Cute picture...

I just found this adorable picture of Ethan and Mia from this summer. Is that smile cute or what!

Flower and Garden Show

For the last three years I've helped out at my Grandpa's mason bee booth at the flower and garden show up in Seattle. I started out as the cashier and last year I focused more on the whole talking to people thing. I wasn't planning on going this year, because it looked like it would be during my trip in China. It turned out to be the week before I left, but I decided that I would just let Autumn do it and spend that week preparing for my trip instead. The day before the show started the lady who was going to come help everyday wasn't able to, so I got the job instead. I only did Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday because my mom wants Saturday. It was super fun, but it's looking like this will be the last year we do it. Yesterday Morgan and Sis. McLaughlin stopped by the booth and totally made my day. Now I have the weekend off and get to make sure that the girls don't kill the kitties and that they don't get lost. :)

Change the subject (kind of). Last night they decided that it was about time to name the little kitty which has made itself at home at my grandparent's house. They did the whole everyone put your name that you want it the bowl and we'll draw out 3 to vote on thing. Well, those three belonged to some little girls and they were getting their feelings hurt because someone voted for a different name than theirs. So the little kitty's name is Amber Rose Peanut Butter. Now all the little girls are happy and a little cat has a way to long name. Nickname? Can't do that because it'll hurt feelings too. I think I'll just call it "the kitty". :)

Donations for Starfish!

   

Here is our picture of everything we've gathered for Starfish. Definitely more than last year. There are a lot of receiving blankets there in the back. We were stacking them and then kind of made it like a hill so you could see most of it in the picture. After some more packing we were able to fit almost all of it in our bags. My mom will send what didn't fit while I'm over there, so we'll get it while we're there. Those starfish babies are pretty lucky to be getting all of this amazing stuff.  Thanks to everyone for helping me get all of this stuff. I definitely couldn't have done it without you.

                                         

Update on Amanda...

Please keep Amanda and the Starfish babies in your prayers. We just got another update. They are trying to send Amanda to the U.S. or Europe so she can get the best medical attention as soon as possible. It sounds like she has stage 4 lung cancer which has already reached her skin. She needs medical attention really soon. Please keep her in your prayers. This amazing woman has saved so many babies in the last 7 years and we hope that we can get the medical assistance that she needs. 

When I planned my trip I never expected something like this to come up. They really need all the help they can get at Starfish right now. It makes me wish I could stay there longer than a month. These past few days have been crazy. 

On a happier note, we were able to fit most of the many donations in our baggage and are going to try again later this week with some vacuum packing. 

A big thank you to everyone that has helped by bringing over clothes and baby supplies and for the prayers  in Amanda's behalf. 

Here is the message they sent out:

Dear Starfish Friends and Family,

As you know, our Executive Director and beloved friend Amanda has cancer, and is in great need of immediate, top quality medical care.

We need to get her to a modern facility /hospital in the United States or Europe as soon as possible.

We are urgently asking each of you for a very specific kind of help. If you or someone you know has contact with a top senior level administrator at a quality cancer center, please let us know immediately. We need to know if they would be willing to let Amanda come and receive the complicated care she needs – pro bono - as their way of helping a person who has given the past 7 years of her life saving hundreds of babies through donated, medical care. Perhaps they would be willing to now do the same for her. This can only be the very highest level of hospital contact – we are short on time and need answers immediately.

If you, or someone you know, has this kind of highest level connection to a top cancer care center, please contact Patrick McLaughlin as soon as possible, at:

Patrick
917-494-7691 or paddymac0130@gmail.com --any time of the day or night -- time is of the essence.

Sincere thanks,
Patrick and the Starfish Board

Hillsboro Argus

On Friday we had a visit from a reporter about my last China trip. We talked for a while about different babies. Big thank you to Jill for e-mailing us and letting us know about it being in the paper today! Since we are in WA and don't get the newspaper anyways we would have totally missed it. Here's the link: http://www.oregonlive.com/argus/index.ssf/2012/02/forest_grove_teen_plans_return.html

Amanda update: They found that the cancer hasn't spread anywhere yet which is really good news. 

Amanda

We just got another e-mail from China. The doctors have determined that Amanda has cancer. Please keep her in your prayers.

China ramblings...

{Angela}

We leave for Washington tomorrow morning. That's our first stop before China and we'll be there for a week until it's time to hop on the plane. I'm getting more excited and freaked out each day. To think that in one week I'll be holding babies...

Today church was different. Mainly because I had to play the organ a little last minute and I didn't pick out the hymns until this morning (I know, bad decision). After the first verse of a hymn I have this bad habit that makes me stop focusing on the notes and my mind wanders off to other things. That ended up quite a few mistakes while I tried to find my spot. :) It was my last time seeing my best friends for the next month and a half and we were at church for an extra 1/2 hour giving hugs over and over and over. 

Now I'm packing for the next month and it ,seriously, takes a lot of thought because you can only take so many clothes and you have to choose ones that you won't get sick of after a couple weeks. 

I promise a picture of all the donations gathered together once I'm in Washington. And there will be tons of stuff. I will definitely blog while I'm gone, even though I'm going to have to trust my mom to blog through my e-mails since it's hard to get on certain websites when you're in China. 

Also, we just found out that Amanda has been in the hospital and they are doing some tests. I don't think she's home yet. I imagine things are pretty busy at Starfish, so please keep her and the babies in your prayers that all may run smoothly. I know how crazy it is there when she's gone for a hour or two, so this has got to be a super crazy time. 

And the birthdays at the Kang house begin...

February always starts the birthday craziness here. Today is Chloe's birthday and she's ten. Happy birthday, Miss Chlo-ella! She couldn't hide her smile when she walked down at 6 a.m. (what are you doing that early on your birthday?) when she saw an awesome shelf for by her bed on the counter. Other presents she has to wait for since that was the only one we couldn't wrap. :) 

Only 5 more birthdays until we get somewhat of a break. Me, Autumn, Elise, Lilly, and Dad. Because I need another countdown, 2 weeks until I get to go to dances! But I am missing 3 while I'm in China and then there isn't another one until May. I'm kind of bummed out about that. 

We now have too much stuff for us to bring to China and have to get extra luggage! Since Grandma got her visa, I'm not worried everyday. Now I have something new to worry about: all our luggage is not going to fit into a taxi. And I hate finding taxies in China. Luckily, we have Apple. That takes care of one. The other one... I'll let him take care of that. :)