Adoption Blog

More info on why I love summer!

I think a lot of you know this already but Naomi grew up in Hawaii & I grew up in Florida. A job offer brought us up to NC 4 years ago. And although Raleigh NC is a beautiful place, we just can't seem to call it home (we will eventually move when the time is right).

And it really comes down to two reasons. First, the winters are brutal. It seems like 3/4'ths of the year it's cold. We can't stand it. The other reason is there's no beach. When we first moved up here everyone said "you're going to get the best of both worlds. You'll have the mountains to the west and the beach to the east." WRONG! The mountains are a 3 hour drive and the beach is a 2 hour drive. Naomi and I grew up being able to ride our skateboards to the beach.

So when the weather changes here in NC and it starts to feel like summer, we are extremely happy!

This past weekend was awesome!

What about you? Did you have a nice weekend? How was the weather?

Husband Rich and my week-end was awesome. Having had the best of all worlds, Phoenix, Florida, New Jersey Rich and I now enjoy the seasons, cold weather, leaves falling and, with the coming of spring the trees leafing out and, flowers bursting through the soil. We went to Lead SD to visit my stepson Karl, wife Tracy and 2 Grandchildren. The Black Hills have shed their grayish color with now a tinge of green.
We are Truly Blessed, Love AF

Well, being in Tucson, AZ, we had nice weather. I was able to take the kids to the park and really enjoy ourselves.

This is the best weather time here .. not too cool, and not TOO hot .. give it a month or so, and we will be soaring in the 100ds! bleck!

Mark,
I was reading some posts on APC and saw your blog so decided to read. Noticed you live in Raleigh NC. My husband and I were there just last weekend. We are from Seattle so I was looking forward to some sunshine and warmth. We just missed it! Actually we arrived in Raleigh on Tuesday left for the Outer Banks on Wednesday and flew home on Sunday morning. Wed through Sat were sunny but pretty windy and cool. I did enjoy it though and would love to go back in warmer weather. My sister and her husband live in Hawaii so I try to visit often. They live on the Big Island Kona side and love it for themselves and their kids.
We are also paperchasing. Just waiting for our 171 and then the real wait begins.
So are you DTC yet? Good luck!
Beth

Hi Auntie Fran - glad to hear you're enjoying the seasons!

Hi Jenna - we love Arizona! We've got friends in the Phoenix area and my Aunt & Uncle are just south of Tucson in Green Valley. We were there last year. I love the weather in AZ. And I'll take it all year long compared to the weather here in NC.

Hi Beth - We're at the final stage of the paper chase. We've got all our documents we just need to get them certified & authenticated. Hey, my wife is from Hawaii. We were there this past January. I posted a bunch of pictures of our trip here on the adoption blog. Just scroll down to a Feb 9th post to see them. And I hear great things about the Outer Banks. We've just never been there. It's a 2 to 3 hour drive away. And we usually just fly home to Florida to go to the beach. :-)

Hi,
Where in Florida do you call home? My husbands parents live there and my father grew up in Tampa and is a Gator. We have visited several times over the years and when I was young my family did live near Tampa for a few years.
Loved your pics of Hawaii. My husband and I were in Kona over Christmas for a small family reunion. It was hard to get back on that plane and return to cold rainy Seattle! Unfortunately the winter weather on most of the Islands this year wasn't great. Lots of wind and storms but warmer than Seattle any way. You should visit the Outer Banks. The dunes were great and Cape Hataras was really pretty. I liked visiting the Light House. The drive wasn't too bad. Not like the traffic I contend with daily.
Beth

Hi Beth, I grew up in St Pete/Clearwater. Right over the Howard Franklin Bridge from Tampa! And yeah, that's what I call home. I miss it. I miss eating good, fresh seafood! I miss the beach! I miss the relaxed attitude! I miss wearing flip-flops in the winter. I miss the sunsets!

As far as the Gator thing goes, I learned a long time ago that it was in my best interest to simply remain neutral when it comes to the Gators and the Seminoles. I'm not really a college football fan. And so choosing one team over the other would immediately reduce my number of friends by 50%. Haha... they take that stuff seriously down there in Tampa Bay. And since I'm not really a fan, I just avoid it. But I loved watching the occassional game between the two teams.

Hey, did you have any coffee when you were in Kona? Back when I was a coffee drinker, I used to order Kona Coffee from a place in Hawaii. It was my favorite!

Hi,
I have been reading about your paper chase. We are waiting for 171 and then all paperwork will be complete. We have already had all other paperwork through the whole process and sent to agency so they could make sure everything looked correct. I just thought I might as well have all the paperwork completed while we were waiting on 171 so if something was not right we would not be delayed. Actually my husband is probley right it just made me feel like I was doing something while we are waiting on the golden form. We live just outside of Knoxville, TN. We have a beach home in North Myrtle Beach and was there for the last week. Great weather did not want to come home. We also love the beach and warm weather. Good luck as you continue the journey to your daughter.
Carolyn Grenkoski

Mark,
Funny you should ask about coffee. Here (home of Starbucks) and in Hawaii I am a regular coffee consumer. Yes I enjoy Kona coffee when I am in Hawaii. My sisters husband grew up on a coffee farm and hates the stuff but they keep a coffe maker around for when we visit. His parents still live in Captain Cook on the coffee farm and still sell to a local co-op that then processes and sells the coffee. We visit several coffee places when we are in Kona and always bring some Kona home.
Speaking of football rivalries we in Washing ton have a similar situation between the University of Washington Huskies and the Washington State University Cougars. My sister and her husband are Cougars and my step-son is Husky! I try to stay out of the middle and root for both teams but...when they play each other I just stay silent! :-)
I too miss the food from Florida but what I miss most is the Cuban food! Yum. We get lots of fresh seafood here in Seattle but I have yet to find a good Cuban place. We also enjoyed lots of fresh seafood while visiting the Outer Banks. One thing I enjoyed but had never heard of bfore was she crab soup. We found it in almost every restaurant we visited while in N.C. but have never even heard of it here in Seattle.
Well today is a nice sunny day here in Seattle so I am off to enjoy the sunshine!
Still waiting for that elusive 171!!
Good luck to all.
Beth