Bring on December!

As November winds down, I already feel behind as I flip the calendar to December tomorrow.  No Christmas decorations up, scrambling to get my Christmas cards done so that I can get them in the mail tomorrow (which is my yearly tradition), and only a few presents bought.  The season is such a rush to do this and that and go here and there, which is probably why I already feel behind and it's not even December yet!  There's plenty of time.  There's plenty of time.  Right?  Actually, there are so many holiday festivities going on this weekend to kick-off the Christmas season, but unfortunately it's going to be rainy, wet and cold here on Saturday.  Bah humbug!

Give me another week...or at least a full week of December to get into holiday gear!  Slowly, but surely I'll get there this year.  How are you doing on your holiday decorating, gift buying, and/or party planning?  Are you prepped for the season or completely done with everything?  Before you know it, it'll be New Year's Eve and we'll be ringing in a new year...again!  Yikes!  Another full year come and gone.  How?  Where?  When?

Well, I may not be fully ready for the holiday season just yet, but bring on December!  All the holiday lights, Christmas carols, beautifully wrapped gifts, holiday decor, etc...take it all in and enjoy all the holiday cheer!  Whether you're ahead or behind with your holiday to-do list, take time to appreciate all the goodness, love and joy in your life!  And, may blessings fill your holiday season with God's light, love and grace!!

Stuffed!

I hope everyone had a safe, happy and healthy Thanksgiving Day (in the States)!  Well, healthy maybe not so much, but I'm pretty sure everyone enjoyed so yummy treats on Turkey Day!  Pie, cake, candy, sweet potato casserole, stuffing/dressing, mac and cheese...all the comfort foods of the holidays!  And yes, I'm stuffed!!

Turkey Day was good, but then I kept the indulgence going all weekend!  Yikes!  The sweet tooth was raging on Friday, so had to satisfy it and I could've gotten back on track yesterday, but....my mom and I went shopping at one of our favorite downtown areas (with tons of cute small businesses...it was Shop Small Saturday after all!) so we capped off the holiday indulgence with a great lunch, our favorite chai tea lattes and yes, apple pie for dinner!!  My stomach was not thanking me at all after all of that!  Now, back on the clean eating wagon...until Christmas that is!  Ha!

But, that's what the holidays are for, right!  Enjoying all the sweet treats and then January 1st it's time to work it all off.  Actually, between now and Christmas I'm hoping to be really good and maybe actually lose a couple more pounds before gaining them back on Christmas.  It's all about balance, right?!  Well, that's my balance!  Actually, I must admit my veggies and green tea tasted pretty good today.  A little detox from all the sweets from the last few days.  

However you indulge over the holidays, I hope you ENJOY it, don't feel guilty and just live in the moment!  We only have the here and now, so live every moment and eat the cake!!  Safe travels home if you are traveling today and may the coming week be filled with cheerful blessings!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family tomorrow!  May you reflect on the many blessings in your life and may you be surrounded by friends and family!  Enjoy all the wonderful food, fellowship and family time with your loved ones!  

Many, many blessings to you and yours this Thanksgiving Day and throughout the holiday season!!!  And, I am very grateful for your support and following my "All-American life as a Korean adoptee" blog!  Cheers!!

Let the Holidays Begin...

It's that time of the year again...I'm not quite sure how it got here so quickly this year, but it's here...turkey and stuffing, tree trimming, gift wrapping, Christmas cookies and caroling, and good tidings to all!  All the holiday festivities are ramping up this week and will explode the day after stuffing our tummies full on Black Friday!

Are you ready?  Are you ready for all the madness?  Yummy foods, yes!  Ripping open gifts, yes!  Helping and serving others in need, yes!  Decorating the house, yes/no!  Seeing all the holiday decorations all over town, yes!  Hearing non-stop Christmas carols on the radio, yes/no!  Christmas parties, more food and baked goods, crowded malls, and on and on and on....are you ready?  Are you sure?  I'm not.

I'm not ready for jolly old St. Nick yet, but give me a couple of weeks.  Once the madness begins it's kind of hard not to get swept up in it, right?  As usual, I've got to get going on my Christmas cards this week so I can get them out on December 1st!  That's my holiday tradition.  So, the goal for this week is to enjoy Turkey Day and get my Christmas cards done or just about done!

I hope you enjoy the last few days leading up to Thanksgiving and then all out madness of the holidays once Thursday night/Friday arrives.  Blessings for a wonderful week full of family, friends and fabulous food!!  

National Adoption Month

It's National Adoption Month!  What does that mean?  It means if you're adopted you should share your story with others...if you're an adoptive parent you should share the ups and downs of adoption with prospective parents...if you're a prospective parent you should ask questions to adoptive parents, adoptees, agencies, support organizations...if you're a non-adoptee you should ask any curiosity questions to adoptees or adoptive parents to gain a better understanding/perspective on what it means to be adopted.  The more we understand one another the more empathy and compassion we have for one another.  The greater our world view becomes and the more respect we have for one another which ultimately makes the world we're living in a more kind and respectful place to live for ALL of us!

Obviously, I've shared my adoption story through my book, Corn-fed with Rice on the Side, and also through this blog.  But, you don't have to write a book or start a blog to share your story.  There may be someone at work that doesn't know you're adopted or that you have an adopted child.  Expand their view and share your story with them.  If your heart is leading you to adopt but you have tons of questions or concerns, reach out to adoption organizations that can answer your questions.  Or if you have questions for me, please feel free to email me at any time at kimfenneman@gmail.com.  

We need to share our stories to help other children find forever homes and to reflect the positive impact it's had in our own lives.  To be living testaments to what an open heart, mind and home can do for one child...or many!  It's truly a gift and blessing from God...for all parties involved.

So, support National Adoption Month by making an effort to raise awareness, support and understanding!  And may blessings follow you through each day of this week!

Stunned!

Sorry I missed posting on Wednesday, but I was stunned, shocked, disheartened, sickened and sadden by the election results.  I'm still finding my way our of disbelief and horror.  I literally was sick to my stomach watching the returns come in on Tuesday night and even more so all day Wednesday when reality hit.  This can't be happening!!  

Hate won.  Love did not win.  That hurts my heart.  The realization that there are SO many racists and sexists here in America...the land we all love...was devastating.  To know that someone SO hateful, vengeful, sexist, racist, etc. who incites violence, hate, division, and has no clue how to be president can actually now be our president is ludicrous.  We are no longer the respected and admired country from those around the world.  No one should aspire to be ANYTHING like our new president.  How sad is that, but it's true!  And seriously, what does this say to our kids that a bully, sexist, racist can become the leader of the free world.  His ego was enormous before and now he's been inflated to an even larger demigod than he thought he was before.  I just want to cry!

I know some of you reading this may have voted for him and I seriously will never understand why you did, but I will stand up against hated, racism, sexism, etc. because that's not the kind of person I am or will allow myself to be surrounded by.  Simply, we are all human beings first.  There are no labels.  Just humans with blood running through our veins...all the same!  Labels are just that...labels.  They don't define who we are or what we are, but the lack of respect for another human being....the lack of empathy and compassion...is what's failing us as a society.  It was brought us to this devastating time in our country's history that I'm simply appalled by and although I haven't found my way out of shock yet I will.  It'll just take some time.  Some time to get over how hate won and love did not.  Some time to get my fight back instead of feeling scared and angry.

 Gregg Popovich, the San Antonio Spurs head coach spoke to the media about the election results and absolutely sums up how I felt, as well.  So, if you haven't seen it Google it.  Yes, we are currently a divided nation and I know it'll take all of us to move forward, but please remember we can't tell others how to feel.  Some are angry, scared and fearful right now.  They have a right to be.  So, don't tell them to grow up and quit whining.  They have a right to feel how they feel and express it...that's part of our American fabric.  If you're ranting and raving about the protests then you're not part of the solution to bring unity and peace to our nation.  We need everyone to stop and listen to one another so that we can grow and so that we can become united.  So, please let people grieve in their own ways and take time to listen to one another.  Find some common ground.  And if you can't, please find tolerance and compassion for one another in your hearts.  It's the only way to move our country forward.

Blessings to all to bring unity, tolerance, compassion and empathy to our nation!!!

Recharge

After the last week to 10 days, I need to recharge!  My mom and I both do!  It was a long 8 days, but my dad finally got out of the hospital this past Friday!  Hallelujah!!  It was an exhausting 8 days and I think we're all still trying to recuperate and recharge as we get things back to normal.

It's raining right now and we just went through daylight savings time, so it's a perfect time to huddle inside, regroup, rest up and get ready for a brand new week.  It's also finally got cooler outside, so now it actually feels like fall!  Yippee!  So yeah, I kinda just want to hibernate for a day or two and get my bearings again.  And, the extra hour of sleep last night definitely helped!

I'm ready (well, I will be in another day or two) for the final push into the holiday season!  The last few weeks of the year that are inevitably the busiest.  So, it's probably a good time to recharge and get ready for the madness...I mean holiday cheer!  It's coming whether we're ready for it or not!

So, whether you're in need of a recharge or not I hope that you and your family is well, safe and happy!  Health is our most precious possession, so take care of yourself and your loved ones and enjoy the time you have together!  Blessings for a healthy week ahead!!

Update...

Just an update on my previous post about my dad.  He had a couple of really rough days mainly due to all the pain he was in and all the pain medication he had to take, but thankfully today he is much better.  He's still got some discomfort and his appetite is coming back slowly after not drinking or eating for 4 days...slowly, but surely he's making progress which is all we can ask for.  So, thank you for all your prayers and good wishes!  I truly appreciate it!

Blessings to you this first week of November!