The Blog People
Saturday night we had the pleasure of meeting up with some folks I've gotten to know through blogging...Amy and her Chinese daughter Ruby, Donna/Sparky & Bob, Carrie & David, Debra & Simon (who just received their referral for daughter Lulu) and our gracious hosts Richard & Kikalee. We celebrated the Year of the Dog with some great food.
Ruby was very adorable, but also very tired, so we didn't get to oogle her quite as much as we would have otherwise. We did get to see the very cute referral pictures of Lulu, who will hopefully be home in March.
Here are some pictures from the evening:
Rich and Kikalee - our wonderful hosts, waiting for their little one:
Donna/Sparky and Bob (waiting for Grace):
I thought Bob was very cute. He said he "won the lottery" with having Donna as his wife to a crowded room of people he barely knows! I told Tim to write that line down and use it often.
Carrie and David (waiting for Annika):
And us:
I hadn't met any of these folks face to face before, except for Kikalee and Rich.
It's pretty amazing. When we first got invited to this potluck, Tim agreed happily.
Then the other night I hear him telling his parents on the phone that we will be traveling with these people. I shake my head. He gets off the phone. The conversation went something like this:
Tim: Who are these people then?
Me: People I've met on email groups or through blogging.
Tim: Do I know any of these people?
Me: You met Kikalee and Rich at the workshop, remember?
Tim: Who?
Me: The guy was tall with red hair, he likes fencing...they were sitting all the way across the table from us.
Tim: Uh, OK, maybe.
Tim: Uh, why are we meeting these people then?
Me: To be SOCIAL.
In the end, I would say he had a fine time! He didn't even flinch when I told him that we would host one of these potlucks in a few months.
With the adoption blog/group people I've gotten to "know", I sometimes feel like I am a member of some bizarre cult. I normally do not spend a lot of time online...in fact, I have been known to make fun of people who do. But I do think both this blog and reading some of the information on the adoption groups has saved me from insanity...or at least reassured me that there are plenty of other insane ones like me out there.
Deborah mentioned that she hadn't yet started a blog because she wasn't sure who she would be writing for. I think that's an interesting point. When I first started this blog, it was a way for me to let our distant family and friends know what was going on with the adoption process. But, as it turns out, those are not my main readers. My main readers are other adoptive families. Is the blog for Isabella? Not really. I have some thoughts for Isabella, but those are more personal, and will go in a separate, hand-written journal. In the end, the blog has been for me. Yes, it's all about me. It's been a place to document, a place to share, a place to connect. And that seems like reason enough to stick with it.
Ruby was very adorable, but also very tired, so we didn't get to oogle her quite as much as we would have otherwise. We did get to see the very cute referral pictures of Lulu, who will hopefully be home in March.
Here are some pictures from the evening:
Rich and Kikalee - our wonderful hosts, waiting for their little one:
Donna/Sparky and Bob (waiting for Grace):
I thought Bob was very cute. He said he "won the lottery" with having Donna as his wife to a crowded room of people he barely knows! I told Tim to write that line down and use it often.
Carrie and David (waiting for Annika):
And us:
I hadn't met any of these folks face to face before, except for Kikalee and Rich.
It's pretty amazing. When we first got invited to this potluck, Tim agreed happily.
Then the other night I hear him telling his parents on the phone that we will be traveling with these people. I shake my head. He gets off the phone. The conversation went something like this:
Tim: Who are these people then?
Me: People I've met on email groups or through blogging.
Tim: Do I know any of these people?
Me: You met Kikalee and Rich at the workshop, remember?
Tim: Who?
Me: The guy was tall with red hair, he likes fencing...they were sitting all the way across the table from us.
Tim: Uh, OK, maybe.
Tim: Uh, why are we meeting these people then?
Me: To be SOCIAL.
In the end, I would say he had a fine time! He didn't even flinch when I told him that we would host one of these potlucks in a few months.
With the adoption blog/group people I've gotten to "know", I sometimes feel like I am a member of some bizarre cult. I normally do not spend a lot of time online...in fact, I have been known to make fun of people who do. But I do think both this blog and reading some of the information on the adoption groups has saved me from insanity...or at least reassured me that there are plenty of other insane ones like me out there.
Deborah mentioned that she hadn't yet started a blog because she wasn't sure who she would be writing for. I think that's an interesting point. When I first started this blog, it was a way for me to let our distant family and friends know what was going on with the adoption process. But, as it turns out, those are not my main readers. My main readers are other adoptive families. Is the blog for Isabella? Not really. I have some thoughts for Isabella, but those are more personal, and will go in a separate, hand-written journal. In the end, the blog has been for me. Yes, it's all about me. It's been a place to document, a place to share, a place to connect. And that seems like reason enough to stick with it.
posted by Redheaded Chick at 9:16 PM
5 Comments:
And thank you for sharing!
I'm so glad to have met you both! I truly wish that you all could've enjoyed Ruby's company a little longer than had turned out... she was just very overwhelmed with it all. I would love to give it a try again, perhaps at the next one she'll be in more sociable spirits. *fingers crossed*
And, please don't take this the wrong way but, I'd really appreciate it if you could just call Ruby my daughter. Yes, she was born in China but I don't refer to her as my Chinese daughter, she's just simply my daughter... and a beautiful one at that.
It was wonderful meeting everyone & next time we all get together perhaps I could bring something more than just 'cookies' this time. =)
I wanted to respond to Amy's comment above regarding referring to her daughter as "her Chinese daughter". I think I was simply trying to point out to readers that meeting Ruby was extra special for those of us that are waiting...because seeing Ruby reminds us that this miracle really does happen. Perhaps I could have found a better way to do that. I meant no offense to Ruby or her mother.
I know you didn't mean to offend, you didn't offend me, I guess I'm just particular about how people address Ruby and Me. I just prefer to call her my Daughter Ruby because, as you'll find out in due time, people say some of the silliest things to an american parent with an asian child, not that what you said was silly because I understood the context of how you said it, but I thought that I could let you know. I've heard things such as: "how much did she cost/how much did you pay for her?", "Where's her 'real' mom?", "Does she speak chinese?", "What's her real name? -after having told someone her name was Ruby-, "Does she have your last name or her parents last name?" to which I replied " I am her parent and yes she has MY last name..."
I guess it's just an automatic response to be quick to correct now that I've been hearing this stuff for two straight months now from total strangers while shopping in target or the grocery store etc...
I think you and your husband are both ADORABLE and please don't misunderstand my correction... trust me, someday you'll totally get why I said it & why it came so quickly. LOL
Thanks for understanding.
Oh, your gathering looks like it was so much fun. I love and cherish the friendships that I have made through blogging, those that I have met face to face and those whom I still have to meet. Sometimes when I am down with the process, I can read what others are doing or struggling with and it helps me. The really cool part about doing it online is that I don't have to shower or even make myself pretty to get some really awesome advice and support.
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