Happy Dori Day

4 years ago today I was handed a most precious gift on the 26th floor of a civil building in China. Today we celebrate Dori Day to remember that day when we met & adopted our daughter! Our traditions include cinnamon cake for breakfast, a gift (this year it's a Zhu Zhu pet), portraits, lunch & dinner out, a new charm for her future bracelet, watching videos and looking through pictures, and just special time together.Enjoy this slide show from that wonderful day four years ago!
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WW: Images from Hong Kong 4 years ago today

I left my heart...

The other night I was thinking about our Alaska trip. It was one of those 'I imagined myself there' moments. I looked at the calendar and realized we had been home 3 months. How time flies! Then I realized that 4 years ago yesterday we left for China.

I feel like I've left my heart in several places I've lived and visited over the years. Some places more than others. I get excited when I see that place on TV or mentioned in the news. I feel a part of it...like that place belongs to me or I belong to that place. Not sure which it is, but I remember many places fondly. Strangely I don't think of Hawaii much. We lived there 1990-94. It's a place that is mentioned a lot, but I don't have a connection unless I see a pic of a place I've been or hear certain Hawaiian songs. Malaysia doesn't cross my mind too much either, but I do get very excited whenever I hear it mentioned. I'll see a travel show and keep my eye out for places we went. I picture myself there and it's very real for a minute or two. We lived there for 4 months in 2001. California is a distant memory...I've visited there many times and lived there in the 80s.

We celebrate our daughter and her culture, so I believe that China will stay in our hearts forever. We do plan on taking her for a visit in about 6-8 years. I love going back over our pictures and thinking about each day of the trip. 4 years ago this moment we had just arrived at our hotel in Hong Kong. We were so tired after our long day of travel, but so excited to be there. I am sure I'll be sharing more about your trip over the next 2 weeks.

I want to keep the memory of Alaska alive. I want to create a photo book and slide show of the trip. It is a special place and it was an extraordinarily special trip...so I don't want it to fade.

Today made me feel OLD!

Today was another day of volunteering at the concession stand at our local college football game. I am in charge of running the concession stand as a fundraiser for our youth group trips for church. The day consists of directing the 12-14 volunteers, counting, prepping, setting up, trouble shooting, etc. All this on a cement floor for approximately 8 hours. It's busy and hectic and my feet are SOOO sore at the end. They were actually aching part way through the game. My knees really hurt when I bend down and then stand back up, so I was directing the kids to do the bending. This is an important fundraiser and it brings in a lot of money for the youth. All volunteers get credited with hours worked and that is applied toward their individual trip accounts. Our family (my son will help) ends up not having to pay for trips at all because we put in MORE than enough hours. I appreciate this savings, but sometimes I wonder how much more my body can take. I was not as mentally drained today, but my body is sooooo tired that I have just been laying in bed all evening. At least I've been able to get some bloggy work done and I Skyped with a sis! I wonder if I will be able to hack it next year, but worry that no one else will step up to be in charge because it's so much work. In that case we would lose our concession stand and the fundraising opportunity. I greatly appreciate all the wonderful volunteers who come and help~ several of which have been at multiple games already. A few don't even have kids in the youth group. I also appreciate my hubby who drops & picks up at the stadium so that we don't have to walk far. Today he spent a lot of the day in the car as our boys had multiple commitments. Bless him for staying up tonight to pick the teen up from work after midnight.
I'll lay low tomorrow and probably be slow to get out of bed on Monday, but should be back to my normal non-achy self by lunchtime on Monday. I sure admire people that work on their feet!!!!

Seriously La Flor...What were you thinking?

You had a chance to change votes and you went for Kelly B? Marty knew you had his goat and he even had tears in his eyes. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!!!

Wordless Wednesday: My Sweet Girl

Reality Wrap

Survivor~ I was really hoping for the team swaps to be more dramatic, but it really wasn't very exciting. In fact, I am struggling to remember the details of last Wednesday's episode. I'm struggling to remember what I ate for breakfast too...so it's not surprising. Let's see...the new members to the old tribe were turned off by Tyrone's bossiness. I personally didn't think he was being bossy. I think he just wanted everyone to work well together and he was sharing how they did things. (This assessment is form someone who is old enough for the old tribe!) I was surprised by Alina & Nay becoming buddies. Not sure what Nay was thinking when she signed on for this Survivor gig...it's brutal and she almost threw in the towel. More surprising was the story of her divorce. I think it was obvious that the 'old tribe' was going to lose immunity because they didn't show much of the other team. Although people are concerned about Marty and his cockiness!

Amazing Race~ First to worst! And on their graduation day. Those corny boys should NEVER have tried to go down the hill on the sleds again. After the first time was horrible...they should have headed straight toward the beds challenge. I am glad that Jill & Thomas wasted their Express Pass. If they had just done the task they would have still been in front of other teams that changed and they would have been OK. BUT~ I don't care for them so I hope they make more mistakes. I like how Michael & Kevin pull themselves up out of last place. Smart thinking with the airline! The Docs are playing a solid game!

Meal Monday: Corn Chip (Frito)Taco Salad

Some of you might know this as a walking taco, but we this is our own version. We started eating it on our Alaska trip and it was a favorite meal. Before we left for Alaska, Eric browned up a bunch of ground beef and seasoned it for taco meat. I then frozen the meat in bunches and we took the frozen meal along with us. We did the same with chicken, but we didn't season it. Having the meal pre-cooked was a big time saver on the meal. Anyway, here is our version~Corn Chip Taco Salad

taco meat
ranch style beans (canned)
shredded cheese
shredded lettuce
corn chips (Fritos)
optional: tomato and sour cream

We just had to heat the meat & beans in the microwave and then layered it on top of the lettuce and corn chips, and then topped with cheese.

Homecoming Dance

What a good looking bunch of kids. And they are ALL color coordinated. Other than the dates coordinating with each other...the entire group just ended up with a similar color scheme.They all went out to dinner together, then to the dance, and then back to this house for bonfire afterward. I only talked to my son briefly this morning before he went to work and he said he had fun.

Senior Marching Band Night

Last night was my son's last high school marching band performance. They have awards night coming up and will play, but they don't march that night! All seniors (football, cheerleader, dance, & band members) and their parents are introduced pre-game. My son made sure they announced his sister too, which was really cute as she wears her matching marching band uniform and garners a lot of attention at the games. Here he is presenting her with a flower~Here is the half-time show.This is blurry, but Jake ran up and busted up a duet that was going on and stole a solo. Several of the seniors did fun things like a black flip and silly dancing.Sideline fun!Tonight is the homecoming dance, so I will have photos to share tomorrow.

Blog Action Day: Water

Whenever I write about a cause I feel inadequate. I wonder if my blog post, letter of support, commitment to change, donation (time, money, or resources), or passion really even make a difference. I am not sure what impact it has, but I know ignoring an issue has on impact.Today is Blog Action Day and this year's top is water. Did you know more people in the world have cell phones than access to a toilet? This fact really struck me as we just remodeled our bathroom. It costs about $30 to construct a sanitary toilet in impoverished areas. We pay way more than that for our cell phone bill each month! I can't even imagine not having a toilet to use to take care of business. Not only do we have access to a toilet, we have plenty to choose from. And they are constructed to provide privacy. We have public toilets all over the place!! I prefer not to use many public toilets because they are dirty. I think I'll think of these statistics the next time I turn my nose up at a porta potty. Can you imagine how many people in the world who would be THRILLED to have a porta potty? You can read more water related facts at Water.org. You can even make a donation, like I just did! A $25 donation will provide water for life for one person!

Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

Wordless Wednesday: Sousaphone Son

Not exactly Meal Monday...but it's a recipe!

Now that we have a fully functioning kitchen I need to get back to posting recipes. I don't have a main dish for you today, but I do have a yummy fall snack. Similar to a Halloween candy bark I posted last year, but this is even easier.

Candy Peanut Bark

Candy Corn (I used 2 small bags)
Peanuts (I used a jar of lightly salted dry roated)
Chocolate Chips

Put wax paper down on a cookie sheet. Spread out candy corn & peanuts over the wax paper. Melt the choc chips in a micro safe bowl on high for 90 seconds. Stir. Cook on high for 30 second increments until melted. Spread the choc out over the candy & peanuts. Chill in the fridge for an hour or so. Break apart and store in airtight bag or container. EAT!I did have a little bit, which is not on the lo-carb diet but I had to make sure it was good. LOL! I made it to give to a friend. If I keep it around here, I will binge!

We have a functioning kitchen!!!

Reality Wrap

I am thinking I won't be consistent on my reality wrap this fall season, but it's time for an update now.

First off, The Biggest Loser is a snooze fest. I just cannot get into it. Not sure if it's because they have a ton of contestants and you can't keep them all straight or just the different style. I've given up on this season after about 27 minutes of viewing.

Survivor~ I was sad to see Coach Jimmy leave last week. I know he wasn't a physically strong player but he could sure motivate people. He did seem to fold during tribal, so I think he knew he was leaving. And Jimmy T was so over the top delusional this week. Marty (who I am caring for less and less each week) was right when he said that Jimmy T just likes to hear himself talk. He kept running at the mouth about how valuable he is and how he can lead the tribe. It's just lip service because he didn't do a thing. Danny isn't an asset for the team at all! Have you noticed that some people the last few seasons have been able to sit out back to back challenges? What happened to that rule? Marty is all smug about how things are going and feeling comfortable...and they are mixing it up next week! NICE! I love to see the swap happen so early in the game. Sound make things interesting!!! I wonder how the Brenda alliance will get split. There will be LOTS to talk about next week.

Amazing Race~ After 17 seasons I am still a HUGE fan! Tony & Ron really surprised me by their fast stop the first week, but they crumbled once they hit the UK. I had picked them as first to be eliminated, but I was still surprised! I thought it was so funny how Chad & Stephanie couldn't do the turtle shell boats and then they ran all over looking for the pit stop. Nick & Vicki are sure the dullest tools in the shed! They are bottom feeders and I expect them to be eliminated next. I found Andie & Jenna's story very interesting. Maybe because I am an adoptive mother or maybe because these type of stories always intrigue me. I can't remember what they said at the end of the episode, but I was crying. Not that they were gone because they too were bottom feeders, but their story was touching. I watched the Elimination Station video online and when they showed up in Mexico they sat down with Tony & Ron ask as what they thought their relationship with. The guys said mother & daughter and were blown away when they revealed that they were birthmother & daughter AND that they had just met before the race. I am glad they had that time to spend together.

We've been watching Amazing Race: China Rush on ICS online. (Shanghai English channel) and Amazing Race Asia 4 on You Tube. We just can't get enough AR!!! We were watching episode 3 of ARA4 this morning and I couldn't believe they were having them sell stuff in the streets again...and then I realized I was mixing it up with AR17. LOL!

Have a great weekend! Ours is busy, but not as busy as last weekend!!

Parenting isn't for whimps!

Not sure who coined that phrase, but it's kind of silly if you think about it. Does anyone say, "I'm too whimpy to have kids?" or "I'm whimping out on this parenting gig it's just too much!" At times parenting is just tough and you don't have a choice to change things.

I've had a few parenting challenges this week. Nothing that makes me want to bow out or be angry with anyone...just regular old stuff that everyone faces. On Monday I had one having a HUGE 90 min melt-down, another with a little tummy flu, and an email from the other's teacher about his lack of effort in that class. Within a few hours we had a happy one, a well one, and another who was open to a talk about the future, but there were moments that I just wanted to jump in the car and go over-indulge in something YUMMY and full of carbs! I've been disappointed today because the teen is scheduled to work tonight and he can't find someone to cover his shift. That means he will miss marching band. I know he loves band, but I seem to have the most disappointment over it. He did just text me about an hour ago to say that he got the job internship he wanted via school...which I am sure trumps anything else he might have been feeling. I was thinking that having to miss the game and work would be a good lesson in life not always turning out how you want it...but dream internship squashed that lesson. I just hope he doesn't get scheduled for next weekend because it's homecoming and Senior night. All seniors are honored are introduced with their parents. The teen loves marching band but I have this fear that this might be the end of his marching career. Why as parents do we want to protect our children so much from disappointments? Have you experienced the same or am I over reacting? And why am I such an emotional eater????

Wordless Wednesday: Hey! Moo!

Happy Blogiversary

I started this blog 2 years ago today. At the time I had a blog for my daughter and my business and a few other things, but not one for myself. I think I just thought it would be fun to have my own where I can write about whatever and totally bore people. Hence the name~ Diana Rambles. I think it's fitting because I never really post about anything that is actually significant in life. Maybe it is in my life, but my life is pretty boring. OK...it's not that bad and I am happy with it, but I wonder who might find it interesting. LOL! I feel like I spend much of my time apologizing for not posting, so do I actually have 677 posts? It's probably more like 100 posts with any substance and 577 posts of fluff! Anyway, for those of you who actually read most of my posts THANK YOU! For those of you who read ANY of my posts THANK YOU! And for anyone who ever visits THANK YOU! Of course, only a few of the people in these categories will even read this. LOL!

TIRED!

I am finally resting after a VERY busy weekend. My feet are aching by how much I've been on my feet. I never got my reality wrap up before Amazing Race aired tonight. I'm just too wiped out overall to post! Hopefully I'll get a good night's sleep, get the emails I've neglected the past 3 days answered, and back to blogging within a few days!

October?

How is it October already? I guess when you are busy that time FLIES! September had a lot on the calendar, but I think there is more for October~ at least weekends! The youth group at our church runs a concession stand at a local college football stadium and I am in charge of this fundraiser. We have 3 games this month, with the biggest one of the season being tomorrow. It's not hard work, but it's SUPER busy and a long day standing on cement. Sunday I am taking the kiddos to the pumpkin patch with friends. The forecast is wonderful (although we have some nights in the upper 30s...burr!) so it will be a nice day to go.

We should have a fully functioning kitchen sometime this weekend. Our counter tops arrived at Menards yesterday. DH picked them up and he and my BIL got some of the prep work done last night. They've got some shimming and gluing to do and of course the plumbing. It is going to be SOOO nice to have a sink and running water in the kitchen. My people are getting TIRED of microwave meals and paper plates. We still have little things to do to finish off the kitchen (trim, light fixture, order stained glass for the window!), but a good portion of it will be done. We have decided to replace the laminate in the living room with hardwood. We just need to find some hardwood we like and try to carve out time to do it. Our house is going to be so awesome when everything is done. Now if I could just find some artwork I like!!!

My blog anniversary is in 4 days...I'll probably forget, but it's really not that big of a deal. Even though I am inconsistent and don't really blog about anything significant (at times) I like having my own blog.

Have a great weekend and don't forget about the Scentsy giveaway in the previous post. I will try to post my reality wrap before Amazing Race airs on Sunday night!