Arrival at Betty's Place

We have arrived at Betty's Place!! Sorry for the late update, but we were really exhausted last night. And this morning was all Betty...need I say more? I have delivered to her the collective WNY hug. Here is a picture from Betty's web site:


Nick was positively wonderful on the trip up. The flight from Atlanta to Bogota was 4 1/2hrs with a couple pockets of small turbulence (the pilots made more of it that needed). He was very patient. A cute 10yr old Colombian girl behind us, fluent in English, entertained him for a while.

The most stressful part of the trip was making the connection in Atlanta. We had no time to spare just getting on the plane. Due to the late reservations and not getting to the gate early enough, not one of our three seats were together. The stewardess was unwilling, at first, to assist us in getting the seats together. Diane changed her attitude in really short order. We all sat together.

Probably the most wonderful thing was Nick coming into Betty’s and feeling right at home. He found all the train toys in about 10min. and checked out all the rooms within 15min. He slept right through the night. So, Nick is making in easy on us.

We are here with the Walton from the Toronto area for their first. We are doing are best to help them with the “lay-of-the-land”. The most important task is getting everybody’s computer up in running. Things are going pretty well. The penetrating coolness takes a bit getting used to, but the fire places are now warming everything up nicely.

Time for lunch. We should be good and rested for the big events tomorrow.

Colombia According to Nick
Nick’s first misstep in his new surroundings was a visit to the hall restroom here at Betty’s. Anyone can miss that step down. Nick does not feel that the toilet cover is agreeable to his tastes, but he thinks the term “fat lip” is funny.

Preparing for travel to COWOMBIA

This weekend of our trip down to begin Expedition Corinne 2003; we have to miss two special annual parties: the Rochester FANA Pool Party hosted by Nick’s buddy couple John and Kitty Budney and the Schmitt Family Picnic (The Kedge matriarchal branch…). Very sorry to miss everyone. Someone else will have to remember to bring the SPF-45 sunscreen. At least you won’t have to endure Nick making a point about you looking like “raw chicken”. Party on and catch you next year.

Colombia According to Nick
As we progress with Expedition Corinne 2003, we often pause to look at Nick reminiscing and wondering at how he has grown since Nick Trek 2000. Diane verbalized her wonder to Nick in what would be a rhetorical question to anyone but a 3 year old, "Where is my little baby"? Nick's matter-of-fact point-out-the-obvious response was, "IN COWOMBIA, I'm a big boy". (The L's are coming along...)

The end of golf...

Yesterday, was interesting from a pastime perspective. In Rochester, everyone is a photographer and everyone plays golf. How these two pastimes evolved at this Arctic outpost is amazing to most, but it is rumored to be the results of a Disney brainwash. As everyone with two or more children knows, they are THE pastime.

Got up at 5:30AM for a 6:30AM tee time to shoot 9. 1st hole was a pick up 10 and the rest were varying degree of futility. I was just delirious with a bogey on 9!

Diane and I then traded time slots to go see the final day of the LPGA tournament (Ladies Pro Golf) here in Rochester. Lorena Ochoa standing at about 5' 7" (maybe 120lbs. - not a good judge of ladies weights and, surprise, the LPGA website doesn't publicize them) went out and shot a 66 that day, showing all what a simple, simple game it truly is. Her drives averaged 260yds for the 4-day tournament.

My clubs have been moved from the trunk of the car to the basement to be slowly transmogrified into quaint antiques until it comes time again to have a pastime...like when I take up the pastime of trying to convince Corinne what a simple, simple game golf is!

Colombia According to Nick
Returning from golf after he woke up, Nick asked, "Why were you playing golf?" I had no answer for him.

Nick Prepares for Corinne

On the 6-month anniversary of dismantling Nick's crib, we are having a re-mantling of crib party today.

At 3 years of age, Nick is actively offering classic “Nickisms”. I expect quite a few of them as we venture off to Colombia. When we first brought Nick home at 3mo., Diane’s mother asked her when she would tell Nick he was adopted. Diane’s response was, “I already have.” Though he doesn't really know what adoption means as that could take a life time, Nick is quite aware of where he hails from and that his birthmother says a prayer for him each day. Nick is looking forward to going to FANA and getting the baby, meeting Aunt Betty and talking Spanish with Flor. What I hope to capture is some of these “Nickisms” and pass them along in a section of the journal entitled: Colombia According to Nick. I kick off the section with these he shared with us yeterday…

Colombia According to Nick“Corinne is lonely. We have to go get her.”

Nick is quite attached to each and every "stuffed" animal he has. We have reassured him that he need not share his bears with Corinne. But, when Diane indicated that we needed to get two FANA bears, one for him and the other for Corinne, his reply was, "I don't need a bear 'cause I am a big boy." We fully expect him to flip between "big" and "little" as the situation fits...

Carolyn and Corinne

Diane and I are overjoyed with the presentation of our Fathers Day referral, but before we share with you some of our joy, I would to take of few moments with our greater FANA family.

For the Kedge friends and family members that come to this web site without the underlying back ground about what I am about to touch upon, our FANA family has suffered the sudden and tragic loss of Carloyn Van Schaik, a vibrant and engaging member of our very tight community and the mother of two precious daughters.

Carolyn Van Schaik

Over the next few weeks our FANA group will look to the Kedge's Caringbridge page for diversion, a diversion from much pain in our loss of Carolyn, a diversion of hope, a diversion to the promise of long held dreams fulfilled, the diversion that binds us all, a diversion that I promise to deliver on. But, before I can begin, I need to do what most all members of the extended FANA family need to do before we can carry on with our joys, our work, our responsibilities; I really need to let the tears flow as they will.

Crying is a uniquely human gift we (especially us guys) too often feel we need to suppress. To cry is to allow ourselves to escape the spiral that attempts to make spiritual sense of something that cannot possibly make sense. To allow ourselves to cry gives us the opportunity to reach a peace that will eventually allow grace to intervene. Tears will allow us to sleep so that we can handle the challenges of our days ahead. It will expose our vulnerability to our partners and even our older children who seek to validate and share with us their own fears.

Predestination never did it for me. If I am to believe freewill, then I have to believe that my god is as devastated as I. He cries with me. He holds me as I collapse in His arms and encourages me to let the tears flow. Please borrow Him.

I consider myself fortunate to have been acquainted with Carolyn. I will hold with me her excitement at the home coming for her second daughter. I will remember her disappointment at coming home so soon, because "...we were having so much fun!" I will remember her enthusiasm and grip on the crowd while she spoke at the annual board meeting; a command that needed no balky microphone. And I will remember and hold dear our casual conversations at FANA events.

To Carolyn's husband Rob: Let your God and your FANA family carry you. My heart, thoughts and prayers are with you over the next few days. I cannot comprehend you and your girl's loss, but I can promise you that I will go to Bogotá to seek and return with the joy that binds us.

Now onto that joy! Diane and I have come to a decision on that bundle of joy's name. Her FANA given name is Diana (Dee-anna), which really put goose bumps on Diane's goose bumps upon getting the referral. We will retain that special name as her middle name and her first name (trumpets sound) will be Corinne!

Sorry if I go on too much, but rambling is a tendency that is hard to break, but I wish to share with you a short story. When I was 9 or 10yrs old, I brought home a cat. Mom and Dad relented and Oscar the cat became a member of the Kedge family. Well, little Oscar wasn't “Oscar” for long, probably not more than a day. In a family filled with 4 boys, when Mom found out Oscar was female, not only was the poor feline renamed, but also it wasn't my cat anymore!

Like myself, Diane's siblings are all brothers. We have 5 wonderful nephews (no nieces). The extended Kedge family now has their princess! I share this with you for two reasons: 1) FANA has made Diane's and my dreams of a family with children come true but to try and put words to that joy for all our FANA friends would be a lot like preaching to the choir. So, we would like to take this last opportunity to give voice to the joy that FANA has brought to the extended Kedge family. Like most FANA parents, our extended families patiently endured with us our long journey extending every prayer and every hope. They all bask in a joy that FANA has made possible.

I did say two reasons and the second falls into the "public service" category: 2) If you are looking for a small cute pink dress, you may have to mail order from a distant land or wait for fall fashions, since Mom has already canvassed the Buffalo Metropolitan area.

We would also like to extend a note of appreciation to Peter, Deb and Mathew Cullen who have long journeyed with us and got to present Corinne’s referral to us on a magical Fathers Day! At the end of that night, Nick said to Mat, “You are a good friend!” To which Mat replied enthusiastically, “YA!”

Stay tuned for more caring on about Corinne...

It's a GIRL!

We are so happy to announce the arrival of our little girl. The Cullen family surprised us with the news on Nick's 3rd birthday, which was also Father's day. We can't wait to meet her!