Pre-Birthday gifts

How kewl. This month, as many know, I claim as my "birthday month". I figure since I have to share my birthDAY itself with three other people, and just for fun, I can can claim it. This month I've been more 'out of it' than usual and caught up with all the other pressures of life, (home ownership, job, etc). So this birthday week has kinda snuck up on me. But last Thursday my mom gave me a nice fuzzy sweater reminding me that I was a week away. Yesterday I met with Erica's parents (who finally were able to make it to see the house - her mom went into surgery the week OF our closing) and they gave me a Home Depot card. We promptly went and got a new thermostat and Tony installed it. :) It's very hi-tech. *grin* And today, I walk into the office with two books on my desk, an origami book from my mom, and much to my surprise a book on Lesbian & Gay Fostering and Adoption - Extraordinary Yet Ordinary from warsop. I was happyly surprised by this one since we've not spoken in awhile. Thank you! :)

I also got more info from "Hands Across the Water" an adoption agency in Ann Arbor. They had a lot really nice looking programs plus part of their mission is educate parents and thus they offer TONS of seminars to help educate and network parents both before & after adoption. We looked at three countries in  particular Kakistan, Guatamala, and Brazil. I would love to go with Kakistan, but it is more costly, and, more importantly, it is easier to get siblings from Guatamala/Brazil, which we are considering. It's nice to have all this planning time. Even if we wanted to rush (which we don't), we'd have to wait until Erica graduates and the upstairs gets re-finished. Right now, we're still working on the downstairs so we have at least a year until the upstairs is done. The other nice thing is that we've come this far with Erica being in school. When she graduates and gets 'a real job' (term used loosely) we'll be looking really good.

This summer Erica is also applying for a job at the CIA, which, if she gets it, will re-locate her for the summer months. And if she doesn't get it, she may go on an International Study for school. So there is a really good chance that we'll be apart this summer. I think this will actually be a good thing, as it allows Erica to go off on her own adventure. Plus, I'm going to be gone for at least 3 weeks this summer on vacation (England cruise - Late July), working on a seminar near St. Louis, MO (mid June or with Sistrum when we got Sister Singers in San Diego (late June). So it's an ideal time for her to go play.

Life is just very good right now. We've gradually been 'becoming adults' and it just feels right. I'd been waiting for this past year, my 27th year, for as long as I can remember. I honestly can't say I've been disappointed. It has a been an awesome one.