I had made no plans for all of November and some of December. My calendar was a wide open blank slate of dates and experiences that would never need to be filled in. I would have spent that time in Kazakhstan in some sort of alternate universe of days that blended into others, time spent…
Author: Stephanie Karp
Growing Pride, Unpacking and a Huge Thank You!
Gary just shared with me that he has gotten and has been getting such amazing feedback from clients when he had told them last week that he’d be “out of commission for three weeks.” Their initial thought was “Back surgery?” But when he began telling people he’d be out of the country for international adoption,…
Grateful List
I am grateful for a quiet day yesterday and today and for not pushing my limits. I am grateful I cooked a nice dinner early last night and everyone was cozy in PJs by 5:30 pm, with faces washed and guitars practiced. It was the perfect chilly day for this. I am grateful for being…
Trains, Cousins and Friends, Oh My!
Emma and Eden on the way to Manhattan via the Q train on Saturday. What a treat for them! Eden sporting her signature style — colors and prints galore!Emma is thrilled to be a “straphanger” if only for a day! We usually drive into the city so it was a treat for me too to…
A Very Special Hannukah Present
Just last night I looked at the pile of Hannukah gifts for my kids and thought, well, I guess it will be next December that a little boy will get to celebrate Hannukah for the first time. Twelve hours after that thought, my cell phone rang which changed the course of events. THIS Hannukah we…
The Reality of Leaving on Such Short Notice
Though I barely have time to write this post, I know that the act of writing, the quiet clicking of the keyboard and the roam of free thoughts flowing through my brain, has always calmed me. I am nervous. I am frazzled. At moments, I am calm. Or crying in the car. Or peaceful. Or…
A is for Almaty!
I write to you from the hotel lobby of Hotel Kazakstan. Now as you sleep, Gary and I fight off exhaustion as it is 2:10 pm here and we must stay awake to have some semblance of normalcy. We have arrived safe and sound after a total door to door travel of 25 hours. It…
Waiting for Pick Up
So here we are, Stephanie and Gary, waiting in the hotel room sitting on our unmade tiny and hard bed (though sleep was good last night) with Gary busying himself with organizing stuff, or maybe he’s just pacing, I can’t really be sure. I am here in Almaty looking out the window as I type…
We have found our boy! And I feel thrilled!
Written Monday, December 14, 2009 Almaty at Noon Exhausted and emotionally fatigued but happy and relieved. There is a little boy, about 2 years old, who made me cry with joy and relief upon seeing him when they walked him in, a reaction I did not expect to have. I never even cried at the…
Steph’s Travel Journal — Thoughts from NYC to Amsterdam
These notes are transcribed from the paper journal I kept while traveling December 11-12, 2009. (I also updated previous “Meetcha Day” post with a few more details.) Friday, December 11, 2009 10:42 pm “Deliver me to safety. Deliver me to safety,” I whisper to myself, as the plane has just lifted off and out my…