Spring Break... Day 4 :-)

Another uneventful day. Slept in and had a late breakfast. Had lunch with Grandma, which was a nice treat. I really need to make an effort to visit her more often. I need to make plans to go visit my other grandmother as well. Dad tells me she is not doing well.

Didn't make the calls I needed to... onto tomorrow's to-do list. :-) Nothing more really on the list at all other than continuing the process of sorting photos.

I did run today for a SHORT time. I just don't think I am really going to be able to finish the shuffle. Chris keeps assuring me that even if I walk, I will be fine. We'll see. I am getting bad shin splints and I don't think it is my shoes. I have only had them since September and I am not that serious of a runner. Who knows. I need to figure that out since it is really hindering my running at this time. I think I need to seriously consider finding a trainer to get my butt in gear. I really want to LIKE running and I am just not there yet. Hmpf!

One more share for today... Here is a recent LO I did for the LOM class:



Off to finish dinner... Chicken and Potatoes... which will make more dishes. Have I mentioned how many dishes I have done? LOL.

Spring Break... Day 3!

I am finally in the swing of Spring Break. We were off on Friday for the Easter Holiday, so Break officially started then. We had a good weekend. Chris and I went to the home of two of his assistant coaches on Saturday night for a coaches meeting. It was really productive and then we decided to celebrate the teams great season. Let's just say Chris and I aren't 20-something anymore. We tried to keep up with the young'ins and ended up paying dearly! :-) I don't plan on revisiting Goldschlager anytime soon! :-) We both paid dearly on Sunday... which was fun since we hosted Easter for my family! It was nice to spend some quality time with everyone and the day went off without a hitch. Chris and I even managed to get a little run in. The Shamrock Shuffle is SUNDAY... and let's just say I will be SHUFFLING for sure!

I've been working hard on my assignments for Stacy Julian's Library of Memories class at Big Picture Scrapbooking.
I have wanted to take this class the other two times it was offered, but the timing didn't work out. I am SO happy I did it this time. I am working hard to get all of my photos organized so that I can scrapbook the way I want to and WHEN I want to without having to dig through boxes. I have almost everything sorted and am now working on getting things into the storage binders she recommends. Her entire philosophy is also outlined in her newest book, Photo Freedom I am still trying to find it locally as a resource to the class. She goes over everything more in depth in the class as well as gives us assignments and DEADLINES which is what I knew I needed.

Today I:

1. Uploaded 2004 highlights folders to shutterfly. I will be ordering those prints as soon as they finish uploading. This was the first year that I was 100% digital and I really have only printed photos here and there. One of the big things is getting your photos off of the computer and printed. I have a LARGE order to set to go for 2004 alone.
   
2. Loaded the 2004 photos that I do have into the storage binders. 2002 and 2003 are already done and FULL to the brim. I was all film then. I am planning to go back and do PRE-2002 once I have everything up to 2007 done. 2002 and 2003 each have two binders, but I am hoping the remaining years will fit in one binder. We'll see.
3. Cleaned my main scrapbook desk area. It was a MESS! The rest of the room is still a mess thanks to the LOM class and gathering all of my photos. I really hope to have it back in order by the end of break. I need to find a place for the new storage binders as well as the category drawers I have on order. I will need to do some rearranging I hope.
4. Finally filed the Christmas cards from 2006 and 2007. Photo cards have been assimilated into the LOM storage. Loving that!

I need to start on my Spring Break To-Do list tomorrow... calling the vet, the furniture warranty company, and the Dr to make appointments. The other big plan is to clean out the closet in our bedroom. We just need more space and I know there are TONS of things that we are not wearing and/or we can't find in the mess.

Off to do some dishes. Being home for three meals a day sure increases the amount of dishes we seem to create!

Birthday Recap

So I am not officially 33. Not much different than 32 so far! :-) It was a tough week leading up to my birthday, but in the end it all worked out for the best.

My girlfriends took me out to dinner on Saturday night. We went to a tappas place (not to be confused with a topless place!) and had a wonderful dinner. I had more than my share of the white sangria... so YUMMY! My friend took pictures.. I still need to get them from her. I didn't want to lug my big camera with me.

On Monday, Chris left me an iris and a card for when I woke up. When I got to school I had little treats from many of my friends and even one student brought me some chocolate. :-) He will be getting an A! Chris brought me lunch from my favorite little cafe and my good friend Jamie made a Milky Way Cake for me. We all shared that... I still have some left overs in my fridge. (Breakfast, maybe?) We had an inservice after school so Chris came back and we went out with some friends for my birthday at Applebees for a drink. After that Chris and I went to Bob Chin's for dinner where we both tried newer things for us... I had lobster and he had crab legs. Yummy, but not something we are dying to have again.

When we got home, Chris gave me my presents... a cute little Idog that matches my Ipod, the first season of Grey's Anatomy on DVD and the book Lipstick Jungle. My big gift was a GPS system for my car. Those of you who know me know that I could get lost in a paper bag, so this is something that I have had my eye on for some time. So far I have only used it to go to work and it needs some updating for sure. I am glad to have some time to play with it now.

We're hosting Easter here on Sunday and we will celebrate my birthday with my family then. I can't wait to see what treasures Katrina and Lucais will come up with!

Of course we will not be having a sunny warm easter this year... as I am typing this there is a full out blizzard outside my window... they are calling for 5-10 inches of SNOW! GRRRR... not the way I wanted to start my Spring Break! This is the first spring break in YEARS that we have not gone to Florida, so I am very bitter about this snow on top of that! Grrrrrrrr! Maybe I will just turn up the heat really high and put on my bathing suit and get in the bathtub... add a little salt and it will be just like the ocean, right?

Random Thoughts...

First off... the yearbook is DONE... at least for now! The first set of proofs have already come back so I am sure I will have plenty to do over break. It is nice to have most of that done, and I really don't have a great deal to do on the proofs, at least I don't think so. :-)

I am having a hard time approaching my birthday this year. I didn't realize how much it was really bothering me until this week and being able to talk with some of my friends about it. I hate that Chris' work schedule always peaks at my birthday. It is always a source of tension, and this year is no different. I think the hardest reality for me is that I am not getting any younger... and I am still not a mom. That's hard. Every holiday marks another milestone that I tell myself will be "the last birthday, christmas, halloween, etc where I am not a mom. And sadly the next holiday comes around. Now I am only two years away from the dreaded 35 when my chances of having a biological child drastically decrease. And to think that we have been at this since I was 25 and we are no closer today than we were back then. We are more jaded, lost more money than I care to consider, and poked and prodded every part of our bodies.

So I suppose I need to make a promise to myself. We need to do SOMETHING. Ever since the adoption failed, we have just been frozen. I am hoping to spend some time over break looking into options and making some appointments. It really is stupid that I still think there is even a remote possibility that I am just going to magically get pregnant on my own. Who am I kidding?

On another note, I finally got my hair cut last week and high lites this week. I am really happy with them. I might even try to get a photo to share. I ran a little after school today so I am not presentable right now. :-)

It's HERE!

It's here... and I am in LOVE... LOL. Busy working on the yearbook on a 20 inch screen! So much easier than the 13 inch one~

Back to work!

Running and Reflections

Its been some time since I posted... life just gets in the way!

I've been running again. Chris bought me a new Ipod Nano for Valentine's Day so that I can use the Nike+ system. I just got it all figured out and am loving it so far. I also found a free podcast that goes through each training session/week of the couch potato to 5k program. I started with week 3 since I trained in the fall. It wasn't too bad. I did all three workouts this week, and am feeling pretty sore but good about it. Today was tough, but I made it! The goal is finishing the Shamrock Shuffle on March 30th. I was doubting myself for awhile, but I am feeling stronger. I am actually looking forward to running. (don't tell Chris.. I swore that would NEVER happen!)

I was struck again today with the realization that I am not "over" the failed adoption. Just when I think I have closed that wound, the band-aid gets ripped off. Once again I was face to face with the family that had approached ME about the adoption last June. I am angry... not at the decision that this family made for the child. I support that 110%. I am angry about the fact that there has been no regard for my feelings by this family and the impact that all of this had on MY life. I just want some acknowledgment from them... acknowledging the pain that Chris and I must be feeling. It has become apparent that I am going to have to have a conversation with them. I need that closure.

I have started researching treatment options again, though. I have an "insider" who has given me some advice. I need to look into consulting with Dr. Beer's clinic. We need to do something. We've been stagnant for the past year and the time is now. We've been notified by the adoption agency that they are pulling our foster care license since we haven't done anything yet. I am hoping we can still get the process started. I am asking Chris to make that call on Monday.

Speaking of Chris, I came home today to a clean house! I love that man. My intention was to clean tonight and tomorrow but he did a big chunk of it for me today. That is a big help as I need to get a BIG chunk of the yearbook done this weekend. He has a swim meet all weekend, so I will have all the time in the world to devote to the yearbook. I am hoping I will be able to focus tomorrow on it!

This may be my last post from this laptop... My new IMac is on its way to me! We ordered it on Saturday and it is supposed to be delivered tomorow. I am beyond excited. Who thought I would ever become a Mac person? Not me! I hope it comes tomorrow, but I know that the temptation to play with it will be strong and I really need to get the yearbook done. We'll see!

Sisterhood Album

I've been working on this mini album for the last week. I don't even remember when I first bought this album, but have wanted to do something with it for a long time. These photos just seemed like the right fit. Each 2 page LO includes a photo of myself with one of my "virtual" sisters that I met this summer. These girls have all become a BIG part of my life, so I am so glad I finally got around to getting these pages done.

I will post more photos of the inside pages later.