What a cutie!

OK, I just had to share our most recent photo of Cackie. It was taken by Lil' Angles Photography when they came to her daycare last month. I had them take the photos and just fell in love with this one. Doesn't she just look sooo grown up???

Whoo hooo!!!!

I've been meaning to post for the last few days... with the time change I've been just beat!
We got fabulous news on Tuesday - our dossier was sent to China on Monday evening!!! Yahoo! The paperchase is officially over!

OK, update since my last post...
San Diego was great! I had a great conference and for the most part enjoyed myself. I missed Michael & Cackie terribly and I didn't get to do too much since I was by myself, but I did get in some good relaxing and I needed that (room service was expensive, but sooo worth it!). On Tuesday evening the conference treated us to a night at Sea World, dinner included. I went with my friend from work and her mom. We didn't do too much, ate dinner and caught the special Shamu show (I love Shamu!), but it is cool to say that I've been to Sea World in San Diego. As we were leaving the park everyone got a free Shamu doll, I couldn't wait to get home and give it to Cackie.
I didn't get home until 12:10am on Thurs and I was beat! I snuck the Shamu doll into Cackie's bed and it was great when she woke up to it. Thursday I didn't have to be at work until noon, otherwise I'm not sure I could have functioned!
So, while I was gone... On Monday I was in a huge (5000 people) opening session when I saw my cell phone was ringing with an Atlanta number. I immediately worried that it was CCAI and freaked! I emailed Michael to be on the lookout for a call. He talked to them and left me a message that our dossier was PERFECT, we just sent them the wrong amount for the CCAA fees. I had forgotten that their fees went up on Jan 1. So, Michael mailed them an additional check on Tuesday, they got it Thursday and sent the entire dossier on to the Colorado office on Thurs evening. Colorado received it Friday, started translation and sent it on to China on Monday! Hopefully tomorrow we'll get an email that the China office received it and hand delivered it to the CCAA.
Now, we just wait for our Log In Date (LID). That is the date that we will count down from. Right now we have no clue what that LID will be. It could take up to a month to get LID and then another month before we know what it actually is. That is a very important date for us to have and I'll post when I know what it is!
Other than finishing the paperchase we've definitely kept busy. My sister came to visit for the weekend and Cackie just loves her Aunt Caryn! When we came home on Monday and Caryn's stuff was out of the guest bedroom Cackie kept insisting that Caryn was upstairs! We really hope that Caryn will be able to join us when we go to China for Mei Mei and it was fun to talk with her and try to plan.
On Saturday the Memphis Tigers won the CUSA tournament (no big surprise) and on Sunday we found out that they are headed to N'awlins to play the first round of the NCAA tourney. (The Vols are headed to Columbus, OH!) Michael is going to head down there with Tom tomorrow afternoon. We'll miss him, but we have a fun weekend planned. Friday night we're having a girls night at our house! We're ordering in and letting the girls tear up the house, I can't wait! I can be real anal about keeping the house clean, but when we get a chance to have friends over (especially all of Cackie's Chinese sisters), I don't mind making a mess. Things can get cleaned up later, I want them to have FUN!
Then, on Saturday I hope to do a little sewing and maybe we'll get dressed up in green and have some beer! Do you think people will belive me if I tell them that Cackie is Irish? lol!
I guess that's it for now!
Go Tigers Go! Go Vols Go!!!
~Deanna

Greetings from Sunny San Dego!

I'm in San Diego! It is beautiful here! The Enterprise System software that we use at St. Jude is having their annual conference here and I got to go from my department. Last year we went to Orlando for the same conference, but even with Disney, I think I'm going to like San Diego more. Did I mention that it's BEAUTIFUL here???!

I already miss my Cackiedoodle! This is the longest that I've ever been away from her and I still have 96+ hours to go! I had to leave for the airport at 6 this morning, so I went into her room and gave her kisses before I left. Poor Michael is such a light sleeper that he couldn't sleep through my getting ready and was up with me early on a Saturday morning.

I haven't done too much exploring yet. I got to my hotel around one local time and ordered some room service for lunch. Then I laid down and took a much needed nap. After getting a little rest I did go out walking a little bit in the Gas Lamp Quarter. I found a little convenience store where I picked up a bottle of wine (in California, must drink wine!) and some other necessities, then headed back to the hotel. Now, I'm sitting by the open window of my 14th floor hotel room listening to some funky instrumental music from the outdoor cafe down on the street, drinking a glass of chardonnay, waiting on a co-worker who was arriving this evening. She is on this trip by herself as well, and we're in the same hotel, so she's supposed to call when she get's in. I'm hoping she's hungry and we can go back to explore the Gas Lamp and find somewhere to eat. There looked to be lots of yummy places to choose from.

Tomorrow morning I have just a few training classes and then I intend to take it easy. Would love to get to the San Diego Zoo, but not sure if that will happen. I did find out that there is a San Diego Chinese Historical Museum that I'd love to visit for obvious reasons. I'm here just a few weeks too early... my hotel is actually connected to Petco Park, the home of the San Diego Padres. It looks so lonely right now! If it was baseball season, I would definitely have to go to a game!

Other than that, nothing new. No news from CCAI, so I suppose their still reviewing our dossier. Hopefully I get a DTC email at the end of next week.