Back to Basics?

When I started this blog it was for:

documenting our journey to Magpie
capturing historical aspects about her culture, for us, for her, for our families/friends
letting our family, spread throughout the US, walk side by side with us

Every so often it veered off that path into a smattering of light hearted posts and funny moments and then last summer when we were couped up in the hotel for 11 weeks. I no longer had the urge to read a book or two a month as I had been, or to research aspects of her homeland, or do much soul searching at all. The not-so-holiday-inn took the zest out of us for so long. If you've never stayed in a 12 x 20 hotel room for more than 2 weeks, let me just say, it's worse than imaginable... add in the dogs... subtract out any cooking facility or kitchen at all... fantabulous.

We quickly transitioned from the hotel to the new home, we grieved the end of our first year without Sophia, we faked the holiday cheer like pros and faced the reality that this would not be our last childless Christmas. We were caught up in all that we didn't have that many times we lost sight of what we did have together and what we had to look forward to.

Over the last few months we've really started to move forward, to achieve our inner rhythm and unity once again. I've started to read about China again, this time with renewed interest, I have a few books I'd like to read and beyond the adoption we've poured ourselves into the house, the yard, getting out on the weekends with family and friends alike. And well, life feels somewhat better.

So I'm giving a shout out to say don't be surprised to see some cultural news, events, etc., or perhaps some book reviews from time to time. After all, we're documenting our journey to Magpie, what would a journey be without a little bit of cultural immersion and some deep thoughts?