Happy Birthday to you...

We went to Buca this weekend for a three way birthday party for two M3 girls and one M3 Hubby. We had a BLAST (as per usual!) and we went back to K's house for a little after-burner. Needless to say, we played Wii, Superstar Singer, and Guitar Hero. It was a hoot! I'll let the pics tell the story! Enjoy - they're quite entertaining...

BTW - I've said it a hundred times, but it bears repeating - run, don't walk and get yourself some buddies who you can share this process with locally. If I didn't have my M3 sisters to get through this adoption journey with, I think I would have become discouraged beyond repair long ago. They have literally been my solid rock in this process. I see them weekly (no lie). I could not, would not have it any other way! They are the dearest of friends to me on this road and I could not walk it without them. Love you girls!

cb

Shopping 101

AB is great at cooking, as we learned a few posts ago in Cooking 101. Now let me bring you in to the inner-CB Circle. Clearly the ever increasing wait has not diminished or curbed in any way my rediculous penchant for collecting things for Keira. The latest and greatest? Outfit at right was a mere $6 at Carter's. Could not resist...the 70% off rack was beckoning to me like a beacon in the night - "come on....what's another outfit?....she'll need it...she has to have it...YOU have to have it".

IDIOT!

And so here it is on the floor of her room. Because my friends, there is simply no room at Closet Inn anymore. So, I guess if she doesn't make it home soon, we'll have to buy a second dresser just to hold the overflow. (Lord forbid I actually just stop the insanity and leave the stores alone!)




So then let's jump over to my little, tiny, miniature obsession with the Backyardigans! Tonight, while perusing the big chain book store (OK FINE - I went in specifically to see if they had these little guys! Gah!) I found the last two "yardigans" to complete my collection. I was missing the pink gal "Uniqua" and the little blue penguin "Pablo". Now that they're all together, they can be happy and so can I. God, I need help!

Actually, a special "shout out" to the hubby for nudging me to complete the collection when he saw me holding them in my arms like a four year old who has found her favorite toy and can't bear to be parted from it. He said "just get em and get it over with...you might as well complete the collection". So with the teacher discount, they were only about $5 each. Not too bad. But still...people...I have an illness.

Last but not least, I got this little purse for Keira tonight. It's is FREAKING ADORABLE! Here are the pics - they say it all!




Uh- huh - you know you love you some Hello Kitty! Shoot! A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E...

Lord, give me the power to walk away...put the merchandise down...step away from the cashier...just say "no"...harness the "hand back the goods and no one will get hurt "kind of strength...channel the inner "saver" in me...bring out the less is more girl...and dwell on the "clutter free closet" lifestyle.

I'm doomed...

14

Yes siree - 14 big uns....

Over and out...

Fourteen more to go...

Oops - that was either sarcasm or pessimism. Take your pick

And here I was trying to be positive below -

Insanity is creeping my faithful peeps...and then again, I'm almost convinced some days that we still aren't ready for this. Isn't that sad? In this process, you wait so long that you begin to doubt yourself and your ability. Then you jump back into certainty, and then you're back on the fence again.

Fourteen...whoo hoo...yeah....whew....chuckle...sob....I hate this.

I love...

Reading at night before bed

Sitting up late and catching up on all my TV shows

Eating breakfast with the hubs on Saturday mornings

Singing

Getting to visit my family

Naps

Harry Potter (had to say it...)

My animals

Watching the weather change (because in Texas, it changes constantly)

A fire in the fireplace

Candles

Swimming in the summer and the smell of sunscreen

Barbeque after swimming

Cold cheeks, noses, and ears

Warm blankets

The Hubs

Long yummy dinners

Hanging with my girlfriends and being myself

Keira

Traveling with AB - love exploring new places with him

Disneyland

Jesus Christ

Fritos with an egg salad sandwich (what?!?...I do!)

Facials

Getting a hair cut and having them wash and "play" with my hair

Sleeping

My birthday

Gifts

Laughing

Chocolate covered Strawberries

Romance....ahhhhhh



Just thought I'd share something positive...

WARNING: SPOILER AHEAD!

Ok, so I'm late in posting - but my gawd was this a good season finale or what!?!?! I just watched it tonight (don't ask how I waited so long either - I'm not even sure myself!) but wow!

I just knew, that I knew, that I knew that those clips they kept showing were gonna be from the future!

OMG! SOOOOOO good...

The hubs gave up on the show in Season 2 and said it just got too weird for him. Kind of a "Days of our Lives" syndrome, if you will. So he bailed and now I watch alone....

No problem there! My L*st cast keeps me HAPPY HAPPY!

Please someone tell me that Charlie is gonna find an escape hatch? I hate that one eyed dude - he always shows up to kill someone...never fails...and I think his secret is that the island won't let him die. Just like Locke can walk - this crazy nut-job can die and die, but never dies. You dig?

Man.....gooooood show!

Love me some McShepperd and some McSawyer too...(sorry babe...what's a girl to do...gotta give props to my L*st crew). And for the record...wasn't the moment Sayid pulls the neck break trick with his legs completely and utterly WICKED COOL! I literally was like "you go!!" That was awesome!

Ohhhh....enough outta me...I'm L*st Lovesick.

Peace out peeps ~

-The Gusher

Oh, for the LOVE OF PETE!

This is rediculous! F*x network screwed thousands of viewers tonight when they ran their long awaited (and faithfully viewed in our household) American Id*l show long without any warning to those that record the show via DVR or TIVO - RIDICULOUS! We just spent two hours watching the finale (on our DVR) and it cut off at 9pm on the dot (as it was supposed to) and we missed the end of the show, including who won - which we now know is Jordan - but LAME! Two hours of fluff for nothing - an entire season of watching every week without fail just to be ripped off at the last and most important second. It's like waiting in line to ride the best line in the amusement park - you're hot and sweaty - two hours go by....you finally get in the seat, strap in...and then they come over the loud speaker "Ladies and gentleman, at this time the American Id*l Scream Machine is experiencing techinical difficulties and we must ask that you exit the ride while our engineers access the problem." This is the second time this has happened to me this week. Only, the first time I was actually on a ride and that's exactly what we were told. I'm getting a little peeved!

And for the record - we knew Jordon would win. She is beautiful and young and talented. But that didn't keep us from hoping that Blake would steal it just to make the audience go "OMG - he freaking won!!" I'm just still so mad at F*x right now...PLAN YOUR SHOW A LITTLE BETTER! Cut out the stupid Golden Idol crappy and get to the point. That Green D*y song was dry and long and depressing - I know the album was for a good cause but yawnnnnn on this finale. And then there was Bette! My gawd - help me! She had to sing the last song that was a hit I guess...but why oh why...who said "yes, great idea...Bette sings Wind Beneath my Flappity Wings"....and I am a Bette fan, but good Lord, she was not so good tonight.

MEANWHILE ~


...last night I stayed up watching the (recorded) finale of my other love affair "Dancing with the St*rs". I was torn between these two darling couples! But I guess deep down, I wanted Joey to win. He was just so amazingly talented and wicked entertaining - there is just no disputing that. At the same time though, my boy - Apollo....jeesh, he made it look so easy and he was such a hard worker. And are he and Julianne not the stinking cutest couple ever? So much electricity when they danced! And special thanks to this network for not ending the show late and causing me to miss the last five minutes of the finale. That would have sucked! But at least I could have watched it online - you can't do that with AI unless you pay for it - and that's a big fat no thank you! AB and I were just so irritated tonight.

Annnywayyyyyyy -

That's my rant and rave...off to bed!

cb

Cooking 101

There was a strong possibility that AB was going away for the entire upcoming summer to work at a sports camp. Shamefully, the first words out of my mouth were "but what will I eat?" He had the presence of mind to chuckle at me, but people - I was not kidding! Back in my single days, I used to live on Ramen, Mac n Cheese, and good ole' cereal, perhaps an occasional tuna sandwich. Early into my dating experience with AB, I found out that I had struck some serious culinary gold. I've mentioned it before - this guy can C-O-O-K. The only thing I could think of besides being lonely for him, was being lonely for his amazing cooking. I was browsing through some picture I took recently and realized that I passed over blogging these about a month ago. Had to share my darling in his element.

The truth for us is, I stay out of the kitchen unless it's to microwave something or wash a dish. He is the master and I humbly bow to the culinary king. Thank God for him, or I would still be eating Ramen by the gallons and boring tuna. Now I'm getting pan seared steaks with marinated mushrooms, Rare Sushi grade Tuna over greens with a ginger dressing, and shrimp scampi in butter lettuce wraps. Can you see why I must declare him king 'o the kitchen? It doesn't hurt that he's cute also...

"See babe, it's easy...just like this..."

"and then they get all golden like this"

"piece of cake!"

Love you and your mad skills, honey! And for the record, he's decided to stay here for the summer, and my tummy and I couldn't be happier. Whew! Crisis averted!

It's been a while...

I don't even really like to go a few days without posting something about our life - it just seems like I get so behind and then I can't catch up! So, Mother's Day came and went a week ago and I just got busy - really busy...work, life, heading up a women's Bible Study (which is awesome!), and preparing for a very full summer of travel, musical theater (an AB must) and many other things as well which I'm sure I'll end up posting about...

Many of you know that AB is a published playwright. He is a very talented and comical writer and his play has sold very successfully with his publishers. Recently, we got wind that a public high school was putting the play on about two and a half hours drive away.
Many times the play has been put on, but it was always too far to travel. We decided we just had to go and see what they would do with the script and we were NOT disappointed. Friday afternoon we made the drive and boy, I can tell you that AB was the guest of HONOR! These kids were so great and they totally exceeded our expectations in performing and really bringing this hilarious play to life. More than that, the attention he got for being there! AB had connected with the school prior to going, so they were ready for him.
They were so excited to meet him and literally swarmed around him to shake hands, take pictures with him, and even to have him sign their scripts. It was kind of unreal.
But I have to brag on him, because he handled it so well and he was such a huge hit - it just made me so proud of his accomplishment. They also asked that he introduce the play, which was an honor for him and I know he was so elated to see something he wrote seven years ago coming to life. It was wonderful to see...truly!

Saturday we visited Six Flags and had a blast, although all I have to show for it are this cute picture and a sunburn (oops...forgot the sunscreen!) Hope all of your weekends were fun and exciting - mine was downright exhausting, but fun and certainly eventful. Today after church, all we could manage to do was lay around and veg, watching the cooking channel. Good thing AB was tending a wonderfully tasty beef brisket on the smoker all day and it made for an amazing dinner tonight. A perfect way to end a full and fun weekend...

Happy Mama's Day

A very warm and sincere Happy Mothers Day to my dear Mom - who I cannot be with today because we just live too dang far apart! Happy Mom's Day and I love you to the Moon and back...

And while I'm at it - Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's reading this and all the Moms to be, like myself!

That's My King!

Got back from my Women's Retreat last weekend and wanted to share this with my bloggy pals - very powerful! More to come later and have two new posts below as well...but this video pretty much sums up the weekend -

That's my King! I wonder, do you know Him?!?

The long awaited - Last Week, Part I

Tis woefully and shamefully late in coming, but I will not disappoint you! The last and very late installment of "Last Week" from a month ago appears right before your very eyes...

After the Disastrous camping trip of 2007, we all ventured back to my home for some steaks, and some good old fashioned fun. Well, I don't know how old fashioned this is, but friend - let me tell you - we had so much fun we were out of our minds - we had NO SENSE!

My good friends Paul and Robyn brought Gu*tar Hero with them and I have to tell you - we were fools - scratch that - I was a fool over this dumb game. You literally have a guitar in your hand, have to strum in time with the music and have to press the color coded "strings" that appear on the screen in front of you all in time to rock out and really win your "crowd" over. With high scores, and a really good performance, you will encourage an encore and will really rack up the high scores. Not thinking I would be into it, Robyn started us off slow and then, well shoot....I'm addicted. It's way to much fun - you can't help but dance and sing along. Here...to my shame - and your viewing pleasure....the ghastly affects of this game...

Oh and thanks to Erin for capturing the moment on film forever - I owe you. No really, I insist!

Here's some more fun shots of the day with Anton and I and even Erin who ventured away from behind the camera to try it out herself...

I need depends...

If you need to laugh today, friend - then you need to head immediately over to my dear sweet and INSANELY hilarious friend Valerie's (can I get a woot-woot for my M3 Posse!) blog - this latest post had me laughing so hard in my office chair that I had tears streaming down my face and could not breath. At one point I felt the bladder slipping and then decided it was all down hill from there and just let it all out. (not really, come on...I'm not 90!) - but boy - I really need to invest in some depends if you're going to be writing posts like this, V!

You are my freaking Comedian Hero!

And for the record - she really is this funny - all the time...

Retreat, retreat!

Hey peeps - I'm heading out for the weekend to go to a beautiful lake-front retreat with my M3 Posse (well, three of them anyway). Girls only!!! Cabins with beds, hot showers, and private toilets all in the room...ahhhh, my idea of camping!

I'm seeing some late night giggles, munchies, etc. in my very near future -

Time for a good old fashioned slumber party with the gals! Wish you were here bloggy pals!

Whew!!!!!

Big Congrats to Colleen and Jim for FINALLY, FINALLY, FINALLY getting their referral after missing the cutoff by a day last month....

Now it's time to go and get Miss Hannah!