LAST DAY BEING 40 : O

Okay so, today is my last day being 40 : O Come tomorrow I will be "41" OUCH! It hurts to even type it : )
anyway...I remember when I was a teenager ( many moons ago) when I heard that someone was 30 I thought " boy their old" But not anymore oh no ...30 is the new 20, and 40 is also the new 20 : ) " sorry my rules" : ) so with that said, I just want to begin my fourty something years with my head held up high, after all, these days thats the only thing that I can still keep held up...gravity stinks : ) ...so fourty something here I come, and fifty stay far, far , far AWAY!!!!!!


HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY WEEKEND EVERYONE!!!!!!
Carmen Pagano AND HER OLD MAN dANTE AND KIDS....

summer coming to an end : (

Well as our summer comes closer to its end, I think back at all the wonderful things we got to do as a complete family....Having Jia with us just made our family even more wonderful than what it already was....She has shown us to see things differently...we now appreciate things more, and realize that family is the most important thing in the world....We are greatful for our 3 beautiful children...and we are proud that we have been together for 25 years...you see our biggest accomplishments, should not be measured by our jobs, how much money we have in the bank, how many shoes are in our closets, but by our family...and our commitments to eachother...I am proud that I have been able to grow from a teenager to a now 41 year old women with Dante, I am proud of the family we have built together...It has not always been easy....Sometime it was down right difficult...we have shared the most joyous experiences together to the most difficult of times together. But we have remained constant in one thing, we have always remained by eachothers side. This blog has been a gift to me...because of this blog , I took the time and sat down every week and shared with you my little life...and as I did that I realize how lucky I am to be able to write such wonderful things that are going on in my life...I never use to take the time to reflect on what was going on around me and now I do...And you know what , pretty happy about many things that I have been able to experience and write about...What can I say " NOT TO BAD CARMEN, NOT TO BAD"

CARMEN PAGANO

What A wonderful WEEKEND!

What can I say our family had such a wonderful time this weekend at the Reunion! I am so lucky, not only to have traveled with these amazing people but to now be able to call them friends...what we share together is something that unless you have adopted it would be hard to understand....all 28 families traveled to China, missing something in our lives....Traveling with them and witnessing the Beauty of adoption with such wonderful people was and will always be something that I will forever carry in my heart. Seeing these babies enter their forever families 4 months ago, and now being able to see how the children have grown, and adapted so well...what can I say it was such a beautiful site to see...Seeing my Jianna with her Guangxi sisters just about brought tears of joy to my eyes.. I know that China travel Group # 137 will always be part of our lives, and I am very greatful to have them ...I was so happy that Dante and my boys could meet my travel mates...after all we a re now one BIG happy family...It is so very important to me that jIA STAY in touch with her Buddies.....And It is just as important to me that Dante the boys and I remain in touch with this amazing group of people...that I now can call my extended family....

Carmen Pagano

WOOOHOOOOO OUR TRAVEL GROUP IS GETTING TOGETHER THIS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY FOR OUR REUNION!!!

I am so excited this Friday and Saturday Our travel group is getting together for our reunion!!!!!! I know its only been 3 months since we have brought our Beautiful babies home, but I miss them....I can't wait to see how all the babies have grown and changed! My travel group, our such amazing people, they have become like our 2nd family......I am also Happy that Dante and the boys will get to meet them, seeing that they did not travel with me to China, they were not as fortunate as I was to have spent 2 weeks with such a great group of people...Friday some of us are going to Six Flags, and on Saturday we are having our Reunion at a park ....I can't wait for Jianna to see her Chinese sisters and lets not forget Reece the one boy of the group....He is such a cutie!

Carmen and Family

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY HUBBY!!!!

I can't believe it today IS my Dante's 42nd birthday....Happy birthday Sweet man of mine....Its been wonderful spending the past 25 years with you ...I have seen you grow from a teenage boy to such an amazing man...I am so proud to not only be your wife, but to have the gift of growing old with you ...What a wonderful journey its been...thank you for allowing me to share it with you...
Your Wife
carmen Pagano

MR. LIU GOT MY LETTER AND PICTURES OF JIANNA!!!!

I RECEIVED A E-MAIL TODAY FROM MY FRIEND Glen , he was our guide while we were in Nanning....and now he has become not only a very good friend, but family....As many of you know, while Jia was in the orphange, a sweet old man named mr. Liu would visit her everyday and played with her....as far as family was concerned, Mr. Liu was all Jia had and Jia was all the family Mr. Liu had.....you see although he has 2 adult daughters, they are both married and now are caring for their husbands parents.. Mr. Liu lived in the same buiding that Jia lived in....one of the floors in the building housed elderly homeless folks...... Anyway 4 days after I rec'd Jia, our guide, Glen informed me that the director of the orphanage called him, Mr. Lliu was very upset and cried for 4 days ...well I just could not leave China without seeing him...so off we went...When we arrived at the Orphanage, there he stood, this beautiful old man ...as soon as our van stopped he came to the car and took Jia in his arms...The Love that was in both their eyes was both wonderful and sad...wonderful because I was happy to know that Jia was sooooo loved, Sad because I knew that I was taking my daughter from the only family she had ever known....well to make a long story short, Mr. Liu cried because he was told that we adopt Chinese babies so that we can sell their body parts ( how awful, no wonder why that poor old man cried for days) I promised him that I would never harm her..and that what he heard was not true....I promised to Love her and make her happy...All Mr. Liu wanted was pictures of her....and I am happy to report, This week Glen e-mailed me saying that Mr. Liu got my Letter and the 20 Pictures of Jia and our family.....I felt so happy ,,,,I just wanted to cry.....I have come a long way.....I have grown up so much ....and I am so fortunate to have these beautiful kids....I am proud that I kept my word...I am proud that I did not let my sweet Mr. Liu Down....How can you ever thank someone enough for Loving your child , when you were not able to .....how can you ever thank someone enough for giving your baby all that you could not...Thank you Mr. Liu.....with all of my heart and soul, thank you for raising OUR child for her first 20 months of her life....I will NEVER let her forget you and I will always respect and Love you for being Jias source of LOVE.