September Ancedotes

With school starting, I haven't had much time to post on this blog, which means that when I look back over this month in the future, it will appear as if this September was uneventful, which it wasn't!

Though, at the same time, nothing really has earned a whole post, so instead here is my mid-September highlight real.

School
I have been having a good time with this class.  The difference between 30-32 students and 25 students is huge, and makes me feel that I can connect with each student on a more individual basis. Also, I have a student whose story is near to the story my daughter will have, and I have found so much joy in teaching her English. It has been interesting for me to see where the gaps of a non-native English speaker are, like not knowing what a desert is, and drawing a picture for her to get the idea of the word. The first day typically sets the tone for the year, and this year's first day went great, so I have a lot of hope there.

Zoo
The weekend after my half marathon, we took a trip to the zoo.

Though my picture is of the giraffes, my favorite part was the same as it always is- the orangutans. We got there just at the right time too! There was a zoo docent there, and she was talking about them and answering questions, and then we got to see feeding time. But before any of the orangutans went toward the food, the docent predicted how each of them would react, even to the detail of one of them not ever letting go of the structure as she reached for the food because she didn't trust the ground.

Running
Part of me is still very daunted at the idea of a marathon, but for the most part I have passed that hump and now feel confident that with training, I can do it! A big step in this direction happened on Saturday when I completed a 12.7 run. The thing is, that run was very hot, and very hilly, so my running partner and I took many walking breaks. Sadly, she eventually got to the point where she decided it would be unhealthy to continue because she was feeling dizzy, so we got picked up. The silver lining is that between all the walking breaks, I felt great at the end. Unlike how I felt after my half, or my previous long training runs, I didn't feel like my body was beat up at the end, I actually felt surprisingly functional. Even with the walking breaks, I was going fast enough over all that on my marathon day, I wouldn't be picked up and escorted off the course. Isn't that great! It made me feel good that even before training, with enough breaks, I can do longer distances without paying for it later that day.

I also had a fabulous Saturday volunteering at the Woodbridge invitational.

My running club had asked for volunteers, and when I heard Blake was going to be gone all day, I thought it would be fun, and I had a great time!

Adoption
We continue to trudge through the paperwork involved in the home study update, and I think we will finish that early October, if not sooner. I don't know exactly what stage we are at in Ghana or what it takes to get a court date, but I do know that our Ghanian contact is working on it (because there might have been a problem with our paperwork, but it seems to be a false alarm).

We did learn today that our great coordinator is stepping down from her position to spend more time with her family. I am disappointed to not get to have her as our primary contact, but I do feel confident that we will still get through the process with minimal interruptions caused by her decision.

Hockey
I can't believe there is a hockey lock out the first year that I was going to follow it the whole year! Arg! Owners, back down, and bring the game back! Pronto! Games should start next month! /end rant

Registry
I have been having fun creating a registry for our daughter that I can share with others at some point in the future. I don't know if I mentioned it on here before or not, but I do think that as much fun as it would be to have showers now, the best time will be after we file the I-600 in Ghana. This is for a couple of reasons- 1- we would get to see her, interact with her, and get to figure out what size she is. 2- the I-600 is the second to last step. Once that is approved, it is just getting the visa, and that step only takes a few months, and then she will be home. So it would put it relatively close to when she comes home, so I know what age/ size stuff to ask for, but would also give us enough time to get everything set up and ready in her room (and give me time to "nest"). 3- I think this will be the hardest stage. They are all hard, but after I meet her, then have to leave her in Ghana for a few more months, I think I will be dying for distractions and friends and families to come along and support me and keep my mind on the fun we will have when she gets home, not on the sadness that she isn't home yet.

House
Blake has always been a realist, and the time of waiting for referral meant that he wouldn't do any house stuff for our child's room or baby proofing etc. But now that we know who it will be, he is letting us go to Lowe's and order the things that the room needs to be pulled together and become a child's room, like has been intended from the start.

So you see, busy, fun, full September so far!