Our Life in a List

• Jill asked to see pictures from the wedding. You can see some here. I did the flowers and anything else that was beribboned. I can seriously go crazy with a roll of ribbon. I didn't take any pictures of the wedding, though. So the ones on the other blog are the only ones I have. It was a beautiful wedding -- a true east meets west celebration. The ceremony was very western and the reception very Chinese... and they had quite possibly the best send off I have ever seen at a wedding. First there were confetti cannons (very Chinese), then there was an aisle of people throwing flower petals (very western), followed by fireworks that went off at just the right moment (very Chinese)... the whole courtyard was awash in the light of red lanterns... it really was beautiful!
  
  
• In the "food for thought" category, I'd encourage you to go read this article entitled The Christian Paradox: How a Faithful Nation Gets Jesus Wrong in Harper's Magazine. While I think the author arguably overstates a few of his points, his core message is something that I think we Christians should seriously consider. (Interesting side note: You'll notice the article is several years old - though arguably still very relevant. I first found this article a week or so ago linked on the blog of a woman who referenced it as a good description of the reasons why she is not a Christian.
  
  
• In the "sorry to be a downer" category, this story in the LA Times also caught my attention recently. It makes me so sad -- everything can be corrupted. I also watched a video recently where an adoption coordinator from a well-known agency in the USA was going through an Ethiopian village announcing that if anyone wanted to send their child to America, they'd be there for "one day only" to take relinquishment papers. It gives me a sick feeling in my stomach. The line between providing much-needed families for orphans and providing a market for a get-rich-quick scheme can sometimes be shockingly thin.
  
  
• In exciting foster home news this week, we found out the Madeline and Cameron have both been matched with adoptive families. That's always wonderful news. And I start getting curious about who is going to take their places when they leave... Madeline will be going to France and Cameron to Sweden. I think it is amusing that we named her Madeline and that now she's going to France... prophetic, maybe?! :)
  
  
• We are quickly approaching the 60th anniversary of the founding of the PR of C. The big shebang is October first. Things always get a little weird around this time of year -- more so this year than before due to the fact that it is the 60th anniversary. Nothing dangerous... things are just more sensitive and tight than normal, and normal is more sensitive and tight than we're used to as Americans. It's things like -- they stopped selling knives (of any sort) because someone was stabbed in Beijing last week; there are checkpoints everywhere; as foreigners we've been asked to "lay low" and avoid unnecessary attention, etc. So please just think about us during this time -- that we will remain safe, protected, and shielded from any trouble.
  
  
• The positive side to October holiday is a week of no work! I'm excited about a week to just chill at our apartment, reading, resting, and recharging. Lately we've both been feeling so tired and worn out... I think sometimes we spread ourselves too thin, and I find myself craving quiet and peace. I know I'm not the only one.
  
  
• This list is getting too long, so I'm just going to cap it off with a picture of a cute kid. Because that's what we specialize in here. Consider it your reward for getting to the end of this post. And just so you know, the cherub with the deliciously chubby cheeks is Melody.