What a day!

And I don't mean in a good way.  Stressful and tiring.  First of all, I have a sore on my mouth from all the stress of the cost of the vehicles last week.  Makes eating really painful and just moving my mouth painful.  Then, I go to UPS to pick up the triangular colored pencils I bought Jaemin, for Korea, and they shipped them back to the store.  UGH!  Walmart, was, well......Walmart.  Enough said.  I went to get gas and wasn't sure what side the tank was on for Cole's car......and I got it wrong.  Got home and decided I was never going to have time to cut the boys' hair before vacation and it was getting LONG!  So, I started with Cole, then Chase, then thought what the heck I may as well get Jaemin's hair cut.  Thank God he's a sensory seeker and LOVES getting his hair cut with the trimmers.  He's a really great customer that Jaemin.  Then, Kaelin decided it was her turn.  She just couldn't stand it anymore, so it's short now.  Still had to eat and clean up and go through all the school supplies they sent home today.  The septic guy decided he was going to work on our lines this week, the roofer decided he was going to roof this weekend, which means I had to call the gutter guy to let him know it will be his turn.  Then, next week we have to get our screens out and rescreened.  Our home repair will be all done after that and I will breath.  Then, we go on VACATION!  I'll be needing it, by the way.

Oh...and one funny thing for the night.  Got our phone bill to top it off...it was $10 higher.  I called to find out why and they inform me there was a late charge on it.  UUUhhhhh....we have auto pay.  they put it on our credit card automatically every month....ummm...so we can't be late.  She explains there must have been a glitch.  You think so?  I did ask her to put a note on our account about what happened so they'd believe me if it ever happened again.  I never thought I'd get a late charge for that.

Our trip to Korea

Yeah, so it's 3 or 4 years away.  It will take a ton of planning to afford and get 7 people to Korea and meet 3 different foster mothers at 3 different agencies scattered throughout Seoul.

We have the account set up.  We got some money from Dell for a PC we had several years ago that went bad.  Then, today I sent our Discovercard rewards to that account.  We now have a whopping $350 for Korea.  Doesn't sound like much, but hopefully we'll get there.

I'm figuring we'll need around $13,000 for us to go.  I'm estimating; $300 for cabs, subway and incidentals fees, $2100 for hotel ($300/night for two rooms for 7 nights will hopefully squeeze all seven of us in), $8,750 for airfare ($1250 each if we're lucky!), $300 for food (this is one of the cheapest things we did travelling), $500 for shopping (new hanboks and all the other things from Korea we'll want to bring back) and last and very least is about $90 or so for parking while we're gone.  This only comes to $12,000 or a little over, but I'm sure we're not going to get airfare for that price in 3-4 years.

So, let's say we now have our food money!  :)

Just $12,650 to go and we'll get to go to Korea with the kids!   Please pray for the rest to come.

Lisa

Recycling for Korea *trip*

So, we've decided we really need to go to Korea as a family.  The girls and I think the boys and their dad need to experience what we experienced and profoundly loved in Seoul.  And we'd like the chance to explore Korea more and really would like to take all three kids to their birth cities, Gwangju and Cheju.  This will be fairly expensive since Cheju is an island and will require all day with a one night stay and a plane ride.

I talked to an adult adoptee and she suggested getting the kids involved in saving for the trip, since it's going to be a massive savings to fly 7 people from the midwest to Incheon.  Best case is about $1,000/ticket.  That might be difficult.  Anyways, she suggested having the kids recycle cans.  Since we rarely drink out of cans ourselves, we'd like to collect other people's cans.  So, if you have can, know us, and would like us to come pick them up when you have a bag or a bucket full (smashed or not), we'll take them.  The kids can smash them and then Brian will bring them in and we'll put the money in our Korea account.

The girls are already planning what they want to see and do this time and I'm just as bad as they are.  I pray we can really go.  I fully loved our short visit to Korea, but since we were bringing our son home we were limited to how much we could really do.  We had to stay rested for the long trip home with a new baby.

We hope to go to the Korean Folk Village in Suwon again.  We hope to take day trips to Cheju and Gwangju.  We will definitely set up visits to all 3 foster mothers again and visit the babies homes.  I'd like to visit the maternity homes if we can as well.  That may be something for the girls and I.  We'd like to go to Itaewon and Namdaemun for shopping this time.  I'd like to see some of the other palaces and maybe the Blue House.  If we could afford one of the shows, that would be awesome.  We have a lot of hopes and dreams for this trip and who knows if we'll even be able to save enough to go, but we're trying.  The kids' passports expire in just under 5 years, so we have to be done saving by then.  That will be right before Cole graduates and probably the best time for our last, big, family vacation.  And little man will be at least 4 or 5 by then and able to tolerate the trip.

If you don't know what to get us for Christmas, etc....money for the trip or airline miles would be awesome! ;)

I absolutely cannot wait!

Lisa

Sad Day for Shaohannah’s Hope

I was sad to read, after returning from vacation, that Steven Curtis Chapman's youngest daughter was killed.  The organization they set up has been so wonderful and giving to our family and many, many others.  I pray for this family while they grieve and hope they can get through this.

If you would like to donate (tax deductible) to this wonderful organization in memory of their sweet daughter, you can do so here:  https://secure2.convio.net/ccsh/site/Donation2?idb=24118316&df_id=1560&1560.donation=form1&JServSessionIdr007=me33f20jq3.app8b

Lisa

Update on Donations for American Heart Association Heart Walk

Donate Here

We're at $60 with offline and online donations and have until July.  Please keep donating.  Cole really wants to hit at least $700 this year.

Thanks!!!

American Heart Association Heartwalk 2007 - Please Donate!!

Donate Here

It's the time of year when we call on our friends and family to support us as we walk for a near and dear cause.  You can read Cole's story here.

Please help support something he's so proud to participate in as a 10 year old.

Lisa