A trip to Sacramento + our DOSSIER is DONE!

Does this look like a drive through the countryside in Italy? I wish!!! I just held it to the window while I was driving through the beautiful farmland on my exciting journey to Sacramento.

I had hoped to take the train to Sacramento, I had wanted to pretend I was taking a European vacation with my friend Catty, carrying some top secret documents, but she got a last minute job. So a new plan surfaced. Eric's dad & step mom offered to drive down for the certifying celebration and take me to lunch at Zocolo, an upscale Mexican joint. Thanks Jim & Judy! So since my illusions were changing. I just did the simplest thing. I drove. Seeing that gas is $4.69 a gallon. I guess the whole round trip cost me right around $500.

So it worked, $410 dollars later Greg, acting for the State of California had certified all my documents and put a gold seal on each and every one. Now how much more official can you get? They seem officially bored there at the notary department. When I had returned they had checked out both our websites and asked me all sorts of questions about Eric's work. I think the guy secretly wanted to weld steel. So I'm glad to know where my $410 are going....but I got my gold seals and baby o will thank me for these. EUREKA! Well as for Sacramento, that side of town by the capitol was actually really nice. I liked the old houses, the warm weather and people lingering around at outside cafes. It sure wasn't' Italy, but I did enjoy putting all the paperwork today in the mail, overnight of course, with a traxing number. My work is done!

Now to update my paper pregnant time line.

Good News / Bad News (but mostly good news)

I went to my homestudy adoption agency yesterday in San Francisco to pick up the last pile of notarized paperwork. Yeah!

Last (I hoped) to San Francisco City Hall, to pick up copies of my marriage certificates. You know the ones that were suppose to come by mail weeks ago.

Well surprise, June 18th was the first official day for same sex marriages! So lots of action and marriages happening in the rotunda. I can't tell you what a sense of joy it brought me to see just about every combination of folks getting married. Families in tow, hugging & talking photos. I felt so honored to attended. (uninvited) to witness this day. I have a strong sense of justice and this just made me feel good. That families could be blended in whatever form felt right for them.

Last summer, I had a couple in my gallery I was making rings for. They had their two kids with them. I asked them if these were their updated wedding rings. No, they were both divorced and had found each other after they both had had kids with their first partner. The woman turned to me and said; "We are a blended family!" She was so comfortable with her answer and it made perfect sense to me. I have now thought about that comment a lot. There are a lot of blended families out there. And when you adopt, you are a blended family.

Oh and as for the marriages certs! GOT 'EM! After they were in my hot little hands, I enjoyed the marriages of several couples and soaked in a day of equality!

Well and the bad news is, today I was looking though my newly notarized paperwork AAAAAAHHHHH............... one document is still missing.

The good news is, the agency is fed-xing it to me tomorrow. (fingers crossed)
Soon to Sacramento.

So mostly good news and a treat to be at under the dome at San Francisco's City Hall on June 18, 2008! ...maybe a historic day for many of us who want to expand our families.

Maybe I should start to pray?

Well it seems like the baby referrals are coming in slower the past months in general. I keep saying that I am fine waiting for fall or when the right time comes but you know what? I'm getting nervous & antsy... that baby o won't come? I guess everyone goes through this. All I know is that I am babying my cat Yuko more so I guess I am getting more ready to be a mom.

The good news is, my blog friend Suzanne B, also adopting from Kyrgyzstan, and fellow Bay Area gal, got her referral and she is probably on a flight back after meeting her little "melon". I am so happy for her, and a bit more encouraged that this might actually happen. Her blog is closed to outside readers but her little girl is so cute. (encouraged again)

I have been waiting to get our notarized marriage certificate, and just found out that SF city hall canceled my order for my marriage certificates. Yes that's right, they just decided that I didn't need it and didn't tell me. So here I am waiting, waiting, waiting and it never would have come. I am going right over there tomorrow and getting them in a day....then off to Sacramento for the state certification by train next week. I'll surely post a huge HURRAH, when the dossier is finally off. It should by middle of next week! Fingers crossed I can actually get it in a day + pick up the final paperwork from the first agency. God I hope everything is really in order when I arrive in Sacramento. I'm ready for the actual waiting phase. tap, tap, tap.....which I can't lie, has already begun. Even Eric runs up to my computer to see new baby photos of newly arrived adoptive kids. I think even he is getting more ready to be a dad!

Also (above) my saint that is watching out for baby o, eric & me is now backed by some gorgeous Central Asian Ikat fabric from Uzbekistan. Which I know is not Kyrgyzstan but as I said I am enjoying learning more about that side of the world in general and I LOVE textiles, craft and beautiful things hand made. Just wait for my new jewelry work, influenced by Central Asia; the land of extremes.

Oh I feel a bit better, maybe she will come. Maybe we all pray in different ways.