In which my family, friends, and neighbors are picked on in order that I might feel better about my day...

*** The following is written in loving acceptance of my beloved family, friends and animals. It is a humorous, hyperbolic interpretation of what would otherwise be a ridiculously un-funny day... sadly; animals and people were harmed in the making of this Blog post.

***** Please do not turn me in to PETA. I love all animals, especially my own, I sometimes just need to laugh to keep from crying!

So when we were in Salt Lake City (which I promise to write a picture filled post about soon) we got a call letting us know that our Golden Retriever, Miles, had mysteriously escaped the yard and found a dog that was outside in his own invisible fence enclosure. Miles is typically a friendly, slobbery, loving creature so, of course, he practically ate the dog and we came home to an emergency vet bill for $1300 and a strangely unfriendly neighbor...

I now hate that dog (Miles), almost as much as that neighbor hates me. I hope he chokes on the next peanut butter jar he steals off the counter and consumes in the center of the living room floor. Frankly I am only refusing to consider having him put to sleep because I don't want to spend $200 on Miles right after spending $1300 on someone else's dog, and after (I cannot make this stuff up) the lawn mower burst into smoking flames when Matt tried to mow the lawn this afternoon.

Still, we could not figure out for the life of us how he managed to escape, unless some neighborhood mischief maker had opened one of the gates... Matt went out at midnight last night (as soon as we got home) and checked every inch of fence and gate and just could not imagine how he could have broken out without help. Matt has been assiduously maintaining and fixing every little thing that goes wrong with that fence like it was a second job.

Well it turns out that Maris forgot some things at our place this weekend... big surprise there... so Laura brought him over to grab it. He went in through the back door and out through the front and, you guessed it!, didn't shut the gate, so when Ariana let the dogs out, off they all ran (except Gobby who evidently knows which side his bread is buttered on)

As per my usual dog-related humiliation, my former babysitter and now backyard neighbor, Christina sent her daughter to alert Ariana that the dogs were out. She leashlessly wrestled them home, still unaware of the fracas that had just occurred. As a testament to Ariana's skill with dogs, Monroe bit her on the arm for her trouble. In his defense, I have also been tempted to bite Ariana from time to time. When you love someone like a sister, they can get to you, ya know?

So what to do with the walking mass of absentminded hormones and puffy hair who is my beloved oldest stepchild??? He is going to bloody well come with me to drop the check of to the neighbor and apologize. I am also going to make him get on all fours and apologize to the dog. I was given a full color 8.5 by 11 digital picture of the wound site with the itemized bill, and I'm going to tell you that I am not going anyway near that oozy mess with all six of its stitches and its shunty-looking thing... did I mention I hate Miles?

So that is Maris's recompense for the ill done to random neighbor with stupid electric fence that offers no protection and only keeps their dog in like some form of mobile, canned dog treat for larger, more evil canines. (apparently my silly, slobber-faced, tummy-rub junkie is one of these)

But what about the damage done to my bank account? Did the child not know that we lived in a house with three large dogs who often go outside, therefore necessitating the shutting of the gate? They are rather hard to miss, Miles weighs in around 70lbs... Matt and I decided he will either be our personal unpaid lawn boy for the ENTIRE summer, or that he can sell one of his four guitars to contribute to the financial hit. Personally I would rather have the free lawn service, but he seems to think that selling a guitar is the more painless of the two options. Apparently sweating away at mowing the lawn while your step mother sits on the deck, reading a book in a floppy sun hat while sipping iced-tea does not seem like the softer option! ... go figure.

Now you see me, now you don't

One of the bitter sweet things about being a step mom who got step sons when they were a little older is how fast your kiddos become independent of you. Ever since we first started hanging out, Seth and I have had a special bond in the kitchen.Once a week (unless my mother is visiting, when she commandeers the kitchen and makes us all a little fatter...) Seth and I bake brownies together. He is an awesome chef and has a great instinct for cooking, among his many talents.

So I am a little bummed, as well as proud to note that he has begun baking solo for the last few weeks. He is testing out his Independence and doing a wonderful job. He is still asks for help with putting them in and taking out of the oven, but really he is now the man in charge of brownie night.

I guess I will just have to enjoy my brownies without having a hand in them. Maybe he will learn how to make cheesecake, mmm, cheesecake... On second thought, a girl could get used to this!!

a random musing...

You know how, if you are me, the second one of your friends tells you that they (or their wife) are going to have a baby, you have a list of automatic questions you need the answer too? One kind of like this:

Oh, my gosh!! When are you due?
Are you guys going to find out what you are having?
How long are you going to stay home?
How do you feel??
Do you have any ideas for names?

See it is a nice little list, and for people like me (those with the obsessive need for the answers to questions) it helps me mentally prepare for this new little addition to my friend/family world.

So, I have posted in the past from an "outside-looking-in" perspective on what "we the adopters" experience in this process, but have you ever considered what it must be like to be the friend of an adopter??

*We cannot with any real accuracy tell you when the little person will arrive.
*If you are with my agency, gender preference is not an option, so no dice there.
*I don't really know how long I get to stay home... my guess would be 6 weeks-ish unless the MMR (Mini-Mystery-Ravenstahl) shows up in the summer (yay, teaching!). I do, however, know that Matt has WAY more leave saved up than I do, so he will get to stay home longer. I am not really very bitter about this. I sort of hope that he will bring the MMR to lunch a couple times a week though.
*I feel fantastic! This one is a total bonus of adopting. I am sleeping great, my ankles are in full view and the scale is still a close friend of mine. I have been wearing the same size jeans the entire time we have been expecting!!
*Of course someone as obsessive as I am has names ready to go!

So, friend of adopter... I have some info, but no end date. There will be no pre-baby shower. We can plan an introduction party instead. I can't give regular updates because I don't get them. I live in the limbo of waiting. It isn't a bad place. There are lots of us here, and we have some fun while we wait, but it can't look very interesting to you from out there.
Stay tuned, though. You never know where this wild ride will take us. And your support and friendship does count... more than you know :)

Spring commings and goings...

Well, spring break has come and gone, and it was a pure delight. Rest, relaxation, time with family and TONS of overindulgence at the hands of my incredibly sweet mother in law. Goodnight sweet waistline!


I also got the chance to catch up with one of my college roomies and play with her adorable little ones, I could totally get into morning play dates with other mommies... sigh!


Back at work and in the world of Special Education, this is the high season. Tons of testing and legal paperwork augment my daily routine of instruction. It is tiring, but it certainly makes the end of the school year fly by!!


Adding to my end of school year chaos is the fact that my two years as a graduate student are rapidly coming to a close. I will be graduating with my master's degree in special education in a month... I can scarcely believe it.


At least my mother will be happy. She always said that I should finish grad school before having children. I supposed I half-followed that bit of advice. I won't have a baby until after grad school, but I have had children for a good four years now. Infact, one of the reasons I am so proud of this accomplishment is that I did it while working full time and raising a step-family. I think I also appreciate this academic accomplishment the most because it was all done on my own dime. Again, mom always used to say that when it was my money I was spending, I would take it more seriously... she is often right about things like that, just please don't tell her I said so :)


The boys looked completely adorable holding their brand new cousin. She is a little love who's favorite spot to nap is in the arms of a willing family member. Is there anything sweeter than spending an hour staring into the face of a tiny sleeping person??

No news is.... well... no news!

Sorry for the long absence from this blog!! I wish there was anything interesting to share, but we have had a fairly quiet month.

Work, work, work, soccer, grad school, housework, grocery shopping, sleep when possible and now finally... Spring Break.

(OK. I have to cop to having read the whole Twilight series in the time since the last post. I can't explain what happened. My inner 13 year old hijacked my body and made me keep turning the pages. My only comfort is the AMAZING amount of other 30 somethings I know who have also surrendered a week or two of their lives to this surprisingly addictive saga)

The weather has begun to warm up in time for this much needed break, the tree outside our bedroom window is full of fluffy white blossoms, and the dogs track mud into the house every time they go outside, so it must be spring :)

We are looking forward to Easter, even if this year there will be no egg dying ("we are too old for that") and there has been requests for Easter candy, but NOT for baskets.

We need this new baby to bring back some of the childlike joy that can surround holidays... our crew is just about too cool for school, and while they are magnificently independent, I miss the little traditions and holiday treats.

C'est la vie. We wait. At least we have nine million things to keep us busy in the mean time.
Happy Spring, Y'all!