Very Mixed Thoughts On "Shen Yun"

I am really shocked today to be reporting that I was not completely thrilled with "Shen Yun." I thought I would singing its praises today. Yes, it is BEAUTIFUL. Beyond visually stunning. The dancing and music and costumes - absolutely amazing.

But, there is a problem with it...

The problem is that there is a "Falun Dafa (Falun Gong)" agenda woven through the whole performance that is not revealed in any of the "Shen Yun Performing Arts" advertising. At all. They do give a little glimpse of their mission statement on their website, but there is nothing mentioned about "Falun Dafa". The only reason I understand so much about this movement now is because I have done some reading about it since last night. One of the things I've read about this movement is that the founder promotes racism and the hatred of homosexuals. I am also reading that there are many people out there that believe that Falun Dafa is a cult. And I found this website singing the praises of "Shen Yun." Obviously if we had known all of this, we may or may not have gone to the show. I'm not sure. Believe me, I have no problem with people expressing their beliefs. We live in a free country and you can believe and express what you want to. What I am upset about is the hidden agenda of this show. We were not given all the information regarding the show in the advertising so that Doug and I were able to make a completely informed decision whether to see this show with our daughter or not.

Doug and I brought our three year old child to this performance looking to share and enjoy traditional Chinese culture with her. I would say three-fourths of the show was mainly beautiful, traditional Chinese dance numbers. But, there were three songs sung during the show by opera singers and all the songs had a persecution-type tone to them (subtitles were being shown in English on the backdrop of the stage). And there were two dance performances that included people being persecuted by the Chinese government for practicing their beliefs (now I know Falun Dafa) - which included pretend kicking, hitting and even death. Yes, the death of a mother in front of her child for practicing her beliefs. (Oh - child was kicked and hit too.) Luckily, Briana is still too young to understand really what was going on.

So, if you decide to see this show - go with the knowledge that there is FAR more behind it than is let on. I am very, very disappointed today about all of this. That aside, the dance performances themselves were beautiful.

40 Years Together

My parents are in New York right now celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary!!! Happy 40th!!!!!

Flashback Friday

Quilt Square Update (Last Call For Squares!)

This above piece is very special because it comes from my grandmother (Bri's great grandmother) who Briana calls "Bubbe'".

The next three pretty pieces are from my cousin Sean, his wife Vickie and their three kids Tara, Amanda and Dustin...



I joined a OHGWQ Yahoo group and I've gotten so many cute fabrics and such sweet wishes. Here are fabrics from that group...

Lidanette was so sweet and sent me four pieces of fabric - including a Nemo fabric. Nemo is very big in this house!




This whimsical kite fabric is from Andrea and her family...

This bright pink and black fabric is from Diann and her family...

This tropical fabric came from Maria...

This cute green and purple fabric came from Melinda and her family...

This beautiful fan fabric and adorable bear fabric came from Misty and her family...


These next two really cute pieces are from Sharon and her family...


And I really love this heart one from Amy. Amy just received her LOA for her beautiful daughter Liya!!

And these last two adorable squares are from Waleska and her family...



I am on the home stretch! I only need a few more squares and I'm all wrapped up. If you would like to still contribute, let me know as soon as possible. I need to send my materials out to the woman making Briana's quilt in a few weeks. Thanks!

Black And White Wednesday

This lovely lady came up with this great idea. I love it!

And I want to wish my wonderful hubby a very Happy Birthday today!!! Smooches!!!

This and That - Snow, "Adopted" and Calendar

If you hadn't heard by now, Atlanta got some snow on Thursday. (I know you northerners are laughing, but this is big news in the south.) Unfortunately, it ended up just being a dusting at my house. But, my parents that live 30 minutes from me got around an inch or maybe a little more. With super cold temps, their snow really isn't melting. Bri had a great time yesterday playing in their snow as you can see above. I have lots more snow pics to post, but I need to resize them. I'll post in a few days.

Moving on to another subject..."Adopted".

I finally watched it. I heard about the DVD months and months ago and planned on buying it. I finally did buy it and watched it over the weekend. It was VERY, VERY good - I recommend it to anyone and everyone contemplating international adoption. It brings up really tough subjects that make you think. I really liked the documentary, but I think I got way more out of the companion/training DVD. There were a few things in the series that surprised me, but overall, I think the DVD mainly solidified the things that I have already been thinking about or worrying about regarding Briana and her future. I waited for Briana for two years and she has been home with me for two years. In that time, I've tried to obtain lots of information - reading books, looking around the internet, reading blogs of both adoptive parents and transracial adoptees, watching documentaries. I have absorbed a lot over the years.

I do like to read/hear opinions and experiences from other people because they make me think. Sometimes I agree, sometimes I don't. Some people are brutally honest with their kids regarding adoption, some sugar coat a little. Some celebrate adoption, others tell you not to celebrate it at all. Some people use the word "gotcha", some think it is completely horrible. Some people say don't make your kid feel different about themselves, others say kids differences should be celebrated. Some people focus on the down sides of adoption, some rather look at the positives that come out of it. What we can conclude from all of this is that we live in a world with lots of different people with lots of different perspectives on the same subject. And a lot of the time, who really knows for sure who is right or who is wrong? I don't think there are any black and white answers to any of this - I wish there were. All I can do is process the information that I have learned and try to do what I believe is best for MY family.

'Nuff said on that.

On a lighter note, Briana's orphanage group puts out a calendar each year. I submitted two pictures of Briana for the 2010 calendar. There is a picture of her in the center of the calendar and she is in the month of October (shown below - top left).

Happy Monday everyone.

Flashback Friday

* I've seen a few blogs that do Flashback Friday and I thought I would try it too. Enjoy!

More Artwork Compliments of Briana

I know that I have already posted about Briana's artwork, but she keeps blowing me away with her drawings! The above drawing is of a dinosaur.

And below, this is a snail...

A piece of toast (with arms and legs of course)...

A caterpillar...

Our kitty cat Asia. I did help her a little with the ears and whiskers...

Bri says this is a scarecrow, but it sure looks like an angel to me...

Bri took a plastic teacup and made circles with a crayon to make this Mickey Mouse. I think it is amazing...

And the pièce de résistance...

This is Briana's "Chinese New Year Dragon." She started making it and then decided to stick it to the outside of my office closet doors. It is held together by stickers and my return address labels.

Maybe I am biased, ok I am totally biased, but I think I have a very creative kid. :)

New Year's Eve

Hope everyone is having a great 2010 so far! New Year's Eve was lots of fun for Doug, me and Bri. The three of us went out for Japanese hibachi (like last year) and when we got home, our neighbors and good friends the "B" family came over for a little while to play some Wii and toast the new year. I bought Doug the "Beatles Rock Band" game for Christmas and that was a lot of fun. The kids had a great time and there was just enough excitement to tire them out for bed. The "B" family left our house around 8:45 and Doug and I tucked Bri into bed by 9:15. We sat down and watched the new "Star Trek" movie. It was so good! Then we watched the ball drop in Times Square on TV. It was a fun night with just the right amount of relaxation too.

Here are some pictures of our fun evening!

Happy New Year

Hope everyone had a happy and safe New Year's Eve. Ok, let's get started on a new decade...