Saturday at Home

Hey Hey its the WEEKEND!

Friday is here at last.

It finally is starting to feel like summer here in San Francisco. For the last two weeks it has been sunny and in the 70-80's and cools at night. We will see how long it lasts though because when I got up this morning the city was covered in a blanket of fog and there was a cool mist in the air.

Last night when I got home I had a wild cleaning hair and did some dishes that were in the sink from the night before (I hate that!) and decided that I am going to have a garage sale sometime this summer. It is all just a matter of going through my stuff and putting things a side to sell. I did start though. I think I am going to call it a "making room for baby" sale. I need to call my landlord and make sure I can use part of the garage before and on the day of the sale. I am sure it will not be a problem. I was also thinking about making cookies and selling them, people love cookies! Now I just have to decide when during this summer I can do the sale. That is the hard part since my weekends are filling up and I am pretty busy.

Speaking of weekends, again, IT'S FRIDAY! Tomorrow is going to be quite mellow. I am going to get up and do some laundry or I will do it at night and just hang out and craft and read all day, maybe I will make a pie. Sunday, Tim and I are going to go to Napa to meet Wendy and Brent and the four of us are going to the Napa County Fair. They are having pig races, a Mexican Rodeo and I am sure there is going to be some good food and wine there too! You bet your sweet apple pie I am going to watch "State Fair" this weekend. Even though we aren't going to the State Fair, it will still get me amped up to see the farm animals, play some games perhaps and get some sun.

I wanted to let you readers know that Wendy and I have a little photo blog going if you want to check it out. It is http://www.magpiemockingbird.blogspot.com/ - lots of cool links and fun photos. I was so inspired when I started checking out "3191 a year of mornings" so both of us decided we would give it a shot at the photoblog. They are just photos of our daily serendipies! Nothing to heavy or too arty, just fun.

New Shoes!

Things the make me Happy!

Breakfast for Dinner

A Kitty that smiles

Breakfast is Served

Want to Stop Junk Mail?

Check it out...
http://www.greendimes.com/

For about a penny a day you can stop all of your junk mail, catalogs, etc. and help the environment. I just signed up and my new obsession is trying to think of all of the catalogs I get so they can contact them and have them stopped. I like looking at them but then they do right into the recycling bin. Waste of time and paper, I can look at my favorite things online if I want to instead.

Did You Know?
To produce junk mail for one year, we use 100 million trees and 28 billion gallons of water.
Stay tuned...

Weekend in Review

Hey, can someone hand me some coffee?

Ahhh, yess, Monday morning and the promise of yet another week. I had a really nice weekend so I don't mind so much having to work today. It is when I don't get anything done on the weekend and then Monday rolls around that I feel I need another day.

Saturday was so nice. I slept about 12 hours and woke up at about 10:30 AM to the phone ringing. It was Tim's sister so I spoke to her for about 45 minutes on the phone (Tim was out playing tennis). I slowly woke up and made myself some tea and got back into bed and read and slept for a couple more hours. At 3:00 PM I got up and took a shower and was ready to go out and do something. Luckily we had plans to meet up with Katie and Marc for an early dinner at Herbivore. We met them there and sat outside in the back since it was warm outside. We gave them a gift for the baby (due in one month) and ate dinner. Both of them crack me up so it was a lot of fun. All of laughed our way through dinner and dessert and then decided to go over to their place to play wii. Tim kept telling me about it and I was not in the "know" until I played it. I absolutely LOVED it. It was so much fun. We played tennis and boxing and Marc showed me around the wii system. You can get on the Internet, etc. it was really cool. The next thing we knew it was about 9:15 PM so we decided to head back home. When we got home we watched TV and I worked on a little craft project until about 11:30 PM and then it was time for bed.

Sunday I took a class in Berkeley from 11-6. It was a calligraphic flourishing class taught by a man who does Spencerian calligraphy (super ornate and swirly). I did not do the sample above, but that gives you an idea of what it is supposed to look like. On my way to the class I payed attention to my natural surroundings and to the trees that were in bloom (as promised on my Friday post) and took some photos. There was a band playing music by Peet's coffee so I listed to that for a while and when 11 AM rolled around I walked over to my class. The class was hard for me. I am a little heavy handed with pens and had to teach myself that the pen barely has to touch the paper in order to get the desired look. It is a beautiful art, it was fun to meet new people and doodle all day. I don't know if it is something I will incorporate in my other art stuff, but we will see. When the class was over I went home and Tim and I ordered Chinese Food and listed to some music, I worked on some craft stuff and then went to bed. I slept until about 8:00 AM this morning! Yikes! It felt good though.

Below are some photos from my walk on 4th Street in Berkeley.

Stay tuned...

Surrounded by Beauty

I was walking to my car this morning thinking, I never really "take in" the view, I am always on a mission to get from point A to point B. Not that there is much of a view, but you know, really look at the flora and fauna of my own neighborhood. There is a staircase across from my house that I climb almost every morning to get to my car up on the next block and I actually took time today to check out all of the cool stuff that grows along the stairs and beyond. At the top of the stair case there is a really beautiful view of St. Paul's on Church street and beyond that, Twin Peaks. I guess I have gotten used to it. I have decided that this weekend I will look at my own neighborhood as I did when I first moved here. Everything is in bloom and the bugs are happy, it makes me feel good that I actually noticed that today!

Stay tuned...

Gratitude

Last night I had dinner with Sara at Cafe Gratitude. It was awesome. They have the best food ever. So fresh and grounding, I absolutely LOVE it. I think it is probably my favorite restaurant right now. I haven't burnt myself out on it yet. It would take a long time for me to get through the entire menu anyway, so I will be going there for a while still before I get tired of it. It was so nice to hang out and catch up with Sara. Her adventures in life amaze me, her bravery and hunger for adventure and good old fashioned motivation constantly inspire me. We had a really nice time. It is so nice to feel like what you are saying is the most important thing at that very instant. Everyone needs a good listener in their life. I am striving to be more engaged when my friends speak, but at times it can be frustrating when you don't get the same in return. I hope it was an even exchange last night.
Stay tuned...

Summer Solstice

Today is the longest day of the year and the official start of Summer!

Generally I use the Summer Solstice as a day to check in on what I have done over the last 6 months, the year is half over after all. I can't even tell you all how fast the time has just flown by. I deemed it the "Year of Katie" last year on my birthday and with that day coming up soon, I guess it is time to think about my goals for the next year. I think the added sunlight today will give me motivation to set aside some time for myself. I try to do that each day but the last couple have been pretty packed. So tonight it is all about ME.

Stay tuned...

Anti-Denti

Monday I had to go and get my teeth cleaned. I used to be an anti-denti until I met my Dentist. Seriously, I would freak out and be sick to my stomach the entire day I had to go visit the dentist. Now it is a walk in the park. Thank God they didn't find anything growing on my jaw bone like they did last time. No cavities, nothing exciting this time. Just wanted to post this to remind people how important it is to see a dentist every six months. Remember, tooth decay not taken care of can wreak havoc on your internal organs as well as your mouth!

Sacramento

Saturday, Tim and I got up and took off to Sacramento to meet Frankie Asch, the newest member of the Asch family. He is the sweetest little baby and makes the cutest noises I have ever heard. I love him to pieces and can't wait to visit him again in a couple weeks.
Tim and I stopped on our way to the Asch house at the Whole Foods Market in Sacramento. It was a super nice store and we picked up some panini's and salads for lunch along with some cookies. I have to admit, I love the suburbs. I loved sitting in a sunny backyard with close friends just hanging out and talking. It reminded me of being back home in Michigan. The perfect summer afternoon if you ask me. It will take a while until this Saturday is topped.
Stay tuned...

Hot in the City!

Way too hot yesterday to go to yoga, plus I felt really heavy since I was nursing a hangover and had pancakes, veggie sausage and egg whites for lunch. I hadn't packed my shorts for yoga either. I know that the heat helps with flexibility, but I couldn't deal yesterday. Now I am bummed about that decision. I decided to go home and work on some stuff there. I meditated for a while with a CD that I have and that was really nice.

I had most of the night to myself since Tim went out. It was nice and mellow. I am SO glad today is Friday though!

This weekend we are going to go to Sacramento on Saturday (tomorrow) to visit the Asch family. Sunday (Father's Day) we are going to go to the beach and hang out and maybe meet up with Tim's cousin for dinner. Even if it is cloudy on the coast we will still hang out at the beach, we love it. Just hanging out, reading magazines and checking out the waves and sometimes whales with our binoculars. I am looking forward to a really nice weekend!

Stay tuned!

PS - I started a new blog about our adoption process. Check it out if you are interested.
www.operationolive.blogspot.com - it is still under construction, but there are a couple posts on there. I am trying not to let the adoption stuff take over this blog! When we get the baby, that blog will be a place where I post her photos, videos, etc. for people to check out.

PSS - Anyone notice my flickr link?

Sushi Overload

Tim and I went to Moki's for dinner on Wednesday night and this is how it all went down.
4 speciality rolls
2 maki rolls
1 bottle of champagne
+ 1 molten chocolate cake dessert
1 stuffed girl, could barely walk to the car and then went home and had to lay down.

Self Reflection

I have been trying to get my yoga practice back up and running and this week I did it! I went on Monday and the class just about kicked my ass! The instructor said it was going to be mellow but when she started telling us about how we were going to try and do the splits, I knew I was in for it. I did surprise myself a little bit though. My legs are pretty strong and a strong muscle is a flexible muscle, or has the capability to become flexible if it isn't already. I impressed myself with my lower body flexibility, but need to work on loosening up my shoulders, they are so tight!

Anyway, I am going again Thursday and am going to continue with that schedule for as long as I can. I am motivated and love the way I felt when I left class. I can't believe I was out of it for so long.

I love yoga for the time you get to only reflect and concentrate on yourself. It is 90 minutes of YOU time. When I am in class, it is just me and the mat, the instructor is there for guidance of course, but I tune everyone else out and work only on myself during those precious minutes I am in class. Before I know it we are singing the closing slokas and I am being pushed back into the world. The test is to try to keep that yoga mindset during the week when I am working, at home and with my friends. I don't tend to get too anxious and tied up in things so it comes fairy easy to me to keep mellow and in the moment. To go to class and do the ansanas and listen to the wisdom of the instructor keeps me on track though. For that I am grateful.

Thursday already?

My gosh, I haven't even had time to post my weekend update!

This past weekend was real nice. Saturday, Wendy and I went to the Legion of Honor to check out the French Jewelry Exhibit and the 20's deco French Ads and Art. It was not very crowded at all and for once I got to park in the little circular lot on a Saturday! After the museum we fought for a parking spot on 24th Street in Noe Valley and had lunch at La Zinc, very nice french bistro style place that has a great brunch on the weekends. I had a salad that had goat cheese on toast on the side drizzled in honey, yummm! Don't forget my Champagne a la peche! After lunch we oooooed and ahhhhd in the window of the Noe Valley Bakery - there are a million types of cupcakes in the window and you know who loves cupcakes? ME! We decide to stop on the way back to the car. We walk on to a used baby and children's clothing store at 24th and Castro. They had wonderful things. Lots of nice, clean, gently used baby things. While walking back to the car we had to pass by temptation island again, Noe Valley Bakery! We drooled while looking in the window at all of the cupcakes and decided what we wanted and then went in. I ordered a lemon cupcake and Wendy a red velvet. We walked out with our cupcakes gently resting in a cute little bakery box and once we got to the car before pulling out of the coveted parking spot, we each grabbed our cupcakes and started munching. We said nothing, silence in the best thing in moments like this. There are no words, really. My lemon cupcake was filled with lemon schmoo, like the bottom layer of a lemon meringue pie. The tartness of the filling mixed with the sweetness of the cake was such a wondering combo. On top there was a yellow butter cream frosting (not my favorite) with a little bumble bee with almond sliver wings. What a nice treat. Wendy wolfed hers down and while I was eating the last bite of mine she started gathering crumbs of mine off my pant leg and eating them! It was so funny! We started driving over to the next used children's clothing store in Bernal and Wendy pulled down the vanity mirror in my Jeep and noticed that she had red stuff on her face! It was from the tiny red dot on top of the cream cheese frosting that topped her cupcake. It was really funny because it was the smallest red dot and it just seemed to spread when it touched her face.

We made our way to the shop in Bernal Heights and it had a TON of clothing and great prices! I got some really cute stuff!

After our shopping excursion, we went back to my house and hung out and Brent came by at 5:00 and the four of us went to Moss Beach Distillery for dinner http://www.mossbeachdistillery.com/. It was pretty nice. We had a table right by the window so we could see the ocean. The menu was really appealing which made it hard to order. The food was good, the company was better! I wanted to go there because of all the hype about it being haunted. They actually have the place wired. When you are in the ladies room and look in the mirror the face of the ghost woman appears and disappears. It is pretty funny. I don't think I would go back there, but it was a fun night out on the ocean. I prefer the setting and live music at the brewery.

I cant believe it took me almost a week to complete this posting.

I keep saying I am going to get better, but that keeps going down the toilet.

Stay Tuned!

Taking Notes

Today, I get to spend my day at an off site meeting in San Ramon from 10-4. Yuck! I am not really looking forward to it, but have to go and take notes. I literally sit there the entire time with one ear open until I hear something I think is notable and type it in on my laptop. Then we brake for lunch and I eat alone because everyone is in there little cliques. If there is one day a quarter that I really dislike my job it is the day of this quarterly meeting. I really feel like I am at the bottom of the barrel. I cant even tell you how mad I get when they ask me if I "got that in the notes" or "Katie, can you read that back to me?". I am not looking forward to it. Most days I am super positive but this is the one that is the most challenging for me. Anyway, I mind as well suck it up, after all, I am just a Secretary with a nicer title.

This week has been awesome! Not sure if I mentioned it in my weekend recap but Tim and I finished our book reports and handed in the remainder of our adoption paperwork and the home study is complete as well. I sent in my edits for the home study report so once those are made they get sent on to the next person to edit. We are officially in the waiting process.

Tuesday was our 9th Wedding Anniversary so we went out for Vietnamese food to celebrate. We had some ba muoi ba bia, coconut prawns in a clay pot, beef in a lot leaf and garlic noodles. It was really nice. Tim let me order things he may be able to try in Vietnam. It is not the same as eating it there though, it tastes really different and I think they used grape leaves here instead of lot leaves - I had to have a little bite to figure it out.

Yesterday was pretty uneventful. I just worked and went home and did my usual evening things, talk on the phone, lift weights and watch TV. It was nice though, I am not complaining.

Memorial weekend is upon us and again, I have to work on Monday as we do not get paid holidays and I could use the money badly. At least there wont be any traffic that day.

Well, I will write more tomorrow and give you a run down of my very exciting weekend plans (ha ha!).

Stay Tuned...

Weekend

This weekend went by way to fast. I can’t believe it is already Monday and I am here at work, whaaaa.
Saturday, I slept in and then went to the DeYoung to see the Vivienne Westwood exhibit with Sara and Samitha. It was AWESOME. I love her crazy style, the tartans and wools were amazing and some of the suits I would love to have. I love supporting a successful woman who did not follow the rules and became a total hit in the fashion world. We sat in the café at the museum for a long time just talking and lost track of time. We checked out a couple other things at the museum since Sara had not been there before and before we knew it, it was time to go home because they were closing. When I got home, I had planned on Vietnamese food with Tim, but he got a call from his friend who invited him over to watch the baseball game so he went and did that and I made myself a giant bowl of pasta and talked on the phone most of the night.
Sunday, I took an Advanced Altered Book class. A continuation of one I took in the fall. We took in our books that we started and learned some other really cool techniques for altering the book. We made a niche, some doors and windows, a cool secret pocket and she taught us some cool paper decorating techniques. The class was in Point Richmond, which I love! I drove around a little before the class since I got there early (I wasn’t sure how long it would take to get there, and needed to remember how to get there along the way as well.). It is such a cool area, I felt like I was in Mill Valley driving through the neighborhood, little narrow winding streets and beautiful views of the city. The 4 ½ hours of the class flew by and I made my way home afterwards. Tim and I went out to eat dinner last night and then walked around the mall in Serramonte to work off our dinner. I fell asleep on the couch at about 9:45 PM and dragged myself to bed. I woke up and it was Monday, a new start to a new week. I hope it is good.

Spring Fever Continues to Haunt me

I seriously want to travel again SOON. I know it is kind of ridiculous and out of the question, but I am going to try and find a way to make it happen. Perhaps Malta again since it was so cheap (after you get there of course). The flight is what kills me. I have the itch and can only ignore it for so long and then I am going to blow! Last time I felt like this was March 21 - I checked my blog. I never realized how much travel to Vietnam in Feb-March each year soothed my soul. Missing India hurt me bad and I just have the need to get out and explore again. I know I will be going to Vietnam to pick up the baby in the late fall or winter (I hope), but man, this is killing me. I am going to ignore this feeling as long as I can, but when your spirit is screaming at you, it is hard to ignore it.

Mom and Em's Visit!

My Mom and sister Emily were just here this past weekend for a visit. Robin, Wendy and I had a baby shower for Angela so they came in for it. It was really fun, here is a run down of our activities.

Thursday, April 18th. I went to work and then to my riding lesson. Apache was not walking very well at all and I freaked out. Something happened to him the day prior when they had him jumping so I had to ride another horse, (Nik), who is very sweet but you know I am in love with Apache and I was very sad during my lesson and kept thinking about him back in his stall knowing I was there riding someone else. I went and visited with him after my lesson and I told him I loved him and gave him some treats. I hope he heals fast. I went straight to the airport after my lesson to go and get Mom and Em. They were outside at the arrivals waiting for me so we got everything and everyone in the car and took off to go and eat at the Elephant Bar in Daly City since it was on the way home. We had some great food and each had a cocktail and went home and went to bed.

Friday, April 19th. Slept in a little more than we had expected, but it was fun to hang out in the morning in our jammies. We all jammed onto my bed in the morning and talked while looking at a catalog. We took off to have a fun day running around, but Apache was on my mind and I really wanted to visit with him so we went to the ranch. I introduced my Mom and Em to Nik, the thoroughbred I rode the night before, he is so tall! Then we went and saw Cane and little goat baby Jack. We walked over to where Apache was and for a moment I couldn't see him in his stall because of the way the sun was shining, but when I got closer and whistled for him, he was right there. I went into his stall and hugged him and gave him treats. He was walking around better than the night before, which made me really happy. We visited with all the other horses in Apaches area and gave the, all carrots. It was really fun. I am glad my Mom and Sister got to see me with my boy Apache. After the ranch we went over to 4th Street in Berkeley to walk around and have lunch. We ate at one of my favorite places, Tacubaya, yummy Mexican food. We went to the scrapbook store and popped into a couple other shops. After all of that we went over to Babies R Us and my Mom bought me the pack 'n play that I wanted for the babe. She also bought 2 really cute sleepers that I put away until we get "the call". After all the running around we went home and made a cake for the baby shower on Saturday then we went out for Vietnamese food at Lotus Garden.

Saturday, April 21 - got up, drove to Napa and had a baby shower for Angela at Wendy's house. It was fabulous. The food was wonderful and Angela looked incredible. She got some really nice gifts for her baby boy that is due at the beginning of June. I am so excited to meet him, I have watched him grow in her tummy and cant wait until he comes out into the world. The weather in Napa was pretty nice all day but later in the afternoon it started to rain. When the shower was over and everyone had left besides me, Mom and Em. We decided we would go to the outlet stores with Wendy and shop around. Wendy and I went to the Gymboree store while Mom and Em went to J Crew and other adult clothing stores. I got a really cute dress for the baby, pink with lady bugs on it with a matching hat and socks. I am trying to find a great little outfit for the giving and receiving ceremony but probably need not worry about it for a while. We went to Moki's back by my house for dinner and it was wonderful. Shortly after we got home we all fell asleep.

Sunday, April 22 - Got up a little late. Emily had some friends in town so she went and met up with them. Good think she knows how to get around the city by herself. My Mom and I went to Westlake Coffee Shop for breakfast and then went to the fabric store so I could pick out fabric for a quilt she is going to make for the baby. Of course everything I picked was pink, hello? After the fabric store we went home and picked up Em and went to the Half Moon Bay brewing company. We had to wait for a while to get a table so we each got a beer and we hung out and took some photos while we waited. Little did we know, the fun was about to begin once we got seated. Emily ordered some kind of passion fruit mai tai so my Mom and I had to copy. We all started getting a little loopy after that. We ordered some calamari for an appetizer that was so good. There was a funk and soul band playing Stevie Wonder and other songs in that genre while we ate. I got up to go to the bathroom and when I came back, I was talking with my hands (what else is new?) and knocked my drink right over. Whaaaa! Honestly, I didn't really need to finish it, I was the designated driver. We all ordered some fish and chips and ate and laughed so hard throughout our meal. I cant share some of the conversations, because they went downhill real fast and I don't want anyone to be embarrassed. It was a great time for sure. After dinner we ordered some desserts to share and made my Mom model each one. I don't know what it was so funny but I took a video of her laughing so hard, it is classic. Anyway, dinner concluded and we drove back to the city, watched some TV and all fell asleep.

Monday, April 23 - 5:30 AM - rude awakening, the alarm went off and Mom got up to take a shower while Em and I slept longer. 6:00 AM it was my time to get in the shower and get going. We all got ready and left the house by 7:00 AM to get to the airport. I dropped the ladies off and sleep walked my way through work that day. Monday night was nice, Tim was still in San Diego and I had the place to myself. I went to bed early and slept soooo good.

Tuesday Tim came home! He stopped by and saw me at work and picked up the Jeep so he could run some errands. Then he came back and got me and went out for pizza for dinner. After dinner we went and test drove some strollers at Babies R Us and went home.

It was a nice long weekend with my Mom and Sister. I had a lovely time. I wish we could spend time like that more often.

Stay tuned!

Home Study, Home Visit

Yet again, I got caught up in my own world and haven't had time to update my blog.
First, a quick update on the home study home visit. It went GREAT! Our Social Worker is really cool and was at our house for 5 hours! Yes, I said it, 5 hours! She went over a TON of stuff that we need to be aware of as adoptive parents. We spoke about health issues, mental issues, attachment and bonding and so many other things. She walked around our apartment and checked things out. When we were done, Tim and I went out for Vietnamese food to celebrate one more step in this process to check off of the never ending list. We ordered some Vietnamese beer and were enjoying ourselves, the hot food arrived about 3 minutes before one of Tim's old co-workers came up to us and started talking to us for 45 minutes! We stopped eating to chat with her because we didn't want to be rude, but 45 minutes was way too long to stand at the table and talk. We know the owner of the restaurant and she even came over and told her we needed to eat and she didn't budge. Finally she walked away and we ate our cold celebratory dinner. The next home visit is Sunday, April 29th and she is only coming over for about an hour or so, so it should be easier this time - we were very nervous and anxious last time.
I keep praying for our baby girl and hope that her birth Mother is healthy and taking good care of herself. I pray for the caregivers in the facility that she will live in until she gets to come home to her Mom and Dad and cute grey kitty in San Francisco.

Tomorrow is the BIG day!

This entire week Tim and I have been anticipating the Home Study, home visit from our social worker, Pam scheduled for tomorrow. We have cleaned out the kitchen cabinets, wiped down the walls and have been working in the bedroom on moving things around. We split our room in two with a loft curtain so the baby will have her own space. It is so nice to have projects to work on together while we wait for our little one. We signed up for a Intro. to Vietnamese Cooking class up in Sonoma that will take place in July. I was surprised Tim wanted to take it, but he is actually excited about it. Tonight we are finishing up moving things into the hallway that need to go into storage tomorrow so tomorrow morning all we have to do it clean the bathroom after our showers and we will be all set for the visit. I thought I would be more nervous, but I am more excited than anything.

Wednesday night Wendy, Brent and I went to the Rodeo. Tim didn't want to go this year and hear me scream my head off at all the cowboys! We went to the Bull Riding only night and it was fun! I got to prove to Wendy I was no longer scared of horses by walking right up to one in it's stall and petting its head and talking to it. Looks like we may have changed roles a little in that area.

Wednesday at lunch Wendy and I went and got some baby clothes at Babies R Us. It was so fun! It was the first time I had bought anything for the baby. My social worker at the adoption agency told me on our call on Tuesday that I could buy things because the only reason we would get denied would be if we had a criminal record that we weren't honest about or a life threatening health problem. As far as I know we are both clear on both of those. Tim was mad at first, but then he admitted he just didn't want to get his heart broken if we were turned down and that is why he wouldn't let me get anything before. So sweet. But now, he is fine with getting a couple things here and there.

Well, I guess I should go. There is vegan chocolate cake in the break room and if I don't grab a piece it is going to be gone and I will be out of luck and you know how it gets at 3:30 in an office on a Friday - CRAZY!

Ciao for Now!

Power of Prayer

Just something I feel I need to share on my blog because it is so amazing!

On March 26th my Mom's Bible Study group prayed that Tim's Birth Certificate would come soon so we could move on with our paperwork, March 27th the Birth Certificate arrived and on the 28th Tim went and applied for his passport. He paid for expedited service which means 4 weeks now-a-days and we should get it on April 28th.

On April 10 my Mom's Bible Study group prayed that Tim's passport would come soon so we can finish our paperwork. Tim's passport arrived in the mail yesterday, April 12th.

By the end of next week we should be done with everything for the adoption agency which means we are 10 days before I thought we would be done. It takes 10 days to get the documents translated in Vietnam, so we just cut some time out of the process.

Thanks Mom, and also thanks Karen for always thinking of us and keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.

God Bless!

Easter Weekend is here!

Easter weekend is here! This week seemed to just fly by. Probably because I have been playing catch up all week from being sick last week. Tuesday night I got a call from our social worker at the home study agency and our first home visit is next Saturday! We are excited and nervous. My focus this weekend is to get the house ready, do laundry and relax. We have to have two home visits, so the second one is on April 29th and then we are done with the home study completely. We just keep on praying that everything works out and we get our baby soon. It is weird to be at the mercy of all the people involved. I have been reading as much as I can about the process AFTER the child comes home with us. We have to get her citizenship, etc. as she will just have a green card. That is a whole additional process, but I am familiarizing myself with it now so there are no surprises.

I rode Apache last night, it was incredible! There is a new addition at the stable, a baby dwarf goat named Jack. He weighs about 15 pounds and I was carrying him around like a baby. He has the funniest cry - sort of an extended baaaahhhhhhhhhaaaaa (low pitch all the way up to a high pitch). He lives in the stall with Cane. Cane doesn't seem to mind him at all. Cane was out eating grass yesterday, it was nice to see him out and about as opposed to him in his stall and me massaging him so he can walk. He seemed happy to be outside for sure. There was a lot of drama at the stable last night too. When I first got there a horse broke loose and ran towards the road, someone got to the gate in time though. The owner of the horse tied it up completely wrong and it was not a good situation so the horse broke free and ran. 2 riders yelled at my instructor because Apache bolted with me on him (no ones fault, really, he is a horse) and their horses got scared. Funny thing, I was in total control, my heart beat didn't rise or anything, I pulled back on the reins and he settled down pretty quick. It happened too fast for me to freak. After my lesson there was a dog fight in the barn between some neighbor dogs and the ones that live at the stable. Geeze, too much tension. It was a great lesson though. Apache is slowing learning to pick up the pace without me having the use the crop. He responds to my clicking and kicking, which is great. I don't like the kicking, but sometimes you gotta do it to get him to go.

Spoke to my bro this morning. It was nice to get a call from him. I think his visit out here brought us closer together. He got to see where I live, my city, car, apartment and life in general which makes it easier sometimes to relate to someone.

Update

I know, I know, I have not updated in a while. Tim and I both have had the flu over the last week. Tim had fever of 103 last Monday so I decided to stay home with him and take care of him. His fever broke and I went to work on Tuesday but by the time I got him, I thought I was going to die. My skin and hair hurt, nothing felt good against my skin, not even the heaviness of the covers on my bed. I went to bed at 7 that night and got up the next day and attempted work, I only made it until about 11 and had to leave. I got home and had a fever of 102 and went to bed, Tim was asleep on the couch. The rest of the week was a blur between walking from the bed to the kitchen, calling in sick and sleeping. By the weekend, I was going a little stir crazy and needed to get out so Saturday night I went to the laundry mat to wash the flu sheets and bedding. Sunday, Tim and I went to see The Host at the Embarcadero Theatre, went to lunch and walked around downtown a bit. We both agreed that the entire day out felt a little surreal since we had been shut in for so long. I don't know what I did so bad in a past life or something to get sick so much this year. I have never been sick like I have in Sept., January and then now, ever in my life. Geeze, it has got to be over by now though, right?
An update on our adoption journey, our home study paperwork is all turned in and we are supposed to be getting a call from our assigned social worker this week to schedule her visit with us at our home. We will have two visits with her and then she writes the home study report and either approves or denies us and then sends it to adoption agency. Today, is my first call with my social worker at the adoption agency. The call is 30 minutes once a week from now until the time the child is placed in our home. Tim's passport should be at our home by April 28th by which time all of our additional paperwork for the Vietnamese dossier should be complete. I am excited to be getting closer but am nervous as well, like the rug could be pulled out from under us at any time. I think about the birth Mother a lot lately and how hard it may be for her to give her baby up in order for us to be parents. I pray for her and hope that she takes care of herself medically and can get good care and food when she needs it. I hope that she knows we will love her child as much as she would and maybe even more if that is possible. I know that we will not know about her or her history, but I pray that she is healthy and has a good heart and will make the best decision for the welfare and future of her child. Ugh, it is emotional and a ride I will never forget. Right now, I love looking at little girl clothes and cant wait until we get the referral and know her age so I can start collecting little things for her to wear. I already have a little wrap picked out for her plane ride home with us. I know, I am getting ahead of myself, but it is so exciting! Anyway, gotta get on with my day.
Stay tuned...

Spring Fever!

I am suffering the repercussions of not being able to go to India. I want to go on vacation so bad right now. Being that we are working on adoption stuff I am having trouble parting with money for a vacation when I know there will be a little one around in the next year or so. Ugh, tough decision. My Mom and Sister are coming out for a long weekend in April and I have time off for that so perhaps that will suffice, but I am thinking it isn't going to make up for time somewhere else in the world. I was thinking about going to Malta again in the spring and then Tim and I were talking about maybe taking a vacation together in the spring for our anniversary. I just don't know. I go to bed each night reliving my walks on the promenade along the Mediterranean sea. I remember that sailing trip like it was yesterday and want to go again, if there is a next time I will jump in the sea, I swear. I miss my afternoons laying on warm limestone and evenings shopping at Marks and Spencer. I want to eat dinner late and paint each night and slowly walk along cobble stone after evening mass while eating gelato. I could use some serious energy around Tim's birth certificate being delivered to the house so he can go and get his passport pronto because I am chomping at the bit to get out and get somewhere I tell you. It would be nice if he could go to Malta with me this time. Ugh, I am scared if I go myself I am not going to come back. I mean, I know I will, with the baby business and everything, but it was so tempting to stay there last time I was there. Maybe someday we will end up there. It can't come soon enough though, I tell you.

One thing holding me here tonight is ANTM is on tonight and I am pumped as always PLUS I get to ride Apache tomorrow.

Vernal Equinox TODAY

An equinox in astronomy is the event when the Sun can be observed to be directly above the Earth's equator, occurring around March 20 and September 23 each year. More technically, the equinox happens when the Sun is at one of two opposite points on the celestial sphere where the celestial equator and ecliptic intersect. In a wider sense, the equinoxes are the two days each year when the center of the Sun spends an equal amount of time above and below the horizon at every location on Earth. The word equinox derives from the Latin words aequus (equal) and nox (night).In practice, the day is longer than the night. Commonly the day is defined as the period that sunlight reaches the ground in the absence of local obstacles. From Earth, the Sun appears as a disc and not a single point of light; so, when the center of the Sun is below the horizon, the upper edge is visible. Furthermore, the atmosphere refracts light; so, even when the upper limb of the Sun is below the horizon, its rays reach over the horizon to the ground. In sunrise/sunset tables, the assumed semi-diameter of the sun is 16 minutes of arc (minutes refering to parts of a degree, not minutes of daylight) and the assumed refraction is 34 minutes of arc. Their combination means that when the upper limb of Sun is on the visible horizon its center is 50 minutes of arc below the geometric horizon, which is the intersection with the celestial sphere of a horizontal plane through the eye of the observer. These effects together make the day about 14 minutes longer than the night at the equator, and longer still at sites toward the poles. The real equality of day and night only happens at places far enough from the equator to have at least a seasonal difference in daylength of 7 minutes and occurs a few days towards the winter side of each equinox.
Above informaiton is from Wikipedia

My Weekend at the Movies (sort of)

I was not feeling so well on Saturday so I was lying low and realized that we had HBO for free over the weekend. DANGER ZONE for Katie. I watched a few movies I saw commercials for that I swore I would never watch in the theatre and got sucked into watching at home. Here is my shameful list:

1. Take the Lead
2. Monster in Law
3. Wedding Crashers

None of these are really worth watching to be honest with you. Sorry if some of you saw these and liked them. I did however; watch a movie that I rented that I thought was fabulous. It is called In the Soup. The star of the film is Steve Buscemi (whom I love, I know, very strange) and also a cameo appearance by Jim Jarmusch which is always a treat. Most of you know, I LOVE movies about making movies and this was one that I was surprised I had not seen. I recommend it. It is a little dark (go figure) and off beat (again, go figure) and I loved it. Again, I never want to give away too much in case anyone wants to check it out.

Saturday was pretty boring, just hung out, watched movies and cleaned a little. Tim played tennis in the afternoon and I took a long nap, which was sooo delicious.

Sunday, Tim played tennis in the morning so I slept in (SLOTH). When Tim got home we went for breakfast at our favorite coffee shop in Daly City and then went to Target to buy some essentials and no so essentials (2 CD’s). After that we went to a game store to get some new games after playing Scrabble on Saturday night we needed a change. Tim had a tennis match in the afternoon so I had some time alone, I did some laundry and danced around (truly, that is what I do when he is not home, I am not ashamed, I LOVE dancing). I worked up a sweat so I took a quick shower, made dinner and Tim came home. After dinner we played our new game called, In a Pickle. It is a fun word game and can get real silly really fast. We laughed so hard last night I was wheezing. I can't wait to get home tonight so we can play again. Check it out http://www.boardgames.com/inpicklegame.html.

Anyway, hope none of you are having a manic Monday. Today is the day that sets the tone for the rest of the week, try to make it positive.

Stay tuned...

All Dressed Up!

It is a rare occasion that we get to get dressed up, so I thought I would post this. Although the reason for dressing up was not so pleasant (Brian's Grandma's funeral). It was a nice mass and beautiful weather.

PS - I think someone has been secretly watching ANTM. Nice pose Tim.

Aaarg!

I got out of work later than planned and didnt get to go to yoga - poop! I am so bummed. I was pumped to the max to go too! I am pouting for sure. Dammit, I told my boss I was going to go to yoga too and needed to get out of there. I should have been more firm, that was my fault for sure. I thought what he asked was only going to take a minute - return two phone calls; however, one kept me on the phone for way too long.

I got home and did ballet though and that made me feel good. My problem is, out of all of the exercise I do, NONE of it is cardiovascular. I need to get out and run or something (that would probably give me a heart attack). Even walking doesn't get my heart rate up where it should be to get a good cardio workout. I need to stop ballet and start hip hop or something where I am literally jumping around. Oh, yesss, jumping rope, that would be good. For like 30 minutes, gosh I am going to get bored out of my skull. I will try it tomorrow with my heart monitor on and see what happens.

Anyway, it is 10:00 PM and I have completed absolutely nothing tonight besides a salad that Tim got me at Whole Foods Market when he took his racket downtown to get restrung. I think I need to do something creative before I get into bed. I need to work on my book.

Sleep tight.

Stay tuned...

Spring is here!

I LOVE the time change! I am SO EXCITED about it. My yoga schedule is back on point. They always change the schedule in March and now the classes I used to take are available again and I am pumped! I am ready to shed my fluffy winter coat that has been hugging my midsection for some time now. I love being able to do things after work and not get home in the dark - yippie! I woke up on time today too, which is a small miracle considering I went to bed at 11:30 PM.

My weekend was great. Friday after work, I drove Susan home. It is so nice to get stuck in traffic with someone you can really talk to, you know? So much better then when you are alone. After dropping her off, I swung by the house and picked up Tim and we went out for dinner (Celia's for Mexican). We walked around Target to burn off our dinner and then went home.

Saturday, I woke up at about 9:15 and took my time getting out of the house to run some errands with Tim. We went to the Filipino Bakery that he is addicted to and then went to get some photos taken (passport, visa, adoption, etc.). After that we went to the pet food place to get Bay-Lee some new nail clippers and look for a laser for Gus (my catphew). I went to SuperCuts to get a hair trim for the spring. I needed my ends cut off, they were looking kind of rough. When we got home we took one of our online adoption courses (we have to take 10 hours worth) - we took turns reading the information on the screen and completed a quiz at the end. This week's class was on Attachment and Bonding (mostly about attachment disorders, which is pretty scary). We have a lot more to go, but will be done in a couple weeks. We have a couple nights a week set aside to do the classes since we can take them at any time, which is really nice.

Saturday night I watched a movie that I will recommend to all of you, thanks to Debbie. The movie is called, On A Clear Day (2005) from the U.K. It is a feel good movie about a man, midlife who is going through some bad times and decides, with the help of his friends that he is going to swim the English Channel. I loved it, I cried at the end, happy tears. It was a great movie. Since I am on the topic of movies, I also saw another Debbie recommendation called, Home Movie, this is a documentary about the whacked out things people do to their homes or weird places people live. One family lived in a missile/rocket launch site, it is only about 65 minutes and pretty entertaining. People crack me up so I really enjoyed it. There are some freaks out there for sure.

Sunday, again, slept in a bit. Tim played tennis so it was nice and quite in the house so Bay-Lee and I lounged in the bed until Tim got home at about 9:30 or so. Got up, tidied the house a little and then ran the vacuum. We met up with Jadin for a late lunch/early dinner at 2:30 http://www.mandalaysf.com/ and hung out at the restaurant until about 5:45 and then walked around Clemente Street until about 8:30. It was so nice the city yesterday, in the 70's and not a cloud in the sky, even in the Richmond district!

Anyway, it is Monday and I am positive it is going to be a GREAT week! I feel it is up to me to make that decision for myself in the beginning of the week and it will happen.

Yoga tonight and I am very EXCITED!

Stay tuned...

Hiding Out

Today is one of those days I feel like hiding out. I wish to be a turtle so I could crawl inside of my shell and seal off the world for just 1 hour. Sometimes I just need some peace, darkness and time to be alone, you know? I know some people like to be surrounded by others at all times, I don't think that is very healthy though. Time alone is always nice.

Went to get live scanned last night at the SFPD station at 850 Bryant. What a weird place at night, or any time for that matter. For some reason the theme song from Night Court kept playing in my head as we looked for the right department to report to. Pretty scary, we walked in and the security alarm went off and no one came to check it out. I am notorious for setting them off though so they must have gotten the memo about my day planner with the magnetic closure - thanks to my PR people, ha ha! We were only at the station for about 20 minutes, it doesn't take long and is a pretty cool machine they use to capture your prints. That was our big outing last night besides going out for Mexican food before hand.

Tonight no plans except to go home and hopefully purge more stuff from my bedroom. I hate working in there in the evening though, it is already dark and at night it is even worse which makes me loose motivation. Baby steps and it will all get done. We or I should say, I, have collected so much crap in the past couple years that I need to have a sale or something to get rid of it; even more tempting is to just donate it all and get it out of here.

Oh, I forgot to mention another movie I saw, that I am not embarrassed about called Monster House - made for kids, but enjoyed by adults, like Nemo, you know? The animation is pretty cool, and I usually am not into anime. The characters are hilarious and it was a great story for all ages. Check it out and let me know what you think. I have some movies on their way to my house from Green Cine that I am looking forward to and will review after I watch them

Stay tuned!

Turning over a new leaf

Wow, I went back and read my blog from this year and seems like it has been a bummer so far. So, I have decided to turn over a new leaf. I think it is going to be an exciting year! Tim and I have a lot going on, on the home front. We have started the International Adoption process, I think most of you know already. We are working on paperwork like you would not believe. We are looking forward to starting a little family. I didn't know if I should put it out there or not, I mean, what if we don't pass the home study or something and then I have to tell you all that it isn't going to happen? I will be devastated. I am not going to think like that though, I know it is going to happen and appreciate any prayers and positive vibes you all want to put out there for us. We are going to get fingerprinted and live scanned tonight for the home study agency. This process checks our criminal backgrounds and also checks for any child abuse charges, etc. I think we will pass this one. We are almost done with the home study paperwork and when we mail it all in we will be assigned a social worker who will come to the house and interview us and check out our place. Yikes! So between now and then we have been moving things around, purging our closets of old stuff and making things look pretty - like the addition of the valance in the kitchen this weekend and sheer panels in the living room windows. Those two little things take away from the eye sore of the blinds. I love it.

I saw a couple weekends ago, the worst movie ever made - Reno 911 - I went along with Tim and his cousin and her husband. It was so stupid. I am embarrassed I am even telling you all that I saw it.

Anyway, more updates to come. Even if I have nothing to say, I will add a picture or something to my blog so my fans (the two of you) have something to look at.

Update long overdue

Here is a long overdue update - in a nutshell.
I am not in India, I am in the U.S. trying to clean up my accounts since I found out someone went crazy with my ATM/Visa card a couple days before I was to leave for India. I have been working my tushie off trying to make sure nothing besides my bank accounts were tampered with. What a mess. I don't wish this on anyone. I had to cancel my credit cards, place a police report and spend countless hours on the phone trying to make sure I was covered and freeze my credit for a while so no one can establish credit in my name. I just got my ATM card this past weekend. I couldn't leave for India without a credit card and also needed to stay to get all the paperwork complete in a timely manner so my bank can credit the charges back that I did not approve. So now, not am I only missing out on India, I am also thinking a lot about Vietnam as I usually go there this time of year.
What a headache.
I am bouncing back and my life is starting to get back to it's busy self.

No Clouds for Andy!

What a great weekend! I got to hang out with my Bro on Sunday from 10-2:30. Tim and I went and got him from his hotel in Palo Alto and drove him all over the city and then took him back to his hotel since he was going to work all night.

More later, it is insane today!

ONE WEEK

I have been so absorbed with other things, that when I looked at the calendar and realized I am going to India in about a week, my stomach did a little "bloop, bloop".

I am SO EXCITED to spend time with Sara and hear her travel stories.

It is just about weekend time - I leaving ON TIME today for once and am excited. I have some things to pick up at REI on my way home and then I am going to clean house all weekend! Believe it or not, MY BROTHER is coming to town tomorrow. He is going to be in Palo Alto and I hope to see him. I hope I not getting my hopes up, because I am really excited!

Last night

Went to dinner with Tim at Max's Opera Plaza. Another disappointing Max's dinner. Last time I was there with Jadin, it was just OK. They changed their menu and there is not as much on there as there was before. Tim ordered a sandwich that he had to send back 2 times because they didn't put it on the bread he requested when he ordered it. We are usually pretty satisfied when we go out to eat, but last night was bad. I was planning on going to the ballet and I ran into a girl from my ballet class on Monday's and she was going to try and get a standing room only ticket and Tim nudged me to give her my ticket because he just wanted me to go home with him and hang out. So, I did. How can you turn your husband down when he asks you to come home with him because he loves hanging out with you? I can't turn that down, I am a sucker! We went home and had a nice night in. I haven't really been home very much, so it was nice to have some time to hang out before going to bed.

Today, I am leaving work early to go to a Dr.'s appointment (not really). I am actually leaving early to go and see a movie at the Pacific Film Archive that I once told myself if it was ever playing on the big screen I would do what I had to, to go and see it. So, my boss thinks I have an appointment, I do really. I am going to see The Man with a Movie Camera (USSR 1929) which I wrote a paper on in my documentary film class a couple years ago. I love it and it is going to have live piano accompaniment. There are also two other short silent movies being shown after, The Last Laugh (Germany 1921) which I also LOVE LOVE LOVE, and another called A Movie Trip Through Filmland (US 1921), I have not seen this one, but it sounds great. I am excited about taking some of the afternoon off to do something fun! I may go to ballet afterwards, but I have riding tomorrow night and am not sure I want to be sore for that. We will see, I have my stuff in the car just in case the mood strikes me. I know Tim would like it if I would just stay home, but I am a busy lady!

Apache tomorrow! So exciting - last week we rode outside which was awesome, but it is supposed to rain this week so we may be confined indoors.

Stay tuned...

Long Over Due

Sorry to all of my die hard blog fans - I know there are 2 of you out there for sure.
Geeze, once I got over whatever it was that I had, life just picked right back up and went all crazy again, that is how I like it.

Let's see...what have I been up to. I won't back track too much, just to this past weekend.
I went to ballet on Saturday and had a nice 90 minute class that kind of kicked my ass, but I have been through worse, so it was OK. After class I raced home, took a shower and then hit the road to visit Angela in Sacramento. I was a tourist in our nation's capitol. I had a nice drive there, 1 hour and 20 minutes was all which was great! I arrived and Angela and I took the dogs for a nice walk to wear them out since we were not going to be home for a while. We then went to a diaper shower that he neighbor threw for her and another woman on her street that is pregnant with twins - I happend to come on the right weekend! It was so cute, all the neighbors together and Kris (the woman who had the shower) decorated her home so cute for the shower. There were tea sandwiches, tea, coffee, cheese and crackers and cookies. It was nice, nothing needed a fork in order to eat it - I like that. We played some games and then about 2 hours later the party broke up and we schlepped about 10 packs of diapers back to Angela's house. Right after that, we went to eat some Thai food, which was fabulous! Quick as can be, because we were going to a movie with Jen. Jen was ready when we got there, but I had to check out her new baby first, Naomi. She was so cute and asleep in her little swing ready for her night of hanging out with Dad. We whisked Jen off and went to see Volvar which we all loved! How can you not love a man who can make brilliant movies about strong women? Viva la Pedro Almodovar!

After the movie we went to a cafe for cake and coffee. I had champagne with mine and Jen had a glass of port while Angela had to stick with her tea. It was so nice to hang out with a new Mom, a Mom to be, and me, the wanna be Mom. It was a great day all together. We got back to the house, hung out for a few with Brian and then went to bed. I slept so good I forgot where I was. It must have been the little Nemo lamp next to my bed. I slept until about 9:00 I think, Brian was up and Angela got up shortly after. Angela made me the best breakfast ever. I am seriously thinking about checking into the hotel Asch every Saturday night if breakfast on Sunday is this good every week. We had fresh squeezed OJ, whole wheat french toast, veggie sausage and cut up fruit. All of the food groups, I love it, thanks Ang. After breakfast we made our way out to the Antique mall to walk around. I found a couple cute things, but made only one purchase. I had to show some restraint, I need to save money these days. We hung out and shopped for a couple hours and then the baby wanted a milkshake so Angela and I indulged and got some milkshakes at an old school ice cream shop and went back to the house and looked at pregnancy magazines and talked about baby stuff. It was a wonderful weekend and I can't wait to do it again.

Last night I had my Ballet 101 Class and Ricardo Bustamonte (SF Ballet, Ballet Master) taught us for an hour. He was incredible. He has such a passion for dance and theatre and was really charismatic and cute! He used to dance with ABT in New York with Susan Jaffe, which is amazing to me. After his class was over we went across to the Opera House and got to tour the costume shop. We were underneath the theatre, it was dark with a lot of passage ways, but once the door to the main alternations room opened I felt like I was in a fairy land. There were tutus hanging all over the place and beads and feathers and the new Sleeping Beauty blue bird costumes were being worked on. There were many rooms we went into, there is a drying room for the washed costumes, a dying room for dying the shoes, storage room that contained all of the Nutcracker costumes and the pre-show room where the dancers are dressed. It was so amazing!

Tonight I am meeting Tim for dinner and then I am going to the ballet. I got a free ticket from one of my Monday night classmates who is unable to attend so he offered and I jumped on it. It is just my luck that Yuan Yuan Tan is dancing tonight in Firebird! I am going to be in my balcony seat in my own world looking through my binoculars. I love it! I can't wait. After the ballet I have to go to the grocery store, we have nothing in the house to eat that is healthy and nutritious and I figure after the ballet tonight around 10:30 PM the store should be empty!

Stay tuned...