I Survived..

A pretty craptastic year, that is. 2009 did not treat me kindly, so I have nothing but high hopes for 2010. It HAS to be better than this past year. Not to be a complete Negative Nancy, because 2009 did have its highlights. Here are a few things I can look back on and smile..

* Seeing my sister get married, and spending a great weekend with her and the rest of my family in Portland, Oregon.

* Dan and I celebrating our 3 year anniversary in Palm Springs.

* Spending 4th of July at my in-laws house up in Northern California.. wine tasting in Sonoma, and kayaking down the Russian River were definite highlights from that trip.

* And then of course the little things.. drinking wine & catching up with best friends, taking our dogs for long walks, and enjoying another year in a house we love - within a city we love.

I guess I can't complain too much. I will say though that I have much higher hopes for big events to occur in 2010. I'm not making any official resolutions, but I'd like to work on some things I have control over. #1 being losing some weight by March, so we have a better chance at IUI working. #2 would be working on our finances.. reducing debt, increasing savings.

Now for some other things I look forward to in the upcoming year:

* Adoption Orientation in January

* IUI in Feb or March!

* FINALLY a raise in March.. and hopefully a promotion to go along with it

* My first Niece being born in March & a Nephew being born in April

* A weekend trip to Santa Cruz for my cousin's wedding (we're so going to the boardwalk and riding the merry-go-round)

* Last, but not least, turning 30 & hopefully taking a trip to an all inclusive resort in Mexico, to celebrate!

Happy New Year and Cheers to a healthy, happy, prosperous 2010!!!

Tamale Time!

So, guess what this white girl did last night? I made tamales!!! It was on my list & a friend of mine makes them every year with all the women in her family. So, I was the honorary guest last night. :) I had so much fun (if you can believe it) learning how to spread the masa on the corn husks, and then filling them with either shredded pork or chicken & folding them up. I did a pretty good job and they invited me back next year, which is always a good sign. haha. The best part of all, I have a couple dozen tamales at home waiting to be steamed and gobbled up. yay!





P.S. I cheated.. this pic isn't the actual tamales I made, but it's pretty close - minus the cute bow. Who has time for that???


Merry Christmas Eve to everyone!! I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with your families!!

Foster Orientation

Here are a few things I learned at orientation this past Saturday:

* You can not give your own children name brand cereal, and feed your foster child generics

* You can not go on vacation with your whole family & leave your foster child behind

* The maximum # of kids you can foster at one time is 6 - and there are people out there who will take the max amount, so they can collect more money

So, the orientation didn't turn out to be the most informative, but it's a required first step. I thought it was silly that the presenter had to even mention the cereal thing, and the vacation thing.. but I'm sure there are horrible foster parents out there who actually do those things. There was an older couple sitting next to us who's very first question they asked was, "Is the maximum number of kids you can take in still six?". They just happened to ask that question after seeing the slide that showed how much money you get for each foster child. Coincidence? I hope so. But I have a feeling they were in it for the money, and that's so sad.

We realized that we also have to go to an adoption orientation, where I'm sure I'll get more of my questions answered. After the adoption orientation we'll decide if this is the route we want to take, and if the answer is yes we do fingerprinting, turn in our application, take 27 hours of training, have a home inspection - and then we wait!! We wait for OUR baby to come home to us, and the thought of that gives me chills.. the good kind. :) We realize this could be a long, messy process. But if the end result is a baby..our baby..it will be SO worth it.

Glass 1/2 Full

This is going to be my new attitude for 2010. Dan is always telling me I'm a pessimist, and I always deny it by saying "NO, I'm a realist!". Well, I've come to the realization that he's right, and I'm wrong (doesn't happen often). I often think of the glass 1/2 empty, instead of 1/2 full.. dwelling on the negative, instead of the positive. I've been a Debbie downer long enough & it's time to make some changes!

I started cycle 15 yesterday, and of course I felt sad.. but I didn't cry. That's a big step for me. Our next step is IUI (intrauterine insemination), but we've decided to focus on getting healthier (read:lose weight) before giving that a shot. I want to make sure if we're going to do something that's costing us $1500 each time, that we're as prepared for it as possible. So, the plan is to try IUI in March. We'll continue trying on our own, but I'm not charting and I'll use my cheapie OPKs until they run out.

Dan & I have also been discussing foster/adoption, and it's something we're both excited to learn more about. We've always said we would consider adoption, even if we were able to have our own biological children, so we figure why wait? Adoption is too expensive, but if we can adopt through the foster care system, it would be way more affordable! We're both so excited, but we want to get all of the information we can on it, before making a final decision. So, we're attending our first Foster Licensing Orientation THIS Saturday!! I'm SO excited, and can't wait to get some questions answered. Much more on this subject to come..

Oh, and as for the list - I've been neglecting it due to the holidays. I did send Christmas cards out though, so I guess that's better than nothing!

Happy Birthday to me..Happy Birthday to me..

Happy Birthday to Loloooo.. Happy Birthday to ME!! (you have to sing that to the tune of the Happy Birthday song, k?)

Yep, it's my Birthday! I turned 29 today, so I'm officially on my last year of my 20's. This makes me a little sad, but I'm excited to see what my 30's has to offer (hopefully just good stuff please).

Today's been a good day so far. I went to Starbucks this morning and the guy I held the door open for said "thanks Miss".. instead of the usual "ma'am" that I've been getting lately. Made me feel 21 again. HA. Some co-workers bought me lunch, made me brownies, and got me a card. Unfortunately I have to go pay my property taxes on the way home from work today (GAH.. why do they have to be due today of all days. Doesn't the city of San Diego know what sorts of bday gifts I could buy myself with all that mula???), but tonight a friend of mine is taking me out. Woot! The original plan was a romantic dinner with Dan, but he had to go away on business (waaaah), so my friend is filling in while he's gone. Yippee!! :) All in all, it's been a good day.

So here's to age 29 being the best year ever..CHEERS!

Cookies & Cocoa

So, yesterday it POURED, and the wind was insane. It was a legitimate storm by Southern California standards. Yes, we're huge babies when it comes to the weather, and people drive like idiots even when it's sprinkling out. I was actually THRILLED though. Why, you ask? Well, it's not very often we get stormy weather & I was looking forward to starting up a fire, eating some homemade chicken soup, baking cookies, and drinking cocoa. Also, on my list of to-do's I have on there that I'll bake cookies and make cocoa the next rainy night. So, here was my chance!!

Dan started a nice fire, and made us some delicious chicken soup. I prepared my batter for the snickerdoodles and placed it in the fridge to chill for about an hour. Then, literally when I'm about to take the batter out of the fridge and start baking, what happens..

..the power goes out!

OMG. So, the candles and flashlights come out, and I come to the realization - I will not get my snickerdoodles and cocoa tonight. BOO. I sulked until we went to bed and the power was still out. It went back on some time throughout the night while we were sleeping, so tonight we will have snickerdoodles and cocoa - even though it's not raining anymore! Here's what I'll be indulging in tonight:

You see why I was so upset now? Mmmmmmm...

Goodbye Thanksgiving, Hello Christmas!!!

Happy REALLY late Thanksgiving to everyone!! I, unfortunately, ended up sick last week right before the Holiday. I took a couple days off of work to rest, and was starting to feel normal again on Thanksgiving. It was our first Holiday spent just the two of us - and the dogs of course. It was relaxing, and nice to not have to entertain since I wasn't feeling well, but I missed having family over. We cooked the traditional dinner & I baked a pumpkin cheesecake (recipe to follow). We played dominoes and lounged around watching Football. It was great! :)

I was tempted to indulge in some Black Friday shopping, but decided I would have a nervous melt down if I tried. Plus nothing really stood out to me in the ads. And of course I like my sleep.

I had my first FAIL on my big list. I forgot to buy myself some flowers, and December was here before I knew it! Seriously, where did November go? Where did 2009 go? I can't believe it's almost Christmas! Nuts. Anywho, I have some things to look forward to this month..
* I turn 29 next week (not sure if that's something I'm looking forward to, but at least it's an excuse to get spoiled for a day)
* I'm helping put together our department Holiday party next week that should be a fun time with my co-workers
* A few of my bestest girlfriends are visiting me in a few weeks for my birthday & we're having a girls night out
* I'm going to see The Grinch Who Stole Christmas play on Christmas Eve!
* Both sets of our parents, plus my Brother-in-law, Sister-in-law & adorable Nephew, will all be at our house Christmas day.

Last, but not least, I think I ovulated today and this is our last shot on clomid. If it doesn't work this month we're moving on to IUI. I'm trying not to think about the disappointment I'll feel on Christmas day not having a baby, and not even being pregnant. If I let myself think about it too much, I know I'll break down. So, I'm trying to look on the bright side.. there will be lots of wine consumed, lots of eggnog lattes, and the thermometer will be thrown out the window for the rest of 2009. Last, but not least..

Dear Santa,
All I want for Christmas this year is to see TWO lines on my HPT, not one. I've been a good girl this year, and I won't ask for anything else ever again. OK, maybe I'll ask for another babe in a couple years.. but until then, nothing - I promise!

love,
Lo