10 Memorable Vacation Moments

From Ten on Tuesday, in no order other than what jumps to mind first:

1. Visiting England with my family when I was 14. I stayed at the Olave House one of the four world centers for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. That was exciting but I it led to a much more exciting opportunity. Long story short, because I was at the Headquarters for the UK Girl Guides in my US uniform I was asked to be an honor guard for HRH Princess Margaret ( younger sister of the queen) I also met Lady Baden- Powell who founded Girl Guides with her husband. My picture was on the front page of the newspaper that went to all guides and the Leader magazine. It was an AWESOME experience.

2. Driving from Denver to LA in my 1975 orange Dodge Colt with 2 friends from graduate school. It was the first time I had gone on vacation with my family. We had a blast. One of the girls was friends with the son of Robin William's manager. We stayed at his house free for a few days. It was so cool.

3. Seeing the apartheid of South Africa first hand. I remember so vividly walking through the streets of Sweato (the black neighborhood) and seeing the poverty and knowing those people had no chance. I almost felt guilty returning to our beautiful "whites only" hotel. This was made even more memorable when the riots that really marked the beginning of the South African civil rights movement broke out a few months later. Watching the destruction on TV of these riots not long after I had walked those streets was something I will never forget.

4. Walking the Great Wall of China.... need I say more ?

5. Visiting the Berlin Wall 6 months after it came down. I stood there and remembered what it had been like when I visited Berlin years before when it was still divided. It was so awesome to take a hammer and chisel and chip off my very own piece of the wall. I love watching freedom spread :)

6. The beauty of Budapest. I have never seen a city more beautiful than this one. The food was excellent, the people nice . Everything was amazing. I want to go back.

7. Being caught in the worst blizzard in 28 years in Queensland, New Zealand on JULY 3. They had something like 28 inches of snow. I ended up buying some unusual souvenirs lambs' wool lined boots and gloves. They were great when I lived in Colorado. I love New Zealand. If I had to live anywhere other than the US it would be NZ.

8. Disney Cruise with my grandmother, parents and daughter. We sailed on July 4 and 2 days later my Grandmother turned 90. It was the last vacation all of us took together. We all had a great time. The cruise director wished her a happy birthday from Mickey during the show that night. She was impressed we were 4 generations traveling together.

9. Staying at TreeTops hotel near Nairobi Kenya. This is a hotel built in a huge tree. visitors have to climb up a ladder to get there and then the ladder is brought up and you are stuck until the next morning. There is a huge deck all the way around . It overlooks a watering hole that attracts all kinds of wildlife. During the night a buzzer goes off in each guest room when new animals are spotted in the area. It is not a fancy hotel but it is so cool. Queen Elizabeth II was staying in the hotel the night her father the king died . She went to bed a Princess and woke up a queen. There is a plaque in the room where she was sleeping that night.

10. Of course I have to list Russia. When I went to Russia to adopt my daughter, I was reminded of a time 28 years earlier that I had also been in Russia. Things were so different in 2001 than in 1973. In 1973 it was all gray and sad.Some day I will write about the things I experienced in 1973 in the Soviet Union. I never imagined I would be back 28 years later, let alone that I would have a daughter from this country. In 2001 it was alive and exciting. People smiled and wore the highest fashions, (at least in Moscow). Seeing the area where my dd was born is something I treasure. I hope to take her back sometime when she is older.

Scared (and angry)

,I sit here watching my daughter trying to rock herself to sleep and I am scared. Not scared of her going to sleep but of what the future holds for her. She faces so many challenges because of her earliest months. I don't know if I can make it better for her.

She has always had a hard time regulating herself and her emotions. When she was younger she had meltdowns that lasted more than 2 hours. I can not even begin to describe what it felt like sitting on the floor trying to keep both of us from getting hurt all while she screamed that she hated me. As she grew the meltdowns lessened but she still became frustrated and angry so easily. But of course this behavior only happened at home. Everywhere else she was an angel. Everyone else thought she was the sweetest child they had ever met.

Once she started school new set of issues developed. She just could not remember things. Her reading was not developing. She ended up repeating 1st grade. Now that actually turned out ok. She did much better the second time around. I fought the school for 2 years to finally get this child an IEP. It seemed they did everything they could to keep her from getting help including telling me she is "just low and this all you can expect". With the help of a wonderful developmental pediatrician I got her diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Exposure. She started a new medication and our world changed. She is now able to focus and is controlling her emotions. We have not had a meltdown in almost a year. Of course she still gets mad but it is not the same. I am so scared that 2nd grade will not go as well as this past year. I know the work will be harder and more of it. I do not want her to fail another year. Will she ever be able to overcome these problems and be productive and independent?

Now I have another obstacle. I noticed a few weeks ago and again last week that when she has been running or jump roping a lot (and I mean ALOT) her heart begins to race and pound like it is going to pop out of her chest. I mentioned it to her dev. ped and he has sent her to a cardiologist for an EKG next Tuesday. He said it could be that when kids get overheated and exerted everything dilates as a way of releasing heat. God, I hope that is all it is.

I am so scared that that B****h that gave birth to her damaged her little heart too. How can someone do that to a baby growing inside them ? I know I should be grateful she let her have life so I could bring her home but damnit, she hurt my baby.Her choices have made life so much harder for this precious child. I am scared what this all may mean. I can't loose her.

FridayFeast 196

Appetizer

When was the last time you had your hair cut/trimmed?
July 3. I had about 5 inches taken off. It was more than I had expected but I really like. My hair has not been this short in almost 40 years lol

Soup

Name one thing you miss about being a child.
Not really a lot I can think of that I actually miss. I did not really enjoy my childhood.

Salad

Pick one: butter, margarine, olive oil.

BUTTER, Nothing tastes like butter. Now I do not like using butter to fry things but for almost everything else it is great.

Main Course

If you could learn another language, which one would you pick, and why?
Russian because my daughter is from Russia and she loves everything (almost) Russian. I would like to be able to help her learn it or understand what is being said in videos I have of her early days.

Dessert

Finish this sentence: In 5 years I expect to be…
Five years older. Watching my dd enter her teen years and being very afraid of the day she gets her driver's license. Hopefully, I will no longer be living alone. My partner's dd will be grown by then so maybe we can finally be together.

Fireworks Photo Challenge

The girl is busy selecting which one to use next.....

She makes up her mind and mom lights it.....

But my little saefty expert wants to make sure each foutain is good and wet...




Well, here is my girl with her sparklers. She begs to do them and once they are going she gets all scared and won't do anything .