My Little Friend

I have yet to mention my little friend Angela. I'm not sure why I haven't talked about her yet, but, I just have to start sharing my stories of her.

Angela is a 4 year old precocious, fiesty, gorgeous little girl with long black hair and dark brown eyes. Her parents are native of China...well, to be more specific, her mother is from Fujian, China, and her dad is from Hong Kong. They own a Chinese restaurant in a neighboring town and the food is to DIE for.

Mike and I would go to eat at the restaurant every so often. It's in the town where he works, but is 22 miles from home, so we'd go when I felt like meeting him. However, about a year ago, I met Angela for the first time. We were eating in the restaurant and here was this darling little Chinese girl. At the time, we hadn't started our adoption in Vietnam, and I was still fixated on the wait for our China adoption. Of course Angela caught my eye because of her heritage, and because she was just so darn cute!!!

She was too shy to come over and visit that first time, but I was smitten. ;) Mike and I would go eat there and we started talking to Angela and her mom. I quickly told Shelly (Angela's mom) that we were adopting....explaining as best as I could that I wasn't some crazed stalker weirdo type person. Mike and I just kept coming in every now and again and got to know them quite well. Not only was I taken with Angela, but with her whole family.

Angela's family is opening a new restaurant in the same town, so everyone is horrendously busy. They are still running the current restaurant, and renovating a huge storefront on the main street, which will be a Chinese/American buffet. Shelly had wanted to send Angela to stay with Angela's grandma in China during this busy time, but it just never worked. Which made me happy! My little friend would have been gone for months! Not only that, but Angela's first language is Chinese. I personally think she would have lost a lot of the English she has learned, having gone to China for several months.

Since they are so busy right now, (and I am not) :) I have started going there several times a week to watch Angela and help out. My friendship with this wonderful family has grown 100 fold. I try to help Angela learn more English, write her letters and numbers, color, cut paper (her favorite...don't ask me why...), teach her some American kid's games, dance, get out of the restaurant on sunny days, watch movies, and have the time of my life. Mike comes, too, for lunch, and dinner. Good thing we love Chinese food!!! For a man who was hesitant to have kids....man....they are so cute together. He teases her, and her temper flares, but he is so incredibly patient with her. I'll have to write another blog just on those two together.

The main reason I had to finally post about my little friend is because of something that hit me the other day when I was with her. I usually try to bring her a little somthin' somthin', whether it's a color book, or a toy, or paper, whatever. Sometimes I'll pick her up a DVD. Last Friday was rainy and cold, so I bought her the Disney classic, "The Little Mermaid."

I think sometimes I take it for granted that all kids know about Cinderella, Snow White, The Little Mermaid, etc. I was literally brought to tears on Friday when I watched the movie with her. Angela had never heard of Ariel or Flounder and Sebastian before. She was absolutely enthralled and mesmorized. It still brings tears to my eyes....I think because I was so lucky to be able to experience this child's absolute wonderment and share in a new experience for her. I guess that sounds corny, and it's hard to explain. But, I'll tell you, it felt good.

Well, I could go on and on about Angela and her family, and I'll probably share more stories about her now. Today we danced and laughed and drank a glass of ice water with two straws. We cut out pumpkins, colored pictures, and her mom thought we were both crazy. And, sitting there with my hair in pigtails, cutting out paper fish, I probably DID look crazy. But, come Wednesday, when I walk in that door and I'm pelted with a flying Angela hug and kisses, I don't care if I looked like the biggest weirdo on the planet. It's all worth it. :)