Oh, you should write a book

That's at least what people tell me about my adoption adventures. Sounds good, no? I even have a great title: "Suddenly Mommy." The subtitle? Hmmmm. "Kids, cats and Kazakhstan"? Or "how to start a family when you're 50"? Or "why Christian singles should adopt"? (The latter is because most of my church friends told me I *had* to get married before adopting. Nice thought, but...where are the men?
How about this: "In the steps of Genghis Khan: How I found my kid-o on the Kazakh steppes."
Actually I have made inquiries. My current publisher told me the idea is too "niche;" not enough people would buy it. My emails to 2 other publishers/agents went unanswered. So the world is not yet crying out for this book. Actually, I think single moms could use all the encouragement and funny stories they can get. There's precious little out there for them as it is. I am still in contact with lots of single women adopting internationally. Not much has changed on the corruption front. One said her coordinator is charging her $800 for a kid's passport. The real price is $50. Oh, the graft...
Last Sunday I splurged with a friend and we saw "La Bayadere"danced by the Kirov at the Kennedy Center. For those of you who have never seen that haunting "Kingdom of the Shades" third act opening dance, click here to watch it on You-Tube:
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fijTqLEWBI8). It is gorgeous; one of the most famous scenes in all of ballet-dom. Those Russians sure know how to do those massive productions right.
Speaking of massive, I am spending the weekend frantically trying to get through the edits for my Quitting Church book. Am trying to line up babysitters to give myself more time. It's not easy to get kids these days, especially those over 15. Has anyone noticed that when they get a kid, they get more accident-prone? I have never knocked over so many things: glasses of this or that, or dropped things in my life. Thank God I have wooden floors downstairs. I do not know if I am tired or proccupied or what but it seems as though I am constantly bumping into and spilling things.
The photos are from Christmas: Veeka adoring her gifts and her cousin Carley.