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"Hope is the thing with
feathers—
That perches in the soul—
And sings the tune without the words—
And never stops at all—"
Emily Dickinson |
YAHOO!!!!
On August 31st, we woke up to the news that we had FINALLY made
it successfully through China’s Review Room!!! We still have a
long road ahead of us, but there was a great sense of relief
knowing that we had made it over this monumental hurdle. We
calculated that it took us 214 days to get into the Review Room
and 72 days to get back out!
We have been incredibly busy since our last posting as we are
adding an addition to the front of our house. This will enlarge
both bedrooms and make a beautiful space for our daughter! We’re
still working and will post the pictures in our next update.
Last year, we built a garage next to the house, which has freed
up space in the house. We have been diligently working on
converting the old, attached garage into a playroom! Thanks to
everyone who has helped to make this a possibility…
Initially, we
had to remove the electric garage door opener and door. It was
quite a chilly Saturday when we completed this task! By that
afternoon, we had the opening sheathed, house-wrapped, sided and
with window! By the way, I use the term “we” loosely throughout.
I must admit, Dave and my dad did a majority of the work, but my
mom and I were there supporting them with coffee and cocoa
throughout the day!
Over a majority of the next few weekends, family and friends
began to tackle the inside. AHHHH! We stripped all of the
existing insulation and sheetrock, ran new electrical wires,
leveled the old floor over the drain, removed the exterior door,
and added a closet door.
Once that was finished, we put up the new sheetrock, added some
lovely acoustical tiles, bright recessed lighting, and finally
painted with two cheery colors called Serene Sea and Spring
Grass .Weekend Warriors Rule! I think that our daughter will
need a toolbox before anything else. Finally, we had the carpet
installed (via phone call from beach to sister-in-law who let
installers into the house while we visited in-laws…we hope this
is our last vacation without our daughter!)
Now we are beginning to add the details such as making a message
board and curtains. Well, my mom actually made the curtains, and
they are quite cute! We have wall art that hung in my playroom
as a child…those cute pieces will be added soon. We still have
work to do, but it keeps us busy and helps to make the wait more
bearable.
We are also starting to gather items for her playroom…just a
few:) You can see the many thoughtful gifts that we have received
from family and friends. Dave picked out the adorable white
cottage bookcase, which will eventually go into her bedroom. The
play yard will most likely be next to our bed, although she will
probably be IN our bed! No “Ferberizing” in this house! We
started working on her bedroom…it looks worse than the playroom
did…but that’s another Weekend Warrior Update…check back soon!
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