February 2009 - An interesting month...

So - I have been a blog slacker... sorry.

Ava -

The Oneonta area families that have adopted from Asia hold a "Chinese New Year" celebration and Ava and I were invited. We had a lot of fun. We did crafts, met about 15 other families with children adopted from Asia, and participated in a Dragon Dance. We also found a new favorite Chinese Buffet. A few people from Hartwick have participated in International Adoption and have been careful to introduce themselves and offer support as a new member of this community (China, Russia, and Ethiopa). The pictures above are from the New Year Celebration - Ava and I even had a picture in the local newspaper...

Well, if you remember she had a bad case of bronchitis in January. On February 16th she had a fever so I took her to the doctor again and guess what - pneumonia and an ear infection - so another 14 days of nebulizer treatments, steroids, and antibiotics kept us busy at home.

Me -

Work - I had my first set of Board of Trustee Meetings as the VP of a College - talk about an interesting experience - especially with the economy taking a nose dive. I received positive feed back from the Board members and my colleagues but it didn't make me any less nervous each time I prepared to present or challenge people in a discussion. One of the more exciting things that happened was that I was asked to go out with some of the Board Members (alumni) for drinks after one of the formal dinners. We ended up at a small out of the path bar called "No Place" - it was very much - a no name, no place local kind of bar and when I walked in with my Chanel suit and patent leather heals I stuck out like a soar thumb - the guys took their jackets & ties off - but I was not so lucky. Note to self for the future - keep an extra set of more casual clothes in the car when the boys come to town. I also realized that when the Board of Trustees are in town, Ava needs to spend the weekend with Dad because the days are very long. Two weeks later I attended a dedication for our new gymnasium at the College - it was a lot of fun - but once again lots of testosterone. Ava was at her dad's that weekend also, so the two weekends I could have spent unpacking or relaxing were spent working long hours.

Personal - My friends talked me into trying Match.com - so I did. I did not like it... so that was very short lived. But on the last day of the Board Meetings (Valentine's Day) a friend, who is a guy, asked me to go to a hockey game that night. I said yes. I didn't even think of it as a date... but it turns out it was a date. He had impressed me earlier that week when at a basketball game he asked if Ava could go to the other side of the gym to see the cheerleaders before the game started. I said sure (assuming I would take her) then he asked, "will she walk over with me"? I figured why not give it a try and the two of them walked hand in hand over to the cheerleaders who passed her around like a little doll and then she was introduced to the new love her life - the college mascot "Swoop". Swoop is now spoken about daily in the house and is our screen saver.

When they came back to to our seats, Ava spent the rest of the game angling for his attention, eating the food of the other people around us, and dancing each time the music came on during time outs - she got a lot of attention that night. I thought it was cool and was thrilled that Ava had been more open to moving among my friends at the game and was not staying as attached to my hip as she had at earlier games...

Back to the "new friend" story. So anyway, as we were walking to our cars on the way out of the board meeting he asked if I wanted to grab dinner before the hockey game - I said sure why not. We had a great dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant - he had paid enough attention to me previously to know that I like hockey and that Ava was Vietnamese, so I might want to try this restaurant. I could not believe what a great time I had and he paid - was it a date? Over the next few weeks it became clear to me that we could become "more than friends" - so I have a little skip in my step when I think of him :).

On a very sad note - my Dad Phil Gott (step dad - but he is my dad in all sense of the word) passed away on February 27th at 61 years of age - http://celebrate.dailyherald.com/Syracuse/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=124816258 . He married my mom when I was 8. I am the oldest of 6. The timing and method of his death was his decision - so it has been very hard for us to come to terms with. My family, friends and the new people I have met in Oneonta have all been wonderful! Thank you so much for your support.

So - yes February was a very strange month for me - stress and success at work, trying to decide if it is o.k. to feel good about the feelings I am having for a "new friend" in my life, and loosing my Dad unexpectedly. Thank God for Ava, my mom, brothers and sister, and my friends!