Kelley's Birthday

Kelley finally talked me into posting to the blog. I am pretty slow to try new things, but I guess that it is time.

Kelley's last posting was on the day of her birthday. That evening, late in the day of her second annual 39th birthday, she was a greeted with a surprise birthday party. About 18 friends and family had gathered at a local restaurant, and when the two of us showed, gave her a nice send-off into her fourth decade. Of course, she is now acting a lot older than she did that evening. Needless to say, she slept well that night (notice the glass of blue tidy bowl).

David will be arriving back home this Tuesday night. He will be home for four weeks before shipping out to South Korea. He will be stationed at Camp Walker, South Korea, for at least the next 12 months. We are sad about him going so far away, but very happy that he is not going to be stationed in Iraq.

Ryan's band is heavily into band competitions at the moment. They are in the middle of a span where they compete in band competitions on 4 out of 5 Saturdays. No time for sleep-in-Saturdays for him.

Chris is doing real well in the academy. He will be testing near Kansas City this weekend.

Carrie, too, is doing real well in all of her endeavors. She is enjoying this year much more than last. She is especially happy with her new living conditions. Her new roommates and apartment are much more to her liking.

No trouble, it seems, in keeping busy while waiting for Ryleigh. It doesn't do a lot to limit our frustrations, but it does make the time go faster.

Dwaine

Pictures and thoughts on my birthday

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to post a couple of pics since I am downloading from my camera.

This is a picture of my favorite guys when David was home for Labor Day.

And here is a picture of Iris. She is a sweet dog.

Today is my birthday. The big 4-0. I can't believe I'm 40. I don't feel 40. I don't really want to be 40. I think back to when I was in college and realize that it was half of my lifetime ago. I can't believe it. One of my best friends from college passed through Columbia last week and we met him out for dinner. I haven't seen him in years. We talked about our college days as if they happened a couple of years ago. Now we are 40. Man, that is huge! I am old! The only good thing is that Dwaine will be 50 in a couple of weeks. That makes me not feel quite so old....

It seems like forever...

Yes, dear friends and family, it seems like forever since my last post. I have been extremely busy for the last month it seems. It really isn't an excuse either, I really have been busy.

First and foremost, we have been trying to get my dad's house ready for sale. That has involved some travel to Quincy on the weekends and it isn't finished yet. That has been a big project and even more so trying to do it long distance. We are doing some sprucing up before the sale and just trying to go through and get rid of stuff and sort out what we want to keep.

Chris has settled in here and is really liking the police acadamy. He has done well so far and he has been at it about a month now. We are taking care of his dog while he is in school. They don't allow pets where he lives of course. The dog and I get along for the most part. He has his off days where he likes to dig and chew on stuff that doesn't belong to him. Sometimes I think he is mentally challenged. His name is Bosco and I don't really know if he actually knows what his name really is. He has been called many other things besides that - for instance, Bozo, stupid, dumb sh*^, jerk wad, butt head, etc. I have been taking him to doggie classes and he has really done well at that. He minds much better and it can actually be a pleasure to take him for a walk now. I walk him, not vice versa. It used to be the other way around.

David came home for Labor Day weekend. He is doing great! He will be home in a few weeks and will be here until Dec. We will be looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. All of my family will be here. It will be great! The only one we will be missing is Carrie. I wish she could come home for every holiday.

Dwaine and I are planning a trip to celebrate our birthdays. He will be the big 5-0 in Nov. and I will be the big 4-0 next week. I can't tell you where we are going yet because I am surprising Dwaine with the place. I booked it today and can't wait to go. It is going to be a lot of fun. We will be gone from Nov. 8 to the 13th. I will keep you posted on the mystery trip...

We are both off from work next week too. Dwaine is planning on building some fence in the back yard. Wish us luck on that. I hope to do a little work around the house myself and want to plant some mums and maybe some bulbs for next Spring. We are going to do some fun things next week too since it is my birthday. We are going to the pub crawl and maybe to the Octoberfest next weekend.

Well, I just wanted to touch base with you all and let you know that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. We are doing well, hope you are too.

Love to all,

Kelley

Happy 6 month anniversary!

IT'S BEEN 6 MONTHS ALREADY!!

Well, we've officially been logged in for 6 months now. We started filling out our paperwork over 1 year ago. Looking back on time, it seems to have gone pretty quickly but looking at what awaits us seems like an eternity. Every month, Dwaine and I celebrate our LID anniversary by eating out at this Mongolian barbecue called Hu-Hot. It is a "make-your-own-stir fry" place. Seems kinda odd eating at a Mongolian place. Isn't that the reason that China built the Great Wall in the first place. Oh well, they have really good food. Yesterday was especially cool because we met with several local adoptive parents. Several months ago, I met up with two other women who live in the area. We became acquainted because we use the same social worker. We decided it would be great to just meet once a month and include our spouses. Well yesterday, we met and our group is up to 8 couples. Now we are trying to decide how to make our group more interesting by having different topics of discussion when we meet or maybe a book club type thing. How cool is that? Next month is my turn to plan the meeting place.

Next, I want to say thank you to my secret pal. She has struck again. The theme for August was music. So we are sending each other a CD or some other form of music whether it be lullabies or children's music. My secret pal was really creative. She sent me a toy karaoke microphone that can play music and record also. She recorded the sweetest message from her daughter to me and Ryleigh. She also sent the cutest little Golden Book about adoption. She is the greatest! Hope you are reading this because I want to thank you again!

Next, I want to say thank you to my good friend Kim who has given me a quilt square for Ryleigh's 100 wishes quilt. She took a lot of time and put a lot of thought into it. There is enough fabric that I can cut a square for my quilt and still have plenty left over to make something else. I might have a small pillow made too. She wrote the greatest poem to Ryleigh and it brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for being a great friend.

I have 39 squares now. I just need 61 more. Hint, hint...

Now about the family...

Two new things. David is coming home for Labor Day weekend!!!!!!!!!!!! Also, he found out that he will be assigned to go to South Korea for his first tour of duty. Hey, it's better than Iraq! He will spend a year there and we are praying that the Iraqi conflict will be fizzling out by then. It could happen. I am sure we will always have a presence there but hopefully, the fighting will be minimal by then just in case he would be assigned there next.

Chris is moving to Columbia next weekend. He will be in the police acadamy until Christmas. Then, we are trying to talk him into staying here and finding a job in good ol' Columbia. That would be so great to have family who actually lives in the same town for once. That hasn't happened since I lived in Quincy. We are meeting with a realtor next week to get dad's house ready for sale. Hopefully that will go smoothly. Please keep us in your prayers for that reason. Sometimes things like that overwhelm me. Mostly because I let them. Anyway, please say a prayer that the house sells quickly and for what we are asking for it.

I have deeded the house in Chris' name so when the house does sell, he will have a great down payment for a new house when he is finished with school. The price of real estate in Columbia is very reasonable. (That's a big hint to my bro')

Well, I am rambling on now and am really tired. Time for me to go to bed. Hello to you all and hope you are doing really well. Thanks for the comments in the last post. (I love to read them)

Kelley

I've been tagged....a long time ago.

Well, I have been tagged by my friend Heather in Philly to do this survey. Heather is one of my on-line adoption friends whom I have actually had the pleasure to meet while we were in New Jersey. She has the same log in date that we do. She tagged me several weeks ago but I keep forgetting to write so here goes...

5 THINGS I WAS DOING 5 YEARS AGO (10 years was not a good place in my life)

1. I had moved into my own home that I bought by myself. My condo I loved.
2. Living the single life and spending a lot of time with friends
3. Made a trip to San Francisco to visit family and friends.
4. Worked 2 jobs. The job I work at now and a part time job and Columbia Regional Hospital
5. Did not know my husband yet.

FIVE SNACKS I ENJOY this one's easy.

1. Chips (any kind)
2. Chocolate (any kind)
3. Movie popcorn
4. Ice cream
5. Pistachios

5 SONGS I KNOW THE LYRICS TO

1. My highschool fight song. (amazing because I graduated over 20 years ago)
2. My college fight song. (I think I can remember the words)
3. All of the songs that were in my wedding
4. The words to "Oklahoma" (my husband and his sons will get a kick out of that one)
5. "I can't help myself" by the Four Tops. I have it programmed in my phone as Dwaine's ringtone.

5 THINGS I WOULD DO IF I WERE A MILLIONAIRE

1. I would make sure my little brother was set for life.
2. I would donate money to our church.
3. I would make sure all of Dwaine's kids were set for life.
4. I would buy a completely frivolous car that would make people think I were going through a mid-life crisis.
5. We would both retire so we could raise our daughter by ourselves without the need for daycare.

5 BAD HABITS

1. I am completely OCD about keeping the house clean.
2. I am too anxious and worry about a lot of things that I shouldn't worry about.
3. I chew on my fingernails when I am nervous.
4. I make excuses not to work out.
5. Obsessing over how long the wait will be with our adoption.

5 THINGS I LOVE TO DO

1. Go to the movies with Dwaine.
2. Go out to eat with Dwaine.
3. Go on vacation and travel with Dwaine.
4. Go for coffee with Dwaine
5. Anything else having to do with Dwaine.

5 THINGS I WOULD NEVER WEAR AGAIN

1. My hair permed!!! How awful, someone should have told me...
2. Polyester pants. That should tell you how old I am.
3. A belly button ring. Yeah, yeah, I had one. Now I have a gut instead so I don't think I will be wearing one of those again.
4. Anything spandex.
5. Anything that has a 70's look. I hated it in the 70's so why would I want to wear it again.

5 OF MY FAVORITE TOYS

1. My ipod. I really love that thing.
2. My brother's GPS. We bought it for him for Christmas and that thing is the coolest thing ever!
3. My dogs. Does that count as two things?
4. Our lawnmower. I know that sounds really lame but we got a new one and I like to mow.
5. My computer. It is so amazing what technology has become.

There ya go. That took a lot of thought. I think I will tag Shelby, Marcy and Tamara D.

Have a good week, everyone.

Kelley

The latest...

Well, here's the latest on the Gelnar homefront......

Since I wrote last time, absolutely nothing has happened. Ok well a few small things have happened but nothing too major.

First, I just want to say that it is hotter here than h-e-double toothpicks!

With that said, now we can move on to business. I told you that David graduated from boot camp at Fort Jackson a few weeks ago. He is now in Maryland doing specialized training for the job which he chose. He will be studying generator mechanics. He will be at Aberdeen Proving grounds until the middle of October. Then he hopes to have enough time off to be home for Thanksgiving. Here is his address if you would like to send him a letter. I am sure he would appreciate that very much. Here goes: David Gelnar, Charlie Company 16th Ordinance Battalion, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD 21005 .

No new news on the adoption front. Still waiting. It is hard for me to explain but the wait is slowly increasing and we are looking at 2+ years. We had a major slowdown as soon as we were logged into China and it doesn't look like it will speed up anytime soon. We will have been logged in for 6 months on Aug. 25th. Please pray that it speeds up.

Don't forget those quilt squares! I'm gonna bug you until you send 'em.

I also want to thank my secret pal - you know who you are. We are doing a secret pal exchange through my on-line adoption group. I don't know who she is but she has sent me some pretty neat things so far. July's theme was fireworks. She sent me the cutest little cheer outfit that is red, white and blue. She sent a soft and cuddly bunny and some red, white and blue hair barrettes. It is so cool to receive these little gifts for Ryleigh. It makes it all seem so much more tangible. So thank you to my secret pal, you are the greatest.

Well, I gotta go move the water in the back yard. Our poor grass... Pray for some rain - or even snow. I am ready for winter!!!

Kelley

Well, it's been 5 months...

Happy 5 month anniversary to us! It has been 5 months since our log in date. 5 long months since we finished our paper chase. 5 long months we have been waiting so far. It has actually been one year now since we began the adoption process all together. 1 year since we first went in and asked our social worker what our options were. 1 year since we decided to pick China. 1 year since I have felt a huge relief from the pressure of trying to get pregnant. That one year has its advantages. I dread thinking of how many more months we will be waiting. I try not to think about it. Last post I was really feeling the pressure of the wait. I guess it comes with those paper-pregnancy hormones.

Here's the latest update on our family.... David graduated from basic training yesterday!! HOORAY! What an accomplishment that is! We are so very proud of him. Also, today is his 26th birthday. Happy birthday, David! Dwaine and Ryan drove to South Carolina to his graduation and they are taking him to Maryland for his next round of training. This won't be anything nearly as demanding as basic training. He will graduate in October. I was unable to go to this graduation due to work conflicts. I am planning on going to the next graduation, though.

Ryan is off to band camp next week. That lasts for two weeks and then it will almost be time to start back to school. This summer has flown by! He hasn't had a whole lot of free time this summer due to summer school and now band camp. He has kept really busy. That is good for him, though.

Chris will be moving to Columbia to start police academy here at the university. He will be here until Christmas time. I am looking forward to him being here and I hope he decides to move here or somewhere close to Columbia. He has found an apartment and will be moving here around Labor Day weekend.

We are getting ready to sell my childhood home. Since Chris is not planning on coming back to Quincy, we are going to put the house on the market. That is a tremendously difficult thing to see happen. I grew up there and did not know any other home besides that one. There are a ton of memories that come flooding back when I think about that house and all of the wonderful holidays and events that took place there. It is also the house where both of my parents spent their last days on this earth. It is a sacred place for me. It was the place I could run to when things weren't going so well here. Anytime I needed to, I could always go home. I still call it my home even though I live here now and have lived here for 20 years. I have lived here longer than I lived in Quincy but 908 Locust is still home.

On a lighter note, I am putting out a plea for more quilt squares. So far I have 30 something. I need 100 in all. So if you would still like to participate, please send an 8x8 square of 100% cotton material and enclose a postcard with a wish for Ryleigh. Also, please attach a small sample of the material to the postcard because those will go into a scrapbook.

Here's an example:

This is from my friend Heather in PA. The wish says: "A girl's got to have a lot of class and a little flash! Have fun with life!"

You get the idea. You can write anything you want just as long as it represents you in some way. I'm looking forward to putting them together. So keep 'em coming in!

Have a great week everyone!

Kelley