WWGFD

Saw this on a bumper sticker tonight. I think you can interpret what it's supposed to mean. Sad, so sad.

Coffee Break

So, I'm enjoying a visit with someone this morning and drinking (real) coffee, then I leave and realize that I have coffee stains on the right side of my shirt. Seriously, it's looks like I'm leaking. And we have a shoot with the City Manager this morning. Could things get any better? Life makes me laugh. Happy Friday!

Smelly Stuff

So, yesterday, a co-worker said, "In the morning, as I'm walking by people coming to work it's hard for me not to cough. Those ladies wear too much perfume. I'm glad that you aren't like that."

Which made me quickly realize that I had forgotten to put on deodorant. :)

Indecent Exposure

I saw a man relieving himself along the side a city building tonight. He looked around at one point and saw me staring at him in disbelief. It reminded me of the time in high school when I saw a classmate taking a whiz under a ball park light.

So, this begs the question: If you had to relieve yourself and there were no bathrooms and you weren't wearing Depends, would you?

A) Indecent Exposure
B) Pee in your pants

I think I'd opt for the later and tell people I spilled water on me but I don't want to influence your vote.

Weekend in Review and What about China?

Jack, the serious driver.

On Saturday night, I enjoyed a rare girlie night with a group of fun ladies. After they finished scrap booking (I was happy to watch and not mess up their creative process), we played games. Let me tell you...I LOVE games. As a child, my requirement for a future mate was that he love playing games. Well, I fell in love with a guy who doesn't play games so I jump at the chance at doing so with family and friends. My girlfriends and I played the Bananagram game and a couple of other games that I had never played before. Lots of fun!

"Racing is hard work."

On Sunday, Jack and I went to Bonkers and met with a group of people who have completed international adoptions. One couple has adopted from Vietman and is going to Thailand to adopt their second child at the end of this month. Another dear friend of mine and her husband have adopted from China. As you may know, we have been waiting four years (it will be five in July) for a referral from China.

Infertility sucks. There's no reason to sugar coat it. But at the same time, God has given us such a wonderful way to start our family. This is how our journey began: a couple of years into our marriage, we talked with our wonderful social worker at Lutheran Family Children Services who suggested we look into China. The agency's domestic adoption program took a couple of years to get into the pool. At the time, China's adoption program only took a year or less. It didn't matter to us where we adopted from. We just wanted a child of our own so we decided to apply to China. 

When the China program began to slow down, God brought Jack and his wonderful birth family into our lives. As China's program continued to slow down, we decided to apply to an agency for domestic adoption. And now we are blessed to have Liam and his birth family in our lives.

So, where is China with its program now? Over the past couple of years, China has seemed to put an emphasis on its special needs program. In fact, special needs adoptions from China have increased while adoptions from the traditional program have slowed down to a trickle. China has placed children with families of log-in dates up to June 9, 2006. Our log-in date is July 7, 2006. This may mean that we receive our referral this summer and travel in the fall. We will see how things progess over the next few months.

In the meantime, we are enjoying life with the boys. Sometimes I feel like pinching myself and saying, "I'm a parent? Really? But it's so much fun!" Of course, it's hard work too but I have such a blast with my boys. Tonight, Jack and I made a snowman while Mike took care of Liam.

And as long as good health remains in my life, I get to continue to do these fun things with my boys. What a lucky momma!

Girlie Night and Mascot Madness

I watched "The Chorus Line" with my friend Velvet tonight. It was so fun to have a girlie night. Velvet, if you win tickets to see Mamma Mia and you need someone to go with, please give me a call. Love Abba!

Tomorrow, I will be headed downtown in an Easter Bunny outfit to promote an upcoming Parks and Recreation event. I think past late night television shows have inspired my latest idea. My co-worker is going to film people's reactions. After all, it's not everyday you see the EB walking around handing out candy. I also have a skit in mind that includes broken Tootsie rolls. Chew on that one for a while.

Chillin' Out

Piggy continues to enjoy the high life at Grandma's and Grandpa's. As long as they don't plan a meal centering on pork chops, I think he'll continue to have the time of his life.

Angry Birds

Heard about this crazy computer game - Angry Birds? Mike and Jack loves this silly game. Basically, a bunch of kamikaze birds fling themselves on structures to kill pigs. Sounds thrilling, right?

Jack loves playing with Mike. Kirby, the puppy, is sometimes a source of good luck.

Life

You may know that I visit a few friends in a nearby retirement home. I started this church ministry as a way to honor a grandmother who died while I was in college. Grandma Rose was half of my namesake, a cute, pudgy woman with a German accent. I can still remember her heavy voice. Some of the things I recall - she always had a steady supply of microwave popcorn and Juicy Fruit gum. She shooed cats off of her carport with a broom. And she grew the best tomato plants.

Back to the people I visit. They have become wonderful friends. They live in small, over-priced rooms that resemble apartment complexes. With the close quarters, they get to know one another a little too well. And, at a time when you would think age would begin to equal our differences and yes, annoyances, they only seem to exacerbate them. Thanks to my friends, I get to hear about the politics of the place and some of its quirky residents.

One of my sweet friends is 97 years old. One glance her way and you'd think she was merely in her 80's. A week ago, she described one of the residents like you might describe someone in high school. The annoying character is a male who likes to have his way. "No one likes him." He has requested that some of the BINGO time be converted to UNO time. She said he reminds her of a pig. This is the story he likes to tell people: when he was born, his parents put him in the cellar to see if he would grunt or cry first.

Totally cracked me up.

It is almost refreshing to know that we don't lose our sense of the annoying when we get older. If anything, we are more likely to lose our tolerance and say something about it. When you're close to 100, you might as well speak your mind.

The Power of the Almighty Dollar

My co-worker and I had a shoot at the local airport today. While we were there we checked out a couple of hangars with airplanes. One plane is owned by a big-time business owner. When they travel to a bigger city, they fly. Keep in mind, the city is only about 2 hours away. Isn't it amazing what money can buy?

The Anti 4 Way Stop Rules

It seems that half of the drivers out there these days do not know what to do at a 4 way intersection. (Law & Order da-da sound). These are their rules.

1) Step on the gas as you approach a 4-way stop. As you prepare to yield at the stop sign, scope out the competition. Notice if there are any cars at any of the other stops, or if there are any approaching at the same time.

2) Sporadically apply the gas and brake to let the competition know that you mean business. Notice if there is something blocking your view in the cross walk lines. Determine if you will miss the object or just clip them in a harmless tag "you're it" sort-of-way.

3) Look to see if the other three cars have come to a complete stop. If so, then lay on the gas and let 'er rip. If you don't get hit, you've found an excellent way to prolong the life of your brakes.

Life In Perspective

I was waiting at the pharmacy this afternoon when I found myself sitting next to an older man. He had a bit of a cough so we started chatting about what was going on in my household. I assumed he was experiencing the same thing. "No," he said, "my 25-year-old grandson was recently killed in a car accident."

So, what do you say to that? We talked about seat belts. His grandson wasn't wearing one. The young man lost control of his vehicle on a rainy day. We also talked about texting and how dangerous that can be. This grandpa was at the store to pick up medicine to help settle his nerves and process his grief.

I remember when this state's law came out about the use of seatbelts. My dad and uncle Henry joked about printing t-shirts with seatbelt graphics on them. Like that would fool the cops. Now, using a seatbelt is a habit. I would feel vulnerable without one.

Sometimes life forces us to slow down and reflect on our blessings. I thank God for my blessings all the time, but when I hugged my 3-year-old tonight I held on to him a little longer.

...On another note, my friend's baby girl grows stronger everyday. God is great! The power of faith and prayer are amazing.

Life As I Know It

I knew it would be an interesting day when I almost did the splits stepping out of the shower this morning. A splitting headache put a quick end to my work day. A nap and some migraine pills made me feel much better. Now, I'm just zapped and ready for bed.

Here are some remaining pictures from Christmas.

My Little Green Martian.

Favorite family past-time during the holidays. Good thing there are a couple of recliners to go around.

My father-in-law Pete and our niece Ali - cute as a button.

I realized it was time for a new year when I wrote out checks for December/January and put 1/1/10 on it. Oops. I wonder how many checks I'll mess up until I get the year right. Tomorrow is my Friday. Yippie!

Saying Goodbye

During my ministry visits this morning, I found out that one of my friends passed away last week. I walked up to her room and her name was no longer by the door. I looked inside and everything she had owned was gone. Whenever this happens, there's always a fleeting hope that the person has been moved to a different room. But an employee confirmed that she had passed away. The people I visit become good friends, family really and it stings when they go even though you know that they've gone to a better place.

Another Year

older, another year wiser, right? So, it was my birthday today and I spent it at home because my big boy has been sick. He took a turn for the better this afternoon and even sported this new look. (Ignore the dirty whites behind him.)

Where did he learn to do that?

Anyway, he's on the mend and now I don't feel so hot. Go figure.

Tonight, Jack informed me that he has one nose and two holes. He cracks me up.

The Estate Sale

Today, I saw someone I hadn't seen in a couple of years. She has a wonderful spirit, full of life, energy and optimism. She could be a spiritual advisor. During our talk, we discussed what was truly important in life. She told me what a friend once told her. You know what estate sales are? Well, they're basically one day of selling everything that you've collected in a lifetime. Poof, just like that, a lifetime is sold. Think about what's important in life. You can spend your whole life collecting junk or you can concentrate your time and effort on the more important elements like family, friends.

That is exactly what I tried explaining the other night during my prayer with Jack. I asked him to thank God for what he was thankful for. He said, "Piggy, bear, Kirby," some of his stuffed animals. Very cute. That is his world right now. I gently pointed out that friends and family are the important things in our lives. Without them, life would be rather lonely.

My friend also mentioned that she had been in an accident when she was a young girl. The accident almost guaranteed that she wouldn't be able to have children. From that young age her father told her to look around, all the children in the world were her children. She could help care for and love them.

I was in tears by the end of our talk.

Lunch with Friends

"Thanks for taking our picture sir. Would you mind taking another one with less head room?"

"Uh, thanks."

Celebration

My dad drove his 1931 Plymouth for the first time in a parade this weekend. It was a nearby parish and town's 175th anniversary celebration. Jack helped Grandpa and Grandma throw out candy.

Mom bought huge bags og tootsie rolls totaling more than 1,000 pieces, but it still wasn't enough. There was a large crowd and lots of children with grocery bags.

Jackie's first parade was a success! Check out the tootsies in his hand.

I saw my alma mater high school band perform. The golden girls are not so golden anymore. The twirlers and flag bearers used to wear sequined golden onsies. They're a little more covered up now. How times change...for the better.

I shouted, "Go flutes!" I couldn't help myself. Once a flautist, always a flautist.

The band has a dog mascot now.

My old bus driver, Buddy, with his sports car.

Local Catholic kids dressed as a priest and nun.

I thought this kid was asleep but he was digging for more candy.

Please do not feed the dinosaurs.

Funny police officer at the end of the parade, said things like, "Watch out for the patties (horse poop)."

Sad News

We had to put our cat, Maxwell Octavious, Max for short, down this afternoon. Poor little guy. He had a problem with his colon and hadn't been eating or going to the bathroom very well for days. We adopted him from the Humane Society more than seven years ago so we never knew how old he really was. Because of his small Persian nose, he was a proficient snorer. His greetings to me used to sound like he was saying in a drawn out voice, "Mom." It wasn't until tonight that I realized I hadn't heard him say that in a while.


It's pretty hard holding your kitty and knowing that they are not going to be with you much longer, but, I think it's only fair that they have someone they know and trust with them in the end. Before the shots were administered, I sat with Max for a little while in the veterinarian's lobby. One customer addressed us, saying, "Poor kitty, sick?" I tried to croak out, "He's going to heaven," but the guy didn't hear me and said, "Get better soon kitty." Thankfully, the staff took pity on me and let me sit in a back room with Max.

I heard Chicago's "Hard Habit to Break" song this afternoon and it made me cry, like pretty much everything else today.

I guess I thought you'd be here forever.
Another illusion I chse to create.
You don't know what ya got until it's gone
And I found out a little too late.

I know Max is in heaven which is obviously a much better place than here but I was totally unprepared for his condition today. He was supposed to go in for dental work. He wasn't supposed to be in so much pain that he needed to be put down. Here's hoping that some of the images from the following poem come true someday.

Rainbow Bridge

author unknkown

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....


Max, please find your sisters, Precious and Pixie, and wait for me.

Big Moments

Jack is starting to potty on the big boy potty. Plus, I shaved my legs tonight. And tomorrow is Friday. Can it get any better than this? :)