- 4 gifts for turning 4: Big Bumblebee, Transformers tennis shoes, Toy Story bilingual book, dry erase board writing set...and the 4 Transformer vehicles on the cake (Mami and Daddy)
- Two shirts, pants and John Deere boots! (Granna and Big Daddy)
- First season of cartoon Transformers on DVD (Uncle Terry, Aunt Shea, Jackson and Carson)
- Hooded coat (Uncle Grady and Aunt Norma)
- Bumblebee talking helmet (Uncle Kyle and Andrea)
- $20 (Granny)
- Peter Pan snow globe from Disney World (Grandmommy and Big John)
- Transformer fishing pole (Papi, Aunt Penny, Kitty and Corgan)
- Army PT t-shirt (Uncle Jeb)
- Transformer Sentinel Prime (Dalton)
- Green bucket of Legos (Riley)
- Spiderman activity fun case (Uncle Jack, Aunt Kathy, Jack III, William, Daniel and Augustine)
- Big package of cars (Uncle Joe, Aunt Angela, Justice and AJ)
- $20 Granddaddy
- John Deere mower and $5 in card (Grandma and Grandpa)
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Transforming into 4
Here is a rundown of all the nice gifts Elliott received for his 4th birthday:
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
It might not grow on trees, but how about in flowers?
I failed to mention that beginning in late June 2005 I started working for my friend Scott at his flower shop on Saturdays to earn extra money. My first day there a very alarming weakness was exposed: I can't tie balloons. I have never been able to twist that itty bitty remaining piece of latex around my fingers into a knot. But after numerous demonstrations that day (he deserves sainthood for so many reasons, and this is one of them), I finally conquered balloon tying!
My favorite duties there were the manual labor ones and not the creatives ones; my creativity is severely limited. This worked out well as every other employee there has hated washing buckets, cleaning out the cooler, etc. I loved doing those things. I think it was like the change rolling -- I felt like I was doing something, earning my way toward my baby if you will.
A unique situation presented itself while I was working there. I have always wanted to be as good as Erica at giving "happies" when someone needs one. And while I worked at the flower shop, I had a short lived time of being that person. And it felt so good! I gave more gifts during that 10-11 months than maybe ever combined ;). The benefit, of course, was a feeling of doing good for others combined with taking my mind off the "woe is I, I'm ready for my baby" sob fest.
Side note: I don't say this to brag, but to emphasize that even though I had become obsessed with financing this adoption, I didn't totally lose sight of reality and others who had been so generous to us. We were making so much from our yard sales that I started to feel really guilty about it. So three times Mom and I took part of the profits to other family members who either had medical bills or desperately needed a vacation.
The funny thing is, at the end of my time working for Scott, I think I only cleared $500. But he gave me the opportunity to save my sanity. Thank you, Scott.
All of this to say that when we found out we were #1 on the waiting list (!!!) a few weeks after getting on it in November 2005, Scott and Katie sent me a snowman ornament to work in celebration. In less than a week I will hang that ornament on our tree, like I have every year, and I will always cherish the friends who sent it.
My favorite duties there were the manual labor ones and not the creatives ones; my creativity is severely limited. This worked out well as every other employee there has hated washing buckets, cleaning out the cooler, etc. I loved doing those things. I think it was like the change rolling -- I felt like I was doing something, earning my way toward my baby if you will.
A unique situation presented itself while I was working there. I have always wanted to be as good as Erica at giving "happies" when someone needs one. And while I worked at the flower shop, I had a short lived time of being that person. And it felt so good! I gave more gifts during that 10-11 months than maybe ever combined ;). The benefit, of course, was a feeling of doing good for others combined with taking my mind off the "woe is I, I'm ready for my baby" sob fest.
Side note: I don't say this to brag, but to emphasize that even though I had become obsessed with financing this adoption, I didn't totally lose sight of reality and others who had been so generous to us. We were making so much from our yard sales that I started to feel really guilty about it. So three times Mom and I took part of the profits to other family members who either had medical bills or desperately needed a vacation.
The funny thing is, at the end of my time working for Scott, I think I only cleared $500. But he gave me the opportunity to save my sanity. Thank you, Scott.
All of this to say that when we found out we were #1 on the waiting list (!!!) a few weeks after getting on it in November 2005, Scott and Katie sent me a snowman ornament to work in celebration. In less than a week I will hang that ornament on our tree, like I have every year, and I will always cherish the friends who sent it.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Happy 4th Birthday, Baby Boy!
On Tuesday, November 22, 2005, I was filled with an unexplainable anxiety all day at work. I would find out 2 weeks later that my baby boy was born that day 2000 miles away. My heart knew, it just couldn't translate it to my mind.On Wednesday, November 22, 2006, Doug and I both took off work to spend the whole day with Elliott.
On Thursday, November 22, 2007, we celebrated Thanksgiving on Elliott's birthday.
On Saturday, November 22, 2008, for the first time we were able to have his birthday party on his actual birthday.
And today, Sunday, November 22, 2009, we are spending a leisurely day celebrating his 4th birthday. My cup runneth over.
Last night I found a website for birth verses. Here is Elliott's:
“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. (Mark 11:22 NIV)Amen.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Rest in Peace, Poco
Sad, sad, sad, sad, so very sad. As Elliott and I were pulling in the driveway after lunch, I ran over our outside cat, Poco. We've had Poco for 8 years. And she has always run toward my car when I get home. But today I stopped halfway up the driveway, I think to turn and listen to something Elliott was saying, and when I started forward again I felt that horrible bump. I saw her run off, so I was hoping maybe I had just run over her leg. I left Elliott strapped in his carseat, ran and got the kennel, and as I was trying to load her into it she curled herself into an unnatural shape. She died en route to the vet. Tears.
My sweet daddy buried her in the back lot of the Co-op, and Elliott assisted. I did what I do best: cried and drowned my pain in sweets.
This is the second November in this house that we've lost a cat. Next November I'm sending Priss and Phillip on vacation.
My sweet daddy buried her in the back lot of the Co-op, and Elliott assisted. I did what I do best: cried and drowned my pain in sweets.
This is the second November in this house that we've lost a cat. Next November I'm sending Priss and Phillip on vacation.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Vegas Day 4: Au Revoir!
I woke on Saturday tired and with a heavy heart. I had not won big in Vegas. I would be returning not with a financial reprieve but with increased debt. Sigh. But I would be returning to my guys who I missed terribly.
Each time I've left NYC I've always thought, "Until we meet again!" But as we headed to the airport I thought, "So long, Vegas! Been there, done that, not coming back!"
On the last leg of the plane home, the others were sleeping, and I was left alone with my to do list for the coming week and my thoughts. The elephant on my chest had returned. When I looked in the mirror when we landed, my chest had broken out in a rash for the second day in a row. The previous afternoon had been while everyone else rested between activities, and again I was left alone with my thoughts. It seems I'm now able to externalize that elephant.
Back to life, back to reality...(sing the 80s song with me!)
What is important, though, is that I can look back on this milestone birthday and know that I spent it with my amazing best friends. Ladies, we'll always have Paris...I mean, Vegas.
I love you all. Thank you.
Each time I've left NYC I've always thought, "Until we meet again!" But as we headed to the airport I thought, "So long, Vegas! Been there, done that, not coming back!"
On the last leg of the plane home, the others were sleeping, and I was left alone with my to do list for the coming week and my thoughts. The elephant on my chest had returned. When I looked in the mirror when we landed, my chest had broken out in a rash for the second day in a row. The previous afternoon had been while everyone else rested between activities, and again I was left alone with my thoughts. It seems I'm now able to externalize that elephant.
Back to life, back to reality...(sing the 80s song with me!)
What is important, though, is that I can look back on this milestone birthday and know that I spent it with my amazing best friends. Ladies, we'll always have Paris...I mean, Vegas.
I love you all. Thank you.
Vegas Day 3: Slots of Fun
Friday was a big day for us. After sleeping in just a bit, we headed over to Caesar's to eat an early lunch at (Bobby Flay's) Mesa Grill. After checking out the menu but while waiting for it to open, I stopped at a $1 slot machine...
Sidebar #1: When I was in the 1st grade, my dad won a trip to Las Vegas, and I believe it was from a rat poison promo. He and my mom brought me back a slot machine pencil sharpener that really spun! I loved that thing. I wish I knew what I did with it. Anyhoo, he told the story about the Aberdeen manager walking by a $1 slot machine on the way to the bathroom, stopping briefly to put in a $1 and winning $100. I've always loved that story.
Sidebar #2: On Thursday night, Michelle was kind enough to accompany me around Paris and Bally's playing my mom's $20 (with no luck). I kept getting confused about which kind of machine we were playing, and when I happened to win a few credits here and there I would always ask Michelle, "How much did I just win?" to which she usually replied, "$4."
...Michelle tried to talk me out of losing my $1 in one spin. But I just took out that crisp $1 and hit the button. And lo and behold, three 7s. And the credits started racking up, and Michelle started getting excited, and I again said, "How much did I just win?" To which Michelle yelled, "$100!" immediately followed by Holly, "CASH OUT!" Which I did with a huge grin on my face. It was an amazing 30-second high. But, I do have to say that I hate that you get a ticket and not money back out of the machine. I sauntered over to the bill exchanger, put in my ticket, took that wonderfully crisp $100 from the machine, held in it my hands for five seconds with the biggest, stupidest grin on my face...and then turned and handed it to Michelle to pay on my airfare and hotel bill that I owed her. I wish I had a picture of the look on her face. It was awesome. Complete disbelief. Now, I have to confess that I had been dreaming of winning big in Vegas for weeks. No, not $100 big, B-I-G. So I had daydreamed about how I was going to spend it. And then I had downgraded the daydream to a lesser amount, and in that daydream I realized that the first thing I needed to do was pay back Michelle. So I had contemplated this move in advance of winning. It was a complete no brainer. And boy it was fun.
After a delicious lunch at Mesa Grill and browsing around the high end shops at Cesar's, we headed back to our hotel to get gussied up to go see Cirque du Soleil's "O" at the Bellagio. We looked so good that we actually got offered free tickets to clubs multiple times! That show was FANTASTIC! Still kinda like being on drugs, but much more my drugs of choice, ha! On the way out, we heard what presumably was a pimp or at least a sleazy promoter ask the guys behind us if they wanted to go to a strip club. I heard them reply with a very refreshing nope. The others went on to tell me later that these same guys had been talking about algorithms. Tee hee. More to come on this.
We stopped back by the hotel to change (apparently we can only be divas for a short amount of time), but before we headed back upstairs I was bound and determined I was going to play roulette. All day, and maybe part of the day before, I had decided that Black 22 was a winner. And I also decided I had to play while dressed up because that was part of the magic. Go with it. So I nervously approached the table after some consideration, handed over my $20, got 4 chips, placed 2 on Black 22 and 2 on Red 21. The wheel spun, the little ball went around and around, and that little bugger landed on 0. BUT, let the record show that at least 3 tables in the vicinity had hit Black 22 within the last 3 spins. So my instinct about the day and the number were right. I just chose the wrong time and table. Total bummer.
Next we got on The Deuce, a double-decker bus, to head down to Freemont Street. The bus took FOREVER. I had reached a zone of bleh, so I wasn't chatting up my seatmate, a regular ole' guy of about mid 50. His female friend, who was sitting in front of Michelle and Erica, asked him what the name of the bus was on Harry Potter. Well, I couldn't resist piping up, which led us into conversation. When I obligingly asked him why he was in Vegas and he answered for a math conference, Michelle and Erica simultaneously shouted out, "AHA!" They now had an explanation for the dudes earlier talking about algorithms over strippers. As he and his homies were getting off the bus, we heard one woman say to another, "Oh, you must be one of us; you're wearing Pi earrings!" I must be cooler than I previously thought.
Freemont Street was a complete bust as far as I was concerned. It's like the white trash cousin of the Vegas' strip, and that ain't saying much since Vegas is in fact Sin City. But we did get a cheap midnight supper at the Golden Nugget's cafe before getting back on The Deuce. If we thought the first ride was bad, boy were we in for a rude awakening. The ride back had obnoxious, smelly drunk people. Ick.
During this time I was talking to Julianna on the phone hoping we could meet up since she was in Vegas to celebrate her birthday. I was disappointed that our timing was off, but I did feel good knowing she was so close :).
Sidebar #1: When I was in the 1st grade, my dad won a trip to Las Vegas, and I believe it was from a rat poison promo. He and my mom brought me back a slot machine pencil sharpener that really spun! I loved that thing. I wish I knew what I did with it. Anyhoo, he told the story about the Aberdeen manager walking by a $1 slot machine on the way to the bathroom, stopping briefly to put in a $1 and winning $100. I've always loved that story.
Sidebar #2: On Thursday night, Michelle was kind enough to accompany me around Paris and Bally's playing my mom's $20 (with no luck). I kept getting confused about which kind of machine we were playing, and when I happened to win a few credits here and there I would always ask Michelle, "How much did I just win?" to which she usually replied, "$4."
...Michelle tried to talk me out of losing my $1 in one spin. But I just took out that crisp $1 and hit the button. And lo and behold, three 7s. And the credits started racking up, and Michelle started getting excited, and I again said, "How much did I just win?" To which Michelle yelled, "$100!" immediately followed by Holly, "CASH OUT!" Which I did with a huge grin on my face. It was an amazing 30-second high. But, I do have to say that I hate that you get a ticket and not money back out of the machine. I sauntered over to the bill exchanger, put in my ticket, took that wonderfully crisp $100 from the machine, held in it my hands for five seconds with the biggest, stupidest grin on my face...and then turned and handed it to Michelle to pay on my airfare and hotel bill that I owed her. I wish I had a picture of the look on her face. It was awesome. Complete disbelief. Now, I have to confess that I had been dreaming of winning big in Vegas for weeks. No, not $100 big, B-I-G. So I had daydreamed about how I was going to spend it. And then I had downgraded the daydream to a lesser amount, and in that daydream I realized that the first thing I needed to do was pay back Michelle. So I had contemplated this move in advance of winning. It was a complete no brainer. And boy it was fun.
After a delicious lunch at Mesa Grill and browsing around the high end shops at Cesar's, we headed back to our hotel to get gussied up to go see Cirque du Soleil's "O" at the Bellagio. We looked so good that we actually got offered free tickets to clubs multiple times! That show was FANTASTIC! Still kinda like being on drugs, but much more my drugs of choice, ha! On the way out, we heard what presumably was a pimp or at least a sleazy promoter ask the guys behind us if they wanted to go to a strip club. I heard them reply with a very refreshing nope. The others went on to tell me later that these same guys had been talking about algorithms. Tee hee. More to come on this.
We stopped back by the hotel to change (apparently we can only be divas for a short amount of time), but before we headed back upstairs I was bound and determined I was going to play roulette. All day, and maybe part of the day before, I had decided that Black 22 was a winner. And I also decided I had to play while dressed up because that was part of the magic. Go with it. So I nervously approached the table after some consideration, handed over my $20, got 4 chips, placed 2 on Black 22 and 2 on Red 21. The wheel spun, the little ball went around and around, and that little bugger landed on 0. BUT, let the record show that at least 3 tables in the vicinity had hit Black 22 within the last 3 spins. So my instinct about the day and the number were right. I just chose the wrong time and table. Total bummer.
Next we got on The Deuce, a double-decker bus, to head down to Freemont Street. The bus took FOREVER. I had reached a zone of bleh, so I wasn't chatting up my seatmate, a regular ole' guy of about mid 50. His female friend, who was sitting in front of Michelle and Erica, asked him what the name of the bus was on Harry Potter. Well, I couldn't resist piping up, which led us into conversation. When I obligingly asked him why he was in Vegas and he answered for a math conference, Michelle and Erica simultaneously shouted out, "AHA!" They now had an explanation for the dudes earlier talking about algorithms over strippers. As he and his homies were getting off the bus, we heard one woman say to another, "Oh, you must be one of us; you're wearing Pi earrings!" I must be cooler than I previously thought.
Freemont Street was a complete bust as far as I was concerned. It's like the white trash cousin of the Vegas' strip, and that ain't saying much since Vegas is in fact Sin City. But we did get a cheap midnight supper at the Golden Nugget's cafe before getting back on The Deuce. If we thought the first ride was bad, boy were we in for a rude awakening. The ride back had obnoxious, smelly drunk people. Ick.
During this time I was talking to Julianna on the phone hoping we could meet up since she was in Vegas to celebrate her birthday. I was disappointed that our timing was off, but I did feel good knowing she was so close :).
Vegas Day 2: 6156 is the Mark of the Devil
I woke up very tired and feeling very badly on Thursday morning. I started my day by popping Ibuprofen, Sudafed and another dose of Tamiflu...on an empty stomach. Shouldn't have been too much of a surprise that when I smelled the food downstairs that I got sick. Back to bed for me while the others ventured out for half price tickets for that night (dang you, Wayne Brady, for cancelling on us!). In retrospect, I think I had the advantage sleeping while they did all that walking. Thanks, girls!
We met up for lunch at Le Buffet (roll eyes), which I thought was good but I think I was in the minority on that one. Then again, me and massive amounts of food are always good. Next up, The Price is Right Live, a non-televised version of the show with a different host and announcer. Very fun even though none of us got to come on down :(. We were all set to have our picture made with the beauties after the show (Gail, the blonde, is from the Memphis/Tunica area), but the random older lady who was going to take it was not exactly camera savvy. As she is splitting our picture into two shots (yeah, because we're going to piece them together later? come on lady), Erica goes, "Aw, geeeez." Might not sound funny in print, but trust me, it was hilarious.
A little gambling, a roller coaster ride for Holly and Erica, and more walking later, and we decided to go to In-N-Out Burger for an early dinner before our 7:30 show. Unfortunately, we couldn't find a walking route, so we hopped in a cab. THE CAB FROM HELL. Now, the night before on the way to Rosemary's, Erica had been up front with the young cab driver who had absolutely no desire to talk with her or expound on her questions. On the way back from Rosemary's, Michelle was able to have a nice conversation with that driver. So when I got in the front and this cabbie started chatting me up, I thought all was well. I COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE WRONG. This &!@# started out by saying that us taking a cab to get a burger was "a dumbass" waste of his vehicle. Yep he did. But I thought he was just a gruff old man like so many I'd met, so I was just laughing him off. But when I was collecting quarters in lieu of no $1's to tip him (MORE THAN 20% I MIGHT ADD), he started mouthing off about not wanting to hear any change because we were not in Mississippi anymore. Oh yes he did, he insulted our intelligence and our state. So then Erica tipped him $0.30 in payment to his rudeness. Well dear heavens, he started mouthing off. I had heard enough from him so I just walked off. THAT MAN THEN PHYSICALLY BLOCKED HOLLY AND MICHELLE'S PATH AND LECTURED THEM. Just writing this has my blood pressure through the roof. I had every intention of calling the cab company and reporting him, but every time I thought about it my blood pressure spiked.
After recovering from this ordeal and enjoying the only cheap meal of our trip, we went to see Blue Man Group at the Venetian. Halfway through the show I turned to Erica and said, "I think this is what it's like to be on drugs."
We met up for lunch at Le Buffet (roll eyes), which I thought was good but I think I was in the minority on that one. Then again, me and massive amounts of food are always good. Next up, The Price is Right Live, a non-televised version of the show with a different host and announcer. Very fun even though none of us got to come on down :(. We were all set to have our picture made with the beauties after the show (Gail, the blonde, is from the Memphis/Tunica area), but the random older lady who was going to take it was not exactly camera savvy. As she is splitting our picture into two shots (yeah, because we're going to piece them together later? come on lady), Erica goes, "Aw, geeeez." Might not sound funny in print, but trust me, it was hilarious.
A little gambling, a roller coaster ride for Holly and Erica, and more walking later, and we decided to go to In-N-Out Burger for an early dinner before our 7:30 show. Unfortunately, we couldn't find a walking route, so we hopped in a cab. THE CAB FROM HELL. Now, the night before on the way to Rosemary's, Erica had been up front with the young cab driver who had absolutely no desire to talk with her or expound on her questions. On the way back from Rosemary's, Michelle was able to have a nice conversation with that driver. So when I got in the front and this cabbie started chatting me up, I thought all was well. I COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE WRONG. This &!@# started out by saying that us taking a cab to get a burger was "a dumbass" waste of his vehicle. Yep he did. But I thought he was just a gruff old man like so many I'd met, so I was just laughing him off. But when I was collecting quarters in lieu of no $1's to tip him (MORE THAN 20% I MIGHT ADD), he started mouthing off about not wanting to hear any change because we were not in Mississippi anymore. Oh yes he did, he insulted our intelligence and our state. So then Erica tipped him $0.30 in payment to his rudeness. Well dear heavens, he started mouthing off. I had heard enough from him so I just walked off. THAT MAN THEN PHYSICALLY BLOCKED HOLLY AND MICHELLE'S PATH AND LECTURED THEM. Just writing this has my blood pressure through the roof. I had every intention of calling the cab company and reporting him, but every time I thought about it my blood pressure spiked.
After recovering from this ordeal and enjoying the only cheap meal of our trip, we went to see Blue Man Group at the Venetian. Halfway through the show I turned to Erica and said, "I think this is what it's like to be on drugs."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)