I'm gorgeous....

Testing

Me

Hi, its me behaving.....

I made it

This is what happens when I want to sleep and our furniture is on BACK ORDER

So I made it back for day two, nothing much new to blog about today...managed to get NO sleep cause B was home today...sometimes I wish he worked weekends.

Any who, it was a great day, we went to lunch together and enjoyed a nice quiet meal, then we returned home to our wonderful pups.

Hello???

Hi I am here, I have been away from this blog for a long time

and I hope to finally be back at it.

I can only hope to update it everyday....

Updates:

Dad is doing great, the new heart shows no signs of rejection,

we know his donors name and have emailed the family, they are wonderful.

Riley is a mommas boy thorough and through

Annabelle is adjusting nicely to having a baby sister...her name is Sandy...

she is a 3yr old Golden Doodle

Titan is a joy and a blessing and a terrorist...he terrorizes everything and everyone

Update 9/1/09 @ 10pm

Dad is doing great, he was extubated at 5:30pm and is now breathing on his own. His blood pressure was a little low so he is on medication for that, but they say that is to be expected. The bleeding has slowed down so they do not think he will need to go back to the OR, which is great news.

He is resting comfortably and talking to the nurses.

He is very thankful for his "Gift of Life

Update

So things have really changed and I managed to update last night, wow what a night can do. We are at Mass General waiting for dad to hurry up and get done with his heart transplant, yuppers that what I said, get done with the heart transplant. Dad called me this morning around 11:45 and said he was on his way to the hospital, matter of fact, I asked what was wrong, he very calmly said nothing was wrong that they called and said they had a heart with his name on it so off he went. Brian and I scrambled to get Titan settled into a friends house, Riley and Annabelle are safely tucked away at home in their own beds with Auntie Erin, she is our savior, we can't express how wonderful she is when it comes to taking care of our pups. We never have to ask she always volunteers, she is simply amazing. I on the other hand am a nutcase!!!! The waiting is incredibly nerve wracking and seems to never end, but I know that the outcome will be far better than ever imagined. Dad was excited to be heading into the OR today knowing what was ahead of him, he was super anxious but like a kid in a candy store waiting with wide eyes open to all the new possibilities awaiting him tomorrow. Mom is nervous as can be expected but we are all hanging in there waiting for word that this very long journey will soon be over, with a very happy outcome.

Update

We finally received our gorgeous package from Florida... His name is Titan and he is wonderful, he truly does complete our family. He is our Brindle puppy, he is so cute and his personality fits into our home as if he has always been there. He has his quirks, for example...he only sleeps at night for daddy, never during the day for mommy. I am trying to break him of this as I have not slept at all during then day since he arrived on July 19th at 10pm..yes we drove to Albany NY and picked him up. He travels well and loves to be in the car, we take him everywhere with us. He has been out to dinner with my parents and my In Laws. He has been to Grammy's house and to Grampy Tags house. He has met his cousins Sandy and Joey, he loves to socialize.

Wow...

WOW, have I been away for awhile...I have been updating Riley's Blog and neglecting my own, shame on me! So what has been going on in my world for the past oh I don't know 5 months????? Well lets see, Dad went into the hosptial and needs a heart transplant, yup, I have been dealing with that, but he has since had VAD surgery that has gotten him home. He is at home waiting for his new heart, hopefully we won't have to wait to long, but on the other hand he is happy to just be home living everyday.

Brian has completely recovered from having his hip surgery as a matter of fact we are getting ready to run our first race this Fall. I love running with Brian, he is great and always lets me finish BEHIND /AFTER him. I wouldn't have it anyother way, I love the view.

Dinner Time

This is the first time with real puppy food, Liza is SO happy.

Pool Party

Puppies in da pool, anything to contain them in one place...Liza says they are all over the place, hee hee BOL.

This is how Riley and Annabelle greet us as we walk in the door everyday!!!!

New Blog

So i started a blog for my dad and all his updates...

http://papasnewheart.blogspot.com/

Update

We went to visit dad in the hospital on Sunday, and we knew he was in the cath lab, because Ellen his RN called to let us know he would not be in his room and that the PA line they placed for surgery had to be removed immediately because It was Heparin coated and dad is allergic to Heparin and it was causing him to go in and out of Ventricular tachycardia. We arrived at MGH about 15 minutes later and called the desk to let them know we were in the waiting room, and to let us know when dad was back in his room….about 10 minutes later we hear over the inter come “CODE BLUE CODE BLUE IN THE CATH LAB” we panic, Dad is in the cath lab! I call the nurses desk and I am told that they don’t know anything yet and as soon as they do, they will get in touch with me, about 20 minutes of sheer panic and stress goes by and we see ELLEN walking in saying it was NOT dad, she reassures me he is fine and she spoke with him, he is ok.

He gets back to his room about 2 hours later and I cry out of fear, I finally BROKE! He is in good spirits and doing well, being sarcastic and cracking jokes. I walk out of there held up by Brian as I have nothing left, I am emotionally, physically and literally EXHAUSTED, 65 days of living on the edge, now we continue to wait for a new heart and hope one arrives soon….

We thought we had a heart on Friday night and we did up until a minute before surgery, when they called it off due to a bad donor heart, it would not hold a rhythm once it got back to Boston, the doctors and the balloon pump guy both said they made the right decision by not transplanting, it was a bad heart. We see him back in his room on Saturday afternoon and he is doing well and in good spirits and understands the need to call off the surgery. We went to visit him on Sunday and his nurse called to tell us he was in the Cath Lab and would be back in his room around 1pm. We arrive and wait in the waiting room only to hear CODE BLUE CODE BLUE in the CATH LAB. Can you say PANIC? We were not the only ones panicking, the whole floor was, everyone thought it was dad. They sent a nurse running down to see what was going on, she came into the waiting room about 20 minutes later to tell us it was NOT dad and she had spoken to him and reassured us he was fine. STRESSFUL 20 MINUTES!!!!!! I finally saw dad 2 hours later and just cried, I broke, that was it, he was ok…dad was ok. He is still ok and waiting for a new heart, we will get one, I know we will..this time it will be the RIGHT HEART!

It's a boy!!!!!

Titan is coming, Titan is coming!!!!!

AHHHHH

I finally saw dad smile this morning, he is officially listed for transplant, ahhhh finally and just in time for the long holiday weekend. He was sarcastic when his favorite RN asked how he was feeling tonight, and he has not been sarcastic for the past9 days, so this is a huge improvement for him. He looked so much better that my sister had to text me to tell me she couldn't believe the change in him, oh and he ate his lunch and dinner again something he has not done in 9 days. Things are finally starting to look up, i will keep you all posted...

RELISTED

Dad is relisted !!!!!

He was placed back on the heart transplant list at about 10pm EST,

woohooo is about all I can say.

Good News

We got some really good news today.... All of Dads medical bills are and will be paid in full, we have no bills!!! He is covered 100%, Can you say RELIEF???? We are waiting to hear on the relisting, but we also want him to be in prime surgical mode to do it,

why risk having a stroke or worse?...best case scenario only....

no second guessing later that we should have waited, 

so we wait now and transplant when the time is optimal.

Sad Day today

While visiting with my dad this morning, B's phone rang and it was his dad's number....B and his dad have not spoken for over 6 years, so he knew right away this was not a good phone call. I placed the call back and his step mother answered and informed that B's uncle had passed away over night in his sleep at the age of 46.

still not ...

Dad is still not listed for transplant yer because of the damn neg read on his Heparin test..he has 3 neg borderline tests, we need one NEGATIVE only read to get him back on the list, we are hoping to have him relisted by the weekend, ugh....in other news Riley was feeling better this morning and tonight as I was leaving for work he refused his treat, which is never a good sign. B went home and made him a waffle and that seemed to work its magic and B says he was feeling better, so now we wait and see...I have had enough of waiting and hoping and seeing to last a life time, thank you very much....

Running

I am running today after going to Boston, I must get in 5 miles!!!! Then I am going to bed for the afternoon.....ahhh sleepy

Again updates

Riley was so much better today!!!! We took mom out for breakfast and enjoyed some pancakes and bacon can you say..."YUMMY!" Mom enjoyed it and so did we. After breakfast we went into Boston to see Daddy..his numbers were fantastic today...his NVO2 numbers were awesome..refers to his cardiac pulmonary output function (lung & heart pressure) His sugar and potassium were right on the money and his white blood cell count was great, and his sodium was up so he got have some ice in his diet coke....so we are looking to have him relisted in the morning, pending nothing happening over night.

My baby

My baby was sick today, I hate when he is sick it makes my heart ache. I went to Boston this morning solo, because B stayed home to make sure Riley was ok and if he did get sick, I wanted B to comfort him.
I had a nice visit with dad, it was just a daddy daughter visit...relaxing and comforting. We had a nice chat and he remained upbeat and can't wait to get a new heart and continue to live life outside a hospital room.

I have made new friends and am now taking on a new adventure ...I am making bags "puppy themed", for doggie mommies**...if interested comment and let me know...

Teachers Totes..Canvas totes...Dimensions: 14 1/2"wide x 16"high x 4" deep with a 21" handle and includes a front pocket for smaller items or cell phone

Gift Totes ...100% Cotton Canvas Mini Gift Tote Bag 4 x 8 x 4 gusseted perfect for "thank you" gift or gift cards"

All have ribbon for personalization, can embroider, and silk screen if wanted...let me know. Price will depend on bag and work...way cheaper than most places advertise I promise and hand finished.

**Does not have to be "puppy themed"

Numbers

Our days all depend on numbers...numbers mean everything. They decide what gets done and what gets to wait; for example...dads potassium numbers are low which means no water or ice. Fluid restriction to 1500cc's a day (32oz for the day, not alot) we monitor his white blood cell count, if the numbers are high that means infection, if too low then we monitor for other complications. We check his sugar levels, insulin or not depending again on the numbers, see where this is going...everything is on the numbers. Now we are hoping his Heparin numbers read negative so we can get him back on the transplant list. If any of the above numbers are not met everyday he can be deactivated off the list, numbers rule our world, and I am beginning to hate numbers. this is just a partial list of numbers to be met everyday, too many to count, no pun intended.

arrgghhh

So today was not the kind of day you want when you are waiting on a heart transplant. Dad was deactivated this morning due to an allergy he developed to Heparin, causing minor blood clots in his feet, resulting in them turning blue. He was placed on a new medicine called Argatroban, hoping to get the heparin out of his system and have the test come back negative so he can be placed back on the list as early as this weekend, fingers crossed. He is doing fine otherwise; all is complicated when waiting as different things tend to arise, but you take the good with the bad as they say, one day at a time.

Stuff

I ran today and loved it, ok not actually while i was running but when I was finished I was happy. We went into Boston and saw daddy and had a nice visit, not sure of his nurse though...kinda like the regulars, but anyway. We were home by 10am and I was exhausted after working all night and then driving into Boston, but B said he was gong to the gym and I could stay home and go to bed if I wanted...another words...GUILT!!!! So I got ready and headed off to the gym. I ran my miles and was DONE! Why was I done you ask...Because I have two count em two new blisters, ugh! I have no idea why I am getting blisters. The sneakers are not new or worn, I am hoping I just need thicker socks. So my feet are all bandaged up and ready for tomorrow...more running, can't wait. I have tomorrow and Thursday off this week, yeah!!!! I can't wait to have days off. I am exhausted from work, and going to Boston everyday.

Riley has a blog

I love to write children's books, so I am going to let the imagination run wild and give it a shot here for entertainment....http://rileysmisadventuresabound.blogspot.com/

running and stuff

So I ran on Saturday and it felt great!!!!

I was a little sore on Sunday, but the good kind, where you know you did something.

I also ran again today...

I love running it just takes getting there to enjoy it.

My goal is to run the rest of the week...4-5 miles everyday, I know you shouldn't run everyday, but if I don't in the beginning, I lose my stride. I only run if I feel good, I never run if I have pain, serious pain such as shin splints or stabbing pains in quads, however I will be running through the damn blister I got today on the arch of my foot.

Who gets a blister on the arch of their foot? I have no idea how it got there.

The sneakers are not new, I have worn them before and loved running in them.

So leave it to me to get it there.

Dad is doing well, he was moved into a new room and has a view of the Charles River and the Boston Skyline very beautiful, especially at night.

He was in good spirits today,and can't wait for a new heart to come his way.

I wrote a note..check it out if you have minute, many have asked about the comments..here is the story... this is the conversation I woke up to today...it came out of left field...
The reference to Kevin..her husband, my best freind, father to Kailyn whom I watched free for 8 months...then it goes to this... ignorance is bliss....
May 4 at 5:46pm
Lindsay Center wrote..your a huge fucking bitch you know people can see what you type on facebook especiallywhen its on dont ask about kailyn anymore she is none of your business i dont want you near here either. have a nice life!
May 4 at 5:55pm
Monique Balthazar-Tagliavia Yup I'm the bitch, got it check... So happy for Kevin! woohoo!
Sent via Facebook Mobile Lindsay Center
May 4 at 5:59pm
Lindsay Center ....go to hell monique... yet me and kevin are still married and reconcilling right??? hmm!!! bet you didnt know that one either..too bad your losing daddy!!! too bad you cant see my daughter wish you could have her dont you! but you'll never see my little princess again! and im pretty sure kevins pissed at you right now for pissing me off! May 4 at 6:24pm
Monique Balthazar-Tagliavia Really??? Not what he says, divorce is processed and waiting his 90 days till free of you.
Sent via Facebook Mobile Lindsay Center
May 4 at 6:26pm
Lindsay Center ....Yep! But I dont have time for your childish banter I have to go get my daughters things ready for her for when she comes home..but you wouldnt know what that is like. oh btw the purple chair if you could please give it to kevin and if theres anything else of my daughter's there that she may have left as well...thank you in advance for giving
Monique Balthazar-Tagliavia is happy to know childish ppl who are so immature it shows in their attitude. Finally others woke up & got the HELL out! I'm so happy for them! Go M & K.
Monique Balthazar-Tagliavia at 6:05pm May 4
Not everything is about you. Get over yourself! I have other friends going through divorce its not all about Lindsay.
Lindsay Center commented on your status: "go to hell u cunt"
Lindsay Center commented on your status: "never said it was monique, but theres no need to post shit on kevins fb page about me either. You need toget over yourself and need to stop have people feeling sorry for you and your family right now. and like i said kevin and i r reconciling,"
Stop feeling sorry for me? Life sucks, my dad is dying you dumb shit, but you'd have to have feelings and maturity to understand such complicated issues, so I'm not surprised you don't get it!
Lindsay Center commented on your status: "no shit life sucks! people die its life no one should have to be put on life support and play the waiting game. i actually do have feelings but not for others who wants people to feel sorry for them... maybe your first husband did the right thing by divorcing your sorry ass!!!!
Monique Balthazar-Tagliavia My sorry ass, look in the mirror! Yet I have a happy blissful marriage. Hope you are never put in this situation b/c life is precious & you don't get it.
Monique Balthazar-Tagliavia is happy to know dad is doing well &waiting ptly for a new heart despite others wishing him "death" THX Lindsay good to know!

This my dear friends is what an ignorant person will post, do I feel sorry for her..YOU BET!!! Her world is falling apart and she knows it, can I accept her ignorance, yup! I can..Why because I know her and feel sorry for her, she needs to bring others down and say hurtful things just to make her own pathetic life more bareable...so for that I say...Lindsay you are forgiven for all your ignorant comments!!!

update

So tonight on my way to work I called my mom as I always do and she informs me that dad is back in the cath lab getting the balloon pump reinstalled. First off it never should have been taken out in the first place but who am I to say, I am just the daughter, ugh. So dad called me at 11:15 when he was back in his room and resting comfortably. He is scheduled to have open heart surgery in the very near future, I believe he will have a ventricular assist device placed and if all goes well he will be sent home to wait for a new heart,

thankfully he is still on the

list. VAD is a device placed surgically on the heart to help it maintain a steady rhythm as apposed to Afib and Vtech, and an external pump on the outside of the body which has to be charged daily.So there you have the VAD in a nutshell.

Here is the 1/2 marathon I am training for

http://www.applefesthalfmarathon.com/

I can not wait!!!

updates and stuff

So I decided to begin running again mostly out of stress. The stress I am carrying around right now is ridiculous, and I need a way to release it, so running it is going to be, now to actually find the time to run....? I will be running during my sleep time more or less, due to spending time in Boston with dad in the morning and working midnights. I will never tell him I am cutting short my sleep time because he says that I don't sleep enough now as it is, so this is our little secret, ok? I will try and update daily or the best I can: my running tallies and totals. My goal right now is to run 15 miles per week...so I have to get my butt in gear for this week as so far I have ....0, none nada, zilch! I will schedule myself to run after visiting dad, so about 11am everyday, except the weekends I can run early, as we don't visit till late morning.

I think this will not only relieve stress but will help me to feel better about myself.

I have made a friendly challenge with a fellow blogger named Jennifer, who will help me to remain honest and accountable. We are going to start off at 15 miles per week and increase each week by 3 miles...we are both running 1/2 marathons in 4 months...her blog is REAL!!!

She doesn't sugarcoat life and is honest..!

(http://jenn-journey.blogspot.com/)

Other updates...

B is doing fantastic in his recovery of bilateral hip replacement surgery.

He is coming up on his one year anniversary on May 1st.

He has been back to see his physician and everything was looking great and was given the go ahead to resume running, short distances. He is actively back at the gym when not accompanying me to the hospital, he has been a rock through all of this,

I am very lucky to have him.

My mom is doing as best as can be expected, she is staying strong and visits dad as often as she can. My sister brings her in most days

and they stay for about 2/3 hours or until dad falls asleep.

Nothing else really new except through all of this I managed to gain some weight, that I desperately need to get off by summer, this is where the whole run for your life comes in.

I know running is the only way for me to get it off so here I go......

sitting up

Dad was sitting up and drinking Diet Coke again today. I made the solo visit in to see dad as B stayed home to get the A/C's in yeah it is hot here. Dad was happy to finally be able to sit up. He had a date with the cath lab today to change his central line, which after a brief glitch went according to plan. The plan was for him to be in the cath lab for 10am but in reality he still hadn't gone done @ 1:30, he did not enjoy this as he missed both breakfast and lunch. He did have a few new visitors today which was nice to see. I believe they stayed for a little over 3 hours, I bet dad was worn out by the time they all left. All in all dad is doing great and his mood in wonderful, if only he could get comfortable. He is expected to meet with PT tomorrow and they hope to have him up in a chair soon, ahh out of bed how nice will that be?

update

Just a quick daddy update...Dad's numbers and levels were looking good yesterday, hoping to get him relisted on Transplant list this morning, keeping our fingers crossed

Wow, I have been gone awhile but I have good reason...

My dad almost died on 4/4/09 he went into CHF and never recovered. He is in the Cardiac Care Unit at Mass General Hospital and will remain there until he gets a new heart. He is waiting patiently on the heart transplant list. He went into the hospital on 4/4/09 weighing 227lbs and now less than 3 weeks later he weighs in at 175lbs...all fluid, he was literally drowning in fluid. The blue machine is called a balloon pump and is keeping him alive till he gets a new heart. Please say a prayer for him as he could use all he can get. I believe he survived Friday night because he was destined to live and continue on with his life, he has made it so far, however we have had a few setbacks along the way...he had a massive bleed on 4/19 that has now resulted in him being placed on the deactivated transplant list until his white blood cell count returns to normal. I spoke with his nurse Ellen a little while ago and she confirmed that the count is returning to normal and he will be re listed soon.

Wow where has the time gone?

So where has the time gone? well...we are actually in the midst of changing a few things, 1. being B's work schedule...he now works 3x11 and we love it. I still work 10-6AM and it works for us. Dad had his hip replaced in Feb and was doing great until last week, he was diagnosed with Cardiac Failure. We are learning to live with the new diagnosis. The puppies are great and we love that we spend alot of time with them. the weather is getting nice and the days are getting longer...ahh SPRING!

I will be going to court on Friday to seat the jury for my court case that has taken 7 years to get here, nothing like waiting, ugh! We begin trial on Monday, I will be alone as I DO NOT want B there, he has already lived through it once I will not do that to him again. that is all for now, more to come....

Today was what I would call a relaxing day. I got home at 6am and was in bed asleep by 7, ahh thanks to Ambien. I slept till 2:30pm, got up and met B at the door at 3pm ready to go to dinner, yeah, we eat early around here. So we had a very nice dinner and we were home by 4:30. I put in Madagascar II and climbed back into bed, I was asleep before 5pm.

I slept till 9pm when I had to get up for work.

What can I say...I love having the kind of life where if you need to sleep the day away you can. The puppies were well cared for, they did get to go out and were fed, however they love to sleep with their mommy, so it was no big deal today. B climbed into bed also and I think he may have made in 15 minutes into the movie before he fell asleep. We don't normally sleep the day away,but yesterday we were up all day and out for most of the evening, so today was a rest and recoup day, recharge the batteries if you will.

I did speak with my dad in reference to how he was feeling now that he has been home a full 48 hours...he says and I quote" I feel great, refreshed and ready for anything when I wake up from my afternoon nap."

My dad called me last night while I was in Boston to tell me about his visit with the nurse...

dad...how big are B's scars?
me....7 to 8 inches long on both sides
dad...the nurse measured mine today and guess how long?
me ...4 inches?
dad... guess again
me....7 inches?
dad...X3!...the scar is 21 inches long and runs from the back of my knee to the lower part of my back....
me....WOW!!! glad B's is small
dad...whatever I gotta go...you don't care...
And with that the phone call ended...he knows I care, that's just the way we are ...SARCASTIC!
Like father like daughter, hee hee

I can't wait to go home and see B and the puppies..

woo hooo family time,

then B leaves for work...6:20am

I am surprising B with dinner tonight...

spaghetti and hot Italian sausage and fresh garlic bread..

YUM-O!

where have I been?

So where has the time gone? Actually, I have been busy with work and family stuff. Monday morning my dad finally had surgery to replace his right hip, he was awake for the entire surgery and was joking with the doctors throughout. The Monday before surgery I took the day off to go and give blood for him, that was an experience, giving blood is no big deal, until you try and give direct donation, what a pain in the butt. Anyway dad received my blood during surgery and all is well, except my mom says that since he gotten home on Friday he is very bitchy...your welcome. I just he got some of that from me, hee hee.

Tonight a few coworkers and spouses got together for a surprise 40th Bday celebration. We went into Boston to Fire and Ice...OMG, it was fantastic, the food was amazing and I let my food touch...I overcame my OCD for a few hours, however I know it was one time thing, I still shake just thinking about my food touching. I don't think I will ever overcome this, but at least I know I enjoyed the food for one evening. The best part about tonight was she had no clue, even as she walked in and saw all of us, she still hadn't put it together, it was great, a real surprise. B had a great time and fits in with the people I work with no problem. (makes for a nice night out) I am exhausted and I can't wait to go home and go to bed. I worked till 6 am and was up at 10 am for the day, now I am back at work till 6 am, I told B not to wake me if I was still sleeping when he got home...he said "no problem, I will probably join you", as we were out late and he has to work in the morning.

B finally bid out of his investigations position .The job was great and he learned alot however he was not allowed overtime, but worked 50+ hours a week, we lost a lot of money while he did this. He is looking towards the future and all it holds for him. This is his last weekend off and starting Feb 1st he will have Thur/Fri. off. This is great because e all the holidays fall on those 2 days this year, at least the major ones do anyway. Oh and he waived his 10 waiting period and started back on line and he already has made money and worked overtime for real money, yay!!!! He is so much more relaxed at home and does not stress about anything anymore, except he misses the guys he worked with, they were tight. I love and respect them all, well except Nestor who in my opinion was and always will be an ASS, and a cheater...if only his wife would wake up and see it...someday someday every dog has its day.

I love having him back online and I know the demands are strong and everyday is dangerous, but I feel better knowing he is able to take care of himself. I love this man more than words can say. You are my hero, I love ya bunches, baby.

Now as for other news dad is having his hip replaced on Feb. 2nd and I am scared to death as I don't feel he can take the surgery. I know he needs it and is constant pain, but I don't know if his heart is strong enough, my fingers are crossed and I am praying for a safe and speedy surgery. I hope he comes out of it pain free when all is said and done. I love him and want only the best for him, he is my daddy after all.I will be going to the hospital on Monday to give blood as he was denied being able to give it himself, again not strong enough. I will donate as a direct donor...he gave me life now I hope to give him his life back...more to come...

Okay, I know I haven't posted in awhile but guess what there is nothing new, can you guess what it is doing out right now? That's right it is snowing again, we are slated to get another 5-9 inches, arrr...I have had enough already. Thankfully someone is listening because the last 2 storms have been been on Sundays which means B is home and can help shovel.

I had to take B into Boston to have an MRI done of his back the surgeon thinks he has a few herniated disks and that is what is causing his hip pain. I hope that is all it is and he does not require surgery...man I hope there is no surgery related to this. The pain is a direct result of a work incident, a fight that B was trying to break up...he did and my have suffered for it. B is strong and we will get through this together.

Nothing else is new around here. We are surviving and getting on with life the best we can, with all the snow and subzero temperatures, yeah it has been cold here, really really cold.

I have managed to lose 10 lbs and I love that I know I can do this. If you set your mind to it anything is possible. i love the way it feels to see the numbers on the scale going down... I love smaller numbers. I had to look twice because I did not recognise that I had slipped into a different Second number, first I panicked that I had gained weight than I noticed that it was reading a whole 10 lbs less, wooohooo!

Is it really snowing again? That would be yes, it really is snowing again. I know I live in Massachusetts but ahh hello, we have had enough!!!! We don't need anymore snow....NONE!!!! We are projected to get another 8-10 inches, I have not finished cleaning up from that last storm, oh not to mention that was an ice storm and not all that easy to clean up after...which is why I still have a good 6 inches of ice sitting in my driveway.

So do I really want more snow? NO!!!!

But as for everything else, nothing new here....B is off for the next 3 days. So I will not be in my normal routine....till Wednesday....I can't wait for him to go back to work already. I love having him home but OMG I hate having to give up my routine to accommodate him. I know, I know, I love him, but really, its is how I roll people....Sleep till noon, get up check mail, pay bills and relax. When he is home it is nonstop commotion in the house, always on the go, something needs to be done....He is always running errands and getting the normal life stuff done, where as I would love for it to wait till after 3pm...you know on my schedule.

Monday will be a day in of itself...we are heading into Boston for his appointment, and we are taking Kailyn because yeah, we aren't going to be stressed enough why not add a one year old to the mix. ARHHH I can't believe we are going to Boston anyway, but whatever!!!!

This is what life in our house looks like...

always a puppy close by,

always in need of cuddling.

Confession time....I have been on WW for a little over a week, 11 days to be specific...anyway, i have managed to stick to my points, no problem!!! I have actually lost 7 lbs, great!!! WOOHOO!! I love it and I really don't mind the restrictions either. However, you are allowed 35 flex points to be used per week and I have used NONE!!!! Not one, until last night. B took me out to Outback and I had a burger and baked potato, yum-o, I loved it, now I had not eaten anything else all day; because , no I was not starving myself I was sleeping. I got home at 6 am and went to bed, got up at 3 and showered and had dinner @ 4, so it was my breakfast/ lunch meal...I live a very crazy schedule, but anyways....I really enjoyed the meal, but felt so guilty afterwards... I know I had the points, I know I am allowed to eat freely when I have enough points accumulated, but I still feel GUILTY!!!! I know I shouldn't, but I do....

I know I have stuck to the plan and I know that I will be right back on track today, as I keep seeing myself in a bikini in Aruba, and nothing is going to change that, nothing!!!!

I love that I have the willpower to maintain this diet and can lose and will lose the weight, I can and I will, I remind myself of this everyday...again, anyways I just needed to vent that I was feeling guilty...and I know it was guilt over nothing having been done wrong, I get that....but today I am back on track...24pts and nothing more!!!!

I can do this, I will do this, I AM wearing a bikini in Aruba....damn it!!!!

So I managed to convince B that the pain in his right hip is not normal post surgery pain and he needed to call the surgeon. He agreed and I was able to get him an appointment on Monday in Boston, because his surgeon has changed hospitals and now so must we. We will be traveling into Boston to the New England Baptist Hospital for follow up care and xrays, woohoo! NOT!!!

Did you notice the driveway in the pic below...yeah the one with the ice storm and ice still in the driveway, well guess what? it is still there and we are supposed to be getting more snow on Saturday, and until then the temps are going to be in the lower 20's, meaning....the ice is going to be there a long time, a very long time. Oh well!

We decided to brave the ice storm and go out to dinner with friends last night...dinner was fantastic and the company was great, however the ride home was less than stellar...ice, snow, and stupid drivers do not make for a fun ride home. We saw 2 cars off the road, one of which was teetering on a guard rail and the other was facing the wrong way in the median....ahh stupid winter drivers!!! 4 wheel drive does not mean drive at breakneck speeds, and pass everyone and then wonder what happened when you are no longer on the road, idiot.

Ice storm 2009

This is the ice storm I woke to this morning...enough already!!!!!

Ice storm 2008

This is the side of my house, ice, ice, ice! Most of the tree came down, knocking out the powerlines and transformers...no fun, no power.

This is the bottom of my driveway, we lost most of the trees in our yard, they either came down under the weight of all the ice or had to be taken down, because they were never going to stand up staight on their own ever again.

more than enough already

AHHH, I have had more than enough already, as in all the ice storms. We are getting hit again as I type with yet another ice storm. We had a very severe one back on Dec. 12 that left some in the area without power for over 2 weeks,and now here we are again, aarrhhhh. I will upload pics as soon as I can get them on the computer. Nothing new as far as everything else is concerned. I watched Kailyn yesterday and she was here for 12 hours and was awake only about 3 hours, she has double ear infections and was very sleepy because of meds, however I watched her every minute constantly checking on her as she had been vomiting the night before, ahh I was a nervous wreck, oh and I worked the night before so I had yet to sleep, I believe I was awake for over 36 hours, so tired. B was home yesterday so that made things nicer yesterday, but again I did not sleep, as he was running errands and getting movies. We managed to watch 8 episodes of NCIS yesterday and the Women, we kept vigil of Kailyn all the while.
I am done shoveling, I have been out there 3 times and every time I finish the damn plow drivers put it all back in the driveway, mind you the road is bare down to the pavement so I have no idea where the keep finding snow and ice to put in the driveway, aarrrhhh. I hate Plow drivers!!!!! Ahh I feel better having gotten that off my chest....the snow/ice/slush/sleet is very heavy!!!! I love winter, but this is ridiculous, enough already!!!!!
Side note, for Christmas I got my mom, brother and nephew gift certs to a newly opened indoor water park. My dad called me and said he couldn't get my mom to leave, she spent 11 hours there and the whole time she was in the adult only indoor/outdoor spa, as in hot tub. She loved that she could float over to the side that was outside and enjoy the spa in the snow, she loved it. She called me the next day and mentioned that this is the only gift I am ever allowed to get her again. She loved having the whole day to relax and watch her grandson having a great time. She is awesome, I am so glad mom, enjoyed her gift.

2009...yeah not so much

So here it is the second day of 2009, and already I hate 2009.

Let me tell ya about my New Years Eve plans....

Actually lets back up to Tuesday 12/30 to be exact...I set my phone to alarm only when I am trying to sleep, for obvious reasons, not to be disturbed!!! So Annabelle decides she must tell mommy that the mail is here so begins her never ending barking. I get up and get the mail, mind you it is 10:30am and I have been asleep for all of 90 min. I decide to check missed calls, OMG!!!! I have 13 missed calls, WTF??? All are from B's cell phone. B is not allowed a cell phone in work so this is very puzzling and concerning at the same time, I check the voicemail and he is telling me to meet him at the ER, he is having chest pain, ohh hello he is 37, way too young for chest pain. I call him and we talk and he tells me of the pain, and his BP is 194/136...WOW!!! Can this be correct so I ask are you sure? He puts the RN on the phone yup, he is about to explode, nice way to wake up....down for a chest Xray and it is discovered he has severe damage to the cartilage in his chest it has separated, ahh not good and very painful, hence the chest pain...Thankfully it is not an MI, whew!!!! So he will be home shortly and not to meet him as I have to be down the Cape in a few hours for a funeral. B arrives home and is made comfortable by his coworker, have I mentioned I love the guys he works with? Well I do they took care of him till I could get home. I get home and take over care, I feed him and put him and the puppies to bed, ahh we all settle in for a nice nights sleep...ah NO!!! The CO2 monitor is going off, WTF??? I get up and check the furnace, nothing going on there so I get everyone out of the house for some fresh air. We go back in and reset the monitor because that is what I am instructed to do...so here we are at the very early morning hours of New Years Eve Day....No issues all day...we get ready to go to a party where we will ring in the new year.....We arrive at 6:30pm and dinner is late but that's OK because we have good company and great appetizers to keep us, yummy. Finally dinner is ready it is a full on turkey dinner with all the trimmings and it was delicious!!!! We retire to the living room and sit in front of the wood stove, can you guess what happens next? Yup I fall asleep, hubby says to just let me sleep as I have not had much in the past 48 hours....Fast forward to 10:30 and Maggy's dropping a bottle on the hardwood floor, it bolts me upright. hubby sees this and says let's go so you can get to bed, I agree....We arrive home at 11pm, walk the puppies and head off to bed. At 11:20 the Co2 monitor and the smoke alarm are going off I grab the puppies and B head to the basement and yells that the furnace is in flames, holy shit!!!! We extinguish the fire and assess the damage, we no longer have heat or a working furnace, we turn off the pilot light and call it a night, all is extinguished and everything is covered in soot. Nice way to ring in the new year fearing that you are going to lose everything. I believe everything happens for a reason, Maggie dropping the bottle is HUGE, had she not we would have stayed and celebrated with them and arrived home to nothing, no house no puppies no will to live. I called and thanked Maggi's first thing in the morning as her clumsiness saved my home and my puppies. I will forever be in her debt, Can I tell you I love this girl, I owe her everything. We spent New Years day in subfreezing temp with no heat...it was -7 outside, we survived and the very nice furnace people came today and we are now all toasty warm...so far I HATE 2009, but I love the people I have had in my life so far this year.

On a happier note,

I have been on WW for a little over a week and I am HAPPY to report...

I am down 7 lbs,

WOOOHOO!!!

2009 Goals...

WW begins in 2 days...I have 84lbs to lose by my trip to Aruba in October.

I can do this and I will. B is also doing the whole WW thing with me however, he only has 25lbs to lose and he can lose that in 6 weeks, oh men can be so cruel!!!! I have gotten my head wrapped around the idea of wearing a bikini in Aruba and I WILL!!! Also that and we are going with perfect bodied people, great motivation, I tell ya.

I will keep y'all posted on my achievements and B's.

I need to stay accountable or I will never get it done.

B will be my biggest supporter as I will be his.

He loves going to the gym and running which is a very nice thing to have especially when dieting.

So here we are again, actually I finally made it home to sleep for a couple of hours this morning. I was forced to work beyond my scheduled shift this morning because someone called out, not really i fun thing to show up to work and find out you can't go home in the morning, actually it stinks. So anyway I finally get home and hubby is out grocery shopping and running all the errands so that I can just come home and go to bed, well it was a nice thought as he let me sleep from 9am to noon. Then we were off to have lunch and head to his grammy's house to exchange gifts. We had a wonderful visit, I love all his grandparents, they are truly wonderful and amazing people. So here we are at this morning, I will be doing home and spending time with B before he goes off to work for the day, he will be gone all day as this is his late day, I hate his late days.

to be continued...

Christmas recap

Just a quick holiday recap...Christmas morning B was able to visit me for a few minutes before he had to go off to work. I, if you remember my whining was stuck at work on overtime, boo hoo. So anyway it was nice to see him in the morning. I stayed at work till 10am and then I was headed home to make blueberry muffins to take to Christmas dinner, they turned out fantastic. After the muffins were made I headed off to bed for a few hours, I woke at noon, then it was time to get the gifts together and get ready to go, B would be home soon. B got home at 3:10pm and we exchanged gifts...B got Dick's gift cards and I got 3 charms for my bracelet, a Sephora gift card and a gift certificate for a massage, facial and a haircut, oh la la. The puppies got bones, new chewy bones. After exchanging gifts we were off to visit the family....We arrived and dinner, we actually had breakfast for dinner, was almost ready, yummy...bacon, eggs, english muffins, blueberry muffins and homemade home fries, yum-o. We had a nice visit and exchanged gifts and then were on our way home. We were home and in bed and sound asleep by 8:20pm, we never heard the phone ring. Friends called us at 8:30 for a dessert date and we never heard the call, oops. They forgave us and were jealous they they could not git in bed so early. We met up with said friends this morning for breakfast and exchanged half the gifts, we exchanged the rest tonight over dinner. They are truly the sweetest couple we have ever met. They gave us a date night out on Valentines Day. We are going to the Brattle Theatre in Boston and seeing Casablanca...sounds like a great night out. Hopefully not a repeat of our last night out in Boston, which was in the middle of the great Ice Storm of 2008.

shopping done?

So here we are on the 23rd of December, only 2 days left till Christmas and is my shopping done, ahh no! I have finally begun shopping and I can't wait to finish. All I really have left is B and that is really easy, he told me flat out what he wants and I can actually get him the gift he coverts most this holiday season. See last year he really wanted a Wii, so I searched high and low, waited in line for hours and finally got one, 3 days before Christmas. This year I was not holding out hope that this would be an easy gift, but he surprised me and asked for

Dick's Sporting Goods gift cards, now this one I can do, woohooo!

After B's gift I need to pick up one more gift, I have to pick up a Chamilia Charm.

Then I am done, done, done.

We are celebrating the holiday with his family on the Sunday. My family's celebrating on Thursday night after B gets home from work at 4pm.

I can't believe I have overtime Christmas morning 6-10am, nice huh? NO!!!!!

Here is where we stand

I told B in no uncertain terms today that for the next 10 months he will forfeit his daily coffee and deposit the money all $2 of it into a fund...what is the fund for you ask? It is the Wife requires/wants/deserves/needs and will own a snow blower fund. It seems very funny to me that I am the only one shoveling, me not him, why does he not shovel, I will gladly tell you...he is working and wants a clean driveway to come home to. He happens to be working every snow storm, how convenient. I think he has it in good with Mother Nature and Father Time because his timing is impeccable. So today I have shoveled 5 times the first being at 10pm and that was a good 12 inches, conversion + 1 FOOT of snow. We have a very long driveway (8cars) I went back out and shoveled every 3 hours to the tune of approx. 3 inches each time due to the fact it never stopped snowing (thanks ch7 for getting it wrong, again) We are going to be hit with heavy wet snow today and they are forecasting 8-10 inches of snow, oh guess what B will be home and he WILL be shoveling right beside me, god forbid I stay in and watch, hah, NOT!

I want, I want, I want a SNOW BLOWER!!!

Here are a few random pics I took last week...Yes, they are both sound asleep in the play pen, so cute.

Where have I been?

I have been on vacation, wonderful not at work vacation. Was it a nice relaxing vacation, aah NO!!! Let me start at the beginning...Sunday 12/7...not bad did a Ride class at 8am, met up with friends and had a great day just hanging out. Mon. 12/8 nothing to write home about just a relaxing day with hubby and Kailyn..she is so my girl, hee hee. Tues. 12/9 no Kailyn she went to Papa Canns today, so I had the whole day to myself, then it was off to the gym at 3pm, great workout...Wed. 12/10 gym day, not much else, but nice hubby and I watch an NCIC marathon of about 9 episodes, we love this show and have only recently discovered it, yeah we know we are about 5 years late, but we are catching up quickly. Thur 12/11 We went into Boston and had dinner at Cheers (bull and Finch restaurant) it was very good but the next time I will eat closer to the Wang Center. After dinner we walked to the Wang Center and took in a performance of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, it was

AWESOME!!!! FANTASTIC!!! SO GOOD!!! WE LOVED IT!

WE returned home to an incredible ICE STORM, we have a huge and I mean huge pine tree in our front yard and half of it was on the ground, there were tree limbs everywhere, I couldn't believe it, we had maybe 40 trees all with some sort of damage in our yard when we awoke in the morning, not only that we had no power, however we did have heat, ahh Natural gas you may be expensive but you are always on(thankfully) We spent all of Friday in the dark, no electricity, but we didn't let that stop us from celebrating our 4th year wedding anniversary, we traveled to Worcester and had a nice dinner in one of the only places with electricity in our county, thank you Texas Road House, we returned home to a very dark street, still no power, ohh well walk the dogs and go to bed. B had to work in the morning 12/13 so he was not pleased he had to take a very lukewarm shower, he states it was very chilly but with a touch of warmth. I sent him off to work at the wee hour of 5am. I awoke at 9:30 am to complain to Annabelle that there was no electricity and half the city had power last night why couldn't we, then out of the corner of my half opened eye I see a green light on my DVR box, oh my goodness we have power, WOOHOO! Never was I so happy to have power. However my dear friends in Sterling did not get power until Monday night..4 whole days later.Sun 12/15 we had breakfast with friends and spent the day getting food and replacing everything we lost in the fridge and freezer, not fun or cheap.

Mon 12/16 I had Kailyn all to myself as B had to work overtimes the prison. We had a great day we played, we laughed, we slept, oh how we slept and then it was time for her to go home.

Remember I said we had an ice storm well things were still not back to normal as of Tuesday and as I was waiting for Kevin to drop off Kailyn for the day, mind you the town they live in still has no power as of Tuesday. So anyway I am waiting for Kevin when all of a sudden there is a knock at the door and I assume it is Kevin, but I open the door and standing there on my porch was an officer from my station, he said he was there to take me to work, we were in a state of emergency and I was being forced in to work with a police ride, ahh no I had a baby coming who had no heat in her house I carefully explained it to him very nicely and he let me off the hook, as I was explaining it to Kevin showed up with Kailyn and he said "very well then see you when you come back from vacation" and left. Can you image being forced into work because you answered the door? I can and now I have personally seen it happen, had I not had Kailyn I would have gone in, but there was no way I was bringing an 11 month old to work. Okay Tues 12/16 had Kailyn all day and B was home with us, now I love the man to death but really he threw off my whole day with her. We didn't get in our nap, hello I'm on vacation I should get a nap and so should she. We did manage to have a nice breakfast and enjoy each others company, then we returned her to her daddy, nice day all in all. Wed 12/17 guess what I woke up to this morning 4 inches of snow, snow can you believe it? Yeah I know it is December in Massachusetts. So I got up and shoveled, I remembered just this morning that I hate shoveling!!! I did it though with a smile on my face as I wanted B to see what I had done while he was at work, its a guilt thing. B finally got home and I was tired from shoveling all day so we ordered a pizza and had another NCIC marathon night actually I only watched 4 episodes and went to bed at 6pm and B continued to watch the next 4 episodes. I had to get up at 1am and get ready for work, ahh I had to return to work only to find out I was being forced in the morning meaning, I don't get to go home at 6am I have to stay till 10 am, what a nice welcome back from vacation gift, NOT!!!

So here I sit all refreshed from vacation...ahh not so much.

Cross fit

I have begun a new era of training. I want to run a half marathon in less than 3 months and I NEED to get in shape, and fast! So I have gone back to the gym full time, working out, Ride Classes and training with my trainer Kevin 3-4 days a week doing Crossfit.
What is Crossfit you ask? Crossfit is... a strength and conditioning program based around functional movement patterns. They are anaerobic based workouts to increase power, strength, speed, agility, balance, flexibility, coordination, cardiovascular endurance, accuracy and stamina. Sounds easy enough right? Yeah...NO!
Here is workout from Friday...
36 Burpies
36 push ups
36 Deep knee squarts
Run .25 = one cycle...you have to do theis for 3 cycles for time...
I managed to get it all done in 18:54, I felt like dying when it was over, but I felt great.
I knew I had been at the gym and really worked out.
Tuesday's workout was 5 exercises for one minute NO BREAKS...3 cycles
KETTLEBELL SWING ..40lbs dumbbell
SUMO DEADLIFTS...40lbs
BOX JUMPS
THRUSTERS...40lbs
RUN as fast as you can for 1 min.
AHH, it felt like HELL.. I loved it!!!!
Brian is going to join me on Friday night to see what kind of hell he puts me through...thankfully I don't pay for this punishment but the others in the class pay $400.00 a month for this punishment. I watch his kid, I think he is making out in the deal.

Happy Turkey Day

Happy Turkey Day!!!

I will be joining some friends for a wonderful breakfast and then going home to sleep for the afternoon, B will be home around 3:05 and can't wait to catch up on all his football games. I told him he needed to be cheering quietly as I will be sleeping (hopefully). I had overtime rescheduled at 6 pm but someone took it so I do not have to be to work until 10pm, yeah!!!

B and I will watch a movie(Fred Claus) and eat homemade nachos for dinner, and apple pie, yum-o.

Our friend Amy will be stopping by with a full course turkey dinner for B to take to work on Friday (she is so sweet).

We had turkey day dinner with his parents last Sunday and this Sunday we will be having a turkey day/birthday dinner with my family.

See why we are having nachos on the actual turkey day?

10 things to be grateful for this Thanksgiving

10. Having a job that not only do I like I actually don't mind voluntarily picking up overtime.
9. Having great health insurance, with out this B's surgeries would have cost us our home and all our savings.
8. Working with people you actually like, this is not always easy, but makes the day go by easier.
7.B's job, hate the state love the paycheck
6.Grand parents (his, mine have passed)
5.In laws
4.Kevin and Kailyn, best friend and precious baby girl.
3.Craig and Amy, greatest friend there are, thanks for seeing us through the bad and unhappy times
2.My mom, dad, brothers and sisters, whom I love dearly, you have shaped me into who I have become, thank you.
1. B, I am so thankful for everything he does and I appreciate him for being the man he is. I love everything about him and would not change a thing. He is kind, loving, sweet, caring, thoughtful, respectful, and the most generous man I know.
1. My wonderful and precious babies, Riley, Annabell, and our angels, Lily and Baron. They are my whole world, the sun rises and sets by their eyes alone. They are the 4 very best things that have ever happened to me.
Riley, you have always been there for me through everything. It was you and I baby, till Lily came along, then we were a team the three of us.
Lily, I will never forget you, you are and always will be my first little gurl, I love you and miss you everyday.
Annabelle, you were not what what we were looking for that day in July but you were and continue to be EXACTLY what we all needed. You are my very bestest little gurly guly, I am thankful everyday for what you did for Riley and Baron.
Baron, you came and tried my patience and never learned to get along with Riley but I know you loved and cared about each other in your own way, we love and miss you everyday, Daddy was and still is you biggest fan and continues to mourn your loss everyday, Not a day goes by that we don't think of you and Lily. Both are always in our hearts and never far from our thoughts.

Turkey day plans

So there is still nothing much new to report here except for that fact my dad is now an insulin dependent diabetic. Not good news in of itself, but the news could be much worse so we will take it as it is. B has been enjoying his Ride Classes, as we have taken a few in the last few days. Dinner at the in laws was wonderful and I'm glad we went. Grammy and Grampy were very friendly and and mom and dad in law were entertaining. We watched the the Patriots game and I witnessed my first ever fight in the NFL, it was awesome. I loved it, and Grampy really loved he said he doesn't remember the last time he say a good knock down fight in football. I will be enjoying Thanksgiving breakfast at my friend Amy's house with her and her husband and family, we will be dining on scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, waffles, pancakes and crepes, i will be bringing homemade cinnamon rolls, yum-o, I can't wait for breakfast. I will then be heading home for some much needed sleep as I am working that night at 6pm, I have overtime on the holiday, nice, NOT! I will see B at 5 pm when he gets home and then not again till the next morning. Amy was very kind and has informed me that she will be bringing over a full turkey day dinner to the station for me, and to the house for B. They are the nicest sweetest people we have ever had the pleasure of getting to know.

So what is new, well nothing actually. I have been going to the gym and getting in some much needed sleep. I have not slept well for 3 days and I really needed to get some sleep today so at 12:30pm when I was still awake and had not slept yet, I decided to take Ambien and finally fell asleep around 2 pm, I slept til B came in and woke me at 9pm and told me it was time to get ready for work. It was not restful sleep but it was sleep none the less. The puppies were wonderful and let me sleep and did not bother me once. I can't believe I have 4 hours left to go before I get to go home, however I will not be going to sleep in the morning. I have to be at the gym by 7 just to get a space for Ride class at 8am, and then we are running a race in Mansfield at noon and then it is home for showers and off to the in laws for a traditional turkey dinner at 3:30pm. After dinner we are competing in Crossfit Training Games in Clinton with my friend at 7pm. If you don't know what Crossfit is go check it out at Crossfit.com it is hell but so good for you. It works every muscle group and then some. It is grueling and intense but only lasts for 20-30 minutes and you are done, I mean done, you're so fatigued and exhausted that you want to crawl home. After all is said and done I will finally get to bed around 10pm then it is up at 6 to get Kailyn for the day... I have her till 5pm then I have to work 6pm -6am, nice huh? Not!!!! I will be catching up on all my sleep on Tuesday after Ride class when B goes to work at 10am.

Nothing really new here. I have been sick the past week but I am feeling fine now.I managed to get back to the gym latest week only to have it cut short after 2 Ride classes, but everything is a go now. I took a Ride class on Sunday morning and ran 3.5 miles, woohoo!! Yesterday I managed to get to the gym at 3:30pm and got on the new EXPRESSO BIKE, this thing is awesome. It is like riding your bike with virtual reality, it is unbelievable, I love it. I did 30 min, managed about 8 miles and then I had Ride class, after Ride class it was back to the Expresso Bike for another 30 minutes managing about 10 miles, after the bike I did the StairMaster for 2 vertical miles and then it was off to the treadmill for some running, all in all I was at the gym for 4 hours yesterday and I am heading back there in 45 minutes for some more biking and running.

4 LBS GONE

I started back on WW on Monday and I'm already down 4 whole pounds. WOOOHOOO!

I love it. I hope to be down 20 lbs by the fanily holiday party. That's 20lbs in 7 weeks,

I can do it. I know I can.

In other news I have booked our family vacation for next year or at least our first family vacation. We are going to Disney World in March and Aruba in October.

(Another reason for the diet, hee hee)

I, however have not told B about the Disney trip as it is his Christmas present.

He is going to kill me, but he will love it just the same. I am so excited I can hardly wait.

It's official...

It's official,

We are now licensed by the state of Massachusetts as

Foster Parents/Pre-ADOPTIVE Parents.

WOOOHOOO!!!

Finally, it has been 11 months and 13 days. Now we are just waiting for the final approval on our home study and we can finally be placed and matched with a child, our child.

The child we have been dreaming about for 11 months, 13 days and counting.

We made a very strong connection and friendship with another couple going through class that at this time I would classify as "truly blessed to have them as foster family/friends"

Hey all...

What can I say? It was NOT the Tampa Bay Rays!
I am a die hard Red Sox fan, so I celebrate with the Phillie fans tonight, they deserve it.
Twenty-five years is along time to wait, the wait is now over, enjoy the spotlight.
2008 World Series Champions!!!

Hey all, nothing new here lately. We are attending a matching party for our adoption classes in 2 weeks so we are kind of excited. We have one more class left

and we are officially graduated from MAPP training, thank goodness!
We went over a friends house for pizza tonight and it was wonderful to get away for a couple of hours. Their house is gorgeous!!! If we were to build our dream home, this would be it.

We would literally change nothing!

We are going to Chuck E Cheese on Saturday and after spending time with screaming
7 year olds: we are meeting friends for dessert and drinks, yum-o!
Sunday we are attending a 60th birthday party for a friends dad, we can't wait to meet the entire family, should be lots of fun.
Other than that we have not been very exciting this week, I have had numerous hours of overtime, so much so, my puppies are trying to figure out who I am anymore. I can't wait to go home in 1 hour and 40 minutes, but who's counting.

B continues to improve everyday.

I can't believe how far he has come in such a short amount of time. It feels like forever ago and in reality it has only been 5 months.

B is amazing and surprises me everyday.

oh my..

Oh my, we are having some wild weather here. Fall has arrived with all the wind. People will be very surprised tomorrow morning when they wake and see all the leaves have fallen. The night has been very strange, flooding and such. We are so busy it is unreal, I hope the night gets better, seeing as I am here for 8 more hours.
AHH....people Halloween is next week, not tonight!!!! It is a very strange night, very strange indeed.

Ahhh, Sleep. I had a great day today I did nothing, absolutely nothing. I got home about 6am and saw B off to work then I went to bed. I slept till about 3pm when B got home. We had an early dinner together and I was back in bed for a nap before work. I have to work tonight at 10 pm till tomorrow morning at 10, so I am here for the long haul. I'm no tired but the time is dragging so slowly, I mean come on already. Thankfully I have a great partner coming in, in the morning. I have so much overtime coming up next week it is ridiculous. I have to work Thursday night 6pm to 6am and Friday (Halloween) have to work 6pm to 10am, like I said lots and lots of overtime. Thankfully none of it is on my days off so I actually do get a few days off now and than, ha ha. The money will be nice when it finally does come in but that in itself is a huge guessing game.

We had a friend over the house for dinner last Tuesday night and the puppies love company. Riley was so good, he was a very well behaved little boy and Annabelle was also very good, however she managed to get stuck under the puppy gate, and had to be rescued. I guess she didn't realize that her butt is bigger than her head, it was a riot, we laughed and laughed. I made homemade lasagna and garlic Parmesan monkey bread for dinner, and homemade cupcakes, it was fantastic. She arrived at 6pm and stayed till 11, it was a great evening, maybe next time we will extend the invite to her wonderful hubby. (Actually she came over because we didn't want her to eat alone and her hubby was working late) It was a great night and we can't wait to do it again.

We have 2 more adoption classes to go. We graduate on Nov.3, and let me tell you that day can not come fast enough. We are not overly impressed with the way things are going but, what can we do? NOTHING!!!! We have to wait it out and see what happens, waiting sucks!!!!