to angelic!

Last day of school and what's next?

Woohoo! Friday was my last day of school. It feels so free to not have to go to work for 2 months! Now I am taking a look at "What's next?"

We just finished an amazing "Play 2 Win" this weekend. I had so much fun working with Clinton! He is really taking Play 2 Win up a notch. As I have mentioned before - Play 2 Win is composed of various games to teach different business principles in a fun and interactive environment. Each game has it's own "theme" and characters ( our wardrobe department is getting big!) This weekend I got to be an angel, belly dancer ( Dolphina - the greatest belly dancer in the world! - this really took a lot of courage to play this part), an army girl , and a nerdy scientist. We had 2 photographers at this event and got some really great shots. I will post a few once I receive them.

This weekend was really different in that we had 2 children present. They had a great time and added so much to the training. However, not all of the content is kid friendly. Sometimes the adults have breakthroughs and they share some pretty horrific things. The military game is also very intense with gunfire sounds, a smoke machine, and scenes from Saving Private Ryan where there is a lot of blood shed playing on our large screen. As I was driving home last night I had an awesome idea! I have decided that we need to have a training for kids running simultaneously in the next room- Frontier Kids. I can have games for the kids that teach them about money, teamwork, responsibility, marketing, negotiating, setting goals, and having a vision for their lives! I thought with some of the older kids we could even work on writing a mini business plan.

We could bring the kids in the Play to Win Training room to participate in the more "light hearted" games. There is one game that the adults play called Merchants of Tradeus ( this is the game where I dressed as a belly dancer.) To make it simple there is an East ( where there are staff in Chinese garb and a Chinese Emperor and a West where there are staff in Italian garb and an Italian King. In the middle is the "silk road" where we have staff in middle eastern garb, a belly dancer, and a Sheik. The participants have to buy and trade spices, silks, and furs for gold and gems. To do this they have to deal with all of the characters and travel through the silk road. Now, the silk road is technically the desert - this is where the kids come in. I thought of teaching the kids about running a business - the marketing, how to make a profit, negotiating, etc.. and having them set up a stand of their choice in the desert. Most likely a water or lemonade stand. I would have them dress in Middle Eastern garb also ( just for fun). I am really excited where we can take this idea! The target market of Frontier Trainings is business owners. Where do most business owners want to be on the weekend instead of a training? With their families. By having Frontier Kids we have just expanded our target market! It can become a "family event" where the adults as well as the kids can learn some kick butt lessons.

I will spend this summer working with Clinton - attending networking events, working on our business plan, and working on Frontier Kids. Where does this leave me in the fall? To teach or not to teach is the question. I know what my heart is telling me to do , but my head is disagreeing. We are very optimistic that we will find a birth mom over the summer. If this is the case there will be no questions what I will be doing - being a mommy and working at home. I have already decided that when we do become parents that I will have a nanny or babysitter come to all of the events. This way we can provide childcare to other participants who have young children as well ( another benefit of attending Play to Win).

I would appreciate feedback from any parents out there. Would Frontier Kids be something that you would be interested in your kids attending?

Brotherly Love

Well I have been a busy girl this week. I have gotten back into my exercise routine. I also did some volunteer work with Orangewood Children's Home. I picked up an infant there to hold. All of the children wear hospital bracelets. I took a peek at this childs bracelet and saw that his name was Damian and he was born on 03/01/07. He was only three months old and had already been removed from his home! There were about 6 toddlers , an 8 month old girl, and most of the rest of the kids were older. While I was there I saw something that almost brought me to tears. I was helping the other volunteers feed the toddlers their pizza. There was one little boy who was about 3 and obviously had a developmental disability. None of us could get him to eat, he would just push it away and cry. A little boy about 6 years old came over and whispered to him. It's o.k. don't cry. Don't forget that I love you! and gave the little boy a hug and kiss. They were brothers. The 6 year old proceeded to feed him his pizza and the 3 year old began to eat and smile. The 6 year old (who later told me his name was Christopher) said that his brother had never eaten pizza before. It was so sweet and such a display of brotherly love! I spent a little time with Christopher and helped him play bingo. What a sweet child and what a blessing to be able to spend a little time with him!

We are winding down at school. Tomorrow is the last day that I officially see kids ( they get out next Thursday). On the way home from school today I decided to throw each of my classes a Hawaiian style party. I went to Party City and got each of them leis and made little Hawaiian themed goody bags. I also bought a fish table cloth and little plastic Martini Glasses! Of course I couldn't resist the straws with little paper umbrellas built in. We should all have a great time tomorrow. I will see if I can post some pictures. You will be able to see some of the dolls I have been speaking about.

Last week was Open House at school. At the Open House they had a silent auction. Part of the auction included auctioning off of the teachers ( or at least lunch with the teachers). I am proud to say that I was "bought" for $25.00! Today I had my "date" with one of my favorite 1st grade girls. We ate pizza in my room and had a fun time. It is nice to be able to just "hang out" with students once in awhile. The things they talk about! I found out that Riley secretly wishes that our music teacher was her dad because he can sing well! ( I think she thought of this because the Kindergarten was having their "Spring Sing" and you could hear them in my room) She said "but my dad can't sing at all". What a riot! Riley loves to sing and you can often hear her singing at the top of her lungs in the girls bathroom. I often tell her that I think she will be on American Idol when she grows up. She always promptly corrects me and says that she will not be on American Idol because she does not want Simon Cowell saying mean things about her. Such a funny little girl!

Shaking it off

For the past couple of weeks I have been feeling sad. I have spent a lot of time eating, sleeping, and some time crying. I wouldn't say that I am depressed but I definitely have not been myself. Now don't get me wrong, I think I am a very optimistic person and am very appreciative and thankful of all the wonderful gifts in my life. I just think this adoption process has been harder on me emotionally than I thought it would be. Getting my hopes up and then being disappointed so many times is beginning to take its toll.

Finally this past Friday I chose to shake it off and to shift my thinking. Clinton and I went to dinner Friday night at a very nice restaurant overlooking the Pacific Ocean to officially celebrate our anniversary and we spent an awesome day together yesterday. I also decided to go back to church today ( it has been a few weeks since I have been) and to focus more on eating healthy and exercising ( it has been months since I have been to the gym). I am pleased to say that I worked out this morning before going to church. On the way to church I was listening to last weeks message on CD ( thanks to a coworker). On it Rick was talking about instant gratification. I was thinking how true this is of our society. I guess this whole adoption process is teaching me about patience, perseverance, and that the truly good things in life are worth waiting for. I am thankful for the gifts of these lessons. I know in my heart that Clinton and I are meant to be parents and we will persevere until our dream becomes a reality. God will give us our children in his own time.

Clinton and I have coached many leadership programs. During these programs the coaches as well as the students create a Letter of Accomplishment ( LOA). It basically is a list of your goals and objectives in the areas of Community, Relationships, Health, Career, Family, Finance and Recreation for the next 90 days. Only they are not just regular goals but goals that seem unreasonable and some what unattainable. The purpose is to see what you can create in your life in a short amount of time. I feel that an LOA is just what I need right now. It keeps me focused and I always blow myself away with what I am able to accomplish. I will create my LOA this evening and see what happens! I will share more with you as it unfolds...

No news

I just wanted to report that there is no news. I hate the disappointment - again. I copied and mailed out our new and improved resume to our attorney. He should get it in the next day or two. I have also completed an application for Project Cuddle. I can't believe I forgot that I have a friend who is on the board of directors for them! Frank reminded me when I sent my e-mail blast out last week. It is a great organization that works with birthmoms and saves babies ( babies that are "dropped off" at hospitals, fire stations, etc..). They were just feautured on Oprah. The website is www.projectcuddle.org for anyone who is interested in checking it out. I met the director Debbie a few years ago when I attended a fundraiser for them.

In other news- Sunday was our anniversary. I created a pirate themed treasure hunt for Clinton. I left him clues all over our house with little gifts. At the end he found me with candles, chanpagne and a picnic dinner by the outside fireplace by our pool. We then went for a dip in our jacuzzi. It was a very fun evening! I figured I might as well plan the romantic stuff before the kids arrive!

New Resume

We have been contemplating the idea of raising 2 toddlers. I have to admit the more I think about it the more I like it. I mean we would be "insta-family"! I have been reading 2 books this weekend on toddler adoption and understand it is much different than adopting a newborn. Just the fact alone that they are 2 and 3 makes them a special needs adoption. Bonding and attachment can be very difficult but of course varies child to child. Toddlers go through a grieving process that sometimes can last for years. There are often behavioral concerns. I also understand that toddler adoption can be the most rewarding. I have to admit that the ages between 2 and 4 are my favorite ages! There is just something about that developmental age that seems magical ( of course I have never had one live with me 24 hours a day and have always been able to hand them back to their parents) I feel that with my special education background and experience ( you should see some of the behaviors I have had to deal with) Clinton and I could really do this! We had our attorney overnight our resume on Wednesday for the birthmother to review. When I called our attorney on Friday the only information I got was that the birthmother has received several resumes and is considering them all. Drat. This is the part of domestic adoption I hate the most and one of the reasons we pursued an international adoption first. It feels like we are "auditioning" for a child. Talk about an inferiority complex. I am glad that we both have high self-esteem or this part of the process could really mess with our minds! However, after reviewing our resume I decided to totally redo it. When I did our first resume it had to be done very quickly - in a matter of an hour. I decided that it didn't sound the way I wanted it to. I thought more about what a birthmother would want to know and the "tone" of the resume. I totally rewrote it this weekend and am very pleased with the final product. I know this won't make a difference for the toddler adoption because the birthmother already has the original resume- we are still praying that this one comes through. But I don't know if I would choose us with the original resume. So here is my plan... If we don't hear anything tomorrow about the toddlers then I will make copies of the new resume and mail them to our attorney and have him discard the old ones. I really feel that if God intends us on having the toddlers then we will.

Well I have to run. Today is mine and Clinton's anniversary and I have special plans for him this evening!