Where has the summer gone??

Hello Everyone! I'm so sorry, once again, that I've not posted in a while. We've had a lot of changes in our household the past few months and I guess we're all just getting adjusted and before you know it, time slips away. I hope everyone is doing great and enjoying their summer! I know Liam sure has! School starts back Aug 26th and he's going into the 2nd grade! WHAT?!?! He's excited, but not ready for summer to be over yet.

Me...well, I'm starting a new job!!! After 4 years of being a SAHM, I'm returning to the work force. They call this position "part time", but it's the closest thing to full time you can get without the official title! lol I'll be working at our local hospital as an H.R. Asst. I've got the BEST hours...M-F 9:30-4:30! Yea, I know...bankers hours...BETTER! :) So it's 35 hrs a week, but even though they consider it p/t, I'm still going to be elegible for benefits, insurance (which I've not had for 4 years) and vacation time!! Woohoo!! Plus the hours really work out great for Liam's schedule. I can take him to school at 9:00 and then my mom will pick him up everyday at 3:45, and then I'll get off 45 minutes later. :) I really am excited. Nervous too, but excited! I start on the 18th, which is actually a week before school starts, so I'm arranging to send him to a sitter that week. It's someone he's never been to before, but one of his friends goes there, so hopefully it won't be traumatic on him!! He doesn't do change very well.

Speaking of jobs, I think I mentioned before that Jay started her new job in May. Well, the job itself is going GREAT. She loves this field (computer forensics/security) and it's so nice to finally have her come home in a great mood! :) The drive, however, is getting old....really old! She leaves the house by 6:45 am and it's usally after 7pm before she gets home. That part we both hate. It seems we have so little time together anymore. So we just try to make the best of what we do get, but it's been a BIG adjustment. Especially for Liam.

On the health front, I've been having some major issues for a few months now. After several blood tests, xrays, 2 specialists and more tests...they confirmed a few months ago that I'm in the very early stages of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Just what you want to hear at 37! So for now I'm on medication, which after 4 weeks seems to be helping. Most of my pain is in my hands and fingers. And usually it's just first thing in the morning and late at night. And then as if that wasn't bad enough to deal with...I ended up in the ER last Thursday afternoon for about 4 hours! Out of nowhere I started having extreme pain in my left side and lower back. To the point that I couldn't talk and it felt as if the breath was being knocked out of me. To my surprise, I have not JUST a kidney stone, but they also discovered a large cyst on my left ovary! In fact, that's the side that was giving me so much pain...not the side with the stone! So I follow up tomorrow with my family physician, but I'm really trying to hold off doing anything until October, after my insurance goes into effect. Of coarse, the very first thought that came to mind is wondering if that's why I haven't gotten pregnant!!! Part of me hopes and prays it is, and that it's fixable so we can start trying again by the end of the year. I can't believe it will be a year in October since we did our last cycle. It's sure been a rough year. At least emotionally, for both of us. I've seen so many of my family members get pregnant and have their babies or are soon due and here I am....still waiting. I just had a good friend tell me today that she's pregnant. She's been a single mom for 12 years and now she's venturing down that road again. Turns out the father was history 2 months ago. She's not even sure she wants to tell him. I know she always wanted another child, so I am happy for her because she's actually over the moon about it, but am I jealous too?? Sure. I envy her. She got knocked up and didn't even have to try. And what has it cost her? Nothing. To only be so lucky. I know alot of you out there would agree. Money is the root of all evil. And that's proven true with us trying to conceive. That's literally the ONLY reason we're not pregnant yet. Money. Lack of, I should say. But I'm putting all my faith in God and I know this job is a blessing from Him, which I think is going to lead to more blessings in our lives. :)

On that note, my Sweetie just called and is on her way home, so that gives me just over an hour to figure out what's for dinner and get it ready! I wish everyone well...I'm so happy for Michelle & Nick...over the MOON for them actually and now I'm anxiously awaiting Little Peanut's arrival (Meg and Kris)! Two totally deserving families!!!! God is great!!!! :)

Check out my Slide Show!

Where 'O Where Have I Been??

I'm not sure! I'm still trying to find out myself. I have been planning on sitting down for WEEKS and posting on here, but I never seem to have anything to write about. My life is pretty hum-drum lately. It's late, we just got home from the whole graduation thing. Some relatives graduated today, so it's been a busy one. I think I'll write tomorrow and put in a new slide show. I hope everyone out in blog land is doing great.

Our new puppy ~ Aspen

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

We survived the blizzard of '08!!!

Just thought I'd share a few pics from the blizzard of '08 we just survived this past weekend! Actually, it was fun being snowed in and spending some quality time together! We were a little stir crazy by Sunday afternoon (after the dig-out), but all in all, it was exciting...not to mention BEAUTIFUL!! You can take the girl outta the north, but you can't take the north outta the girl! :)

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

123 Book Tagging

Ok,so I've been tagged by Shari a.k.a. Rainbow Momma, so here goes!!



Rules:



1. Grab the nearest book of 123 pages or more.



2. Open it to page 123.



3. Find the first 5 sentences and write them down.



4. Then invite 5 friends to do the same.

Ok, well the nearest book on our coffee table is The Quest Study Bible. So here's what I found:

Exodus 29:29 Aaron's sacred garments will belong to his descendants so that they can be anointed and ordained in them. 30 The son who succeeds him as priest and comes to the Tent of Meeting to minister in the Holy Place is to wear them seven days. 31 Take the ram for the ordination and cook the meat in a sacred place. 32 At the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, Aaron and his sons are to eat the meat of the ram and the bread that is in the bakset. 33 They are to eat these offerings by which atonement was made for thier ordination and consecration.


There! :) So now who am I gonna tag...how about Tammy @ Tammy's Journey, Michelle @ Michelle's Path (our little Guamite now!), Meg @ Journey to a Baby Franklin, Michell @ I Want To Be A Mommy and Tracey @ Baby Steps. Thanks Girls!!! :) Have fun!

Btw, nothing new to report on the TTC front, but on a bright note, we ARE getting a puppy! :) I'm soooo excited...so are Liam & Jay. After much research, we have decided on a little Maltese. I found a local breeder and she has one female left ready for purchase in about 2-3 weeks, so I hope this is the one!!! We hope to go see her this weekend. We already have a name picked out, but I'll wait til we get her before I announce it. :) Hopefully the kitties will adapt well and not freak out too bad. They'll get over it. :) Hope everyone is well. Will update on the puppy soon.

Friday, February 29, 2008

Lovin' the snow!!!!

Well, since Liam has had 3 days off this week for snow days, we decided to venture out yesterday and take some pics and play in the snow!!! Oh, the first two are just our lazy cats...

Friday, February 15, 2008

Pictures from Liam's Birthday/Valentines Day

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Happy Valentines Day, Baby Boy!!!

My baby is 7 years old today!! Part of me is filled with such joy to see him growing into a handsome, young man...but the other part of me is sad...sad to see my "baby" growing up way too fast. I can't believe 7 years ago today, at 1:55 a.m. my life changed completely. Life as I knew it was nothing compared to what my life would be like after this beautiful baby boy came along. :) We tried for so long have him. The heartache, the disappointment, the ups and downs...but the minute I held him in my arms, it was ALL worth it. Every struggle, every tear. He was finally here. :) Now here we are, 7 quick years later. Where has the time gone??

Sorry, guess I felt the need to reminisce. I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentines Day. Love is in the air!! As for my love...her & I will be celebrating with our son...but who could ask for more? :)

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Life moves forward

I'm really sorry I haven't been blogging much. I say that everytime, and I'm trying (really I am!) to get better. See...only been a week or so since my last post! ;) Anyway, it's been an up and down week and there's been a lot going on. First, we have a new addition to our family (see pic below), but at the same time, tragedy has struck a close friend and that's been hard too. It's so weird how life and death just go hand in hand. The whole circle of life thing. Even having the faith I do, on a human level, it's still hard not to question the why or how this all works. An old friend of mine from grade school has lost her oldest son (18) this week in a very bad car accident. I havne't seen or talked to her in a couple of years, but nonetheless, I feel it's important to pay my respects at calling hours tonight. I've thought about her constantly these past few days, trying to comprehend what she must be going through. I can't. Even having experienced the loss of my husband and step-father 3 years ago, I still can't even begin to understand her pain of losing her son. What do I say? How do I express my sympathy? "Hi. Wow, sorry we haven't seen each other in so long, but here we are back in touch because of this tragedy." ?? I'm just asking those of you reading this to please keep my friend Johna and her family in your prayers at this time. They are sure going to need it.

On a lighter note, yes, I did say we have a new addition. My cousin Alex (who has always been more like a brother to me) and his wife welcomed their 6th child, a baby boy named Nolan William almost 2 weeks ago. We went to see him last Saturday and I have to say he is BEAUTIFUL! For weighing 10 lbs at birth, I expected to see this little sumo wrestler, but he actually had lost 2 lbs and so he was much smaller in person!! I could have fit the little booger right in my purse and snuck him home!! They treated him for jaundice before they released him from the hospital, but he's still very yellow, so he's been going back and forth for blood work every 2 days. His billiruben still isn't good, so now they're worried he might have some sort of blood disease. He seemed so perfect when I held him Saturday...it's so scary to think something may be wrong with him. So if you would, please keep little Nolan in your prayers as well. I'll post an update as I know...

Speaking of little guys, mine is doing GREAT! He just got his grade card last Friday and he made honor roll. :) He could have the last semester, but he had a C in Handwriting (of all things!) Plus he got a certificate for having all green behavior (which is good) the entire semester. He's actually gotten that every quarter since he started school last year! :) That's our boy!! Next week is a very special day in our household...not unlike a lot of households who observe Valentines Day...but it's also my baby's 7th birthday!!! :) It's so funny because when he was about 3 til he was about 5, about a month before V-day, we'd see all the stuff in the stores and he thought all that stuff was JUST for his birthday!!!! :) I didn't burst his little bubble til he was about 5 or so. lol He still thinks it's pretty cool. He said as long as I don't ever make him have a "heart" birthday, then he's good with it. :) I hardly think camophlauge and bugs are anything near hearts!!!!!

On another good note, I have some very exciting news to share about Jay's job situation. Hopefully no one from her work reads this... lol... Well about 3 weeks ago, she interviewed with a company about an hour away that she had sent her resume to. They said they didn't actually have an opening, but was so impressed with her resume, they wanted to talk to her. So that went well, and they left it at saying they would maybe consider creating a position for her. Ok, so the wait begins... But then last week she gets a call from the State BCI for a position she applied for waaaaay back in October!! Out of so many resumes they received from all over the country, they chose to only interview 3 people...Jay being one of them!!!! So that was this past Monday! The drive is a little further, about an hour and 10-20 min from here, but ideally it's her DREAM job and exactly what she got her Masters for! Not to mention the pay & benefits are better than this other place, although their pay is still a lot better than what she's making NOW! So now she's all psyched for the state job...but in the meantime, she gets a call from the first company saying their finally ready to talk to her about a position and want to set up a second interview. :) So she's waiting for them to call and arrange it, which hopefully won't be til the end of next week, because she's hoping to hear from the state by then. They said they hope to make a decision within 2 weeks. So now she's so torn on what to do...my advice is go talk to company A and see what they have to offer, put them off as long as you can til you hear from the state to see if you get offered that. ?? So keep your fingers crossed that ONE of these 2 great opportunities work out. She's waited sooooo long for this!! It's been almost a year since she started looking, and 9 months since she got her degree. :) I'll keep you posted on that as well....

On that note, my fingers are now numb from typing so I'm heading out for today... I hope all of you are doing well, healing, staying healthy and happy, and life is treating you fair.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Brrrrr

I just wanted to pop on and share a few pictures I took here in Ohio last Friday. The temp was 2*, the sun was shining, and despite the cold, it was such a beautiful day, so I ran home and grabbed the camera! These were taken at a local lake and it was so neat because everything was so still...so frozen...so untouched. :)

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Very sad...

I just wanted to send my heartfelt sympathy out to Tracy (Baby Steps) today. I just read her sister Debbie's post from yesterday and I'm in total shock and dismay. Tracy, if you read this, I'm so very very sorry for your loss. Just try to heal and know that your little LoveBug is in Heaven, safe and sound, and will forever be your guardian angel. I know that doesn't help, but you already know you have soooo many friends and family that are pulling for you and loved this baby already! Hang in there. Big hugs.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Yea, I'm still here!!!

Hello, hello, hello Everyone!! First of all, thank you all so very much for the sweet words, comments, concerns and so forth from all my friends. I'm really sorry I haven't been on here posting much these past few months. It's just still very raw and very hard to face my emotions. And again, this was supposed to be a blog to record my journey to motherhood (again), but seeing as how that road has come to an end, I feel as if I have nothing to write about. Anyway, I'm sorry, and I'm back. I'm going to try really hard to start posting more. I want you all to know I still get on almost daily and read your blogs. I enjoy it so much. I'm so excited for so many of you right now...Rachel & Jen, time is ticking so quickly til the arrival of your precious twins...Marcy & Kris, your little miracle is on his/her way now and I know you're just getting so excited....Tracy, I think it's still all settling in for you, Sweetie, but I hope you know I have prayed for you so long now...and Michell, who's doing her IVF RIGHT NOW, I am so excited for you!!!! I know there are so many more, and I'm sorry if I forgot to mention you, but I try to post little notes on your blogs so you know I'm thinking about you and haven't dropped off the face of the earth!!

As for life in my 'lil town...same ole, same ole!! Liam is doing wonderful in school...he's getting straight A's with one B in Handwriting! :) He gets recognition every single grading period for staying on excellent behavior (they call it "green"). He's just changing so much...growing up waaaay too fast. My "baby" will soon be 7 on Valentines Day! I can't even begin to know where the past 7 years have gone!!! For those of you expecting and who just had their first baby...please cherish every second, and don't be afraid of taking TOO many pics because one day you'll look back and be so thankful you have those 2000 photos from their first year!!! lol I know I am! :)

As for TTC, well, we're still on a break. Jay is still looking for another (better) job in her field now that she has her Masters. It's been 8 months now, and although she's been on a few good interviews, nothing has panned out for her yet. So please keep her in your prayers. A new job and better income would be the answer to all our prayers right now, especially on the TTC front. :) I've been trying to find the "ideal" part time job, but in the area where we live, they're hard to come by. I'm going crazy sitting home while Liam is at school. But I keep looking. And as I mentioned in my last post (I think), I started going to counseling...to help deal with this TTC depression, plus move forward in some other areas of my life. It's going pretty well, and I'm really hopeful that it will continue to be a source of healing for me. There are 3 babies just in my family that are due in the next month, not to mention 3 friends that are due within the next month or so. It's hard. I know I have Liam, and I thank God for him everyday. He is a true blessing. And he is the apple of my eye!

Jay...she's the love of my life. I fall more and more in love with her everyday. She truly is amazing and a gift from God, as well. How did I get so lucky? :) I think so often in our rush rush daily lives, we lose sight of what we already have and what it once meant to us, as it's so easy to take things, and people, for granted. Well lately I've been trying really hard to take a step back and remember what brought Jay & I together in the first place. It wasn't our desire to have a child together, it was this deep down longing for eternal love...finding our soul mate...and lately I look at her in the way I did when we first got together...and let me tell you...it's AMAZING! :) Gives me that butterfly effect all the way down to my toes!!! :) And then I watch her and Liam play or read together, and I get that feeling again. They have such a great relationship. I know Liam's dad is smiling down on me for finding someone that truly accepted Liam as their own and loves him as if he were. :)

That's about all the new news I have to share for tonight. Oh, someone annonymous wanted to know what area we're in...I don't like to indulge my location really, so if you want to make yourself known, I can tell ya more about where we are. :) Sorry! I wish all of you joy & happiness this week and for those of you in the North...stay warm!!! :)

Monday, December 3, 2007

I'm back, I'm back, I'm back!! :)

Ok, first off, I apologize. I know it's been like AGES since I've posted anything, and I am sorry for that! I came on today to check in and actually read up on some of my favorite blogs, and realized I had a couple new comments. That's so sweet, thank you!! It's been a rough month. I created this blog about a year or so ago when we first started TTC, and it was supposed to be a place to record my emotions, the ups and downs and all that stuff that goes along with this journey. Well, I put my entire heart and soul into this last cycle, for many many reasons, and I never thought for one second that it would end in another BFN...so when it did, it hit hard. Really hard. Once again we're in financial woes, so we're on hold AGAIN. That's tough. In that TWW, we didn't even once discuss the "what ifs" if this didn't work this time. So now it's like where do we go from here?? Saving up the money for the RE that's 2+ hours away seems like an impossible dream. Time, I feel, is NOT on my side. So "waiting" and "saving" aren't words that are easily spoken or accepted in my mind. I'm now going on 38, and while it's still very possible to get pregnant, it's also very LIKELY that I might not be able to concieve again. And putting this on the backburner right now is a hard reality to face. Even when I got pregnant with Liam and I knew my husband would NEVER want to try for another child after that, I still always felt in my heart that Liam would NOT be an only child. I had no idea what paths my life would take, but somehow I ended up here. With Jay. And I'm very happy about that. Happy and blessed. And our lives together seem like the perfect place to bring another child into....so why is this so hard??? We joined this gay/lesbian parenting group in a larger city about an hour away about a year ago. Well in that year, there have probably been 6-10 GAY couples that have had children or are now expecting. Why not us??? I guess that's why I haven't blogged in a while. I've had so much disappointment and hurt that I didn't want to drudge it all up by posting it on here. Everyday seems harder. Time goes so slowly. I'm ovulating this week and I should have sperm here dang it, and yet we don't. This was my 3rd cycle on Clomid, so I'm assuming that's not going to work. My Ob/Gyn is at a loss as to what to do now, so basically we just keep wasting money trying at home, or save up and go see the RE. Again, that seems like next to impossible from this point. If it weren't for the large amount of credit card debt we're already in, this probably wouldn't be a problem, but what do ya do??? Live and learn. That seems to be my latest motto! I am finally at a turning point though, and after a wake up call from my 6 yr old this weekend, I'm now ready to face my fears and get help. I'm going to start seeing a christian counselor this week. I have my first appt Wednesday. Luckily they have a sliding scale for those of us with no insurance. :) I have to find a way to deal with this before it destroys me. Among other things.

So...that's kind of where I've been, where I'm at and I guess where I'm going! :) We did have a wonderful Thanksgiving and I do realize how very blessed I am to have Liam and Jay in my life. I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving as well. Other than depression, I guess there isn't much else to write about. Sorry for the boring blog. I had such high hopes I'd be writing about morning sickness or weight gain by now!! Maybe by this time next year. Hmmmm....that's what I thought this time LAST year!!!

I promise I'll try to keep up on the blogging and write more often. I just wish I had something more cheerful to write about. Jay and I have joined a small connections group with our church about 5 weeks ago, and that's also been a huge blessig in my life. Right now I'm really trying hard to turn all this over to God and leave it all in his hands. Sometimes that's easier said than done however. Gotta give me credit for trying. :) Oh, we traded in our '06 Hyundai Santa Fe about 2 weeks ago. I decided I wanted a lower car payment to maybe help assist with adding to the TTC fund, so we traded in for an '07 Pontiac G6. Seems weird to trade in on a newer model for less money, but I'm actually going to save about $100 a month on my car payment now. We gave up a lot of features, but in the end we feel we made a good decision and we do like the car. With rebates, Jay's GM discount, plus special financing rates, it was hard to pass up.

Let's see, I think I've pretty much covered all the bases. We're hoping to get our tree this weekend. Weather held us back this past weekend. Now if we could get more than a light dusting of snow....more like 2 feet would do!!!! I'm envious of you, Shari!!! Enjoy that snow up in VT!! :) Thanks again to all my friends...I really don't know where I'd be without you all!!

I'll end with a new pic...here's Liam's latest school picture for 1st grade. What a ham he is!!!

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

OUT....again!

Where do I even begin? Once again the shock and disappointment of good ole AF showed up!! Right on time, right on schedule. UnBeLiEvAbLe! I was so sure this time. Things were different. Not just "symptoms", but just that "I know I'm pregnant" feeling. Wrong.

Still some weirdness going on. First, I had bad AF cramps for DAYS before she showed...that has never happened before! Second, I always have a 5 day cycle and this time it was only 3 days! That's it. 3 days! That's never happened. I've taken 5 HPT's and their all BFN's. ??? Throw into the mix that I came down with Strep and ended up at the ER yesterday! I'm feeling better today, but that's all I needed on top of AF showing up Saturday!!!!!

And then, as if that wasn't enough, I find out Sunday that my one cousin who has a one year old is pregant again!!! This is the one that said over and over again that she does NOT want another baby that she cannot afford!! Guess she didn't realize what caused the first one!!

In case you haven't noticed, it's been a rough week. So I'll stop now before this gets any uglier. As for TTC, guess it's off for now. Until we can get our finances in order, at least.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

BEAUTIFUL Fall weekend in Ohio!

OMG, what can I say?? The weekend here in North Central Ohio was just amazing!! It was around 70-73*, a cool breeze blowing constantly, and sunny, sunny, sunny!!! Yesterday Jay, Liam and I took a ride to this state park called Mohican. I took the tripod this time and we got some totally amazing pictures! If I had a clue how to put a slideshow on here, I'd go for it...if anyone can tell me how, I'll do it. ???? I have a couple places where I make the slideshow, but where do I input the code??? I soooooo want to share these pics! YIKES...there are so many though!! I only took about 160! I promise I won't put them ALL in the slideshow!! lol

On another note, thank you all sooooo much for the prayers and well wishes while we're trying to get through the ever-so-fun 2ww!! I've had some good signs, at least I think...from heartburn (that I never have), AF type cramps for 4 days straight now, acne on my face (never usually get that either) and my temp has been up for days...like 99.3 to 99.8 consistantly. That's with a digital ear therm though. ?? I don't temp and chart. Too much work and frustration!! lol Today is 8 dpo and counting... just keep the prayers coming! THANK YOU!

Now, let me know about this slide show thing and I'll try to do it. Ho hum!!!

I may have figured it out, let's see.... (DUH!!)

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Our 7th *and hopefully final* TWW!!

3 DPO already?! Wow! Seems like it was just last night that we made a baby!! :) God, I pray...

Yes, we are officially in our 7th TWW!! What a weekend it's been!! First and foremost, my best friend in the whole wide world was here visiting from Alabama!! Her and her hubby and 3 beautiful daughters came up Friday and left yesterday. Just to set the tone, Jennifer and I have been BEST friends for 10 years! Ours is a very special friendship, in that our entire relationship has been built long distance. We met through a mutual friend (thank you, Kelly!), but didn't really "click" until she moved from Ohio to Alabama. We haven't seen each other in 7 long years!! The last time she saw me, Liam was in my belly and her little Heather was in her belly!! Our kids are exactly one week apart! :) Well, as if that wasn't fantastic enough, I had sort of calculated that we "might" be doing A.I. yesterday or today, which today happens to be Jennifer's birthday. **Happy Birthday, my BESTEST ESTEST friend!** Anyway, as cool as that would have been, it worked out differently. We ended up doing AI on Saturday while they were here!!!!! :) It couldn't have been more perfect!!

I know God is the one who makes all this happen...I have NO doubts...but there's just so many reasons I have to believe THIS is the cycle for us!!!! First of all, Liam was concieved on lucky cycle #7...this was #7 for us. Next, we used donor #514...5 represents May (Jay's bday) and 14 represents Valentines Day (Liam's bday)! And then there's number that crosses my path on a regular basis...1013. It represents a lot of things, including the time that my husband died (10:13 a.m.). I come across this number so many times...and it wasn't until Saturday evening just before we did AI that I realized it was 10/13/07!! Not only that, but we ended up doing AI at 13 hours post +opk!!! I know it all sounds so silly and juvenile, but I really believe things all fell into place the way they did for a reason. And that reason is the creation of our baby!!!! Nothing could have made it more perfect than my Fer-Fer being here!!!! :)

So everyone, if you would, please say an extra little prayer for us when you read this, and throw in a little jar of baby dust if you wouldn't mind also!!

I'm adding some pics taken this weekend, but there are TONS more on www.myspace.com/chicagirl70 for anyone that wants to look!! Thanks in advance for the prayers and FX! We appreciate it soooooo much!!! I'm so ready for our little bean!! :)

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Blah, blah, blah Tuesday

Ok Aradia, thanks...I love these things!

Jobs I've had
1) Babysitter (so overrated!)
2) H.R. Specialist for staffing company (also overrated!)
3) Dough-maker at pizza joint
4) Telemarketer

Places I've lived
1) Florida
2) Tennessee
3) hole-in-the-wall one room apartment with my ex-fiance!! (WHAT was I thinking??)
4) Next door (in a side-by-side duplex) to my mom and step-dad (highly un-recommendable)

Food I love
1) pizza
2) apples & caramel
3) chips & salsa
4) garlic cheese bread

Places I would rather be
1) Australia
2) Scotland
3) Living next door to Ellen D*generes
4) Anywhere near water!

Movies I love
1) Because I Said So
2) Meet the Parents/Fockers
3) Catch & Release
4) Anything of Liam when he was little! :)

TV shows I watch
1) Brothers & Sisters
2) Biggest Loser (I wanted to be on there!!)
3) Nanny 9-1-1
4) Private Practice

Books I love (this is a hard one ~ I don't like to read!)
1) Hugs~Daily Inspirationals for Moms
2) LTD Catalog :)
3)
4)

Bloggers I am tagging
1) Tracey of Baby Steps
2) Aradia of Milk-Induced Coma
3) Laine of Two Florida Mommies
4) Soooooo many more!! :p

C'mon...who's next???

Saturday, September 29, 2007

A new look!

Finally...Saturday!! :)

I decided on a whim Thursday that I was sick of my dry-looking hair and that it was time for my yearly "Fall look" color change!! So I called my hairdresser, who happens to be my cousin, and she said she would LOVE to do it!! She LOVES coloring my hair, because she knows I'm pretty open to anything and I'll let her try new things! lol I usually have my hair a dark auburn in Fall and Winter, then lighter with hi-lights for Spring and Summer. I was looking online at celebrities and I really like the way Sharon Osbourne always had her hair when it was that deep dark red.

...Well, this is the result! Not exactly what I was going for, as it's a little dark for me, but she reassured me that it will fade out in a couple washings and be more like what I was going for. ??? Hmmmm.... She did offer to redo it on Tuesday if I want, but the more I look in the mirror, the more I'm getting used to it. As much as I wash my hair, I'm sure she's right. So be honest...what do you guys think??? I can take criticism ok. Especially when I'm not ooohing and aagghhing it myself! lol Against my better judgement, I'm posting before & after pics!

Every year, the last weekend of September we have this little festival in our small town called Octoberfest. Well, it's this weekend. So last night we walked uptown for a while and let Liam play a few games, ate some bad-for-you fair food (although it was soooo good!) and ran into tons of people we know! You can't fart in this town without everyone knowing it!! lol Especially when over half the town is somehow related to you!!! Then Jay, Liam and I came home and we decided to have a "slumber party" downstairs in our living room. We blew up the air mattress, watched "Night at the Museum" and curled up together with the cats! ....Well that lasted til about 2 a.m. when I woke up in excrutiating pain!!!! Apparently our air mattress has a small hole and had DEFLATED!! Since I'm a side-sleeper, I was laying hip-to-hard-floor!! Ugh...yea....nice! So I moved up the couch and it was all downhill from there!!! First I started hearing this cat outside our window (we live on an alley and there are tons of strays around here), so it meowed all freakin' night...then the trains started coming through, laying on their whistles allllll the way through town, then this big truck pulled into the alley and was revin' up his engine right outside our window!!!! AAARRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!

...So...I'm thinking we will NOT be doing the "slumber party in the living room" again anytime soon!!!!

On that note...

Thursday, September 27, 2007

I am so blessed!!

Well the BIG DAY came and went. As it started out, I was beginning to think "if this is how 37 is gonna be, then I'm skipping it!" I woke up with a splitting migraine that seemed to last through the day up until about 4:00. Turning 37 was literally a PAIN IN THE NECK! But finally it went away and turned out to be probably my BEST birthday yet!!! My Mom went with us out to dinner at Olive Garden, which is by far one of my favorite places to eat!! They did the whole singing thing, brought the cake, I got embarassed, and all that jazz! Liam, with a little help from Jay, got me the new Season One 6-disc set of Br*thers & S*sters. That happens to be my favorite show! As you'll notice in the picture above, my wonderful, romantic, ever-so-sweet Jay, got me a beautiful white gold diamond ring!! NO, not "THE RING" (note to self: YET!), but gorgeous none-the-less!!! She sure knows how make a girl happy and she also learned early on that diamonds ARE a girl's best friend!! ;) I just love her so much!!! No, not because she got me diamonds, although that helps (lol), but because she is the most caring, giving, loving person I've ever known. She goes out of her way, day in and day out, to make Liam & I happy. I just hope she knows the joy and love that I feel for her and hopefully I do as much for her as she does for us. I truly am blessed. :)