Hyakuretsukyaku

Here she is, Chun Li!  This is a costume that we got for Madison, which works for our video game series at KidPak, and also for Halloween.  Here's a letter I wrote my friends:

A lot of people ask this question, and it frankly offends me from time to time. There’s this hidden suggestion that I wanted to adopt this "perfect little China doll.”  

Typically, I get all self-righteous and remind folks that the Chinese system of adoption was more streamlined and more reliable.  Furthermore, I explain that we didn’t have to worry about extended stays in the foreign countries we were adopting from, or unexpected bribes and fees  we’d have to pay.  Additionally, I tell people that we also didn’t have to worry about  any hidden alcohol related symptoms that were so prominent in certain regions.

But those are all lies.  I really wanted to adopt a little girl from China so I could dress her up like this for Halloween:

Of course, that's not entirely the reason we wanted to adopt from China.  It's a joke.  But it's been one of those fun things Daddy thought of a long time ago when visiting China:  "Hey, maybe some day we can dress Madison up like Chun Li!"

Fortunately, Madison went along with it.  She actually likes Chun Li, and really, who doesn't?  We were playing the cabinet game downstairs - Daddy has a "Street Fighter II" game down in the basement, one that you don't have to put quarters into.  Madison was happy to run downstairs and play a few rounds with Daddy, who of course lets her win most of the time.

Today Madison was doing dojo practice, and gearing up for her shift to the yellow belt, which she'll earn very soon now.  It seems to be just memorization and refinement of what's been learned thus far, and that's good.  She'll do really well with the ceremony when the time comes.

We read another chapter tonight, and the devotional too, but we didn't have time to watch too much on television.  We did just get "Hotel Transylvania 3," so we watched a few of the extras, including the funny short named, "Puppy!"  It explains how the family got their dog.  I think we'll watch the actual movie this weekend - it's been fun watching these movies this season.  But tonight we didn't have too much time, as I said.  We studied vocabulary, which has words like "competent," "lofty," and "apparatus."  Some words were a challenge for Madison, but she's got time to learn them all, and is putting forth the effort.

There's an approaching hurricane, and this one is a surprise for many.  Whereas Hurricane Florence was a slower pace, this hurricane is scary as it is building up power and moving very rapidly upwards through the Gulf of Mexico.  We're praying for all in the path, and although we'll get some rain here, it appears as if we'll be out of the direct path this time.  We won't face anything similar to Hurricane Irma here.  But this thing could get super strong, and somewhere along the Florida Panhandle, there's going to be trouble.  We prayed tonight for those people, and for our country once more.  It's been a challenging month for the nation.