Thursday, January 31, 2008

Correction & Trivia

I wanted to start this post by correcting my post yesterday. JB did not lecture me while I laid on the floor struggling to breathe. The discussions about gravity did not begin until afterwards, when I was sitting in a chair, carefully contemplating the pain in my toe. After he read that he reminded me of the facts and that he wouldn't lecture me while I was in pain. I agree. I don't want anyone to think he wasn't caring. I was just trying to make a point that he sees things in a different fashion than I do.

Speaking of my toe, it is now quite black and blue but it isn't hurting when I walk too much anymore. That's a relief!

Next, my mom said it was time for some more trivia. I have not done trivia in awhile. So, here we go:

Join our past winners list by answering this question:

According to a very recent survey, this is the number one lie that women tell!


Here are the past winners:

Cindy V.
Doormark x2
Ebby
Gabbi x 4
Jason
Joanna x2
Justin
Kristen x3
Patrick
Tara (in Cali)
Ray
Suebaby x2
Randy
Funkmonkey
Nicole
Dad
Joia
Kristi
Lauren

The man song

My friend Ebby sent this to me. Actually my brother introduced me to this song years ago, but I had never seen the video. Not that the video is important. The words are what is important. Anyways, if you want a good laugh, click away!

Busted toe

I dropped a plank of wood on my foot last night. It hit three of my toes, but primarily my middle toe. I am having difficulty walking. I'm hoping the pain is because I am going to lose my nail not that I fractured or broke my toe.

I was organizing my scrapbooking stuff. I removed some papers from one side of the plank making it lopsided. It tipped over and landed right on my foot. Afterwards, JB started lecturing me about the concept of physics and gravity. Did I understand that if I made something lopsided, it would tip? This was a tad bit of annoying. Obviously, if I would have known it was going to flip, I wouldn't have removed the papers from one side. Isn't that why they call it an accident? And, you know how it is when someone starts lecturing you when you are lying on the ground, squirming in pain, trying to only say good words, your dog and husband peering into the closet staring at you while you try to figure out how to get your toe to stop hurting so bad. You aren't exactly accepting of "advice."

The truth is ... I know this wouldn't have happened to JB. I wish I could look inside his head. I bet there are like, line drawings with the laws of physics and gravity going into effect with every step and decision he makes! It is true that for every one time he goes down squealing in pain, I probably go down ten. Too bad I didn't pay better attention in Mr. Cox's geometry class!

The reason for my work around the house ... well, I'm trying to get this nursery somewhat in order. I'll have to take some pictures sometime today to let you see the progress or lack-thereof.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Good news abounds

Good news abounds this morning despite the fact that our little pup woke us up at 4:30. To his deffense, he had to go to the bathroom very badly.

The first bit of good news, it's my Tante Jan's birthday. I think she is 29, but I am not sure. Is this right Jan?

We also found out that JB has a four day weekend in mid-February. Monday is President's Day so the base has taken Friday as a "family day." There have been other family days, but the residents only get the day if they are on an outpatient rotation whcih JB, by luck of the draw, usually was not. This time he is! So, we can go to Jacksonville that weekend without him having to take a vacation day. Fingerprints here we come.

I also found out how to send my employment letters to Minnesota to be certified. Rachel is going to handwalk them into the building for me so that they can get certified immediately instead of me having to wait weeks and worry that they'll be misplaced. How awesome is that?! Now if I can find someone to help in the capitals of Florida (my place of birth), Kentucky (our place of marriage), and North Carolina (JB's place of birth), things will be even better.

In addition, our great friend Nicole, one of JB's classmates at Mayo will be in Jacksonville that weekend so we'll get to see her. Her fiancee, Bay, is working at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville right now so she'll be in that weekend visiting. How cool is that?

We actually have a packed February. Our great friend Tara is coming to visit next week. She'll be in from Tuesday until Sunday. The following weekend we'll go to Jacksonville. The next weekend, I got word that Josh and Sarah and their two boys are going to come and visit. How cool is that?! And then two weekends after that we are going to North Carolina with Matt and Tiffany. JB and Matt are going to take their Boards (a test for doctors). There isn't a testing site in this area so we all decided to make a long weekend of it and head to North Carolina. This should be fun as well. Quite a busy February.

The only bad news in my life right now was the news that JB is on call this Sunday ... Superbowl Sunday. I was a bit bummed about that. However, I am hoping that I can go up to the hospital and watch the game in a room there and hang out with JB inbetween work. If he is way too busy, Sarah is having everyone over for a party so maybe I'll walk the three houses to hang out at her house.

With this busy schedule, I better keep up on work. Gotta go!

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Agility class

Well, I did manage to take my clothes out of my suitcase yesterday, but when we didn't get back from the dog class until 10pm, they went back in the suitcase and back on the floor. So, I must take that yesterday-success back. Today, I hope to take the clothes out of my suitcase and have them make it to their respective permanent place of residence. Here's hoping!

Speaking of dog class, what a fun time! Scrubs actually learned how to run through a tunnel to a spot outside of the tunnel and then run back through the tunnel to me all without help. All I say is "tunnel", "spot", "tunnel", "come". He actually was a "tunnel professional" already from his day's in puppy class, but I was really impressed how quickly he picked up the "spot" request. He also learned how to walk up and down an A-frame. Some of the dogs were very afraid, but Scrubs went up and down quite willingly. He has no fear at all which can be a good and bad thing.

Some people have asked me what we plan to do with these agility and obedience classes. The bottom line? Have a good dog. Some people will eventually go into agility competitions. I am not sure I will ever get involved in that, but it really helps to teach Scrubs to pay attention to me and see me as the pack leader. With the new baby coming a lot earlier than we are originally planning on, we thought this was especially important. And, he really likes it. It's a lot of fun, and we have some good laughs at the things the dogs do at the class. One of the little puppies who is a service-dog trainee, would stretch as far as he could on the A-frame to get the treat but not let his feet leave the ground. It was so adorable.

I also talked to the dog trainer about Scrubs' tendency to steal items and then hide from us. She asked if we were sure that Scrubs knew what he was doing. We almost started laughing. As soon as he steals one of these items he runs around where we can see him, pouncing, and waiting for us to stand up and try to get it back from him. There is no doubt he knows. Ask my mom and dad. They witnessed it firsthand. She suggested a "penny can". This is a can filled with pennies that makes a really loud noise. She said if we can startle him, he would probably drop the item and come running to us where we can praise him for leaving the item. We will try it. I'm not sure it will work, but it is worth giving it a try.

I know it may seem that I am a little obsessed with my dog. I used to try to pretend I wasn't that obsessed with Scrubs, but you know what, I am. This dog completely turned my life around in a very dark season, and he is truly a member of our family. So if I want to talk about him on my blog, I plan to. I hope that's okay with everyone!! :)

Monday, January 28, 2008

The good things

Sometimes in the course of a regular ol' day, you gotta be excited about the little successes. These include:
  • Figuring out where I need to send my employment forms in Minnesota to get certified for the adoption. I now have (drum roll please) an address. Now I just need to figure out the details of getting them there.
  • Getting nine hours of work in to pad myself for the week ahead.
  • Only needing to yell at Scrubs one time to get down off the couch and quit "frolicking" with the cushions. It isn't quite frolicking, but hopefully, you get the idea.
  • Making dinner! Yes folks, you read that correctly. I made dinner. I even, actually, deviated slightly from the recipe. Imagine!
  • A successful jog with doggie running pretty decently along side me.
  • Tricking Scrubs into getting his gentle leader on so he didn't have a chance to run from me. He never saw it coming!
  • Emptying my suitcase. I haven't actually put away the clothes yet, but the suitcase is empty.
  • Somehow talking JB into going to dog class with me tonight. Scrubs is starting the 3rd level class . . . agility. Should be a good time. I plan to talk to our dog trainer about how to prevent the grabbing-things-I-shouldn't-and-hiding-on-the-other-side-of-the-dining-room-table behavior. Although, JB and I did create a bit of a contraption with the dining room table to prevent him from staying on the opposite side from us. This is so frustrating!
  • Doing my devotions. I have to start my day with this, otherwise, I never do get it to. I never quite got on a routine at my parents, but a fresh week = a fresh start.

So here's to little successes!

Oh, and if you haven't noticed, I have a new contest on my blog where you can guess the stats of the baby. Then, when the baby is born, the computer tells you who won. Coolness. Please put your guesses in!

Grace trains Scrubs

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Okay okay .... ultrasound photos at long last

Okay, so JB and I were debating whether we should put this photo on. I am not sure. But here it is anyway. Proof that we are having a boy and another regular ol' photo for good measure. If this is crude, I apologize, but the tech typed something funny on the screen, and, well, it's a fact of life, right? Apologies to anyone who is offended.



Jacksonville?!?!?!

Sometimes this international adoption process completely overwhelms me.

We received our paperwork from Immigration. It is moving along nicely. As soon as this step is done, we can then compile the documents for our Dossier.

Next step: fingerprints.

We received the paperwork from Immigration to get our fingerprints done. How hard can this be? Well ... pretty hard. We have to go to Jacksonville. Yes, that's right. The Jacksonville as in the five-hour away Jacksonville.

And we can't go on a Saturday or Sunday. We have to go on a Monday through Friday from 8am until 3pm.

This means that JB is going to have to take one of his five remaining "May baby" days off to drive five hours to Jacksonville and five hours back. Everyday we don't get this done is another delay in getting on the waiting list for China.

I know it will all be fine and get done in God's timing, but sometimes it all just seems so overwhelming and so much. I am so thankful for the May baby. I cannot imagine my frustration if it wasn't for the fact that we will have our hands quite full already.

***

In other news, JB and I had a wonderful evening last night. We watched the movie Equilibrium (I really liked it!), ate some leftovers, and went to bed around 10pm. JB wasn't sure how he would sleep as this was his first attempt to flip-flop his sleep back. He slept badly. He was awake from 1am until 5am. Poor guy.

I, on the other hand, had a different problem. I was awake at 5am since this was 6am Fort Lauderdale time. So I made my way out to get a few hours of work for RLSF done. At 8am I started wondering why I hadn't heard Scrubs yet so I made my way into the bedroom. Scrubs was awake all right and had obviously given up in getting JB to wake up. He instead found something else to pass the time -- tearing up one of our devotional books. I guess he doesn't think Moments for Couples is very important to our family.

We went to church. It's the first Sunday we've been in town together and JB has not been on call in about six weeks. Afterwards, we came home and took Scrubs to "fam camp" a huge field around the block from our house that he can play with his frisbee and chase us. He loves going there.

Speaking of Scrubs: Jodi you are right. The dog HATES his "gentle leader" leash. It's always been bad, but it's gotten much worse. He has started hiding from me when I bring it out. Today he hid in the very back of his kennel, and I had to climb in it to get him out. I have ordered another kind of leash that isn't quite as good as the gentle leader but will hopefully do the trick in walking this leash-pulling dog. Only problem is they were out of stock so I have to wait 6-8 weeks for the thing. Ugh!

We also stopped at Target and Publix. Target for baby hangers to hang up some of the gazillions of clothes we have received (Thanks Funky Monkey and Ray & Gabbi). Publix to get food since we went to have breakfast this morning and had no eggs, no milk, no toast, no oatmeal. What has my dear husband been eating for two weeks?!?

Tonight, more relaxing. JB is on a great rotation for the next months. Yippeeee! Family time. Scrubs also starts a new dog class tomorrow night: agility.

Night everyone!

Saturday, January 26, 2008

I'm home!

I'm home!!!!!!!

I missed JB so much.

JB missed me so much that I had to bang on the bedroom window to get him to let me back in the house because he was sleeping so soundly. (I didn't have my keys). I paged him (twice), called him, rang the doorbell, and knocked on both doors to no avail. I finally gave up and headed over to the bedroom window. He came out and told me that the pager was right next to him on the bed, waiting for my page in Crestview (I tried!!!) and that he didn't have earplugs in, and yet he still did not hear the pager. He said that finishing nights finally gave him permission to sleep soundly instead of sleeping "alertly". Poor guy!

Anyways, I made it home in nine hours again. Scrubs did excellent if you subtract the first fifteen minutes of the trip (when he decided to barf.) I think his stomach was empty and the car motion just took over. He probably slept for seven of the nine hours making for only two hours when I had to try to entertain him by chucking food and plastic bottles over the seat. I'd let him chew on a plastic bottle until he punctured it, and then give him another one.

Now that I am home, I can also post some of the photos (and one video) I took on the trip. I really didn't take very many and most of them had to do with Scrubs! I guess I like my dog. Actually, I just wasn't diligent in camera-taking.

I had a wonderful two weeks at home. It was really great. My parents are good sports. They put up with me and my dog (who stole my dad's glasses and ran through the screen on the porch.) They are cool parents!

Also, before I go, I wanted to tell you all that Joia has decided to be the keeper of "name guesses" of the new baby. So guess away everyone. If you are interested in guessing, let me know with a comment, and I'll send you Joia's email (I don't want to post it on the blog) and you can guess. She has two guessers already so join in on the fun!

Here are the snapshots from my trip.

Grace attempting to get Scrubs to smile but getting slobbered on instead.


Success!


My mom attempting to get Scrubs to smile and getting mouthed instead (this is inappropriate behavior, but my mom is a big softy!) Scrubs thinks my Mom is his personal play companion because she will play with him until he drops! He gave up bringing me toys and just brings them to my mom. Her arms are covered in bruises because she plays so hard! My Mom hates this photo but I think it is hilarious. And no, Scrubs isn't really hurting her -- she's being overly dramatic. :)

A more successful photo


We love to tie this Scrubs around Scrubs' mouth and legs so he has to try to work it off. It kills three minutes so it is well worth it.


Tara -- recognize that rope. It's moving onto its last leg.


Grace and Nate chillin' with the pup

Check out this video of Grace getting Scrubs ready for a party. You need your volume up to catch some of Grace. Too funny. I have one more video that I'll load later.




Friday, January 25, 2008

Going home

The next time I post, I will be back at home on good ol' Eglin AFB.

It's been a wonderful visit! Despite my little 'bout of illness, I have enjoyed getting to spend a few weeks at home with my parents. I have had to work forty hours both weeks while I was here so that dampened my ability to frolic as much as I would have liked, but overall, I still got to spend some quality time with family as well as Joan and Bri. I got to spend time with the Kits also but not quite as much as I would have liked.

As I write this, my darling puppy Scrubs is growling (sort of like Chewbacca on Star Wars) at a sprinkler littering the porch with water. I'm sure he'd like to go out there. No can do Scrubby. Remember yesterday and your little escape antics? Not gonna happen mister! Growl away Chewbacca man!

Yesterday, Joan, Bri, and I went to lunch at Chili's. We were hoping to have dinner together one night and possibly include Chris. Chris is Bri's boyfriend and the birthfather. I have never met Chris. However, we just couldn't come up with a night that would work for everyone so yesterday, just the girls were able to have lunch together. They also came over to meet Scrubs. Bri loves dogs and hopes to get a German Shepherd of her own after the baby is born. Scrubs was very tired so he was very well-behaved and gave Bri a good picture of a good dog. Now if she can just come back when the other part of Jekyll and Hyde is out and about.

I am so proud of Bri. She is doing so well. I know this is hard on her, but she is two-thirds of the way there. Keep up the good work Brianna. Little XY will be here before you know it. I know for Bri, she can't wait for May to get here. While I sort of feel the same way, a big part of me wants May to not get here too fast. I have a lot to get done before that!

I will be returning home in April for a long weekend. Their friends and family plan to have a shower for Bri and me (giving Bri things to get ready to have her own apartment) on Saturday. And then on Sunday, my mom plans to have an open house for me as well. It should be a fun weekend, and it will be the last time I see Bri before our little guy joins the world.

We joked yesterday that we plan to make sure little XY likes mustard since Joan and then Bri both despise mustard. I plan to smother his face in it and take a great big photo to share with both of them!

Anyways, next post will be from Eglin tomorrow. Tonight is JB's last night on call. He made it through nights ... well, almost!

See you from northern Florida folks!

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Give Scrubs an "A+"

It's amazing that you can go from loving to hating an animal so quickly.

This morning, around 7:30am, Scrubs climbed up into bed with me and just snuggled. He was so sweet, so calm, so wonderful. What a great dog!

Yeah. Right.

At 9:00am I was chasing him down the sidewalk in my bare feet, my contact lense which had been on the tip of my finger somewhere in the grass. Scrubs had found a crack in my parents screen, made it a little bigger, and climbed out. He then decided to run away from me -- not so funny when you consider the busy intersection by my parents' house. I managed to catch him only because he decided he had to stop to go to the bathroom. Thank goodness for drinking a lot of water.

I gave him some choice words, threw him in his kennel, and continued chewing him out. All the while he just sat there, whining softly, as if he had no idea why I was so upset. And all the while me saying a thankful prayer that I happened to look out the window just as he broke through the screen.

Fast forward another hour, and we arrived at my old alma matter for Grace's show-n-tell. Folks, Scrubs had everyone fooled. He was AMAZING. He just laid there, ate snacks, and let thirty (?) four-year-olds come up and pet him. Grace was a great helper and so excited to be showing Scrubs off. He didn't jump, he didn't lick, he just sat there like this was old hat. Are you kidding?! Is this the same dog that just snuck out the back of the porch and left me running in my bare feet, my white shorts filthy dirty only an hour earlier?!

On the way back to my parents', I stopped at the dog park, and by the time we made it home close to noon, Bri & Joan were right in front of us at the stoplight. They came to this side of town to finally get to meet Scrubs and to have lunch with me since our schedules didn't match up for dinner. We went to Chili's and had a great time. Scrubs tried to show them some tricks, but he was so tired from his active morning, that he just sauntered into his kennel and went to sleep.

I am back home, and he is sleeping again.

It's a love/hate relationship. That's for sure.

Happ birthday JB!

The photo above is a picture of JB's base in the residency room on Eglin AFB. You can read all about this decoration frenzy on Joia's blog by clicking HERE. This was so nice of the wives to do for JB since he is doing nights, has no one home with him, and didn't even remember it was his birthday. I am not sure who all was responsible (Joia can you fill me in?) but nonetheless, it made JB feel great. I am pretty sure I see some sort of brownie or cake something (choclolate?) sitting in front of the computer screen which, when I speak JB today, I will explicitly tell him to save some for me. I am imagining Joia cooked these and I do NOT want to miss out.

A few other notes about this picture. Joia wanted to point out that the decorations on the roving birthday skeleton were not her's to be proud of. That was Matt. No one is really surprised by that fact.

There are also some Bratz dolls on JB's desk. This is a funny story. JB and I went to the store one day, and he told me he needed some little polio pads of paper to keep in his doctor's jacket pocket for when he needed to take notes. I scoured Target and emerged with just what he wanted. The only catch was that they were Bratz doll polio pads! John was not impressed and told me to put them back immediately. Since my Dutch blood was proud I had found these in the dollar section (there is a reason the expression "going Dutch" means pay for yourself and no one else -- we are cheap!) I decided to get my way. I asked JB if he was afraid to have Bratz dolls on his polio pads. He informed me he was not afraid and Bratz dolls did not challenge his manhood. I also reminded him that he saw children half the day. They would like the Bratz dolls. John agreed (more to end the argument) and decided that he could handle having Bratz doll polio pads.

When he got to work, he put them in a drawer of his desk. Enter Matt two days later, looking to borrow something (it doesn't matter what) from JB's desk. He opens the drawer, sees the Bratz doll polio pads, and the rest is history. JB is now teased unmercifully. So, that's why the dolls reemerged during the desk decoration! What a good sport JB is.

Today, John Mark is 32 years old! Can you believe it. Even harder to believe is that I started dating him when he was 17. Almost half of his life ago. Woah. Happy birthday best friend. I love you.

P.S. Oh and this post needs a couple of P.S.'s. First of all, if you read the comments on yesterday's blog, Funky Monkey thinks she knows the baby's name. She's going to email her guess to Joia who, does not, I repeat, does not, know the name of this little guy. She will simply hold the results . . . anyone else want to guess?

P.S.S. Scrubs is supposedly making his Pre-K debut today. I wish I could take pictures, but I am sure I will be so focused on making sure he behaves I won't be able to. This should be fun, and it will win big niece Grace popularity points.

P.S.S.S. I was at Ray and Gabbi's house until, like 11pm last night (I know -- woah for the early bird, me.) They gave me so many things for little boys . . . quite honestly folks, I have more clothes than I know what to do with. The only clothes I probably did not get from them are winter clothes since Nate was raised in Fort Lauderdale. So if you feel the need to find cute baby things (Ummm ... Rachel?) then I would vote for six month old clothes for fall and winter because otherwise, I am really set until this kid is two years old. Seriously. Clothes galore!!!

Okay, once again, happy birthday husband from far away!

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Poor hubby & official notice

Poor JB. He is so wiped out. He says that he usually has no idea what time it is, cannot always sleep when he tries to at 10am, and does not usually get any sleep at night. He sounds so tired when I speak with him, which isn't often. Unfortunately, when he has downtime, I am usually heavy into my own night of sleep. By the time I get up, he is exhausted, and wearing down. I really miss him but do think that getting out of town for these two weeks was for the best. I
am, however, ready to see him again, and get back to our house in Eglin.

I have heard that it was a good two weeks for me to come. Apparently the temperatures on base were abnormally cold during the last few weeks. Here in Fort Lauderdale, it sticks in the good ol' seventies. Nice and warm. Today, the air is on. I won't even comment on what the temperature in Rochester has been. Okay, I will. It's been in the very negative degrees. Even veteran Minnesotan Rachel emailed me telling me she was freezing. Not good. Not good at all. I do not belong there. That's for sure.

In other news . . .

It's official. I have decided to resign from my position at Mayo Clinic. This was a very difficult decision eased only by the fact that I have worked away from the office for the last seven months so I have a bit of a transition of leaving my co-workers.

I have always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. Our plan was that when we got pregnant (back in 2003 -- ha!) I would quit work and stay-at-home. Instead, life played things out a bit differently. I have rationalized the money we have spent on infertility treatments by telling myself that had we got pregnant right away, I wouldn't have worked at all. In the end, we came out on the up side if you count the fact that I have worked five years longer than we planned on me working.

I will still do some work with RLSF and other free-lance organizations to help pay for our China adoption, but the fact that work for them is much less time-sensitive means I can do the work when the baby allows. Mayo's work is much more time-sensitive and not as flexible due to the deadline-driven nature of the work. I also think Dr. K needs to have someone in office -- something I obviously cannot do. I also have to do twenty hours a week to keep my benefits. I do not have to do a required number of hours I have to work for RLSF.

I have so enjoyed the last four and a half years that I have worked for Dr. K. and the Cardiovascular Department at Mayo. I was so blessed to have a job I could walk three blocks to each morning through the underground subway from my condo to the Guggenheim building. I wish I could do everything in life I wanted to and not feel overwhelmed or tired, but that isn't possible, so things have to give. Resigning from this job was my first step toward acknowledging that, in fact, we plan to be parents in May.

May baby here we come.

P.S. Oh and Funky Monkey, you keep saying you know the baby's name. How will we know you were right? I think you should have to email someone else so we can have proof of you being right or not. Something tells me you may be right. You seem to have a sixth sense about these things. :) And yes, everyone ... the name will not be revealed until the little ones makes his debut. (Bri does know and she approves!)

P.S.S. Don't let little Tara in Cali trick you all into thinking she needs to know the name. She just doesn't want to wait. Ha ha ha ha ha. I hold the power. How nice! :) I know what you are thinking Tara: "Is this helping or hurting?" he he he he he! (that's me laughing!)

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Check out that stork!

Check it out man -- he's almost reached the "Trimester 3" flag! You go Bri! Maybe now would be a good time to tell everyone his name? (We have finalized his full name by the way!)

Naaahhhh ...

Monday, January 21, 2008

In honor of Martin Luther King

I am feeling better today and wanted to post a few MLK quotes in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day yesterday which I was too ill to pay attention to yesterday.

  • Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.
  • Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
  • Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.
  • History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.
  • I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
  • I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.
  • I just want to do God's will. And he's allowed me to go to the mountain. And I've looked over, and I've seen the promised land! I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land.
  • I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.
  • In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
  • It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important.
  • The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But... the good Samaritan reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"
  • The time is always right to do what is right.

Short-n-sweet

Sorry folks. I am just not up to a big blog today because I am just not up to things in general. I came down with some sort of bug -- I think the same one that nearly the entire Kit. family has had while I am here. This has left me feeling really out of it. I was bummed because today I was going to go out with my sis-in-law AD and also with Bri and Joan. Bummer. I had to cancel all of it because I just feel cruddy. Oh well. Maybe tomorrow you'll hear more from me.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Wendi's mom (aka "Lady Di") speaks!

Here is a post written by my Mom. She is not a writer, and so she was very nervous about writing this post. However, I think she did an awesome job. Don't you?

One of Wendi's blog stalkers had asked some questions back on January 2 about George and me. She wanted to know about our early years and how I handled time alone (of which I had much for quite a few years.)

It's nice to me to think that someone would be interested in my life, but it also became like a homework assignment. Writing doesn't come as easy as it does for Wendi. Plus it got me to thinking. I think I tend to live more in the moment. I don't get people who are always looking back and comparing or always looking forward to the next "whatever." I like to enjoy where I am. Would you REALLY want to go back there?

I guess we all live life differently -- not saying my way is right, but I like my way! Sometimes it seemed like we were stuck where we were, and I couldn't wait until the kids walked or went to school or . . . well, I missed stuff but no regrets!! I have forgotten a lot that I wish I did remember. I blinked and the kids were gone and on their own! There were some really tough years that seemed almost hopeless for a long time, but now, it's almost like a dream. I know it was tough but it's difficult to remember a lot of it. The Kenny Chesney song fits pretty well "Don't Blink."

I do think that if I had years of spending time with my husband and then suddenly had long periods where I was alone, like Wendi is doing now, it would be hard. I started out spending a lot of time alone and guess I just adapted. I didn't know any better! I was really young when we got married (19!! That is too young!!) and in the beginning (before children) I would go to all of George's games. I really didn't have any interests of my own back then; I just sort of revolved my life totally around George and his schedule. I think George would admit that he was pretty self centered . . . ummmm . . . selfish maybe? No, just self-centered. He was a star athlete through high school and college and pretty much stuff was about him. He warned me that it would be a busy time, but I was so in love; I didn't think that would be a problem.

He was kind and loving but life revolved a lot around him. He did work very hard. He taught all the PE classes in the very beginning. He always coached three sports during the year. Cross country for a while, then volleyball, basketball and softball or baseball. In his spare time he played on a softball league, basketball league, and golfed. Then he watched sports was on TV all weekend.

After the kids were born, life sort of changed. We had one car and it wasn't so easy to get the kids up and out early to bring him to school. We were pretty structured with bedtimes and routines. There were many days that he would leave about 7:30am, and I wouldn't see or speak to him until after 10:00pm. (No cell phones back then!) When he was home, his mind was pretty much on the next game and our next couple of days after the game were determined by if they won or lost or how they played.We had no extra money so we really didn't do much else but go to games. We did have some couples we hung around with and would do some stuff with them on weekends sometimes. That was always a treat for me, and George got to watch and talk more sports with the guys. We still are friends with some of those couples so that was a really good thing!

When the kids were older and Wen was in Kindergarten, I started doing some working outside of the home. I hit one year that I just totally rebelled. I guess I became very selfish, or self-absorbed (maybe a little tired?) I refused to go to the games and was not supportive at all. It was an awful time. I felt very sorry for me. Divorce wasn't an option so was I stuck in this? It got to the point that I really liked my alone time and almost resented when George was around. Finally, I cried and asked God to please fix it.

Do you know what He said to me? (No, it wasn't an audible voice, but I still remember that still small voice in my spirit.) He told me to get involved with George's stuff. This was his job and his life and I needed to be part of it. Can you imagine? Why did I have to change? What about George? I fought it for awhile but finally told George what God had told me. To sort of shorten the story, I started keeping score for his games and when the kids were playing, I was score keeping for 3-4 games a night after working all day. Do you know those were some of the best years of my life? It brought such a closeness and a bonding in our little family. It helped get the kids a college education and caused us to be together a lot instead of everyone going their own directions. (It also started the bad habit of eating out a lot, but if we wanted meals together that was pretty much the only option. I haven't had a McDonalds in quite some time.)

It wasn't easy all the time, but the pay off has been good. God was a big part of our lives, but we had our priorities a little skewed. He wasn't always the center, but we did love Him, and I believe He was patient and worked with us in our ignorance. There is a neat scripture that I think sums it up. God is working in me, giving me the desire and power to do His good pleasure. Phil 2:13.

George and I have been married for 32 years now and have had our struggles but we are so glad we didn't give up. God was working on George during this time too. He has changed A LOT!! We did work at being a united front and keeping our relationship a priority, the best we knew how. When the kids went to college, we still had our relationship with each other. The relationship we have now is so cool. George still loves his sports, but he loves me more! I feel cherished and taken care of. I think George feels loved and cared for as well. We love just hanging out together (and now we have a bit more $$ so we can go out and play). We have a great relationship with our kids. We are so blessed, and it keeps getting better.

I think it was 'funkymonkey' who said she had family or friends w/ husbands in coaching . . . just a suggestion. If you are friends with a coach or your kids are being coached especially by a younger coach with a young family, think about offering to take their kids of an evening (that there are no games or practices.) Let them have some quality time together. Maybe even treat them to dinner and a movie. I had friends bring me dinner a few nights a week. Be a friend to the coach's wife and don't bad mouth the coach to her. I used to hate to sit in the stands because I would hear those comments about "Why is he doing that? Why doesn't he put so and so in etc." Support the coach if they are winning or losing. It can get kind of lonely sometimes.

Last night was homecoming at the school. It was fun to see some former students, players and teachers that we had relationship with years ago. We had some wonderful times over the years. That's where our focus is.

I'm not sure if that's what you wanted to hear but thanx for showing an interest. It was kind of fun looking back and seeing where God has taken us.I'll close with a favorite saying I have.
I LOVE MY LIFE right now!!!

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Politics

As I have always said, I really try to make this blog a politically-safe place. I just really like people to get along, and when it comes to talking politics, people seem to automatically start not getting along. JB used to be a big political debater. However, he has really eased up in this regard. He said that he has realized that he used to sort of put his faith in who got elected. He now realizes that while it is his responsibility to be informed and vote, after that, he has to truth God with who is in office, not the person who is in office himself.

That being said, I've had a really difficult time thinking about who to vote for. I have a few key issues that I always vote by, and it really seems that there may not be a candidate who supports these positions to vote for.

I saw this link of my friend Lesley's blog: http://www.dag.nl/Nieuws/kieskompas.htm. Guys this is fantastic, and I think EVERYONE should try it. Seriously. You answer the questions, and then it tells you who you are most closely aligned with. It will tell you overall who you are most aligned with and then issue-by-issue who you are most aligned with. Really, you should do it! I consider myself a member of one party, but have always said I am not determined to vote in that party. This told me, honestly, where I belong, based on the issues, not based on the person.

Bravo Lesley! Loved this!

Weekend well underway

I finished out the evening yesterday with another trip to the dogpark. Actually, I took Scrubs to play and my mom took the kids to play. She said she wasn't comfortable managing "proper puppy protocol" which is probably accurate. There's a certain code around dog owners concerning when it is time for the owner to step-in and have the dogs split up. Scrubs is usually on the receiving end of bad behavior. He doesn't bark and doesn't get aggressive. His only down side is that he tends to h-u-m-p a bit too often. I'm constantly telling him to ease up in this regard. He is, also, carefree as to which sex he is doing this too or whether he is doing this to their head or backside. He simply likes to do it. He also likes to do it to any cushions he can find in the house. Sigh ....

After a good play at the dogpark, I made Mac-n-cheese for the kids at my mom's and then we headed back to their house for a very easy go-to-bed routine. I was quite impressed. Grace asked me to deal with a shadow on her ceiling and check for monsters in the closet, but otherwise, she went to bed without incident. Nate, also easily slid into his crib (complete with tent to keep him from climbing out!) He also gets an "uh-oh" in his mouth, one in each hand, and a sippy cup near his side. I wonder how many words people have for "pacifier". What do you call an uh-oh?

Side note: I think the sippy cup on the bedstand (which Grace also had) is a fantastic idea. You eliminate the "I need a drink of water" request when you can just call back "You have some in your sippy cup!" Brilliant! These parents today are soooo smart.

I actually spoke to Ray today, and he said that both he and Gabbi were feeling sick and were not even getting to enjoy the parks. In fact, they are probably heading home early today. I was very disappointed for them. They finally get an evening away, and they are both battling illness. How un-fun is that!?

Oh another sidenote: When I picked Grace up from school yesterday, her teacher came with her to the car and asked me if I have a Dalmatian. Grace is one of those kids that understands and knows everything. She is so on top of things. And she had obviously informed her teacher that I had a puppy (which she calls her puppy.) Anyways, her teacher told me that they are doing a unit on firefighters or something like that and could Scrubs come into school for a sort of "show- and-tell" for the lesson opn fire fighters. Yikes! I'm sure Scrubs would love it, but I'm not sure how excited he may get with dozens of five and six year olds petting him at the same time. I'm also not sure how nervous I would be about the event. I told her Gabbi could talk to her next week. I also told Grace I'd have to talk to Uncle JB to confirm whether Scrubs could handle his first show-and-tell. We'll see. Grace keeps telling me this is happening for sure. :) I don't think "we'll see" means the same thing to her as it means to me.

As for me, I'm smelling the brownies in the oven Grace and I just made! Yum! I also don't think Grace has any idea how long forty-five minutes is. No, they aren't done yet Grace!

A kindred spirit!

Here's an email my chocolate-loving, great chocolate-cooking friend Joia sent me.

The Rules of Eating Chocolate
1. If you've got melted chocolate all over your hands, you're eating it too slowly.
2. Chocolate covered raisins, cherries, orange slices & strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.
3. The problem: How to get 2 pounds of chocolate home from the store in a hot car. The solution: Eat it in the parking lot.
4. Diet tip: Eat a chocolate bar before each meal. It'll take the edge off your appetite and you'll eat less.
5. If calories are an issue, store your chocolate on top of the fridge. Calories are afraid of heights, and they will jump out of the chocolate to protect themselves.
6. If I eat equal amounts of dark chocolate and white chocolate, is that a balanced diet? Don't they actually counteract each other?
7. Money talks. Chocolate sings.
8. Chocolate has many preservatives. Preservatives make you look younger.
9. Q: Why is there no such organization as Chocoholics Anonymous? A: Because no one wants to quit.
10. Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you'll get one thing done.
11. A nice box of chocolates can provide your total daily intake of calories in one place. Isn't that handy?
12. If you can't eat all your chocolate, it will keep in the freezer. But if you can't eat all your chocolate, what's wrong with you?

Friday, January 18, 2008

Bonding with Nate-dog

I'm finally getting to spend a bit of time with my nephew Nate. He's two now, and truly, I do not know him very well. With visits only 1-2 times a year, it's difficult to truly bond. But we are bonding now man!

Ray and Gabbi headed out of town this morning for a night in Orlando and some fun at the Magic Kingdom and Island of Adventure. At 7:15am I took over for them -- trying to do all the things that Gabbi normally does in a day.

First up ... take Grace to school. Kids strapped in, Grace's sunglasses on, and Nate's juice cup and cheerio cup in hand, and we were off. (These are cool -- the kids can get the cheerios out but they don't spill -- wild!) We made it in time to not get locked out of the hallway and have to go through the front office which Gabbi informs me is an accomplishment. I met Grace's teacher, stored her bag, put her snack away, and then realized -- I went to first grade in that very classroom. With Mrs. Harden. The room was so much bigger back then. Today it is K-4 class, but back then, it was for big six-year-olds.

I have some crazy memories of first grade in there. The most embarrassing being that I once wet my pants and stored them in my desk. Okay, that isn't entirely true. I wore shorts under my dress so no one could see my underpants. (All the girls did this.) I was playing outside and didn't want to take the time to go to the bathroom. When I finally acquiesced to the urges to relieve myself, I made it to the bathroom, but couldn't get my shorts off in time. Not knowing what to do, I took off the shorts, put them in a paperbag, and put them in my desk. I meant to take them home with me that afternoon but forgot. I remember the look on my mom's face when I told her I left them in my desk overnight. What was the big deal? But she didn't think this was a great idea. She told me to take the bag out of my desk as soon as I got to school the next morning and put it in my bag. I did this. I remember that Mrs. Harden crinkled her nose when we did "desk checks" that day. It took awhile for my desk to smell good again.

I also remember a day that nearly all the kids in the class got in trouble but me. Apparently they built a trap for other kids to fall in. I came back from recess and everyone was getting in trouble and crying, and I had no idea why. I am not sure where I was during the fun times in the sand, but I remember being relieved that I had been distracted elsewhere.

Anyways, enough memories of first grade. The room looked completely different than it did when I was in there, 26 years ago (holy cow!) but Grace enjoyed showing me off a bit.

Nate and I then took off. I scooped him up only to realize his pants were all wet. Okay, upon further investigation, it wasn't wet. It was more involved than that. I managed to change him without too much trouble in the back of mom's van which I am borrowing for the weekend. It went okay.

During our drive to and from school, we listened to a CD with Bible songs. There were 60 tracks. Folks, I knew like 99% of the songs. I haven't heard some of these in ages. "The Lord told Noah, there's going to be a floody floody . . . I am a C. I am a CH. I am a CHRISTIAN . . . MMMM and wide, MMMM and wide, there's a fountain flowing . . ." I was really boogying with the kids. Grace seemed impressed that I knew so many songs, but when she was gone, I think Nate just thought I was strange.

My parents' house is actually inbetween Grace & Nate's house and the school so we stopped home for a bit to let the dog out. We took him to the dogpark. Nate seemed to enjoy throwing the ball for Scrubs although Scrubs didn't seem impressed with the length of Nate's throw. We then let Nate play on the slides on the kids section for a bit, and then we headed back to my parents' house. I got the stroller out and the three of us took a walk. Walking Scrubs with a stroller is a million times easier than walking him solo. The stroller, and not my arm, takes the brunt of his tugging. It was great!!!! I look forward to walks with dog and stroller in the future.

We are now back at Nate's house, and it is time for him to take a nap. It's been a fun day so far, and Nate has been wonderful. I don't think he is going to like me disrupting his play session for a nap. I also think he doesn't like turkey. Gabbi warned me this might be the case. I put cheese, crackers, and carrots in front of him with great big smiles. The turkey was not taken so well. It got thrown pretty far! :)

Okay, off to tackle nap time.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Sleepy JB

JB was initially sad that I was leaving for Fort Lauderdale. Even though he encouraged me to go originally, when I drove away on Monday morning, he was regretting the decision. No more. I spoke with him for a few minutes this morning. After working all night, he finally got home around 10:30am. He has to be back in by 6pm that evening. That means if he goes to sleep immediately, he has 7.5 hours of time to sleep. This does not count any eating, chores, or showering that might be need to be done before a return to an evening of nights. Needless to say, this morning he told me it is a good thing I was gone since he would never see me, and instead of being frustrated with a dog out of his element, I'd be frustrated with a husband out of his element.

Yesterday while walking Scrubs around my parents' neighborhood, another neighbor with a dog asked me if I ever took him to the dogpark. I asked him which park he was referring to, and he directed me to a dogpark not 2 miles from my parents' home. I took him out there this morning (the dog not the neighbor). There weren't any other dogs, but he had a wonderful time running and fetching a tennis ball, finally trying to take a nap at the park. He just woke up now, three hours after the return from the park. I may even head out there two times a day with as close as it is.

Last night I had dinner at Ray & Gabbi's. Gabbi made a great chili. It was wonderful. As a reminder, Ray is JB's younger brother. He and JB's older sister Elizabeth are the only two siblings living in town currently. Robbie is in college in Central Florida, Matt is in Iraq, and Katie is on Catalina Island. Mom and Dad Kit. were there also. Great to see them all. They gave me a rundown of things I need to know as I am going to watch Nate and Grace on Friday and Saturday while Ray & Gabbi take some time away in Orlando for the evening. My mom is going to help me with Scrubs as managing him in a foreign environment with two kids might be a little much. My mom is awesome! She hasn't been feeling so well while I have been here, but today she said things are looking up.

The other important item of note is that it is currently 78 degrees in Fort Lauderdale. Eglin is 48 and good ol' Roch is weighing in at 4 degrees. Yikes! My goodness. Four degrees?! Did I really live there for four years. Wow. Four degrees. Enough said.

Tara, I'm sorry for the absence of photos. I'll try to think of something. I know this is painful for you. Good luck handling it for two weeks. I know you can get through it. For those of you don't know, our good friend Tara is actually the next visitor booked at the Kit. B & B on Eglin AFB in early February. We can't wait to see her.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Settling into life in 'Lauderdale

I am finally getting into a bit of a routine here at my parents' house. In hindsight, I probably should have spent a few days at home before trying to take off less than 24 hours after returning from vacation.

So let me back up a bit since I have just flown through my recent blogs.

The cruise was, wonderful. This was our first time cruising on Norwegian. Our other cruise had been on Carnival. Kudos to Norwegian for figuring out how to keep the main pool deck from being overrun by children: they made a kids' pool in the pack and made the adults' pool start at 5.5 feet! No kiddos there -- ever! In fact, I really enjoyed this cruise as there were a lot less children and a lot of older folks -- they are so interesting to talk to! More kudos to Norwegian for "Freestyle Dining." I loved this! We could eat at anytime we wanted in a variety of restaurants -- some free, some a few extra dollars and completely optional. JB and I did two pay restaurants -- a sushi place and a French place. Both great! Other than that though, Carnival wins out. Carnival's food was much better and so was their entertainment.

Yes, JB and I participated in the "Not-so-Newlywed" game. There was a couple married a week, one married one year, us (nearly ten years), and then a thirty year couple. We finished second by one question! (And I have to say that two of the questions they give the winners credit for were a bit controversial!) If I would have remembered how annoying it is when JB flosses with items that shouldn't be flossed with, I think we would have won ... or at least tied. When they asked what his most annoying habit was, I said burping. JB guessed flossing. Bummer! But overall, we got a majority of the questions correct, avoided too much embarrassment, and then found out that they were going to show reruns on the cruise television channel the rest of the trip. We kept getting stopped by people who were there or who saw us on TV with a phrase like, "Hey! There's the ten year couple!" It was fun.

I also got pretty badly burnt on the second day and was mad about that. For one because I had a pre-melanoma removed when I was twenty and made the decision I would never be a sun-bunny again! And then, I got into a book I was reading, the breeze was blowing, and it wasn't hot, and I thought that I was a-ok. Only to discover when I went inside, a nasty burn across my chest. Uggggh!!! Painful and bad for me at the same time.

I love running on the deck. I have, actually, taken up running again. My feet issues have not improved much, and I think I have convinced JB that not running isn't helping and that I think it is, in fact, the amount of time I spend in flip-flops that may be the problem. So we decided to try a month of returning to running and eliminating flip-flops from apparel to see if my feet feel better. We'll see what happens. I was happy to see that all my long, fast-paced dog walks had paid off, and I wasn't really that out of shape. I could run two miles without any problem at all. I like to run at least four, but after taking a few months off of running, this was good.

Didn't Jodi do a great job on the blog while we were gone? And a great job with Scrubs. We were so blessed to have her taking care of our little pup while we were gone. I really missed him and was glad to have him back, and then we came to Florida and were in a new house, with all new smells, and it only took me two days before I was at my witts end telling him to "leave!" He has found a new game which is "find something I know I am not supposed to have and run around furiously until Wendi gets up to see what I have and then try to get her to chase me." I have given up catching him (I can't) and have turned to treats. He will almost always drop the item for the treat if he views the treat as "worthy." I thought this would be encouraging him to take things, but JB reminded me that he's just a dog, and he is probably not thinking more than one step ahead. He isn't smart enough to think "If I steal this, I'll get a treat." He thinks if he steals it, he gets my attention and then he thinks if he leaves this he gets a treat. So I have turned to this option. It's working out okay.

I hope to post pictures for you all soon, but I, unfortunately, can't post pictures from my Dad's computer. I'll get to that when I can. I will share the ultrasound pictures as soon as I am physically able. We are so happy that little ___ is healthy and that his femur bones look to be a perfect length. She is measuring one week behind which is completely normal.

JB was sad to see me go but shortly thereafter, as soon as he started doing nights, he realized how little time he had. His first night included chest compressions on a newborn, so he was pretty stressed when I spoke with him. He's only home for about eight hours, the amount he needs to sleep, so there really isn't anytime to see him anyway. Getting out of town is for the best.

Okay, hopefully that update will suffice for a bit. I'll try to be a little better about my updates.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Sorry ... the sleep is done!

Well JB is awake, we’ve had a chance to talk, and now, I’ll share with you what I shared with him. Little ___ is doing great! The tech took a ton of pictures, and if I can figure out how to use my parents’ scanner, I will try to post those soon. Bri took a few and left me with at least a dozen.

The ultrasound was wonderful. I’ve always dreamed about getting to see my child on an ultrasound. I suppose, in a roundabout way, I got to do that today. He had his mouth open the entire time and was moving around a lot, especially his left arm and hand. Oh, and there aren’t going to be any surprises at this birth. He is definitely a boy!

The best news of all? The small femur measurements that were giving the doctors cause for concern at Bri’s last ultrasound were measuring right-on track today! The baby looks healthy and is moving like crazy and keeping Bri awake at night. He is 1.7 pounds and doing great.

Some of you have asked me about height and "features" of Bri and Chris. Bri is about 5'9". Chris is about 6'0". They are blonde/brunettes with light colored eyes. Folks, we could actually have a newborn son who looks a lot like us. I never thought this might happen, but it really might happen.

I think I may have dinner next week with the entire family including Bri and Chris. If I can get a picture or two, I'll be sure to share.

In other news, I am trying to get a lot of work done to recoop from our vacation while watching the dog in a new house. I have yet to see any of the Kit. family. I think I may shoot for tomorrow. Even though I am here and it feels like it should be vacation, I recognize that it is not vacation and work must go onward.

Today was a great day! Yay!

Waiting for JB to wake up

I am back from the ultrasound appointment ... however, my darling husband is still asleep after his first night of a two week long night rotation. I spoke with him briefly at 7am this morning but won't be able to talk to him again until early this evening.

I will quickly say that the appointment went great; however, I don't want to post more than that until I am able to give JB the details on seeing little ___ first. Since he's going to be the Dad, I think he's due that much.

So after I talk to JB, I'll post the details of the appointment here. Check back soon!

Monday, January 14, 2008

In Fort Lauderdale

I made it! It took me nine hours! I left at 5am after a bad night sleep and made it by 2pm my time! Hurrah!

Tomorrow I go to see our little baby boy on ultrasound with Bri! I can't wait!

Is that enough !!!!! for you?

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Home (for a moment)

Which of the following is a true statement? (Please mark all that apply)
A. We are home from our cruise.
B. I am leaving tomorrow at 5am for Fort Lauderdale.
C. Jodi did a fantastic job on the blog while we were gone.
D. JB and Wendi finished second in the "Not-so-Newlywed Game" on their cruise.
E. A total of 17 naps were taken in the course of the 7 day cruise.
F. We swam in a waterfall in the rain forest in Guatemala.
G. We toured the Mayan ruins in Belize.
H. We snorkeled in Honduras and Mexico.
I. We ate dessert two times a day for one week straight.
J. Jodi took fantastic care of our little Scrubby while we were gone.
K. We had an AMAZINGLY RELAXING vacation.
L. Wendi got burnt the second day sitting in a breezy, apparently shady spot. Carelessness! She was very mad at herself for this.
M. Foot cramps while snorkeling make for a lousy combination.
N. All of the above.

If you answered "N", you are correct. I don't have nearly enough time to talk about our cruise as much as I would like. I will summarize by saying, we had a wonderful week together. Things went amazingly smooth and we were blessed to have a week of R & R together aboard the "Spirit".

We got off the ship at 8am this morning in New Orleans. We picked Scrubs up from Jodi's at noon and have been doing laundry, repacking, getting stuff together for me to work from Fort Lauderdale, etc. Tiffany is going to take me to get the rental car so JB can do some stuff around here. I spoke with Joia briefly but time will prohibit me from connecting with her ... bummer! I miss everyone so much, and now I am leaving tomorrow again.

Anyways, later this week, I'll post more details, but for now let me share just a few photos with you. We honestly did not take very many ... when there are just two of you, I find you aren't quite as motivated. But here are some shots to share.

Our ship (from a "tether" taking us to shore when we couldn't dock at port.)


Another shot from a tether.


JB eating escargot (sp?) for the first time. It was HORRIBLE but he loved it.


Wendi eating the only kind of martini I'd ever get near -- a lobster and scallop martini (it's food served in a martini glass)


The waterfall in the rain forest in Guatemala


The Mayan ruins in Belize. This was our favorite port!


More Mayan ruins


An iguana in Belize.


A crocodile in Belize

View of Cozumel after a workout on deck. The difference between JB and my personality came out while on vacation. I kept saying I wanted to workout because "I was on vacation!" JB kept saying he didn't want to workout because "he was on vacation!" We worked out together a few times and I ran on my own on the top deck. It was awesome!


A view in Cozumel (ship in background). These are the famous long arm shots you take when there are just two of you. You can still see my mask marks from snorkeling!


Cozumel.


More Mayan ruins. JB climbed them. Wendi was a bit bus-sick and sat this climb out. That's JB on the top!


Here is what JB actually climbed. You can't see him from this view.


Banana spring rolls for dessert at the sushi restaurant.

Long armed shot on deck.

One of our only shots in Honduras. We weren't there very long. The cruise gave us $50 each to spend on the ship due to the fact we got in so late.


JB in the rain forest swimming.

Okay, off to get ready more for my drive to Fort Lauderdale tomorrow. I'll be sure to post more later. Thanks Jodi for holding the fort while I was gone. What an amazing trip and an amazing blessing to have our little Scrubs in such good hands!

One last time

John and Wendi come home today so I'll post one last time. I had a lot of fun blogging this past week and chatting with you all back and forth. Hope you enjoyed the blogs! Here are are some random comments about the week.
  • Welcome Home John & Wendi!!!!!! Hope you had a WONDERFUL trip!
  • Scrubs is going to be so excited to see his Mom and Dad!
  • Scrubs is a a lot of fun to be around. He has a ton of energy and has to release that energy every day so be prepared to get all the energy out.
  • Updating a blog is pretty cool. I wasn't sure how it would be, but I enjoyed it.
  • Definitely do not place addresses on your blog. This makes sense and I just did not think about it.
  • I really enjoyed staying on base. It was so nice to see Sarah and Tiff and go on morning walks with them.
  • I got a good start on my exercise routine.
  • I miss having a dog around, but plan to wait to get one later. They are a lot of work.
  • A fenced in backyard is perfect for anyone that has a dog. I highly recommend John and Wendi put their fence up. I'll come help!
  • Thanks to Tiffany and Sarah for making dinner and making me feel so comfortable and welcome on base.
  • Thanks for letting me stay at your house while you were gone, John and Wendi.
  • Thanks to all of John and Wendi's family and friends. Happy I could write on the blog to update you. I really enjoyed talking to everyone.

I hope everyone has a great day!