Things I Learned in Russia

I know everyone wants to hear about the trip, and there are some things we can discuss and other things that we really can't. I hope you all understand that. So, in light of that, I decided to do a quick rundown of lessons learned from the trip, both silly and serious!

1) I need to invest in whatever stores or companies sell women's knee high black boots in Russia! Seriously, they are the footwear of choice of every freaking woman there between the ages of 10-40, and even people younger and older! I seriously saw a 5 year old wearing them. If you go to Russia and want to fit in, wear your "hooker boots" and a short black skirt, and you're good to go.

2) I learned I can pee in a hole in the ground if I need to! Seriously. The toilet at the airport going to Kotlas (the town where the kids are) was a sink basin sunk into the ground. I ended up stripping from the waist down and then squatting. I stripped because I had a huge fear of peeing all over my pants, and then I would be screwed. I figured if it went down my leg, I could clean that up! Sorry if this is gross, but its true. Brian warned me, so I was somewhat prepared at least. :)

3) Sanitation standards in Russia are not what they are here. Sometimes there's soap, sometimes not. Sometimes the toilet flushes well, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes there's paper, other times, no. And the paper they did have--well, it hurts your bum and they don't flush the paper. I guess the pipes can't handle it. So, there's a trash can next to every toilet and there goes the paper. It's gross. Sorry, I can't wrap my brain around that one.

4) I can fly in crazy small planes and not get sick or scared. The last plane we took was a 21 seater double propeller Soviet era thing, where your luggage just goes in the back of the plane, and the cockpit is wide open. No lie. It was INTERESTING, to say the least.

Now, onto more serious things....

5) The orphanage was a lot nicer than we thought it would be, and the workers, the doctors, nurses and caregivers, really care about the children. They absolutely want the best for them. It was reassuring. And everything we'd been told about the kids 100% seemed to be true, everything seems completely above board.

6) Regarding their surroundings, they kids are definitely not kept in cribs all day and ignored like some of the stories you've heard. It's just not true. They have music and art and exercise and playtime. They also get a decent diet, not as much fruit and dairy as we'd like, but it's nutritious and there's enough of it. So that's also reassuring.

7) Can't say too much about the kids, but I learned it is completely possible to get super attached to kids you only met 3 times. It was sad, so much sadder than we thought, to leave them. Now I'm frantically trying to get paperwork done to speed the process as much as possible. But, just so you know, we won't be going back until January or February. Unfortunately.

8) So this is really fun to announce to everyone, not really something I learned, just an announcement. Our daughter is going to be Tatiana Louise and our son will be Nicholas Brian! The first names are Americanized versions of their Russian names and the middle names are for my mom (she's Marie Louise) and for Brian, of course. :)

9) The last thing I learned was this--we have a CRAP TON of baby proofing to do! OMG--we are bringing two small Tasmanian devil like creatures into our house in the near future. :) Let's hope the house survives it! Oh, and us too. :)

California Vacay

So, I realize I'm again a bit behind on my blog. So, I've decided to at least catch myself up in the next week or two on the trips I've taken recently! With pictures, for reals!

I went to visit my good friend from Western, Ruth. She and I rarely get to see each other, but when we do, it's like we were just together yesterday! I left on July 15 (Brian's and my anniversary, trust me, I took crap for that one!). My flight out of Flint was super early in the morning, which meant I was literally up BEFORE the butt crack of dawn. And, seeing as how I always get travel anxiety, particularly when I go by myself, I LITERALLY didn't sleep a single minute that night. So, at 6:45 am, after getting no shut eye, I was on my way to Minneapolis for my connection. I managed to sleep a little on that plane, thank goodness, and got to Minneapolis just fine. I had a delicious breakfast (Minneapolis is a great airport for food), and left for San Jose, where Ruth lives.

I also managed to sleep a bit on my second plane, so by the time I got there at 11:30 am Cali time, I was at least a little coherent. Ruth came and got me and I was so excited to see her! Yay! We cruised back to the Radle residence, where her husband John, son Nathan (who I hadn't seen since he was a baby and he's now 5 and a half) and daughter Hannah (age 1, who I'd never met!) were waiting! A few members of the Radle clan had dentist appointments that afternoon, which actually worked fine, as I went and took a nap in the "Executive shed." Yes, I said SHED.

The "Executive Shed" is maybe the funnest place to sleep EVER. When Ruth's dad and late mom bought the house when Ruth started college, it had this toolshed in the back that they didn't need. Seeing as how the house is a modest California ranch, they could really use that extra space. So, Mr. Stephens' brilliance came through--they converted the approximately 7 by 20 foot shed into basically a guesthouse, with air conditioning and electricity, etc. But, here's the kicker--no plumbing. So, if I had to go potty, I had to walk all of 30 feet across the lawn and go in the house. No biggie. The lack of plumbing is pretty advantageous from a property tax standpoint, because if it had plumbing, it would actually be considered a guesthouse, and Ruth and John's taxes would go up a ton! Way to go, Mr. Stephens!

So, the rest of Thursday we hung out and made a quick trip to the mall with Nathan, and Friday, Ruth and I took the kids to a place called "Happy Hollow." It's this place owned by the City of San Jose that's like a petting zoo/tiny amusement part for very young kids. We had a blast with the kids, Nathan and I went on a ride called the Frog Hopper together, we did the train, and took them to the petting zoo. It was a ton of fun and a great place for families! Then, later that day, Ruth and I went shopping and sight seeing in this nearby town called Los Gatos (which means The Cats, and yes, they have cats on some of the signs in town). This is the sort of place that one should not bother trying to buy a house in unless they have seven figures to spend. And then you might still get a dump. It has cool and eclectic shops downtown of all types. Very cool! Ruth then took me all around San Jose and showed me the school at which she's an Assistant Principal, Quimby Middle School. One day, she WILL be superintendent of the district, I guarantee it!

On Saturday, Ruth and I went into San Francisco! It was cold at first, which is typical, but then turned into an absolutely beautiful day, which is rare! Ruth said it was one of the best days she'd seen in the city. We hung out at Pier 39 at Fisherman's Wharf, went to Ghiardelli Square and had chocolate, ate lunch at the Hard Rock so I could get Brian a shot glass (he collects them), and then we drove over the Golden Gate Bridge so I could get pics. What a view! It was clear enough to see Alcatraz! (Which I cannot wait to do when we go back!). By that point, I was totally exhausted, and we went home. The next morning, I had to get up and leave pretty early.

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend and I psyched to see my old friend. I need to get out there more often! Now for some pics:

View of the City from the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge. It's rarely that clear out!











Me in front of the Hard Rock Cafe. Cheesy I know, but it had to be done.











And finally, the famous sea lions at Fisherman's Wharf!

So Much To Do, Even With No Work

Wow, so much stuff is going on these days! Despite being off work for probably the months of July and August, I have been going, going, going! While Brian's at softball tonight (I skipped due to my dislike of being rained on), I thought I'd let you all know what's been going on!

We did get the furniture for the kids and it's all in the room and set up. If I had bedding, tiny little Russian babies could sleep in it tonight. On one wall, there's the crib and nightstand we bought, along with a toddler bed donated from our friends the Hills (tons of thanks to them!). On the other wall is the tall 5 drawer dresser and a tall 3 shelf bookcase. SO EXCITING. I literally go in there 5 times a day and look at it, pull out the drawers, and walk to the crib and imagine taking a small person out of it. Sappy I know, but I think these are the things that pregnant moms do, and I am pregnant in the only way I'll ever really experience it. So, I'm indulging myself in all those things and NOT FEELING BADLY ABOUT IT. :) My next project is to buy some bedding for the beds and start decorating. My wonderful friend, frequent reader A, has graciously volunteered to make me some sort of quilt for the children (I'M SUPER EXCITED), and I'll be going to see her soon to pick out fabric. I actually need to talk to her about this, because I don't know exactly what she has in mind, and I need to know before I buy bedding. So, A, if you're reading this--CALL ME. (When the stuff regarding Grandma is settled, of course. Hope you're doing well.)

Fourth of July weekend was pretty quiet, which is fine for me, but I think Brian was bored. He felt left out of other parties, etc. He truly feels that certain folks are not inviting us places anymore because we don't have kids. I feel other factors are in play, and it doesn't bother me as much as it does him. But he hates being bored, so he was a bit crabby that weekend. Plus, his parents were ill and canceled on having dinner with us on Saturday, so he was upset at that too (they don't come down often and he was excited). Poor guy. He's having a bit of a hard time lately. It was very nice to have the Meese's over for dinner though. We truly enjoy having company, so please come visit us people! I also baby sat Oliver Meese this morning while Candace went to the doctor and he is my favorite (and only) godson, as always! Then Candace and I had a very nice lunch at Applebee's, in which Ollie squealed his favorite word "Eeewww!" the whole time and flirted with waitresses. Typical man. :)

Finally, the other stuff I have going on is that a week from today I'm leaving to visit Ruth in California! It's going to be so much fun! I've only been to visit her out there once and only get to see her probably once every couple years, so this is great. I can't wait to see Nathan again and meet Hannah, who's a year old. I'm going Thursday through Sunday and then the Sunday after that, Brian and I leave for our week of vacation in the UP again! We're camping with my fam again Grand Marais Sunday through Wednesday, then two nights on Drummond Island, finished with two nights on Mackinac with the Meeses! We plan to ride our bikes as much as possible and just relax! I think my husband needs it, and I hope we get some more awesome pictures!

June Fun-ness!

So, here I am blog, back visiting you after a pretty long period of ignoring you. Let's see if I can keep the visits at a more regular pace from now on, but there are no guarantees! I'm here to tell you about the fun I've been having throughout the month of June!

1) Brian and I were in Mayville a lot for a few weeks--Grant graduated June 6 and then his Open House was June 12. Both events went off without a hitch, but it was weird to me on many levels. It was weird to be in the gym at Mayville High School again, weird to be in that buildings. I DO NOT miss it. Weird to see people I went to high school with that have 10 year old children, etc. Grant's class was only 73 kids, as opposed to mine, which was 95. People are just bolting that town, nobody's left around that has any sort of decent job. Then, the next weekend was his Open House,which was like a big family reunion. All sorts of people I haven't seen in years where approaching me, saying things like, "Oh I hear you're a lawyer, oh I hear you're married!" Yeah, as in, I moved on with my life, folks. Mr. Fox, our 7th grade bio teacher was there (he's married to my mom's cousin), and he's been retired about 5 years now, and was very interested to hear what's up with people that I could tell him about, like frequent reader A, Kat, Michele, Holly, Mary, Kathy, etc. So that was fun.

2) MY BIRTHDAY WAS JUNE 13!!! It's the most wonderful day of the year! And this year, it was extra special because Season 3 of True Blood premiered that night too, so it was great! We had a few people over to barbecue and have DQ ice cream cake. Everything was delicious and I'm loving True Blood being back on for the summer! By Tuesday, I'm already hoping it was Sunday so I could watch another episode!

3) Jimmy Buffett's yearly concert at Pine Knob was Tuesday. We had a blast, other than dealing with a decided lack of bathrooms and Pine Knob parking Nazi's. Jimmy is always great fun and I love hearing those songs, dancing with Brian in the aisles (or on the lawn), and just enjoying the party. I was totally tired at work yesterday, but a good night's sleep puts a better shine on things today.

4) Finally, our kid furniture is getting delivered today between 1 and 4! I wish I could be there to see it right away, but I have to wait until late tonight, because Holly is having a Pampered Chef party right after I'm done with work. Oh, I want to see it so bad! It finally feels like small people should be in the house! Yay!

Dear Blog...

Dear Blog:

I know it seems as though I've totally forgotten about you. I'm sorry. I really do still love you, I'm just really, really busy with work right now. And when you're on a computer 8 hours a day at work, you sort of don't want to come home and visit your blog. Not much has been going on lately anyway, just work, work, work and normal life stuff. You're really not missing much. Plus, and don't be mad, I've been spending a lot of time with your cousin Facebook lately. No, that is NOT cheating! You and I DO NOT have a mutually exclusive relationship. I promise I'll get back with you soon, I hope you haven't been lonely. I really am not going to abandon you, I promise. Especially because once the kids are home (whenever THAT might be), I'll certainly have lots and lots of good things to tell you.

Some good things are coming up, so maybe I'll tell you about those in a few weeks--Grant's Open House, my birthday, then Fourth of July and Brian's and my vacation up north at the end of July. Hopefully I'll have good pictures to show you!

Take heart blog, and know that your owner still loves you.

My Current Obsessions

Instead of crying, whining, and generally being upset about the current state of our adoption proceedings (on hold according to some Russian officials, not on hold according to others--WTF?), I decided to take a page from Miss A, and do a positive/happy blog post! So, I'm going to let you all in on what's going on in this crazy head of mine, and tell you about my current obsessions.

1) The Sookie Stackhouse Novels/True Blood.
So, most of you probably know I'm a huge fan of HBO's "True Blood." I think it is the best Gothic soap opera to come out in a while, with hot, hot men in it to boot. As you probably know, its based on the "Southern Vampire Mysteries" by Charlaine Harris, aka the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Without getting into the plot (Read the books! Watch the show!), I have to say the books are as enjoyable as the show, despite differences between the two. I wasn't going to read the books, because I enjoy the show so much on it's own, but Brian got me the first 8 in a set for Christmas (yes, you read that correctly). I sat down and proceeded to read all eight of them straight through. And then, about 2 weeks ago, the 9th book came out on paperback and I immediately bought that and read it in 48 hours. I know, pathetic. But they are SO MUCH FUN! I've actually already read a couple of them, the ones that are my favorites, over again. I think I may need to get a life! But, when I think about getting a life, I remember book #10 is coming out in May in hardcover, and I think I may need a Sookie/Bill/Eric/Sam fix by then!

2) Lady Gaga. My Lady Gaga obsession actually ties into my True Blood obsession if you can believe it. Alexander Skarsgard, who plays smokin' hot vampire Eric on TB, plays Gaga's boyfriend in the "Paparazzi" video, and when they are talking to each other in Swedish and kissing in bed, I really want to BE HER. (Sorry honey, its just a fantasy). I also just want to be her in general, actually, but just for a short period of time, like a week. As you know, I'm a pretty plain, non-showy kind of gal, and she is the EXACT OPPOSITE. And I admire that. She dresses how she wants, sings what she wants, does what she wants and expressed herself. I actually feel like there's a side of my personality that's like that, but I've never had the confidence or proper scenario to show that. I wish for one day, I could wear outrageous false eyelashes, 6" platform boots and a bubble dress. Or, meet the Queen of England in red pleather. Like I said, I would just want to be Gaga for a short time and then go back to my nice quiet life. But I think that week or so would be a hell of a lot of fun!

3) Last, but not least, my Mom got Travis this super cute duckling for Easter and now I want one too. We were up there on Saturday and I was holding it, and petting it, and its possibly THE CUTEST THING EVER. It's about the size of a kitten right now, and fuzzy yellow, and it doesn't know how to quack yet, so it just goes, "Beep beep beep." It kept nibbling me and chewing my hair and generally acted about 110% on the cuteness scale. I know I can't have one, because I couldn't let it wander my yard like my folks can, we have too many critters that would eat it, but it makes me wish for the days when we have kids and they want bunny rabbits and stuff like I had as a kid!

Umm, I Seem to Have Missed March....

Well, after my last post that detailed how bored I was, the month of March was anything BUT boring. I was working, working, working, and when I'm busy and on my computer all day, I really don't want to come home and blog about being on the computer all day. It really is feast or famine with me. Now, I'm currently on break for Easter, which is nice. So, I'm spending my days catching up on things and hanging out. This week, I'm going to see both April (we need to talk to plan our day!) and Candace (who's currently in KY visiting the fam).

Like I said, work has been super busy again, which is nice for my pocketbook, but sucky for my social life. We've been deciding a bit more on furniture, which I hope to order soon, considering it can take 3 months to come in. I think we've decided on Natart, but we need to be sure on what style we want, and get our hands on some Buy Buy Baby coupons and go order it. I'll take 20% off for the stuff we're looking at. So, that's our next order of business.

Nothing major is going on here, other than I think we may go to Toronto for a weekend in May. I don't have my work schedule yet in May, so I hope its not crazy. We want to go see "Rock of Ages," which is a new musical set to 80's hair band music, and it tells the story of the small town girl, and the boy born in raised in South Detroit in Journey's "Don't Stop Believing." We may also hit a Blue Jays game and Niagra Falls, too. Brian and I can't really plan any big trips now, because we never know when we're going to get a phone call, but we're trying to get in some weekend trips this summer and really continue to enjoy our time together alone while we can.

The only other thing going on is that I've been having really bizarre dreams lately. Last week, I dreamed that I had just given birth to twins, a boy and a girl, and Brian and I were getting ready to go to my check up appointment. I'd first like to say that I haven't had a dream where I'd given birth in AGES, so I don't know what's up with that. Second, it was weird, because we were going for my 6 week check up, but these babies looked 3-4 months old. Another weird thing is that, in the dream, since giving birth, I literally felt like my insides were going to fall out of my crotch onto the floor. Maybe that is what it feels like after, I don't know! Brian and I weren't living in our house here in Brighton, we were living in a duplex owned by Sam Merlotte (Sookie Stackhouse's boss in TrueBlood) and also, the house had a toilet in the kitchen instead of a sink. THEN, to top it all off, Angelina Jolie came in and was going to kill me, until I convinced her not to, because I had boy/girl twins like she does. And then I woke up. SO BIZARRE. Brian laughed his head off when I told him that one.

Hopefully I won't wait another month to blog! I'll try!

Bored, Bored, Super Bored

In case you can't tell, I'm pretty bored at the moment. It's 9 pm on a Friday, and normally Brian and I would be hanging out, at dinner and/or a movie, watching a movie here, doing SOMETHING. But that jerk is in Key West with his buddies this weekend, and I'm here all by myself, being bored. And its not like I haven't tried to find things to occupy my time around here, but I'm trying to spread the projects around so I have something to do tomorrow. Today I have already worked out, cleaned half the house (upstairs), read half of Sookie Stackhouse book #5, snow blew the driveway and played in the snow for a few minutes, talked to my mother, texted with Candace, watched way too much TV, and was on Facebook for probably 2 hours. And I'm STILL bored.

Like I said, I'm spreading around the things to do, so I'm not twice as bored tomorrow as I am today. Tomorrow I will go to yoga, finish cleaning, re-blow the driveway if need be, and probably read a significant portion of my book, if not finish it. Sure, there are other things to do around here, but most of them are in the nature of things that I need Brian around to do. Like clean and organize the basement. Could I do it? Absolutely. Would he be happy with the results? Probably not. I would most likely throw away things and organize them in a way that would not please him, so that'll have to wait. Only, we've been meaning to get around to that for the past year or so. Oh well. Yesterday, I did some shopping for the house, and got a new mop, springy patterned tablecloth, and replaced a few items of makeup that needed to be pitched. Nothing too crazy.

I didn't work this week, so I had time on my hands. Earlier in the week, Candace helped me start the process of looking at cribs and bedroom furniture sets. I think our plan is to have the kids share for a while, even if we get a boy and a girl (in the tan room, for those of you who have been here). The reasons behind this are several. One, it'll be easier for us for a while, and cheaper to only have to fully furnish one bedroom at first. Two, one of us may have to sleep in the room with them for awhile, because we expect they'll frequently wake, possibly with nightmares, nervousness, etc, for the first period of time. This is normal with children who come from orphanages. And three, also related to sleeping, since these children will be used to sleeping in a room with 10 other children, and NOT used to being alone, we think it'll be more comforting for them too. So, we've decided we'll be shopping for a convertible crib, dresser, etc, for the room, so the young one will have a forever set of furniture. Then, we'll get a cheap toddler bed and mattress for the older one and just put it in the same room. When they're ready to separate, we'll buy a complete bed set and set it all up in the other bedroom (the one that's now green, but used to be blue, right across the hall from the other one).

So, that is literally all that's going on here right now. I've been reading the Sookie Stackhouse books on which "TrueBlood" is based, and they are pretty fantastic, I've been flying through them. It's gotten me thinking that I could totally write something along those lines. I've always wanted to write a book, but have never had the guts to start. April, perhaps a collaboration???

Thanks for letting me alleviate my boredom!

Musings on a Snow Day

Aahh, snow day. As a kid, it's always everyone's favorite day of the year. As an adult, it's STILL my favorite day, even though my work is so sporadic that having a day off is pretty much like most other days! But as early as Monday, I was asking my work if I was REALLY going to have work today, which they probably found extremely irritating. Anyway, yesterday I had to go to Clinton Township of all places, and we were lucky that our deposition got called for the day at a little after one because our Plaintiff was in so much pain (he has mesothelioma, unfortunately, and pops Vicodin probably 6 times a day). So I made it home yesterday by about 3 pm and waited for the snow to increase in intensity, which it did. And my work today in Saginaw DID get canceled, obviously, or I couldn't be working on this blog at 9 am.

So I'm sitting here on my snow day, thinking about stuff. At work yesterday, people were having a fit at the prospect of work being canceled and deps being rescheduled, etc. I remember saying to one of my attorney friends that "asbestos deps are not worth me risking my life" and his response was a very cheerful, yet serious, "Yes, they are!" And all I could think was, WTF? NO, THEY'RE NOT!

It's that response by my friend that got me pondering this: When did everyone start to think their lives are so big and important that a snow day will simply ruin everything? When did we become a society of people always moving, moving, moving, but never really seeming to get anything that really matters done? We're all walking around like chickens with our heads cut off. And honestly, people, IT'S NOT THAT IMPORTANT. Very few things things in life truly cannot wait--a medical emergency, a birth, the response times of the Police Department when you call 911. But other than that, seriously, it can wait. Today's asbestos deps can wait until next week. That lunch date with a friend, it can wait. That trip to the grocery store because I MUST GO TODAY (probably so little Billy doesn't run out of his favorite junk food that he doesn't need anyway)--well, it too, can wait.

When it's snowing like this, seriously, just stay home. That's what people used to do, back when people had common sense and no over blown sense of self importance. I wish more non-vital businesses would shut down or delay opening on days like this, so people could stay home with their kids, and not be forced to drive in this muck, etc. I remember my mom taking me to work with her when I was little and we had days off school (she was a housekeeper, so this was allowed). I actually remember us putting our car into the ditch one day trying to get to her work (hmmm, do you think that means we probably should have just stayed home? Again, cleaning the person's house could wait!). I think we, as a society, need to take a deep breath and think about what is truly vital in our lives and what isn't.

Candace and I have been watching "Anne of Green Gables" and the sequel, and the other day I said to her, "I could live like that," which brought up the idea of going without certain modern conveniences. I certainly don't want to live without blue jeans, antibiotics and tampons, and said this, but I certainly could live a life where the most pressing issue is when the cows get milked and what's for dinner, and where you ride your bike into town every day to get the mail and maybe something at the store. I think its a better lifestyle than most of us have today.

Funny the kind of musings a snow day can bring.

Enjoy it, everyone.

Time Flies...

when you're having fun. Or so the saying goes. Not that I haven't been having fun, just have had a lot of things going on. I know I say that all the time, but now it actually seems true! So, here's a brief rundown of what's been happening of late.

1) After my tooth fiasco and car fiasco, I was ready not to have anything like that happen again any time soon. Well, its not AS serious, but I chipped my right front tooth last week! ERG, what is up with my teeth?! Anyway, its not serious, I'll wait to have it fixed until I go to the regular dentist for my check up in April, unless I have a compelling reason not to.

2) Last weekend, we had a very nice dinner with Jeff and Candace at Andiamo Novi in honor of Jeff's birthday! Delicious food, and great company, so it was a good evening all around! Yesterday, Candace and I watched "Anne of Green Gables" on DVD, that I got for Christmas. I love that story! I also got "Anne of Avonlea," and we're going to watch that too, but that'll have to be split into two days. It's almost 4 hours long!

3) On Tuesday, we had a conference call with our adoption agency. The call was for all the waiting families in the Russia program. It was a good call, and the upshot it that wait times for a referral are dropping because there are only half the families in the agency's system as usual because of the economy, and fewer Russian families adopting, so things are going fast right now. So, we were being told 6-12 months, but now we're hoping it goes faster! In light of that, I do not want to dawdle with getting things together. We need to get a room ready, learn the Russian, and get in contact with the various medical professionals we need to work with on this. It's a lot to do, but very exciting, and its starting to feel more real!

4) I'm going to Saugatuck with Kate this weekend to go to the spa!! So exciting!! I am having a message, a facial, and a chocolate body wrap. Yes, you read that correctly--a chocolate body wrap. I am very excited to do this stuff. Brian is having 20-30 boys over here that night to play poker, drink beer and play Rock Band, and I am soooo glad I'll be with Kate and not here! Although, if I weren't with Kate, I'm sure I'd be spending the night with Candace watching the aforementioned "Anne of Avonlea!"

5) And finally, work is finally picking up a bit. I have 2 days of work each week for the next 3 weeks. That's actually a fine amount, not too busy, but enough to start to rebuild my freaking bank account. I am broke! (Brian and I aren't broke, obviously, just me in my personal account!)

Later!

Happy New Year, About Two Weeks Late

Holy crap, if 2010 gets any more interesting, I just might fall over. Sorry for taking so long to write my first post of 2010, but as many of you know, we've been pretty darn busy in the Nault house.

For New Year's weekend, we went to Chicago to visit our friends the Fontanas. First, we drove through a blizzard around Kalamazoo New Year's Day on the way there, which was not fun. On Saturday, Brian, John, and a bunch of other guys went to the Northwestern vs. Michigan State basketball game and had a great time. (John and Erica live right next to Northwestern's campus.) Then, they came back and we all watched the bowl game that the MSU basketball team was playing in. Sounds like a fun weekend, right? Well, it was, other than the fact that Friday night one of my wisdom teeth starting aching, and by Sunday, I could barely open my mouth. By Monday, I called the dentist, who referred me to the oral surgeon, and on Tuesday morning, with Candace and Ollie waiting for me, I had my upper wisdom teeth out. I'm recovering well and am glad I'm never going to have that problem again. For about a year, my dentist has been telling me I needed to start thinking about having that done, and I should have listened!

Then, on Tuesday night, Grant came down to spend the night so I could take him to the airport Wednesday morning early to catch a flight to Steamboat, Colorado to go snowboarding with our Aunt Margaret and our cousins Nolan and Emma. It was his first time flying and he's a minor still, so I made sure we got there plenty early. This turned out to be a good thing, as his flights were screwed up, and they were able to get him on an earlier flight so he'd make his connection in Chicago and get to Colorado on schedule. So that worked out well. But, on the way home, my low tire pressure monitor went off in my car just as I was pulling off the highway by my house. I managed to drive to the dealership where we get our service work done, and watched my tire lose pressure as I was driving 4 miles up Grand River (my car has electronic pressure monitoring). When I pulled in, my tire had 12 pounds of pressure. When I'd left the house, it had 28.

I was supposed to go to work that afternoon, but that didn't end up happening. When they pulled the tire off the car and did the soap and water test around the rims (this enables them to see where the leak is), 6 inches of my rim was totally destroyed and leaking like a sieve. My car was not driveable AT ALL. I took the shuttle home, and they managed to get me a new rim and fix my car that day so I wasn't stranded. I had Grant's little truck here, but it's a stick and I can't drive a stick! And Brian was gone in DC! So, there went another $400 down the drain for vehicle repair. Lovely.

And finally, this morning, we had to go WAY down in the ghetto part of Detroit to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration office to get our biometrics taken (i.e., fingerprints) for our childrens' immigrant visa. You have to do this in advance, or you'll be stuck in Russia forever while stuff gets processed. So, we drive over an hour one way, walk in, and it takes FIVE whole minutes to do what needs to be done. Then, we leave. URG. But, it has to be done, right? At least the roads weren't bad this morning, traffic was okay, and we made it fine. The folks working were really nice, asking us where we're adopting from, etc. And the digital fingerprint system they have is pretty freaking sweet. I almost expected them to do a retinal scan or something too, but they didn't.

So, obviously, we've been very busy the last few weeks. I'm hoping next week is quiet, with no car breakdowns or health issues. It seems Brian only has a one day trip next week, which is nice. He's going to be gone a ton the next few months.

I'll write again soon, I hope!