should auld acquaintance be forgot

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne?

As with many old poems and literature, I am sure there are many translations of the Scottish verse that is traditionally used to ring in the New Year. For me, it is a reminder to not only look forward to the promise of hope and happiness that the New Year has to offer, but to also never forget your previous years and the people who have come and gone throughout your life.

Every person, every experience, has helped shape me into the person I am at this very moment. And I would not be the same if there was even one tiny thing that was different. And because of that, I am thankful for every experience that I have had. I am thankful for every person who has held a piece of my heart. Whether you are living or deceased, currently in my life or a friend of the past...you have changed me. And I have to thank you all for that. Every single one of you.

And with the birth of our first child this year, I am finding that the future for us is so bright. It's so amazing to me that an 18 pound little person has me so wrapped around his little tiny fingers. And I honestly never knew these feelings existed. We are all so in love with him! Every smile, every yawn, every new inch grown, every intellectual stride, every ounce of his being...all have me so excited for everything this new year has to offer us. I only hope that it doesn't go by TOO quickly so that I have time to breathe it all in and not miss a second of it.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for being a part of me. And may you look towards the wonderful things 2012 has in store for you with as much happiness and anticipation as we are. It will be a glorious year, and I can't wait for all of the new people and experiences that lie ahead.

To you and yours, I wish you a very...

a worthy cause

There are so many charities out there. So many causes to support. It's so difficult to even think about choosing only one to support because there are so many that pull at each different heart-string.

But here are a few of the causes that I support the most.

Take a look and these phenomenal organizations!

diaper dilemma

Okay. So. The word "dilemma" implies that there is a really big issue or concern about something. And in some eyes, this might not seem like a dilemma at all. But in mine it is.

So here goes...

Other than being terrible for the environment and just collecting dust in landfills, I have now learned that all disposable diapers test on animals.

Seriously.

And by "testing on animals", I don't mean that they put the diapers on the animals to make sure they fit. No. Not even close. What I mean by "testing on animals" is that they apparently have to test the toxicity of the gels that the diapers use to soak up the baby's waste.

And that disgusts me...especially since the term "toxicity" refers to the levels at which something is harmful or damaging to a living (or non-living, I guess) being. So, in the fullest sense of the word, they are using animals to test how harmful the chemicals in diapers are.

And that mental picture is so much more gross and disturbing that the dirtiest diaper mess.

I will admit - I really love disposable diapers because they are so quick and easy. And because V goes to a babysitter during the day, it's really the most convenient option to just hand his sitter a bag of diapers so she can change him while I am at work.

But now I am seriously thinking of possibly switching to cloth diapers for all the times that V is NOT at the sitter. I wouldn't be comfortable asking the sitter to use cloth diapers while he is under her care...but for the times before work, after work, and on the weekends...I am seriously considering it.

And like I said before, this might not seem like a dilemma at all. Besides, people use disposable diapers all the time. Our parents used them on us. We use them on V. Millions of other people use them on their children. It's completely normal and accepted.

But something in my gut now cringes knowing that it's so bad not only for the environment but for the lives of animals who don't even know what diapers are.

So now I will leave my questions for you...

What are your thoughts on using cloth diapers? Is it messier? More time consuming to clean? Does it cause more diaper rash?

And...in a family of parents who both work, is it really possible to switch to cloth diapers 100% of the time?

breast or bottle?

For the past several days, I have been put on a couple medications that were necessary for my health, but not so great for my baby's. What that means, is that I have had to stop nursing Baby McG since Saturday and won't be able to start again until Thursday when the meds are out of my system.

It has been hard not being able to nurse him for the past few days and this made me realize how much I enjoy nursing him. That may strike some of you as weird. And it actually struck me as weird at first, too, because I honestly didn't think I would like breastfeeding.

In fact, I never really thought much about breastfeeding before. Not until my OB/GYN during my pregnancy and the doctors at the hospital asked "Are you going to do breast or bottle?" Without hesitation, I would always answer "breast" without even thinking about it. I don't know why, really. I could have easily chosen to formula feed. And I never read anything or heard anything that influenced my decision at all. But "breast" was just always my answer. I guess I just felt, deep down, that that is the way it's supposed to be. That that is what is expected. So yeah...that was always my answer, without a second thought.

Now, I am in NO WAY AT ALL passing judgement on those who formula feed their babies because we have formula fed ours, too. But during these few days when I have been forced to "pump and dump" and feed the baby a mixture of formula and milk that I've stored, I realized how much nursing has helped me in bonding with my baby. And it makes me wonder that if I chose to do formula feeding from the beginning if I would not have bonded with him in the same way.

Like I said, I am not passing judgement...I am only speaking what is true for me and am truly curious about what motivates others. So, to those mothers out there, here are my questions for you...

What were your reasons for choosing breast or bottle? And...do you feel that either choice has influenced how you bonded with your child(ren)?

.

randomness. dig it.

Since our last blog post, I have had a million things I've wanted to blog about. But since I have spent the last 2 weeks getting back in the swing of things at work and still getting used to motherhood (will I ever get used to it?), the last thing I want to do when I get home is blog.

In fact, there actually really is no time to blog about everything I have wanted to - going back to work, balancing baby life with work life and home life, No Shave November, how stores start decorating for Christmas the day after Halloween, how much I love this time of year, my goal to not procrastinate shopping this year, how we might need a new car soon, how we can't afford a new car or christmas presents right now because i haven't been paid for 2 months, etc. etc.

Okay.

Looking back over that list, maybe it's a good thing there was no time to blog about it.

But I DO want to talk about a camping trip we took last weekend. It was our first camping trip since the 4th of July weekend, and our first camping trip with Vincent. I will admit. I was VERY nervous about it since he is just barely 3 months old this week.

Joe's parents were in town from New England and my parents went with us as well. After all, it was both our parents who created the love of camping in each of us. So it was quite the family trip. And Vincent was an angel. He was so quite the entire trip and just loved being outdoors.

For me, it was definitely exhausting. Very nice and peaceful. But exhausting. I remember camping trips where I could just sit and relax and breathe in the smell of nature with no distractions at all. It was still mostly like that, except now there are distractions. Now I'm not saying that having Vincent there was a bad thing. Quite the opposite, actually. I look forward to taking him camping as much as possible so that he can enjoy it with us. But it was just different this time around. And having a small baby meant that I could never really FULLY 100% relax.

You know?

But what I think is the coolest thing about this trip is that Vincent was able to be in the same place at the same time with ALL of his grandparents. When people have children when they are super young, this might not seem like that abnormal of a thing. But my mother had me at about the same age I am now, and I was never able to be with all of my grandparents at the same time. I was unfortunate to never even meet one of them because he had passed away long before my birth. And Joe never met all of his grandparents either. Is this really that abnormal? Or is it just abnormal for me and Joe?

Anyway, I just thought it was the coolest thing, and something that we'll be able to tell Vincent for years to come. That his first camping trip ever was spent with his parents and ALL of his grandparents (and Lucy, too, of course!). And let me tell you this...this kid's grandparents love the crap out of him. He is one really lucky little boy.

Seriously. How cool is this?

Grandma K, Grandma M, Vincent (sleeping), Grandpa M, Grandpa K

if you didn't know before, you do now! (part 2)

The wait is over!

Here are the rest...

11) I am a sucker for shows on The CW. I'll watch pretty much any of them, actually. Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries, America's Next Top Model. Even the new ones - The Secret Circle and Hart of Dixie - have me intrigued.

12) I have made 2 quilts in the past - both of them I gave away as gifts. A lot of work goes into those things...and they are SO NEAT when finished. But...the next quilt I make I am KEEPING!

13) I bite my nails. It's gross. I am not proud of it. But I do it. The longest I have stopped biting my nails is about 10 months. I will quit for good. I will!

14) I recorded a CD about 6 years ago. I wrote maybe half of the songs and picked some covers that I loved. And I just recorded them all solo - nothing but me and my guitar. Quite raw sounding, actually...but really REALLY an awesomely fun experience.

15) My favorite artists (in no particular order) are: Edwin McCain, Boston, Patty Griffin, Huey Lewis and the News, Weezer, Better Than Ezra, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Kay Hanley, Chet Baker, Martin Sexton, and Ingrid Michaelson.

16) The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho is my all time favorite book. Read it. Just do it.

17) I want to write a book. I have a basic premise for it and have thought a little about the characters I want to use...but it's just so difficult to start. One day, though, I would really like to write it for good!

18) I love the company I work for, but I don't want to go back to work! I would love it if there was a way for me to make an income from home so that I could stay home and also take care of our baby. The thought of taking him to a babysitter or daycare place has me terrified. I know people do it all the time and that babysitters and daycare places are trustworthy...but I also know that no one will take care of our child like we do. And it's hard to trust someone with his little life.

19) I don't have trust issues...I just want to stay home with my baby. :-)

20) If there is one thing that I will never discuss in our blog, it is politics and politicians. The main reason being that I can't stand politics or politicians. Also, nothing I say will change your mind about what you think...and believe me, nothing you say in return will change my mind about what I think.

21) I love, Love, LOVE Young Adult novels and I am PROUD OF IT! The Twilight novels, the House of Night books, the Harry Potter series, the Hunger Games trilogy. I'm not sure why I like them all so much. Am I in some way trying to hang on to my youth? Not sure...but one thing is certain and that is I can't get enough of 'em!

22) My favorite vehicles are Toyotas, Volvos, Subarus, and Land Rovers. I have already owned a Toyota in my life, so I would like to, at some point, have the others, too. These things are superficial and material, I know. But this is MY list!

23) I always wanted to have two boys. Because I just squeezed one out and he is currently sucking away every last drop of my energy, I am not sure if or when we will have another one. :-) BUT...if/when that day comes to have another child, I secretly want both children to be boys. I guess it's not so secret now, huh? :-)

24) Whenever my baby cries, I want someone else to watch him until he's done crying. Is that evil?

25) I need at least one weekend spent in the outdoors every month. I love nature and love little vacations away from the city. But because of being wicked pregnant and now on maternity leave, we haven't been able to go for awhile. We do, however, have our first camping trip with baby booked and it's only a few weeks away. I can't wait! Our baby WILL like camping. He WILL!

if you didn't know before, you do now! (part 1)

The internet and social media has made it increasingly easy for people to share any and every thought and opinion that crosses one's mind - on Facebook, Google Plus, MySpace, and all the blogging websites out there. Some blogs are super interesting and really fun to follow (ie. The Bloggess) while others are just a single person (or persons) trying to put thoughts out there for no real reason whatsoever. Not to say those aren't interesting, but the point I'm trying to make is...

Why do we do this?

Why do we update our status on Facebook so people know what we're doing and thinking? Why do we blog so people can know what's going on in our lives?

I have absolutely no idea.

I mean...it's not like someone asked me, "Hey T! Please go online and document all of your thoughts so that everyone can read them!" ha ha. If someone actually asked me that I would probably think they were crazy for wanting to read my every thought.

Yet here I am.

And...whether you want to know or not...here are 25 random thoughts and things about me that you may possibly have never known.

Enjoy!

1) I hate eggs. Hardboiled eggs, especially. I will not eat eggs by themselves no matter how they are prepared. I will, however, eat scrambled eggs in a burrito ONLY if there are other things like potatoes, cheese, onions, peppers, tomatoes (etc) in the burrito as well. But if it's only eggs, then count me out.

2) When I was 24, on a whim, I decided to move from Phoenix to Boston. I didn't have a job lined up or anything. It probably freaked my parents out...a LOT! But I moved there, found a job within a few weeks working downtown (at possibly the best place I've ever worked!) and lived there for almost 4 years. Hands down, doing that was quite possibly the neatest experience of my life.

3) I worked at Cheers in Boston. You know the place "where everybody knows your name"? Well, I worked for the owner of Cheers, actually. It was seriously the coolest job. And after I moved back to Phoenix, I was even asked to redesign their website. So the Cheers website that's out there is my creation. Check it out here. I'm kind of a big deal, huh? (<--KIDDING!)

4) When I lived in Boston, I went to see Huey Lewis in concert at the FleetBoston (now BofA) Pavilion. The fact that I saw Huey Lewis is not the interesting part...what is interesting is that I went by myself.

5) If you couldn't tell from the previous item, I love Huey Lewis.

6) Tim Robbins is my all-time favorite actor. Tied for a close second are Robert Downey, Jr., Jay Baruchel, Colin Firth, and Clint Eastwood. Don't try to tell me any negative things about any of them because I won't listen to you.

7) And to be fair to the female entertainers, I'll go ahead and share my favorite actresses, too - Kristen Bell, Kate Hudson, Drew Barrymore, and Kristen Wiig. Same here. If you want to knock on any of them, I won't hear it.

8) My all time most favorite song is Boston's "More Than A Feeling."

9) I went to NAU's Summer Music Camp for a few summers when I was a kid. I played the piano, flute, and oboe in grade school, but went to music camp for voice. It was fun.

10) The first time I ever danced with a boy was at music camp. Awwwwwww!

Riveting, I know.

Stay tuned for the rest...

what i CAN get enough of

You know how yesterday I mentioned that I just can't get enough of little Baby McG?

Well, here is one thing that I CAN get enough of:

Crying

Okay, okay. I know he's a brand new baby and babies cry. It's natural. It's what babies do. And I definitely haven't even heard the most of it yet.

But today, I have been annoyed to the max by it.

I mean, come on. Just stop already. I feed him a million times a day, I keep him dry and warm, I keep him clean, give him kisses and hugs and love on him, read to him, sing to him, et cetera...and yet he still cries. I don't mean to sound insensitive and, like I said, I know crying is what babies do until they learn other ways to communicate. But coupled with my lack of sleep and energy, the crying pretty much ticked me off today.

Does saying this make me a terrible mother?

Thinking it makes me feel like one.

I think I just need a nap.

Like a 10 hour nap.

city island

I forgot to post about this a couple weeks ago when I saw this movie, but I have to post it now.

City Island.

This movie is about a family who lives on City Island, which is an island right near the Bronx (slightly Northeast of Manhattan).

This family seriously has issues. Everyone seems to be hiding a secret from everyone else. The premise is actually a little disheartening because it's sad how many lies and secrets are told. The plotline, however, was extremely entertaining and the film was full of ridiculously hilarious moments that had me in stitches as well as moments that were truly endearing. I had never seen a preview for this film and had no idea what it was about other than being about a family on City Island. So I was pleasantly surprised at how awesome this movie is.

I highly recommend it...so go see it. Don't ask, just go. It's amazing.

life, work and alanna wanna fanna

Life is good.

It's getting really, Really, REALLY hot now. And, with the monsoon season actually picking up a little, the past few days have been wicked humid...so it's been kind of like a sticky furnace outside. But life is good. We've been spending a lot of time hanging out with family, swimming, camping, playing with Lucy, relaxing, etc....just doing all of the things that you SHOULD do during summertime.

Work is.....uhhh.....work. But it is good, too. :o)

Some days are better than others (as is true with any occupation), but I am really starting to feel like I'm actually doing okay there. When I first started, I was totally overwhelmed. It's almost too difficult to explain in words, so I will just say that I knew I would get used to it, but it was a little stressful at first. Especially since we are judged quantitatively in several different categories - something that I have never experienced before. It's different, and started off a little rocky. Recently, though, over the past few months, I've been doing a little better and better with every week. And it has even gotten to the point where I was given an award (a fancy piece of paper) at an awards ceremony in front of 900+ of my peers in the Northeast Division. I'm not 100% sure of what the award was for, but it has something to do with not sucking. So getting that recognition for my efforts made yesterday a really nice day. Now I just have to start doing BETTER so that I get another award at the 4th Quarter awards ceremony (won't hold my breath, but it doesn't hurt to try).

And, finally...Alanna is AWESOME!!!


Alanna has spent the past 2+ weeks on her expedition with Project MARC in the island nation of Vanuatu, and is now in tourist mode in Australia. The expedition was supposed to last all month, but due to some certain circumstances (which I'm not fully clear about yet), the volunteers have completed everything they could and have finished the mission. Since the mission has ended ahead of schedule and my folks aren't flying out to meet her until the very END of the month, Loni has decided to take an inclusive guided tour around some of Australia's islands and up to the Great Barrier Reef. Her first stop, today, was at Fraser Island (pictured above) and I am seriously jealous of all the different places she has been seeing. What a neat experience to have!! It's a little scary because she's all by herself, but she's a big girl and I'm sure she's doing just fine. Plus, I kind of have this sneaking suspicion that she's having the time of her life.

lake pleasant

Mom, Dad, Joe, Lucy Fur and I went camping this weekend to Lake Pleasant, just north of Phoenix.

My parents both work for Honeywell and, for years upon years upon years (since before it was even called Honeywell), there have been family events such as camping, Christmas parties, dances, rodeos, water park days, you name it! As kids, we always went to the annual Christmas parties, went to some rodeos and family water park days. We've never gone to the Lake Pleasant Campout and Fishing Derby but, apparently due to the economy, they are downsizing on their events for their employees and families. We've never gone to this campout before. Too bad, too, because it's probably the last one.

Anyway, I was actually a little hesitant to camp so close to Phoenix. It seemed like it wouldn't be the greatest "getaway", you know? When it came down to it, though, it was definitely a little crowded (people LOVE lakes here, man!) and there were people constantly driving back and forth kicking up dirt, but it actually turned out to be such a nice and relaxing weekend!! It was a little warm (pretty much the same temperature as Phoenix, since it's only about 30 miles to the North and West) and there was actually one point where we got hot enough to jump in the water. It definitely hasn't heated up fully yet since the summer hasn't "exactly" started yet, but it was so refreshing!!

We stayed up at night listening to dad jam on his guitar around the campfire, we walked around exploring, Lucy had a blast running around in and out of the water, played UNO, and.....of course, we sat around alot to just relax, chat, eat and just "be".

Enjoy the pictures...

A view of Lake Pleasant.
(you can see campers packed in on the left side)

Our campsite.

Joe splashing up some water.

Lucy ran around so much sniffing everything and playing in the water.
It's so cute when she's so exhausted that she just plops down to rest.

I love camping. Really can't get enough of it.

And this picture just tops it all off.


View MORE of our pictures from the camping trip HERE!!!

and a partridge in a pear tree

'Twas the weekend before Christmas, when all through the house

That we decided it was time to decorate the house;

[And yes, my dear friends, I am very aware

That I used the same word to rhyme just there]

The boxes from the attic were stacked on the floor

Full of ornaments, garlands and treasures galore;

So we opened the boxes and started to scratch our heads

Thinking to ourselves, "Man...I hope Lucy doesn't rip everything to shreds"

It was no time to settle down for a long winter's nap,

In a silly little kerchief or nappy old cap,

There was so much to be done, when we heard a loud splatter,

So we sprang from the room to see what was the matter.

In the corner of the kitchen in a big heaping stash,

Was crazy Princess Lucy ravaging the trash.

So we stuck her outside to play in the snow

Just kidding, it was dirt (just rubbing it in a little for those in the North East, you know)

Then we ran back upstairs to resume the tree adorning

Because what we had begun couldn't wait till the morning.

So we hung all the ornaments with care on the tree,

Shiny and precious little relics of holidays past, there for all to see.

When, what to our wondering eyes should appear,

It was Santa with his sleigh, plus a throng of reindeer!

Just kidding. Come on! Santa doesn't fly until Christmas Eve!

What we saw was a tree decorated like you wouldn't believe!!!


More rapid than eagles came Alanna with the angel she made

(Out of paper plates and crayons in either first or second grade)

And she placed it at the very tip top of the tree

And then all we could say was "Oooh," "Ahhh", and "Eeeee!"

And then, in a twinkling, we rushed to the table

To gather the gingerbread and sweets to see if we were able

To make candied houses to leave on display

For our family and friends to see on Christmas Day.

We started by icing all the walls together,

Hoping that the end result would look a whole lot better;

With bowls of different candies and sweets of all kinds,

We were definitely having a lovely, grand time!

The icing was sticky and it was a very tempting feat

To decorate gingerbread houses from such yummy sweets!

But one by one we finished the walls and the roofs

And, in the end, the sweets? Well......we only ate a FEW. :o)

Then we let Lucy back in and patted her little round belly,

That shook (when she sniffed the candy) like a bowlful of jelly.

Then we stopped to relax and enjoy and play

Excited about what was in store for us on Christmas Day.

So we finished our gingerbread houses with care;

And, yes, Joe helped, too! (Just thought I would share).

With the tree all adorned and our ginger houses drying

There was no time for fear, or anger or crying.

It was time to relax and enjoy the time together.

And once Christmas was here (believe it or not), it would be better!

Because we would all be surrounded by family, friends and love -

The gifts sent to us from the Father above.

So during this Christmastime, no matter how near or far,

Just remember how so very special you are.

And to those who are far from us on Christmas Eve

Remember that good comes to all who believe.

And we hope all the best hopes and wishes for you

And, if you believe, they just might come true!

So with Christmas tomorrow and Santa on his sleigh

We will finish this rhyme without further delay

And just say that we hope you are all happy and aware

That we are sending you our thoughts, and love, and care.

And now we say to you all, as we turn off the lights,

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

1 day, 9 hrs, 1 min, 30 scds, 29 scds, 28 scds...

FIRSTLY:

Here's a little PR for my friend, Lindsay.

Besides being an amazing woman (who has the most wonderful friends and family!!!)...she is having twins this December. Identical twins. And she's also (fairly) newly married! What an exciting year, huh??

Her tale has been rather taxing and there have definitely been some scary moments during her pregnancy, but all is well for her, she is looking beautiful as ever, and she has an awesome support network and a husband who will, without a doubt, be the best father to these special little girls! Thank you, Lindsay, for letting me be part of your journey to parenthood!



LASTLY (but definitely NOT leastly):

This is Joe before his transplant (he is reading some mail in this picture because I interrupted him to snap this photo).

If I had a picture of Jen right now, I'd put that up, too...but I don't. I'll take some pictures over the next week, though, and will keep you all posted on everything that's going on.

I can't believe how quickly time has passed. And, while I know that this is major surgery for both Joe and his sister, I know that the outcome will be wondrous.

There is this booklet that Joe picked up once when he was at the Mayo Clinic for testing and it tells a bunch of different stories of people who have had transplants of all kinds - even the story about an artificial heart transplant that lasted for 13 days before the woman was able to get an actual heart transplanted in her. AMAZING!! These folks at the Mayo Clinic are first class and I'm just so happy that, of all places, Joe and Jen are in their hands.

Once again, I'll keep everyone posted as soon as I have details (and as soon as I'm able to actually sit down at the computer). So until then...hats off to Joe, Jen and the doctors. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

nails

I've been doing SO WELL since last December and for the past 10+ months have had the best and longest nails I've ever had in my life. For those who don't know: I've been a nail biter since in the womb. AWFUL habit. I know, I know. But for the past (almost) year, I've been having awesome and fairly healthy looking nails (see image here, from my post about our engagement).

But I just bit about half of them and now I'm sad and angry with myself.

Can this week just be over already? Oh wait...it hasn't even started yet!!!

it's about time!

Finally, finally, FINALLY Joe and I are able to travel somewhere! Ever since we moved back last year (yes...it's been a year...CRAZY!!!!), set back after setback has happened and, especially with all the airlines going under, flight prices to the Northeast have been pretty terrible. So the only travel we've done is camping here and there within a couple hundred miles of Phoenix. Which is fun, don't get me wrong. We LOVE to camp! But this will be our first real "vacation". In a year.

Starting this Friday, we will begin our trip to lovely Hawaii where we will be cruising around the islands with my parents, sister and a few family friends. Money is extremely tight right now and I don't start training until September 29th (which means I don't get paid until October 15th)...so this next month will be interesting, to say the least. Is there ever a time when money isn't a worry? Because I'm honestly getting a little sick of it.

But, if there was ever a time to get out of town, I guess it would be right now. Besides the fact that we have to leave Lucy behind (about which I am completely heartbroken), and besides the fact that Joe will have to go to dialysis several times while we are there, it will still be an awesome and most welcome vacation. We'll have to count our pennies, of course, and keep track of everything...but it'll be a nice break from Phoenix and the perpetual summer heat.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Edwin McCain cut his hair. :o(

I have no words.

all things joe + theresa

I thought that I would take a minute to update everyone on life in T & Joe Land:

1. This weekend was so relaxing! Saturday was fun. All we did was sit around, relax, play with Lucy and relax. Yes, we did pretty much the same thing the previous weekend, but sometimes it's just really good to do nothing, you know? And then Saturday night we met up with my friend, Lindsay, from grade school and her husband, Michael. I hadn't seen her since I was about 14 years old, so it's kind of like we have to get to know each other all over again since there is a universe of things that have happened since we last saw each other. But she's just so easy-going and fun to be around, so we all had a blast! Let's do it again sometime, Linds!!
   
2. Joe and I started to attend Evenings for the Engaged. Our first session was last night (Sunday). I gotta say...neither of us wanted to go. First of all, it's at 6:30pm on a Sunday night, lasts for 2.5 hours and is way out in East Mesa (about 45 minutes from the apartment). Plus, Joe has to get up really early for work, so we were just in a bad mood about the whole thing. Plus, we had this vision of crazy Jesus Freaks praying and chanting in circles and telling us how to live our lives. Ok...so that was MY vision. But on the way there, we were thinking, "you know...I bet the other couples attending these sessions aren't really thrilled about coming either...so let's just keep an open mind and give it a shot." Turns out, the couple hosting the session was pretty laid back and even funny at times, the other couples seemed really nice (there were 5 other couples in addition to us), there was nothing really Jesus Freaky about it (except all the crazy pictures on the walls), and the time actually flew by once we got there. And the group, as a whole, decided to start meeting a little earlier on Sundays. So that was cool. I think it will be an interesting experience and, actually....I'm looking forward to it!
3. As for everything else: Joe is still on dialysis for a few more months until he gets his new kidney from Jen - I am still working as a graphic designer part time and looking for full time work (if anyone has any contacts that may need work, LET ME KNOW and I'll get you my resume) - Lucy is wonderfully cute as always (although...she gained 2 pounds in one week so it looks like I'll have to start walking her more than 2 miles a day) - and life (besides the crazy heat) is just...good.
   

knight of darkness

Since the ONLY things Joe and I wanted to do this weekend were: relax, read, swim, relax, spend time with Lucy, sleep, eat, relax, read, relax [and did I mention relax?]...we decided to spice it up a little and go see the new Batman movie.


BAD IDEA!

SATURDAY
We got to the theater an hour before the show started (for those who know us well, getting somewhere that early is monumental!). To no avail, the parking lot was full. I figured, "Okay...it's a Saturday night and it just came out the day before. This sucks, but no big deal, we'll come back tomorrow."

SUNDAY
Read the first 2 sentences of the Saturday description.

I was PEEVED beyond belief at this point and decided that I hated EVERYONE!** I was so confused because: (1) the movie theater we go to is never ever even 0.0001% full on Sundays and (2) I couldn't figure out why so many people were there. I mean...yeah, it's summer time and a nice thing to do on the weekends (staying somewhere indoors because it's so hot outside), but the garage was full two days in a row? Come on, people!

CONCLUSION
Only two movies (that I know of) opened at the box offices on Friday: The Dark Knight and Mamma Mia. I actually DO want to see Mamma Mia and generally I really enjoy when musicals are made into movies, but there's NO WAY that the place was jammed packed two days in a row for Mamma Mia. Sorry Meryl Streep...no offense.

OTHER CONCLUSION
I know there's talk of Oscar nominations for Heath Ledger [already]. And I'm really glad that he was able to have such an awesome performance (or so I hear) be his last. Plus...I've liked most of his films for the past 10 years (ever since 10 Things I Hate About You first came out). But I'm thinking I might just wait for video on this one. Especially since I don't think the hype will die down any time soon. Seriously. It's just a movie. Not the second coming of Christ.



**I'm not really a vile, hateful person. I just sometimes get really annoyed and flustered easily.

and i thought Boston drivers were bad....

Thursday Comment #1
People who live in Phoenix don't know what a rotary is. There is this rotary (ok...technically I guess you would call it a "roundabout") around a fountain on the street right next to the apartment complex. I was driving to the apartment for lunch one day to let Lucy out of the crate for a little while and I was stuck behind a genuis. He enters the rotary. Then I enter behind him. All of a sudden, he stops right in the middle of the rotary to let another car enter the rotary. Are you KIDDING?!?!? You don't STOP in rotaries! To make matters worse...I've seen this happen more than once.

Thursday Comment #2
The biggest douche bag in the universe lives in Paradise Valley and drives a Maserati. Apparently when you are loaded and have a car that costs as much as a 4 bedroom house, driving rules don't apply to you.

Thursday Comment #3
My last day of work is tomorrow. For those who don't know (or don't remember), I've been laid off from my current position due to the terrible economy. The company I was working for mainly worked with partnership marketing for financial institutions in the credit and loan industry. And since the credit and loan industry has been hit pretty badly this year, the business owners have decided to shut everything down. I've started to look for new jobs, but I'm really unsure of what I really want to do. I have a strong desire to be creative, go into publishing or graphic design or something related to the advertising/marketing world. I think that is where I'd be most happy. But I also have a strong desire to actually make money. And in order to continue making what I've been making the past few years, it looks like being an Executive Assistant is the way to go. I'm not really certified for anything else. So it's going to be tough. Do I just settle for something that will enable us to live comfortably or do I go for something I'm really interested in and won't feel like poking my eyes out at the end of each day?

Thursday Comment #4
***POSITIVE COMMENT ALERT! POSITIVE COMMENT ALERT!***
Joe's catheter is gone. Adios. Au revoir. Arrivederci. Sayonara. Peace out. Buh bye. GONE! Not sure if it will happen tonight, but he'll get to go swimming very soon and take a nice long shower with no fear of getting an infection! YAY!!! Dialysis is still kicking his butt and his left arm is like a pincushion, but he's still on the road to getting a nice healthy kidney, thanks to his sister, Jen. What do you do for someone who gives you a kidney? A simple "thank you" card definitely isn't enough. I mean...it's saving his life, in the simplest of terms. It's the most awesome gift ever!

Thursday Comment #5
***SAPPY COMMENT ALERT! SAPPY COMMENT ALERT!***
Joe is amazing. It's been such a tough year for him having to deal with a life threatening disease and having to go through all of the treatment for it. I mean, the choice is easy, really: do the treatment or let your kidneys fail and die. The choice is easy. But it's just a hard thing to have to go through. It's really part of our daily life now, but every once in a while I just wonder "Why him? Why so young?" and I think to myself that he's just such a strong person for going through it so gracefully. I LOVE YOU, JOE!! It's all working out...

happy june!

Yes...it's true. We were not able to go camping last weekend because it was WAY TOO COLD. But...we DID stay busy and ended up having fun nonetheless (..........right, Joe?). Plus, the Phoenix climate is definitely making up for last weekend because it's been in the low 100's and is forecast to be 103/104 pretty much ALL week this coming week.

As for Memorial Day weekend, however, it was sad not being able to go camping, but we had lots of fun Phoenix-style. We hung out with the family a lot, spent a lot of time with Lucy, went to the Wildlife World Zoo, had a nice time at my parent's neighbor's house, etc. etc. etc. And this weekend has been nice, too. Since Joe's birthday was on Thursday, we decided to have a nice birthday celebration for him yesterday.

About the zoo. Cleanliness-wise, the Wildlife World Zoo (WAY OUT near Luke Air Force Base) was definitely not as clean as the Phoenix Zoo. However...you could get a lot more close to the animals at this zoo...which was really neat. We even got to feed a giraffe! Do you KNOW how exciting this is? Giraffes have long been my favorite animal and, while plopping food on a giraffe's abnormally long tongue is kind of gross, it was still so neat to see this animal up close. And there were other neat animals, too. The capuchin monkeys were adorable. The African wild dogs were neat! There were cute meercats and porcupines. Lots of deer and antelope. The white tigers and tiger babies were awesome. And the petting zoo was pretty cool, too [even if we were the oldest people in there]! Here are some pictures:




As for everything else going on...

• Joe should [hopefully] be getting his catheter taken out soon (once they keep proving that his fistula keeps working as it should.
• On a bad note...I have been laid off from my job. It comes at a rather inopportune time; but, really...is getting laid off ever at an opportune time? It's a bummer and I have my work cut out for me in finding a new job, but perhaps it's a blessing in disguise. Sometimes it seems like setbacks keep happening for us lately...so maybe this will help me find something that will the start of something really good.
  
• On a GOOD note...we had a nice birthday celebration for Joe on Saturday: Went swimming in my parent's newly redone pool (we even got Lucy to get in and swam around a little!). Had a delicious birthday meal complete with steak, potatoes, pasta salad, cucumber salad, corn on the cob, strawberry shortcake and....watermelon. Yep. We all weigh about 400 pound each now. We played Balderdash. All in all, it was a really fun day! So all of you in New Hampshire can rest assured that we treated Joe nice and good on his birthday!
• On another good note...Lucy is adorable. Definitely a pain and DEFINITELY in need of more obedience training...but adorable nonetheless. We took her to this "famous" dog park out in Gilbert earlier today to check it out. Apparently, they have this lake there where dogs can jump in and swim and chase after balls and all that good stuff. And in another section of the park there are a few little obstacle things for dogs to play on. It was actually pretty neat...until Lucy figured out how to swim around to the outside of the fenced in area (meaning we had to climb around the fence and chase her down to get her back in the dog park area. Yep. Definitely in need of more obedience training. But all in all, we love her so much. Which is why we picked the BEST picture of her for our blog header! he he he he

We hope you all are well!

Until next time...

XOXO