Agree, Disagree, Whatever.

Yes, I am anti-8. These videos are anti-8. If you don't care to watch them, this is your warning. :) More than anything, I think the first one is just funny to watch. The second one makes sense to me, I must say.

"Prop 8 - The Musical" starring Jack Black, John C. Reilly, and many more... by Jack Black

December 4, 2008, 1:19 pm

Marc Shaiman on ‘Prop 8 — The Musical’

By Dave Itzkoff

In just one day of online existence, the Funny Or Die video “Prop 8­ — The Musical” has received more than 1.2 million hits. The comedic song-and-dance diatribe about the California ballot initiative to define marriage as existing only between a man and a woman stars a cast of dozens, including John C. Reilly, Neil Patrick Harris, Maya Rudolph, and Jack Black as Jesus Christ.

The musical itself is the brainchild of Marc Shaiman, the composer of the film and stage musical “Hairspray,” as well as some of the filthier songs in “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.” Assembled in a week, it’s also the result of a process that began when Mr. Shaiman, who splits his time between New York and Los Angeles, alerted his friends and colleagues that Scott Eckern, the musical director of Sacramento’s California Musical Theater, had donated money to a Yes-on-Prop 8 campaign. The proposition has already passed, and Mr. Eckern has since resigned, so what has Mr. Shaiman gained from this video? He discusses the creation of “Prop 8­–The Musical” in a Q&A below.

How did your mass e-mail message about Scott Eckern and the California Musical Theater end up spawning this video?
I sent an e-mail to a lot of people, anyone who’s in my phone book, and said, “Can you believe this guy?” I’d rather almost not talk about him and that situation anymore, because he’s certainly gone through enough. But that e-mail, one of the people it went to was Adam McKay [a co-founder of FunnyOrDie.com]. He wrote me back, basically, just saying, “Why don’t you write a song about it for Funny Or Die?” Which was like, the slapping-my-head moment. Oh yeah, why didn’t I think of that? Or why didn’t I do that in the first place?

It took a few weeks to calm down enough to be able to find the humor in it all. So once he planted that seed in my head, I basically went the next day to the piano and started to write – a week later we were filming it.

Is this the first time you’ve created a viral video for the Internet?
I’m so old, I can’t remember. To this extent, certainly. I have done things that have ended up on the Internet. Luckily, nothing sexual. Yet. But the night is still young.

How do you feel, given that it took the passage of Proposition 8 to motivate you to create a video opposing it?
In my credit, it says, “Written (six weeks too late) by Marc Shaiman.” I mean, yeah, it’s totally bittersweet. Barack Obama’s ascension just had us all so giddy. We were thinking of how to film it, and I said, “Well, maybe that first section should be all of us on a hill, with poppies, and it snows and we’re put to sleep, and then the Proposition 8 people are looking through the crystal ball, like the Wicked Witch of the West in ‘The Wizard of Oz.’” Because that’s what happened. We stupidly allowed ourselves to be lulled into a sense of, everything’s fantastic now, look – everything’s changing. And this couldn’t possibly be voted into law. This is just like some little pesky thing that we’re swatting at, and it will go away immediately.

How did you react to the news that Mr. Eckern had resigned from the theater?
There’s certainly nothing joyous about being partially responsible for a man resigning from his job. I mean, I did not ask for his resignation, nor would it be my place to ask for someone’s resignation. He resigned, though, and I was part of that, and that is a very heavy weight, and I don’t take it lightly. But it has certainly opened up our eyes, and made me get off the couch and out on the street with a picket sign, for the first time in my life. And it felt fantastic.

So this experience has made you more of an activist?
Yeah, I was marching in New York, and that was just the greatest experience. And of course this video is just a viral picket sign. And hopefully funny. I hope that doesn’t get lost. I hope that’s what most people get out of it.

Protect Marriage, Protect Children, Prohibit Divorce - watch more funny videos

Eewwwwwww!!!!!

My Christmas tree is crawling with spiders!!! I think there was an egg sac on the tree when we brought it home!

UPDATE:
Okay, the man from the Christmas tree farm where we cut down our tree says they are probably aphids. They sure look like spiders to me. Apparently, we can rid our tree of them by simply spraying it with soapy water. Hm. Still gross.

Have you ever noticed

that "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," "Baa Baa Black Sheep," and "The ABCs" have the exact same tune??

Strike That, Reverse It

Without naming names, I will just say that the Store Manager at the Roseville Toys "R" Us is not a nice person and I refuse to work in that environment. So...

Here I go again.

I hate looking for a job.

Things On My Mind

In no particular order...

• Going to bed
• Coming up with another $200 or so to pay the one bill I forgot about and still afford a couple groceries
• Figuring out how to buy Christmas presents for my kids
• Anxious for Annie to get home on Sunday
• Hoping Jacob sleeps well tonight
• Hoping Julianna sleeps well tonight
• Wishing I wasn't out of laundry detergent
• Making plans to go to the bank tomorrow and then come home and do absolutely nothing of consequence the rest of the day
• Remembering to hook the smoke detector back up
• Planning our trip to Oregon in December
• Taking the "Happy Birthday" banner down since Jay's birthday was three weeks ago
• My head hurts from having my hair back all day
• Definitely time for sleep
  

(this blog inspired by "Conway")

From Bikes to Trains to Video Games...

Well, the time had come. I did what I had to do... That's right, I got a part-time job.
Starting next week, I will be working two days a week at Toys "R" Us. I have to get used to the "R" thing, because they use it EVERYWHERE. You should see the back room. Oh my goodness. "R" Team; "R" Responsibilities; "R" Customers Are "R" Priority. For a grammar nut like me, this is going to be tough.

But, I digress. I am a Money Counter. Is that a job title or what? I am well over-qualified for the position, so it works out just fine. I get to go in, count money, and come home in plenty of time to see my kids for the latter part of the afternoon and the evening. I'll be home at bedtime and on days when Jay works and we'll still have all day Sunday as a family. It's really the best possible scenario if I have to work, except for the pay. Alas, they only hire at minimum wage, but it should be enough to help us through this difficult financial battle.

I have to find some money to go buy a red shirt before my first shift. Hmm...

Kids don't appreciate election night

I know that it has been said before, but I have to say that I resent this whole projection tradition the news stations have. How can anyone say that projecting the results in the eastern states before the polls have closed on the west coast doesn't affect the outcome in the west?

Projections are stupid. I also tend to think that the electoral college is stupid, but I know there are things I don't know or understand about the alleged logic behind our system.

It's just frustrating to see that currently Obama and McCain both have 50% of the popular vote, but that they are miles apart in terms of the electoral college.

Back to parenting.

Another Election Day Post

An Election Day Post

Clinton Speaks Against Proposition 8

SACRAMENTO – In a telephone call to California voters, President Clinton delivers the following message regarding the unfairness of Proposition 8:

"This is Bill Clinton calling to ask you to vote NO on Proposition 8 on Tuesday, November 4th. Proposition 8 would use state law to single out one group of Californians to be treated differently -- discriminating against members of our family, our friends and our co-workers.

"If I know one thing about California, I know that is not what you're about. That is not what America is about. Please vote NO on 8. It's unfair and it's wrong. Thank you."

The calls from President Clinton went to millions of registered California voters overnight.

Parents Pissed Over Ad - Kids Had Permission To Attend Gay Wedding

SACRAMENTO – The parents of the two children most prominently featured in the latest multi-million dollar Prop 8 political spot today termed those ads “distasteful and exploitative” and demanded that the ads be taken off the air immediately. Both sets of parents – Laura Hodder and Matt Alexander and Jen Press and James Moore, sent two hand-delivered letters this morning. The first letter is to the Prop 8 Campaign demanding the ad be removed from its television and its Web site where it is being used as a fund raising tool. The second letter to the San Francisco Chronicle asks them to intervene on their behalf. The Prop 8 campaign manipulated video that the Chronicle has posted on its Web site.

In their letter to the Prop 8 campaign, the parents wrote: “We are absolutely outraged that you have chosen, without permission, to shamelessly hijack the images of our innocent children to promote a cause that we in no way, shape or form support. It is even more maddening that you have willfully and calculatingly edited the images of our children, with menacing music in the background, in a way that is completely contrary to their nature and harmful to them.”

The footage manipulated by the Yes campaign, without authorization from either the parents or the Chronicle, was originally captured on Oct. 10 when the children took a field trip with their classmates and several parents to share the moment of their teacher’s wedding to her longtime partner. All parents were notified well in advance of the trip which was organized by some parents, and, in fact, two families chose to have their children not participate under California’s broad opt out law.

“I’m a school principal so I know something about education and parents’ rights,” said Matt Alexander whose son, Ben, is featured in the ad. “And the opt out law is something we readily apply all the time. So, let me join every other educator in the state and ask Prop 8 to also stop lying about the opt out law.”

“This field trip was about sharing a special moment with a teacher these kids love,” said Jen Press whose daughter, Lucy, is prominently featured in the political ad. “To turn around and distort images of our children is outrageous. We’re opposed to Prop 8, but irrespective of our position, it’s wrong to use any image of children without their parents’ permission. And we think every parent in California would agree with us.”

In the letter to the San Francisco Chronicle, the parents wrote, in part:

“Our children are being exploited and used as pawns to further a political cause…We ask that you intervene immediately on our behalf and issue a cease and desist letter to the Yes on 8 campaign. If the campaign does not remove the ad, we ask that you pursue legal action against them.”

Added Jen Press: “Prop 8 claims to be about families, but we’re here to say you can’t be for families by attacking our families. You can’t be for families and take these children’s innocent images and flash them not only on television statewide, but on your fund raising page. This must stop right now.”

Baby Aiden

A little three-month-old baby passed away today. His mother went to his crib and he was gone. SIDS, apparently. This baby was my third cousin on the same branch of the family as my cousin Luann who recently passed - only days before the baby was born, actually.

The only solace I feel is knowing that Luann is holding Baby Aiden close in Heaven, loving him and laughing with him.

I know we aren't meant to understand everything that God does, but really...

This is so sad.

If you would say a prayer for this family, it would mean so much. The pain of losing Luann was only just barely starting to dim.

Thanks.

Looking for a ray of hope... just one. That's all I'm asking...

What is going on????

People are trying to raise children and pay mortgages and have babies and keep food in their refrigerators and hours are getting cut, hard working people are getting laid off, and there is a general consensus of hopelessness all around.

We aren't losers. We aren't unwilling to work, we aren't looking for hand-outs, we aren't sitting around doing drugs while our children cry in their cribs.

STOP SELLING YOUR STOCK, PEOPLE! Wait it out! If you keep selling, you're not going to get enough for it anyway and you're just making the stock market fall farther and farther. This economy is CRAP and we are paying for it.

This is getting seriously scary. Please help out those who need it if you find yourself in the position to do so.

God Bless America

This is so totally random

A Decade Later

My ten-year high school reunion was last weekend. TEN YEARS, MAN!

((Didn't anyone besides me see Grosse Pointe Blank??))

So, anyway... wow! I cannot believe how much has changed since high school. There are the obvious things: husband, kids, moving, working, not working. Then there are some less obvious things relating to my personal experiences... I was baptized, I've been through agony and elation, I've dealt with the California Family Court system, I've gotten to know my grandmother better, I've become closer with my mother and my sister, I've learned to appreciate what is good about California, I've missed the Midwest, and I've really figured out who I am.

I'm inspired to write

Top Ten Things I've Learned In The Last Ten Years

10. Diaper Smell will permeate any container the diapers are in.

9. Declaw your cat the day you find out you're pregnant.

8. You will become your parents and that's okay. Deal.

7. Grocery shopping is harder than it looks.

6. Take pictures.

5. Send thank you cards.

4. Cherish your siblings.

3. Make "I love you" a common phrase in your home and always say it like you mean it.

2. Family before friends. Friends before work.

1. God is knocking. Open Up.

Here's to the Grayslake Community High School Class of 1998! Go Rams!

((I feel compelled to disclose that I did not actually attend my reunion because it was six states away, but I wanted to be there and have still been profoundly impacted by its occurrence))

Woah.

This is craziness. Bear with me, read till the end.

Election Nightmare Scenario

5 Good Things About Today

Inspired by Byron...

1. I got to take a nice walk with my children.

2. An unexpected repair to the car will not cost nearly as much as I had feared.

3. I have cold Pepsi in the refrigerator.

4. My Verizon Wireless bill is less than it was yesterday.

5. It's Equinox day! My father-in-law stood an egg on its end. That's pretty cool (according to Wikipedia, you can do this any day of the year, but it was still cool).

9/11

I keep thinking that at some point September 11 will feel normal again, but that has not yet happened. I don't need to re-hash what happened seven years ago today, we all know that already. The feelings this date stirs up in Americans are individually unique while also universally alike at the same time... we all know where we were, what we were doing, who we were with. We remember trying desperately to reach our loved ones and time after time hearing the tell-tale tri-tone sing song sound of the phone company revving up to say "The call you have made cannot be completed at this time" and "All circuits are currently busy, please try your call again." The checklist in our mind of all the people we loved enough to check in on got longer as fast as we could make the calls, too many times having to place an asterisk next to a name indicating that we had not yet reached them and would have to try again in another 30 minutes. We wondered if we should risk going outdoors to physically locate our loved ones or if we were safer staying put. And we stared at the television screen, hour after hour after hour ...after hour.

Just a couple months ago, my husband and I stumbled upon a video on YouTube that took my breath away. It really shook me up. Someone somewhere has synced up video footage of the first tower falling and a 911 call made from that tower. Between the time on the video footage and the time on the 911 call, they are able to match them seemingly perfectly, and you can listen to a man, desperate for help, begging the 911 operator to work a miracle on his behalf up to the moment that the building crashes down around him and the line goes dead.

What can I say that hasn't already been said a million times?

God Bless us all. God bless the survivors, the families, the bystanders and the rest of us who watched in terror wondering if the images we were seeing on our televisions were some cruel joke.



High gas prices don't seem like that big of a deal today.

These Little People In Our Charge

Our children are our first real opportunity to define ourselves. Having children forces us to recognize the good and the bad in ourselves, because it's staring us back in the face. If we're grumpy and rude, our children will be grumpy and rude. If we're rushed and never have time for people, our children will never have time for people. If we're happy and giving, our children will be pleasant and generous. Now, obviously, this is a generalization, but isn't it amazing how much we shape our children, in every way? Being a parent makes us choose to be the type of person we want our children to be, because we know how much we influence who they will become. Subsequently, our children make us better people. We seem to want thanks from our children for everything we do for them, but don't forget to thank your young ones for everything they do for you. We catch ourselves losing our temper and we take a deep breath, because we don't want the children to hear us yelling. People stop swearing and smoking and drinking because they have children around. Just when we start to lose ourselves to our own selfishness, God gives us another reason to take care of our minds and our bodies. Parents don't take the risks that non-parents do, because if something happens to us, we wonder, what will happen to our children? Children give us a reason to be the best version of ourselves.

On a seemingly related note, check out "Angel in the Waters" by Regina Doman. It's simply beautiful. Non-parents be forewarned, the impact is much more significant for a parent.

Cord Blood Changes Lives

I think this is the future of medicine, really. We banked Julianna's cord blood, and although I pray we never need it, I am glad we did.

feeling icky

Why do some people have so much control over our emotional state? It's ridiculous. Their opinion means so much to us and when it differs from our own it causes us such distress. Such vulnerability is simply a pain in the ... rear.

Why is it that forgiving is so much easier than forgetting? It seems that even when you are able to truly forgive someone for something, you still struggle to forget it.. and if we're unable to forget, have we ever truly forgiven?

I'm pretty sure Carrie Bradshaw wrote something almost exactly the same once upon a time.

I'm feeling down today. I hope things get better as the hours tick by.

((Oh, and I feel like I should just say that this has nothing to do with Amanda. Amanda and I are fine. I know that is probably what jumped to some people's minds.))

Sigh. I hate feeling crummy. I need to clean before my mom comes over later. And I need to feed my son. And myself. And do laundry. And fold. And clean Annie's room - it's trashed. Maybe being productive around the house will make me feel better.

Happy Wednesday, everyone.

Update

Amanda is getting better, but it's a slow process. She says she feels as if she's been punched hard in her back and side. She has a very difficult time supporting herself on her own two legs, and chest pain whenever she moves around. She was told that the muscles around her heart got very tight, and if the paramedics hadn't administered the shot they gave her when they did, it would have been a heart attack. As it is, it was not a heart attack. I think of it as a heart attack that they were able to stop, personally, but whatever. She says she can still feel tightness in her chest, but the muscles seem to relax more each hour, and within a number of days they should be back to normal. The near-heart-attack did not affect her aneurysm, which is very good news. The doctors are blaming stress, which actually does make sense, considering everything going on in Amanda's life right now.

Annie is less freaked out today, but still nervous.

So, improvement seems to be upon us, thankfully. She has to stay calm and relaxed, so we're helping out where we can to make that possible. I'll pick Annie up from school Monday and any other days they would like.

Thank you to those of you who have called and emailed me concerned for Amanda. It means a lot. Oh, how far we have come.

I have reached the other side of the mountain.

On one side is anger and hatred. Somewhere up the hillside, you reach resentment and frustration. On the top, you find yourself on a plateau of indifference and tolerance. Headed down the other side, you discover fondness and understanding. Eventually, you find yourself in the grassy cushion on the bottom of the other side, basking in love and joy.

Somewhere in the last six months, I started sliding off the edge of the plateau. I am officially on the other side.

I got a phone call this morning. Amanda had another "heart thing." She has had three heart attacks and multiple other heart-related episodes. She has an aneurysm in one of her heart valves and another one shut down about two years ago, which means she is operating on two valves. At five o'clock this morning, Annie woke up and heard Ben talking loudly on the phone. She came out to the living room and found Amanda lying on the floor, unconscious. Ben was on the phone with 911. She was taken to the hospital and released around ten o'clock this morning. She has been resting, but cannot speak loudly, cannot walk, and cannot move at all without terrible chest pain. I'm no doctor, but I really don't get why they released her when she's still so messed up. Whatever, she's at home sleeping now. I picked Annie up for about four hours today to get her out of the house, let her talk about it if she wanted, and get her mind off of it if possible. She carried her cell phone with her like it was a newborn baby, never letting it out of her reach, and she texted Ben four times while we were out to make sure things were okay (which they were). She did talk about it quite a bit, and got rather shaken up when she heard an ambulance going through the streets of Auburn (that was one of the text messages to Ben), but we also enjoyed a nice lunch at Marie Callender's and ice cream at Baskin Robbins. We picked up a nice flower arrangement for Amanda while we were out.

It's becoming clear that this isn't going away. We had all started to feel more comfortable, because she hasn't had any issues in over a year, but here we are again.

Oh, yeah, my point. When I got the phone call this morning, one request that was made of me was that I call Annie in to school. When I was explaining to the school why Annie wouldn't be there today, my voice caught in my throat. I was upset. Genuinely upset.

I care about Amanda. Truly, honestly. I don't mean to sound so crude about it, but this is a pretty huge change from three years ago.

So, we are praying for Amanda and Annie, and I would appreciate any added prayers you can provide. Annie is pretty freaked out.


Amanda, Annie, and Ben - Christmas 2007

OMG She's Five Months Old

When did this happen??

Then
...and now

Feet

Julianna found her feet last week, and for those of you who don't get to see her as often as we all wish you could; here she is. This is pretty much what she does whenever she finds herself lying on her back these days.

Disgruntled and Disgusted

Associated Press

BEIJING - A Chinese man stabbed the in-laws of the U.S. Olympic men's volleyball coach, killing one and injuring the other while they visited a Beijing tourist site near the main venue where Olympic competitions began Saturday, officials said.

The victims were Todd and Barbara Bachman, parents of former Olympian Elisabeth Bachman, who is married to men's volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon. Bachman's father was killed.

The assailant also stabbed and injured a Chinese female tour guide with the Americans. He then committed suicide by throwing himself off a 130-foot-high balcony of the ancient landmark the Americans were visiting, the 13th century Drum Tower, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

"They are deeply saddened and shocked," Darryl Seibel, a spokesman for the U.S. Olympic Committee, said of the volleyball team.

He said the two victims "were not wearing apparel or anything that would have specifically identified them as being members of our delegation" or as Americans.

The U.S. Embassy said it believed the attack was an isolated act and not directed at Americans or foreigners, given that the Chinese tour guide was also hurt.

"We don't believe this was targeted at American citizens, and we don't believe this has anything to do with the Olympics," embassy spokeswoman Susan Stevenson said.

Ramped-up security
The killing was a rare instance of violent crime against foreigners in tightly controlled China, which has ramped up security measures even more for the Olympics.

The attack shortly after noon at the busy tourist site darkened the mood at the games the day after a spectacular opening ceremony had set an ebullient tone after years of nervous buildup.

Beijing's communist leaders are hypersensitive to anything that could take the shine off the games, insisting issues such as China's human rights record, harsh rule in Tibet and ties with Sudan should not be raised at the sports event.

China's Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment on the attack.

Xinhua identified the attacker as Tang Yongming, 47, from the eastern city of Hangzhou. It said Tang attacked the two Americans and their Chinese tour guide on the second level of the ancient tower, then leapt to his death immediately afterward.

Seibel said it was "too early to say" whether security would be stepped up for the U.S. team. But some athletes were already thinking about it.

Jennie Finch, a member of the U.S. softball team, said her heart skipped a beat when she heard about the attack, but she was undaunted.

"I'm here with my husband and son, so it's not easy but we're living our dreams and we're not going to live in fear," she said. "We're going to go out there every day and enjoy every day and celebrate it."

'Thoughts and prayers'
U.S. Ambassador Clark T. Randt visited the victims at a hospital in Beijing to convey the condolences of President Bush, who is in Beijing for the first days of the games.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families," Bush told reporters. "And the United States government has offered to provide any assistance the family needs."

At the scene, police blocked off streets leading to the Drum Tower, which is just five miles from the main Olympics venue in China's capital. They cordoned off the area with yellow police tape while officers collected samples from the tower and the street below.

Some details of the attack, including the motive and weapon used, were not immediately clear.

Attacks on foreigners in China are extremely rare. A Canadian model was murdered last month in Shanghai — police said she had stumbled onto a burglary.

In March, a screaming, bomb-strapped hostage-taker who commandeered a bus with 10 Australians aboard in the popular tourist city of Xi'an was shot to death by a police sniper.

Shanghai and Beijing are still safer than most foreign cities of their size. Punishments for crimes against foreigners are heavier than for crimes against Chinese, and citizens are not allowed to own guns.

Even so, the U.S. government now warns Americans against muggings, beatings and even carjackings, especially in the nightlife and shopping districts of large cities.

Built in the 13th century, the Drum Tower is one of few ancient structures still in fast-developing Beijing. Drummers pounded their massive instruments on the hour to let people in the imperial city know the time.

When are we going to realize that when we send a large group of our citizens to a foreign country for a highly-publicized event, we need to protect them and their families? We are in no position to just blindly trust the security of the land we are visiting. If we extend the same protective measures to our citizens in these types of circumstances regardless of the country we are visiting, foreign countries will see that we are not picking on them, but are being consistently protective in each nation we visit. The Olympics have historically been a great opportunity for those who wish members of another nation harm and attacks have taken place many times on the members of various Olympic teams over the years. Considering our position in the international community right now, maybe we should invest some of our "Homeland Security" money into protecting our people abroad.

Oh, and I love how they don't think the victims appeared American. Puh-lease! I have a funny feeling that a couple Americans walking around Beijing with cameras around their necks and backpacks on their backs probably stick out when surrounded with Chinese men and women. Even if they had been Chinese-Americans, I guarantee they wouldn't have carried themselves the same way as Chinese citizens. However, with a name like Bachman, I suspect they were quite "white," not to mention possibly blond-haired and blue-eyed.

My thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victims. I can't imagine losing my father in such a violent, terrible way.

Old Fashioned Silliness

Our family had "old-fashioned" pictures taken a couple weeks ago. Before they took the posed photos, they shot one just to make sure they had everything set up correctly. I believe the photographer's exact words were, "Make a face!"

Too bad Julianna is IN her hat, and Jacob is half missing!

I found this fascinating

I always had a confusion about dinosaurs, and this site actually makes sense to me.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/Docs/2.asp

This one helps with the whole idea of deciding how old we think the dinosaur bones are. I didn't realize that no one really tests the bones to determine their age.

http://www.angelfire.com/mi/dinosaurs/carbondating.html

John Cusack, Cadoo, and Babies

So I'm wishing people would update their blogs so I would have something new to read, and I realize that I haven't updated my own! So here we are... I'm watching "Say Anything" for the first time in too many years. Such an excellent movie. Jacob is pretending to play Cranium Cadoo. Jay is doing whatever he does on his computer. It's one of those days. Oh, and the baby is asleep and Annie is at Amanda's, so there ya go.

Did you ever have a problem that you didn't even understand? Like when someone is mad at you and you have no idea why or what to do about it? And why do people carry around all these issues and wait until one breakthrough moment when they just let loose with all of it at once? Couldn't we deal with things a little bit at a time? Less overwhelming that way, I think.

I feel like there is something I should be doing and am avoiding, but I honestly don't know what it is. I need to go buy cat food and juice, and there's a basket of laundry that requires folding, but these things really aren't a big deal... so what is it? I think I'm actually waiting for someone else to do something. Hm. I hate waiting for other people, I'm much too proactive for that.

I want to get pregnant again. Is that insane? I LOVE my little girl and am enjoying every moment of her infancy, and of course Jacob is my treasured angel, but I think I want to do this again, sooner rather than later. I know that part of it is that I grew up only 17 months apart from my little brother, and we were so close and took so much comfort in each other's company, I guess I want to give that gift to my children, too. And I'm not working anyway, so it's not like there's a huge financial impact immediately. We would need another bedroom, I guess that's really the biggest issue. Which is, of course, a very big issue! I don't know, I'm just thinking in print. I asked Jay and he's up for another one. We are a little nuts, I think, but it's cool.

...

I hate waiting on other people

A Year of Transition Transitions Again

In May 2007, my daughter's "other mom" moved back to California and re-entered Annie's every day life. What has, in the past, been a very toxic relationship between us and her is now actually pretty darned good one. Annie comes and goes between our two households and is the happiest I have ever known her to be. Amanda and I have actually had a number of lengthy, heartfelt telephone conversations about various things, and much more email correspondence over the past 16 months. I can honestly say that I think of her as a friend. Those of you who have been with me through the past five years know what a huge statement that is!

Amanda has married a man that I actually like and has a stable job that she actually likes. She has been here for Annie's school activities and events: talent shows, awards ceremonies, open houses, and the like. She has begun attending church again, albeit irregularly, and has seemingly reconnected with Christ. I pray that this process continues steadily.

It is with confusion that I report that Amanda is now moving to Oregon on a temporary placement concerning her job. She has to relocate for two years in order to make a significant advancement professionally and financially, and will then return to this area. She has arranged with her employer that she MUST have time to visit Annie regularly and attend major school functions. We will allow Annie to go up to Oregon for visits during school breaks, of course.

I understand why Amanda is going, and yet part of me wonders if it's a good idea to re-open old separation-wounds where Annie is concerned. It took us a while to get used to living in the same area, and now we will go back to the way it was before. I know we'll be okay, we did it for a long time before this most recent togetherness, but I just hope Annie doesn't resent her other mom for this decision. The two years between ten and twelve are big years, and Amanda won't be around for them.

On the other hand, I'll have my daughter around full time again!

We are supportive of Amanda's decision and will make sure Annie sees that. I'll keep you posted.

Pray for our family's mental health! This is emotionally confusing.

Backwards Day

In the last few months, a number of things have happened; rent has gone up, gas prices have gone up, the cost of food has gone up, and the number of mouths we have to feed has gone up. That last mouth to feed has not actually affected us "food-wise" yet, but there are always diapers and wipes to make up for any money saved by breastfeeding. So, you can imagine my utter surprise upon opening mail from Citibank, the corporation hosting my federal student loan. Apparently, my interest rate is changing from 6.37% to 3.36%. Not that it is going to make a HUGE difference in my life, but it is still nice to get some good news for once! Imagine that, an interest rate went down. The earth is still spinning on it's axis, right??

This is cool. I cried.

Sigh...

Today we lost such a special member of our family. My cousin has been living with Cancer for an unknown length of time and battling it with vigor for the past eight weeks. This evening, she went to be with Our Lord at 7:10pm EST. She will be sorely missed and always remembered with the utmost respect and LOVE. I take comfort knowing that she is now kneeling at the feet of Jesus Christ, surely weeping with joy as she takes it all in.

Thank you to everyone who kept Luann and our family in your prayers these past many weeks. It is appreciated and will never be forgotten.

Semi-Colons

Semi-Colons are wonderful; they should be used all the time! They are probably my favorite punctuation mark right now. Previously, I have been fond of apostrophes and parentheses, but I've never much cared for dashes. Dashes are frequently confused with hyphens, and I rarely find good use for either of them. Down with dashes!

It's funny that I should be posting about this topic right now; Jacob is watching Sesame Street and Tully and Baby Bear are attending a "Triangle Lovers' Club" meeting. It seems oddly similar to my imaginary "Semi-Colon Lovers' Club" post today.

Brave New World

Today I embark on a new blogging adventure! Bear with me while I figure out how everything works and try to increase my AV skill. I have very limited time in my life for these things, so it may be slow going for a bit; bear with me!

So, today it begins.