Photo Update

Merry Belated Christmas

Well another Christmas has come and gone. I remember last Christmas we had just started exploring our adoption options. I remember being in VT over New Years and calling a Korean agency. When we started our journey, we really thought our child would join our family from Korea. My ILs knew two families who adopted from Korea, and we really loved the agency that we interviewed. As life would have it, we learned that Korea was attempting to phase out their international adoption programs in order to encourage domestic adoptions within Korea. We were disappointed to say the least! It ended up being a great thing for us because it opened our hearts to domestic adoption. We had heard so many myths and horror stories that we hadn't really given domestic adoption a fair shake. After a TON of research, we realized that domestic adoption was just right for us. One of the reasons that DA appeals to us is that we have a chance to have a somewhat open relationship with our child's birth family. While I am not sure how it will work out, I hope that we are able to have an amicable relationship so that our child will know that he or she has 2 families that love him or her. While so much has changed this year, I am even more excited about the changes that will be coming down the road. I do not want to type that "maybe we will have a child next year at this time" because maybe we will, and maybe we won't. D and I are trying our best to live our lives, and we know that when the time is right, it will happen! Not that I imagine that the waiting will be easy, but it will certainly be worth it!

One of the busiest weekends in a while is winding down. Yesterday we hosted our annual holiday party! While I LOVE entertaining, I despise all of the cleaning and prep that goes along with it! I woke up around 5 am on Saturday because I was worried that I wouldn't have enough time to get everything done. Not only did I have plenty of time, but I nearly collapsed with exhaustion mid-afternoon! The party was great. I love getting together with all of our closest friends during the holidays. This year was quite different than past years because we had 3 children in attendance! I had a great time holding the 2 babies and the pups LOVED playing with the 4 year old. I took a few cute photos this weekend, and I will publish them later on.

Today was a cookie exchange at Aunt Sue's house. This was my second exchange this year, and it definitely overwhelmed me! Since baking is not one of my talents, I struggle with finding a good recipe that is easy and making cookies that taste OK. The cookies were a mess, and they tasted terrible! It was nice to see everyone, but I had a nagging headache so I wasn't able to enjoy myself to the fullest. We also had a wonderful surprise--Erica came home a day early! It is so nice to have her home.

Now I am enjoying my typical Sunday evening, watching football with D and the dogs. Unfortunately, the 49ers are playing terribly again, but I am hopeful! This week is a short one, only 3 days! It is hard to believe that Christmas is this week! I still have some shopping to do, but I am nearly finished. Can I add that to my list of reasons to be thankful? ;-)

Almost 100 Things To Be Thankful For

I started this list a while ago, and I only have 60 items. My goal is to come up with another 40 by the end of next year. I feel that gratitude is such an under-appreciated virtue, and I want to bring it back!

Here are some things, some great and some small, that I am truly thankful for...
life, health, Dave, family, friends, Mattie, Fen, coffee, ice cream, God, my students, books, writing, fleece blankets, boucle sweaters, pumpkin pie, kissing, slippers, massages, a good brain, sensitivity, lame but funny jokes, good music, eBay, bobby pins, long underwear, our home, sparkly items, a hot shower, apple cider, rummy, Scrabble, friendly people, Denny's, snow days, onion rings with ranch, hope, faith, fur, yummy smells, calculators, freedom, socks, second chances, an open mind, red wine, clocks, lotion, cookies, Punta Cana, laughter, happy moments, love, warm weather, DVR, washer and dryer, hand holding, naps, starlight and children.

What are you thankful for?

Extending the weekend

Here it is, Monday morning. I am sad to report that I am home today because D is sick. He has been feeling dizzy and odd all morning, and we plan to take him to Urgent Care later today.

This weekend was a whirlwind of activity! On Saturday morning, we went to Albany to visit Baby C. She is doing well, and she continues to be very adorable. :-) B and M really seem to be adjusting to being parents, which gives D and I hope for ourselves! We spent the afternoon at home. I needed to get baking finished for the cookie exchange that I went to yesterday. Saturday night we met A and R for dinner at Cantina. Dinner was great, but spicier than the last time we were there! We ended the evening with Starbucks. It was great to catch up and have an evening out.

Sunday morning my mom came up, and we went to visit my cousin and his wife. They had a baby 2 weeks ago, and all are doing well. I had a cookie exchange with the Nesties after that, and I had such a GREAT time! A did a fab job hosting, and it was so nice to spend time with the ladies. I headed to the mall after that to attempt some Christmas shopping. The weather was bad--snow and freezing rain--so I didn't stay out very long. I took care of business at the liquor store, and attempted to find a frame, but to no avail. By the time I got home, I was beat, but I still had to do some cleaning. Our realtor is coming over today at 5 to give us a list price for our house if we decide to sell. Fun, fun!

Pics from this weekend

Week in Review

This week was both long and short. The first week after a vacation is inevitably difficult, and this week was no exception. While this week was tough, there were some definite bright spots.

First and foremost, Charlotte Michelle finally arrived! She was born on 12/2, 8 lbs. and 13 ozs. She and her exhausted parents are doing well. I went to see her on Friday night, and she is just beautiful. She slept almost the whole time I was there, but I did get to see her eyes for a few brief seconds. I am not sure when I will get down to see her again, but I do hope it is soon!

Secondly, I ran the Reindeer Run 5k yesterday, and I finished with my best time yet: 36 minutes! This is especially exciting because I haven't been training and because it means GOT is over until the spring. Unfortunately the fall season was a bust, and only one student ran the race. It is tough to get girls in the fall because our school has 2 fall sports, and most of the girls play one of the two. I feel guilty admitting this, but I actually do not enjoy running. Most people are surprised by this since I have been coaching GOT for the past 3 seasons, but I just don't like it!

We also put our Christmas tree yesterday! I wasn't sure if I wanted to, but then it started to snow and I got caught up in the holiday spirit. The tree looks great! I will post pictures later, but there are some nice shots with the snow.

It has been a really relaxing weekend for us. Aside from the race yesterday and grocery shopping today, we have just been hanging around the house, and it has been great! We only have 2 1/2 weeks until Christmas break!

On the adoption front, we have decided to delay going active until January. We want to get a few more photos taken over Christmas so we have decided to wait. Surprisingly, I am fine with this decision.

Savoring the last few hours

What a whirlwind weekend it has been. I had such high hopes of relaxing over Thanksgiving break, but as it is drawing to a close, I found very little relaxation!
On Wednesday I went to Albany to visit Beth. We went to lunch and had a great time. Still no baby though! She thinks they will induce her on either Tuesday or Wednesday! We spent Thanksgiving at Aunt Sue's house. We had a nice time, and we ate WAY too much! We had planned to go out to NH after dinner, but we decided to head home instead. We spend Friday morning online looking for Black Friday deals. We ordered our crib! It was $100 off, and we really like it! We headed to NH in the afternoon and stayed there until Saturday night. We had fun playing board games with Dave's HS friends and visting with Dave's grandpa. Amanda and I went to Syrcause on Saturday as well. We went to the Everson Museum and had an awesome lunch at Dinosaur BBQ. I am glad to be home, on the couch, watching football! I can't believe it is back to work tomorrow =-(

Feeling Thankful

I know this post comes a day early, but I am full of thanks today that I thought I would write it a day early.
To begin with, we had our final home study meeting last night. Our SW is amazing, and we were able to talk about some tough topics without feeling like there was a right or wrong answer. While in a way, it is frustrating, but she just kept saying that we would know what to do once we know who our child is. I suppose all parents go through a similar obstacle course of what-ifs, but our SW pointed out that our agency is there for us for life and that we can always call and get advice on how to have the more difficult conversations around our child's adoption. I left the meeting with mixed feelings--both excited and nervous. She said that we would most likely be active by mid-December which is sooner than we thought. The whole not knowing when part is difficult for Dave and I because we both like to plan, and with adoption, it seems the only plan is to be ready or ready to wait indefinitely. I think we will be waiting for a while, but our SW said anywhere from 2 hours to 2 years is the time frame! She scared Dave when she told the story of the couple who was active and matched within hours. While I know this is the exception rather than the rule, I could see the anxiety on Dave's face. I am just feeling that we will be parents in God's time, whenever that might be!
Secondly, I am so excited for Thanksgiving and the time off that comes with it! I am off today, and have a lot of fun things planned. I am baking as I type, and then I will head out to the mall for a bit. I am one of those oddballs who enjoys window shopping this time of year. I do need to pick up a few things, but overall, it will be just looking. Later today I am heading down to Albany for lunch with Beth. Still no baby, but it will be great to visit with her again. I wish we lived closer because while we talk online every day, it is just not the same. As I said to Dave last weekend, I am missing my people more with each year that we are up here. I think it is a mixture of us starting a family and just feeling like I am missing out on precious time with my grandparents. The likelihood of us moving closer is contingent upon me finding a job that is further south. Part of me hopes that I will be able to do that once I have my 5-6 extension since I would love to teach younger students. I guess we will see where our lives take us.
Last but certainly not least, I am thankful for my health and the health of my loved ones. Everyday I am reminded of my surgery almost 16 months ago, and I am so thankful that I am healthy. God is good.

Ants in my pants

I am so antsy today, and it is annoying. I am sooo ready to have Thanksgiving vacation, and yet, the day is dragging! I have Girls on Track after school, which is good because I need to exercise, but bad because I want to go home. Tonight I am planning to watch Twlight with Andrea, and I am worried that Blockbuster won't have it due to New Moon's release last week.

Tomorrow is our final home study meeting, and I am so excited! It will be great to have another item checked off the list. Beth still has not had her baby yet! I am going to see her on Wednesday, unless she goes into labor that day! I assumed Baby Charlotte would be here by now, but nope! Hopefully soon!

Check!

Well we had our profile meeting last night, and I am so excited to see what R comes up with. She is such a talented gal, and I know she will do an amazing job! It is so great to have met so many wonderful people on this adoption journey.

We also booked our New Years Eve getaway to Vermont! Last year we found The Inn at Essex, part of a culinary institute, and we fell in love with it. Amazingly, they are offering the same package as last year, including a couples massage and free breakfast. YAY!

Anticipation

It is only Tuesday, and already the week is very hectic. In school life, grades are due today at noon, classes are goofy due to an assembly and career day, and next week is a 2 day week! The last part is only bad bc I want it to be Thanksgiving week already! Not to mention that Baby Charlotte is due this week AND we have 2 adoption appointments between now and Turkey Day. I hate it when I get in a mood like this bc I focus too much on the future and not enough on the here and now. I am also really looking forward to Christmas this year. As Pop always says, "Anticipation is 90% of the satisfaction." As frustrating as that is, he is right. I feel like we have so much good stuff coming down the line, and I want it to get here!

First Homestudy Meeting

Well, to put it plainly, it was a piece of cake! We went so crazy cleaning the house and mentally preparing, and it was so much more relaxed that we imagined. It did last almost 2 hours, and our next and final meeting will be 2.5 hours long. We mostly talked about the baby that we are hoping to adopt, and our SW allayed many of our fears. I think we always imagine the worst possible scenario, and she told us that most of the time, it is nowhere near worst case scenario. The good news is that our next meeting is in less than 2 weeks, and we are all done with paperwork! The next hurdle is our profile, but we have the text written and the photos selected. We meet with our designer-friend next week to get that started. It is hard to believe how fast this is all coming together. While the wait might be long, the process has been really manageable thus far. I am excited for the fun stuff yet to come, like decorating the nursery, shopping for furniture, and of course, the arrival of our little one.

Quick Update

I only have a few minutes before I need to get ready for school, but here is what is happening with us:
1. I signed up to go back to school to extend my English certification to include grades 5 and 6. I really enjoy my 7th graders, and I think I would also enjoy grades 5 and 6. The classes run on Thursday nights and Saturday mornings from January to March.
2. We have our home visit tomorrow with our social worker! I am nervous that the dogs won't behave, that the house isn't clean enough, etc. I know these are irrational fears, but they are nagging me nonetheless.
3. School is good. We have tomorrow off! We need to get our fingerprints re-scanned and then our meeting is at 1. I hope we will be able to do something fun like outlet shop or go to Saratoga to relax prior to the meeting. Here goes!

Bath Time

How cute are they?

Tuesday ramblings

Over the weekend, we supposedly gained an hour. While I know gaining an hour isn't really the most accurate way to describe what happened, on Sunday, it did feel that way. One extra hour of relaxing, of spending time with D, of reading, of watching football, of cooking a nice meal. However, now that I am back at work, time feels ever so short again. I really wonder how people who have children manage to put in a full day at work, maintain their homes, and have time to be a good parent! My guess is that, for us, the house work will fall to the wayside even more than it already is. I know it may not be realistic to give as much of our time once Baby G is here, but I hope that we can continue being good teachers. I worry that with parenting, we may use up all of our emotional bank account, and that our students may get short-changed. I guess we will cross that brige when we get to it, but it has been on my mind.

"I've got a feeling..."

What a great weekend! The weather was just perfect, minus a bit of rain on Saturday night. We started our Saturday off as usual, with pancakes and puppies. My neighbor called so we went for long walk with the dogs. Her family has a new puppy named Zoey, so after the walk, she came over for a play date. The dogs had fun, and we laughed so hard watching Zoey learn how to play. After that D and I did some yard work, ick. Luckily, the weather was so nice that I didn't even mind that much. We went down to Albany in the evening to visit B and M. We had a great time! We ordered in Thai for dinner and just hung out. It is hard to believe that Baby C will be here in just a few weeks! We took a LONG tour of the nursery, and you should have seen D's face as B was explaining everything. LOL, it was priceless!

Sunday was super-relaxing. I went to church at 8, and then we took Mattie and Fen downtown for the "Fall Festival." I am putting it in quotes because it wasn't really a festival. In fact, all we saw was a doggie costume parade! Talk about hysterical and pathetic all at the same time. It was good for out pups to socialize, but I seriously felt bad for those costume-wearing mutts. We walked around downtown and just enjoyed the day. We made Mattie and Fenny custom doggie biscuits at Dogdom, but they were not that interested in them. After that, we headed home for a wonderfully long afternoon/evening of football. I can't believe that tomorrow we will be back to school, but I love how relaxing this weekend has been.

"Easy like Sunday Morning" ~James Taylor

This weekend has been wonderful. It is not only the second weekend that I am not working my second job, it is the first weekend that I have been home on a Sunday to watch football! Football is something D and I enjoy, and I usually miss a fair amount of the games due to my work schedule.

My day started out around 8:30 am, and I was greeted by two rambunctious puppies! I love that they join us for some cuddling on weekend mornings. D made his famous apple pancakes, but I had to eat lightly because I was meeting my Nesties for brunch at noon. We went to Max London's, and it was fab! I will definitely be returning with D. After 2 hours of girl time, I headed out to wander around downtown for a bit. I love downtown so much; I sometimes wish we lived there. The weather was perfect--sunny and crisp. When I got home, D and I played chuck-it with Mattie and Fen. They make us laugh so much!

We had a productive weekend on the adoption front. We were able to get all of our paperwork finished on Friday, and we mailed the envelope on Saturday. We also finalized our profile text and sent it off to the agency. Hopefully we will hear back later this week. I am getting excited!

"When you said, 'I'm down with that' it meant you had the flu..." ~Tim McGraw

What a week. It has actually been one of the most boring weeks at school because so many of the students are sick with the flu. Today was the first day that I had more kids present than absent all week. Luckily, I am feeling fine.

On the adoption front, we are moving full speed ahead! Our profile pictures were approved by our agency. We will finish the first draft of the text this weekend and send that off for approval as well. We are waiting for one more letter of recommendation to arrive from California and for D to get a paper notorized, and then we can mail ALL of our home study paperwork in! I am so glad to be moving ahead. For a few weeks it felt as though we were standing still, but it is all coming together now.

This weekend is my cousin's wife's baby shower in Utica. After the shower, we are going to Pop Pop's to pick up a crib that S left for us. It is 10 years old so we will leave it with my parents for the occassional sleep over. I was pleasantly surprised when D said that he wanted us to have a new crib. Being ever so frugal, I assumed we could use a second hand one, but NO! We reasoned that standards have changed on cribs and car seats so that it made sense to buy new. Yay for baby!

Typing with my eyes closed

It is difficult to wake up at 5:15 am on a regular basis. It is so cold and dark outside that the last thing I want to do is leave my bed. I am looking forward to falling back in a few weeks. :-)

This week is Spirit Week so school has been zany! It is nice to see the kids excited about something, but it also makes it tough to get any work done. Progress reports were due yesterday, and I have 2 tests scheduled for next week. Book reports are also due in the next 2 weeks so there will be much grading in my future.

On the adoption front, we have received 2/3 of our letters of recommendation. I finished my physical yesterday morning as well. Dave has his on Monday/Wednesday. All we are waiting on is our 3rd letter and a copy of our tax returns! Crazy! We are still "working" on our profile...and by working I mean avoiding! We have a bit more writing and revising to do before it is ready to send to our agency. We are aiming to be active by Christmas, so hopefully we are able to be! I have to say, and I hope I am not speaking too soon, but the paperwork is not as bad as I thought it would be.

New Do!

What a weekend it has been! I cannot believe that I am sitting down to type this at 7:47 pm on Monday night. We were so looking forward to savoring this long weekend, and yet it is almost over. We did have quite a busy weekend. On Friday night we headed out to NH to visit D's family. We had a nice family dinner with his grandpa, step-grandmother, and his brother, sister-in-law and kids from Maine. It was so great to see everyone and catch up. We stopped to see Nan and Pop on our way too. We stayed up too late watching the Yankees, hoping for a loss. It was not to be. This weekend ended any hopes the Sox had of moving on. Alas...

On Saturday morning I FINALLY was able to get my hair cut and colored. I went with a new style and shade, and so far, I am quite happy with it. It is the shortest it has ever been, but it seems just right to me! We also took some photos for our adoption profile. We used D's father's camera, and they turned out just great! We spent the day with the family, and then we rushed home to have dinner with J and J. We drank too much wine and played Smart Ass. It was a great way to spend a Saturday night. No matter what we do with J and J, we always have a blast!

On Sunday I worked the largest tournament of the year. It is one of the last events, phew! It was a long day, but overall, it went well. I stayed after to hang out with some co-workers and have a drink. It was pretty nice to be almost finished there for the year.

Today was another busy day! We went to the grocery store and when we got home, we found out that our neighbors got a new puppy! This is extra-exciting because they just lost their lab about a month ago. They got an adorable Puggle named Zoe. I am in love already! Then I met J and A for lunch at Panera. Unfortunately, I had to fly home for my adoption physical. After that, I met D at Honda and waited with him while he had an oil change. The great news is that we are almost done with our first batch of home study paperwork! We went for our finger prints tonight and that was one of the last things left on our checklist! SO EXCITED!!

Book Review: The Hour I First Believed

I just finished an amazing book. The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb is one of the best books I have ever read. One of the reasons I say this is because when D asked me what it was about, I couldn't really give him an answer because the plot is so complex. The novel jumps back and forth in regards to time and reality. Parts of the book are fictionalized versions of what really happened while others are completely original.
The protagonist, Caelum Quirk, bears a striking resemblance in some ways to Dominick Birdsey, in Lamb's other life-changing novel I Know This Much is True. It is also neat because both novels are set in the same town, and Dominick and his brother are mentioned in The Hour... While this novel is in no way a sequel, I liked the familiarity of the setting and characters. Both protagonists are emotionally detached for the bulk of their lives. It is only through tragedy do both men come to terms with their feelings. I think I appreciate this quality because I too have felt that way. Like most novels, once the protagonist is self-actualized, he then becomes likable and feels fulfilled. It seems that one must always undergo a journey of sorts to find out what we can withstand and how we can rise to the occasion. For Caelum, it took 3 marriages, Columbine, his wife's drug addiction and consequent prison term, and her sudden death as well as raising a foster kid of sorts and learning that who he thought was his mother actually wasn't.
A sub-plot detailed the creation of a female prison system from it's Civil War roots to its actualization in the early 1900's. The prison's motto was "A woman who surrenders her freedom need not surrender her dignity." It raised questions about how women prisoners are treated and what life events have brought them to that place. Maureen, Caelum's wife, is a likable character. While she is emotionally frail post-Columbine, I was truly able to both feel Caelum's frustration with her and empathize with what she had lived through.
All in all, a fabulous read. Check it out!

More Shopping

I resisted the sweater dress/skinny jeans fad, but I finally broke down and tried it out. Here are my most recent finds:

Lost: Motivation

I am feeling less than motivated today. I am working on curriculum mapping, and it is pretty boring. I was originally excited about it because it meant that I would be able to be in my room all day and getting work done. All of that is still true, but I am so blah today that I am having a hard time focusing. I am bummed that D will be away all weekend. I hate that we are so busy all the darn time. One positive thing is that we looked over our homestudy checklist, and we have almost all of it finished! Okay, I need to get back to work.

Sick but still shopping!

I stayed home sick today. I have been feeling less than fab this week. I think it is a combination of working 2 jobs for many months, plus school and all the new germs that are going around. The good news is that once I have been sick, I usually stay healthy for the rest of the year! I slept a ton today, and it felt great!

I also found a second dress for an upcoming wedding. I like that dress in the post below, but I can't get over the fact that my mom owns the full length version in a different color. I just can't wear the same dress as my mom! As cute as she is, I just can't do it! I had a coupon for White House Black Market, one of my all-time favorite stores for super-sexy formal wear. I logged on and fell in love with 3 dresses! Luckily my BFF helped me decide on this dress. It should arrive sometime next week, which is good because the wedding is on October 18. I am keeping the other dress in case for some reason this one doesn't work out. WHBM is also a store I love because I know that my size will fit like a glove. Did I mention that I am SO EXCITED for it to arrive?

Birthday Update!

So my birthday...It turned out to be a pretty great day! School was fun because most of the kids knew it was my birthday so they all wished me a happy birthday. Two of my 9th grade girls made me a card, and I even got a birthday hug from one of my seventh graders. Some days they drive me insane, but on other days, they are so cute! I got home from work to find this beautiful flower arrangement on the floor with Mattie and Fen sitting next to it. The card was signed from the 3 of them which was adorable. D also sent me an e-card with Hoops and YoYo, who are my favorites! Unfortunately, D had to tutor that night so we could not go to dinner, so I went shopping instead. I bought a bunch at NY and Co. and I *think* I found a dress for M and M's wedding in October. When I got home, D was not tutoring bc his student never showed up!

Last night, Friday, we went to dinner at Chianti's in Saratoga. We had been wanting to go there for a LONG time so I was so excited to finally try it. My meal was phenominal! I had filet mignon with a gorgonzola sauce, garlic spinach, and roasted potatoes. I may be a chick, but I love red meat! Then we walked to Starbucks bc I wanted a pumpkin latte. It was a pretty chilly night; fall is definitely in the air. When we got home, I curled up in bed with my latte and a book and I read for an hour. I was in heaven! See below for my purchases... (image sources: nyandco.com, bonton.com)

Quotable Quotes

I have been meaning to post some of my favorite quotes, so here they are!

“Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.” John W. Gardner

“Memory is a way of holding on to the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.” Kevin Arnold

"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me." ~Erma Bombeck

"Age does not diminish the extreme disappointment of having a scoop of ice cream fall from the cone." ~Jim Fiebig

Last day

of being 27! Yes, tomorrow is my birthday. I am hoping that I have a good day because today kind of sucked. Did you ever have a day where everything went wrong? Yeah, that was today for me! Work was beyond frustrating, some people aggravated me, Fen peed in the house twice...and the list goes on.

However, I will not have my last blog as a 27-year old be negative, so here is a list of great things that happened while I was 27:
1. we celebrated one year of a fabulous marriage
2. we have great jobs
3. we have hysterical dogs
4. even though our house is always messy, I love it
5. we are healthy and happy; I was recovering from surgery about this time last year
6. we have everything we need and most of what we want
7. we have the most supportive and loving parents, grandparents, and siblings
8. we have many great friends who we adore
9. we love spending time together doing nothing
10. we traveled to DC, NC, Boston, VT, ME
11. we have started our adoption journey and have so many amazing people already
12. we have had good lives which enables us to have hope
13. my dear friend found out that she is expecting a baby girl and my other dear friend gave birth to a precious baby boy
14. my golf game improved
15. I have taken more time to pursue my hobbies of reading, candle-making and other nerdy things

Here's to the future and all the adventures that lie ahead!

Where has the time gone?

I can't believe I haven't updated my blog in so long! A lot has happened so I'd better get typing...

First and most exciting, we have started our home study!! We have been filling out so much paperwork and gathering so many documents that it seems like a second job. We are more than half way finished with this set of paperwork. We still need to get our finger prints done and get our letters of recommendation back. We have also left the most difficult part for last...deciding what type of child we feel we could parent in terms of race, drug/alcohol exposure, etc. We have had an on-going conversation, but we haven't made any concrete decisions just yet.

It has been a month for baby showers! I had one last weekend and one yesterday. Yesterday's was for my good friend B, who is due November 18. She is having a girl so the shower was all about pink! We had a great time catching up with gals from college and celebrating Baby CMB! :-)

We are playing in a couple's golf tournament today, and I am pretty excited. We haven't played at all since school started so who knows how we will play.

Can I go to the bathroom?

Yes, that is the question I heard more than once after I finished going over the syllabus and I asked, "Does anyone have a question?" Ahh the first day of school. It is exciting in many ways, new students and some old ones, new school supplies, fall clothes, and looking forward to the weekends! So far, my classes seem very excited, which is a positive spin on hyper as all get out! Maybe it is just because it is the first day of school, who knows! I like that they are enthusiastic. One student actually told me that "class was really exciting today!" Granted she is the child of a teacher, but it was nice to hear considering that I didn't think the lesson was all that special. It was great to see man of my students from last year. I know we are not supposed to have "favorites," but my last years 7th graders were just the best. While they were not perfect, they were just a really nice group of kids.

Football kicks off this week, and I am thrilled about that! I just made my pick-ems for our league and hopefully they are good ones!

We hope to get our homestudy started very soon. Our CW called today and is supposed to send us the paperwork soon! I am so ready to get moving on this.

It's official!

We are moving ahead with our adoption! We have signed on with our agency! We had our consult yesterday morning at Starbucks. Right before she showed up, I spilled my WHOLE grande pumpkin latte all over the table, in my purse, on D, and on the floor. I guess I was nervous or something, but that is just so typical of my personality. And of course, she walks in while we are scrambling to get it all cleaned up. She was great about it, and said that she knows we will be understanding when our DC spills something. We signed all of the papers and are now waiting for our social worker to get back to us so we can get the home study started! Yay for progress! We are especially excited because we thought we would have to wait longer for our consult, but the CW came in on her vacation to get us started. We are so happy with our relationship with the agency thus far, and I can't wait to do more.

Some updates:
For our anniversary, D and I went to Boston for a few days. We caught a game at Fenway (we won 8-4), went to Quincy Market, saw the park and did some shopping. It was so great to get away just the two of us.

B's baby shower is coming up so soon! September 19! I wrapped all of her gifts already and made a diaper cake for her. I can't believe how soon Baby C will be here.

My birthday is in 19 days! I will be 28!

Working a plan...

My mind is so full and overwhelmed right now, but I want to get this all down before I get too busy and forget the details.

Yesterday, D and I went to an overnight getting acquainted workshop. We arrived at our hotel a bit early, but there was nothing to do in town. I was a bit bummed because I thought where we were going was a cutesy town, but I definitely mixed it up with somewhere else! We met up with another couple from our area that I had been introduced to through another friend. The cocktail can only be described in one word: AWKWARD! In fact, it reminded me very much of a middle school dance, where everyone is standing there looking at each other, but no one is talking. Luckily, there were some munchies and wine to help us feel more comfortable. We met a few other couples, but were still feeling odd. Once the first session began, we got settled in for more information than we imagined. During the slide show, I spilled wine on my pants, but luckily it dried before they turned the lights back on! During the intros, I was surprised to learn that quite a few couples were from our area. After that, we had a casual dinner at a local restaurant. Aside from the great food and ice cream, it was so great to have such an open dialogue about adopting with other couples. While we think about it a lot, and talk about it with our family and friends, it was SO nice to be around so many others who are embarking on the same journey.

This morning started early and was jammed with more information! We heard a presentation from adoptive parents as well as a birth mom. It was so great to hear both sides of the adoption story. We also had a chance to meet with an adviser in private to have our questions answered. We had the option to stay an extra day to sign on, but we decided to come home. While we now know that we are ready to move forward with them, we didn't want to be too hasty. We plan to sign on as soon as we can, hopefully in a few weeks! We are both VERY excited!

SUPER hot

It has been a whirlwind weekend/early week! On Friday, we went to the track with Pop Pop and Norma. I bet on two horses, but both lost! Of course Dave's horses won. :-) We had a good time even though it was SUPER hot. We also got to see Amanda and Jon working at their betting booths. After that it was off to Sears to pick up my new vacuum! I know that sounds really lame, but I have been wanting and needing a good one for a few years now. With 2 pups, it is a daily struggle to keep the house clean. After that, we went to 431 to have a family BBQ for Mom and Dad's birthdays. J and J were there with wedding pictures! I wish the family was able to gtg more often, but it is tough.

Saturday I worked the morning shift. I rushed home to go see a house. We loved the house, but it is actually smaller than our current home. While it has many of the upgrades we are looking for, the main reason we want to move is to have more space. We just keep looking. I give D a lot of credit for keeping this home search going, but I am also growing frustrated that what we want, we can't afford! :-P

We met JRavs and JennyB for golf on Saturday evening. We had a great time even though I did not play all that well. I was in a mood to have fun, not play serious golf. We went to TGIFridays for dinner and drinks. It was a great night out. I love going out with outr friends, and I wish we had more opportunities to do so. We got to talk about their wedding, which D and I are both in.

We have our adoption seminar on Thursday and Friday, and I am really excited! I hope all goes well, and that we can realy get started!

Just a few pics

I found these at the Pass it on Sale! Very excited!

Verbose: adj. characterized by the use of many or too many words; wordy

What a whirlwind week it has been, and yet not much is new?! Dave is finishing up summer school finally, which is great! It also means that the end of summer is just around the corner. It is odd how fast this summer has gone, and yet, I don't feel like we have done all that much.

Last weekend was full of activities. The in-laws were visiting, and we had fun with them. We had a fabulous dinner at Sushi Thai and dessert at Coldstone, my favorite. The next morning, we went to check out the model home's floor plan. We are still on the fence about what to do regarding a house, and that is a topic I do not care to blog about right now. Saturday night we had a great BBQ at our house. All of our closest friends came, and one of Dave's friends was up from DC. It was so nice to see everyone and to actually entertain at our house.

We have really been slacking in that department this summer, but between our work schedules, we barely have time to do fun stuff with each other. We have been trying our best to golf together once a week. I also play in the ladies league on Wednesdays (when I am not working!). We keep talking about getting up to the track, but haven't yet. Pop Pop and Norma are due up this Friday and the track is on the agenda. Then we have a BBQ at 431 for Mom and Dad's birthdays. It is shaping up to be a fun weekend even though I am working both Saturday and Sunday. I am frustrated that I did not take ANY pictures this weekend, and I never seem to remember to when I am having fun. We need good pictures for our profile. On the baby front, my SPS and I went to the Pass It On Sale last night, and it was VERY successful for me! I bought a pack and play, a swing, a mobile, some rattles, and a bottle drier, all for $70! I was so excited! Of course I had to assemble the PAP immediately, and it looks great. It is strange seeing baby stuff in our gest room, but it is also very exciting. One week from tomorrow is our workshop!

Oh baby!

This week has been a good one so far. It is Thursday, and I don't work again until Sunday at 3 so I have a bit of a vacation. We have started, in small ways, preparing for a baby. We have our adoption seminar 2 weeks from today!!!! It is hard to believe that it is so close, but I am so excited! We have made a few baby purchases as well. I found a vibrating bouncy seat on Craigslist for $10, I ordered a small painting that I want to use in the nursery, and we have been buying some clothes when we see something we like on sale. I am trying to talk Dave into painting the guest room, but he doesn't want to just yet.
This weekend is looking good. The in-laws are coming up tomorrow and bringing us our new used couch. We are going to dinner at Sushi Thai tomorrow! Yay! We have our BBQ on Saturday. It will be great to see everyone! Yay for summer!

False Start Offense, 10 yard penalty, first down!

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I know it's a bit early for football terms, but I cannot wait until it is time! Anyway, the blog title somewhat reflects our life right now. For one, the last 2 times I went to work I was sent home early due to rain. Sounds good, right? Well, since most of my money comes from tips which don't happen when no one is there, it is actually not that cool.

Secondly, we decided last week that we were not going to build a new house. Decision made, or so I thought. We get an email the other day from the listing agent offering us a really good deal. So now we are back to the should we/shouldn't we discussion. The good news is that one of the concessions the builder made was to lower the price considerably. This means that we wouldn't have to put off our adoption, which was one of the reasons we backed out of the original deal. So who knows! I love our house, and we have almost everything we want here.

Happy

I have really been realizing lately how happy I am with my life and how grateful I am for what I have. Dave and I have so much fun together, and we laugh all the time. We are excited about starting the adoption process, and that has brought us even closer. We are also trying to do a lot of the activities that we like doing this summer. Today we are going to see RENT at Proctor's and then to dinner at Canalli's. We really like seeing shows and we try to see at least a few every year. To date we have seen Mama Mia (twice), Chicago, The Producers, Phantom of the Opera, Avenue Q, and a few more that I can't remember. I am really glad to be married to someone who enjoys the same stuff that I do. Dave also got us tickets to a Red Sox game at Fenway for our anniversary. I know this may not sound like a great gift, but it is! We will spend 2 nights in Back Bay and explore the city. We realized the other day that we haven't been to Boston since we got engaged in August 2007. Finally, Dave got us tickets to Sugarland and Keith Urban for my birthday! The concert isn't until October, but I am so excited!

Doggie Paddling

Yesterday we took the dogs to a local lake to swim. This is the second time we have done this, and it is so much fun. Last time, Mattie swam but Fen didn't. This time, we couldn't get Fen out of the water! He played fetch with his tennis ball for what seemed like hours and never tired. Dave caught some of it on video (see below). The dogs are so much fun and bring much enjoyment to our lives.

Where do I begin?

This weekend was simply amazing! We had J and J's rehearsal dinner on Friday night at Aperitivo (http://www.aperitivobistro.com/), and it was awesome! We had a 3 course meal followed by tirimisu and cappuccinos! Then it was off to J's condo for a sleepover. We were so beat so we went right to bed. Knowing that we had to be at the salon at 5 am put a damper on any late night activities.
Wedding Day: I don't think I have cried so stinkin much in a long time! They were all happy tears, but wow, bawl baby! Jess looked so beautiful, and Josh was so excited. The ceremony was so sweet and the reception was a blast. We didn't dance as much as we did at our wedding, but fun was had by all. They are in Mexico now, and I am a tad jealous ;-)

My body hates me...

which is fine because I hate it too! :-) In addition to my hour long walk yesterday, I worked a day shift, then played golf. Doesn't sound too taxing, but I walked the course! I get a free cart, but the ladies I was playing with like to "walk for exercise," so walk I did! It was pretty strenuous because I was already tired and am out of shape. But, I was feeling good about myself because I ordered a salad for dinner. On the drive home, I was silently self-congratulating myself on a physical day when a news snippet came on...and said that someone needs to walk for an hour and 18 minutes to burn off one can of soda. Shoot!

A few good things will be happening today, namely a pedicure and lunch with my sister. My toes are in desperate need of repair and my tired feet need to soak in the tub. Jess and I are trying a new place today, called Nothing but Noodles. (http://www.nothingbutnoodles.com/menu.php). YUMMY!

Rain, Rain Go Away Part II

Well today has turned into yet another rainy day. I would normally complain about this, but I was scheduled to work the late shift tonight. Needless to say I was thrilled to be called off!

We just finished a 2 hour meeting with our potential builder, and it was exhausting! As excited as I am with the potential that this house offers, I know it will be a very stressful ride. Trying to get all of our ducks in a row is maddening, and D is doing 90% of the work! I have started getting our house ready to list by deep cleaning. I need to touch up some paint as well as wash walls, etc.

I took the dogs on an hour long walk today. They slept the rest of the day, but they did really well while we were walking. Fen still had energy at the end, but Mattie was dragging. I found this cute video of Fen's first day home with us. How things have changed and not changed!

Casa Nueva Por Favor!

Yes, we may be getting a new home! We are in the process of talking with a builder for our "forever home." We love our current home, but it does have some limitations. We are having a 3rd meeting with the builder tomorrow, and we are pretty excited. He seems flexible and he has a good reputation, so we shall see. It has been crazy around here though with trying to decide what to do and prepping our house in case we decide to sell it. I gave our 2 full baths a very thorough cleaning today...as in washed the floors on my hands and knees! We also washed the walls of the hallway upstairs, and I plan to wash the downstairs white walls tomorrow.

My neighbor asked me to walk with her for an hour in the morning. While the idea of exercise doesn't really excite me, I am 7 lbs. overweight so I need to get moving! I have been dreading the scale, but I know I have gained weight, To be honest, I expected to be heavier than I was, so I guess that is good?! Whatever, I need to exercise, so I am glad my neighbor wants to walk. Plus, it will give Fen an outlet for all of his excess energy!

The poor dogs had to go to the Vet today. They were due for shots and blood tests. Fen was a trooper, but poor Mattie was a basket case. When she got her blood drawn, she bled even more, so she has a bandage on! Poor Mattie!

Catch up

I haven't written in a few days...and I can't really say that I have been up to all that much! We golfed on Thursday, and I played the worst game ever. I need to get out there twice a week if I want to get any better. Hitting the driving range would help too.

We went to NH to visit the in-laws from Friday-Saturday. It was uneventful, but we did have a nice meal at the Phoenician. We also played Settlers of Catan, D's favorite board game.

I have to work today, ugh. I love having so much time at home, but I also miss school. The golf course is fine, but it gets to be monotonous after a while.

Next weekend is J and J's wedding! Wahoo!

Book Challenge Update

I am reading a ton this summer, and mostly it is because of the Summer Book Challenge!

I finished:

The Accidental Bride (chick lit, but was a good vacation choice)

Santa Clawed (worst book ever, btw! Some of the characters were CATS!)

Currently reading:

Summer Sisters (I am madly in love with this book so far)

Marshmallows for Breakfast (cute, but I am not far enough in to make a real decision)

Planning to read:

The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe vs. Wade (I am VERY eager to read this one)

The Hour I First Believed (the most recent book by Wally Lamb, one of my favorite authors--I Know This Much is True is my favorite book)

While I am plenty busy with these books, I am ALWAYS looking for new titles! Please leave me a comment with your favorites!

Phew

Wow, this weekend has been so busy! I had a blast, but I felt like there wasn't even time to breathe.

On Friday, I hosted my sister's bachelorette party at my house. We had martinis and appetizers before we hit downtown Saratoga. We started at the City Tavern for some low key drinks and ended at 13. We danced like maniacs, and we had SO much fun! It is hard to believe that her wedding is less than 2 weeks away!

I worked Saturday morning at 1o:30, which was tricky after a long night of partying. After work I rushed home to hang out with J, and then after she left, B came by! That night I hosted a spa party with a bunch of my gals. We had a great time trading dating horror stories and just catching up.

I also worked this morning! After work, I took some time to relax and swam in the neighbors pool. How I love dog sitting for them! Dave and I decided to have a date night since it was my first Sunday night off since I started at the course in April. We went to the Stadium Cafe for dinner, beer, and baseball. The food was soso, but we had a great time catching up. As busy as I was all weekend, I barely saw the darling hub! Then we walked around downtown, hit Borders, and ended up at Coldstone Creamery! It was a really great night. :-)

Early night

I ended up getting off work an hour earlier than I expected! I was really happy because I only saw D for a few minutes during lunch before I had to leave for work. I actually had a pretty good day at work. I didn't make a ton of cash, but Tuesday nights have some of my favorite customers. Aside from the drunk 40 year old who told me I was too pretty to be single (puke), I really enjoy my customers. They certainly keep me entertained! I really do like my job most of the time. I know I complain about going in, but I almost always have a good time.

Candles!

So one goal I have for this summer is to get my candle business up and running. I have been making candles and labels as well as brainstorming ideas as to how to sell my candles. I was hoping to use them as a fundraiser for our adoption, but I just don't know if I will be able to make a profit. The start up costs have been fairly high, but I also just really enjoy making them. Who knows where this venture might take me!

I have to AWW D. When I came home from work at 9 last night (our anniversary), D had flowers, a card, and our wedding cake waiting for me. We make cards for each other in the form of silly/romantic poems. It is a silly tradition but one we have done since the start of our relationship back in January 2006. Working was not the way I wanted to spend our first anniversary, but we have many more days off ahead of us to enjoy!

One Year!

Today is our 1 year anniversary! It is hard to believe it as it feel like just yesterday, but also like we have always been married. Unfortunately, D is in NH this weekend and I am working all weekend. We are heading to Boston in August to see a Red Sox game, and we will spend 2 nights there. I am sure we will hit up Quincy Market and Vinny T's. We love Boston, and we haven't been since the night we were engaged. It will be great to get back there with my love.

On another VERY exciting note, we have decided on an adoption agency! We have been researching for almost a year, and have decided to go with Friends in Adoption. There is an overnight workshop that we will attend on August 20-21. We are excited about our decision, but know that the road from here is long. This is actually fine as we are not ready to be parents just yet, but we know that we may wait a long time so we want to get the process started.

Cleaning House

Since D and I returned from Maine a day early, we decided to get our house in order. We normally would have done our spring cleaning over April break, but we went to NC instead. So now we are perpetually behind!

On a happy note, Sunday is our first anniversary! I just took our cake out of the freezer to make sure it is ready! I can't believe it has been a year already. Aside from my medical drama last August, it has been a fabulous year. I feel like the luckiest girl on the planet! We were in my old apartment yesterday and I started getting sentimental since that is where we had our first date. I made D dinner, and we sat by the Christmas Tree. I love that I still feel butterflies when I see him. XOXO DGG!

Rain, Rain Go Away

We have been in Maine since Friday, and there has only been one day that did not have rain! When we first arrived here and we heard the forecast, I said, "we are not at work and we have no responsibilities, so who cares about the rain!" Well, I don't take that comment back per se, but I wish the weather was nicer. One of my favorite things about Maine is walking along the beach. We did that on Saturday, and I even got a bit of a sunburn, but I was hoping we would walk the beach everyday. It has been a pretty relaxing trip. I was able to begin and finish one book for my book challenge. I read The Accidental Bride because I had to read a book about a wedding. It was a fine beach read, but I wouldn't recommend it. Too predictable, etc. I plan to start reading Fahrenheit 451, soon and I cannot wait. It is a book that I should have read in HS, but somehow, I never did!

So back to Maine...we had a very productive day at the outlets yesterday. We honestly spent so much money. I got 3 skirts, 2 tops, 2 bracelets, sneakers, coasters, a panini maker, and other things that I cannot remember. The J Crew and Banana Republic outlets were so fabulously dangerous, and we loved every minute of it!

Today was a VERY laid back day. We really didn't do much. We went back to the outlets for a bit and to a wine store. We went out to dinner with one of my friends from W-burg and her husband. We went to Mainiax, and it was fun.

Tomorrow may be our last day here since there isn't much more for us to do. We will be staying at D's brother's home if we stay until Wednesday. I am a bit anxious to get home because I miss the pups!

Today is the first day of summer vacation! Poor D had to go to work today, but I slept in until 8. I am pretty sure I could have slept more, but I had to be at my summer job at 10:30. It was so strange to wake up and not have much that I HAD to do.

I just got home from work and had egg salad on potato bread! I actually made it myself. Then I filled up the pup's pool and read a magazine while they explored the water. D and Dad are golfing right now, and I am wondering what we are doing later. I should pack for Maine since we leave tomorrow, but I'd rather sit around and not pack!

Last day!

Well, today is officially the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! :-) I am so ready for summer. We have so many good things planned: trips to Maine and Boston, J and J's wedding, going to the track, catching up with friends, and more! I am also really looking forward to sleeping and walking the dogs. I want to get an exercise routine established this summer because I am seriously out of shape. I am eating garbage again, and I need to get back to healthier habits.

Another bad habit that I am falling back into is shopping. With the golf course job, I have (in theory) more disposable income. I should be saving it for our future endeavors, but I want to spend, spend, spend. :-/ It's tough because I buy stuff that I don't really need, but I just want it.

There is a baby in school today. He is the grandson of one of my co-wokers, and he is so stinkin cute! I have had babies on the brain ever since we met J and C's baby last weekend. They are just so tiny and adorable. I hear they are not always well-behaved, but let's not focus on that right now. Also, today is B's big ultrasound! We will find out the gender of Baby B! SO EXCITED!

Last Full Day

Well, today is the last full day of school! I am actually quite bored because I haven't had any students in over a week. My classroom is so sad looking at this point. I am looking forward to summer vacation, especially our trip to Maine! We didn't go last year because our wedding was so close, but this year we are VERY excited to go!

I just received an email from a very dear friend. My gal Lorraine, who I met in the MAT program, lives in Barbados. She is just such a sweet girl, and I love to hear from her. Maybe we should go visit her!

Welcome to My Blog

I love writing. In fact, I have attempted many times to stay active as a writer, but they have all fallen by the wayside. I am hoping that blogging may help me, but it too may fall to the wayside.

I just finished a fabulous book, A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs, and it reminded me of how important each person's life story is. I have always found memoirs to be the most compelling genre, especially ones that really touch on the human experience. While the content of this book does not really relate to me or my life, I still connected with many of the feelings he experienced. I think part of what I love about reading and writing is the ability to connect with the author and the shared experience. I have read several books where a character has left journals behind as a legacy, and I would love to do that. I have a few notebooks, none of them full, with writing. I go back and forth between the importance of leaving a legacy and then thinking that no one will care what I was thinking about when I was 27.

I have always dreamed of being a published author, but I have no manuscript. I love reading many of the YA Literature that my students read, and think that that may be my niche, but I also want to write something that will matter, something of value. We all have a story to tell, but is each story worth hearing? I hope to create a life that will be worth writing about. I have often thought about writing about my times in school. I have met so many marvelously resilient children who are definitely an inspiration, but I haven't found a way to put it into words yet. Here's hoping! MCG