Oh Canada

Today is a good day. A really, really good day. It may be that yesterday was my most stressful day on record, and I am just happy to see today in comparison. But I think all in all, today is a good day.

Yesterday, I presented a proposal to direct a musical in the fall of 2006. (Presentation went fairly well, we will find out next month if we get a greenlight.) Then I had a fill-in audition for the one I will miss next week. (My voice gave out by the end, but the director was far kinder than she needed to be. And I was amazed and humbled by how well they all treated me.) Then I had to go home and pack everything I needed for a three week trip to China. All this and I had a fever of 101. (It actually was 99.8 when I got home, but it was 101 yesterday morning, and "a fever of 101" sounds so much better than "a fever of 99.8")

However... Today is different. Before leaving town, the doctor gave me new stuff that seems to be making me feel much better. My mother said to ask the doctor if he had any of "the magic pills that make you feel better quick". And whadda ya know, he did. Thanks Ma.

Also, it seems as if we will be able to re-enter the States by car rather than flying Kaya to Seattle. This has been a headache for the past several days, and we were sure that we would end up with a hassle getting the new baby back into the states. You see, when you bring adopted babies back to the States, they get US citizenship as soon as they enter the country. We sign a few forms and wave a few flags, and 'ta-dum', instant citizen. However, the process for Chinese adoptions is always at the airports, and because we are flying back into Vancouver, we will never be in a US airport. You can see the dilemma.

But, today we decided to stop at the border on the way across and ask someone if we could bring a baby through there on the way back. You don't go through US customs on the way to Canada, but there were several parking spaces along the highway marked "Visitor Parking for US Customs". So, we parked there and dodged traffic to get back to the US side of the border. We found a guy behind a desk and asked him if they knew how to do the Citizenship thing like they do at the airports. He answered that "of course they did that thing", and explained that they are US Customs and Immigration and they do that kind of thing all the time. We really didn't mean to demean the border crossing at Blaine, or insinuate that they were somehow less than the "full service" border agents at the airports. We just didn't know anybody who had adopted a baby that way. He said as long as the Canadians let her through, they will make her a citizen. Which is alright by me.

Also, today is Thanksgiving in Canada. So, I celebrated by filling my belly with some really spicy jambalaya. The restaurant was one of the few in the area that was not Asian, and we really didn't want our last meal before leaving for three weeks in China to be 'Lo Mein'. Maybe the spicy food is what I needed to clear out my sinuses. Either way. It was extra tasty.