Fruit Basket - Volume One

Sorry I've been a bit lax in posting over the last week or so. While it was wonderful having my brother home for a week, I have to say it did negatively impact my blogging. He has now returned home, though, and I promise to pick my blogging back up. For those who are interested, we had a wonderful visit with Goose (although I would have liked for it to be longer). My parents have both been down since he left, but they did book a flight to go visit him in 11 weeks. This is big news since neither my Dad (who will turn 70 during the trip) nor my Mom (who is 64) have ever flown before, so this will be their first flight. It will also be only the second visit they've made to see Goose and the first to his current home. They're both excited, but a little nervous. The Hubs and I will be delivering them to and picking them up from the airport

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The Hubs and I are making our own plans for a small trip this upcoming weekend. It's that time again and we'll be heading to Atlanta to attend the "America's Got Talent" auditions. This year I'm singing "Glitter in the Air" by Pink, but I won't be posting a video of it before the auditions. Depending on how things go, I may post a clip for you sometime in February after I get my new Flip Camera. Want to hear a sample of my voice? Visit this post to hear last year's audition material.

Wish me luck!

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Have I mentioned lately that I love Goodwill? The Hubs and I went to Goodwill after work today. The Hubs got two dress shirts, two ties and a book. I got five books (got to keep up with my book challenge!). Our total spend? $21.67. You know anywhere else you could spend that little and get that much? Nope, neither do I.

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I'll make a confession here. You know how some people really love shoes or how other people collect trading cards? Well, I have a weakness like that. I'm a handbag addict. I love them! I used to be the shoe addict but, with all the problems I've had with my ankle over the last couple of years, it's difficult for me to wear a lot of different shoes. So I switched my loyalties to handbags. I don't actually buy that many of them, but about 4 or 5 times a year, I get crazy with handbag lust and have to buy a new one. The last few weeks, I've really been craving a new bag, but have just not been able to find what I wanted. Today I've been blindsighted. I've actually found two bags I really wanted and I've had to make a choice between them. The first one I've seen is really not my style at all, but I love it! It's a zebra print body with lime green bottom corners and handles and, although I would normally not even look twice at it, it has really grabbed me. The second bag I saw is more my normal style. It is just a silvery-gray bag, kind of medium-sized, with two buckled pockets on the front. Because the second bag is more my style, I went ahead and purchased it today. The problem is, I can't get the first bag out of my head!

The interesting thing about the first bag is that it is available in the gift shop at the hospital I work in. This means that I can purchase the bag and have it payroll deducted from my next two paychecks. I need some advice. Should I get the other bag as well? The Hubs told me to go ahead and get it, but I know I'll feel guilty if I do. What would you do?

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One of the things I love most about the ALI Community is how, when one of us is hurting, a huge portion of the community comes out to show support, offer words of sympathy, advice or prayers, and simply be there for the one of us who is hurting. As many of you may be aware, Wiseguy at Woman Anyone? lost her sweet baby girl, Lola, recently. Lola had been fought for, long and hard. Wiseguy is really hurting right now. Please take a moment to stop by and offer her your love and support. She really needs us right now.

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I'm off to do my homework now....I've put that off long enough. Have a lovely evening, my sweet bloggy buddies!

On Matters of Brothers and Superheroes

My brother arrived this past Saturday. It's been really awesome getting to see him and spend time with him. He'll be here until this coming Saturday, then he goes back to New Jersey. I'm not sure when we'll get the chance to see him again, so I'm just trying to enjoy the time we have with him. The Hubs and I went out to eat with him and my Mom Sunday night. We went to a local seafood restaurant. The food was nice, but the company was even better.

Saturday evening, The Hubs and I had decided to give my brother and my Mom and Dad some time alone to visit, so we went to the movies to see The Green Hornet in 3D. We didn't really expect a lot from it because we had heard a lot of negative thoughts on it and, of course, it was in 3D and lately it seems everything is in 3D (frequently without making the best use of the technology). However, we went anyway, after having a really fabulous steak dinner. The movie was freaking hilarious! We both LOVED it and the 3D technology was used to the best advantage in this movie. Now I'll admit, there will be some of you out there who don't like the movie and won't agree with me that it was great, but we really enjoyed it. I'm sure when The Green Hornet makes it to DVD, it will become part of our collection.

I had a call today from my RE's office. We were supposed to have an appointment with him this Thursday, however, they were needing to reschedule. The appointment was originally rescheduled til tomorrow, but the receptionist called me back and said Dr. O only had an hour opening tomorrow and he said that he would need longer than that for us because I was a "complicated case". Hmmm. Not sure how I feel about that. On the one hand, he is at least giving us plenty of time and attention, but on the other hand, I don't think I like being complicated while TTC. I'm hoping we get some good news next week.

Off to watch some television with my family now (we're currently at my Mom's house right now), so I will catch up with you lovely folks later!

Perfect Moment Monday: After Nearly Five Years

This is my first time participating in Lori's (of Write Mind Open Heart) Perfect Moment Mondays. But since I have been in an awful mood today (nothing really has happened, I'm just feeling agitated and irritated - could be because AF is in town) and I got some good news this evening, I thought I would choose today to start participating.

I should probably take a moment to explain (probably again) about my siblings and myself. There are four of us in total. Charlie (of course, these are aliases, because I would like to live to see my children - just think of this as their call signs) is my only sister and she is 11 1/2 years older than me. Wolfman (Yup, I have a Top Gun theme going on) is my baby brother who is 12 1/2 years older than me. Goose (who, as a young Marine, bore a striking resemblance to Anthony Edwards circa 1985) is the eldest and the first boy. He is almost 15 years older than I am (I was born in November and he turned 15 in February following).

Finally, along came Polly. Well, okay, it was really just me, Lynn. But I was a miracle baby, I tell you! A miracle baby! If not for Louise Brown's history making birth as the first child born via IVF conception, I would have been famous! My mom had had her tubes tied after my sister was born, but then had a miscarriage, so she went on birth control pills. It really didn't matter though, because I was determined to get her and was born in spite of both of these things. I had big things to accomplish. But - really - that's a story for another day.

Back to my Perfect Moment Monday. So, this story is really about Goose. When Goose was 18, he joined the Marines and left home. Two years later, he met and married his wife (who was from New York) and a year later they had my nephew. When Goose had finished his time in the Corps, the family moved to her home in New York. Over the years, they have lived many places: New York; St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; Georgia; New York again; Pennsylvania; and finally, New Jersey. Goose's visits home have been sporadic, not because he didn't want to visit, but because money has always been tight. His last time home was almost five years ago when our dad was seriously ill and we didn't know if he was going to live. Daddy was unconcious the whole time Goose was home, so he has no memory of seeing him then. Daddy's last memory of seeing Goose was when he was home for Christmas six years ago.

Today, The Hubs and I were invited to my Mom and Dad's house for dinner. When we got there, my mom was on the phone with Goose. She was talking excitedly and was motioning for me to sit down on the couch as she finished up the call. Once the call was completed, she told The Hubs and I the good news: a week from this coming Saturday, Goose will be coming home for a visit!!

For me, that is my Perfect Moment Monday. My big brother will be home in a week and a half's time for the first visit in nearly 5 years. I don't think Monday's get any more perfect!

Show and Tell - First Baby Haul

I have three siblings (two brothers and a sister) who are all a good bit older than I am. They each have 1 child and there is a 7 1/2 year age gap between each of the children. In fact, my nephew (who is my eldest sibling M's son) is 7 1/2 years younger than I am. MJ (my nephew) is 23, Boop (eldest niece and daughter of second eldest sibling, brother D) turns 16 next week and Bug (youngest niece, daughter of sister D) is 8. All that being said, its been a while since my Mom had a grandchild who was a baby......so she's going a little baby crazy!

This past weekend, she bought us our first baby stuff (aside from what we'd put away over the years). Below is our first baby haul.

Show and Tell - Vol 7 - A Little Hope

Before you go to sleep,
Say a little prayer,
Every day in every way,
It's getting better and better,

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy

- The iconic words of John Lennon from Beautiful Boy


My Show and Tell this week is a bit unorthodox. This was not the post that had been brewing in my head all day, but the afternoon's events dictacted this post. There isn't really much showing, but a good bit of telling. I'll begin at the beginning :D

When I was young, my parents were foster parents. We had around 70 some odd children in our home over a 5 year period. Some came and stayed a short time, others came and were with us for several years. One such child was a little girl who came to us at the age of 4. She was placed in foster care due to neglect on the part of her parents. Despite the age difference between her and myself (I am 7 years older than she), she and I grew very close. We loved one another just as blood siblings and, to this day, she still calls me "Sissy" occasionally.

Fast forward to the present. This same girl is now 23 years old, married and the mom of 2 little boys. She and her family are happy, but they do not have a lot of money (as is the case with many families in rural Georgia). I had not seen her in ages, but approximately 2 months ago, she approached my mom and told her she was pregnant again and she was going to be giving the child up for adoption because she could not financially, mentally, or physically afford another child. That was the last we heard until today.

This afternoon, she approached my mom again and asked if The Hubs and I would be willing to adopt her child. My mom called us and we, of course, said yes! This is a wonderful opportunity for us! My foster sister said she simply wanted to know the child would be loved and she knew that it would receive all the love in the world with us, because she had. She said she could not imagine her child with anyone in the world other than The Hubs and I.

So, we are now in hurry up and wait mode. We are scheduling a meeting with my foster sister sometime in the next few days to discuss the adoption. After that meeting, we will be contacting a lawyer and beginning the proceedings for our private adoption. Assuming the adoption goes through, we want my foster sister to be a large part of our child's life, but we want to be respectful of her wishes too. I feel a bit premature announcing this now, but I was too excited to hold it back. While I know there are many, many things that can change the outcome of this decision, The Hubs and I are cautiously optimistic.

So, if things go to plan, The Hubs and I will be welcoming our son home sometime near his due date of February 3, 2009.

By the way, anyone who has any advice on private adoption (particularly in Georgia) is welcome to leave it!

New Cycle and Other Bits and Pieces

Finally!

AF finally turned up on Friday, so I am on to a new cycle now :D I'm really pleased. I decided to give soy one more try. I read somewhere that your dosage needed to be double what your Clomid dosage had been and I didn't do that last cycle. My chart from last cycle isn't showing a clear O pattern, so I think its very likely I either did not O or had a weak O. I have, thus, increased my soy dosage to 240mg for 5 days. I took the first dose last night. I'll just have to see how things progress with it.

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The Hubs and I had a great time working with Disney's A Christmas Carol Train Tour! It was a lot of fun! Very hard work, but lots of fun. The Hubs was stationed in the car that had videos playing on several screens telling how the movie was made and I was at the activities table applying temporary tattoos to the little ones (and several big ones, lol), as well as passing out activities sheets. I'm really glad we did it!

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This past weekend, The Hubs and I attended a local festival. We thought it would be a lot of fun since it had been in the past, but either the abrupt change of Georgia weather (its been cold! in Ocotber! That never happens down here) or economic change over the last year has affected it. There was hardly anything there. We only stayed about half an hour, but we got some good photos (which I may share for Show and Tell this week). After we left there, we visited my sister, brother-in-law and niece. We hadn't seen them in a while, so it was a nice visit.

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Today starts this month's Blogger Bingo! I'm excited about it! I have no idea how Mel has the time to come up with all these different activities, but I'm grateful for them :D Now....fingers crossed I get to call bingo!

Monday Again....Ugh

It's Monday morning again. I'm not a Monday kind of girl. I really don't like starting out a new week. I should feel like its the start of something positive, but I just usually feel like its the start of another long 5 days until I have a weekend again.

I'm also a major grouch on Monday mornings. For example, this morning, while coming into the building dragging my heels and running slightly late (as usual for a Monday), I was acosted by some co-workers who were laughing and joking. My immediate reaction? Thought in my head: You people are entirely too happy for a Monday morning. Get away from me. Portrayed to said co-workers: A gritted teeth, fake smile that actually seemed to be taken as me being happy to see them and hear their laughter this early on a Monday morning. I must be a better actress than I give myself credit for.

So here we are again at the beginning of another week. I really do hope its a good news week. After the year The Hubs and I have been having, we could really do with something positive occurring. This weekend was not a good one (why do I look so forward to the weekends when they seem to disappoint me more often than not?). It started out pleasantly enough. The Hubs had a good job-hunting day on Friday, then on Saturday we slept in since normally I'm up at 6am. However, things started to take a dive on Saturday evening. We went outside to play with our dogs (in addition to Isabel who is an inside dog, we have a collie mother and 3 half-collie, half-beagle puppies outside) only to find that my dog (a sweet, loveable, adorable runt puppy who is so smart and completely stole my heart) had disappeared. Without a trace. We searched everywhere for him, but we still have found no sign of him.

As if that wasn't enough to set anyone's teeth (and heart) on edge, on Sunday we overslept and missed church. Then my brother (who has moved back in next door with my mother after the breakup of his FOURTH marriage - do I need to say more?) decided to blow up at me and threaten to hit me. And, of course, my mother (as usual) sided against me, saying I had provoked him (by asking if he had seen a pair of socks I had left at my mom's house - WTH?). I have no idea when she's ever going to make him grow up and face responsibility for his actions. So far for his entire life she has been making excuses for him and his outbursts. He's 43 years old and when he gets upset with anyone, he explodes and threatens (and often follows through) with hitting them. Then in rides our mother to the rescue to get him out of his latest bit of trouble. It truly is sickening sometimes. But, I digress.

So after an unappealing weekend, I should be quite happy to see Monday. Alas, I am not. So, I guess I should get this day underway.

One good thing about today? Its the kick-off to International Comment Leaving Week! Go get involved and visit some blogs! Spread the love! This is my first month and I'm hoping to become an Iron Commentor by visiting every participating blog.

Have a great (well, as good as it can be) Monday!

Remembering

Eight years ago

I was sitting at my desk at the radio station where I worked with my feet propped up on the desk and reading a magazine when my co-worker rushed in and said "A plane has just hit the World Trade Center!" Our first reaction was shock and commenting on how awful it was, but we had no inkling how terrible it would actually turn out to be. His next announcement, just a little while later, was "Another plane has hit the other tower of the World Trade Center! They're saying we're under a terrorist attack!" Those words turned my blood to ice. Even now, remembering his words I feel myself shiver slightly.

It was the first time in my life I had ever felt insecure about my safety. Previously, I had always felt that we, as a country, were one of the Untouchables. Never in my lifetime had the United States experienced anything like this. The last time anything even remotely similar had happened had been Pearl Harbor, some 60 years earlier, when my dad was only a few months old! It was a feeling I will never forget.

Shortly after those first announcements, real panic set in for my family. Although we were in Georgia and well out of the path of danger, my eldest brother was not. You see, at the time he lived in Pennsylvania, but he worked in New York City. As a foreman for NYC transit, he had spoken to my mother only days previously and had told her how he would be working on the subway system near - you guessed it - the World Trade Center. We watched our televisions with bated breath as hell unfolded on the unsuspecting people who had gone into the world that cool September morning expecting nothing more than an average day, all the while my Mom was constantly phoning, phoning but unable to get through. The phone lines were jammed.

I continued working and did my on-air shift, our radio station tuned entirely to news, worry for my brother's safety eating through me the whole time. As we heard news reports come across of the casualties in New York, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania, my mind kept playing different scenarios of what may have been happening to my brother and I admit now that none of them were positive or pleasant. I worked enormously hard to keep my composure until I could finish my shift. As soon as I could legitimately leave, I quickly made my way home to be with my mom and pray.

Unlike many people that day, our story has a happy ending. After sixteen grueling hours of panic, worry, prayer and almost continuous dialing, my mom was finally able to reach my brother. By some wonderous miracle, the Lord saw fit to give my brother and most of the members of his crew the flu. Due to having only two members who were not ill, the whole team had been relieved of their duties for that day and told to be prepared to work the next day. They had all been upset to have caught the flu, but it is proof that while we may not know what the future holds, there is a higher power who knows and prepares. I thank Him so much that He saw fit to spare my brother's life and, in the same breath, I say a prayer for those who were lost that day and for those who lost their loved ones. Please know that there are those who will never forget the suffering that continues with you this day and your loss is still with us.

Finding New Projects While Waiting

CD54 today. Still no O, still no AF. The pain in my left side is back. You've gotta love PCOS. Its a bit like a game. Currently the score is body 1 - 0 mind. My body is getting cocky though. It thinks its going to win. But my mind knows better. It may be another week, it may be another month but eventually the body will give in. It always does. Until then though....

DH and I have a new project. We've decided to take the 40 Day Love Dare challenge. Today is Day 1 for us and our dare for the day is "Demonstrate patience and say nothing negative to your spouse." Really this is not a very difficult dare. We are generally very good about not being negative to one another. A few months ago it may have posed more of a problem, but these days we communicate with one another more and have a much stronger marriage for it.

The only thing that may pose a problem for my patience is that my brother is moving home today. He and his wife split up a couple of weeks ago after a short marriage (his fourth). He has bipolar disorder and had to be hospitalized after the break-up, so today is his first day out of the hospital and he'll be returning to my mom's house which is next door to ours. Now, I know this makes me sound heartless, but he and I don't get along very well so I'm praying nothing will flair up today. It would be so nice if I could materialize a way to keep things calm with him, but situations seem to always develop which sees either him or myself losing our temper. However, I am going to make a concerted effort to be more grounded this time. And whenever DH is once again employed, we can make plans to move to a new home. Wish me luck!