Musings of a Whimsical Realist

So I’ve managed a few fun blogs, but it’s been a while since I’ve updated on the adoption process.  One reason is the hustle and bustle of the holiday season (starting with Thanksgiving and continuing through the New Year).  And the other reason is that this part of the process isn’t very interesting.  Insane, busy, daunting, and detailed, but not particularly an exciting read. So where are we now that the dust is beginning to settle? The majority of the paperwork has had its t’s crossed and its i’s dotted.  Full physicals for me and Hubby; passports arrived; pretty much every aspect of our lives documented, signed, and notarized.  We are almost through the 12 online education hours (to complete by next weekend) . . . and then on Saturday the 3rd and Sunday the 4th, we have our home study home visit!  That will be the last step of the home study process, and we are so excited to be at that point! Financially, our belts are tightening.  We had a small cache of funds to

I have a confession to make, a seasonal guilty pleasure . . . I love Christmas movies!  Classics like “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Miracle on 34th Street.”  And the not-so-classic made-for-TV cheeseball movies.  I consume them like a chocoholic chowing down a bag of Dove bars! Talking reindeer?  Awesome!  Sappy kissing under mistletoe?  Love it!  Glitter, glitz, lights, twinkling stars, snowy landscapes?  The best! So why the confession?  Because Christmas movies capture for me an essential quality of the holiday season.  The whimsy of a time when we take a pause to enjoy the magical, the memorable, the beautiful, the nostalgic, and the sacrificial. For someone like me, Christmas is a 2-sided coin.  There is the whimsical wonder of the more “commercial” or “traditional” side of the season.  Then there is the reality of God the Son coming to earth as a frail human baby, beginning His journey to the cross and salvation for all mankind (noting that this didn’t actually take place i