Christmas is literally just around the corner, and I am amazed at how quickly the holiday season has gone! Just a few weeks ago I was thanking the calendar for the extra time between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year... and now it seems as though the time has gone faster than normal. No matter how many days we have to prepare, it is always a last minute scramble to get gifts in order, make cookies and fudge, visit everyone, attend the parties, and put out the cards. (You’ll all be lucky if my cards actually make it out for Christmas this year, I might target ‘New Years’ cards instead!) I don’t think it helped matters that Andy and I both were sick during the month. I’ve been the lucky recipient of three viruses since Thanksgiving. Personally, I hope I am done for the year!
This should be the final blog for 2007 for me... I will see you all again in 2008. Andy and I have already set our New Years resolutions to do some work on the house. We’re expecting to meet our future child at some point during the year, and know that will turn our lives upside down. (Boone doesn’t know it yet - that should be a fun surprise for him!) Still no news on that front, but we are just so happy that we were able to complete all the paperwork, take all the training courses, and enter our chosen program this year.
Whether our holiday card reaches you before Christmas or after, I want you all to know that we are thinking of you during this holiday season. We hope that you take the time to stop, enjoy the lights, the music, and spend the time with your families. We’re wishing you the best of years in 2008!
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Considering Arks (Old Site)
Last time I updated my blog I wrote about a nice little storm that had stopped by and dropped a few inches of lovely snow for us. I actually believe that I wrote that we were lucky that rain had come in on Sunday to melt it before the work week began. Luck might not have been the best word to use. I was unaware of the volume of rain fall we would receive on Sunday night and all through Monday. Pictures like the one above were typical sights around us for a few days last week. Andy stayed home from work for two days ... which was a good thing because most of his routes were blocked by significant amounts of water. I, however, got in my car and drove in to work, which was quite an adventure. On Monday morning I drove through two ponds and was turned around 3 times. The last road closure that turned me around was due to flooding on a road in front of me, where I saw only the top 1/3 of a red sedan and a pickup truck turned completely on its side. The best was on my drive home, where I had a few particularly tense minutes as I drove through one nearly washed out street on the way home. (The next morning it had been closed.) I am happy to report that we are safe, that there was no flooding in our neighborhood, and most of the streets around us are now open.
I have decided that if the weather is going to continue to throw us curve balls, it may be a good idea for us to invest in some survival items for the future. For one, we need to check our food storage supplies... drinking water, canned food, etc. Second, we’ll make sure that we have wood to burn for heat if needed. Next, I’m thinking a generator would be a great idea... it is really annoying to lose power. And finally, I think it might be a good idea to invest in an ark. I saw pictures of people kayaking down I-5 in Centralia last week, but I’m thinking that an ark might be more comfortable. We could get all of our neighbors together and build it on the field at the elementary school. Yes? Well, I guess it’s not the most practical idea... But when the rain kept falling last week, I did seriously start to wonder just how high the water was going to get in some places.
This week we have been lucky to have very calm, although cold, weather. I hope that it holds up for another week. Andy and I have done barely anything to prepare for Christmas... and I could use the good weather to get a few things done!
I have decided that if the weather is going to continue to throw us curve balls, it may be a good idea for us to invest in some survival items for the future. For one, we need to check our food storage supplies... drinking water, canned food, etc. Second, we’ll make sure that we have wood to burn for heat if needed. Next, I’m thinking a generator would be a great idea... it is really annoying to lose power. And finally, I think it might be a good idea to invest in an ark. I saw pictures of people kayaking down I-5 in Centralia last week, but I’m thinking that an ark might be more comfortable. We could get all of our neighbors together and build it on the field at the elementary school. Yes? Well, I guess it’s not the most practical idea... But when the rain kept falling last week, I did seriously start to wonder just how high the water was going to get in some places.
This week we have been lucky to have very calm, although cold, weather. I hope that it holds up for another week. Andy and I have done barely anything to prepare for Christmas... and I could use the good weather to get a few things done!
Sunday, December 2, 2007
First (and Second) Snow of the Year! (Old Site)
Some of you know, (which means that some of you don’t,) that Andy and I were raised in Southern California. As Southern Californians, we only saw snow when we made the conscious choice to drive to see it - usually for a day or two - and then we drove back down to the warm valley that was, and is, Riverside. I lived in Utah for a couple of years when I was going to college, but as I didn’t have a car I didn’t have to learn how to drive in the snow. When Andy and I were trying to decide where we wanted to live, snow played a big part in the decision. My criteria were simple - if we were moving it had to be to a place that was not humid, not too hot and did not see a lot of snow. That left us with Northern California (too expensive) or Seattle. So we picked up and moved to the Puget Sound region. We are entering our 10th winter here, and every year we seem to have more snow, and it seems to start sooner. This year and last, the snow started the week of Thanksgiving!
Our first snow was this past Monday, it barely stuck and was gone by morning. Then our second snow was on Saturday, it accumulated a few inches, but luckily rain came today and it’s now nearly gone. We do really enjoy the way snow looks, and last year we really got used to driving in it. That doesn’t mean we like driving in it though!
Boone got to see snow for the first time this week, and he loves it! He was having fun playing in it and seemed to enjoy eating it as well. He kept asking us to go outside yesterday, it was pretty cute. Speaking of Boone, he is really turning into an awesome dog! He knows most of his commands very well, and will follow them either from speech or hand signal. He’s good at sticking with us instead of wandering when we’re outside... and he has turned into a cuddler.
We are doing well, and enjoying the start of the holiday season. We spent Thanksgiving with our friends Carleigh, Joe and their family... it was a lot of fun, but I neglected my camera so I have no pictures to show for it! I’ve been listening to Christmas music on the radio and we decorated the office. Soon I will have to decorate the house... And hopefully I will take pictures of that.
There hasn’t been much change for us in the past two weeks... we’ve just been enjoying our time together and getting ready for a fun Christmas. We’re doing well on the adoption front, and are at a period of waiting. As there is more news on that, I will let everyone know. I’ve updated Boone’s picture album with his six-month picture, and I’ve also put a couple below in case you don’t go visit the whole album!
Our first snow was this past Monday, it barely stuck and was gone by morning. Then our second snow was on Saturday, it accumulated a few inches, but luckily rain came today and it’s now nearly gone. We do really enjoy the way snow looks, and last year we really got used to driving in it. That doesn’t mean we like driving in it though!
Boone got to see snow for the first time this week, and he loves it! He was having fun playing in it and seemed to enjoy eating it as well. He kept asking us to go outside yesterday, it was pretty cute. Speaking of Boone, he is really turning into an awesome dog! He knows most of his commands very well, and will follow them either from speech or hand signal. He’s good at sticking with us instead of wandering when we’re outside... and he has turned into a cuddler.
We are doing well, and enjoying the start of the holiday season. We spent Thanksgiving with our friends Carleigh, Joe and their family... it was a lot of fun, but I neglected my camera so I have no pictures to show for it! I’ve been listening to Christmas music on the radio and we decorated the office. Soon I will have to decorate the house... And hopefully I will take pictures of that.
There hasn’t been much change for us in the past two weeks... we’ve just been enjoying our time together and getting ready for a fun Christmas. We’re doing well on the adoption front, and are at a period of waiting. As there is more news on that, I will let everyone know. I’ve updated Boone’s picture album with his six-month picture, and I’ve also put a couple below in case you don’t go visit the whole album!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Thanksgiving (Old Site)
As promised, I return with an update from the Kovar front. I have very, very happy and long anticipated news... our home study has been completed! Andy and I first contacted our adoption agency in December of last year, so it has been a long and arduous process to finish this task. So now what? We wait. The home study was a huge step down the path to parenthood for us, and we are thrilled to have it done!
We also have been very busy at work, which seems to be the case during this time every year. Andy and I have begun to prepare for the holidays, and I’m excited to hit good shopping specials on Black Friday. We are dog-sitting Porter for a week and a half, which has been fun. Boone and Porter seem to be more and more comfortable with each other every day. Boone celebrated his 25-week birthday yesterday... just one more week to six months. At six months I am going to stop updating pictures for him every week. I guess that means that I will have to find something else to take pictures of! If you want to see his progression to today, take a look at Boone’s Album.
I finished the latest book that I was reading, “Twilight” by Stephenie Meyer. My manager recommended the book to me - a novel for young adults that tells the story of a teenager that comes into contact with vampires. (Quite the switch from “The Kite Runner.”) Given the material and subject, I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun the book was to read. I found myself staying awake for the majority of Friday night because I couldn’t put the book down. Tonight I will start book two, “New Moon,” and I’m hoping that I get some sleep this week. :)
Andy and I have been spending more time then usual on the Wii lately, as we have the new Super Mario Galaxy. It is a really fun game! I am excited because My Sims will be out soon too, and I love everything Sims. On television, we’ve been enjoying Chuck, Brothers and Sisters and the Office... and then I’ve been enjoying Dancing with the Stars and Desperate Housewives. We haven’t really added many of the new shows to our repertoire this year, but we find ourselves more than occupied just trying to keep up with what we already watch.
As I was web surfing earlier today, I found a quote by William Faulkner that gave me pause, “Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all.” During this week of Thanksgiving, I find myself caught up in reminiscing over a year chock full of change, with a healthy dose of trial and a measure of fun. I have spent much time worrying, complaining and fretting over the things we have faced. Now I wish I would have spent a little more time appreciating the things that helped us make it through, and the lessons that we learned at the end of each step. While I don’t think gratefulness should be saved for one day a year, I’m glad that we get an annual reminder to stop and appreciate what we’ve been given.
I’m thankful for our families, and the friends that we consider to be an extension of our family. I’m grateful that we were able to take such fun vacations with each other and our families this year. I’m grateful for our social worker, our adoption agency, and the dozens of people that have assisted us in the adoption process to this point. Most of all, I’m grateful for Andy. This Thanksgiving, I am closer to my husband than I ever have been. It’s amazing how the effort to step through challenges can bring two people to a better place.
Thanksgiving is such a special time for us all to reflect on the past and to appreciate all those who make life bearable. We may not see you this Thursday, but we hope that you all have a great holiday!
We also have been very busy at work, which seems to be the case during this time every year. Andy and I have begun to prepare for the holidays, and I’m excited to hit good shopping specials on Black Friday. We are dog-sitting Porter for a week and a half, which has been fun. Boone and Porter seem to be more and more comfortable with each other every day. Boone celebrated his 25-week birthday yesterday... just one more week to six months. At six months I am going to stop updating pictures for him every week. I guess that means that I will have to find something else to take pictures of! If you want to see his progression to today, take a look at Boone’s Album.
I finished the latest book that I was reading, “Twilight” by Stephenie Meyer. My manager recommended the book to me - a novel for young adults that tells the story of a teenager that comes into contact with vampires. (Quite the switch from “The Kite Runner.”) Given the material and subject, I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun the book was to read. I found myself staying awake for the majority of Friday night because I couldn’t put the book down. Tonight I will start book two, “New Moon,” and I’m hoping that I get some sleep this week. :)
Andy and I have been spending more time then usual on the Wii lately, as we have the new Super Mario Galaxy. It is a really fun game! I am excited because My Sims will be out soon too, and I love everything Sims. On television, we’ve been enjoying Chuck, Brothers and Sisters and the Office... and then I’ve been enjoying Dancing with the Stars and Desperate Housewives. We haven’t really added many of the new shows to our repertoire this year, but we find ourselves more than occupied just trying to keep up with what we already watch.
As I was web surfing earlier today, I found a quote by William Faulkner that gave me pause, “Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all.” During this week of Thanksgiving, I find myself caught up in reminiscing over a year chock full of change, with a healthy dose of trial and a measure of fun. I have spent much time worrying, complaining and fretting over the things we have faced. Now I wish I would have spent a little more time appreciating the things that helped us make it through, and the lessons that we learned at the end of each step. While I don’t think gratefulness should be saved for one day a year, I’m glad that we get an annual reminder to stop and appreciate what we’ve been given.
I’m thankful for our families, and the friends that we consider to be an extension of our family. I’m grateful that we were able to take such fun vacations with each other and our families this year. I’m grateful for our social worker, our adoption agency, and the dozens of people that have assisted us in the adoption process to this point. Most of all, I’m grateful for Andy. This Thanksgiving, I am closer to my husband than I ever have been. It’s amazing how the effort to step through challenges can bring two people to a better place.
Thanksgiving is such a special time for us all to reflect on the past and to appreciate all those who make life bearable. We may not see you this Thursday, but we hope that you all have a great holiday!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Blog Holiday (Old Site)
Hello friends and family! Last time I skipped blogging for a week (or two) I received several emails from you... checking in to see how things were going and to make sure that we are alright.
Well, this week I am declaring a blog holiday. :) Everything is good here, we are just tired and busy. Next week I promise I will catch everyone up.
We hope that you are all doing well and having a great November!
Well, this week I am declaring a blog holiday. :) Everything is good here, we are just tired and busy. Next week I promise I will catch everyone up.
We hope that you are all doing well and having a great November!
Sunday, November 4, 2007
The Peak of Autumn (Old Site)
Today is my favorite day of the year. It is the day that I gain an extra hour as the clocks fall back. You may be wondering what my least favorite day of the year is? That would be the day that the clocks spring forward an hour - and I spend the next month always tired and trying to catch up to everyone else. This year daylight savings came a week later than my internal clock expected it... but I have been enjoying it all the same.
The other good thing about daylight savings day is that it has always signified to me that the peak of autumn has arrived. Having lived in Southern California for most of my childhood, autumn is a season that I felt I missed out on. Every year I look forward to it in Washington. Autumn is truly my favorite season, and what an autumn we are having this year. For Seattle, we have had very little rain and the air was been nice, crisp and cool. I don’t remember a year that the leaves were more vibrantly colored, or that the weather allowed me so many excursions to enjoy it. It’s hard for me not to be happy with scenery like this.
This week was a good one for us, and it wasn’t too busy. We tried several new recipes from a Weight Watchers cookbook that I’ve had for a few years ... and were pleasantly surprised to find that all of them were delicious! We’ve had pita pizzas, oven smores, fettucini with broccoli rabe and chicken, and an excellent spinach and cheese quiche. If you’re interested in any of the recipes, send me an email and I will forward them to you. We have been eating well and healthily all week... except for the candy.
We had a good Halloween and enjoyed handing out candy to the kids that came by. Boone even had a t-shirt to wear, and he didn’t give me any grief about putting it on either.
I was very excited for November 1st to come. I love the holidays, and one of the things that I love about them is the music. If it were up to me, I would play Christmas music all year long. Alas, there is another person that has a say in it. Andy and I have an agreement that I can start playing jazzy Christmas music in October. On November 1st, I get to pull out all of my cool piano arrangements of Christmas music. (I don’t get to play simple carols until Thanksgiving.) Finally, November is here and now it’s Christmas music all of the time!
I also have made good progress on “The Kite Runner” this week. I have been very impressed by this novel - the story-lines, the quality of story telling, and the character depth are better than many books I have recently read. I’m about half-way through and will probably finish it within the next week.
Andy was fighting a cold this week, so he ended up staying home from work for a couple of days. The only plus side to this is that he got to spend a lot of quality time with Boone. At this point, I am confident in saying that Andy is officially a “dog person.” It is pretty cute how they play together.
I got a really cool picture of Boone today just after the picture above. Boone was running around in the leaves under the maple tree, and he stopped for a moment to look at us. It is in his album, but just in case you don’t make it there I have also pasted it below.
The other good thing about daylight savings day is that it has always signified to me that the peak of autumn has arrived. Having lived in Southern California for most of my childhood, autumn is a season that I felt I missed out on. Every year I look forward to it in Washington. Autumn is truly my favorite season, and what an autumn we are having this year. For Seattle, we have had very little rain and the air was been nice, crisp and cool. I don’t remember a year that the leaves were more vibrantly colored, or that the weather allowed me so many excursions to enjoy it. It’s hard for me not to be happy with scenery like this.
This week was a good one for us, and it wasn’t too busy. We tried several new recipes from a Weight Watchers cookbook that I’ve had for a few years ... and were pleasantly surprised to find that all of them were delicious! We’ve had pita pizzas, oven smores, fettucini with broccoli rabe and chicken, and an excellent spinach and cheese quiche. If you’re interested in any of the recipes, send me an email and I will forward them to you. We have been eating well and healthily all week... except for the candy.
We had a good Halloween and enjoyed handing out candy to the kids that came by. Boone even had a t-shirt to wear, and he didn’t give me any grief about putting it on either.
I was very excited for November 1st to come. I love the holidays, and one of the things that I love about them is the music. If it were up to me, I would play Christmas music all year long. Alas, there is another person that has a say in it. Andy and I have an agreement that I can start playing jazzy Christmas music in October. On November 1st, I get to pull out all of my cool piano arrangements of Christmas music. (I don’t get to play simple carols until Thanksgiving.) Finally, November is here and now it’s Christmas music all of the time!
I also have made good progress on “The Kite Runner” this week. I have been very impressed by this novel - the story-lines, the quality of story telling, and the character depth are better than many books I have recently read. I’m about half-way through and will probably finish it within the next week.
Andy was fighting a cold this week, so he ended up staying home from work for a couple of days. The only plus side to this is that he got to spend a lot of quality time with Boone. At this point, I am confident in saying that Andy is officially a “dog person.” It is pretty cute how they play together.
I got a really cool picture of Boone today just after the picture above. Boone was running around in the leaves under the maple tree, and he stopped for a moment to look at us. It is in his album, but just in case you don’t make it there I have also pasted it below.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Halloween is Near (Old Site)
Another week has come and gone, and October is nearly over. I absolutely love this time of year. The weather has definitely turned - we went from 78 degrees as our high on Tuesday to a 48 degree high on Wednesday, which was a little absurd. We have had nice clear and crisp skies, the moon has been gorgeous, and it smells like autumn. Halloween, Andy’s favorite holiday, is just around the corner which means that my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, will soon be here as well.
Last weekend I surprised Andy with a three day trip to Seattle, (my birthday present to him.) We had a lot of fun, and decided that we need to spend more time exploring the city closest to us rather than looking for those that are further away. That Saturday we saw Spamalot, which is in Seattle for a couple of weeks. It was easily my favorite show that I have ever seen. The fact that I am a big fan of Monty Python probably helps. We spent the entire show laughing so hard that my sides hurt when we left.
This week was insanely busy with work. We really didn’t see much of each other all week long. So, we spent the days looking forward to the weekend when we were planning to attend our friend’s Pumpkin Carving Party. Yesterday we headed down to Carleigh and Joe’s house for pumpkin carving fun. We went to a pumpkin patch... where the corn maze had sadly been destroyed by the windstorm last week... and picked out a couple of pumpkins. We had a lot of fun eating, carving, playing with baby Jacob and their new kitty Tazz. I put a new album, Pumpkin Party, up on my page because I got quite a few cute pictures yesterday!
Oh, we also started a weight-loss challenge in my office two weeks ago. For 13 weeks, ending in January, everyone in the challenge has to pay $1 for any week that their weight does not go down. The person with the highest percentage of weight loss at the end gets to keep the money. So, I started Weight Watchers with a friend two weeks ago because I plan to win the challenge. (It ends on my birthday, which means that I deserve to win, right?) So far, so good.
Andy and I are looking forward to this Halloween, last year was our first year in our new house and we spent the holiday in Arizona with my sister and her family. We had a lot of fun in Arizona, but we are also excited to see what Halloween is all about in our new neighborhood. I hope that you all enjoy your Halloween’s and this autumn season!
Last weekend I surprised Andy with a three day trip to Seattle, (my birthday present to him.) We had a lot of fun, and decided that we need to spend more time exploring the city closest to us rather than looking for those that are further away. That Saturday we saw Spamalot, which is in Seattle for a couple of weeks. It was easily my favorite show that I have ever seen. The fact that I am a big fan of Monty Python probably helps. We spent the entire show laughing so hard that my sides hurt when we left.
This week was insanely busy with work. We really didn’t see much of each other all week long. So, we spent the days looking forward to the weekend when we were planning to attend our friend’s Pumpkin Carving Party. Yesterday we headed down to Carleigh and Joe’s house for pumpkin carving fun. We went to a pumpkin patch... where the corn maze had sadly been destroyed by the windstorm last week... and picked out a couple of pumpkins. We had a lot of fun eating, carving, playing with baby Jacob and their new kitty Tazz. I put a new album, Pumpkin Party, up on my page because I got quite a few cute pictures yesterday!
Oh, we also started a weight-loss challenge in my office two weeks ago. For 13 weeks, ending in January, everyone in the challenge has to pay $1 for any week that their weight does not go down. The person with the highest percentage of weight loss at the end gets to keep the money. So, I started Weight Watchers with a friend two weeks ago because I plan to win the challenge. (It ends on my birthday, which means that I deserve to win, right?) So far, so good.
Andy and I are looking forward to this Halloween, last year was our first year in our new house and we spent the holiday in Arizona with my sister and her family. We had a lot of fun in Arizona, but we are also excited to see what Halloween is all about in our new neighborhood. I hope that you all enjoy your Halloween’s and this autumn season!
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