Wait Watching

Well, our dossier has been registered with the Ministry of Women and Children's Services in Nepal. It is all a matter of time until we get that most exciting phone call.

So how are we spending our time?

Well, I am unsuccessfully doing a lot of yardwork. And really upping the chance that I'll wind up with some kind of melanoma later in life. [I know I shouldn't joke about that because my church friend some seven years my junior had surgery to remove a larger section in her neck over a year ago.] Still, fat that is tan looks better than fat that is white.

Speaking of....I am four weeks in on Weight Watchers. I know I made big vows to myself last summer, but serious weight loss takes serious time and planning until it becomes your new way of living and thinking. So this was the best time. And it's working. Down 12 pounds! That's almost a sack of dog food! I had to pick one of those up at Wally World today, and it was kinda neat to think....I'm not carrying this around on my knees anymore. On the scale, 12 pounds doesn't look like a lot compared to my long range goal of 100 total pounds. But when you pick up an extra 12 or 15 pounds in the grocery store and tote it around for ten minutes trying to find the other person who walked off with the FREAKING BUGGY...sorry....well, it is a nice tactile motivation. Maybe in a couple more months, I'll have lost a Sam'sClub size bag of dog food.

The other thing we're doing is watching the WorldCup. I like soccer. I've never played, but the rules don't seem too complicated. We're watching our DVR of the USA/Algeria game that put the US in the sweet 16.

Sure, we know how it ends. But anything is a good distraction from the happy anxiety of waiting for that phone call.

Happy Summer!

Curse You, Cub Cadet!!

I should avoid lawnmowers.

Today, I mowed about 3 acres. Actually, it was probably a little more than that. But before it could all begin, I had the chore of locating and making sure all four of the little shop kittens at mama's house were out of danger. There are three that look like they all walked into the same paint palette of white, orange, and grey. Then there's one that looks just like the old mama cat, grey and brown brindle. Walking up to the shop I saw a new solid orange kitten. So now there are FIVE of them. I stomped my feet, knocked around on the chassis and tried to make sure all the kittens were properly warned before I got on the mower to crank it up. I saw a streak of white and orange fly out from under it and a little tail tuck under the toolbox just as I sat down.

Okay, ready for action.

Last week, I learned that if I forget to release the parking brake, the mower will shut itself off when I take the handles out of the neutral position. This week, I vowed to not miss a step in cranking and pulling it out of the shop. I pulled the choke. I cranked.

Nothing.

Oh, yeah. It won't crank if the parking brake isn't on. Check parking brake.

The engine revved to life. I pushed the throttle forward, pushed the choke back down, and just as I reached down to release the parking brake....

Kitten number SIX!

Don't worry. This doesn't have a terrible ending. But I have to tell you that my biggest fear at that moment was having to fish out kitten giblets from the mower. The kitten was trying to figure a way to squeeze itself through the little holes where the blade height is adjusted. It was frantically swatting a little dark grey paw out at me through the openings. Of course, I immediately shut off the mower and jumped up to see if the kitten was alright. I got down on my hands and knees to see where exactly it was hiding. After a few minutes of blindly reaching around the engine and under the seat, I found a fuzzy little head, then felt not-so-fuzzy little teeth tearing into my thumb as I tried to latch on and pull it out. The kitten was still alive and hissing at me.

I found an old work glove so I could go in a little more forcefully and wrangle the kitten out of its hiding place. What I SHOULD have been worried about were not kitten teeth, but a brown recluse spider hiding in that nasty glove. I gave it a good shake first, and everything seemed fine. I went back into the hole under the seat for the kitten and got a good grasp on it, but the kitten slipped out of my hands and found its way off of the back of the mower, tucking under the same toolbox as kitten number 5.

I succeeded in pulling the mower out without incident, and finished all the mowing I had planned on. But with one error. I didn't put the push mower that I killed two Saturdays ago back into the shop. It has now been raining for two hours straight. If there was a chance to save that mower, I have just ruined it.

Me and mowers do not mix.

Movement!

Our agency has had two families from last year's set of applicants matched. Whoop!

Our paperwork is in Nepal NOW!

Our social worker didn't call yesterday, which means our visa paperwork must have made it from the US office to the Embassy in Nepal.

We did find out that children are not registered in Nepal in their sibling groups. They are registered individually. This means we will still get two children, but it is more likely that they will be unrelated. And we can know for sure that we will receive one boy and one girl. Whoop Whoop!!

How to pray:

Well, since things seem to be going so well and so quickly, all things considered, pray that we are able to raise the funds in time. We have some grant agencies to work with, as well as what we are asking from friends and family. The thing about those grants is that they look to MATCH what has already come in. So the more we can raise on our own, the more available to us by grants - up to the amount that we need. The big total is $32,000. That's travel and post-entry paperwork included.

Also, pray for the Nepali government. Still rocky. The Prime Minister has promised to step down once their new constitution is voted on and ratified. None of that should affect us, but the region is a little hostile right now between political parties. Pray that there is no militant movement in Nepal from any side.

Thanks for all you do to keep lifting us up to the Father.

JK

Obituary of a Saturday.

Today, I killed a snail.

Then I found a snake, and sat on top of the tool box in the back of someone's truck while I sent 14 year old boys to kill it.

I threatened to kill the boys if they came near me with said snake.

Then we got home and I tried mowing the grass in my mom's dog pen.

Today, I killed a lawn mower.