Much to do in 2002!

Another year gone by with lots of news and change (since when haven’t we had both!)

By far the biggest news we have for this year actually started in 2001...December 13 to be precise. That was the day we found out we had a beautiful son whom we promptly named Karson. Karson was born on September 15, 2001 in Mokpo City, South Korea. Of course, we could not stand the wait which lasted another four days until we could see his picture and needless to say we fell in love right away with our new son. Unfortunately, we could not go to Korea right away to get him as loads of paperwork had to be done. So instead, we did the following:

1. We moved. In November 2001 Dave was given a promotion and asked to transfer to Burlington, Iowa on the Mississippi River in the eastern part of the state. Since Dave is the only breadwinner there went the plans for opening the winery in 2002. It is probably just as well as we don’t think our wines would ever reach the caliber of Boone’s Farm at the rate we were going! Therefore, we had the pleasure of packing the house after the holidays and moving at the first of the new year.

2. After three weeks in our new home we took our long awaited vacation to Salt Lake City to see the Winter Olympics as it had always been Dave’s dream to go. Although it was COLD we really had fun watching the men’s figure skating, ski jumping, cross country skiing and the two man bobsled. The speeds that are obtained in bobsledding were incredible and they went by in the blink of an eye. However, our favorite sport was curling as it gave Dave hope that someday, somehow he could be on an Olympic team. Training starts as soon as he puts down that doughnut! We also got to see old friends like Rosie and the Long family in Las Vegas which was a real treat for us!

About three weeks after returning home from Salt Lake we finally got the call that we could travel to pick up Karson. Luckily it was during spring break so Ross was able to join us to make a family trip to Seoul. We flew out of Chicago a few days before our 14^th anniversary but what made our anniversary so extraordinarily special was that was the first time we met Karson. I can’t begin to tell you the feeling when Karson’s foster mother saw us and pointed to Karson and said, "Dong Hyun" As we nodded she ran over and placed him in our arms. The first thing we noticed was how tall he was for being only 6 months old (in the 99^th percentile we later found out) The second thing we couldn’t help but notice was his stick-um-up scare hair after his foster mother removed his cap. It was the sweetest thing and we all laughed at how cute he was. After Kylee gave him his first bottle we said goodbye but not before we met his foster father who cried when he told us how much he was going to miss him. It broke our hearts and we really got a feel for the sense of loss that this wonderful family who had taken care of our son for the last 5 months was going through. Our gain was their loss and there is nothing quite as bittersweet as that.

After the meeting we had 8 days before we would see Karson again so we really put time in exploring the city. We visited many palaces, museums, temples and spent a lot of time shopping for keepsakes for the family. The markets in Korea are wonderful and we had a great time exploring the back alleys and taking the subway everywhere. We also loved the spicy kim-chee and bulgogi which I am now making at home with some success. The one thing we will never forget is our train ride down to Pusan. The trees were in bloom and everything smelled of sweet blossoms and dried squid a favorite snack on the train. While in Pusan we stayed on the beach and enjoyed picking up shells for Karson. Needless to say, Kylee loved the trip and Ross loved the beautiful Korean girls. In fact, I would say that the girls were the highlight of his trip! After getting back to Seoul we had a few more days before we went to Karson’s pre-flight physical. He was deemed extremely healthy except for his eczema. The next day was the most emotional of the trip as we left Karson’s foster mother. It was so hard for her to let him go and we all cried buckets of tears. I will never forget the utter sadness on her face as we drove away in the van. Eighteen hours later we were home, well almost, as we spent the night with my cousin Jane and her family in Chicago.

Karson is doing wonderfully and needless to say we are completely in love. He is walking now and is very smart. He loves to read books and will spend hours doing so. Karson was baptised in May with godmothers, Judy Weeg, and my cousin Kate Herron in attendance. We had a wonderful Tol party (the first Korean birthday party) with lots of Korean food and good friends. My Dad and Mary also spent this wonderful day with us. I am happy to report that Karson chose the money off of the Tol table which means he will be rich. His second choice was the book which means he will be a scholar. The only thing that is missing in this truly amazing experience is sleep. Karson is not a good sleeper as he is up five times a night due to allergies and eczema. Since I am not as young as I once was this has been a challenge. We hope that this will improve soon but we doubt it as we have fallen in love with another baby boy from Korea and hope to have him home sometime next year.

May found us traveling to St. Louis where Ross was graduating from high school. Ross has grown into a very tall and learned young man. It was wonderful to see him walk up to the podium to receive his diploma but sad at the same time. Where have all the years gone? Needless to say we are very proud of him. This September he began attending Jr. College but at this point has no idea what he will study. I think this will be a good time for him to explore opportunities and careers and no matter what he does I am sure he will be successful.

Kylee has made tons of friends since we moved to Burlington. She is very happy in her middle school and is getting excellent grades and is taking some honors classes. She is busy with slumber parties and swim team where she excels at the backstroke. Kylee has spent a few days in the hospital with cellulitus receiving antibiotic therapy. She also used her former Girl Scout experience to rappel down the ravine to rescue our dog Goose. Unfortunately, later this year we decided that we had to put Goose down as he was 16 years old and could barely move. We will miss our beloved friend.

This fall we had a nice family trip to Nashville and enjoyed ourselves. Fall also brought Thanksgiving with Dave’s Dad and my good friend Niki and her mother sharing our table. In fact, Niki just moved here from Las Vegas and I am so glad that she will be a closer figure in our lives. She and I have been friends for 25 years and she is family to me.

I am also happy to report that Karson’s adoption was final on December 30 of this year. We are thrilled to have this process come to an end. We have done the adoption ourselves and it has been an interesting learning experience!

May the coming year bring out the best in each one of us and peace on earth.