Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Why I Named my Blog "Fireflies and Crickets"


When I think of whimsical, wonderful, happy things I think of fireflies and crickets. I wanted my new blog to be just that...whimsical, wonderful, and full of happy things. I wanted it to be somewhere you could go to get a smile on your face.

What do fireflies and crickets have to do with the whimsical? Well, a while back I had the opportunity to go to visit my brother Duke who lives in Ottawa, Illinois. The most memorable part of this trip was experiencing fireflies for the first time in my life as an adult. You see, we don't have fireflies in California., where I was born and raised. When the sun set in Illinois, I was simply bedazzled by how the tiny little critters glowed off and on and flew around ever so slowly. They hovered just about 5 feet from the dewy grass which made catching them quite easy and loads of fun! My sister Sog and I acted like two little kids as we caught a million (?) little glow bugs in a mason jar. So you see, fireflies remind me of happy, carefree times just like when I was a kid.

Crickets are another story. They are quite the amazing creature who make music each night by rubbing their wings together. Crickets are quite the smart insect who somehow elude humans and seem to hide in just right place in my house so I can't capture them. Beside all of these interesting facts, the Chinese people think they are good luck. Well, my little Sophie is my symbol of good luck, or better yet, she is evidence of God's amazing love for us. Crickets remind me of my beautiful Chinese daughter and the love my Savior has given all of us who believe in Him.

I've Been Tagged




I've been challenged to share 7 random facts about myself, so you must endure yet another 7 interesting facts about me, different that previously posted. Ummmmm, let's see...
1. I love to collect tea cups and have British-style tea parties complete with scones and crumpets.
2. I used to play second base on my Jr. Hi softball team.
3. When I was 4-5 years old, I had a pet snail named Sam whom I fed saltine crackers and then he died.
4. My mom gives me goofy, colorful, holiday socks regularly.
5. I love to go hiking in Wildwood Park, near my house, early in the morning.
6. Jeremy Camp is my absolute favorite Christian singer in the universe! I've seen him in concert 3 times.
7. I'm a beginner when it comes to this blogging thing but I LOVE reading other people's blogs and making new cyberspace friends.




Friday, October 24, 2008

We'll Probably Travel in Early December!


Woohoo! We received our referral approval today from China. That means we'll be traveling in early December! What a wonderful Christmas present from God! I can't believe we are really going. It's been such a looooong wait! If you count the years it took making that final decision to adopt, we've been waiting about 3 1/2 years. We're all so excited here. Frank is thinking about the financial part of the trip but secretly relieved that China approved him even though he thought they would think he was too old (hee, hee). Courtney is worried about taking her finals in college but can't wait to dress her up in all the cute clothes in her closet. Josh is reverting to being a little kid "Just one more time" as he wanted to be pushed in the shopping cart at Trader Joe's but told us that he would stay home to save money (no way is that going to happen!). I am just electronically informing everyone I know about our great news! There is definitely a buzzing excitement in the air at the Gammariello home!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

The Waiting Game

This "Waiting for China to Approve our Paperwork Game" isn't so fun anymore. People have always said that this was the hardest part of the adoption process because you know who your child is, you've seen pictures, you call her by name, you've gotten her room ready, you're half-packed with a zillion over-the-counter medications "just in case", and you just wait and wait and wait. There are good days when you just forget about the wait and dream of what life will be like with a little toddler running around the house and your heart smiles secretly inside. Then there are depressing days when you unsuccessfully wait for that phone call from the agency saying that we have our RA-referral approval. I know it will come in God's perfect time..."but God I thought this would've been the perfect time? :)" Anyway, it all just goes to show that I have no control over any of this, no matter how hard I try. Do we really have control over anything in our lives? I'm humbled by this reality and I guess that is my life lesson along with Prov. 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and he will make your paths straight."

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Frank


Frank, the quiet one, loves watching "Mad Money with Kramer" every night on TV. He follows the stock market, has an interest in real estate, and loves to spoil the dog. On Saturdays he fiddles around with household chores, keeps his garage clean, and catches up on his newspaper reading. You can always find him helping someone out, especially with the little kids at church on Wednesday nights at Break Out. One day he hopes to lose a couple of pounds and gain a little more hair on his head. :)

Courtney


Courtney is a successful college student who loves having the freedom of sleeping in until 10:00 before going to class. Her favorite class is speech (of course). When she's not working at Mrs. Field's (yep, it's been a year since she started), she out with Steven Milbourn. He is a quiet, sweet, Christian musician who enjoys doing crazy, fun things with Courtney and her friends. He's such a good sport. They make a cute couple. We parents approve!
Courtney's interests are all connected to having fun! She enjoys going to concerts, Disneyland, and cyberspace whenever possible. Courtney is active at church where she is a leader for the junior high girls and still loves hanging out with Marty in the college group on Sunday nights. We are sad that we don't get to see her much as she is always out and about with her friends, working, or studying...not!
We are proud of how she is growing up, making good choices, and learning how life works. She is most excited about meeting Sophie in China and can't wait to bring her home.

Josh


Josh is growing up. He is a sophomore at high school. He is taller than Paula and the same size as his sister. He loves to play soccer and text people on this phone. When he's not at school, you can find him playing on his Wii, practicing his soccer moves, studying for Spanish, or at a Boy Scout outing. At school, Josh is one of 40 students selected to be involved with the Entreprenurial Academy where he is learning how to run his own business. One day he hopes to have his own flat-screen TV and be a successful business owner.

Sophie's Website

We still have our adoption website complete with pictures, poems, and a little history on our adoption. Check it out and post a comment! www.ourjourneytosophie.com

We've Joined the Blogger World!

It's official. The Gammariello Family has joined the world of bloggers by establishing our very own blogspot. We'll post the latest happs in our little world. Our intention is to use this blog for our traveling journal when we go to China. It should be an easy way to keep you updated with all the ins and outs of going 1/2 way around the world with 2 bio teenagers as we adopt a little one year old baby. We are anxiously awaiting our referral approval from China which is our biggest next step in the process. It could be anyday now...hopefully sometime in the next two weeks. By the looks of it (really just a guess) we may be traveling in November or December. It all depends on China. Pray for us that we survive this long wait with a smile on our faces!