How can she be 24?

Twenty-four years ago today my sister and her husband submitted an application to the only adoption agency in the DC/MD/VA area that Kate was not affiliated with due to her being the director of a special needs foster care program in Northern Virginia. She did not want any impropriety or special favors from an agency she already worked with.
On that very same day, 24 years ago, my niece Karen Holly Haywood was born into this world by a loving birth mother in Columbia Maryland.
Who would know that two such divergent paths would then meet on that fateful day in July, 14 months later?
She brought all the hopes and dreams of my sister and her husband to fruition. She was loved and cared for by a mother who gave up her career to be home with her blessing from heaven. And heaven sent she was, with blue eyes, brown hair and the love for two parents who wanted her so badly. She crawled into her father's lap and it was love at first sight. She bonded with Kate like no other. She was home and home she has been. I remember that day like it was yesterday (or maybe last month!)

Happy Birthday Karen Holly Haywood. May the next 24 years be as special as you are.

A chocolate cake made with love my her Mom. She is really getting quite domestic!




TA DA!
24!

The last day of September!

Where does the time go? I will be in Vancouver in one week. waa hooo! I am so excited, and have so much to do. Five Kestner women on the move. Look out United. Wonder how much stuff I'll manage to stuff in my suitcase to scatter to the family. Love to do that. Hope they like it and don't think I am nutso!

I can hardly wait to see everyone and have a person to person visit. It seems everyone is always happy when I call. But nothing beats a person to person chat.......after a crazy day with a bizillion kiddlebugs zooming around, all tucked in bed and sleeping.

Today was a day spent solely in front of a computer at work! How knew surgery would involve a computer. Well not all day I did do a very sad case on a lovely patient who ignored her breast cancer a bit too long. She is on a big river called denial. I have not seen such bad cancer in a long time........probably back to West Virginia, which is getting to be quite a while ago. Where does to the time go?

Karen took my Buick to her body shop on Monday. She put the car through the shop to help me get 3 scratches fixed on the lift gate to the Enclave. She is a wiz with cars and was VERY sweet to help me rid my car of 2 minor and one delinquent key scratch. It was done today and oh to be 23 again and love to drive as much as she does. She zipped to Sibley (from Gaithersburg, 25 miles north) to do the car trade after work......as I was still there when she was done. Don't get me wrong. I love to drive. Ask my sister Holly. I drove her 3117 miles to Chelan Washington last October. What a fun trip.....more on that in another post when I figure out how to put photos in here! Anyway my car is beyond spiffy, new paint, all buffed up AND she got them to detail the inside. BONUS. I am a happy girl.

Work was blurr, I looked up and it was 1730......time to call Tim. We had a "romantic" dinner in the cafeteria and then Tim and I stopped by Mom's to help her with the apartment rental. She is so mad about the whole event she cannot even think or talk about it without tearing up. I don't blame her. Kim Brown has some very bad karma to make up for messing with an 86 year old lady! But we will get the apartment to code and she can have her bad juju and we will be happy and Kim will still be a miserable person scared of her own shadow and have bad Karma to make up for.

The moon is getting full, it is a cool fall night. Fall is a wonderful time. My garden even looked good in the moon light tonight. Now to find the time to mulch! Where does the time go?