Miscellaneous End of January 2017 - Early February

I am catching up, writing this post many weeks after these activities. Just to document them in our annual blog book.
So here I go with a bit of politics - we have been glued to the TV/Internet news since the inauguration - our new President has pushed through many new executive orders including a ban on certain countries that USA will not allow immigrants to come from. Between whatever connection and lies about Russia during the campaign and now the firing of General Flynn, having a spokesperson make up massacres and telling the public to buy a certain retail brand; the White House using a private email server, approving top senior officials who have no prior service to our country (including someone who has never been to a public school is now over our education!) - the truth is hard to come by. There are so many contradictions, vague responses and legal issues, I think more than half the nation is confused. WE are confused by our new President's Administration, the chaos, the pointing fingers, blaming everyone (won't list all those he has called out). At least SNL is entertaining if so very sad as the humor reflects real life instead of being a parody! That's it for my rant (by ACM).
Right before Chinese New Year (on 01/28/17), we went to the movie Hidden Figures. It was a wonderful story, so sad in many ways due to the treatment of talented, intelligent ladies. AA was not very familiar with the segregation that happened; seeing ladies rooms called "colored", we had conversations about how some of American's were treating anyone differently than the "white/European" Americans.

Of course, with the new President's immigration "ban", AA has asked about her citizenship status.
From Facebook (02/04/17): fm - Alyzabeth asked today if she was an immigrant...And with that, the ugliness hits home. {a few supportive comments copied below}
Jon-Tammy Hatfield This ugliness is not what a child her age should have to worry about. So sorry.
Kris Jackson I think it's such a great question and what a fantastic opportunity to give her the real answer, without all the political negativity. I told Ellis that unless you are Native American- all of us are immigrants or descended from immigrants. That immigrants are what make our country diverse and wonderful- and that I think it's so cool that she was born in a different country.
Donna Wheeler Yes, honesty is the best here. We do our children a misdeed if we don't use the words they hear out there. While we love and cherish they for who they are, the rest of the world sees what they are and will use that against them. We must arm our kids to stand up for themselves and engage those people rather than fear them.
Yes, we understand about illegal immigrants, also that Obama administration deported the most of any President. We get that, however there are many cases that we granted a stay in order to follow the process, now that is out the window. All this talk has raised many questions in the international adoption groups, ensuring we all obtained the proper papers that document our children as USA citizens. 
Oops - back to politics - there are many groups now organizing under the tag of "resist" or "resistance". We must do what is possible to continue to fight for human rights for all. Leaa and girls participated in the St. Augustine march. Proud of them! (01/21/17)

01/27/06 - 01/27/2017: Then another year went by - the 11th anniversary of our LID date - the date our adoption papers were accepted/logged into the China Welfare Institute.
From David Curewitz, who we waited with him as our date was the 27th, his was the 26th.
 Eleven years ago today, our hopes, dreams and a pile of paperwork was officially logged in at a bureaucratic office outside somewhere in Beijing. January 26th, 2006 would be our "login date" and would mark our place in line for adopting a child from China. Month after month, I (and thousands of others) agonized at how much (and far too often, how little) the line moved each month. After far longer than we ever anticipated, one day it finally became our turn and Sandy and I found out there was a little girl waiting for us across the ocean.
So, Happy LID anniversary to all my China friends. The day is long gone and not really well-remembered as it once was, but the actions of that date brought us all the families we have today.
Yes, we are a family, with little daughter Alyzabeth, so thankful!