A life in progress

I know my mom reads my blog (Hi Mom! :) ), and she had a really rough day yesterday.  So, I thought today would be a great day to tell everyone that reads my blog (all, I don't know, 25 of you) how awesome my mom is. So, this is my mom, circa 1981.  Not only does she have amazing hair and taste in furniture, but it also looks like she's texting someone -- which tells me that she may be a time traveler.  And check out that adorable blonde girl in her lap!  I mean, let's be honest, have you ever seen a cuter kid?  I'm going to bet not. While I cannot exactly  remember this stage in my life, I'm going to guess this is about the time of my life that I decided my mom was the most awesome lady in all the land.  She baked things, played with me, read with me, and mostly just hung out with me.  She was even my Campfire Scout leader (like a co-ed version of boy/girl scouts).  My mom was awesome. As the years went on, I never thought my mom wa...

So, as many people know, I'm attempting to train for a 10K in January.  Why, you may ask.  I don't like running.  I think running is a terrible thing, which barely meets the criteria of "sport".  If you like to run, that's cool.  I'm not going to harass you about it or make fun of you.  I just don't enjoy it. However, I realize I need to be healthier.  I've gained a substantial amount of weight in the past couple of years (the IVF drugs alone helped me put on nearly 20lb.), and I should be leading a healthier life in general. This is especially true as I look at the prospect of having kids in the house.  While I was in Europe this summer, I met a wonderful new friend, who was really into running and marathoning.  She also introduced me to the Disney races.  I thought to myself, "I like Disneyland".  I could probably force my way through 6 miles of Disney.  After a little bit of research, I found the  Disneyland St...

I haven't written anything in quite some time.  Largely, because I used my blog to update everyone on my European adventures, and I'm no longer in Europe.  There were a LOT of adventures this summer, but then we had to come home.  There are far fewer adventures now.   A few times a week, I THINK about writing, but I just don't.  Part of it is because that would require me to sit down with my laptop, which is often the last thing I want to do after being in front of my computer all day at work, and attempting to focus on school work.  However, today I'm sitting in the tutoring office at UNLV, and like most Sundays, have no appointments.  That leaves me here in this office alone with my thoughts, Netflix, and all of the things I should be doing. I am sitting here thinking about how we are, in many ways, on the cusp of our next adventure.  For the past couple of months, Mike and I have been taking classes to license as foster parents. ...

I came home this afternoon, after buying some late summer plants from our local nursery, to find that Robin Williams had passed away this afternoon, in an apparent suicide.  Obviously I am not the first person to know.  My Facebook feed was full of people expressing sadness at the death of such a talented actor and comedian. Like them, I am saddened by the loss of such a great talent.  I am also sad to see yet another well-loved person succumb to crippling depression, addiction, and his eventual demise.  I caught bits and pieces of news over the summer discussing his return to rehab and struggles with sobriety.  I had hoped that he would be able to return to a better life, but it was not in the cards. Everyone has a favorite Robin Williams movie, character, stand-up routine.  There are so many to choose from. There is Popeye, which I loved as a child. Good Morning Vietnam - which my mom loved when I was a child, and so I grew to love by defau...

I haven't posted for a while, largely because my internet access in Berlin left a lot to be desired.  I blame communism.  That is probably not the problem, but that is what I blame.  :) Rather than spend a lot of time going over the ins and outs of my last few weeks in Europe, I'l start with another how-to (in my opinion).  I found my European summer was, for the most part, very affordable.  And many of you are thinking "yeah, right".  But I'm serious... here are a few of my take aways for how to afford your own summer in Europe. 1.  Choose one destination and live in it.  Aside from airline tickets, housing will be your biggest expense.  Over the years, I have learned that apartments or vacation homes are much cheaper than hotels for a lengthy stay.  For a day or two, there's no real difference.  For more than 3 days, an apartment will generally save you money, especially if you are traveling with friends or family.  My Fr...

When we first came to Germany about 2 weeks ago, it was miserable.  I was hot and tired and couldn't figure out how the public transportation worked.  It lacked the mystique of France while managing to be incredibly confusing at the same time.  It did not help that I wasn't particularly prepared for the German leg of my journey.  I hadn't studied maps, or worked out the public transportation, or even bothered to learn any German.  All of these things are my fault.  Germany is not to blame:  it simply went on being the same country it had been for the past decades. There are some things that Germany could do better, but they are not meant as affronts to me personally.  I'd like to see more air conditioning.  I would like to see better internet connections.  I would like the public transportation to be connected.  As it is, I have to leave one station and walk a block to transfer to another line.  This is irritating. Fortunat...