Our journey for Xiao Ting

Our journey for Xiao Ting

Universal Studios

Hi all ,
Bill and I had a nice time in Orlando. We went to Universal Studios on Friday ; went on everything worth seeing and headed over to Islands of Adventure after lunch to about 5:00. It was so crowded and the wait time for most rides was between 30 to 55 minutes long and with the all the express machines down , we couldn't get a fast pass to cut down the wait time. We went on the Spiderman ride and Bill went on the Hulk roller coster.
We headed to the hotel around 6:00 or so ; they only had two rooms left and both facing the interstate; we had no choice but to stay there because it was pre-paid. We went out to eat at Tony Roma's ( they have great baby back rib's BTW) .
After we settled down in the hotel room and finally went to sleep after watching a Sherlock Holmes movie on PBS ( which was good BTW), we tossed and turned the whole night. When I finally went to sleep around 6 am a car alarm went off and woke both Bill and I up- I was so mad!
Don't ever stay at a hotel when the room faces the interstate. Our room was around 200 feet from it.
Anyway...we had breakfast at the hotel for FREE and ate waffles , yogurt , and fruit, then we headed over to the Orlando Outlet Mall and bought Jude and Rachel some clothes from the Osh Gosh store and me some shoes from Skechers.
Here is a photo of me with Thing One and Thing Two from the Dr. Seuss book "The Cat In The Hat."--Love, Anita

Hi all,
Bill is finally on vacation and it is nice to know that he will be off for a week.
Yesterday Bill and I took Jude and Rachel to a Native American powwow at Withlacoochee River Park in Dade City ( Amber didn't want to go, so she stayed home.) We watched them play music and the grand entrance where the people in native dress danced around the circular enclosure.
It was fun and we had a picnic lunch on a blanket then bought the kids some beaded necklaces.
We went home after being there for nearly 3 hours - It was really humid and hot.
Today I went to work and came home and made dinner - baked ziti.
Bill got the house ready for the impending hurricane by removing debris in the backyard and took down our flag and brought in the trashcans.
Yesterday, we went to the store to pick up some extra ice, bottled water, and gassed up the van.
--Anita <><

Hi all, for those of you who don't already know , I have a new email address: alkelliher@verizon.net .
Well, tonight is church and I am taking Jude and Rachel over to my mom's. They don't have enough workers on Wed. nights and Jude and Rachel end up crying and fussing when I leave them with the young girl that's in there to watch them . I really don't want to be interrupted when I am in my class on "Spiritual Warfare", it is really good and I enjoy the break from the little ones'. They are cute ,but they are a handful.
Tomorrow is my first meeting with the "Heart to Heart" group from church ; it's a mentoring group that pairs older women with younger women and they get to know eachother and you pray for one another , etc. I have been praying for something like that . I have been experiencing alot of stress and feelings of isolation/depressive emotions, not things I like to admit, but it's the truth and you can't deny the truth .
I also have been reading my bible more and I am working toward reading the whole bible in a year. It really helps to read the word and what has brought tears to my eyes is the compassion that Jesus has for us. Please read in Matthew in the following link :http://BibleGateway.com . It is such a great encouragement to know that the God of the universe personally cares for us.
--Blessings, Anita

Hi all,
I blogged a link to an adoption journal to someone who is a member of a group I am in called Families with Children from China ; the family will be leaving to the Hubei Province to pick up their daughter , Grace. Just reading their itinerary makes my heart skip a beat , because I think back to when we left for China. I envy this family. Anyway ... these jounals like this are so fun to read.

Today I ran some errons (sp?) and took the kids' to the park at the Land O Lakes Rec Center. The kids' loved it and they fussed when we had to leave.

This week I have been somewhat busy. Monday and Tuesday I stayed close to home. Yesterday my parents and my sister came over with her two kids', Adam and Kiah , and we all went to Cracker Barrell for lunch. Went to church last night.

Tomorrow I am meeting my good friend , Leah ( who lives in Bradenton), at her mom's house so we can do something.

I work on Saturday (ugh!!) and then Sunday we will go to church.

Not much going on ... I am looking forward to a Mom's group that is forming at church starting Nov. 4th.

It really gets hard staying home with the kids' when there is nothing planned but housework. I have been getting a little depressed about it and as much as I would like to put them into Pre-K , we wouldn't be able to afford it. I might look into calling some churches to see if they have a Pre-K for a few days a week for Rachel going about 3-4 hours at a time. I don't know.

Bill applied to Zephyrhills Water but they turned him down , they told him they had applicants better suited for the position , but it turns out that the friend he has that works for the company stated that they have a contractual agreement not to hire NFI employees ( Bill's current employer who is contracted with Zephyrhills to move their freight ). So Bill will continue to look for something else that will allow him to work less and therefore have more time to spend with the family. I get really down because Bill doesn't have a set schedule and too many hours. He works 15 hour shifts and only has 10 - 12 hours until he is due back to work ; it's crazy! And it is wearing on him and he looks haggard alot of times... not to mention the effect it has on his health and safety. We are able to have only 4 days a month together, since I work 4 weekend days a month myself. Please pray for Bill to find a new job. God Bless, Anita

Grace Rui Li Journey Home

Grace Rui Li Journey Home

I listed a link to a segment from Good Morning America called ,"Made In China." It discusses China's influence on the global economy and its' growth in strength and power . The reporter said something interesting about the difference of the old China to the new China. Years ago China experienced a famine that killed millions of people and it was common for parents to tell their children at dinner time ,"... now children eat all your food because there are children starving in China" and today parents should tell their children , " ..now children do your homework because there are children starving for your job in China and India." Children in the east are motivated to learn English and Science and to be on top and to also bring themselves out of poverty. Children in the west have a different mind set and they are not as interested for the most part to strive to be on globaly. The east has more students in the areas of science and engineering vs. America. Anyway .. there are 3 articles total to read that are interesting.

Today I am staying home with the kids and doing housework. Tomorrow Bill and I are taking the kids to McDonald's and then to the movies to go see the new "Wallace and Gromit" movie. I have to work in rehab on Sunday.

Yesterday morning Bill and I closed on the house due to the refinancing of our first and second mortgages , I am so glad that is over.

Check out this story about the latest regarding the persecuted church in china:
http://www.persecution.com/news/index.cfm?action=fullstory&newsID=334

Good Morning America article:
http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1142148&page=1

--Anita

He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose-- Jim Elliot

Hi all, I took the kids' to the zoo, again... they love it though. I met a friend from work there who is also a stay at home mom. We had a nice time, but Jude started to have a temper tantrum and I was worn out too , mostly from the screaming and bargaining with the kids'.
This past weekend was o.k., I worked on Saturday and came home and watched half of "Fiddler on the Roof." On Sunday went to church and came home to do yard-work and watch the second half of Fiddler... with Bill.
Made reservations over the internet today for a hotel for Bill and I on Oct. 28th. Bill and I are going to Universal and staying over night in Orlando. We haven't gone away by ourselves since before Rachel was born. Isn't that sad? Needless to say , we are both looking forward to it.
I am posting a photo of Amber that she took of herself. --Anita