Too Much Vacationing To Post

The past 5+ weeks have been a blur of family, fun & serious vacation time!!! Jim, Hannah & I flew to Philly for 2 weeks with my family. It took 20 hours - door to door - to go from our place to Philly but it was worth it to surprise my dad for his 70th birthday party. July 18th, 1937 my wonderful father came into this world - how thankful I am that God spared his life, got him out of Austria with his parents & brought him to the USA in 1939. God has blessed my sisters & I so much with our daddy. He is absolutely the best -- he is there for us & always encourages us in anything we seek to accomplish. I am forever thankful to the Lord for blessing us with him. Thanks, dad for being you & for loving us with all your heart. We have nothing but love & gratitude for you!!! Happy 70th!!!!!! It was so great to celebrate with the extended family that came from all over ...and my sis from Indy with her family ....love you all!!

While in Philly, we took a side trip together to Hershey, PA for Hershey Park & not 1, not 2, not 3 but 4 tours of the HERSHEY factory. It was SO fun. We stayed in Lancaster, PA & enjoyed such a nice time just being together.

A highlight of Philly was being with my precious nephew, David. He turned 11 while we were in Philly. David is my hero. He has had Type I Diabetes since he was 9 years old. David NEVER complains about it.....NEVER, NEVER, NEVER. When I have a headache, I complain. When I have sciatica pain, I complain. What is wrong with me?? My nephew pricks his finger umpteen times a day, has a pump attached to his body & is constantly trying to balance carbs to insulin but he never kvetches. He is amazing & he is conquering his disease with grace & perseverance. He trusts God for why he has this disease. David, I'm in awe of you. Selfishly, I am forever thankful that I got to be in the room the moment you entered this world. Happy 11th, David!! I love you more than words can say.

Coming back to California mid-July, we brought my 13 year old niece, Sarah, home with us for 3 weeks. We had the Grand Californian Adventure while Sarah was here: Magic Mountain, Silverwood Lake (thank you, Slazas'!!!), Sailboat ride (thank you, Taur's!!!), American Girl Place, Pool time, Scrapbooking, Shopping, Downtown LA, Raging Waters. We had a great time being together & Hannah loved having cousin Sarah here for a big time sleepover. Sarah got to be good friends with our California cousins (thanks, Matthew, Bridget, Jane & Danielle!!!) and of course special Cali-cousin, Katie!! Thanks, Aunt Roisin & Aunt Kim for loving on Sarah like one of your own. Yesterday was a bizarre feeling to put Sarah on a plane to fly cross country by herself .... well, there was a pilot on the plane & a few hundred other folks, but you know what I mean! :-)

Going to Magic Mtn. & riding TATSU (hanging from the bottom part of the roller coaster) has cured me of being nervous during take-off on a plane. I mean, really, at least when I fly on an airplane they don't strap me to the bottom of the plane for take off!!!! TATSU -- feel the fear & do it anyway!!!!

Hannah & I had "Mommy / Daughter Day" today ... after weeks of activity it was nice to just be together ... during her bath tonight out of the blue she said to me, "mommy, this was the best day ever." So there you have it -- what a child really wants - YOU. It was a special day with her that I will always treasure.

We were looking at Halloween outfits in a catalog today & she picked one out for Lily. I told her we wouldn't have Lily by Halloween so we wouldn't need to order her an outfit. Hannah said, "well, we will have her for some Halloween." Incredible this wait. 18 months have come & gone since our paperwork entered the Chinese system. Believe me, July 26th didn't go unnoticed. I am trusting God for His perfect timing for Lily and being content with the wonderful, incredible life we have (and yes, experiencing many moments of frustration over the situation in China!).