...in an hour and a half. Grrrrrrrrrrr.
This day is going by so slowly, it hurts.
Jim and I are chaperoning a 'Sweet 16' birthday party tonight and we're VERY excited. It think it's going to be very fun. It's being held at a country club in NH, so we're staying the night. So, not only do we get to go to a kick-ass birthday party, enjoy a make your own sundae bar (what diet??) and see some great friends, but we get to have a night away in a hotel :-)
Scooter benefits from our trip as well, because he'll spend all day at daycare today and then he'll spend the night there as well, with all his 'friends'.
He LOVES sleeping over there, and he'll be exhausted tomorrow - which is great for us.
Unfortunately, I'm missing another RENT rehearsal because of this - BUT - I put it down as one of my conflicts at the audition, so there was no problem with me missing a rehearsal. I just hate missing them!! The good news is that this is my last conflict and I'll be at each and every rehearsal from here on out.
Good times.
I'm SO excited for tomorrow, it's ridiculous. I'm going to see [title of show] at SpeakEasy again, and this time the show's creators/stars (Hunter and Jeff) are going to be there for a post-show talkback/autograph session. YAHOO!
Not only are they going to be there, but one of the other cast members (Susan) is coming as well. I can't wait.
Sunday will be a relaxing day at home, with a little RENT rehearsal thrown into the 'mix' to keep things interesting.
Have a fantastic weekend!!!
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Almost time for lunch...
I’m HUNGRY!!!
Not too much to report on this end…..Jim and I had a nice and relaxing evening at home last night, which was a nice change.
I got home from work, took Scooter outside for a little while and then I did my ‘Biggest Loser’ workout for the day.
Ouch.
After that, I showered and headed out to get my hair 'done'. Yes, I still pay someone to cut my hair….although that may have been my last appointment. I really can’t justify paying someone to do what I could EASILY do myself at home (famous last words…we shall see).
Anyway…I got home from getting clipped and Jim was just finishing up his workout. When he was done, he showered and then we made dinner together (Awwwww).
;-)
We made Szechuan Noodles and they were AMAZING. We’ve made them before and in fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve talked about them on here, but either way – they were very yummy.
Thank you to Ina Garten for putting that recipe out there…..”How easy is that?”
After dinner I did the dishes and then we went into the hot tub for a bit. It was so nice.
The moon was almost full, so the yard was very bright – and the lights in the hot tub itself were on, so it created a very cool ‘look’.
Aside from the fact that the hot tub itself is always nice to sit in, last night was a great night for it.
We stayed in there for a bit, went inside and watched ‘The Biggest Loser’ episode from Tuesday night and then went to bed.
It was a very nice ‘family night’ at home.
Tonight we’re going to dinner at Jim’s brother’s family’s house for a little ‘goodbye dinner’ since Jim’s parents are taking off for Florida for the month of February. They have some friends who are down there and while they’re down there, they’re going to visit my dad and Betty as well. I’m sure my dad will be SO happy to see them, since he’s been stuck at home since having the surgery. They were originally planning to get together for golf, but they’ll have to settle for a ‘home visit’ or possible a lunch date….we’ll see!!
Have a great day everyone!!!!!
Not too much to report on this end…..Jim and I had a nice and relaxing evening at home last night, which was a nice change.
I got home from work, took Scooter outside for a little while and then I did my ‘Biggest Loser’ workout for the day.
Ouch.
After that, I showered and headed out to get my hair 'done'. Yes, I still pay someone to cut my hair….although that may have been my last appointment. I really can’t justify paying someone to do what I could EASILY do myself at home (famous last words…we shall see).
Anyway…I got home from getting clipped and Jim was just finishing up his workout. When he was done, he showered and then we made dinner together (Awwwww).
;-)
We made Szechuan Noodles and they were AMAZING. We’ve made them before and in fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve talked about them on here, but either way – they were very yummy.
Thank you to Ina Garten for putting that recipe out there…..”How easy is that?”
After dinner I did the dishes and then we went into the hot tub for a bit. It was so nice.
The moon was almost full, so the yard was very bright – and the lights in the hot tub itself were on, so it created a very cool ‘look’.
Aside from the fact that the hot tub itself is always nice to sit in, last night was a great night for it.
We stayed in there for a bit, went inside and watched ‘The Biggest Loser’ episode from Tuesday night and then went to bed.
It was a very nice ‘family night’ at home.
Tonight we’re going to dinner at Jim’s brother’s family’s house for a little ‘goodbye dinner’ since Jim’s parents are taking off for Florida for the month of February. They have some friends who are down there and while they’re down there, they’re going to visit my dad and Betty as well. I’m sure my dad will be SO happy to see them, since he’s been stuck at home since having the surgery. They were originally planning to get together for golf, but they’ll have to settle for a ‘home visit’ or possible a lunch date….we’ll see!!
Have a great day everyone!!!!!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
MAPP #7
Last night was ‘panel night’ at MAPP class. Jim and I brought along my sister Donna and our sister-in-law (Jim’s brother’s wife) Emily. It was a VERY interesting and informative night. The panel was made up of several people who have been through the adoption process that we’re going through now, so they had all been in our shoes at one time or another.
There were a total of seven people on the panel. There was one same-sex couple (male), one married couple, two wives (whose husbands couldn’t make the meeting), and an adoption social worker. They all shared their stories from beginning to end with us, and after each family spoke, we were able to ask whatever questions we wanted of them. The stories ran the gamut from quick and simple adoptions to adoptions that were a bit more of a challenge.
One woman was telling us that after she was placed with her second child (who she was hoping to adopt) his birth mother did a complete 180 and got her act together. So, after a year of him being with her family, she had to ‘return’ him to his birth mother. However, after being reunited with his birth mother for only a month, the birth mother (who, in the meantime had yet ANOTHER baby) quickly realized that she couldn’t handle a 2 year old and a 2 month old so, he ended up going back to the adoptive family for good. Happy ending!!
The rest of the couples had a lot of great information to share, especially concerning open adoptions and their experiences with them. The adoption social worker shared a lot of really great, specific information in that area as well, which was very helpful.
The most exciting part of the night was when Jim and I learned that Krystal, (not her real name; but from now on I will refer to her a ‘K’) who is one of our MAPP class leaders, is going to be the social worker assigned to our case!!! This is great news because not only do we really like her, but she’s been in class with us from the very beginning and we already know one another. We’ve heard from lots of people how important it is to have a good relationship with your case worker since she’s the person who’s going to be out there ‘representing’ us when children become available, so we’re thrilled that we get to work with her.
Before the panel discussion began, she came over to Jim and me and said “You guys know that I’m in charge of your case, right? Since you guys want an infant I’m going to be doing your home study first (of all the couples in the class), so next week I’ll bring in my book and we can schedule a meeting!!”
Jim and I both gave and enthusiastic “Great!....OK!!” and then I instantly became terrified.
Oh my GOD this is really happening. AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
Jim and I just turned to each other and laughed. Not only are we getting ‘K’ as our case worker, but she’s writing our home study FIRST. Yikes.
Granted…that doesn’t mean anything in the long run – we could still be waiting months and months for a child…..but the sooner the home study is finished, the sooner we’re ‘out there’ and ready to be matched.
Next week is our final MAPP class…..and then the REAL fun begins.
Stay tuned…...
There were a total of seven people on the panel. There was one same-sex couple (male), one married couple, two wives (whose husbands couldn’t make the meeting), and an adoption social worker. They all shared their stories from beginning to end with us, and after each family spoke, we were able to ask whatever questions we wanted of them. The stories ran the gamut from quick and simple adoptions to adoptions that were a bit more of a challenge.
One woman was telling us that after she was placed with her second child (who she was hoping to adopt) his birth mother did a complete 180 and got her act together. So, after a year of him being with her family, she had to ‘return’ him to his birth mother. However, after being reunited with his birth mother for only a month, the birth mother (who, in the meantime had yet ANOTHER baby) quickly realized that she couldn’t handle a 2 year old and a 2 month old so, he ended up going back to the adoptive family for good. Happy ending!!
The rest of the couples had a lot of great information to share, especially concerning open adoptions and their experiences with them. The adoption social worker shared a lot of really great, specific information in that area as well, which was very helpful.
The most exciting part of the night was when Jim and I learned that Krystal, (not her real name; but from now on I will refer to her a ‘K’) who is one of our MAPP class leaders, is going to be the social worker assigned to our case!!! This is great news because not only do we really like her, but she’s been in class with us from the very beginning and we already know one another. We’ve heard from lots of people how important it is to have a good relationship with your case worker since she’s the person who’s going to be out there ‘representing’ us when children become available, so we’re thrilled that we get to work with her.
Before the panel discussion began, she came over to Jim and me and said “You guys know that I’m in charge of your case, right? Since you guys want an infant I’m going to be doing your home study first (of all the couples in the class), so next week I’ll bring in my book and we can schedule a meeting!!”
Jim and I both gave and enthusiastic “Great!....OK!!” and then I instantly became terrified.
Oh my GOD this is really happening. AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
Jim and I just turned to each other and laughed. Not only are we getting ‘K’ as our case worker, but she’s writing our home study FIRST. Yikes.
Granted…that doesn’t mean anything in the long run – we could still be waiting months and months for a child…..but the sooner the home study is finished, the sooner we’re ‘out there’ and ready to be matched.
Next week is our final MAPP class…..and then the REAL fun begins.
Stay tuned…...
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
The beard stays!
Recently, I was going back and forth about my beard and whether or not it has overstayed its welcome. You see, Jim recently got rid of his, and I couldn't help but notice how ADORABLE and young it made him look.
After seeing him, I was like "I want to look young again!" and thought about shaving it off. However, I quickly realized that I was just cast in a show and really shouldn't do anything without chatting with the 'powers that be' first. Well, as it turns out, they want the beard to stay for the show. Good thing I'm so incredibly smart. ;-)
It totally makes sense though, since I'm playing a few older characters as well as one of the recurring 'Homeless Men' (Christmas bells are riiiinging!!) throughout the evening. The show will be over mid-April, so if I decide to lose the beard at that point, I certainly can.
Last night's rehearsal was GREAT. We learned some more music and then sang from the top of the show (December 24th, 9pm...) up through 'Will I' - which we also staged. Everything sounded SOOOO good....EXCITING!!!!
After rehearsal, when I was turning into our driveway, some ASS-FACE almost killed me. Jim and I live on a very main street and I was taking a left turn into our driveway. There was a guy coming toward me on the other side of the street, but he was pretty far away, so I had PLENTY of time to make the turn safely into our driveway. That was before I realized the guy was going faster than a speeding bullet. As I turned into the driveway, for whatever reason, the guy decided to step on it and came flying down the road. CRAZY!!!
As soon as I pulled into the driveway, I saw the flashing blue lights of the cruiser who was pulling the s.o.b. over right in front of the house next door to us.
Take THAT, Missy!!!
Well that's all for today.
I spoke with my dad yesterday afternoon. He's back in his condo, and in spite of being in some pain, he's resting comfortably. He sounded very happy to be home and seems to be doing well.
Happy Tuesday everyone!!!
PS - MAPPP class #7 tonight....
I'll have to wait until April.
After seeing him, I was like "I want to look young again!" and thought about shaving it off. However, I quickly realized that I was just cast in a show and really shouldn't do anything without chatting with the 'powers that be' first. Well, as it turns out, they want the beard to stay for the show. Good thing I'm so incredibly smart. ;-)
It totally makes sense though, since I'm playing a few older characters as well as one of the recurring 'Homeless Men' (Christmas bells are riiiinging!!) throughout the evening. The show will be over mid-April, so if I decide to lose the beard at that point, I certainly can.
Last night's rehearsal was GREAT. We learned some more music and then sang from the top of the show (December 24th, 9pm...) up through 'Will I' - which we also staged. Everything sounded SOOOO good....EXCITING!!!!
After rehearsal, when I was turning into our driveway, some ASS-FACE almost killed me. Jim and I live on a very main street and I was taking a left turn into our driveway. There was a guy coming toward me on the other side of the street, but he was pretty far away, so I had PLENTY of time to make the turn safely into our driveway. That was before I realized the guy was going faster than a speeding bullet. As I turned into the driveway, for whatever reason, the guy decided to step on it and came flying down the road. CRAZY!!!
As soon as I pulled into the driveway, I saw the flashing blue lights of the cruiser who was pulling the s.o.b. over right in front of the house next door to us.
Take THAT, Missy!!!
Well that's all for today.
I spoke with my dad yesterday afternoon. He's back in his condo, and in spite of being in some pain, he's resting comfortably. He sounded very happy to be home and seems to be doing well.
Happy Tuesday everyone!!!
PS - MAPPP class #7 tonight....
I'll have to wait until April.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Monday...Monday...Monday...
For the first time in a long time I wasn’t freezing my parts off when I went out to my car this morning. In fact, I was OVERDRESSED it was so warm out.
Granted, the higher temps come with a price. We’re supposed to have a very windy and rainy day today – BUT at least it isn’t snowing!!!
Jim and I had a fairly quiet weekend.
Friday night we had dinner at home and then went out with our friend Charles for a few drinks at the local watering hole. It was practically empty and Charles had to work early on Saturday so we weren’t out late at all.
On Saturday morning Jim and I woke up and lounged around for a bit, took Scooter for a walk, did the bills, and of course…..did the laundry. Early in the afternoon Jim went to his friend’s father’s memorial service while I stayed home and did some stuff around the house. He got back around dinner time, so we ate dinner and then picked up his mom and 2 sisters and we went to meet up with a group of his cousins who were up visiting from North Carolina.
We all walked into the restaurant where we were meeting them, and they came running at us like it was a reunion special on 'Oprah'. It was so funny and completely unexpected. I’d only met them all once before, but they came at me like I was one of their long lost relatives. It was great.
It’s so nice to know that we’re a part of such a huge, accepting family. Yes…..I know how lucky we are and I certainly don’t take it for granted.
They were all extremely excited about us adopting and wanted to hear all the details.
Side Note: One of Jim’s cousins is building a new house (on the water) that has 8,000 square feet of living area, and that’s not counting the 3,000 square feet of finished basement or the carriage house with an apartment above it that is next to the ‘main house’. We saw pictures, and it was like nothing I’ve ever seen ‘real’ people live it….seriously – INSANE.
After hanging out there for a while, I left Jim and headed into Boston to meet up with some softball friends who were celebrating one of our friend’s birthdays. It was great to see them all, and of course, we had fun.
On Sunday, I stayed home from church in order to recover from my Saturday night (clearly, I’m no longer 25) and when Jim came home from church we went grocery shopping, ran some errands and relaxed a bit. We were in bed by 9…..again, NOT 25….and slept like a rock. :-)
Tonight I have rehearsal for RENT and I think we might have the full cast there for the first time. Maybe. That may not be entirely true, since I think there might be one role that has yet to be cast….we shall see!
Have a very happy Monday…….
P.S. - RG you're totally right - Dad is being discharged today. A day earlier than anticipated. :-)
Here's a picture from Saturday night....good times.
Granted, the higher temps come with a price. We’re supposed to have a very windy and rainy day today – BUT at least it isn’t snowing!!!
Jim and I had a fairly quiet weekend.
Friday night we had dinner at home and then went out with our friend Charles for a few drinks at the local watering hole. It was practically empty and Charles had to work early on Saturday so we weren’t out late at all.
On Saturday morning Jim and I woke up and lounged around for a bit, took Scooter for a walk, did the bills, and of course…..did the laundry. Early in the afternoon Jim went to his friend’s father’s memorial service while I stayed home and did some stuff around the house. He got back around dinner time, so we ate dinner and then picked up his mom and 2 sisters and we went to meet up with a group of his cousins who were up visiting from North Carolina.
We all walked into the restaurant where we were meeting them, and they came running at us like it was a reunion special on 'Oprah'. It was so funny and completely unexpected. I’d only met them all once before, but they came at me like I was one of their long lost relatives. It was great.
It’s so nice to know that we’re a part of such a huge, accepting family. Yes…..I know how lucky we are and I certainly don’t take it for granted.
They were all extremely excited about us adopting and wanted to hear all the details.
Side Note: One of Jim’s cousins is building a new house (on the water) that has 8,000 square feet of living area, and that’s not counting the 3,000 square feet of finished basement or the carriage house with an apartment above it that is next to the ‘main house’. We saw pictures, and it was like nothing I’ve ever seen ‘real’ people live it….seriously – INSANE.
After hanging out there for a while, I left Jim and headed into Boston to meet up with some softball friends who were celebrating one of our friend’s birthdays. It was great to see them all, and of course, we had fun.
On Sunday, I stayed home from church in order to recover from my Saturday night (clearly, I’m no longer 25) and when Jim came home from church we went grocery shopping, ran some errands and relaxed a bit. We were in bed by 9…..again, NOT 25….and slept like a rock. :-)
Tonight I have rehearsal for RENT and I think we might have the full cast there for the first time. Maybe. That may not be entirely true, since I think there might be one role that has yet to be cast….we shall see!
Have a very happy Monday…….
P.S. - RG you're totally right - Dad is being discharged today. A day earlier than anticipated. :-)
Here's a picture from Saturday night....good times.
Friday, January 22, 2010
A quick little post for a Friday afternoon...
Good afternoon, my friends!
Sorry I didn't write earlier, but I was busy when I first got in this morning and then I had to scoot off to a different building for a meeting.
Dad is out of the ICU and should be in a 'step down' room, where he'll be allowed to use the phone. He was awake and talking last night, but was on a L-O-T of pain medicine, as you can imagine. This morning my sister reported that he was wide awake, talking from time to time and even sat in a chair for an hour. Good job!!!
Hopefully I'll hear from him either today or tomorrow.
Other than that, nothing too exciting is going on in my corner of the world. I'm very excited for the weekend, not because there's anything super-special happening, but I won't be working and that's reason enough to celebrate!!!
Have a great weekend and thanks again for all your comments and encouraging words.
:-)
Sorry I didn't write earlier, but I was busy when I first got in this morning and then I had to scoot off to a different building for a meeting.
Dad is out of the ICU and should be in a 'step down' room, where he'll be allowed to use the phone. He was awake and talking last night, but was on a L-O-T of pain medicine, as you can imagine. This morning my sister reported that he was wide awake, talking from time to time and even sat in a chair for an hour. Good job!!!
Hopefully I'll hear from him either today or tomorrow.
Other than that, nothing too exciting is going on in my corner of the world. I'm very excited for the weekend, not because there's anything super-special happening, but I won't be working and that's reason enough to celebrate!!!
Have a great weekend and thanks again for all your comments and encouraging words.
:-)
Thursday, January 21, 2010
It's a lovely day for surgery...
Here’s the latest: Dad is in surgery and I’m waiting to hear back from my sister (PJ) once he’s out and she has something to report.
He was originally scheduled to go in sometime this afternoon, but for some reason they were able to take him in earlier this morning. He was pissed because he was planning on talking to my sisters and me before ‘going under’ – but he ended up not having time.
I talked to PJ earlier and she said that she and Betty (my step-mother) were able to go in a see him at the last minute, which I’m sure my dad was very happy about.
Hopefully all will go well and I’ll have a happy update later on this afternoon.
Jim and I got fingerprinted last night as part of the adoption process!! Very interesting.
Apparently the initial background check they did on us isn’t enough, as it only covers the state of Massachusetts. Once our fingerprints are taken, they send them off to the Sate Police. The State Police then sends them off to the F.B.I. (and God only knows who else) who makes sure that neither of us have committed any crimes in any other state. It’s nice to know that they’re so thorough in checking out the backgrounds of these potential foster/adoption families.
Speaking of MAPP, I want to clarify a little something about yesterday’s post. The fact that Mr. Culture/Indian/Hispanic wasn’t the best public speaker on the planet was of no concern to me. I know that public speaking isn’t everyone’s forte and that’s totally fine. My biggest issue with him was the plain and simple fact that this man didn’t seem to know what in holy hell he was talking about and we all ended up totally confused as a result.
After the fingerprinting, Jim went grocery shopping and I headed into Boston to meet up with my friends and co-workers Chris and Nancy (Hi Chris!!!). Chris and his husband Ed are moving to Ft. Lauderdale in a few days. Of course I’m going to miss him, but I’m also insanely jealous of the fact that he’s heading to a warmer climate. Maybe I’ll feel differently in July and August, but for now I long for warm weather and he’s going to have it!!! Thankfully, he’s a faithful reader, so he’ll still be in touch and aware of all the amazing things happening in my life.
:-)
That’s all for now my peeps….have a great day and keep on truckin’
xoxo
UPDATE: As of right now (2:45pm) my dad is out of surgery and resting in the I.C.U. So far, so good!!
He was originally scheduled to go in sometime this afternoon, but for some reason they were able to take him in earlier this morning. He was pissed because he was planning on talking to my sisters and me before ‘going under’ – but he ended up not having time.
I talked to PJ earlier and she said that she and Betty (my step-mother) were able to go in a see him at the last minute, which I’m sure my dad was very happy about.
Hopefully all will go well and I’ll have a happy update later on this afternoon.
Jim and I got fingerprinted last night as part of the adoption process!! Very interesting.
Apparently the initial background check they did on us isn’t enough, as it only covers the state of Massachusetts. Once our fingerprints are taken, they send them off to the Sate Police. The State Police then sends them off to the F.B.I. (and God only knows who else) who makes sure that neither of us have committed any crimes in any other state. It’s nice to know that they’re so thorough in checking out the backgrounds of these potential foster/adoption families.
Speaking of MAPP, I want to clarify a little something about yesterday’s post. The fact that Mr. Culture/Indian/Hispanic wasn’t the best public speaker on the planet was of no concern to me. I know that public speaking isn’t everyone’s forte and that’s totally fine. My biggest issue with him was the plain and simple fact that this man didn’t seem to know what in holy hell he was talking about and we all ended up totally confused as a result.
After the fingerprinting, Jim went grocery shopping and I headed into Boston to meet up with my friends and co-workers Chris and Nancy (Hi Chris!!!). Chris and his husband Ed are moving to Ft. Lauderdale in a few days. Of course I’m going to miss him, but I’m also insanely jealous of the fact that he’s heading to a warmer climate. Maybe I’ll feel differently in July and August, but for now I long for warm weather and he’s going to have it!!! Thankfully, he’s a faithful reader, so he’ll still be in touch and aware of all the amazing things happening in my life.
:-)
That’s all for now my peeps….have a great day and keep on truckin’
xoxo
UPDATE: As of right now (2:45pm) my dad is out of surgery and resting in the I.C.U. So far, so good!!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
MAPP #6
Well last night’s MAPP class was very……..interesting?
We had a guest speaker come in who was supposed to discuss cross cultural/racial adoption with us.
Let’s just say that he was less than a great speaker. In fact, he was pretty damn awful.
He began by telling us that most Hispanics/Latinos would prefer to be called Hispanics. He then went on to say that Indians/Native Americans would prefer to be called Indians. Both of these ‘facts’ seemed really wrong to me, but hey – what do I know? I’m a white guy and he’s the Indian/Portuguese/White ‘expert’ on the topic.
Throughout the discussion, he stressed the importance of us educating our children about their heritage so that they were better prepared to deal with stereotypes that they may face in their adolescent years. You know, making sure they knew where they came from originally, why they may look different than their parents, it all made sense. However, at one point he told us a story about a time that he took his children out to the southwestern part of the state in order to show them where their people (Indians) came from. He said that they were driving through a particularly impoverished area (which there are apparently lots of) came to a stop and several little. poor children came running up to the car, so they drove away.
Yup. That was his entire story about educating his children on their heritage. AWESOME.
Several times throughout the discussion he would stop and look at us all and just say something random like “It’s not easy, right?” and then pause, while we all stared at him blankly. He’s then say something equally as random like “Things are going to be challenging.” And again, we’d just stare.
At one point, Jim brought up the fact that our child would already be faced with the difference of having two men as parents and if we were to throw a cultural/racial difference into the mix it would create even more confusion. Because of that, we were focusing on adopting a Caucasian child.
This guy then starts ‘advising’ us that we shouldn’t keep it a secret and that he raised his kids as a single parent and his daughter was at one point upset because her dad was the one doing the cooking, ironing, and taking her dress shopping and didn’t have a mom (like her other friends) who took her to do those things. It was all worked out though because she eventually came to understand that those differences were certainly OK.
WTF??? Seriously?
Ummmm, thanks for the advice. As Jim said on our ride home, when we were talking about the randomness of this guy: “I’m glad he said that, because I thought it would be a great idea to keep it a secret and just tell our child that you were my good friend who slept in the same bed with me every night.”
Anyway…I could go on and on about how weird the rest of the class was, but I’ll stop here. Clearly they all can’t be ‘winners’. :-)
Happy Hump Day!!!!!
We had a guest speaker come in who was supposed to discuss cross cultural/racial adoption with us.
Let’s just say that he was less than a great speaker. In fact, he was pretty damn awful.
He began by telling us that most Hispanics/Latinos would prefer to be called Hispanics. He then went on to say that Indians/Native Americans would prefer to be called Indians. Both of these ‘facts’ seemed really wrong to me, but hey – what do I know? I’m a white guy and he’s the Indian/Portuguese/White ‘expert’ on the topic.
Throughout the discussion, he stressed the importance of us educating our children about their heritage so that they were better prepared to deal with stereotypes that they may face in their adolescent years. You know, making sure they knew where they came from originally, why they may look different than their parents, it all made sense. However, at one point he told us a story about a time that he took his children out to the southwestern part of the state in order to show them where their people (Indians) came from. He said that they were driving through a particularly impoverished area (which there are apparently lots of) came to a stop and several little. poor children came running up to the car, so they drove away.
Yup. That was his entire story about educating his children on their heritage. AWESOME.
Several times throughout the discussion he would stop and look at us all and just say something random like “It’s not easy, right?” and then pause, while we all stared at him blankly. He’s then say something equally as random like “Things are going to be challenging.” And again, we’d just stare.
At one point, Jim brought up the fact that our child would already be faced with the difference of having two men as parents and if we were to throw a cultural/racial difference into the mix it would create even more confusion. Because of that, we were focusing on adopting a Caucasian child.
This guy then starts ‘advising’ us that we shouldn’t keep it a secret and that he raised his kids as a single parent and his daughter was at one point upset because her dad was the one doing the cooking, ironing, and taking her dress shopping and didn’t have a mom (like her other friends) who took her to do those things. It was all worked out though because she eventually came to understand that those differences were certainly OK.
WTF??? Seriously?
Ummmm, thanks for the advice. As Jim said on our ride home, when we were talking about the randomness of this guy: “I’m glad he said that, because I thought it would be a great idea to keep it a secret and just tell our child that you were my good friend who slept in the same bed with me every night.”
Anyway…I could go on and on about how weird the rest of the class was, but I’ll stop here. Clearly they all can’t be ‘winners’. :-)
Happy Hump Day!!!!!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Busy Busy Weekend...
Once again, Jim and I had a busy weekend!
Friday night we went to see [title of show] at SpeakEasy. It was so much fun. As many of you know, the show is a favorite of mine and it was great to see it again. The cast did a great job and the audience loved every minute of it.
The authors of the show (Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen) are coming to see it the weekend of the 30th, so I'm planning on seeing it again that night as well.
If you're in the Boston area and looking for something fun to do...I think you should all go see it. Click here for more information. :-)
On Saturday, Jim and I did a lot of stuff around the house that 'needed doing'. I did a bunch of laundry while Jim was doing the bills....then we were finally able to go outside and take down all the Christmas lights (don't worry, they were still up, but we weren't turning them on) which was a huge relief. I can't stand having the lights up for a long time, but in our defense, we've had a lot of snow on the ground and it's been freezing out every weekend. Saturday was the first day in a while that we didn't have sub-zero temperatures, so we took advantage.
Saturday night we had a few friends over that we hadn't seen for a long time. It was nice to spend some time with them and catch up on all that's been going on since we last saw them (before Christmas!).
On Sunday, we got up, went to church and then had choir practice immediately following the service! That's right folks; we've joined the church choir. From what I can tell, it's a pretty laid back group and they sound pretty decent, so I'm sure it'll be fun. Jim's one requirement was that we wouldn't have to wear robes, so I think that we'll be exempt from robe wearing. Fine by me.
After church, Jim and I headed home; I had a quick lunch and then headed off to my first rehearsal.
Rehearsal was VERY fun. We sang through the entire opening of the show (they had learned it the other night) and even with a few folks missing, it sounded really good. After singing through it a few times, we staged the entire opening of the show, from the tip-top to the end of the title song. It was very exciting. :-)
After rehearsal, I met up with Jim and a bunch of friends over at K & B's place for a Golden Globes party. It was the first time I'd ever watched the Golden Globes (I know, I know) and I really enjoyed it. B had made up packets for all of us to fill out our predictions and even though I wasn't familiar with a majority of the nominees, I ended up tying for first place. It was a great way to watch an awards show!! After the show was over, I stayed for a bit - but then headed home in the torrential rain. Yuck.
I didn't have to work yesterday and the weather was atrocious (rain, sleeting, and snowing), so I didn't do much throughout the day. When Jim got home from work (yes, he had to work - BOO!) I had dinner and then headed out to rehearsal. Unfortunately, I didn't really get to see him last night, but the good thing is I don't have rehearsal again until next Monday, so it will be nice to have that unexpected time at home.
Now, onto some not-so-great news. I talked to my dad yesterday and it turns out that he needs to have triple bypass surgery.
Yikes.
The good news is, he's got a really good doctor and he's having the surgery in a really good hospital. Of course, the 'mixed' news is that he's in Florida. I say that's 'mixed' news because while he's not close to home (no visiting him) he's in a cardiac hospital that has lots of experience with this type of surgical procedure (lots of old folks in Florida have heart issues) :-)
According to what he said yesterday, he didn't have a heart attack and his heart hasn't been damaged at all, which is great news. His doctor told him that he'll be fine and will be back working with the Red Sox on March 1st.
Of course, I'm going to be a nervous wreck about the whole thing since it's such a major surgery, but my dad is hardly a frail old man, so I'm confidant that he'll be OK. My sister PJ (the nurse) is flying down Wednesday and is staying for four days or so, so that makes me feel better as well.
Well, that's the exciting news in my life.
MAPP class number 6 tonight...
Have a great day!!
xoxo
Friday night we went to see [title of show] at SpeakEasy. It was so much fun. As many of you know, the show is a favorite of mine and it was great to see it again. The cast did a great job and the audience loved every minute of it.
The authors of the show (Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen) are coming to see it the weekend of the 30th, so I'm planning on seeing it again that night as well.
If you're in the Boston area and looking for something fun to do...I think you should all go see it. Click here for more information. :-)
On Saturday, Jim and I did a lot of stuff around the house that 'needed doing'. I did a bunch of laundry while Jim was doing the bills....then we were finally able to go outside and take down all the Christmas lights (don't worry, they were still up, but we weren't turning them on) which was a huge relief. I can't stand having the lights up for a long time, but in our defense, we've had a lot of snow on the ground and it's been freezing out every weekend. Saturday was the first day in a while that we didn't have sub-zero temperatures, so we took advantage.
Saturday night we had a few friends over that we hadn't seen for a long time. It was nice to spend some time with them and catch up on all that's been going on since we last saw them (before Christmas!).
On Sunday, we got up, went to church and then had choir practice immediately following the service! That's right folks; we've joined the church choir. From what I can tell, it's a pretty laid back group and they sound pretty decent, so I'm sure it'll be fun. Jim's one requirement was that we wouldn't have to wear robes, so I think that we'll be exempt from robe wearing. Fine by me.
After church, Jim and I headed home; I had a quick lunch and then headed off to my first rehearsal.
Rehearsal was VERY fun. We sang through the entire opening of the show (they had learned it the other night) and even with a few folks missing, it sounded really good. After singing through it a few times, we staged the entire opening of the show, from the tip-top to the end of the title song. It was very exciting. :-)
After rehearsal, I met up with Jim and a bunch of friends over at K & B's place for a Golden Globes party. It was the first time I'd ever watched the Golden Globes (I know, I know) and I really enjoyed it. B had made up packets for all of us to fill out our predictions and even though I wasn't familiar with a majority of the nominees, I ended up tying for first place. It was a great way to watch an awards show!! After the show was over, I stayed for a bit - but then headed home in the torrential rain. Yuck.
I didn't have to work yesterday and the weather was atrocious (rain, sleeting, and snowing), so I didn't do much throughout the day. When Jim got home from work (yes, he had to work - BOO!) I had dinner and then headed out to rehearsal. Unfortunately, I didn't really get to see him last night, but the good thing is I don't have rehearsal again until next Monday, so it will be nice to have that unexpected time at home.
Now, onto some not-so-great news. I talked to my dad yesterday and it turns out that he needs to have triple bypass surgery.
Yikes.
The good news is, he's got a really good doctor and he's having the surgery in a really good hospital. Of course, the 'mixed' news is that he's in Florida. I say that's 'mixed' news because while he's not close to home (no visiting him) he's in a cardiac hospital that has lots of experience with this type of surgical procedure (lots of old folks in Florida have heart issues) :-)
According to what he said yesterday, he didn't have a heart attack and his heart hasn't been damaged at all, which is great news. His doctor told him that he'll be fine and will be back working with the Red Sox on March 1st.
Of course, I'm going to be a nervous wreck about the whole thing since it's such a major surgery, but my dad is hardly a frail old man, so I'm confidant that he'll be OK. My sister PJ (the nurse) is flying down Wednesday and is staying for four days or so, so that makes me feel better as well.
Well, that's the exciting news in my life.
MAPP class number 6 tonight...
Have a great day!!
xoxo
Friday, January 15, 2010
[title of post]
There are a lot of really great things going on these days, but unfortunately I’m just not excited about them.
I can’t explain why….not because I don’t know why, but it’s not exactly “share it with the world” kind of stuff. I’m sure you all understand.
For me to feel this way is VERY unusual, so I’m just going to ride it out, knowing that things will brighten up eventually.
I got a call last night from my sister, letting me know that my dad was brought to the hospital yesterday afternoon. He played golf all morning, went to lunch and then went for a walk. While he was on his walk, he wasn’t feeling well (minor chest pains and overall crappiness), so he stopped off at a friend’s condo to rest. She’s a nurse, so she checked him out and thought that they’d better call an ambulance – just to be safe. Well, as it turned out, he didn’t have a heart attack and his EKG looked fine, but they wanted to keep him overnight for observation. They’re going to do some tests this morning just to make sure that he’s ok.
They think that he was dehydrated. As I mentioned earlier, he was playing golf all morning and didn’t drink any water, because it was so chilly down there (in Florida) so it certainly sounds like that was the case. When he talked to my sister he sounded fine, so I’m sure he’s ok.
In other news, I was cast in a local production of RENT – and tonight is the opening night performance of my all-time fave, [title of show] at SpeakEasy Stage in Boston. Unfortunately, I’m missing my first RENT rehearsal because of that. I hate missing rehearsals, but I’ve had tickets for this for a long time and I’ve been going out of my mind waiting for opening night to finally arrive.
Have a great weekend everyone….I’ll be back blogging on Tuesday.
xoxo
I can’t explain why….not because I don’t know why, but it’s not exactly “share it with the world” kind of stuff. I’m sure you all understand.
For me to feel this way is VERY unusual, so I’m just going to ride it out, knowing that things will brighten up eventually.
I got a call last night from my sister, letting me know that my dad was brought to the hospital yesterday afternoon. He played golf all morning, went to lunch and then went for a walk. While he was on his walk, he wasn’t feeling well (minor chest pains and overall crappiness), so he stopped off at a friend’s condo to rest. She’s a nurse, so she checked him out and thought that they’d better call an ambulance – just to be safe. Well, as it turned out, he didn’t have a heart attack and his EKG looked fine, but they wanted to keep him overnight for observation. They’re going to do some tests this morning just to make sure that he’s ok.
They think that he was dehydrated. As I mentioned earlier, he was playing golf all morning and didn’t drink any water, because it was so chilly down there (in Florida) so it certainly sounds like that was the case. When he talked to my sister he sounded fine, so I’m sure he’s ok.
In other news, I was cast in a local production of RENT – and tonight is the opening night performance of my all-time fave, [title of show] at SpeakEasy Stage in Boston. Unfortunately, I’m missing my first RENT rehearsal because of that. I hate missing rehearsals, but I’ve had tickets for this for a long time and I’ve been going out of my mind waiting for opening night to finally arrive.
Have a great weekend everyone….I’ll be back blogging on Tuesday.
xoxo
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Blah...
Today is one of those 'blah' days.
It's 11am and it feels like it should be a LOT later.
Work isn't busy right now, so the days are D*R*A*G*G*I*N*G by.
I can't stand that.
Add to that, the fact that I have a 'Brown Bag Lunch Meeting' - which makes my stomach flip. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, or those who have another name for it - a 'Brown Bag Lunch Meeting' is a meeting that's scheduled during lunch time (usually 12-1) where the idea is that everyone brings their lunch and eats during the meeting. The meetings are generally quite casual, and usually an 'information sharing' meeting focused on updating the team about upcoming projects, upcoming events, future system changes, sometimes training, etc...
Whatever the subject, they're always torturous.
However - one of our 'team-wide' goals this year is to participate 100 hours of 'education' and these Brown Bags count towards that goal.
Nightmare after nightmare, I tell you.
The good thing is that there's a call in number for the meeting, so I don't have to sit at a huge table with everyone and watch them all eat.
Thank God for small favors.
I went to watch my nephew's hockey game last night. He's in 7th grade and goes to a private, Catholic high school. I was VERY excited that he made the team, and even more excited that I could actually make it to one of his games.
He did an excellent job, and his team won 5-3 - with my nephew scoring the 5th goal. I was VERY excited about that. In all my years of seeing him play, I've never been there for one of his goals. He's certainly scored plenty of them, but last night's was the first one that I was there for and yes - I got a little teary.
Nice.
Thankfully, I was sitting far a enough away from the other fans, so I went unnoticed. :-)
That's all I have to add for today.
It's almost the Friday before a long weekend, and that makes me VERY happy.
Have a great day!!!
It's 11am and it feels like it should be a LOT later.
Work isn't busy right now, so the days are D*R*A*G*G*I*N*G by.
I can't stand that.
Add to that, the fact that I have a 'Brown Bag Lunch Meeting' - which makes my stomach flip. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, or those who have another name for it - a 'Brown Bag Lunch Meeting' is a meeting that's scheduled during lunch time (usually 12-1) where the idea is that everyone brings their lunch and eats during the meeting. The meetings are generally quite casual, and usually an 'information sharing' meeting focused on updating the team about upcoming projects, upcoming events, future system changes, sometimes training, etc...
Whatever the subject, they're always torturous.
However - one of our 'team-wide' goals this year is to participate 100 hours of 'education' and these Brown Bags count towards that goal.
Nightmare after nightmare, I tell you.
The good thing is that there's a call in number for the meeting, so I don't have to sit at a huge table with everyone and watch them all eat.
Thank God for small favors.
I went to watch my nephew's hockey game last night. He's in 7th grade and goes to a private, Catholic high school. I was VERY excited that he made the team, and even more excited that I could actually make it to one of his games.
He did an excellent job, and his team won 5-3 - with my nephew scoring the 5th goal. I was VERY excited about that. In all my years of seeing him play, I've never been there for one of his goals. He's certainly scored plenty of them, but last night's was the first one that I was there for and yes - I got a little teary.
Nice.
Thankfully, I was sitting far a enough away from the other fans, so I went unnoticed. :-)
That's all I have to add for today.
It's almost the Friday before a long weekend, and that makes me VERY happy.
Have a great day!!!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
MAPP #5
Good Day!!
Let me start this post by saying that I have no idea what the hell it's going to look like once it's posted.
It seems like every day Blogger is making changes and things never look the same from day to day.
That being said...MAPP class #5 was a GREAT class. We had a DCF lawyer come in and talk to the class and she had a lot of great information to share. We left there last night with a much better feeling about the entire process and how it works. Assuming that everything we heard is true (we're still being very careful about being swept up in all the positive talk) we're hoping that this will continue to be a good experience for Jim and I.
After the lawyer left, we did a 'guided imagery' exercise that was pretty intense. We shut off all the lights in the room, closed our eyes, and were 'guided' through the entire process of being abruptly removed from our home. At one point, Noreen (not her real name) was telling us to pack whatever we could fit into a garbage bag, and as she was saying that, Krystal (not her real name) walked around the room and threw a garbage bag at each of us. It may not sound like it, but it was a really effective moment. The entire thing really put into perspective the way that these kids must feel and how horribly unsettling, scary, and sad the process is for them. Blech...
All in all, the class was a really good one, and our snacks were a hit. ;-)
In non-MAPP news, a majority of my softball teammates take off today to go play in a tournament in Orlando. I was planning on going with them, but it just didn't work out. There's too much going on and it would have been spending money that we really didn't have to spend. I'm a little sad because not only would it have been fun to go down to Florida for a (HUGE) tournament, but they're heading down a day or so early to spend a day at one of the Disney parks.
Oh well...there will be plenty of other trips to go on and I'm sure Jim and I will have a fun filled (LONG!) weekend.
Have a great day!!
Let me start this post by saying that I have no idea what the hell it's going to look like once it's posted.
It seems like every day Blogger is making changes and things never look the same from day to day.
That being said...MAPP class #5 was a GREAT class. We had a DCF lawyer come in and talk to the class and she had a lot of great information to share. We left there last night with a much better feeling about the entire process and how it works. Assuming that everything we heard is true (we're still being very careful about being swept up in all the positive talk) we're hoping that this will continue to be a good experience for Jim and I.
After the lawyer left, we did a 'guided imagery' exercise that was pretty intense. We shut off all the lights in the room, closed our eyes, and were 'guided' through the entire process of being abruptly removed from our home. At one point, Noreen (not her real name) was telling us to pack whatever we could fit into a garbage bag, and as she was saying that, Krystal (not her real name) walked around the room and threw a garbage bag at each of us. It may not sound like it, but it was a really effective moment. The entire thing really put into perspective the way that these kids must feel and how horribly unsettling, scary, and sad the process is for them. Blech...
All in all, the class was a really good one, and our snacks were a hit. ;-)
In non-MAPP news, a majority of my softball teammates take off today to go play in a tournament in Orlando. I was planning on going with them, but it just didn't work out. There's too much going on and it would have been spending money that we really didn't have to spend. I'm a little sad because not only would it have been fun to go down to Florida for a (HUGE) tournament, but they're heading down a day or so early to spend a day at one of the Disney parks.
Oh well...there will be plenty of other trips to go on and I'm sure Jim and I will have a fun filled (LONG!) weekend.
Have a great day!!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The boy who cried 'FINISHED'!!!!
Jim and I FINALLY finished the Family Profile last night.
I know I’ve been talking about it a lot lately, but it’s been kind of taking up all our time – so, there you have it.
We went through the entire thing last night, taking turns reading our answers aloud and it took us just about four hours to get through all 63 pages.
I’m glad we took our time and did it though.
Not only did it help from a grammar, paper-writing, perspective, but over the course of the four hours, we laughed, cried, and laughed a lot more.
Between the two of us we’ve certainly had our ups and downs and it was very comforting to be able to look back on all that we’ve accomplished as well as everything we've been through together.
Anyway, it’s completed and has been turned in.
Phew!
As you all know, we’ve been doing ‘The Biggest Loser’ on Wii, and it’s been not only fun, but quite challenging. One of the options in the game is a bunch of recipes that are taken directly from ‘The Biggest Loser’ cookbook. Well, Jim made one of the recipes last night and they were RIDICULOUSLY good.
You all need to make them…….now. They are a little bit of heaven….but frozen.
Chocolate–Peanut Butter Grahamwiches
4 whole chocolate graham cracker sheets
4 tsp. reduced-fat peanut butter
1/2 cup frozen fat-free whipped topping , thawed
Break each graham cracker in half (so each half is 1 square). Spread 1 teaspoon of peanut butter evenly over the inside of each of 4 halves. Spread 2 tablespoons whipped topping each evenly among the insides of the 4 remaining halves. Sandwich the crackers together to form 4 sandwiches, each with a layer of peanut butter and a layer of whipped topping. Transfer to an airtight plastic container and place in freezer. Freeze for about 2 hours or up to 1 month. Serve frozen.
I know I’ve been talking about it a lot lately, but it’s been kind of taking up all our time – so, there you have it.
We went through the entire thing last night, taking turns reading our answers aloud and it took us just about four hours to get through all 63 pages.
I’m glad we took our time and did it though.
Not only did it help from a grammar, paper-writing, perspective, but over the course of the four hours, we laughed, cried, and laughed a lot more.
Between the two of us we’ve certainly had our ups and downs and it was very comforting to be able to look back on all that we’ve accomplished as well as everything we've been through together.
Anyway, it’s completed and has been turned in.
Phew!
As you all know, we’ve been doing ‘The Biggest Loser’ on Wii, and it’s been not only fun, but quite challenging. One of the options in the game is a bunch of recipes that are taken directly from ‘The Biggest Loser’ cookbook. Well, Jim made one of the recipes last night and they were RIDICULOUSLY good.
You all need to make them…….now. They are a little bit of heaven….but frozen.
Chocolate–Peanut Butter Grahamwiches
4 whole chocolate graham cracker sheets
4 tsp. reduced-fat peanut butter
1/2 cup frozen fat-free whipped topping , thawed
Break each graham cracker in half (so each half is 1 square). Spread 1 teaspoon of peanut butter evenly over the inside of each of 4 halves. Spread 2 tablespoons whipped topping each evenly among the insides of the 4 remaining halves. Sandwich the crackers together to form 4 sandwiches, each with a layer of peanut butter and a layer of whipped topping. Transfer to an airtight plastic container and place in freezer. Freeze for about 2 hours or up to 1 month. Serve frozen.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Done-ish...
Well, we FINALLY finished the family profile!!!
Tonight we're going to review all SIXTY-THREE pages (Sweet Jesus) and then the plan is to send it off to our 'leaders' tomorrow.
Writing it has been such a roller-coaster of emotions, it's insane. I know it's all worth it in the end, but it was not as easy thing to get through.
Other than that, Jim and I had a very calm weekend.
Friday night we had Melissa and Joanne over for dinner (take out) and that was a whole lot of fun. We chatted, ate some yummy Thai food and then Joanne brought out 'Just Dance' for Wii.
I highly recommend it....SO MUCH FUN.
Unlike 'Dance Dance Revolution', 'Just Dance' isn't played using a mat, just the Wii remote. It was a total blast and quite a workout as well.
On Saturday, Jim and I devoted the entire day/night to working on the family profile. While I was working on it, Jim was doing stuff around the house. Early in the afternoon we took a lunch break and then went back to work. I was on the computer and he continued his 'chores'. After I was D-O-N-E (not with the entire thing, but emotionally drained) we switched and Jim took over.
After a few hours, we decided that completing it that night wasn't going to happen, so we packed it in and went out to 'The Grille' for dinner.
Shortly after we ordered, Jim's parents walked in, so we moved over to the other side of the bar and sat with them. They had taken Jim's sister out to dinner for her birthday and were stopping in for a quick drink on their way home. They only stayed for one drink and then they left. Jim and I left soon after them, went home, watched TV and then went to bed.
Sunday morning, we got up early and went grocery shopping. After shopping, we came home and Jim made an AWESOME (and healthy) breakfast. After breakfast we enjoyed a couple of 'skim lattes' - made by my personal Latte Boy, Jim. ;-) They were SOOO good.
After showering and watching TV, we took off for the afternoon and didn't get home until the early evening - I'll talk about our afternoon at a later time - deal with it :-).
We got home, had a delicious dinner (couscous with chicken and broccoli) and while Jim finished up his portion of the profile, I watched the boob tube and got everything ready for today.
I got into work first thing this morning and began finishing my portion of the profile.
And that brings me to the present. :-)
I'm enjoying my morning oatmeal whilst (love that word) I type.
Have a great day - and stay warm if you're in one of the many frigid parts of the globe.
xoxo
Tonight we're going to review all SIXTY-THREE pages (Sweet Jesus) and then the plan is to send it off to our 'leaders' tomorrow.
Writing it has been such a roller-coaster of emotions, it's insane. I know it's all worth it in the end, but it was not as easy thing to get through.
Other than that, Jim and I had a very calm weekend.
Friday night we had Melissa and Joanne over for dinner (take out) and that was a whole lot of fun. We chatted, ate some yummy Thai food and then Joanne brought out 'Just Dance' for Wii.
I highly recommend it....SO MUCH FUN.
Unlike 'Dance Dance Revolution', 'Just Dance' isn't played using a mat, just the Wii remote. It was a total blast and quite a workout as well.
On Saturday, Jim and I devoted the entire day/night to working on the family profile. While I was working on it, Jim was doing stuff around the house. Early in the afternoon we took a lunch break and then went back to work. I was on the computer and he continued his 'chores'. After I was D-O-N-E (not with the entire thing, but emotionally drained) we switched and Jim took over.
After a few hours, we decided that completing it that night wasn't going to happen, so we packed it in and went out to 'The Grille' for dinner.
Shortly after we ordered, Jim's parents walked in, so we moved over to the other side of the bar and sat with them. They had taken Jim's sister out to dinner for her birthday and were stopping in for a quick drink on their way home. They only stayed for one drink and then they left. Jim and I left soon after them, went home, watched TV and then went to bed.
Sunday morning, we got up early and went grocery shopping. After shopping, we came home and Jim made an AWESOME (and healthy) breakfast. After breakfast we enjoyed a couple of 'skim lattes' - made by my personal Latte Boy, Jim. ;-) They were SOOO good.
After showering and watching TV, we took off for the afternoon and didn't get home until the early evening - I'll talk about our afternoon at a later time - deal with it :-).
We got home, had a delicious dinner (couscous with chicken and broccoli) and while Jim finished up his portion of the profile, I watched the boob tube and got everything ready for today.
I got into work first thing this morning and began finishing my portion of the profile.
And that brings me to the present. :-)
I'm enjoying my morning oatmeal whilst (love that word) I type.
Have a great day - and stay warm if you're in one of the many frigid parts of the globe.
xoxo
Friday, January 8, 2010
Get out of my gym!!!!!
Sorry I didn't get a chance to write yesterday, but truth be told, I was working on our family profile for a good chunk of the day.
Ooops!!
So yesterday, as I fully expected, I went to the gym after work yesterday and it was PACKED. As I'm sure many of you are aware, this is the worst time of the year for going to the gym. All the people who have spent the past year fused to their couches come crawling out from behind their Doritos bags and join a gym. It doesn’t help that the gym I belong to is offering a HUGE deal if you join this week, so they were out in full force yesterday.
The good news is that 95% of these people will be gone by the time February rolls around. ;-)
Last night Jim and I went over to K & B's place to catch up with them and chat. It was GREAT. We haven't seen them in a while, and it's been God only knows how long since we've been able to just sit down and talk. Every time we see them it's at some sort of party, so we all end up in a million different directions and talking to lots and lots of people, so last night was a nice change.
Tonight, we're having our friends Joanne and Melissa over for dinner. Well, we're having them over and ordering out. :-) Originally, Joanne was going to have Melissa over for dinner and she invited Jim and me along. Well, we kind of 'hijacked' the evening, so that Joanne could FINALLY see our house, meet Scooter, and wouldn't have to cook.
I'm sure we'll have fun. Wii karaoke is on the menu...don't worry Joanne, we won't make you sing.
Finally, as I mentioned in an earlier post, Jim and I are doing 'The Biggest Loser' on Wii and loving it. He's also doing Wii Fit Plus, and he's been on a very strict diet for the past week. During the 2 weeks around Christmas and New Year's Eve he and I 'indulged' a bit. We weren't strict with our diets and we weren't working out, so we gained some weight. He gained a bit more than me, which is the reason for the strict diet for the week. Don't be concerned, it's not some crazy diet, he's just being very strict for a week.
ANYWAY...we had our first 'Challenge and Elimination' last night on the game, and I'm happy to say that we both have ‘made it’ another week. :-)
Jim lost a total of 11 pounds and I lost 3. BUT - that being said, I really haven't been doing anything drastic with my diet, so I'm happy that I at least lost something. My challenge last night was SO difficult, I was literally screaming through some of it. Nice.
If you have the game and want to be put through a little bit of hell, I suggest you chose Jillian as your trainer.
Just sayin'.
Have a GREAT weekend and stay warm!!!
xoxo
Ooops!!
So yesterday, as I fully expected, I went to the gym after work yesterday and it was PACKED. As I'm sure many of you are aware, this is the worst time of the year for going to the gym. All the people who have spent the past year fused to their couches come crawling out from behind their Doritos bags and join a gym. It doesn’t help that the gym I belong to is offering a HUGE deal if you join this week, so they were out in full force yesterday.
The good news is that 95% of these people will be gone by the time February rolls around. ;-)
Last night Jim and I went over to K & B's place to catch up with them and chat. It was GREAT. We haven't seen them in a while, and it's been God only knows how long since we've been able to just sit down and talk. Every time we see them it's at some sort of party, so we all end up in a million different directions and talking to lots and lots of people, so last night was a nice change.
Tonight, we're having our friends Joanne and Melissa over for dinner. Well, we're having them over and ordering out. :-) Originally, Joanne was going to have Melissa over for dinner and she invited Jim and me along. Well, we kind of 'hijacked' the evening, so that Joanne could FINALLY see our house, meet Scooter, and wouldn't have to cook.
I'm sure we'll have fun. Wii karaoke is on the menu...don't worry Joanne, we won't make you sing.
Finally, as I mentioned in an earlier post, Jim and I are doing 'The Biggest Loser' on Wii and loving it. He's also doing Wii Fit Plus, and he's been on a very strict diet for the past week. During the 2 weeks around Christmas and New Year's Eve he and I 'indulged' a bit. We weren't strict with our diets and we weren't working out, so we gained some weight. He gained a bit more than me, which is the reason for the strict diet for the week. Don't be concerned, it's not some crazy diet, he's just being very strict for a week.
ANYWAY...we had our first 'Challenge and Elimination' last night on the game, and I'm happy to say that we both have ‘made it’ another week. :-)
Jim lost a total of 11 pounds and I lost 3. BUT - that being said, I really haven't been doing anything drastic with my diet, so I'm happy that I at least lost something. My challenge last night was SO difficult, I was literally screaming through some of it. Nice.
If you have the game and want to be put through a little bit of hell, I suggest you chose Jillian as your trainer.
Just sayin'.
Have a GREAT weekend and stay warm!!!
xoxo
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
MAPP #4
I can't believe that last night was only our 4th class! The good news is that at this point., we're half way through with the classes. Yikes.
Last night's class was quite fun. The three hours FLEW by and there were a lot of really great discussions that took place.
See what I mean? I completely understand why they do this, but BOY has it been a challenge. We've been tackling it bit by bit, and even though it's slow-going - we'll certainly get through it.
I'm not going to go into specifics about the class last night, but there was a lot of great discussion and as I mentioned before, the class flew by, which says a lot.
Next week we have a DSS attorney coming in to talk to the class so I have to come up with some good questions for her. It's also the week that Jim and I have to provide snacks for the mid-class break.
Have a GREAT Wednesday!!!
Here are a couple of pictures for your enjoyment. It's been a while.
I'm proud to say that I took these with my iPhone and sent them to myself at work.
The fact that I did it successfully made me feel smart
Jim, making us caramel macchiatos with his new espresso machine...they were amazing.
Scooter and I, relaxing on the couch...
Last night's class was quite fun. The three hours FLEW by and there were a lot of really great discussions that took place.
I haven't talked about it on here at all, but Jim and I had our first home 'safety check' on December 22nd. Basically, one of the DSS social workers came over to our house, asked us a million questions, and then took a 'tour' of the house to go over the specifics of what we'd have to change/fix before we could be placed with a child. Thankfully, we had no major issues to deal with as far as safety is concerned. A lot of the stuff was fairly obvious - keep all cleaners, medicines, etc. out of reach/locked up, make sure the pool area is inaccessible to the child, make sure that all smoke detectors/carbon monoxide detectors are in working order and all sorts of fun stuff like that. The person that came over to do the inspection isn't necessarily going to be the social worker that's assigned to us, but she certainly could be. We'll get those details over the next month or so.
Over the next few days Jim and I have to focus on completing our 'Family Profile'. The family profile is a THIRTY-THREE page document containing many questions in an attempt to learn ALL about Jim and I. They ask questions about everything under the sun, ranging from the specifics of our childhood, right up to the current relationship that we have with each other. When I say it's thirty-three pages of questions, I'm not talking about one sentence questions that are a quick answer, I'm talking about paragraphs that we have to answer. Here's an example of one of the questions:Describe your relationship with each of your parents. Describe the personalities of your parents, as you perceived them, i.e. what were your mother and father like? Was one parent more dominant than the other was? Was one parent more involved with the children than the other? What was your relationship with each parent? Give examples that would demonstrate that relationship. Describe how insightful, attuned or responsive you felt your parents were to your needs. Did your parents experience parenting as a gratifying experience? Give examples.
See what I mean? I completely understand why they do this, but BOY has it been a challenge. We've been tackling it bit by bit, and even though it's slow-going - we'll certainly get through it.
We were talking about the family profile during the class last night and I felt a lot better about it after hearing that the other couples in the group seem to be finding it just as challenging as we are.
Misery loves company, don't you know. :-)
I'm not going to go into specifics about the class last night, but there was a lot of great discussion and as I mentioned before, the class flew by, which says a lot.
Next week we have a DSS attorney coming in to talk to the class so I have to come up with some good questions for her. It's also the week that Jim and I have to provide snacks for the mid-class break.
Anyone know what lawyers eat??? ;-)
Have a GREAT Wednesday!!!
Here are a couple of pictures for your enjoyment. It's been a while.
I'm proud to say that I took these with my iPhone and sent them to myself at work.
The fact that I did it successfully made me feel smart
Jim, making us caramel macchiatos with his new espresso machine...they were amazing.
Scooter and I, relaxing on the couch...
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
I've come home at last!!!!
Hello to you all!!!!!
Yes, I've been neglecting my blog, but I warned you all that may happen!!
:-)
You can all relax, as I am back in the swing of things and ready to tackle a new year.
I hope you all had a great holiday season, and have recovered without too much damage.
Jim and I had a GREAT holiday season and we were both spoiled rotten.
Between the two of us, we are now the proud owners of a 41" LCD TV, a new, fancy-pants DVD player, a Blu-Ray Player, Wii Fit PLUS, The Biggest Loser for Wii, Karaoke Revolution for Wii, a Krups Espresso Maker, an iPhone, a GPS, a whole bunch of new clothes, and a whole bunch of other great 'stuff'.
I TOLD you we were spoiled. :-)
We spent New Year's Eve in Ogunquit, which was a random last minute trip, and a great time.
Yesterday I went to jury duty, and was 'released' at 11:30. None of us even left the 'Jury Pool' - but I'm certainly not complaining!!!!
Tonight is the night that Jim and I re-start our MAPP classes. It's been so long, I can't wait to see what we talk about....let the fun begin!!!
It's nice to be back......talk to you tomorrow!!!
xoxo
Yes, I've been neglecting my blog, but I warned you all that may happen!!
:-)
You can all relax, as I am back in the swing of things and ready to tackle a new year.
I hope you all had a great holiday season, and have recovered without too much damage.
Jim and I had a GREAT holiday season and we were both spoiled rotten.
Between the two of us, we are now the proud owners of a 41" LCD TV, a new, fancy-pants DVD player, a Blu-Ray Player, Wii Fit PLUS, The Biggest Loser for Wii, Karaoke Revolution for Wii, a Krups Espresso Maker, an iPhone, a GPS, a whole bunch of new clothes, and a whole bunch of other great 'stuff'.
I TOLD you we were spoiled. :-)
We spent New Year's Eve in Ogunquit, which was a random last minute trip, and a great time.
Yesterday I went to jury duty, and was 'released' at 11:30. None of us even left the 'Jury Pool' - but I'm certainly not complaining!!!!
Tonight is the night that Jim and I re-start our MAPP classes. It's been so long, I can't wait to see what we talk about....let the fun begin!!!
It's nice to be back......talk to you tomorrow!!!
xoxo
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