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!

Avs/Blues in Denver

Today we went to the Avs/Blues game and it was the last game of the season. Andy bought tickets about a month ago knowing that I really wanted to go to this game since I'm a huge Blues fan. Little did we know, this game would be a HUGE game for the Blues. This game would decide who they would play in the playoffs. If they lost the game they would be in 8th place, if they tied they would be in 7th place, and if they won they'd be in 6th place. Before we went to the game, we went to Brooklyn's for lunch. There were a ton of Blues fans!!! It was so cool! Of course, when I'd run into another Blues fan..both of us would say..GO BLUES!!! It was funny as this was the greeting that all Blues fans were doing with each other.

When Andy bought the tickets, he splurged and got good seats. Actually not just good seats but AMAZING seats. We were three, yes THREE, rows from the ice. I was like a kid on Christmas morning...doing a little happy dance when we got to our seats. I bet I told him 100 times, I love these seats!!! If it wasn't for the glass, I could have reached out and touched the players. Not that I would have, ok, I might have, but we were that close!! I was having fun taking a TON of pictures.

When the Blues came out to warm up, we all started cheering(about 50 of us down by the ice) and the players would give us a little nod and seemed kind of suprised there were so many of us. As it came closer to game time, there were more and more Blues fans in the stadium. I would say there were probably close to 3000 Blues fans there.

The game was a great game. It was fast paced, lots of action, and most importantly the BLUES WON!!! I am so happy that Andy got us the tickets to the game..not just because it was the Blues, but it was just what I needed. A fun day, with my amazing husband, and I didn't think about work at all(ok, a little). It was a PERFECT day! Bonus was wearing my new Blues jersey that I got when we were in St. Louis.

Nada...

Nothing really going on with us right now. I did get an e-mail from our case manager that her supervisor read her first draft of our homestudy and there were a few more things she had to add to it. Once she has added the info in, it goes back to her supervisor to read again. No clue as to when this may happen....I'm trying to stay optimistic and hoping it will happen this week. Sometimes it feels like it will never happen...us having a baby. I know that we will but sometimes when we're out and see all the moms and dads with their little babies, I really wonder if that will be us someday.

Andy is flying back to Indiana on Tues to do the 1st part of a test with a sheriff dept that is only an hour from my parents. As of now they don't have any openings but they are developing an eligibility list that they will hire from for the next two years. If he does good at the test on Wed, he will have to fly back 11 days later for the 2nd part of the test. Kind of sucks that he had to go back twice so close together but the good part is that he will be staying at my parents' house. Lucky Andy! He will see my parents twice this month! I wish I could go back with him but I'm starting a huge "project" at work that will keep me busy until June. I'm excited for it to start but also kind of ready for it to be done.

Last class is done!

We completed our last foster to adopt class yesterday! YEAH!!! Now we are just waiting for the home study to be written and approved. Hopefully it will be done soon! The class was really interesting...it was class about infant adoption and all of the students except for us were nursing students. They were teaching them about how infant adoption works so that if they ever have a patient who may be considering adoption, they are able to talk with them about it. It was amazing how many people in the class had friends or family members that were adopted or were hoping to adopt as well as several people who hope had family members who were foster parents. The bad part of the class was that I felt miserable! My nose wouldn't stop running, I was hot, then cold, my throat hurt, and I just wanted to go to sleep. UGH!

I went to work for awhile today but then brought some stuff home to work. Nothing better than making calls in comfy clothes, while sipping on o.j, and taking lots of cold medicine. Amazingly, I feel alot better!

Random thought for the day: Seeing Andy in the class yesterday and hearing what he had to say about different things made me so proud to have him for my husband. He is going to be an amazing dad. This may sound silly but while we in class yesterday, I felt myself falling in love with him all over again. When were talking about adoption and what's best for the child, He really "gets" it...he really "gets" me.

A few unexpected things over the past few days

Well, this 3 day weekend didn't go at all like we thought it would but sometimes you can't control how life works. Friday the 13th was a really good day for us actually. At work we had an opportunity that I'm very thankful that our District Attorney decided to make available to us. She set it up for employees to be medically screened for several medical issues by a prominent physician that works directly with many sports teams, including NFL teams. These tests screen risks for heart attacks, heart disease and stroke. These tests are cutting edge, typically not paid by most insurance carriers. These tests, which would normally run from $800 to $2,000...it cost us each $25. The preventative testing included:

· a hot plaque blood test (cutting edge blood test that normally costs $800 to $1,000 for this test alone and insurance doesn't cover the costs of this test)
· a cholesterol particles test
· a stickiness of particles-to-arteries test
· an ultrasound of the heart (which predicts early heart failure risk)

He also measured the impact of mental stress on the heart, cardiovascular triggers, and ultrasound of carotid arteries.

When this was first brought up, I didn't sign up for it but after talking to some friends decided that it's better to know issues now rather than later. I talked to Andy and he decided to do the testing as well. It was pretty painless..well except for the blooddraw and even that wasn't that bad. We will get our results back in March so hopefully there won't be any major issues. The amazing part is that one employee find out she had a tumor in her neck due to the testing and there's been some others who have found out some issues that they wouldn't have found out about just by going to their normal doctor.

One part of the test is to see how your blood pressure reacts to stress. As they were monitoring your heart they asked you to start at 700 and go backwards in increments of 7. Ok, I love math..love it. I went BLANK!! 700- 7 is uh..uh...uh...oh my gosh I'm nervous..uh...oh..693..um...let's see.. yep, went very well! The second time was starting at 300 and going backwards in increments of 7...I did much better this time. My blood pressure only went up 4 notches..woo hoo! Most went up at least 20 or more. Andy's actually went down!!! I also found out some other info that wasn't heart related but will share that either later tonight or tomorrow.

Ok, moving on...Saturday...plan was to do early lunch and a movie. I was feeling super tired and when Andy woke up, we decided just to do an early dinner at Olive Garden. YUMMY! Food was great and then we went grocery shopping....exciting Valentine's Day, huh? We got home and I was in bed by 8...I knew then something was up. Well, midnight rolls around..I wake up, run to the bathroom, and started throwing up...UGH!!! This went on every hour for the rest of the night!!! I was miserable...throw up, sleep for an hour, throw up, sleep for an hour..repeat. UGH! Sunday morning, I was dehydrated, achy, cold, whiny, etc. I even called my mom at 5:15 our time(6:15 a.m. her time) as I was so thirsty and was afraid to drink anything. I know, I should *know* the answer to this but at that point...Mom knows best. All day Sunday, I camped out on the couch and Andy took care of me. He is a saint! The funny part is on Sat. night I decided to buy sugar free jello and popsicles for snacks. Thank goodness as they were great on Sunday!!!

The worst part of Sunday was having to cancel dinner with Mike, and my cousin, Julie. Julie was in town and they were going to come to our house for dinnner. I was so bummed!!! We also had to call and cancel our homestudy/home inspection for Monday morning. UGH UGH! It's now been re-scheduled for next Monday. So our fun weekend..turned into a very blah weekend!

6 years ago tonight

Six years ago tonight was our first date! We went to dinner and then Andy brought me home as Mike(good friend of mine) and I were leaving early the next morning to drive to Indiana. I remember being really nervous and hoping that it would go really well. Our dinner ended up taking about 3 hours as we just talked and talked and talked. Andy drove me home, walked me to the door, and wished me a safe trip back to Indiana. He was leaving for Vegas two days later and said he'd call me when he got back so we could go out again. I was really hoping he'd call when he got back but a small part of me tried to convince myself that if he didn't, it was no big deal. I hadn't had much luck with dating since I had moved to Colorado so I was preparing myself that he wouldn't call. Don't get me wrong...I really really really wanted to go out on another date with Andy.

The next day Mike and I took off bright and early for the 17 hour drive back to Indiana. The first 4 hours was me telling Mike all about the date and analyzing everything. Poor Mike..he probably wanted to drop me off in the middle of Kansas. Mike was great though and let me go on and on and on. A week later on the way back to Colorado from Indiana, Mike had to listen to me say over and over..if he doesn't call, his loss...I really want him to call but if not no big deal...Why do guys say they call and then don't...He'll call....I just know he's not going to call...once again I'm sure Mike was ready to drop me off in the middle of Kansas.

The day after we got back from Indiana....Andy called and we planned our 2nd date a few days later. YEAH!!! Mike was right..."Sara, there are good guys who do call when they say they are going too. Stop analyzing and just go with it."

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas

I can't believe Christmas is only 10 days away!! The weather is definitely feeling Christmasy...snow and cold. Very cold actually...-15 last night. EEKS! We went to the outdoor mall that is very close to our house on Saturday. It was fun to walk down the sidewalks, listening to Christmas songs, see the gleaming Christmas lights, and see the kids ice skating. All we needed was some hot apple cider! Last year at this time I was dreading Christmas. We didn't put up any decorations or a tree since we were in the apartment. It just didn't feel like Christmas or "the happiest time of the year". I remember telling my parents that I didn't know what I'd do if I had to spend another Christmas in Colorado. It's amazing what can change in a year. Don't get me wrong, we still want to move and really wish we could celebrate Christmas with our families. Unfortunately Andy still is too low in seniority to take Christmas off. This year we put up decorations and the tree and it really feels like Christmas. We are also in a much better place with us still being in Colorado...we have good things here and are very thankful for them. Good jobs, good friends, good health, and plans for our future if we should end up staying here.

Last week when I was reading the paper, I saw a picture of our instructor for our foster to adopt classes. First thing I thought was "oh she must be receiving an award"...nope, she was crossing the street and was hit by a car. The driver took off and she later died. I was floored and all I could say was oh my gosh, oh my gosh. Kathy was an amazing woman and very inspirational. She established a family center in an area of Denver that desperately needed it. They had programs for girls to help build self esteem, tutoring programs, foster parent classes, job training, etc. Kathy used to be a caseworker, she taught social work classes at the college level and was a woman who just loved to help others. We were supposed to go to our make up class this past Saturday but they bumped the class back a week due to her funeral being that day. I'm so sad for her family, the community, and all those who never got a chance to learn from her. Her son, Steve, was also one of our instructors...I hope he is able to carry on his mom's teachings.

We have officially switched to a new agency for the foster to adopt program. YEAH! They are amazing. They return calls, return e-mails, and are more than happy to answer questions. We have almost all the paper work ready to be sent in to them. They said our classes should carry over. Hopefully, we'll start the homestudy after the first of the year and have it completed by the end of January. This agency works with all the counties in Colorado which means we'll have way more options. They also have an international adoption program as well a domestic adoption program. If at some point we decide to switch to domestic adoption, we won't have to redo everything. YEAH! We are so excited and so ready to start the foster to adopt journey. We have picked out the convertible crib, car seat, and even found a possible child care center. We are going to start working on turning the guest room into the baby room. We really never thought we'd get to the point where we'd be buying a crib or getting a room ready for a baby. Andy is even excited to go to Babies R US!!

We had some exciting news from my sister and her husband. Phillip got into med school and they are moving to St. Maarten's. Yes, St. Maarten's..island located below Puerto Rico and it's very warm there! They are moving in two weeks and have a lot to do before then. We are excited that this journey is beginning for them. It will have it's ups and downs but it an experience that they will never forget. I'm sure it's going to be hard being a warm tropical place while the rest of us are in the cold, snowy regions. I think we'll be planning a trip there in the near future..of course some of that depends on when/if we get a placement but I'm sure we'll figure something out. Congrats Phillip! Best wishes to Laura and Phillip on a safe and speedy move!

Back from the mountains and now we're moving...

We had a great time in Keystone! The weather was amazing! It was in the high 50's and low 60's the 5 days we were up there. It was cold at night but the days were beautiful! I did kind of miss the snow but it was really nice not freezing going from the condo to the conference center. The only issue we had was some fraudulent charges on my credit card...lovely! It's now canceled and I already got the new one. A co-worker had the same issue as well. The workshops at the conference were great and I learned quite a bit that will help me be a better victim advocate.

Since we got back on Wednesday, we had to shift into moving mode. The movers come tomorrow and we are FINALLY moving out of the apartment and into a house again. YEAH! I really really really miss our house but know that we were very lucky to sell it when we did. I know that if we would have waited to list it, we would have regretted it. The house we are renting is very close to our old house and is really nice. We are renting from one of my co-workers. It works out perfectly...she got married and didn't want to list it now since she just bought it a year ago so us renting it works out for her as well as for us. YEAH!

I should be packing more right now but I just needed a small break. Andy is sleeping since he was up for about 30 hours. UGH! He had to work last night and as soon as he got home we moved some stuff to the house, packed another load and move it to the house. He really wanted to watch the Broncos game for a little while...I think he watched about 5 minutes of the game before he was snoring. I did learn something about Andy while he has been sleeping...he sleeps with his eyes partially open. It's very freaky! He's going to love that I shared that...hey, that's what blogs are for. =)

Exciting news at work this week, a co-worker who has been on the waiting list to adopt from Korea received a referral this week and they have been matched! YEAH!!! Their little boy is 5 months old and he should be here in their home in about 3-5 months. He is so cute! She has a picture of him on her office door. When I walked into the office on Thurs morning, she came and told me even before I made it to my office. We have been sharing our journeys with each other since we can understand the hopes/struggles that go along with the process. Hopefully after the first of the year, we'll be at the point that we are waiting for our placement.

One last thing to share...my sister, Laura, and her hubby, Phillip, will be here on FRIDAY!!! So in 5 days and 6 hours and 36 minutes their plane will be arriving in Denver!!!! Yes, I'm just a bit excited! It has been way too long since we had some good sister time! The last time that we saw Laura and Phillip was in July 2007. Phillip is applying to med schools...they are really hoping he gets into the one in St. Marten's. I hope that St. Marten's works out for them since that is their first choice as well as it's warm, it's the ocean and everything else that they love. I have to confess though.. the selfish part of me would love for Phillip to get into the one here. Just the thought of having them so close brings tears to my eyes...I miss going to the movies and shopping with Laura, I miss all the long late night talks we'd have(some when we were awake, some while we were sleeping) . I just miss being able to just be there...but...I just want them to be happy and if that means St. Marten's then that is where they should be. =)

Relaxing....

Andy and I arrived in Keystone today and I love it here!! I look forward to coming up here every year. It is so nice to get away from "the city" and have a change of scenery. For the past 4 years, I have been up here at least once if not twice a year. I am u p here for a conference for work and Andy is going to hang out in the condo since the slopes aren't open yet. There isn't much snow and the temp was actually in the 60's today!! It was a beautiful drive up here and should be nice the whole time we're here. I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed that there's not more snow. Usually when we come up for the conference, there is quite a bit of snow on the ground and we get "dumped on" while we're up here. I think the most we got during the conference was about 18 inches...it was great!! Well, except for having to hike through the snow to the conference center in the wind and having to scrape lots of snow and ice off of the car.

I love sitting in the condo, snuggled up on the couch with a good book, and feeling the warmth from the fireplace, looking out at the mountains with snow everywhere and coming down in huge flakes. I guess we'll just have to come up here again this winter!! We went to dinner tonight at Pug Ryan's...it is one of our favorite local establishments! Great food, great atmosphere, and a good place for husband/wife time. I love our dogs but sometimes it's just nice to get away with Andy. When we took the dogs to "doggie camp" today, they told us that the last time the dogs were there was in January!! We were both shocked that it had been so long since they had been there! MacInnis and Ali were very excited to go to doggie camp...they pulled us to the door and was off without even looking back.

When we get back home, we have lots of packing to do as we move next weekend. YEAH! Finally out of the apt and into a great house with a great yard for the dogs! Then the next weekend, Laura and Phillip will be here....YEAH!!!!

Ok, time to head to bed for a great night's sleep....I always sleep much better in the mountains.

First class done...sort of

We had our first class on Friday to start the foster to adopt process. We were both very excited and ready to get this going! The instructors were great! Lots of experience and lots of information that will be very valuable. Bad part is that Andy started feeling crummy yesterday. We made it through the 4 hours last night and the first 4 hours today. When we had the lunch break, I realized how miserable Andy was feeling. It should have been obvious by the fact he sounded like Darth Vader when breathing as well as looked like Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. Poor guy could barely keep his eyes open and just looked pitiful. After talking with the instructor, we decided to leave and we'll make up the afternoon part the next time it goes around. Andy was so worried that this would slow us down that he was only willing to leave after he asked me like 10 times if I was sure it was ok to go. Since we got home, he's been crashed on the couch dozing off and on. I don't think I've ever seen him this sick. Hopefully he'll feel better soon!

On Monday, I'm going to call and schedule us for the make up portion. We are scheduled for another class on 12/1. We have to have somewhere between 24-30 hours in order to be certified. From what I understand, we can do some online classes as well. I just have to say that after the class last night and today, both of us know that this is definitely what we want to do now as well as in the future. Some of the people in the class have been foster parents in other states or just taking the class again for a refresher. They are amazing! One couple has had 35 foster kids in 5 years. AMAZING! There are so many kids who are in situation where they end up being removed from their home and just need a good, safe place to go. Sometimes it's a temporary thing, sometimes they end up with their "forever family". Right now, we're only wanting to do foster to adopt but in the future I think we'll look at doing just foster care.

It's sad that there are so many kids who need foster homes and there aren't enough foster homes for placements of kids. Can you imagine being 6, being abused by your parents, being removed from the home, and then not knowing where you are going to go? Are you going to end up with an amazing foster family who will end up making you feel safe, helping you realize that the abuse wasn't your fault, and help put the small pieces back together to make you whole again? OR Are you going to end up with a foster parent who is a foster parent for all the wrong reasons and may end up abusing you just like you were abused by your parents or do things that were even worse? It's sad that those type of foster homes exist but unfortunately they do.

These classes have really made me think and realize how lucky I am...I could have been one of those kids. I was in a foster home for 5 months and then my parents adopted me. I can't even imagine how my life would be if they hadn't adopted me. I could have been one of those kids who spend their whole life bouncing from one foster home to another, never having a "real" family, and wondering what I did that was so bad that I couldn't even have a "real" family. Does that happen? Yep, I had a few kids when I was a caseworker who had been in the foster care system for the majority of their life. They moved from one foster home to another..taking their belongings in a trash bag. Once they turned the magic age of 18, they were on their own...no family to help them when things were rough, no family to spend the holidays with, and no home to run to when they needed a hug. There are several kids that were on my caseload that I still wonder where they are now and wonder if they are safe.

Ok, I've been rambling on a bit but all of this makes me want to do more. It makes me want to tell everyone that I know that at some point they should be a foster parent. Just give a little something back to those who need it the most...KIDS! It's not their fault that their parents can't take care of them. It's tough at times to a foster parent but if it makes a difference in that child's life wouldn't it be worth it?? Just something to think about.

8/26/06 was an amazing day...

Two years ago today I married the man that I always dreamt of. He's my best friend, can always make me smile, and "gets" me. He just laughs at my weird quirks and sings along with me on road trips. Actually, he sings louder than me! We have made the 17 hour trip back and forth to Indiana 4 or 5 times now. On those trips, we have had some of the best times-talking, laughing, singing, and really learning alot about each other-good and bad!



It sems like it was just yesterday that we celebrated our wedding day with our families and friends. We had been together for 3 and a half years when we got married. Everyone said oh you're just getting married, it really won't change things. WRONG!! I think seeing our two families come together and melt into one big family was amazing. Also the commitment we made to each other really seemed to bring us closer together. It may sound weird but when I looked at Andy, I no longer saw him as just Andy but Andy, my husband. Also, our priorities changed..it was now about family...starting our own family, being closer to both of our families, and just the two of us starting our own family traditions.



We have learned so much in the past two years and still have so much more to learn as well as so many more journeys ahead of us. Is it always easy...no. That's ok though, if things are easy you learn to take them for granted. I hope we never get to that point in our marriage.



I saw a quote the other day that I think fits us right now...

We may not have it all together

but together we have it all

Bad news...

Andy got the call today and he is not moving on in the hiring process. UGH! Needless to say but we're both very disappointed. We were really thinking this was it...this is when we are finally going to get to move. I tried to keep it together when I was talking to him on the phone but once we hung up, the tears started falling. I really wonder if we will ever move, if we will ever be close to our families, if we'll ever get to start the adoption process. I know that God has a plan for us but right now it feels like it's never going to happen. Hopefully we'll find something soon....

In the meantime, we'll stay in the apartment...a.k.a. the cave. I call it the cave because the sun never really shines on our front patio...we are always in the shade. I guess it keeps the apartment cooler but it just always seems so dark. For me, the sun=happy.

Off to Indy....

Andy is flying to Indy today for another interview with Fishers. This interview will be with the Chief of Police. We're hoping it goes well and will have good news soon! It just seems like Fishers would be a great fit for us! We're keeping our fingers crossed!!!

Wow...it's been awhile...

It's been over a month since my last blog. It's been way too busy at work..just finished a homicide trial and getting ready to start one in March that will last until June!!! EEKS! Let's see...what's new since last time...Andy still hasn't heard anything back from any of the police depts. We're still anxiously awaiting to hear something.

We did make some decisions regarding the fertility drugs as well as adoption. We decided that I would stay off of Clomid until the trial finishes in June. It has been amazing feeling "normal" and not being on an emotional roller coaster ride! Andy likes having his "real" wife back. =) Also, we decided it was best to stop taking it as I wouldn't be able to take off of work for all the dr. appts and if it did happen to work this time, we were concerned all the stress wouldn't be good for the baby. This decision also means no baby for us in 2008 which makes me really sad. We were really hoping that we'd be adding to our family this year. The decision to stop taking the fertility drugs really made me feel like we were sort of giving up even though I know it's for the best right now.

We received the packets from the adoption agencies and we have found one that we really liked! The most interesting thing is that the adoption agency we chose is one that used to have a maternity home. The maternity home is where my birthmother was until she gave birth to me. It's just another one of those "interesting" connections that have popped up in my life. The adoption process is on hold until we move as well. The cool thing that gives me hope is that on a message board that I'm on has had several families receive "the call". I'm so happy and excited for them. Hopefully, one day we'll receive "the call".

I have to say our lives "being on hold" until we move is very hard but I know will be more than worth it once we do move!!