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Wednesday, December 5, 2012

You Like Me! You Really Like Me!




The lovely & talented CinnamonOpus (one of my geek-tastic soul sisters!) has nominated me for the Liebster Award! I am VERY honoured to be nominated, especially since I have not posted anything on my blog in many a month (soooo laaaaaazzzyyy). According to my friend Cinn, this award is a way for bloggers (even very occasional ones) about other, small blogs that they have discovered & enjoyed. My blog, she sure fits the “small” description!

Anyhoo, along with this nomination come some responsibilities (and a sash? Maybe? Miss Liebster 2.0 2012 should have a sash, am I right?), and some questions to be answered. First, I must share 11 facts about myself:

1. My favourite number is 3. Yup, it’s true.
2. I am a big Doctor Who fan (I have a small squishy TARDIS on my desk at work that makes TARDIS-y sounds), but mostly of the “new” Doctor who, starting with the 9th doctor. I find the ability to time travel very attractive in a man.
3. I am also a big fan of the movie Nacho Libre. Yes, I realize this may set me up for some ridicule, but I don’t care! It’s a sweet, hilarious movie that’s fun for the whole family.
4. I was an exchange student during my grade 12 high school year. I spent 10.5 months in Minas Gerais state in Brazil. I LOVED it there, especially once I learned the language & made some friends. I dream about getting back there one day – the food is TO DIE FOR. Mmmmmm, churrasco…..
5. I was once in a band. No, really! It was when I was in Brazil. A guy that I met at “school” (as an exchange student I was required to attend school, which I did – for a while) was a member of a local rock band, and when he found out I played the organ (I know, how cool was I?) he asked me if I wanted to be part of his band. Mostly it involved hanging around with the band (all very sweet young gentlemen) during rehearsals, and I played one show. My brief touch with “fame”!
6. Since July 1984 I have been a huge fan of Duran Duran. If you’re counting, that’s almost 30 years. I’m still a big fan of their work.
7. I LOVE CHEESE, in most of its forms. Cheeses I don’t like? Blue cheese, stinky cheeses, swiss cheeses.
8. Related to # 7, I LOVE PIZZA. It is my go-to comfort food when I am upset, or feeling too lazy to cook.
9. I am a Crossfitter. I have never been an active person, so this is huge for me. Everyone at my gym is very supportive of me & my efforts (successful or not). Turns out I have an aptitude for weightlifting – who knew? I recently participated in our local Santa Claus parade, requiring me to walk the entire 3km parade route, with stops to work out. If you’d told me a year ago that I would do that without complaint, I would have told you to get lost (in less kind words).
10. I love the Mythbusters – it is one of my all-time favourite TV shows, and Adam Savage is one of my favourite TV personalities. That man’s laugh never ceases to crack me up – he has such a love for what he does, it’s contagious.
11. I have 2 cats, neither of whom enjoy the company of people other than my husband & I. Andrew & I are their people, they see no need for anyone else. Pippin is much more vocal in her protests than Willow is, with much hissing & some growling.

Second, I am to answer some questions posed to me by my nominator.
1. What’s your favourite hobby? I don’t really have one. I used to make jewelry (beads & wire, mostly) but I haven’t done that in a while. Does Crossfit count as a hobby?
2. What colour looks best on you? Green, I think, but I don’t have many green clothes, because I’m very picky on the shades I like.
3. What is the most memorable place you have ever visited? Hereford Cathedral. I love the UK in general, but I love Hereford Cathedral the best. I saw it on an episode of Nova (I think) before I went to the UK in 1992, I think the show was about computers but they showed & talked about Hereford Cathedral’s medieval chained library, and right then & there, I knew I had to visit. Hereford is a fairly small town (city?) near the Welsh border, so it wasn’t super-easy to get to in 1992, but it was totally worth it. Andrew & I went back there in 2009 (I think it was 2009) & it was just like coming home. For some reason, I feel really connected to the cathedral, like it was part of one of my past lives. I just love the feeling of peace & wonder I get when I visit.
4. Have you ever Hammer danced? Not that I can remember, but then again, I am NOT the best dancer.
5. What language would you like to become proficient at? One of the languages I already know – French or Portuguese. I also know some Spanish, which is a by-product of working with several people from Latin America.
6. What book(s) have left a lasting impression on you? Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. It’s the whole time-travel thing again.
7. What is your favourite holiday family tradition? Spending Christmas Eve with old friends in the village I grew up in. We don’t get to do it every year, but when we do, it’s pretty darn cool.
8. If you could suddenly be a rock star, would you be the drummer, the keyboard player, the guitar player or the lead singer? None of the above. In a perfect world, I would be the bass player, cuz I just love the bass guitar. In real life, my short T-Rex arms & stubby fingers don’t really say “bass player”.
9. What news publication (if any) do you read? Sydney Morning Herald (for all my Aussie news), Toronto Star (for all my local news).
10. What is something you are really good at? Sit-ups. Seriously – I’ve gotten compliments from many coaches at the gym on my sit-ups. ABS OF STEEL! (cloaked in a covering of cheese & butter….)
11. How would you like to be remembered after you’ve left this life? As someone who was kind, intelligent & funny. A loyal friend, a fierce protector.
I’m going to nominate my friend Vicki’s blog, Something Else. She updates about as much as I do, if not less!

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Sigh.....

Three years & seven months waiting for our referral. There isn't much else to say. We're updating our homestudy/paperwork to open up our request to boy or girl, but my heart just isn't in the whole paperchase this time. Now that the Hawaii trip-of-a-lifetime has come & gone, I feel like there is little to look forward to. I guess I'm just bummed - gotta fix that somehow, but I'll be buggered if I know how.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Huzzah!

Did I tell y'all that I've lost an inch each off my chest, waist & hips since I started Crossfit 3.5 months ago? Well, I have. Huzzah! I've also done things I never thought I'd do, like flip a tractor tire about 50 times (with help, I'm not that big of a badass yet!), lift more than 100 lbs (at once), do 110 back squats (with a 45 lb bar on my back) in one workout, row for 2 km in one workout, etc. I am empowered. Don't make me angry, I just might flip your car over (but give me another year of Crossfit before I attempt that!).

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Yes, I guess it's been a while....

Hello, my faithful readers (though, by now, perhaps I have lost my audience)! It has been ever so long since I graced my blog with my presence. Not much has been happening, really, just life in general, but I'll try to catch you up as best I can.

May
May is my birthday month, and we celebrated with another trip to Buffalo, this time with my parents. A very good time was had by all, and much shopping was done. Turns out Walmart is a great place to get a deal on protein powder & Gatorade pre- & post- workout drinks (even though I think the post-workout drink tastes like lemon/lime & barnyard, Andrew seems to like it - but I think he will pretty much eat anything). We spent half a day in East Aurora again, and had a FABULOUS lunch at a place called Tantalus. I had a to-die-for stuffed burger (with no bun, as is my custom). It was stuffed with sundried tomatoes, feta & black olives, and the beef was just so beefy-tasting. It was the best burger I've had so far this year. I'm itching to go back & have another one! We celebrated my Dad's birthday at the end of the month (we got him a luxury car test drive, which he & Andrew will partake in in August. Dad's driving a Ferrari & Andrew's driving a Lamborghini - sweet!!!).

June
June is bit of a blur (being so long ago & all). We spent a weekend in Prescott again, stopping for cheese curds at Maple Dale on the way there & the way back. Sooooo many curds. I think I'm curd-ed out for a while (but the roasted garlic curds are sooooo good). During that trip we had a lovely day in Westport, where much shopping (window & actual) was done. My work team also moved from the factory location to the airport location, so my commute was cut in half, which is awesome! Being near the airport, we see lots of planes (arriving & departing), though some sitings are pretty scarily close! Part of my route home includes Airport Rd, and the runway where several planes land runs perpendicular to Airport Rd (and starts at Airport Rd). Wow, are those planes LOW when they land! It seems like they're going to land on your car sometimes. Scary, but exhilarating!

July
July's been pretty quiet so far.

Adoption
No news here, unless you consider our needing to update some of our paperwork (AGAIN) news. We've been advised that it can wait until the whole dossier needs updating at the end of the year, unless we get a referral between now & then. That doesn't look likely, as paperwork requirements in Ethiopia have changed yet again, which has slowed referrals down. It has speeded up processing post-court date, though, so that is a very good thing for those who have referrals. We continue to wait & hope. We are considering opening up our request to a boy (which Andrew was always in favour of, but I resisted because I really wanted a girl). Now that we've met our friends' little guy, home since November of last year, I am no longer resistant to the idea of having a little boy!

Crossfit
Yep, I'm still doing Crossfit, usually about twice a week. It's still challenging, which I think it will be for quite some time, but I'm enjoying it, and I really enjoy the supportive, family atmosphere at the gym. Lots of people have told me that they are seeing results on me, which is nice. My core is definitely tighter, and I am definitely getting stronger. I can deadlift 105 lbs, power clean & push press 65 lbs & back squat 45 lbs. I'm getting there. I enjoy going with Andrew, though we don't really work out together, because he's at a different level, fitness-wise, than me. I'm wishing I'd started in the winter, though, cuz this hot weather is killing me when I work out. I must lose about a pound every workout, just from sweat. Good times! And sometimes, it's just too hot to work out (like when it's over 32). There's no A/C in the gym, just ceiling fans & roller doors. It's brutal sometimes.

Well, I think you're all caught up now. I'll try to start posting more often, especially in the lead up to HAWAII CRUISE 2012!!!

Monday, April 23, 2012

Janna's Crossfit Challenge - The Crossfittening, Part 5

So here we are – the end of my Crossfit training classes, and the beginning of my proper Crossfit journey. I’ve got to say, I am pleased that I have made it this far, but I’m still really nervous about starting the WODs (Workout Of the Day). I plan to do my first WOD tonight, provided the weather allows us to get home in time to change & get to the gym in time. Tonight’s coach is Mitch, who did 4 of my 5 Foundations classes. Not sure how I feel about that – I am kind of looking forward to the anonymity of being in a class with other people, but then again, I know Mitch will push me, which is actually a good thing. I’ve taken a look at the WOD, and it’s mostly weightlifting moves, which I’ve done, so I should be able to do it. Let’s see.

Anyway, on to my last Foundations class. I had originally agreed to meet with Mitch at 5pm on Wednesday, which suited me because I like to get my workouts over & done with so I can enjoy the rest of my evening, but then he emailed me on Tuesday & asked if we could do the class at 8pm instead. In the spirit of just finishing my last class already, I agreed to the time switch. There weren’t any WODs on at that time, so Andrew decided to come along & join my class (it’s always good to get a refresher on your technique). The last class worked on the snatch, which is a variation of the clean, which we worked on in Monday’s class. The warm up was 500m of rowing (with a clean “dismount”, again, hooray me!), then practicing the snatch technique. As a special treat, Mitch used his smartphone to video a bunch of my lifts, to show me what it looked like when I was doing it wrong, vs when I was doing it right. As with the other lifts, I get the technique, but my co-ordination is still lacking. Practice makes perfect, I guess. Once again I was using the 20lbs bar. That night’s workout was 250m rowing, 15 power snatch lifts, 25 burpees, 15 power snatch lifts and 250m rowing. It turns out burpees are the devil’s work (for those of you not familiar with the terms a burpee is sort of like a push up where you start from a standing position, into a pushup position, touching your chest completely to the floor, then stand up, jump in the air & clap your hands – if that doesn’t make any sense, look it up on YouTube). Let’s just say my burpees are decidedly slower & more visually awkward than the average burpee. By my tenth burpee my hands were KILLING ME, OMG, so I negotiated the 25 burpees down to 15 burpees (thank doG, that was the worst part of the workout!), but otherwise I finished my workout. Hooray!

From what Andrew tells me, the gym peeps are looking forward to me starting the WODs. I’m pretty stoked that they are all rooting for me, but at the same time, I’m really nervous about letting everyone down. I’ve never been an active, athletic person, and I’m nervous about making a fool of myself, and, truth be told, ashamed of how I look (though I never feel like that when I’m actually working out, for some reason). Everyone there seems really nice, and they even threw a joint birthday party/euchre night last weekend to celebrate a bunch of birthdays (Andrew’s included). I didn’t go (I was feeling too shy, until it was too late to get tickets, then I wanted to go – story of my life) but Andrew did. If I can encourage myself to keep going at least 2-3 times a week, hopefully the gym will become an important part of my life, as it is for Andrew. I just don’t know, though. We shall see.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Did I mention we got a new car?

It's true! After 3 years of me not liking the Mazda 5 & it being relegated to the garage for crimes it did not commit (it wasn't its fault it wasn't a good, comfortable fit for me), we decided to trade it in for some "new hotness". To be fair to the Mazda, it was a good car for a family, and we bought it with that intention - 1 month before the agency went bankrupt. We held onto it for 3 years, thinking our referral was just around the corner. Now, with no referral & no idea when we'll get a referral, it seems silly to hold onto a car that I don't find comfortable to drive just because it would fit a baby seat & have plenty of cargo space. Sure, the cargo space was great when you went to Ikea, or to the garden centre, but for the amount of times we used it for that purpose, it just didn't make sense to keep it once our new car caught our eye. It's a 2012 Ford Focus hatchback, so it is a fair bit smaller than the Mazda 5, but it is soooo cool! We got the white metallic finish (white platinum) and it's got a zippy little engine & it's comfortable for me to drive, and it's just a great little car. We picked it up on Tuesday & it got its first drive-to-work today, and I am pleased to say that it drove like a dream! The ambient lighting is pretty cool too - it's in the cupholders, footwells, & the doors, and there are many colours - bright blue, dark blue, green, red, pink & purple. I have chosen purple for the time being, but that is subject to change.

So, in conclusion, it's sparkly white, it's zippy, it's comfortable & it's got ambient lighting. Hooray!

Janna's Crossfit Challenge - The Crossfittening Part 4

Class 4 was on Monday, the same day I wrote the Part 3 post. As you may remember, I was running on little sleep & felt barely coherent. I managed to get my butt in gear & get to the gym for my 5pm class, but my heart really wasn't in it. The warm-up, a 500m row, was uneventful, and I managed to get off of & away from the rowing machine without killing myself or messing up my knee, so that's a plus right there. Class 4 was all about the "clean" weighlifting move (squat, shrug, lift, etc), and the class itself didn't go badly. I was the only student in the class, which is both good & bad. Good, because you get the trainer's undivided attention, and bad, because you get the trainer's undivided attention, meaning you don't get a little break while the rest of your classmates are showing of their moves. We mostly worked with the 20 lb bar, but about two-third of the way through the class he had me move up to the 35 lb bar, which just about killed me. Had I lifted the 35 lb bar a bit earlier in the night, I think I would have coped okay, but by that time I was buggered. It was downhill from there, and my workout - 2 rounds of 20 lifts (20 lb bar) & 20 step ups (12 inch box), then 1 round of 10 each - took all of what little strength & confidence I had left. That workout took me 11min 23sec to finish, and I was SOAKED with sweat (ewwwww) afterwards. Of course, it was Andrew's birthday that day, so there was no rest for the (very) weary. I zoomed home, freshened up, and headed out again to dinner with our adoption/crossfit friends & their son. It was a long day, and probably not the special 40th birthday celebration Andrew had been hoping for (but I'm going to make it up to him!).

Monday, April 16, 2012

Janna's Crossfit Challenge - The Crossfittening, Part 3

I did NOT sleep well last night, so if this latest post doesn't make sense, you'll know why! Last Wednesday was my 3rd Crossfit class, and my first class with a different instructor - Dan R. It was also my first class with girls as my classmates, so that was interesting - even more so because they were friends, which made me feel like a fifth wheel. Andrew & I had been running a bit late, so by the time I got to the gym, it was straight into the warmup - 3 minutes of rowing. Easy peasy, I thinks, I love rowing. And it was easy - until I tried to get off the machine. I swear I had both feet out of the footholders, so I'm guessing I tripped over the machine itself, and went for a less-than-graceful almost-faceplant. I have a wicked dark bruise on my right knee, and I came within 1 inch of actually planting my face on the floor. SO EMBARRASSING! Clearly my clutziness knows no bounds. Anyhoo, a couple of ladies doing the WOD (workout of the day) came running over to me to see if I was hurt - nope, just my pride! Then I caught up with the rest of the class for pushups & situps. The class itself was about deadlifting. Deadlifting is where you keep the bar very close to your body, go into a squat with straight arms & a straight back, look straight ahead & lift to your waist. We did quite a few practice lifts - some with the PVC pipe, some with just the bar (35 lbs), some with 10 lbs on each end (55 lbs) and a few with 5 more lbs on each end (65 lbs). All in all, not too bad! Then it was into that night's workout - 3 deadlifts (55 lbs), 6 pushups & 9 ball slams (15 lbs medicine ball lifted above your head, then slammed into the ground at your feet), as many rounds as possible in 6 minutes. I was allowed to use a bench for the pushups, due to my "injured" knee (it hurt to much to be getting up & down over & over again). I managed to do 4 rounds, but I was EXHAUSTED by the end of it all. The aftermath was painful - sore lower back muscles, hip muscles, inner thigh muscles & the muscles on the back of my arm. I had recovered by Saturday, though. Next class is tonight (Monday) with Mitch from 5-6, then it's out to dinner for Andrew's 40th birthday dinner with some friends.

I continue to feel a little apprehensive about Crossfit, but I think that's because with the Foundations classes, I don't know what's coming, what we'll be working on, and I'm afraid I won't be able to do it, or that I'll do too much & hurt myself (though, so far, I've only hurt myself during warm up!). I do enjoy going, though (who knew I'd ever say that!) and I kind of miss it if I haven't been for 3 days or so. I'm really hoping I can stick with it, and lose weight & get fit.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Janna's Crossfit Challenge - the Crossfittening, Part 2

This past Monday I had my second Crossfit Foundations class. I had been hoping that Andrew would accompany me, for moral support more than anything, but as it turned out it was not to be. He had to go to Ottawa for the day for a mediation, and short of a miracle, there was no way he was going to get home by the time I had to leave. So I sucked it up, put on my big-girl panties, and went by myself! This week's class was all about proper weight-lifting technique - push, push press & press jerk (I could have those names completely wrong, but that's what I'm calling them in my head). I was the only person in this class, so I got all the attention of the instructor (Mitch, again). I'm not sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. Anyway, we started with arm stretches, using a gigantic rubber band (I'm sure it has an actual proper name, but I have no idea what that name is). I made it through the first 3 stretches okay, but that last one, which was to open up my left arm area, gave me a wicked charley horse in the muscle under my armpit. Yeouch! After a fair bit of gentle but firm rubbing, I managed to make the pain die down (mostly). Next we started with the weightlifting technique, using a PVC pipe. Then I "graduated" to a proper metal bar (20 lbs) for the push & push press moves. For the press jerk move, I moved up the 35 lbs bar. The press jerk move involves having the bar at shoulder height, taking a deep breath, dropping into a partial squat, standing back up while pushing the bar halfway up, then dropping back into a squat but keeping the bar stationary (so, straightening your arms to they are fully supporting the bar). It's difficult to describe the move, and it's even more difficult to master the co-ordination to do it properly! At least, it was for me, but I'm pretty unco-ordinated. About halfway through that I got really dizzy, then nauseous. I went to the bathroom & sat down & put my head between my knees until it passed, but apparently if I puke I'm a bad-ass. I hate puking, so it looks like I'm not a bad-ass. Anyhow, I was able to continue, so we moved on to that night's workout - 9 push press (20 lbs bar), 50m run, 7 push press, 50 m run, 5 push press, 50 m run. I did it in 6 min, 49 sec (I think). Mitch says I'm doing really well, and according to one of the girls I was talking to, he would tell me if I'm not doing well, so I guess I'm doing well! Tonight's class is with a different instructor, and 2 other girls, so hopefully I'll have another good experience. Tune in later this week for The Crossfittening, Part 3!

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Janna's Crossfit Challenge - The Crossfittening, Part 1

I suppose I could also title this post “An Exercise in Pain”, because, boy oh boy, do I hurt! Because of the possibility that I will have to chase a toddler around some day, and because I’ve been far too lazy for far too long, I have decided to join Crossfit. If you know anything about me, and anything about Crossfit, you might be thinking OMG, WTF? I’ve got to admit, I’m thinking that too! There is a method to my madness, though. You see, Andrew goes to Crossfit (I’d go so far as to call him a Crossfit junkie), and 2 of our close friends also belong to the same “box” (gym). If I’m going to do any sort of proper training, I believe the best thing for me is to have friends doing the same sort of thing so that it encourages me to stick with the program. If I do something by myself, I can pretty much guarantee you that I won’t stick with it.

Here’s a run-down of last night’s class. Keep in mind that there are a couple of classes (workout of the day/ boxing) going on at the same time as our starter class.
- Started at 7pm, talking about Crossfit & the mentality behind it, and what each of us are hoping to get out of it. Apparently, as Mrs Aussie (Andrew is known at the gym as Drew, or Aussie), it was expected that I would join Crossfit & love it. I’m still on the fence about that.
- The first move we learn is squats. There are 5 types of squats I think, but I can’t remember what they are called. My very first squat saw me on my back on the floor (you’re supposed to keep your weight on your heels, and I just kept on tipping backwards. I owned it, though!) Between the 5 different squats, I must have done about 40 squats total. That’s a lot for legs that haven’t done that many squats for the past 39 years combined. By the time we were done my legs were like jelly. Apparently I squat well, which is nice to know. Not sure how I’ll apply it to my daily life, though.
- Next thing we work on is the benchmark workout (well, the elements of it). We start by working on the individual elements of the workout – rowing, squats (again with the squats!), push-ups (which I am absolutely crap at – turns out my butt weighs A LOT & I can’t do a proper sit-up, at least not yet), sit-ups (soles of feet together, you can use your arms to propel yourself forward) & something called “ring rows” (I think). Ring rows are where you have your feet on the ground, your knees at a 90 degree angle, back parallel to the floor, and your hands holding onto rings hanging from the chin-up bar. Then you pull yourself up so your chest is level with your hands. It’s kind of like a pull up from a lying down position. Between all the squats & then this, I’m feeling like a rag-doll, and walking like I’m a puppet on a string.
- We’ve come to the last part of the class – the benchmark workout. It’s meant to be 500m of rowing, 40 squats, 30 sit-ups, 20 push-ups & 10 ring rows, but the coach cuts it in half for me. I love rowing, so I did that pretty quick. My thighs & knees were pretty much done by that point, so the squats took a bit longer than they would have if I was “fresh”. Sit-ups went well, push-ups were okay (we modified it so I keep my stomach/hips on the ground & push the rest of my body up). Then came the ring rows. I managed to do all 5, but I could only pull myself up 4-5 inches. All up, I took 7min35sec to do half of the benchmark workout.

And, then, just like that, I was done! All in all, I’d say it was a successful first class, but I am SOOO SORE today (knees & thighs, mostly). I find that I grunt when I get up or walk. I do the next class next Monday, so look for The Crossfittening, Part 2, next week!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Aloha & mahalo....

That's right, everybody! I'm going to Hawaii! Well, not until September, but still, I'm going! With all the adoption expenses still to come, I'm definitely panicking a little about the expense involved in a Hawaii trip, but I think it's just the right thing to take my mind off the ever-increasing wait for a referral. This whole Hawaiian odyssey started almost 5 years ago, with a notice from my best friend (who happens to live in Australia) to start saving my pennies, because we were all going to go to Hawaii to celebrate her (well, our) 40th birthday! We're flying into Honolulu and then boarding a ship 2 days later to cruise around the Hawaiian Islands. Lots of her friends & family are coming along, and Andrew & I, and it'll be the first time in 4 years that I've seen any of them, and the very first time I'll be meeting her son (born 2 years ago in May)! I booked the cruise & paid our deposit last July, and I booked our flights (& bought comprehensive travel insurance that yes, does contain an adoption clause for cancellations) a couple of days ago. So now, instead of obsessing about a referral, I'm checking travel sites every day or so to check if the pre-cruise hotel pricing has dropped at all! Andrew & I haven't travelled anywhere "significant" (cross border shopping doesn't count) for over 2 years, so we are really, really, really looking forward to this. Putting your life on hold for an adoption, for what "might happen", is rough. It's time we did something fun! Only 174 more sleeps to go!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Yeah! What she said.....

I read a post today on another blogger's blog that really spoke to me. Like Andrew & I, this blogger & her family are adopting from Africa, though through a different country. Her blog is called The Thompson Treehouse (http://www.thompsontreehouse.blogspot.com), I encourage you to follow her story! The post I am referring to is called "Waiting to Exhale", posted on 3.13.12. If you want a little insight into what it's like to be waiting & waiting & waiting to adopt, this is the post to read.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Don't ask

I heard it said that if you don’t want to know the answer, don’t ask the question. Wise words.

Since Andrew went to visit the agency last year, he’s got a pretty good relationship with them, and as such, can get better answers from them than I seem to be able to. Since we just passed our 3 year anniversary, I asked him to email them to see if we’ve made any forward progress in our referral wait in the last 5 months. The short answer is no. The long answer is NOOOOOOOOOOO. Actually, the long answer is, there are 3 families ahead of us on the list asking for a girl in the same age range, which was the answer we were given last October, and there are no new girl referrals for our age range in the near future. We have not moved forward on the list at all. While I am not surprised, it still feels like a kick in the stomach. I was so hopeful that we’d made at least a little progress, that we would have our referral sooner rather than later. Things could change, they said they have seen an increase in referrals, which is good. Any forward momentum is good, I guess.

Many things in adoption are a leap of faith, like buying a crib, painting the nursery, etc. We’ve done that, so far, but I just can’t bring myself to open up the crib & actually set it up. I don’t think I’ll be able to do that until we actually get a referral. So far, my wish of getting my referral before my 40th birthday is not looking good. I’ve got less than 2 months to go before I reach that milestone, I guess I’m hoping for a miracle.

Monday, March 5, 2012

A Boo-Hoo Haiku for You, or 3 years waiting

3 very long years
My heart is numb, anxious, sad
Where is my wee girl?

In honour of the auspicious (?) occasion of our 3 year anniversary of waiting to be matched with our girl, I thought I’d dazzle you all with some poetry. Yes, it’s a haiku, but I have to admit that I’ve been out of school so long that I had to look up the haiku structure online. I guess my brain jettisoned that information long ago to make room for the scads & scads & scads of useless trivia that currently resides in my brain. For example, did you know that the gestation period for a Norway rat (the most common rat in the US) is 3 weeks? I knew that. Why? Who knows.

So yes, it’s been 3 years since our dossier was officially logged into Ethiopia. I never imagined that we’d still be waiting for a match, but if this process has taught me anything, it’s that you can never take anything for granted. That’s true of life in general – things will never happen on your timetable, they will happen when they happen, and not a second before. This wait has brought me many “gifts” – new friends (that is something I will be eternally grateful for), happiness (when our file was approved by the provincial ministry, for example), anger (at various points of the process, which I’ve documented here), anxiety (the suspense of waiting for our match is KILLING me), perspective. Andrew & I marked the occasion by going to the VW dealership (I hit a pothole HARD last week, so we had them check out why there is now a vibration when you’re travelling slowly – turns out the rim is slightly bent on the inside), then to a super-cool health/organic food store (that was mostly for Andrew), then to a nice, leisurely lunch at Milestones. After that I invested in some badly needed workout gear, since I plan to join Crossfit later this month (if I’m going to be a mom, I’d better raise my fitness level above it’s current level of “extreme sloth”). Adoption-wise, referrals haven’t exactly been coming in thick & fast, but the Ethiopian program does seem to move more steadily & “quickly” than many other programs, at least at the moment. At this point, it’s just a matter of being patient & waiting your turn. Easier said than done when your 40th birthday is looming large on the horizon.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Daydream Believer, or the end of an era

I just saw on the news that Davy Jones just passed away from a heart attack, aged 66. Part of my childhood just died too. Even though it was cancelled the year before I was born, the Monkees was my FAVOURITE TV show growing up, and Davy was my favourite Monkee. Many a day was spent daydreaming about marrying my true love (Davy, of course) and our life together. Whatever I was doing in the afternoon, as soon as it came time for the Monkees to come on the TV, I dropped everything & ran to the family room. Nevermind that it was usually a re-run, it was required viewing. Come to think of it, it was my first memorable comedy experience. It'll be days before I will get the theme song out of my head. Rest in peace, Davy, I will miss you.

Friday, January 6, 2012

I'm going to eat you little fishy....

I suspect only those Red Dwarf fans amongst you will get the reference in the title of this post. It's a lie, I guess, as I don't ear fishies at all - I do not like the seafood. As I like to say, I am doing my part to save the world's oceans.
Anyhoo, to the real (and real stupid) reason for the post - am I the only person who feeds the fishies every time I'm on my blog? Or do some of you lovely people feed them too? I don't want to over-feed them, you see, otherwise they'll get all fat & I'll be cleaning their tank every other day.
Yes, it's been a frustrating, crazy-making kind of week. I am glad it is almost the weekend....

P.S. - For those of you who ARE fans of Red Dwarf, did you know that the original cast are all back in the studio as we speak, recording the tenth season? Woohoo!

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

34 months? Really?

Yes, it's true! As of today, we have been waiting 34 months for our referral. Who knew, in March of 2009, that we would still be waiting to be matched with our girl. I certainly didn't think so, even during the dark days of the bankruptcy. I'm sure that, karmically, cosmically, there's a reason for all this, but it escapes me. Here's hoping that, one day, hopefully soon, we'll be matched, and none of this waiting & hoping & agonizing will fade away into nothingness. Until then, we wait.....

Monday, January 2, 2012

HELLO 2012! 2011, you can go now...

Happy new year, faithful readers! May the new year bring you happiness, health, peace, and all that good stuff. 2011 was not the greatest year, so I'm hoping 2012 is our year. I'm not getting my hopes up too high, though! As much as I try to be an optimist, I am really a pessimist at heart. This year, though, I'm going to do my best to only put good vibes out into the universe, so the same will come back to me. I hope you'll be seeing more positive posts from me, especially positive adoptions posts. This year is our year (pretty please)!

My mom's surgery went well - they removed 2/3 of her thyroid. We'll find out this week, hopefully Tuesday or Wednesday, whether or not it was cancer. I suspect we're going to get good news in that regard.

Bring on the good stuff, 2012!