Tomorrow: The Tropics.

We are going on a cruise. Yay!

Picture me here:

Also, picture me with a tan. Just for good measure.

In Which the Papers are Finally Completed. (Correctly.)

We officially and totally have all our papers together and approved by the adoption agency and tomorrow they will be mailed to be authenticated by the state. Woo-hoo-hoo! We ended up asking a different person to write a reference for us (very quickly please) which they so kindly did, and then we thought we were done, but then came to find out that we had several pages missing something, for instance our middle names, which apparently are very important (thanks mom and dad, for picking me a good one and not something totally lame-o!), or the fact that we are US citizens, which is another apparently very important bit of information which must be included on our letterhead although this had previously slipped my attention. Thus, we actually ended up re-doing several documents, and getting them re-notarized, and finally finally things are ready to go for real this time. :) Just in time too. I was almost ready to throw in the towel and just get knocked up or something, thinking it would be so much less annoying than stupid paperwork. But then I just pictured myself in labor, screaming at John that this was all his fault, and then having him pass out at the thought of possibly seeing blood, and suddenly... my priorities seemed so much more clear.

Thank you to all of you who have participated thus far! They're not kidding when they say it takes a village --and all I have is a bunch of papers.

Also, not to be forgotten, here is a picture of Stanley. He says Hello.

It's Right what they Say: It is Better to Give than to Receive.

Today I put stitches in some unsuspecting lady's finger. 2 of them. (I mean 2 stitches, not 2 fingers.) Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am practically a surgeon. I admit, I was kind of slow at it, but I think I did a great job. And I, of course, am not biased about my own work.

I conveniently did not mention to her that I'd only done this a couple times before, and the last time was about 3 years ago, when I was a student. This would not have improved the situation in any sense.

Also, I did a great job. Did I mention that? And it was terribly fun.

Enjoy your fingers, folks. And treasure them. And keep them away from knives and other sharp and potentially dangerous objects.

Yep, she looked this good when I was done.

In Which Winter Never Ends and I Desperately Wish I Lived in Florida*

So it snowed all weekend. We have several inches now. It's supposed to snow another few inches again tonight, and then drop to like -18 actual temps, and then show again later in the week. That is so gross. Come on! I like things that are WARM! These things would include, but are not limited to: Summer. Also, potentially Spring and Fall, depending on the weather. Chai tea. Fire. Heating units. Irons. Blankets. Carribean islands. Parkas. And Chocolate. Ok, I like chocolate even if it's not warm, but I prefer that it's at least room temperature and not frozen. In desperate situations, I could just warm it up in my mouth if I really had to. When it comes to chocolate, as it turns out, I'm not really that picky.

So anyway, here is a picture of snowy things. They are cold, and therefore generally uninviting.

*Or other place with a comparatively tropical climate, and where my inability to fluently speak any language other than English would not significantly hamper my abilities to function independently in typical social situations

In Which we are Deemed Worthy of Parenthood in the Eyes of the Federal Government

We got our Immigration clearance!!!! Woohoo!!!!! (Yes, that is precisely 9 exclamation points, all together.) Ok, so this celebration is slightly less celebratory in light of that we are still waiting on one of our beloved references to get us our letter. Maybe they are having trouble thinking of any nice things to say about us. Hmmm... Furthermore, I'm thinking of giving up on kindhearted but un-prompt former reference, asking someone else, and telling them I need it pronto! (Pretty please!) Come on people, my baby's waiting, and I've got papers to send!

So there it is in all its beauty. I am going to be a mommy! (Sigh.) Someday.