Happy 4th of July! We are forever grateful to the millions of veterans who have served and still serve our country to uphold the freedoms we take for granted, and we thank God for the countless blessings he has given to us all.
Last June, we celebrated the month by submitting our dossier to Tver, Russia, and then we took this unforgettable 3000 mile roadtrip, when gas was cheap. We visited Mt. Rushmore, which although inspired by Gutzon Borglum, was carved by hundreds of men with jackhammers, none of whom knew anything about carving sculpture from rock. It amazes me how great the rock carvings turned out given the lack of art skills and the actual scale of the carving. Maybe I too, can carve like Michaelangelo, and just don't know it yet! And what's more, no one died during the many years they worked on it. It's a remarkable American landmark that we plan to revisit with our children one day. We continued through the Black Hills of South Dakota, and then met our families in mid-June at Yellowstone National Park. After Yellowstone we traveled down to the Grand Tetons. All of it was incredibly beautiful. The parks are full of visitors and staff that come from all over the world. It's a great experience for kids and adults, and you can wear everyone out all at once!
This year, gas is expensive, adoption expenses are high, and time does not allow for a long vacation. So this morning, we woke at 5 a.m. to run, for our first time, the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta. It was a 10K, and we ran it in 1hour and 9 minutes, amidst 55,000 people. For dinner, Travis made baby-back ribs, homemade french fries, and a salad (he is an amazing cook...I really scored), and we will watch the fireworks over the lake tonight. Next year, our child will celebrate their very first 4th of July as an American citizen, and I can't help but want to spend it in New York City, where my grandma first arrived on Ellis Island with her family in 1927 to become citizens of the United States. Leaving everyone and everything you know must be a difficult experience, and it challenges me to answer the inevitable question: How will our child react, and how will we help them transition?
Last June, we celebrated the month by submitting our dossier to Tver, Russia, and then we took this unforgettable 3000 mile roadtrip, when gas was cheap. We visited Mt. Rushmore, which although inspired by Gutzon Borglum, was carved by hundreds of men with jackhammers, none of whom knew anything about carving sculpture from rock. It amazes me how great the rock carvings turned out given the lack of art skills and the actual scale of the carving. Maybe I too, can carve like Michaelangelo, and just don't know it yet! And what's more, no one died during the many years they worked on it. It's a remarkable American landmark that we plan to revisit with our children one day. We continued through the Black Hills of South Dakota, and then met our families in mid-June at Yellowstone National Park. After Yellowstone we traveled down to the Grand Tetons. All of it was incredibly beautiful. The parks are full of visitors and staff that come from all over the world. It's a great experience for kids and adults, and you can wear everyone out all at once!
This year, gas is expensive, adoption expenses are high, and time does not allow for a long vacation. So this morning, we woke at 5 a.m. to run, for our first time, the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta. It was a 10K, and we ran it in 1hour and 9 minutes, amidst 55,000 people. For dinner, Travis made baby-back ribs, homemade french fries, and a salad (he is an amazing cook...I really scored), and we will watch the fireworks over the lake tonight. Next year, our child will celebrate their very first 4th of July as an American citizen, and I can't help but want to spend it in New York City, where my grandma first arrived on Ellis Island with her family in 1927 to become citizens of the United States. Leaving everyone and everything you know must be a difficult experience, and it challenges me to answer the inevitable question: How will our child react, and how will we help them transition?
1 comment:
Amy & Travis!!! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderfully special event. Your little girl has a lifetime of love and excitement ahead of her. Life is good!!! Blessings upon you all! Looking forward to sharing your journey. When are you going to venture to Colorado to show us all your new addition?????
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