Remembering

I waited today to get an estimate to have the air ducts cleaned at my parents' house.  While doing so, I remembered

The exact spot where I set up my first cell phone

The very place where Julia (maybe four years old) hugged her Christmas present after telling us she would.  Also, the place where she put on that fancy beret, her last Christmas gift from Mom.

The copier where I left Zach's passport the night before we flew out to meet Julia - thankfully, I caught my mistake in time for Mom to deliver it to the airport.

the place where we enjoyed burgers and warned the kids not to touch the grill

The crash pad during the ice storm of 2009 when we had no power at our own house...one of a few times we had to crash there including a couple of days this year.

My mom's recliner was right against that window on the left, and around that corner, Tiffany curled and twirled Savannah's hair for school events.  This was the big room where we had a Wii party one holiday weekend.  

In the pantry you could find peanut butter crackers and paper plates - always!

Of course this doesn't look like it did.  The floors are different and the walls a new color, but the bones didn't change.  

If the walls could talk...there would be stories I wouldn't want them to tell and stories of lots of laughs and fun and love.  

Birthday Girl

When you were barely a year old, your orphanage director called you impressive.  You are indeed impressive and so much fun.  Thanks for the laughs. Happy Birthday!

I am still working and am overwhelmed with responsibilities outside of work right now.  Julia has a new dress, and Savannah was home, so I asked them to take some photos.  I can't share the photos they took.  They don't know their way around a camera.  Nothing bad, just not flattering. How you can make two beautiful girls look unflattering is beyond me, but they did it.  

I did, however, love the selfies, so I am sharing those.

Our celebration was simple--Salsaritas and frozen cheesecake.  Zach had to go to work early, so he missed it.  We plan to get extended family together on Friday to have some fun together.

This is probably amusing me more than it should

Earlier this week Andy made margarita chicken.  Shiloh helped herself to the marinade.  That marinade contained tequila, of course.  I had been working on my parents' house and came home to a happy dog.  Andy was concerned about how the night would go especially since tequila makes people mean.  Apparently it just makes mean dogs goofy.  This was an accidental ingestion of alcohol, and while it is tempting to keep this dog so relaxed and nicer than usual, we won't be doing that.  So no need to call PETA.

the happy drunk

I found some messes the next morning and thought Shiloh had been throwing up, but after Andy inspected it, he felt that it was just the marinade that she spilled from the bag.  There was a substantial spot on her bed, and I did not want to put that in my washer, so I decided it was time for a new bed.  When I was considering washing the bed, I started removing the cover from Jules' bed to wash it too and discovered that the inside was in no shape for a washing, so I was then in the market for two dog beds.  Hello, Ross.  I might add that Jules was giving me a "what do you think you are doing?" look when I was taking her bed apart.  Little did she know that it was headed to the dumpster the next day.

Mission accomplished: I found affordable beds at Ross, and two dog beds left the house just in time for trash pick up.  The dogs were a little perplexed at first and had not touched the beds when we retired for the evening, but I found that they figured it out sometime during the night.  Shiloh was snoozing in her bed when I awoke the next morning.  She's not a morning dog, and I mean that.  We let her just stay in that snooze mode until she is ready to move - ah, a dog's life.   Jules greeted me per usual - anxious to go out but climbed right back into her bed after going out.

So this is pretty much how I left them when I went to work.

bed head

a picture that actually makes Jules look cute

So apparently, sibling rivalry got the better of Shiloh, or maybe the grass just looked greener on the other side because...

this is how Andy left them when he headed out for work on the very same day.

And this afternoon, I came home to this.  This dog is not right, but I am really getting a kick out of the whole thing.  Of course Jules is not complaining about curling up in a bigger bed.  

I'm Back!

We've spent our spring following Julia as she has played soccer for two teams.  She's learned lots and always takes the field grinning.  I really, really miss being a swim mom, but we've travelled out of town to some fun and/or beautiful places.  I drove Julia and one of her friends home one evening through rolling hills and beautiful farmland under one of the most breath-taking sunsets I've ever seen.  I had four girls in my van on the way to that game, and we had such fun. 

The season ends in two days, but I don't really get a break.  Julia will be back at it mid-July.

He's legal - sort of, almost, maybe

Wyatt passed his driver's permit test today.  He did this after completing the last two finals of his sophomore year.  We don't actually have verification of his legal ability to take the wheel of a car because we could not prove his citizenship.  Wyatt's Certificate of Citizenship is with the Department of State where we are almost four weeks into awaiting a passport card for him.  I have been remiss in this process as we should have pursued a passport for him years ago instead of relying on a certificate that cannot be replaced.  I learned the hard way when we went to apply for his passport that waiting until any child is sixteen to get a passport complicates thing.  They are not quite adults but are able to get adult passports, so the paperwork is a little more cumbersome than if they were younger or if they were older.  Add a foreign birth and an adoption into the mix and it really gets messy.  So needless to say, we have an appointment on Friday to get Julia a new passport.  She has an old one and is not sixteen so this should be easier for us, and we will have less trouble next year when she applies for a driver's permit.

All this research started as I was looking into the Real ID process for my state. In my state the Real ID process for domestic flights has been pushed back again even though our DMV site says it rolled out in March. The reality is that it has been postponed for the umpteenth time to the end of summer.  Savannah's license expired, and she did not get a real ID.  Mine will likely expire before the real ID rolls out, so I am replacing my expired passport with a passport card.  It's a cheaper option that allows me to fly domestically with an easy to carry ID, and I can consider the real ID license option in four years when my license expires again.  I can also still renew my passport to get a book by mail if Andy and I should actually get to take our dream trip to Italy or my dream to return to China with the kids for a heritage tour should be realized.  Neither is on the radar as tuition is sinking us for now.

Wyatt and I had a little celebration since he passed the permit test.  I've been wanting to try a shaved ice place near our home for years.  It did not disappoint.  We will have to pay another visit to this little shack that is not exactly easy to get to.  The Pina Colada flavor is so much better than the actual drink.  Funny story: this is how I learned that Wyatt thought all Pina Colada drinks had alcohol. He was cautious when I took a picture of our snowballs side by side.  He didn't want them to mix since he's under-age.  

Hoping and hoping that next week is the week that Wyatt can actually get his permit.  Our options were to find a certified Chinese translator to translate his original adoption decree or wait out the passport.  We've already had a big delay because I could not find his social security card,  and Wyatt is not concerned about the wait since he does not have to take the test again.  We are awaiting the passport- a bit impatiently (at least I am).

June 17, 2019 Update

We finally have the physical proof that Wyatt can legally drive!!!  WhooHoo!

Birthday Girl!

Yesterday, we headed to Savannah's college town to treat her to breakfast.  Between our weekend plans and her weekend plans, it was the only time we could celebrate her 21st birthday.  

At 21 Savannah is just weeks away from finishing her junior year of college.  She's on track to finish an architecture degree in a year.  Savannah loves the color yellow and being a little different from everyone else.  She works really hard at school and is in the top 20% of her class.  Her birthday weekend included participating in a fashion show for a medical fraternity  She's a pancreas and a liver (I think?).  I hope she sends pictures :) 

Savannah's birthday week did not get off to a great start.  Her laptop had been in for repair for 11 days, and she was notified that it was not worth fixing.  After trying to work through her classwork on slow computers in the labs and facing final reviews, it became an emergency to replace the laptop.  Andy drove up to meet her on Monday to address that situation.  UGH!  Fortunately, she did her homework before he arrived and found an option that met the necessary specs on clearance.  For the record a laptop on clearance is still pricey.  

Savannah is living with three roommates in an apartment.  I do believe that she has permanently moved out of our home.  The program she hopes to complete for grad school is out of state, so we will see how that works out.

All the kids came to celebrate their sister.

Savannah is legal now and started the day with a mimosa and was not even carded - LOL

Andy rocked new Elton John style sunglasses, and the kids loved them.  You never know what fashion statement Andy is going to make.

Zach and Julia had to try on the sunglasses.  They both looked really good in them.

Our time with Savannah was short as Andy had to play drums for a very special celebration and needed to get there for the run-through.  We were running late to get him there when we were rear-ended on our way out of town.  The other driver took off, but we got his plate number.  It's just a fender-bender, and after the last several weeks that have included the overwhelming situation at my parents' house, an expensive unexpected car repair, replacing a laptop, and a really discouraging work situation, we just kind of shrugged our shoulders and said, "this is no big deal."  If the vehicle were newer, I probably would not have felt that way, but I am just hoping to eek two years out of it, so there's that.

We made it back to our home town and celebrated a very special five-year-old.  Lizzy is small but fierce, and she has the most awesome parents who have walked her through an 18 month cancer journey.  We raised a hallelujah to a great God who has carried them through.  Lizzy's mom thought of everything planning the party - a time of worship with a band, a bouncy house for the kids, balloon animals, a chocolate fountain (Lizzy's only request), snow cones, cotton candy, and treat bags.  It was a grateful celebration with people who love this family so much.

So it was an eventful day for the Pages on the day Savannah turned 21, but it was a day worthy of celebration.  We always have perspective on this date as Savannah's paternal grandfather died in an accident on her fourth birthday.  That was a repeat of history as my paternal grandfather died suddenly on my 11th birthday. Savannah's life is very much worth celebrating, and it was an honor and bonus to celebrate another amazing girl on this day.  If we are friends on Facebook, don't miss my link to Lizzy's story.  It is truly worth the read.

Burning the Candle at Both Ends

It's been a little rough here, so I haven't posted because breathing is more important at the moment.


Remember my last post where I talked about the contractor who left some damage at Dad's house?  This is our situation:

There is stain everywhere - on newly painted walls, trim, fireplace surround (that makes me the maddest), outdoors on the covered porch entrance, on floor transitions etc.

He got fired, and someone else was hired to do the job, and the floors are now beautiful.  We have been over there working to get the house on the market.  That original contractor has set us back more than four months, and the work is overwhelming.

The week prior to spring break, I either worked at the house or had something else on my plate every night.  Keep in mind that I get up at 5:30a.m. for work.  I left that house twice in tears because I was so overwhelmed which is not like me.  I was so tired that I made some pretty big mistakes at work.

Plan A for spring break was to spend 10 hour days at the house.  I started Friday night by buying lots of paint and supplies and taking it over there and prepping walls.  I couldn't spend much time there on Saturday or Sunday because of other obligations, but I did spend a few hours there each day and then spent 8 hours there on Tuesday.  When I left that Tuesday, I had painted three closets and some trim.  I decided I would not return for at least a week.  That was almost two weeks ago, and I have yet to go back.

It is frustrating because what we thought was almost finished is not.  The trim had not been painted, and that's a big job.  The rooms that were painted need to be repainted because of the contractor, and the realtor pushed for a different color, so now even the rooms that were okay need to be repainted.  We find additional damage that has to be fixed every time we are there.  For example, the blinds have stain on them, so they have to be taken down and scrubbed.  Tessa has been working through that back-aching process.  The banister had to have all new balusters because they were popped into place by the original contractor without being set.  The second contractor just left them out.   Then we learned that the holes were drilled incorrectly into the banister, and now a brand new banister may have to be replaced.


Every time the realtor walks in the house, she gives me another to-do list - most of which would not be a big deal if we weren't having to repaint the house.  The probate expires on April 30th, so I will have to make yet another trip to the courthouse to extend it.  If it wouldn't mean going through the process and paying fees again to name another executor/executrix, I would hand this over to someone else.

I am still trying to decide if I need to take a personal day and just put in a full day of work at the house since it is so difficult to get this done on weeknights and weekends with everyone working various schedules.  My goal is to paint the pantry and the two remaining interior doors that I have not gotten to.  I am hoping one of my siblings will be able to finish the trim. We know we have to hire a painter, but painting the trim is more than half the cost of paying a professional.

Now that the weather has turned, we have to add keeping up with the yard to the list of things to do.

It is daunting and impacting life on many levels. Yet I still go to worship where God speaks through ministers who say not to give up and that God sees me.  I think my two week break is enough to get me back in action, but I have a busy week ahead and a really busy Easter weekend.

stain on walls

odd, uneven, looks like spilled stain on floors, glaringly obvious - this was before another contractor fixed the damage

stain on walls

What?!

new quarter-round that was not stained to match the floor as contracted and did not go to the end of the wall

stain around banister

This is when I went to paint interior doors after the  floors were fixed.

Polyurethane on new kitchen floor 

A good thing - view of the gazebo that Mom really wanted.  I wish we had used it more.  It's perfect right now, but the house backs up to a farm, and the gazebo is harder to enjoy during fly season.  The deck and gazebo stain is the handiwork of my brother.

a treasure-one of Dad's bibles - He color-coded his underlining which was done free-hand - He probably did 20 bibles like this -start to finish.