Half the Distance, Twice the fun!!

The half marathon was a success. Our goals were to finish and not be last. So....success!!!

I think we placed about 980 out of 1000. We'll know for sure when they post the results. We had a good time, although I can't explain why I like doing this type of thing. Calf cramp, blister, sore muscles....mmmm...fun. I can't explain.

Here we are before hand. See the anticipation? Nerves? The fact that we're not quite awake yet?

And here's happy Pam afterwards. See how happy? See the relief? See the empty parking lot? We had to take our own pictures because all the other runners had left. HA.

We're looking for the next race now. I would like to do one once with better training (or any training, really) and see what I can do.

We're Cooking Again

Rachel Rays Turkey Shepard's Pie ..... Don't bother



Shrimp Newburg, Duchess Potatoes, and Sauteed Spinach .... Pretty good

Cats found the Crib

The Roof

This is a little story about how Jeff and I can blow some money...

A while ago we noticed a roof leak. We called the roof guy to take a look and then learned about our excessive hail damage... nuts. Although we should have known last fall when Every Other House on the street had their roofs replaced. Oh well.

So we call the insurance company who says, "Umm....Mrs. E there hasn't been a hail storm during your coverage with us. I suggest you call your previous insurance company." You gotta be kidding me. There's no way they'll pay. We're no longer giving them money, so I doubt they're gonna wanna pony up for us.

But as is turns out, they have to. And they did. So nice.

They agree to pay X dollars. Okay. We could get the roof done for that, but how much fun would that be? A bargain basement roof on our house? No way.

So when the roofer says, "While I'm up there, you want gutter screens?"
We say, "Great idea!"

Architectural shingles? .... Sure!
Ridge vent? ..... Absolutely!
Fix skylights? .... Oh, Yes!
Sun tubes? ... Two, please!

And there you have it. What could have been free, now costs a fortune.

But it does look oh-so-nice!!

Just this side of Hell

This morning I was suppose to meet my race partner at the park..7am. The plan was was to do 13 miles in preparation for the half marathon next weekend. HOWEVER ..... I woke up to the patter of rain on the skylight. YES!!

We were giddy on the phone at 6:30am.

"It's raining"
"hee, hee. I know!!"

We don't do rain. So we went back to bed and agreed to do the required mileage on our own treadmills later in the day. I had my Ipod, tv, radio, and ceiling fan. There are no hills on a treadmill. I should have been set, but treadmill trotting is BORING!! Tedious!! Painfully monotonous!! And it doesn't matter what kind of entertainment you have. Also, it's harder....don't know why. Maybe it has something to do with the forced regular pace.

In the end I made it 10 miles. A considerable amount of walking was part of the equation, but I'm happy nonetheless. That's the last long run before the race. Wish me luck.

Playing Catch up

Yes, I know. It's been awhile. Here's the hightlights:

The Adoption
The last set of referrals came out while we were on vacation. Although it was for a hope-inspiring number of LID days, rumor 'round the 'net says it wasn't for an impressive number of actual referrals. But since I have no way of knowing the number of actual referrals, I choose to focus on the good news. They made it thru 18 days of referrals!

Also, the next set of referrals should be here any day. Very nice. Especially nice since I personally know someone who will FOR SURE be getting her referral. Yeah!

The newest prediction for our referral based on the recent pace would be a July referral. That is assuming it will take the CCAA 2 months to get thru every month of LID's. Since I'm on a kick where I'm focusing on the positive.... A July referral means September travel. September travel means my "maternity leave" will stretch thru the Christmas season. I'll get to miss a Christmas at the post office. Hoo-rah! See?....there IS an advantage to waiting 9 more months.

Oh, and as of yesterday we have been logged in for 10 months. Over half way there. Right? See how positive I am? I'm so impressed with myslef. Truthfully, it doesn't seem that long. Weird, huh?


Work
I can't tell you what Jeff has been up to at work, since I don't really understand what he does. It doesn't stop him from telling me about it, but I can't repeat it with any accuracy. (Virtual servers, VM ware, etc.)

My work is totally getting cranked up for the Christmas season. Long days and more and more packages. I have one woman on my route who gets 20+ catalogues DAILY. I have no idea how she even reads that many. I hope she recycles.

Home Improvement
We're back on the war path. Jeff is laying flooring as I type. I really need to help. It's not like I really do anything, but I think he likes me standing over him offering help and praise from time to time. When he's done we're going to pull up carpet down the hallway, then some painting. We're contemplating a bathroom remodel, but can't decide how crazy we're gonna get in there. (have the tile painted vs. laying new tile)

Also, we're having a new roof put on. That's a whole post on it's own. Maybe during my next brake.

Oh Crap

Remember a long time ago I said I signed up for a half marathon this fall. Well....it's fall.

When I came back from vacation my friend asked if I had run on vacation. Ummm, no. And now the race is in about 3 weeks.

"Do you still plan on doing it?"
"Ummmm"
"Georgia, if you're going to back out, tell me now."
"Oh no, no, no. I'm still doing it. sure."

Crap.

Now Jeff keeps saying things like, "You should go run. You're in training" And then he laughs. "Is that hamburger part of your training plan?" More laughing.

Not funny. I'm in trouble. 24 days to go.

Vacation is over...

...back to work tomorrow. You do get sooo spoiled on vacation. I'm ready to get back to my routine, but this particular vacation sure has been nice. We rented a house on St. George Island last week. St. George is an island off the Florida pan handle. If you're looking for the anti-Panama City, it's the place to go. 6.5 hour drive from Atlanta. Empty, gorgeous beaches.

We spent the days sitting around the house, the beach, the pool. We rode bikes, walked on the beach, hunted for shells, watched nature, and RELAXED. Here are some pictures to help you get the flavor...

Let's Here it for Number 9!!!

We have now made to the 9th anniversary of our LID. To celebrate, I bring you my Mom's favorite Sesame Street diddy.

Yippy!

I knew something was up when I woke up and checked my e-mail. My December yahoo group was way too active that early in the day. Then I realized what was going on...December made it thru review. (big sigh of relief)

I already knew we had been reviewed because we had been flagged for more info, but now I know they got that info and it was acceptable.

Now our dossier moves from the review room to the matching room to wait (along with August, September, October, and November) for our baby's file to come along. Nice.

Survivor

Survivor started tonight!! Teams are divided by race. White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian. I knew I was rooting for the Asians. And now I know why.

THIS GUY!
His name is Yul.
He's Korean.
And he's HOT as HELL!!!


I'm a little upset that The Office is up against Survivor this year. The DVR will definatelty come into play, but which to watch first?
BTW, if that Pam and Jim thing turns out to be a dream sequence I will be really, really upset.

Methinks I watch TV too much.

The Office

Season starts September 21, and I can't wait!!

Here's the summary of the Jim/Pam romance. Soooo Good!!

Remember the C.O.W. ??

The C.O.W. is back!! OMG.

When I got back to the PO this afternoon, my supervisor tells me I got a complaint call.

Sup: "Do you know a Mrs. C.O.W?"

Me: "Why yes. Yes, I do."

Sup: "She sure does hate you."

Me: "Yes, I know. But you realize she's not even on my route anymore?"


Then as I drive down my street after a 10 hour day, she's in her driveway. Do I stop? Hell yeah, I do!! I put the biggest smile on my face and said (slight southern accent) "Well, hey Mrs. C.O.W. How are you? My supervisor told me you called. Did you know I'm not your mailman anymore?"

She told me she's getting a lawyer to sue the post office because she's not getting her rent checks. Ummmm....did you ever think your tenants might not have mailed them? Dur!!

Adoption Math

There are some givens:
1. The CCAA issues a batch of referrals monthly.
2. The CCAA has matched thru LID 7/22/05
3. The CCAA has averaged 12 LID's per batch over the past year.
4. I have already waited 8 months.

So....let's see...the CCAA has to match 151 LID's before I receive my match. Assuming things continue with the same 12 LID's per month average, I will receive my referral in September 2007. That is 13 months from now bringing my total wait to 21 months.

That also means I'm not even half way thru my wait. hmph.

If I'm feeling optimistic, I can hope the average LID"s per month will double over the next year (Hardy-har-har!!) But that would give me a referral in March 2006. That's 7 months from now making my total wait only 15 months. (Only 15 months! Haa haa, I'm killing myself here!!)

This is how a bored mailman kills time in that truck. Doing math in my head. It took me three subdivisions to figure all that out.

I've always hated math.

CCAA Review

Our dossier has been reviewed! Yeah! I know this because our agency called us today to inform us we had been flagged. We had problems in our dossier. Nothing big. It's already been handled.

This makes me nervous, of course because we didn't sail right thru review. I had fantasies similar to Ralphie's in A Christmas Story when the teacher took one look at his essay and went into a fit of joyous praise. A++++++. I just knew a worker would take one look at my dossier and rush it to the director. "Look at this beaut !! The best dossier EVER. These folks were meant to be parents and they can jump right to the front of the line. Get them the best baby in all China Now!" Oh well.

It also makes me very happy because the problem has been solved and now I know for certain that someone in China has had my dossier in his hands. Has looked it over. Has seen my picture. And very soon I'll be on to the next step......more waiting.

For your entertainment, here are the photos he saw. And presumably the one's he will use to match us with our baby. I look scared. Jeff looks surly. And we both look like we just robbed a bank dressed in black.

Special Delivery???

Most days at the post office are pretty boring. A co-worker has a shirt that says, "Sort. Deliver. Repeat." And that's really what it is. Some days you want to tear your hair out with the intense boredom. The same 500 houses day after day after ever-lovin' day.

Every now and then something shakes up the routine. Like when the single mom who looks like a stripper started her subscription to Penth@use. Or when a customer yelled at me so bad it made me cry. Or my favorite, when a customer writes me a note about how great I am. (Yes, it really happens!)

But today was a real winner. I get called to the accountable room to pick up my accountables. (things that have to be signed for) and I get a box of someone's cremated remains. It said it right on the box. "Handle Carefully. Cremated Remains." I knew the genteman had died because his wife started getting all these cards. You can just tell. He was a nice old guy that always walked the neighborhood and always waved at me. They also donate a lot to animal charities. (Your mailman knows a lot about you, btw)

At first I was creeped out. Do you put it with the rest of your packages or let him ride up front? And is the wife going to start a long conversation about her husbands death? Do I offer my condolances or pretend I don't know what's (who's?) in the box?

In the end, the wife was very nice. The whole thing was painless, if a bit awkward.

It did liven up the day. (oh look, I punned)

8 month LID anniversary

Not much more to say about that. Just happened to look at a calendar and remembered.

How much longer?

4 months? Not likely
6 months? Ummm, possible.
8 months? Could be.
10 months? Most likely.
12 more months? Oh God, please no.

Why 12 sounds so much more than 10, I'm not sure.

Referrals should be out soon and with every referral batch we have a better idea. Let's all hope for a great big batch.

Poor Bonnie

During our internet-free week, we got a lot done. New Garage doors. New windows. I took a few days off, but the biggest event was the care of sick Bonnie. Poor little baby. She had these tumors. The vet said they should be looked at, so we agreed to surgery knowing ahead of time we wouldn't do crazy things to prolong her life (Shes' 11). (Gosh that makes me sad just to write)

So we took her to the vet in the morning and picked her up that afternoon. She seemed fine. Then as the pain stuff wore off, our girl was clearly miserable. She wouldn't sit or lie down. You could tell she was exhausted. She would try to go down and then snap back up again. So off we go to the emergency vet where we wait 2 hours and pay crazy prices to get pain killers. It took a lot of work to put her to sleep. Finally we were able to flip her over and hold her down, petting and loving her until she fell asleep on her back. We make a pillow bed where she slept for hours.


If I had to do it again, I'm not sure I'd have had the tumors out. It was miserable. If they turn out to be cancerous and they got it all... fine. If they need to get more.....ummm, not sure if we'll do it again. If they turn out not to have been cancerous, of course I'll be thrilled, but pissed we put her thru this.

Now she's on a codeine type medicine and just fine. She's stuck in the Elizabethan collar until the stitches come out , but is adjusting fine. Cuddle time with Daddy makes everything better. Jeff doesn't look happy about it, but he likes cuddle time, too.

Ahhhh....

After almost a full week of "internet-less-ness" , we are back online!!!

Some things I learned while we had no internet:

1. The internet is no longer a luxury. It is a necessity.
2. I spent way too much time surfing blogs and other adoption stuff. I'll try to cut back on this, but it will be hard.

PRESENTS!!!

It's Secret Pal time again!! The theme this month was "Travel to China" And my pal did a great job with disposable bibs, a great travel book that's full of extra tidbits, and a map of China. We'd been wanting a map, so this was a super gift.


My other present was from Mom! She got me a subsription to Rachel Ray's magazine. You know what this means? More food posts! Lucky you! Thanks, Mom.