Back on track

Since my flabby butt hasn't done any major exercise since last fall, I decided today was the day to get back on the ball. I went for a 3 mile walk tonight with Oliver. He's not the greatest walking buddy. He loves to cut in front of me, step on my feet and take off running with the leash. Hmmm...sounds like taking a toddler with me. :-) Anyways, it felt great to get back outside. Yeah, I froze. It was only 32 degrees. But...it was SUNNY!! I had to wear long underwear underneath my running pants. (Why are they called long underwear anyways, do you know?)

(These are not mine, by the way....)

a picture says a MILLION words

This is a picture I don't think I posted when we were in China. After being interviewed for an article for our local paper about "Going Global" (people who have made a difference in a global way, and ours is about Julia's adoption), I thought of this photo. I don't even remember Brion taking the picture of Wayne and I. We had just been handed Julia's photo album that contained her earliest pictures and many nice little poems. I recall being so emotional and very upset that my newest daughter only has 8 or so "baby pictures" of her life before us. Wayne looks just like a hopeful new dad, so proud of what's going on. I'm so grateful to Brion for snapping this photo off when he did. I think it captures the true emotions of adoption and how different moms and dads can be.

You could ask me anything about that day and I can remember it exactly. Meeting Julia for the first time at the civil affairs building was like being in the delivery room for Cam and Anna. But with more people and another family in our same room. It was nice only having one other family to share that experience with. Liz and Brion have really become life-long friends that I can't imagine being without. Brion was the adventerous one, trying new foods, walking and checking out everything. Liz and I joke that we can't think of what it would be like to adopt again without the other couple there. Guess we're going to have to adopt again at the same time!! LOL!

This is the day I get for bragging about yesterday being a great day...

1. Didn't get to sleep til nearly 1:00am (my own fault, was reading a new book and couldn't stop!)
2. Had some very horrible dreams and images that made it impossible to get back to sleep
3. Oliver whined and howled from 2:30-4:30am
4. Overslept til 7:05 meaning I would have to take the kids into school
5. Found the reason Oliver was whining...he pooped in his crate (but had earlier refused to go outside when I let him out at 2:30 & 3:30am...go figure!)
6. Needed to give the puppy a bath after returning from dropping the kids off at school

ALL THIS BEFORE 9:00AM....CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT THE REST OF THE DAY HOLDS!

Sleeping alone

I somewhat look forward to sleeping alone when Wayne is gone. This time it's not meant to be. I have the most beautiful angel dreaming away by my side. Anna has taken Wayne's place next to me...minus the snoring. Although, I was listening to her breathe...she sounds a lot like Wayne. Is that possible? Is breathing something we get from our parents? I don't know.

Where the boys are...

There's a huge Cal-Chlor pow-wow happening in New Jersey this week. Wayne is working out there for the week. Not exactly a vacation, but...he's headed into NYC for dinner one night. Lucky bastard. I know...I was just in New Orleans, but I would take NYC for dinner anytime! Anyways...here's a map of where he's at in NJ. Look for the red dot, that's where the boys are. ;-)

Old Askins family pictures

This is where it all started for our family. Here are my grandparents (my mom's parents) on their wedding day, June 1955.

Here's a picture of my mom and my grandparents at some sort of parade that I marched in. I was a Brownie. :-)

Uncle Wendell, the cool one...with cousins Andy and Carla.

This is my Uncle Mark and my Aunt Pam (she's my mom's sister) and Cameron.

This is one of my favorite Aunt Cheryl pictures (she's on the left and my mom's other sister, who is married to Uncle Wendell)...this was taken in...I'm not sure...1970-something. :-)

Here's my mom and my Uncle Jeff at Pentwater State Park. Not sure of the year on this one either.

This is my great-grandma McKenzie, she was Anna's namesake. (She was my grandma Darlene's mom)

Here's the whole family (minus spouses, kids and grandkids!) First, my Uncle Jeff, my mom, Grams, Pops, my Aunt Pam and my Aunt Cheryl. Was taken at my Poppa's retirement party.

This is me and my grandma in the pool at my Aunt Cheryl's old apartment in Daytona. I was in the 5th grade...so that would have been 1984. Wayne was in his first year of college at this time! LOL!

This is one of my favorite pictures of my grandparents together. They are riding in my Uncle Wendell's old Rambler. Gotta love the Hawaiian shirt and Budweiser vison on Poppa.

This is my dad and my sister at the Oceana county fair. Samantha looks to be about 3 or 4, so that makes Theresa either 4 or 5.

This is my Uncle Jeff. He pasted away 12 years ago. This is my absolute favorite picture of him. Yeah, I know...this is going to make my Aunt Cheryl cry, but...there isn't a day that I don't wish that he were here. He used to give me a hard time and call me names when I was a kid. I can't hear an REO Speedwagon, Bruce Springsteen or Cheap Trick song without thinking about riding in his super cool green Regal he had. I love and miss you, Uncle Peff (that's not a typo either).

Anna when she was about 8-9 months old. A rare moment when she would keep her hearing aids in at that age. LOL!

Uncle Wendell took this picture of Cameron when he was about a year old. I just love it!

Here's Grammy Darlene with her babies. I used to be the one she cuddled on her lap! Cam is about 3-4 and Anna is probably just over a year old.

We have a WINNER in the guess what's grillin' contest!

Leave it to my OWN SISTER to guess. Yes, Samantha got it right. Our steaks when turned just right, look like the state of Michigan! However, Samantha isn't into my dangling foo-foo earrings and being that she's my sister...I'm going to do a "Guess what's grillin' contest". She won't be allowed to guess either. LOL!

Any guesses?

First person to correctly identify what you're looking at wins a special something from my spring collection of earrings or a bracelet. If you happened to be a guy answering...tough! HINT: It's steak, so don't burn up your one answer with that. ;-)

For Dawn...The Real Julia

I took this picture of Julia after church Sunday. After our chat last night, I wanted to post a non-fakey/posed picture of Julia. Somewhere there's a woman in China giving her spouse this same look. LOL!!!

It's spring in Ludington...Dairy Queen as OPENED!

Hell on earth has arrived again in the form of ice cream. For my friends down south...our DQ closes from October to mid-March. I think the giant snowbanks have something to do with keeping the crowds down. Anyways....it's now open and well, my love affair begins again. Me and Mr. Misty have a cherry-ice romance that's been going on since 1991. I love him, he doesn't make me fat, although he does stain my tongue red. Oh yeah...they're called "Artic Rush" now. Bah.

What I made for the LWB art auction

These 2 pairs of earrings are going to be auctioned as one set. I love the way the red tensha bead ones turned out. :-)

Here's another set. More tensha beads and lantern look-a-likes.

Here's the Chinese jacket pendant. I love these beads!!
This is the blue version. Pretty cool!!

Barbie sacrafice

So this is what I found on kitchen floor after taking Oliver for a walk. All the women have clothes, Ken does not. Interesting.

Missing

Julia: Daddy! (As if she's just figured out the secret to life!) Your HAIR is missing!!!!
Wayne: Where did it go?
Me: (laughing and snickering under my breath...)
Julia: I don't know! It not growed anymore.


Poor Wayne....

Why I love John Cusak

Came across "Better Off Dead" on ABC Family Channel. I love love love John Cusak movies. "One Crazy Summer" is my favorite. Anyways...made me think of a few lines from one of his most recent movies, called "Martian Child". He says:

"I don't want to bring another kid into this world. But how do you argue against loving one that's already here?"

“It doesn’t matter where you come from. As long as you discover, where you belong.”

Wish I had a doodle

Enter the ICHC online Poker Cats Contest!

COOOOOLD

Woke up this morning to no water. Pump had froze. Finally around 2 we got water back, and thawed out. :-) Thanks, MVD for helping out!

Butterflies are back at Meijer Gardens!

I love going to see the butterflies at Meijer Gardens. I hope I can get the kids down there. :-)

It's a ladybug kinda day here....

Ok...so my blog title is Ladybugs and The Red Thread....Just wanted to post some great little pictures of laybugs. Dawn, what's to be said for the first picture...the one that says "Believe"? Hmmm...

I can make you thin...

How stupid is that? TLC (The Learning Channel) has a new show...some dude is going to help people lose weight. Shit. No one can DO IT FOR YOU. You have to want it, be committed and stick with it. Yeah. It's hard. It down right sucks sometimes. (Oh, I think I'm qualified to comment on this topic, btw.) I've never said I'm on a diet. Christ on a cracker, if you look at it that way, you'll be on a DIET TIL YOU DIE. I made a life style change. No snacks, No soda, More exercise. Now, I snack on ocassion, I drink sodas from time to time. You have to, to keep your sanity. But, for me...I had to do something radical. Just as an FYI, for those that are keeping track...I haven't lost anything since the last time I posted about my weight. LOL! Winter blahs and being sick has kept my sprirts low. I'm still upbeat and thrilled to be where I am now though. :-)

Off my soapbox.....

My apologies

To all my friends with blogs...I've been slacking lately. I haven't been checking in and I'm so sorry. Most of you are moms, so you know what I mean when I say I've been busy. Not like busy saving the world, but just trying to get life to slow down a bit. Dawn, I'm thrilled that everything came out with the tests. I prayed many nights because you and Tonni both have been my saviors and I couldn't bare to stand the thought of you being sick. Tonni, you lady friend, I think about you and pray every day for as well. You now know my secret and didn't run. Some of my "real" friend did run. I love you like a sister and don't think for a minute I don't mean that.

Your slacker friend....

Melissa :-)

(who spent nearly 40 minutes looking for images for this post! LOL! Make sure Safe Search is on...ehhh...best friend apparently means something else in the adult movie industry!)

Anna

I can't sleep. Not sure why. Still riding the waves of this past week, I suppose. New Orleans and getting the Award are fresh and in my thoughts every few minutes. I finished reading My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. The main character is a girl named Anna. Two of the supporting characters are named Campbell (Cam) and Julia. Odd, isn't it? I found it to be outright spooky. I usually only read when traveling (ie on the plane or at my hotel) and before I go to bed. I look forward to that time of being all snuggled in with a good book. Took me 8 months to finish the last Harry Potter because I didn't want the series to end. Anyways...back to the latest book.

I knew when I went to bed tonight that it would be the night I finished My Sister's Keeper. I hate ending a book to be honest. I dunno what it is, but I like getting wrapped up in the lives of the people I'm reading about. Call it an escape from my reality. I knew that someone was dying at the end of this book. Christ, do I hate that. Seriously. Dying isn't my thing. Well, I'll spoil it for you (because if I don't, I can't get on with the rest of this entry!). Anna dies. (Not my Anna, the Anna in the book!!) I was devastated. Yeah. I was choked up. Losing a character that you have connected with tears you up.

Here's the ironic part and why I said I had to spoil it. Today, March 3rd, is my Anna's 8th birthday. Eight years ago today, I went into labor and 14 hours later gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl. (Whom I thought was for sure a boy!) I don't do pregnancy well. In fact, I hate it. Some women get that glow, the nails and hair. I get sick 24/7 for 9 months. It's like perpetual PMS. I was a raving lunatic. Emotionally, I thought I was going to lose it. I'm sure that Wayne felt that way too. We nearly got divorced because I was so bad. Sure sure, you say. But look at the baby girl you got in the end. HA! I reply. Pregnancy is not for the faint of heart. It can be the best and worst of times. Something that I have no desire to do again for no amount of love.

She was born at 8:01pm. Full head of black hair (like Cam and me when we were born). She weighted 8lbs 5oz and was 20 inches long. She would be named Anna Elizabeth. Anna after my great-grandmother Anna May McKenzie and Elizabeth after Wayne's grandma Wagner (she was Emma Elizabeth). Yes, I counted all 10 fingers and toes. She screamed like a banshee on fire if I recall. Her ears were bent over, like someone had folded them before she came out. Interesting sign if you ask me...a sign, you ask? Yes. A sign. Who would have foreseen that in less than 24 hours after being born, we would find out that Anna held a secret.

Some secrets are meant to be kept forever. Like the one about your best friend having a crush on the geeky computer nerd. Some secrets can't be kept. Like the one Anna had. In the summer of 1998, our local hospital started the Newborn Hearing Screens. Babies that were at "high risk" would have their hearing tested. Well, sometime later, they changed that to ALL babies would be tested. Anna was tested sometime during her first 24 hours. Carol (an OB nurse) came into to tell me the results. Anna had failed the screen. They would be testing again, before we went home. Usually it's fluid or vernix, but most babies past. Anna wasn't like most babies. She failed again and again.

Not for one second did I ever look at her as less than what she was. My daughter. The baby that Wayne and I had dreamed about for 9 months. Here she was. Cute. Pink. Smelling like that sweet baby smell. I remember laying in my hospital bed, just looking at her and dreaming about her first date, the senior Prom, her wedding and the children she will have. How could anything change the course we had choosen? How could anything take us down a different path? How could hearing loss alter the life of the most perfect baby?

The answer: IT HASN'T

Hearing loss hasn't changed Anna. It's part of who she's always been. It doesn't define her, but it is part of what makes her Anna. I'm sure as she grows we will have bigger struggles, but for now, we're celebrating 8 years of pure joy and a life that shines brighter each day. I look at Anna and see a very determined and spirited kid who loves life, loves dressing up and being a glam rock star. She loves to play the guitar and piano, she loves to write songs and wear dangling earrings. She's everything that I could have hoped for.

Happy Birthday, Anna. Momma loves you more than you'll ever know.

The Award

This is me and Lois. She was one of the people that nominated me!

This is while Marquita gave my background.

Me and Juju during the dinner!!

Here's an up close look (fingerprints and all) of my award.



What can I say? I'm still reeling from being nominated for this crazy thing, and now I have the award sitting on my tv. LOL! The CEC reception was very nice. Wayne tried to get some pictures of the Pantalind Ballroom, but I'm not sure they turned out the greatest. Anyways, we had a little buffet before we sat in listening to the ceremony. The CEC (council for exceptional children) gives out "Yes! I can" awards to children that have disabilities that have exhibited talents or promoted the better being of others. I was really impressed at what those kids did! I would have rather been there with Anna getting the award than me. Anyways...once it was my turn, I got to go up to the podium and listen to a lady tell everyone about the things I'm involved in. Quite a list when you read them all off! Even some that I had forgotten about. LOL! So, it's my turn to speak. No, I wasn't nervous. I really really really like public speaking, and getting up to talk about your family is so easy. :-) We had a nice time and it's one that I won't forget any time soon.