We could use some good thoughts/prayers

Saturday, I had tried to call my mom and dad several times but their cell phones were off and I couldn't reach them on the home phone. I finally got a call from my mom around 4 and she told me the reason I couldn't reach them was that they had been in the Emergency Room. WHAT?!?!? She took my dad to the ER as he was having problems breathing and didn't have much strength. They did tests on his hearts and lungs and they both looked fine. His hemoglobin level was at 7(it should be at 14). They are going to do some more tests tomorrow to find out exactly what is going on and we are hoping it's something minor that will be easily treated.

These are the times that I hate living so far away from home. All I wanted to do was jump on a plane and rush to the hospital to see my dad. I can't even imagine how I would ever deal with not being there if something happened to him or my mom. I hate thinking about my parents not being invinsible. They're my parents..they're strong and they take care of me and my sister. Even though we're adults, we both still NEED our parents. My mom helps me with recipes, listens to me when I'm struggling with us not having a child. My dad gives us advice on fixing things and is there to listen to my endless ramblings about our new house. They're both there to tell me and my sister when times are rough that it will be ok. I can't wait to see my parents with their grandkids and see my kids learn from my parents like I did. Anywho.....as you can tell my heart is just a little shaken up right now.

So any prayers or good thoughts that you can spare right now for my dad would be greatly appreciated.

Wow..it's been a long time since I posted..eeks!

We've had lots of progress on the house!! It looks way different from the last time I posted. Here's the latest pic:


Since this picture was taken, they have put all the insulation inside the house..hopefully will do the drywall this week. We found out our closing date on Friday. We close on Dec. 30! Hmm, wonder if movers work on New Year's Eve or New Year's day...guess we'll find out. The house still needs to be painted on the outside..this is not the color of the house. The house to the right of us will close at the same time as us. They sold the lot to the left of us this past week.


No news on the foster to adopt front....actually no calls in over a month. UGH!!! Ring phone ring!!!

One of our really good friends left Colorado this week to move closer to his family in Indiana...our friend, Mike. We are so excited for him as we know that he's been working on this for a long time. We are also very sad to see him go. The good part is that since he'll be in Indiana when we visit our families, we'll be able to see him.

We're really excited that Andy is actually off on Thanksgiving..first time in nine years. He's actually off all week so we're going to do some early morning shopping on Friday.

Friday night...ahhhhhhhhh

Sometimes it the simple things that can really just make a perfect night. Watching tv, mug of hot chocolate, and my doggie Ali snuggling up to me. When she gets settled in, all snuggled up to me, she will let out this big "puppy sigh" and at the point everything is just right.

Everytime she does the "puppy sigh" it reminds me of this story...

Danielle keeps repeating it over and over again. "We've been back to this animal shelter at least five times. It has been weeks now since we started all of this," the mother told the volunteer.

"What is it she keeps asking for?", the volunteer asked."'Puppy size!'" replied the mother."Well, we have plenty of puppies, if that's what she's looking for.""I know... we have seen most of them", the mom said in frustration.

Just then Danielle came walking into the office"Well, did you find one?" asked her mom. "No, not this time," Danielle said with sadness in her voice. "Can we come back on the weekend?"The two women looked at each other, shook their heads and laughed."You never know when we will get more dogs. Unfortunately, there's always a supply," the volunteer said.Danielle took her mother by the hand and headed to the door. "Don 't worry, I'll find one this weekend," she said.

Over the next few days both Mom and Dad had long conversations with her.They both felt she was being too particular. "It's this weekend or we're not looking any more," Dad finally said in frustration."We don't want to hear anything more about 'puppy size', either," Mom added.Sure enough, they were the first ones in the shelter on Saturday morning. By now Danielle knew her way around, so she ran right for the section that housed the smaller dogs.Tired of the routine, mom sat in the small waiting room at the end of the first row of cages. There was an observation window so you could see the animals during times when visitors weren't permitted.

Danielle walked slowly from cage to cage, kneeling periodically to take a closer look. One by one the dogs were brought out and she held each one.One by one she said, "Sorry, but you're not the one."It was the last cage on this last day in search of the perfect pup.The volunteer opened the cage door and the child carefully picked up the dog and held it closely. This time she took a little longer."Mom, that's it! I found the right puppy! He's the one! I know it!" She screamed with joy. "It's the puppy size!"

"But it's the same size as all the other puppies you held over the last few weeks," Mom said.

"No...not size... The sighs. When I held him in my arms, he sighed", she said."Don 't you remember? When I asked you one day what love is, you told me love depends on the sighs of your heart. The more you love, the bigger the sigh!"The two women looked at each other for a moment.

Mom didn't know whether to laugh or cry. As she stooped down to hug the child, she did a little of both."Mom, every time you hold me, I sigh. When you and Daddy come home from work and hug each other, you both sigh. I knew I would find the right puppy if it sighed when I held it in my arms", she said.Then, holding the puppy up close to her face, she said, "Mom, he lovesme. I heard the sighs of his heart!"

Close your eyes for a moment and think about the love that makes you sigh. I not only find it in the arms of my loved ones, but in the caress of a sunset, the kiss of the moonlight and the gentle brush of cool air on a hot day. Take the time to stop and listen; you will be surprised at what you hear.

'Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

House update 10/25

Top picture is our house on Tuesday, 10/20. Bottom picture is our house today! HOLY COW!!!! It actually looks like a house...our house! YEAH!!! Still lots of work today but now we can really go visit "our house" not just a lot with a pile of dirt and a concrete hole(basement).

We did have one issue....they forgot two windows but it will be corrected per our sales person. On the top floor, they boarded up the windows so that snow wouldn't get in. They didn't do that to the back windows on the first floor though.

Right now there are 10 homes that are in different stages of construction in our subdivision. 3 are on our block and 4 on the block right across the street from us. Hopefully they sell more of the lots on our block soon.

Back from the moutains and house update

On Sunday, I headed to Keystone with 3 gals from the office. We were going up for a conference that lasted until today. We had beautiful warm weather heading up there...we were wearing t-shirts, flip-flops, and capris/shorts. Sunday and Monday were both beautiful days. It made it kind of hard to be in the workshops on Monday but luckily they were great workshops. On Tuesday, it was colder but still overall good weather. Another day of great workshops along with the big dinner/dance. We knew that they were predicting possible morning snow for this morning and when we woke up, no snow...YEAH! We finished the conference at noon and started heading down the mountain. Just as we were leaving the snow started falling. The drive wasn't too bad but we took it slow as the roads were a bit slick. The metro area had quite a bit more snow than we thought it was going to. We have about 4 inches of snow at our house and it's still falling!!

Now for the house update...they haven't done anything the past two days! YEAH! I know this may sound weird but it means that I'm not going to miss them framing our house. Double YEAH!

So far no calls this week. Kind of strange since we had 4 last week!

House update 10/19

Today was a busy day at the house! They put in the beams and put down the sub floor. The section where they have the boards standing up and crisscrossed is where the stairs to the basement will go. They also started building some of the garage walls and...put up the first wall!!! YEAH! Andy took all the pics for the past few days as I was in the mountains and missed all of the progress this week. I was so bummed when I realized that they may be framing our house this week since it usually only takes them 2 and a half days.

House progress 10/17

They poured the garage and basement floors today. They have also delivered all the wood for our house! You can see some of the wood in top right of the top picture(blue ends are the edges of the wood). Each bundle is labeled with our address and what that bundle is floor..wall, floor 2nd floor, roof, etc. YEAH!

Wow...another call today?!?!

We received another call today for a 2 day old baby! WOW! Mom had a couple of other kids that are with her mother. The grandmother said she can't take on another child so they were looking for a foster home. Grandmother is young so we are concerned that once the baby got a little bit older she would changer her mind. Plus this was a regular foster home placement not foster to adopt. So...we decided to say no.

I can't believe we've had so many calls this week!!! Hopefully this is a sign of what's to come.

This weekend I will be heading to the mountains for a conference. I'm really looking forward to getting away from the city for a few days. Just being in the mountains is so refreshing. Three of my co-workers are riding up there and they are such fun gals who are also ready to escape to the mountains for a few days

*Ring ring* Hello?

Today around 1:00, I received a call from our agency about a 1 year old HEALTHY little girl. Parental rights are set to be terminated next month. They need an adoptive home and thought we'd be a good match. We said yes. Our agency had to call the county dept of human services to let them know and then we'd hear back as we'd need to pick her up today. We were so excited and I couldn't stop smiling. One hour and 30 min. later I still hadn't heard back from our agency or from the county. I called several times and then finally at 3:00 got an answer. "Sorry, the county decided had already found another home." knew that it was a possibility but since they had called specifically asking about us, I thought they weren't looking at other homes. So, I had to tell my boss I'm no longer needing to take time off, tell my co-workers who were right there when we got the call that the placement wasn't happening, as well as pick my heart up off of the floor. Andy and I both were very disappointed ok, crushed but have to believe that the right call will come.

Shifting gears

I know alot of the posts recently have been about the house and not much about the foster to adopt process. In all honestly, not much has been happening..no calls for placements until this weekend.

Saturday night we received a call for a 3 year old girl who had been left by her mom with neighbors and the mom hadn't came back. They were looking for a foster to adopt home since she had been abandoned by mom. Perfect call! Bad part...they left a message and we weren't home so we didn't find out about the call until we checked messages Sunday morning. We called the worker back and she said they had found a home for the little girl. I told the worker that we would have called back sooner but didn't get the message until that morning. Her response..."Guess I should have called your cell phone numbers..oops! Hmmm...you think?? Our worker said they'd always call our home and cell numbers. We were very very frustrated by this and I e-mailed our worker about this issue as well.

On Monday, we received a call for two brother-2 yrs old and 5 months old. WOW! We decided that with us closing on the house soon that it would just be too much for us as well as the kiddos. We told the agency that until we're in the house that we are still open for one child but need to put on hold the sibling group until we get into the house.

We still at times struggle with do we stick with foster to adopt or should we switch to domestic adoption. I think only time will tell. Once we're in the house and get settled, we'll have to see where things are. We just hope that we have a little one soon.

Somedays I don't really think too much about when will be the next we get a call and other days that is all I think about. Recently, I've been having more and more baby dreams, they seem so real and I *feel* so happy and then I wake up. I hate waking up because that happiness goes away. Please don't get me wrong...I'm not unhappy with my life or my husband. I'm just unhappy and feel an emptiness about the kiddo situation. Besides the kiddo situation, I'm very happy and very blessed to have such an amazing husband, family, and friends. I know there are couples who have been waiting longer than us and I hope their little one finds their way "home" to them soon.

Some days I still question if we should have done more with the reproductive Endocronolist...do more IUI's, take medicaiton longer, look at other options, etc. I know that when we made the decion to stop, it was the right decision and I know we're not "setteling" for adoption. Adopting is something we had already decided we were going to do...even if I would be able to have a baby. These are just some of the random things that go through my head when I'm having one of those days.

This whole process is such a roller coast...I just hope this ride is over soon. In the meantime, I will enjoy celebrating with friends when they find out their pregnant or get matched with their little one as well as spending time with my friends and their little ones.

House progress 10/9

They pushed the dirt back around the foundation today and began to level it out. We were able to get an idea of what our yard is going to look like! We're going to have a bit of a slope on one of the sides and in the back yard. Our neighbors house is now framed...they started it on Wednesday! They also delivered our tressels and should pour the basement floor soon.

House progress 10/3

They sealed the foundation today. They are putting up houses so quick here. It takes about 2-2 and a half days for them to frame a house! CRAZY!

House progress 10/1

Foundation has been poured and they have removed the forms! I can't believe that this is moving so fast! They keeping telling us it will only take 3 months and we'll close in Dec. We were hoping for January but now I'm just hoping that it's not between Christmas and New Years!

House progress 9/29

They put up the forms today which means they should be pouring the foundation very soon!
the white square in the first pic will be one of the basement windows.

House progress 9/28

They poured the footers today! We are so excited that we now have more than just a hole of dirt!

Huge suprise today

When we came back from KC on Tues, the first thing we did was to drive by our lot. It looked the same..big pile of dirt. We didn't expect a change but just wanted to drive by. Today before we headed to the Rockies game, we decided to drive by and this is what we saw.




WHAT?!!? They started digging our basement and have already leveled it out! We were so surprised. We called the sales person at Richmond as we were a bit confused. She said we'd all meet before they started digging. When I called her, I asked her when we would be meeting with her..she said well once they get the permits and we'll meet to discuss the layout of the lot. I said, well we kind of figured out what it would like when we drove by and saw they had already dug out the basement. She was shocked as well. She said they must have done it on Fri or Sat. She said she'd be setting up the meeting with the superintendent for Tues or Wed so we can make sure everything is correct. We are very excited about the house being started but was really surprised as we wanted to see them digging the hole. We've decided we're going to go by there at least every other day since we're only about a mile away from it.

Family time

Last Saturday, we headed to Kansas City to meet my parents and my sister....YEAH! We were so excited to see them! Normally the drive to Kansas City flies by..not this time. It seemed like it took forever! I was so excited when we got there and Laura met us in the parking lot and gave me a big hug! I saw so happy to see her!

We got there around 5:30 and had dinner at the hotel. Mom brought some homegrown tomatoes, green beans, corn, and turkey for sandwiches. It was so good to have fresh veggies!!! We played Shanghai that evening. Whenever we're together we love to have game night! On Sunday, we went to 2 riverboat casinos, dinner, and of course played more cards and dominoes. On Monday, we went to the Kansas City Zoo..it was raining but we were hoping to still be able to walk around. When we got there it started lightening so we left. We went to the Bass Pro shop and then headed back to the hotel for more game/family time. Tuesday morning, we left KC and headed back home..boo!

It was so nice to see my parents and sister and be able to spend a few days with them. Just spending time talking, playing games, and hanging out is one of my favorite things to do with my family. I was really sad to say "See you later" but will hopefully be seeing them all again soon.

Udpates part 2(read updates part 1 first)

Well, as we have mentioned we have been looking for a house since we decided to stay in Colorado. Well I'm very excited to share that we are under contract on a house..YEAH!!!!

Yes, we are aware that it is just a lot with a pile of dirt right now but in 3-5 months our house should be built there. YEAH!!!!! We are so excited! We decided this was our late anniversary present..HA! We made an offer and signed the paperwork on August 29. On Sept 5(Andy's birthday), we went to pick out our 3 top choices for house colors. We will find out in 2-3 weeks which one we'll get...hopefully our first choice but we'll be very happy with our 2nd and 3rd choice as well. On Sept 14, we are going to the design center to pick out carpet color, paint color, options, etc. We have been doing lots of research and talking with other people who have built as well. We are very excited about this process and can't wait to be in our house...a house that we got to make decisions on and made into our own.

Lots and lots of updates Part 1

Wow, I have really been bad about not updating the blog recently! For the past few weeks, we have been extremely busy and I just haven't had a chance to really sit down and update the blog. Let's see where to begin...

The weekend of August 22, Andy's family was in town. On August 23rd, we went Diana and Bob to the Rockies/Giants game. We had a great time! It was an amazing game and it was a very hot day! We really enjoyed the game and spending more time with Diana and Bob.

On Monday, August 24, we went to the mountains(Dillon) to see my Aunt Glenda and Uncle George. They drove in from Nebraska for a wedding in the mountains. We were so glad that we were able to meet them for lunch and spend a few hours with them. We met up with Diana, Bob, and Matt that evening for dinner to celebrate our anniversary a few days early.

Wednesday, August 26, was our 3 year wedding anniversary...YEAH! We have had a lot of challenges(fertility drugs, selling our house, hoping to move, living in a cave of an apt, deciding to stay here, foster to adopt process, etc) in our 3 years of marriage and we both agree that it has truly made our relationship even stronger.

We spent the next weekend looking at houses(more to come on that subject on updates part 2). We also had 2 calls for placements the week of August 24 and had 3 calls for placements this week!!! WOW! We went from no calls for a month and a half to 5 calls in two weeks. Unfortunately, none of them were "the one".
*One was for a regular foster placement,
*next one was for a little boy who had severe medical issues as well as fetal alcohol syndrome, *the next call was for a situation where it was foster to adopt but family members were also being considered
*next one was for a sibling group 18 month old and a baby that was just born and tested positive for heroin
*last call was for a little one who had some severe developmental disabilites

The good thing is that we've narrowed down our search some more...no to little ones who have fetal alcohol syndrome or heroin as well as some other issues. We think that with this being our first placement/kiddo we don't want to get in over our head.

This weekend, Labor Day weekend, we boarded the dogs due to having a new roof put on the house we are renting. We also spent all day Saturday and Sunday away from the house as it was very very noisy! They finished the job this afternoon but left behind the trailer with the old roof...hopefully they get that tomorrow.

Ok, I think that catches us up....well, except for what is going to be in updates part 2.

Happy Birthday Laura!

It is hard to believe that my "baby" sister is 28!! Last year's birthday blog..says it best..I was trying to think about what to type but I just kept going back to what I said last year. Click HERE to see last year's blog. The only change would be that she's even further away than last year. =( I know that I can't wait to see her in a few weeks!!

Family in town...YEAH!

Today we had a very busy day! Andy got off of work this morning and slept for about 2 hours before he had to get up. We had a meeting with our realtors, Paula and Mike. Mike is not only our realtor but also a great friend of ours who has been mentioned in several other of our posts. We met with them to talk about houses we had already loooked at, what we liked/didn't like, as well as the shortage of houses that are for sale in the area we want to live in. We'll see where the process takes us..hopefully into a wonderful house that will be our home for a very long time!

We then met up with Andy's mom(Diana), her husband(Bob), and his brother(Matt). We went to lunch at one of our favorite places..an Irish pub that has a great balcony area on the 2nd floor. We love to sit out there enjoy the sounds and sun. It was so great to see Diana, Bob, and Matt!
After lunch, we went to show them a couple of houses that we really liked...we wanted to get their input since they were here. Afterwards, we went home and they took Matt home. It was a very fun day and so nice to spend time with family!

We're still here..just not alot going on

I haven't posted in awhile as we haven't had a whole lot going on and really haven't felt very inspired to write. It will be one month and one week since our last call tomorrow. The agency said that it has been very slow for them and haven't been receiving any referrals. A co-worker and his wife will be meeting their baby on Monday. They were matched through domestic adoption. I'm very happy for them as they have been waiting for a long time. Part of me wonders if we should switch to domestic adoption at some point....we'll have to see what happens.

This week, we met with the lender we went through to get our first house. We wanted to see what we would qualify for since we are looking for a house. We thought we'd just be pre-qualified but turns out that since we had gone through them before, it was very easy to get everything approved and now we're officially "qualified/approved" and all we have to do is find a house. YEAH!

I have to admit that I'm really glad that I have the house thing to distract me from thinking about when the phone will ring. Andy and I have been talking alot about our future and how we can't wait to be in "our house" and have "our family" and just live...not worrying about moving, buying a house, when we'll get the call, etc. We just can't wait to be grounded and deal with just normal everyday issues. We'll get there...someday.

It's been 3 weeks

It's been 3 weeks since our last call...blek. Everytime the phone rings my heart jumps hoping that it's from our agency. I really need to get over that but I don't know if that is going to happen.

I'm looking forward to a 3 day weekend this weekend. I'm taking Monday off as I have a lot of comp hours due to being in trials, etc. We're hoping to have a fun weekend...going to Blackhawk, play tennis, go to the movies, and of course errands/cleaning house.

Hmm..what else...not much going on right now..we're boring. =) Hopefully the phone rings soon with a call from our agency

Waiting...

We're anxiously awaiting our next placement call. I think I jinxed us by saying we get calls every two weeks. It's been two weeks and we haven't had a call. *Sigh* It will eventually happen...we're just hoping it will happen soon!

On Sunday, we went looking at houses...very fun!! We were looking at a new development that is close to where we currently live. We really really like the area that we live in. It's close to a ton of stuff and we are really familiar with the area since our first house was in this area. We decided to go ahead and start looking so we can figure out exactly what we want. We don't qualify for the tax credit since we sold our house almost two years ago. There is a possibility that they may open up the credit to all home buyers for their primary residence. We are keeping our fingers crossed. In the mean time, we'll have fun looking and getting decorating ideas.

In just under two months, we'll be meeting up with my parents and sister in Kansas City. We are so excited and can't wait to see them!!! Andy's mom and Bob are going to be in Dever in August and I believe my mom's sister, Glenda, and her husband will be in Denver in August as well. YEAH! We love seeing family!!!!

Starting to feel grounded

Wow, it's been awhile since I posted..not alot has been going on but at the same time we've made some decisions that we've been needing to make. The past two weeks have been really rough on Andy as he has had to work an extra shift and had a training day that same week as well. So, his normal schedule of working 3 -12 hour shifts and then having 4 days off turned into working 4-12 hour shifts, having almost 2 days off, had 10 hour training day, then started his "normal" work week the next day. I'm sure he is going to crash soon!

We had another placement call last week. YEAH! That was call number 3..we are averaging a call every two weeks. The call was for a little boy who had quite a few medical issues that were more than what we felt we would be able to handle so we decided to say no on the placement. I am hoping that we get the right placement soon!

As some of you know, we have been hoping to move closer to our families and Andy has been applying to police depts close to our families over the past couple of years. At this point, he has been through 3 hiring processes and has made it really far in each of the processes but hasn't made the hiring list. I am really proud of him as making it as far as he has in each process is amazing!!! Right now not many departments are hiring so he doesn't have any leads right now. We had said that if he didn't make the hiring list of the last place he applied to, that we needed to have a serious conversation and decide what to do next.

So this past weekend and the past few days, we have been talking alot about where do we go from here...do we keep trying to move back or do we stay where we are for a few more years and then try again? We have been really torn as we really want to be closer to both of our parents but we also really like Denver, have great jobs, great friends, and are really excited about the agency we are working with to do foster to adopt. We have always said that if we stay here, it would be good for Andy to try to go to patrol with the department he is working for now or try to get on with another department so he can get to patrol.

On Monday, I looked up one of the departments that is a great police dept and is much closer to where we live. They had posted on their website that they are taking applications for a lateral academy! They don't do this very often so I was really surprised. Basically, if Andy applied and got hired, he wouldn't have to go through their full academy..it would just be a short one for them to train the lateral entries to their dept procedures and other stuff. Also, he would start out at a higher pay rate than those who don't have any experience. We were a little worried that he wouldn't meet some of the requirements but we found out that he did meet all the requirements! YEAH!!!

When we found this out, we realized we need to make a firm decision as to what we were going to do...we decided at this point that the best decision for us is to stay in Denver for next 3-5 years. Andy is going to apply for the lateral academy and I am going to look into possibly starting to work towards getting a Masters Degree in Social Work. Of course, if we get a placement soon, the Masters Degree will probably be put off for awhile longer. We also may starting looking at houses towards the end of the year. For the first time in a long time, it feels like we're grounded..not just living in limbo like we have been for the past few years. We also made a commitment to ourselves that we have to make sure to visit family more often so that we don't go 6 months- a year without seeing our families. Over the past 3-4 weeks it seemed like everything was pointing us towards staying here and I really felt at peace with us staying here. I'm sure we'll still have our moments when we'll wish family was closer but I think that is only natural.

We are looking forward to seeing where this path may lead us!

Vacation is over...boo!

After having last week off, I am kind of dreading going back to work tomorrow..UGH! I already know that it is going to be a crazy week due to some of the work e-mails that I have received. Oh well...I shouldn't complain as I am lucky to have a job that I really like!

This past week flew by!!!! On Monday, we had a meeting with our case manager and then we met Andy's brother, Matt, downtown at the Rock Bottom Brewery for lunch. Our meeting was a good one! We went through the paperwork that we'll need for when we get a placement as well as signed off officially on our homestudy. YEAH! Once the meeting was over, we headed to the lightrail and took it downtown to meet Matt. I couldn't believe how many people were downtown walking along the 16th St. Mall!!! It was really busy but I guess everyone was out over their lunch hour. We really enjoyed meeting up with Matt! We sat outside on the patio and had fun people watching while we chatted. After lunch, Matt came back with us to our house. We all drove up to Westminster to meet their Aunt Barbara and cousin Teresa, for dinner! It was great to see both of them!!!

The rest of the week wasn't nearly as busy as Monday but it was still a great week! Andy was actually off on the 4th so we went to the Cherry Creek Art Festival which was really crowded but fun. Our plan was to go somewhere and watch fireworks that night but Andy was super tired since he had worked Friday night and only had a couple of hours of sleep before we went to the Art Festival. We still were able to watch fireworks from our house. Our neighbors set off some that shook our house and all the pieces fell onto our deck. Lovely! I took the dogs out and one of the ones they shot off came right at me and exploded about 10 feet above me. Ali freaked out! Poor thing was shaking and didn't know what to do...she kept trying to hide from the sounds but couldn't find anywhere in the house that made her feel "safe". I ended up sitting on the floor and holding her for quite awhile. Once the neighbors were done we were able to watch some fireworks that were going off downtown out our windows. We didn't go outside to watch as there was a ton of smoke floating by our house as well as Ali refused to go outside. We had a great view from our windows so it worked out pretty well.

Today, we were gone all day running errands. A quick shopping trip turned into being gone for about 5 hours. We went shopping for a new bed and found one that I absolutely love. In fact, I was ready to take a nap on it at the store!!!! We also bought some tennis rackets as there are some courts about 6 blocks from out house. Woo hoo! We can't wait to go play...hopefully tomorrow night. I may even sigh up to take lessons through the Parks Dept. Andy is polishing up his skills so he can challenge Laura to a game. I told him he better work hard as she's pretty good. =) This evening some other neighbors started setting off some more fireworks and once again we had a freaked out Ali. I really hope the fireworks are done for the year!!!

Lovin' Summertime...

Ahhhhh...I love summer! I think being off this week as well as being off two weeks ago has really helped me remember what summer is all about. It made me think back to when we'd have summer break and all the fun we'd have as kids. There are certain songs that when I hear them make me think of summers from years past. For example, I can remember laying out at the city pool all lathered up with "oil" with my friends and singing along to "Cruel Summer" and "The boys of Summer". I remember riding out to Lincoln City to go swimming and singing "Fishing in the Dark" with my friend, Julie. "Kokomo" was not one of my favorites songs but I remember being "tortured" by my sister and having to listen to it over and over and over. Ah...the memories.

I know there are more songs that will come to me but I made a short playlist with a few of the songs that came to mind. Some are oldies, some I can't believe I ever liked, and some are still just great songs. So now, I'm doing something I haven't done before...asking for some reader participation. What are some songs that make you think of "summer"? Any fun memories that you want to share?

Alright now I'm going to go listen to my list, bust out some Aquanet, tease the hair to get some big bangs, and enjoy the memories. OR maybe I'll just wait to hear about some of your favorite summer songs since Aquanet will destroy another layer of the Ozone.

What a week...

This week has been quite an interesting week or something like that. We received our 2nd placement call..YEAH! It was for a 9 month old boy and after hearing the referral info, we decided that this sounded like a placement that would work for us. Andy called into work and I did all the FMLA paperwork, and we were so excited. Then, we learned some more info that we were not initially told. Info that was very important and was much different from the info we were initially given. After hearing the new info, I called the agency back and told them that due to the new info we received, we had to change our mind on the placement. I felt horrible doing that but this was a case that would have been a SHORT term placement!! We are wanting long term that could turn into foster to adopt. So....we're now anxiously awaiting our next call. Fire drill #2 was another good learning experience for us. We were very frustrated but decided to look at the positive side as the negative part just puts us in a bad mood and doesn't help us at all.
We're really hoping that this isn't an indication of what is to come!

There were also two huge losses in the entertainment industry this week! Both of these people were people that I looked up to as a child. In fact, my mom sent my Charlie's Angels lunchbox back with me in March!! I always wanted to have Farrah Fawcett hair. When I think of Michael Jackson, I think of the entertainer that I grew up listening to and watching his videos not the man he later turned into. Anyone who knew me growing up, knows that I loved to dance and put on "shows". I would have to say that his songs were the ones that I loved to dance to the most. I can remember one of the first videos that I ever saw was of "Thriller" and then "Billie Jean". Music and performing wouldn't be the same if there was never a Michael Jackson. Some of his songs had a great meaning to them as well. I think one of my favorites was "Man in the Mirror" so I made it my "blog song" for the next few days.

"I'm Starting With The Man In The Mirror,

I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways

And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer,

If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place

Take A Look At Yourself,

And Then Make A Change"

Happy Father's Day!

I called my Dad today and wished him a Happy Father's Day...Andy and I really wish we would have been able to be there to celebrate with him. I feel really lucky to have such an amazing Dad. He has taught me so much and always been there to guide me when I started down the wrong path.

Growing up, my Dad always taught me if you're going to do something, do it right, and do it right the first time, or don't do it at all. Basically, give it your all. I have to admit, that sometimes when I was growing up that I didn't always follow that simple rule. For example, when cleaning his truck if I didn't do it right the first time, I had the pleasure of doing it again. Let me tell you, it only took me having to repeat doing this one or two times, before I realized that doing it "right" was the best way to do things. =) This also carried over into other parts of my life as well.

My dad always was good about letting me make my own mistakes and helping me learn from them. I think it was because he liked to say, "well Sara, I don't want to say I told you so but..." and he would always say it with a smile. Dad has an amazing since of humour and can always make me and Laura laugh. Today was no different...when I was talking to him, we were talking about one of my little quirks.(will explain more about it later) He said "Oh, I can think of another new one that you have that is quite expensive." I had no clue as to what he was talking about. He finally said "Getting pulled over by the police" as he was just laughing away. Of course, I couldn't help but laugh. I hadn't blogged about his yet but I was on my way home from shopping on Tues and got pulled over and ended up getting a speeding ticket. Darn it!!! Me and my lead foot. This is my first speeding ticket. When we went back to Indiana earlier this year, I got pulled over for speeding and got a written warning.

One of the things that I admire most about my dad is his work ethic. It goes back to that "if you're going to do something, do it right" philosophy of his. He started working at G.E. when he was 18 as a fork lift driver. As the years passed, he moved up within the plant he was working in. The last few years of his career with G.E., he would be the acting plant manager when they were in between plant managers. Even when the new one would come in, he would have to be the one to teach them about the Tell City plant. Not only would he be the acting plant manager, he would still have to do his own job as well. To me it proves that you can start at the bottom and with hard work, move up.

Let's see what are some other great qualities about my dad...he makes the best biscuits and gravy, he always listens to me ramble, he has an amazing talent for building things(desks, shelves, basically anything), when I call him freaking out about something that broke he is always able to calm me down and talk me through fixing it or telling what to do in order to get it fixed. When I lived closer to them, he would just come and fix it for me. =) All in all, he is a great Dad!!

I feel really blessed to have such good parents. Things could have turned out so differently for me if I didn't have my mom and dad to guide me, teach me good morals and work ethic, and were just loving and caring parents no matter how many mistakes I made. Thanks Mom and Dad!!!

Switching topics now...I was off work all week and I really enjoyed having time to spend with Andy and catch up on things that have been put off due to work being so busy. We went to see the movie "Up"..it was such a great movie! It was just a great week and I feel way less stressed now! Woohoo!

I mentioned earlier something about one of my quirks. At least I call it a quirk and not just me being strange. =) My dad has a huge garden on the land he owns and I looooooove all the fruits and veggies that he grows. Living out here, I don't get to partake in those anymore. Anywho...my dad has always been a hunter. I don't know how many times I'd wake up in the mornings during hunting season and he'd have his latest "catch" out in the garage. I never would eat any of the meat that came from those hunting expeditions. To me it was just too close to home...meaning that maybe I had seen that deer or squirrel or turkey or whatever it was when I was out at our land. So since I had "possibly" seen it, I couldn't eat it. Yep, that's my quirk. Do I eat meat in general..yes. Yes, I know all those animals have faces but I haven't seen their actual face. I know I probably never saw the face of anything my dad shot but it just bothered me.

I remember when I was really little and we were out at the first "farm" that my parents had bought, I was walking with my mom and dad and saw a mamma deer and it's fawn. At that time I called the fawn Bambi. So when deer season came around and Dad killed a deer and brought it home, I was convinced he had killed Bambi's mom. I think that is where my "quirk" comes from. Ok, so maybe I'm just strange.

Alright, that's enough of my ramblings for tonight. Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Excitement at the Rockies game and it was not all about baseball

Andy and I went to the Rockies/Mariners baseball game today! We were very excited to see Mike as well as enjoy a baseball game. Nothing like a relaxing Sunday afternoon baseball game! I figured this would be a great lead in to my relaxing week off of work. I was partially right. It was a beautiful warm sunny afternoon until about the 5th inning. The storm clouds started rolling in, temp dropped, and we started to hear the rumblings of thunder. Lovely! Before that, we were having a great time! The Rockies were doing great, had a nice cold beverage, and great conversation. So...back to the storm clouds rolling in. We were just watching the game and happend to look up and saw this...


Actually that was as it was fading away. Are you kidding me?!?!? Funnel cloud!!! We saw another one that was off more to the left of this picture. Both of them disappeared pretty quickly but still!!!! The sirens started going off and they sent everyone inside. We were on the club level so we actually got to go inside which was nice BUT the walls on both sides were glass. Yes, glass. Great! In case you haven't ever had the experience of being around me when there's tornado warnings and sirens going off, well, I freak a little bit. Just a little..ok, maybe more than a little but I acutally did ok today, until they sent us inside where I realized that we were not really in a safe area. We started to go down to the first level but it was packed and people weren't even able to move. After about 35 min, the storm passed and they were able to resume the game. The sun came back out and it was a beautiful day again. As the game was wrapping up, the second phase of storms started to move in. Luckily, we made it back to the car and was out of downtown before the rain started.

So, my relaxing start to my week vacation was a bit bumpy. Hopefully this is not a sign of what is to come. The Rockies did win the game(11th straight win) and we enjoyed spending some time with Mike.

We had our first possible placement call today!!

We received our first placement call today! Exactly two weeks after we were licensed! We were called about 2 different placements! Both placements would be for a newborn baby! Holy Cow!! Both were still in the hospital waiting to be discharged.

First situation, birthmom and baby tested positive for drugs We decided no on this situation due to testing positive for drugs and for a few other reasons.

Second situation, , baby was removed due to parents having a long history with DHS and a few other reasons. When we called back to say yes, they have found another home already. Darn it!

We both have been so excited to get our first call and when I got the message at on my cell...I think I screamed. Yes, I was at the office. When I called Andy, he said ok, I'm cleaning the carpets. It took a few minutes for it to hit him...he was very cute! When I called him back to tell him that they found another foster to adopt home, he was bummed. He said..I even made a list for what we need at Babies R Us! Have I mentioned lately how much I adore my hubby??

I'm just excited that we got our first call even though it didn't work out!!

Short and sweet

My big "project" at work is done today! What a relief!!! Finally, I can get back to doing my "normal" caseload. YEAH!

We went to the agency today and read our homestudy. We found a few errors. She had put down that we were married in August of 2002. Um, I didn't even know Andy at that point. She also had a few other things that were incorrect so we corrected the info. YEAH!

We ended the day with my favorite...chips and salsa with a side of ranch dressing. It was just what I needed.

Crazy, crazy day!

Andy and I had a very interesting/scary day. Our friend, Wendy, called this morning so we could figure out what time we were going to go see "Up". She didn't want to go to the movies at Southlands due to them having fountains out in front of the theater and she knew her son would want to play in them. We decided to go to the movies at Arapahoe Crossing..about 10 min from our house(Southlands is about a mile and half from our house).

We were about an hour into the movie when someone came in and said that they needed to move everyone into a different theater due to tornado warnings. Um, what?!?!? They get everyone into one theater and just leave us there...nothing more was said at that time. After about 5-10 minutes someone came in and said that a funnel cloud had been spotted at the intersection right out side of the the theater. ARGH!!!!!!! Anyone who knows me, knows that storms and tornadoes scary the heck out of me. Luckily our phone has Internet so we were able to get more info off of National weather website. About an hour later, they let us leave.

On the way home, we the only thing we really noticed was the wet streets until we got to our subdivision and noticed the HUGE hail on the ground. Uh oh! When we pulled into our driveway, we saw several neighbors standing outside. We went over and talked to them...then we found out the really scary news. A tornado had hit Southlands mall! They said there was also a funnel cloud that they thought was going to hit our subdivision. The people across the street had a window that was busted due to hail. Another house had a window a/c unit that was blown in another house. We didn't have any damage at the house other than lots of plants blown over and leaves and limbs. The dogs were whining when we came in.

We watched the news and saw that the tornado had done alot of damage to Southlands mall and the brand new Lowes across the street from it. There was also a gas leak as well. They interviewed someone who had been at the movies and they said that the building was shaking and the ceiling tiles were moving alot. Several stores had windows blown out and a car also was flipped over. So far they haven't reported any injuries! Thank God!

Wendy called me a little later to let me know that she has damage to her house. She lives in another part of our subdivision. She has softball size holes in her siding from the hail!!!

We are all very thankful that the storm didn't do more damage! Pics in the post below!

Pics from today

1st picture-hail on our deck

2nd picture-egg size hail

3rd picture-Pic taken by someone in our subdivision

4th picture-tornado behind the movie center. I found this picture on a news website. It was taken on the upper balcony of our favorite restaurant. We ate lunch there yesterday

5th picture-damage in front of the movie theater. This pic also came from the news wesbsite .

Ah...what a week

Any week that involved a new Dave Matthews Band(DMB) album being released, is a good week! Hello, my name is Sara and I love DMB!! Andy is hooked just like me!! No matter how bad of a mood I'm in, DMB songs always put a smile on my face! I just wish they were going to be here in concert this summer. *sigh* Hopefully I will get my Dave fix soon!

Ok, onto other things...We have a meeting on Monday to read our homestudy finally and meet with the supervisor. YEAH! Also, our info will be on the lists that go out to all the agencies in Colorado so they know which homes are available for foster-to-adopt. Hopefully, we'll get a call soon.

Andy made a trip back to Indiana earlier this week for a few days. Lucky Andy! He stayed with my parents and really had a great time. He played cards, rode the 4-wheeler, had great food, and did something he has never done before. Andy ate strawberries right off the plant in the strawberry patch. He said that he's never had strawberries that tasted so good. I think he has told me this at least 10 times!!! That night my mom made a strawberry pie with the fresh strawberries. Needless to say, Andy was in heaven! Andy is finally getting to experience what I considered to be a luxury growing up. Fresh veggies straight from the garden!!!

I got an early birthday present this week from my parents...a laptop!!! YEAH!!! I love it!!! Andy and I picked it up Thursday night and as soon as I walked in the door, I had to get it out of the box to set it up. We decided to buy a new wireless printer as well. We got a great deal on it since we bought the laptop. It is also a copier, scanner, and fax. Now I can scan in some old pics..hehe!

My big "project" at work is almost done. We are just waiting for a "decision". Hopefully we'll get the "decision" on Monday. I was hoping things would be less crazy at work but it looks like it will be a busy summer.

One other highlight for the week...my sister bought her airline ticket to go back to Indiana in Sept. Why am I happy about her going to Indiana when we live in Colorado? Well, Andy and I are going to drive to meet Laura, Mom, and Dad in Kansas City, MO while she is back. KC is the half way point between them and us. Hopefully this is something we can do more often! Not seeing my family for long periods of time is not fun!

Today, I went with one of my friends, Wendy, and her little boy to a carnival at the elementary school that is just two blocks from our house. It was really fun! They had all kinds of stuff for the kids to do! There were a ton of people there. Andy and I are going with Wendy and her son to see the movie "Up" tomorrow. Andy told me today that he is going to start posting some on our blog! Stay tuned! =)

Great news!!!

As of today, we are officially licensed to be foster parents! YEAH! FINALLY!!!! We are doing foster to adopt so the only kiddos that we will be called about are kiddos whose parents rights have already been terminated or cases where termination is the most likely outcome. So, it still may be awhile before we get calls but we are still excited to officially be "waiting". I never thought I'd be saying that I'm excited to be waiting...my, how things change. =) We will get assigned a new casemanager. Hopefully we will meet with him/her soon. We are just happy that we are over the first big hurdle in getting us matched! YEAH!

I think getting this news was the only thing that got me through the day. This week is going to be a long and rough week. It's our last big week of the "project" and we're all tired as we're now in our 8th week! That isn't including the 6 weeks leading up to it! So, we're physically tired and this week is going to be very emotionally draining as family members have to talk about how all of this has impacted them. I will need to have a stash of kleenex clsoe by! I also found out today that I will be working for a few hours on Sunday morning. woo hoo....ok, not so much! I just have to keep thinking, in two weeks this will hopefully be done!

Three day weekend...YEAH!!

Not alot has been going on this week except for my big "project" at work! Hopefully it will be done in two weeks and everything will be back to normal! I did e-mail the supervisor of the person who did our homestudy on Sunday. I heard back from her on Monday and she was very apologetic about how long it has taken. We exchanged a few e-mails and I'm feeling much better about things. There were a few things she needed from us and hopefully we'll be licensed soon. I'm trying not to get too excited as we've been there before and ended up getting let down.

No real big plans for the weekend...which is nice. I'm looking forward to just enjoying being with Andy! The only things we have planned at this point are seeing the Star Trek movie(Andy's idea) and watching the Nuggets game on Saturday night. I think I may have to do some retail therapy!! It's been awhile and of course, it always makes me feel better.

Hmmm....guess that is about it at this point not much else to update on this week. Eeks...we're boring. =)

Wow

My online buddy, Jennie, gave me my first blog award. WOOHOO! You can check it out on her blog at "Little Sundrops" What a cool thing to do!!



Now it's my turn to pass this award onto:

Always an Adventure

The Princess of Quite-A-Lot

Meek, The Jerks and Me

If I give it to you...

* Add logo to your blog

* Link the person/blog from whom you received this award from

* Leave them a message on their blog, letting them know they have One Lovely Blog!

Interesting e-mail yesterday

I received an e-mail from our casemanager yesterday asking us if we were going to their foster parent appreciation dinner next week. Hmmm.... My first response was no, we're not foster parents yet but then realized that would probably not be the best response. Since work is still crazy for me, there is no way we'd be able to go even if we wanted to. Plus, I can only imagine how conversations would go.

person: Oh, tell us about the kiddo placed with you.

us: well, we're not even licensed yet so we don't have a child placed with us. We're not foster parents yet.

person: Oh...um, ok well hope you have a good time a the foster parent appreciation dinner.

Maybe I'm over thinking it but I imagine that there will be lots of conversations about the kiddos that are placed with the foster parents, funny stories, etc. I don't know if that would be the right place for us right now. We are so anxious to be licensed, so excited to be matched with a kiddo, and very disappointed that we're in this holding pattern. Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that they do this dinner and nice that they invited us. I think I'm just all in all frustrated right now. Plus, when I received the e-mail she had replied to an e-mail that I had sent her with 2 questions and she didn't even respond to the 2 questions. Oh...and she still hasn't. I know they're busy but sometimes just a little communication can go a long way...even if she doesn't know the answer. "I don't know the answer but will see what I can find out"

*Sigh* I guess whatever is supposed to happen will....eventually.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms, moms to be, moms to "4 legged" kids, and those who are just waiting to be matched moms!! Andy and I both called our moms today to wish them a happy mom's day since we can't do it in person. I know we are both very thankful to have the wonderful loving and caring moms that we have! My mom is the one in the blue dress and Diana is in the other pic. The pics were taken on our wedding day.

I know at times when I was growing up, I thought my mom was trying to ruin my life..making me eat veggies, setting rules, giving me a curfew, making me do chores and made sure she knew where I was at all times. Hmmm...looking back, I'm so thankful that I had her for a mom. I know one of my favorite lines growing up was "When I have kids, I will never make my kids (insert whatever my complaint at the time was) like you're making me do. " Boy, did I have it rough..I had a mom who wouldn't let me watch inappropriate tv shows, made me get a good nights sleep, didn't let me run around like a wild child, taught me responsibility, and love me no matter how much attitude I gave her. Thank you Mom!!!!

I'm also very lucky to have such an amazing mother-in-law, Diana. I have heard so many mother-in-law(MIL) horror stories and have heard some of my friends talk about their MIL, that I always thought that I'd have a MIL that was just like the stories. WRONG!!! Diana is so sweet and so supportive! The first time I met her, she made me feel very comfortable and by the end of the evening, I knew that we'd get along great! Since then, my thoughts haven't changed! I feel really blessed to have Diana as a MIL!! She has raised Andy to be an amazing man and from the stories that he has told me, there is no doubt that she is amazing mom.

I talked to our casemanager this week and sent her Andy's most recent first aid/cpr cert. info. She said that she had re-submitted our final homestudy draft along with the whole file so she thinks we'll be approved very very soon. So....hopefully before the end of May. Ok, I'll be honest..to make me be really happy it would hopefully be sometime this week!!! At work, I have had several people tell me that they think we'll soon have a baby in our house. It's very cute and great to know that we have more people praying for us!

Fun weekend!

After having a crazy few weeks, we were finally able to have a fun weekend! YEAH! It's the first weekend in almost a month that I haven't had to work...double YEAH!! On Saturday morning, I went with my friend, Wendy, to see Ghosts of Girlfriends Past while Andy slept. It was a really cute movie! Total chic flick which was just what I needed!! Saturday evening, Andy and I had date night. We went to dinner and then watched a movie at home. Nothing real exciting but it was perfect. Great food, good conversation, and just being with Andy was the best!

Sunday afternoon, we went to the Nuggets/Mavericks game. It was the first game of the 2nd round of the playoffs. It was crazy downtown!!! Andy was so excited! He told me "thank you" probably 20 times, if not more. I'm so happy I was able to suprise him with the tickets. He really has made the past month easier! Plus, while I'm in trial...I'm just a bit grumpy..ok, a lot grumpy. It was a great game and the atmosphere was electric! It was soooo loud in the Pepsi Center..especially when the Nuggets started pulling away from the Mavs. 20,000 screaming fans, pulsing music, and of course the rally towels. WOW! It's Tuesday and Andy still doesn't have much of a voice. All in all it was a great weekend! I think it was just what we needed. Didn't think about work, didn't stress about the homestudy...just had fun!

Two months ago today

Two months ago today was our last homestudy meeting and we're still not licensed. I called on Wednesday to check our status. Our case manager doesn't have any updates for us but did point out that Andy's First Aid/CPR certification is about to expire. After talking with Andy, we realized he didn't submit his most recent certification. He is not really sure as to where the newest cards are so he is getting a copy of them from work. I e-mailed our case manager to let her know that we're going to get her a copy of the newest one and asked if there is anything else that they need from us. I haven't heard back but we should be good as that is what she told us at our last homestudy meeting. She also couldn't give me a rought timeline as to when we may be licensed. UGH!!!!! I don't know what to think at this point...I'm going to wait another week and call again. If the end of May comes around and we're still not licensed, I'm going to be very disappointed and may call her supervisor to find out what is taking so long. I hate to do that but there is no reason for it to take that long.

On a brighter note...Andy and I have a fun weekend planned. He's sleeping and I'm going to the movies this afternoon with a friend and then date night with Andy this evening. On Sunday, we're going to the Nuggets play off game. YEAH! I bought tickets as a "thank you" to Andy for being amazing while I've been in trial! He's been cooking dinner, cleaning, running errands, and just being a huge support for the past month. We're at the half way mark with the trial so only one more month left!!! I'm looking forward to it being done but will miss working with our "team".

National Infertility Awareness week

It is National Infertility Awareness Week, a thing close to my heart. Did you know that Infertility is a disease affecting 7.3 million people in the U.S.? This figure represents 1 in 8 couples. Andy and I are one of those couples.

Infertility 101: Get the facts
Myth: Infertility is a women's problem.
Fact: This is untrue. It surprises most people to learn that infertility is a female problem in 35% of the cases, a male problem in 35% of the cases, a combined problem of the couple in 20% of cases, and unexplained in 10% of cases. It is essential that both the man and the woman be evaluated during an infertility work-up.

Myth: Everyone seems to get pregnant at the drop of a hat.
Fact: More than five million people of childbearing age in the United States experience infertility. When you seek support, you will find that you are not alone.

Myth: It's all in your head! Why don't you relax or take a vacation. Then you'll get pregnant!
Fact: Infertility is a disease or condition of the reproductive system. While relaxing may help you with your overall quality of life, the stress and deep emotions you feel are the result of infertility, not the cause of it. Improved medical techniques have made it easier to diagnose infertility problems.

Myth: Don't worry so much -- it just takes time. You'll get pregnant if you're just patient.
Fact: Infertility is a medical problem that may be treated. At least 50% of those who complete an infertility evaluation will respond to treatment with a successful pregnancy. Some infertility problems respond with higher or lower success rates. Those who do not seek help have a "spontaneous cure rate" of about 5% after a year of infertility.

Myth: If you adopt a baby you'll get pregnant!
Fact: This is one of the most painful myths for couples to hear. First it suggests that adoption is only a means to an end, not an happy and successful end in itself. Second, it is simply not true. Studies reveal that the rate for achieving pregnancy after adopting is the same as for those who do not adopt.

Myth: Why don't you just forget it and adopt? After all, there are so many babies out there who need homes!
Fact: For many, adoption is a happy resolution to infertility. But choosing how to build your family is a very personal decision. Learning about all the ways to build a family can open your eyes to options you may not have thought of as a possibility. Education is key to finding resolution.

Myth: Maybe you two are doing something wrong!
Fact: Infertility is a medical condition, not a sexual disorder.

Myth: My partner might leave me because of our infertility.
Fact: The majority of couples do survive the infertility crisis, learning in the process new ways of relating to each other, which deepens their relationship in years to follow.

Myth: Perhaps this is God's way of telling you that you two aren't meant to be parents!
Fact: It is particularly difficult to hear this when you are struggling with infertility. You know what loving parents you would be, and it is painful to have to explain to others that you have a medical problem.

Myth: Infertility is nature's way of controlling population.
Fact: Zero population growth is a goal pursued in a time of world overpopulation, but it still allows for couples to replace themselves with two children. Individuals or couples can certainly elect the option to be childfree or to raise a single child. Infertility, for those who desire children, denies them the opportunity to choose.

Myth: I shouldn't take a month off from infertility treatment for any reason... I just know that this next month will be THE one!
Fact: It is important periodically to reassess your treatment and your parenting goal. Continuity in treatment is important, but sometimes a break can provide needed rest and renewal for the next steps.

Myth: I'll be labeled a 'trouble maker' if I ask too many questions.
Fact: The physician/patient team is important. You need to be informed about what treatments are available. What is right for one couple may not be right for another, either physically, financially, or emotionally. Don't be afraid to ask questions of your doctor.
A second opinion can be helpful. If needed, discuss this option with your physician.

Myth: I know I'll never be able to stop treatment until I have a pregnancy.
Fact: Pregnancy is not the only pathway to parenthood. You may begin to think more about parenthood than about pregnancy. You may long for your life to get back to normal. You may consider childfree living or begin to think of other ways to build a family.

Myth: I've lost interest in my job, hobbies, and my friends because of infertility. No one understands! My life will never be the same!
Fact: Infertility is a life crisis -- it has a rippling effect on all areas of your life. It is normal to feel a sense of failure that can affect your self-esteem and self-image. You will move through this crisis. It is a process, and it may mean letting go of initial dreams. Throughout this process, stay informed about the wide range of options and connect with others facing similar experiences.

Still waiting

We are still waiting for our homestudy to be signed so that we can be certified. We are at the point that we are getting frustrated...actually very frustrated. Our last homestudy meeting was March 2...a week from today that it will be two months since we had our last meeting. I have to admit that I'm very suprised it has taken this long! We were told we'd be certified by the end of March and now it's looking like we won't be certified by the end of April. So...we continue to wait and pray that it will happen soon. I know that once it's done we'll still be waiting...but at least then we'll be officially waiting for a kiddo...our kiddo. I'm at the point that I don't even want to go into our future kiddo's room right now...I hate that I don't want to go in there..it's a place that one day will be filled with happiness and joy but right now it just makes me sad.

My shadow

Ali is my shadow. When we first adopted her(she was 4 months old) from the dog rescue, she was very shaky and nervous. It was quite obvious that she had been abused. She did like loud noises, did not want us to be too close to her, and was very afraid of dark places. As time went on, alot of scared behaviors went away...well all except her fear of bathrooms and water. She is now quite the snuggler and is a very happy dog. Her little tail wags a mile a minute. She has also turned into my shadow. There have been a few times when I've been walking and stopped and she runs into me. I have to be very careful when carrying stuff as she is typically right there. I'm not complaing as I'd rather have this than the scared puppy that we adopted. She also has quite the personality. If you tell her to go kennel and she doesn't want to go, she will bark(kind of a mix between the sound a rooster makes and a howl) at you and run the other direction. When either of us gets home after being gone to work, she has to "tell" us all about her day. It is quite funny as she will go on and on and on. When she is very excited, she does about 20 360 spins in about 5 seconds. One of her favorite things to do is to poke us with her nose. Especially Andy when he is sleeping on the couch.