The Crab Chronicles

Cheering Myself Up

It’s been a very blah day. I am not in a good mood. Be warned.

 

I finished The Fixer Upper, which was excellently entertaining, but ended rather abruptly. I wanted to read more. I guess that’s the sign of a good author. Or perhaps Mary Kay Andrews was just sick of writing. Who knows.

 

Mother needed a pedicure, so I took us all to the mall. Alesia agreed to push her around the mall in exchange for a pedicure of her own. I read while they did that. I don't like pedicures. The thought of someone touching my feet makes me shudder. I have hobbit-like feet which should remain encased in Crocs at all times while in public.

 

We then went to the book store. Alesia found several books. I was glad she wanted books, since she got Sims games for her birthday and she already has spent serious computer time engrossed in the Sims. I do not understand why virtual people are so fascinating, but it’s fairly harmless entertainment.

 

We had lunch at a little Mexican restaurant where the food is very reasonable. I was ticked they didn’t have the TV on today. Our waitress also appeared to have the IQ of guacamole. She spoke perfectly fine English. We had to repeat every order 3 times, though. The funniest thing was that Mother ordered a Dos Equis. [That’s a beer, for you teetotalers.] When she had finished writing down the food order Mother said, “Don’t forget my Dos Equis!” and the waitress replied “OK, you want two eckees!” Alesia intervened. “No, Dos Equis is a beer! She only wants one!” When she had walked off, we all sat there giggling.

UPDATE ON THE BOOK

 

I finally received my bookmarks I had made to put in my books. They look very spiffy. I wish I had gotten them sooner, though.

 

I also got started on the postcards. I am sending promotional postcards to 66 of my nearest and dearest, many of whom have not seen or heard from me in years. I must confess, about half a dozen are going to attorneys I worked for in the past, not because I think they will buy a book, but because they always treated me like I was an idiot. I wanted them to know I’ve written and published a book. It’s a teeny weeny revenge. Being a paralegal can be really frustrating at times, because the good ol’ boys want to treat you like a bimbo or a moron. I have worked for a lot of good ol’ boys. At the opposite end of the spectrum, though, are attorneys who expect me to know everything they know, and practice law without a license. Encountering a semi-normal lawyer is rare.

 

I checked on sales of my books late this afternoon and it was discouraging. I am not selling as many books as I had hoped. I have been doing everything I know to do to promote the book. I just don’t seem to be getting anywhere, despite help from great buddies like Julia, Cindy B and Cindy L, and Martha over at rainbowkids.

 

I am also creaky with arthritis today. And I miss Michael. And all my squash plants are dead, for reasons I cannot guess. My feet itch! I need to balance my checkbook and I’d rather set my hair on fire! Aaaargh!

 

So, in an effort to cheer myself up, I’m announcing

 

A CONTEST!!

 

I saw this photo on my friend Nic’s Facebook photos page and thought, this little lady has the cutest expression on her face. The person who comes up with the funniest caption for this photo will win a free copy of my book. I will not judge the entries, to be fair. I will let Alesia and Mother tell me which one they think is funniest or most clever. So study on this photo and leave me a comment with your best shot at a funny/cute/clever caption! Winner announced Sunday. Contest closes at midnight on Saturday June 12 at midnight EST.

Mike to Camp

Michael is becoming such a young man, almost as tall as me, and weighing close to 100 lbs. now. He is still a little boy in so many ways, though, as I was reminded when I dropped him off at camp early this morning.

 

He was really cranky yesterday when we were trying to get him packed. It took all of us – Mother talking to him and helping him with laundry, Alesia helping him pack, me coming in for a last-minute check. He didn’t want to take a towel or shampoo, although I pointed out the necessity of those items. He didn’t want to go to sleep last night. He didn’t like how the sleeping bag was tied, so I re-tied it at 6:02 this morning. He didn’t want any breakfast, and I had to badger him to eat some pilmeni. He got mad because we left at 7 a.m.

 

Finally, when we got to the departure point at Children’s Healthcare, he said “I changed my mind. I don’t want to go.” He repeated that several times. I ignored him.

 

He glared at me when I hugged him and kissed his forehead. I assured him he would have fun.

 

However, last year he was much worse. He was a pill for days before he left. He had no idea what to expect. This year, he knows he will have fun. He just doesn’t like to leave his comfort zone.

 

The Adventure Amputee Camp is WONDERFUL. Kids with limb differences always feel different and often embarrassed. The camp gives them a chance to be around other kids like themselves, and they don’t feel self-conscious. Every kid is missing a limb or part of one. Yet, they get to do whitewater rafting, water skiing, a ropes course, horseback riding, etc. They bond with each other. The staff treats them all just like any kid, and nobody feels "different." It's a terrific thing. All kids can go regardless of ability to pay. They do need donations. Please donate if you can.

 

Alesia has had a totally girly day.

 

I picked up her BFF, Elena, and took the girls to Target to shop. Elena gave her a Target gift card, so she was able to buy several things, including a purse. She has about 25 purses. She rarely takes on anywhere. She also has maybe 2 dozen pairs of shoes. What does she wear all the time? Flip flops. She bought a new pair today.

 

We had lunch at Shorty's Pizza, a locally owned pizza place that has excellent food. Mother didn’t go. She doesn’t care for the food. Alesia likes their thin crust pizza.

 

I took the girls to see Ice Age 2, and I didn’t go. I was impressed by Ice Age I and I could see no value to a sequel. I got so little sleep last night I knew I’d fall asleep in the movie and likely start snoring.

 

I got a lot of reading done today. I am reading the latest book by Mary Kay Andrews, The Fixer Upper . It’s light and entertaining. That’s all I was in the mood for today.

 

I have felt draggy and discombobulated all day. It’s hard to accept the fact that getting only 6 ½ hours of sleep was my regular routine every night for years. Now I crave my 8+ hours, and I feel so much better if I get that sleep. I read somewhere that sleep deprivation is the biggest health issue facing Americans. Of course, I read that dehydration was also the biggest issues, and I drink tons of water. Who knows. I just know I will pay more attention to sleeping better from now on.

 

 

Oh, the Finding Prayer is nothing formal. I just ask God to help me find whatever it is that I’m missing. It always works, but you have to be patient.

 

The Finding Prayer

It occurred to me as I typed the title to this post that it sounds faintly Amish, so I thought I'd throw in a photo of a really  cool Amish quilt. I wish I could quilt. When I get a needle and thread, however, there's a lot of cursing and the result always looks like something crafted by a 2 year old.

More items were crossed off the To Do list, but it was an uphill battle. I had business stuff to attend to, and personal.

 

I found the insurance papers, praise God. Mother said the Finding Prayer for me to find the insurance papers. We believe in praying if you can’t find something. Years ago, my aunt dropped a sewing needle in some high shag carpet, and it disappeared. She was scared one of her babies would step on the needle and get really hurt. Memaw was there, and she said the Finding Prayer and they found the needle.

 

I am saying the Finding Prayer every day, for me to find a new job.

 

My room is once again a disaster area. It stayed clean briefly…

 

I am running an ad on Facebook to promote my book Adopting Alesia. It’s not too expensive, and I think it’s good value for marketing dollars, considering how many people are on Facebook.

 

I was also delighted to see my article on rainbowkids.com, "The Writing of Adopting Alesia". I already had emails from several folks saying they saw the article. One was from a single woman who has been thinking of adopting for a long time but not gotten the courage to get it done. I hope I can inspire her to go ahead and pursue adoption, whether domestic or foreign, it doesn’t matter to me.

 

 

Alesia had a therapy appointment today. She was very overwrought this morning and we had a dramatic scene with yelling and slamming doors. I know it’s par for the course with teenaged girls, but I hate that sort of drama. The therapist was able to get her calmed down, and it was a productive session. I see so many signs of Alesia maturing, but it’s like for every 2-3 steps forward there’s at least one step back.

 

Alesia opened her birthday presents late this afternoon, even though her birthday is not until tomorrow. Michael leaves for camp early tomorrow morning, so I asked her to open them today, and of course she didn’t mind. We also had her cake after dinner. She had pilmeni for dinner, which is her favorite Russian comfort food. I got her clothes, computer games [Sims 2 and 3] and a few pieces of jewelry. She tried the perfume, but was ambivalent about whether or not she likes it. [No matter; I still like the story!]

 

I attempted to make Szechuan beef for me and Mother for dinner. It had a lot of pepper flakes in it and was a bit too spicy. I completely forgot garlic [attack of the Home Brain again!]. Next time I will do it better. I need to find some of that ginger in a tube you can get at the grocery store. Last time I looked they were out. I also need to buy fresh garlic. We seem to use it up at an alarming rate around here. We don’t have any vampires though! [hahaha]

Garlic rocks.

Perfume Tale

What a busy and annoying day. I got a few things knocked off my To Do list, but then had to add things.

 

I spent half the afternoon looking for some insurance papers regarding the house policy, and haven’t found them yet.

 

I took Alesia to softball practice, and Michael and I headed to CVS. I have all her birthday presents bought already, but some of them were bought off E-bay and haven’t arrived yet.

 

Alesia said this morning she was low on perfume. She likes Miss Dior Cherie. I can’t afford that right now.

 

At CVS, after I picked up Mother’s prescriptions, Michael and I headed to the perfume case.

 

CVS actually carries a lot of the big name perfumes, but they’re behind a locked case. I surveyed them all, in dismay. The prices were very high. There was nothing under $20. We headed to the only other perfume display, a small shelf holding knockoffs. None of those were acceptable. Michael sprayed me with one that smelled like cotton candy and I nearly gagged. I gave him a bottle of Charlie and he sniffed and made a face. “That smells like an old lady!”

 

Thanks a lot boy. You’re still smaller than I am.

 

I stood there biting my lip, frustrated, and asked God to help me out. Michael almost instantly handed me a tester bottle and I tried it out. It smelled nice. Not too sweet, more spicy. Alesia doesn’t like too sweet scents, nor do I. I was delighted. Then I realized the lone tester was all there was, an artifact. Worse, there was no top, and the label was pulled off. I asked a store clerk if there was a supply of it in back and he looked at me like I was crazy. “I don’t know. I have no idea” was his unsmiling response. He talked to a female clerk and she was equally clueless.

 

I wound up buying the tester bottle. He should’ve given it to me – there was only 9/10ths of it left, but he charged me $3. I showed it to Mother. “If she doesn’t like it, I will use it.”

 

I had sprayed some on my arm, and when I got Alesia from practice, she sniffed my arm and said “I like that.”

 

I was late making dinner, still haven’t located the insurance papers, and I have a million things to do tomorrow, but I am optimistic about the perfume.

 

Mike leaves for camp Thursday morning very early, so we are opening presents tomorrow night, just the family, and having some birthday cake. Thursday, Alesia is spending the day with her BFF, shopping and going to lunch, a very girly day.

I had to send this email to my brother tonight:

Lest you think you are not missed, I submit the following.

Alesia informed me today that I do not drive well. She much prefers how Uncle Bruce drives. He doesn't stop and start in such a jerky way.

Uncle Bruce has really good air conditioning in his truck. She misses the truck.

She never got nauseated with Uncle Bruce.

Uncle Bruce is just WAY more fun than boring old mom. Can't remember all the other remarks pointing to that but they were numerous. Michael didn't say much, but I could see him nodding when she made these statements.

I can't compete. Even taking them to Target wasn't enough.

Just thought you'd like to know....

Your Sister
[aka boring old mom...]

Memories, Light the Corner of My Mind...

I am LOSING MY MIND.

 

I am forgetting everything, right and left. I am acting all cool about being laid off and suddenly having no commute in the morning, sleeping late, cooking more, feeling like Suzy Homemaker, but the truth is my brain is on autopilot.

 

I have two brains. I have Office Brain, and Home Brain. Office Brain is great. It takes care of calendaring. Home Brain doesn’t do calendaring. Home Brain is slow, like Forrest Gump on ‘ludes. Home Brain needs shock therapy. 

Office brain has left the building.

 

Shock Therapy is coming. It’s called embarrassment. No wait, it’s worse. It’s called humiliating, mortifying, OMG I am turning into an imbecile kind of embarrassment. I embarrass myself. Nobody else has to know and I’m still embarrassed. That's just between us, OK?!

 

I will never, ever again think stay at home moms have it easy. They are my new heroes. They have to do everything on Home Brain function.

 

I realized today that it’s the 6^th day of the month and my contacts feel like I stuck hefty bags in my eyes with hot glue. Why? Because on the first day of every new month I NORMALLY put in my new contacts and toss the old ones. I didn’t do that last week. I can only blame it on the fact that my babies were out in the wilderness with The Major and I was sorta freaked out by the quiet house.

 

Last Friday, Alesia was supposed to have a tennis lesson at 9 a.m. It was on the calendar in the kitchen, not the calendar upstairs by my desk. I don’t have an Outlook calendar any more, and I am ashamed to say if a popup window doesn’t appear on my computer in the morning, I am helpless. I am at the mercy of paper calendars and they don’t make noise. Fortunately, I was blessed. I called to apologize to the tennis coach and he didn’t have it on his calendar either. Thanks be to God.

 

Back in June, I completely forgot the Amputee Coalition of America conference. I signed up Mike to go, because it was here in Atlanta, and I paid the money months ago. I got the badges and popped them into my purse. I then forgot about it. It was the weekend after I was laid off. I can only attribute the memory lapse to being freaked out about not having a job for the first time in 24 years. I hate that Mike missed it, though. I apologized to him. I felt so bad that he didn’t get to go be with other amputees, where he feels normal. Poor baby.

 

Sometimes there is just evidence of a slow leak. I was working with Michael today on his bridge book and I forgot how to spell Hawaii. I used to win spelling bees! I normally ROCK at spelling! I also forgot what 9 times 6 was the other day. Yikes.

 

Tonight I forgot to make dinner. One minute I had dropped Alesia off at softball practice and Mike off at tennis, come home and checked email, and the next thing I know it’s time to pick up Alesia and no dinner is made. Time is a very mysterious thing right now.

 

I am trying to mend my ways. I have a small yellow pad with a list of a dozen things that need to be done this week. They include such fun things as “get oil changed in car” and “go to post office” and “buy pilmeni” (a Russian dumpling).

 

Alesia’s birthday is Thursday. I am trying not to forget it.

 

Mike has to catch a bus to camp on Thursday morning. He is looking forward to it, even though it’s only a long weekend this year due to budget constraints.

 

I can barely remember to look both ways in the car. I nearly t-boned a Honda Civic this afternoon, while the children screamed. Yes, Home Brain wasn’t working in the car.

 

I think Alesia has her first grey hair, and Mike has a new pimple.

 

I have hope, however. As the movie Schindler’s List says so eloquently, “The list is life!”

 

My Mother is a list maker. Her mother, Memaw, was a list maker. It’s in the blood. Pray that I remember everything that goes on the list.

 

Pray that I can remember how to read my own weird handwriting.

 

Pray that the multiplication tables and the driver’s rules don’t fall out of my rapidly-graying head.

 

Just pray.

No Fireworks

Late Sunday night

 

We all slept late this morning. Mike was very unhappy last night, and refused to brush his teeth. We had gone to the house of some friends who had thought there would be a big fireworks display by their neighbors, and the display didn’t happen. I made Mike leave with me, and he was mad because 1) there were no fireworks except a few small ones set up in the street, and 2) I wouldn’t let him stay and run around at night playing in the dark with the other kids. Apparently I am the meanest mom in the world, because I believe when it’s dark, kids should be inside, not out running around. We have snakes around here. We have spiders that bite. He could step in a hole and tear every ligament in his knee and be crippled for life – my grandmother did that during World War II and never walked right again. Anyway, all he knew was I was being “mean.” So be it.

 

I drove over to Tucker hoping to find some fireworks but there were none. 

He refused to brush his teeth so he wasn't allowed to watch a movie.

 

He was still in a foul mood this morning. I think some of it had to do with Bruce leaving and Alesia being gone.

 

I took him shopping and we hit Target and found some clothes and things for Alesia, on sale of course. I then went to Payless Shoes. He didn’t like any of the sandals he tried on. His foot is a men’s size 7, which is very small. There weren’t many shoes to choose from. In the end, we came home and I went to work with a needle and thread, repairing the sandals he has where the Velcro came loose. Saved me some money but man there was some aggravation.

 

As soon as Alesia came home this afternoon his mood brightened considerably. Her friend S and her mother brought Alesia around 3:30 for a late lunch. I had put out sandwich makings, a fruit tray, some chips, etc. I bought a bag of Stacy’s pita chips  based on the endorsement from Pioneer Woman. I bought the Tuscan herb pita chips. They were bland and tasteless and had no salt. Yuck.

 

S and her mother recently returned from a trip back to Russia, where they reconnected with some of the girls who had been in the orphanage with Alesia and S. The sad thing is that although several of the girls are doing OK, and are in trade schools, several others are now prostitutes, and a couple are pregnant. These are girls less than 18 years old, with nobody who cares about them taking care of them. A whole new generation of orphans. It makes me so sad I am almost sick over it. I can’t think too much about it or I will cry. Please pray for the girls that they can get their lives straightened out.

 

We watched The Firm tonight, and as always, Alesia predicted who was a bad guy and who was good. It’s a tricky legal thriller, but her instincts are infallible. I think they were honed when she was small, and lived in constant danger of being abused. She is a survivor.  That’s good and bad. She has blocked from her memory a lot of her feelings about what happened to her, and so is unable to process it. On the other hand, she is able to function quite well in the world, and matures every day. I pray the therapist will help her re-connect events and feelings one day, so she can process what happened.

 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

 

Please pray for my friend Cindy B’s daughter Sarah, who is in the hospital and may have to have surgery. Pray also for her friend Cindy A, who is battling cancer. Prayer can work miracles.

Happy 4th in Pictures

Well, 47 years ago about this time, my mother was thinking..... OW!! I was born at 9:30 at night. I think that means my rising sign is Kentucky Fried Chicken...

This is what I looked like a few months later, after I fattened up a bit. Note the alien expression on my face. I was telepathically communicating with the mother ship right when the photographer snapped the photo. Either that, or I had a wet diaper....

I had a leisurely morning, watering flowers and chatting with my brother. Then I set off for Stone Mountain. Alesia had a close friend in the orphanage, S, and she was adopted right before Alesia came home. S lives in Indiana with her mom, and they came down for a long weekend visit. So I took Alesia over to the Marriott Evergreen Conference Center. I mapquested the directions, because although I've been to Stone Mountain park many times, I'd never been to that hotel. I got totally lost. I drove aimlesslessly for about 20 minutes. I finally asked a policewoman, and we found it. I parked the car right by what I foolishly thought was the lobby. I then walked about a mile of corridors. Finally S and her mom came out and I left Alesia with them. I think they were going to swim, do some park activities, and then watch the fireworks display tonight. I will get her back tomorrow afternoon.

It took me all of 18 minutes to get home, once I oriented myself. Have I mentioned that I HATE mapquest?! Don't mention one of those creepy car computer voices talking to me, either. nope, I should've called the hotel. I needed a human being to tell me where to go. Computer voices freak me out.

Anyway, I hope Alesia has fun. Stone Mountain Park is a fun place, with lots to do.

One funny note, S has totally straight hair. When we saw her today, her hair was in beautiful ringlets. Her mom said she spends a lot of time curling her hair. Alesia had perfectly straight hair. She spends a lot of time straightening her hair. If it's not perfect, she pulls it back.

I spent most of the rest of the afternoon being liesurely. Bruce and I pondered the bamboo harvest.

I am pondering what to do with it. Think I could sell it on Craigslist?!

This is the old garden.

Note the tomatoes. I am going to have a bumper crop of tomatoes this year. Here's the harvest just for today:

Here's Bruce with all the tomatoes in his shirt, preparing to go home:

I don't want to think about what Mike was planning to do with the Bamboo Club...

Bruce and Mike worked hard this morning, helping me by putting some pavers and mulch in the side yard where nothing will grow.

I think I need to buy some more pavers. Bruce said the next heavy rain is going to wash away all the mulch. He's probably right. I want it not too muddy, though, because I like to walk around that way every day and check on my melon patch.

My pumpkin has some icky looking places. I don't know if it will survive. It's crawling all over the place, though...

These are some of the flowers in the back yard. Don't they look marvelous next to the blue of the trampoline?!

Here's the view from the other direction.

Anybody know what this spiky plant is, or why it had babies?

This is a peace lily that was given to us in 1996 when my father died. It was in a big pot for years, and wasn't faring too well, so I stuck it outside. Mother told me it would never live. She was wrong. It LIVES!!!

I think it likes the views of the flowers I have in front...

I love geraniums. They are hearty and beautiful. These are my Impatiens. They worry me.

I almost forgot to show you my side bed. Isn't it fabulous?! Lots of corn and beans.

Oh and look - a boy too!

He was playing with this huge iron spike that Uncle Bruce gave him. He was happily throwing it into the lawn, slowly aerating the soil for me [cough cough] and then he lost it.

Finally, Uncle bruce helped him and they found it. He stopped playing with it, then thankfully...

i've had a nice, relaxing day. That's all the news that's fit to print...

Almost Birthday

My last day as a 46 year old. Hard to believe.

 

At 8:32 I woke up, threw on pants and a shirt and went downstairs. Drank half a cup of tea. Talked to Bruce and Mom. I watered the back gardens. I have to water early in the morning or I’ll cook the plants. You think I’m kidding? The highs all summer range from a “cool” 88 to a scorching 100+.

 

There are green beans in my raised garden bed! I am very excited. In a few days or a week, I can cook a mess of green beans. Yum. Corn is getting high too, but not like an elephant eye, not yet.

 

My main garden was hiding a ginormous cucumber! YAY! Got excited, started whooping and hollering. Mike gave me the stinkeye. He needed coffee.

 

Bruce said all the way up to the mountains every time the kids saw corn or veggies growing they hollered Look! Mom would be so excited to see that!

 

By late morning we had finished a leisurely breakfast and Alesia and I went to Kroger. She was very calm, and helped me find things. Sometimes she is in a foul mood at Kroger, but I think it’s because Michael gets on her nerves.

 

When we got home, Alesia made me a peanut butter chocolate pie for my birthday. We celebrated today instead of tomorrow. The pie was delicious! Alesia made the pie all by herself. I was very proud of her.

 

When we got home from grocery shopping, Bruce and Mike in the backyard, hacking down bamboo. The damn bamboo was growing up too close to my trees in the back and so they hacked it down for me. That was helpful.

 

Michael and I spent some time early in the afternoon watching Wimbledon coverage. I was trying to psych him up for getting back in shape for the tennis team, which resumes practice Monday.

 

We saw Transformers II this afternoon. I liked Transformers I. It was cute and funny, and I actually understood most of what was going on. This new one is incomprehensible. It’s also VERY LOUD. At one point I dozed off, then the noise started up again, and I couldn’t sleep. I hate when that happens. I spent the rest of the movie with my fingers in my ears.

 

When we were watching previews, I got tired really quickly of seeing things blowing up. One movie showed everything major in the world blowing up – the Eiffel Tower, the White House, the statue of liberty. I have no idea what the movie was called or what it was about, I just think OK, everything blows up. Whoopee.The only movie I saw a preview for which I thought looked really interesting was one called Funny People with Adam Sandler. It was about human beings, praise God. It looked clever and funny. It was written by Judd Apatow, who is often gross but is undeniably smart and funny.

 

Before we went to the movie, I put a Boston Butt pork roast in the oven, salted and peppered, and let it cook about 4 hours at 325. Bruce finished it off on the grill, and it had a wonderful flavor and was very tender. My dad used to cook Boston Butts on the grill all day and make barbeque. It works just as well to start it in the oven and finish it on the grill. The meat is usually very tender, and then you just add sauce. Bruce basted it with a mixture of cheap barbeque sauce, balsamic vinegar, and wine. We added Bullseye as we ate it. I think Bullseye is the best barbeque sauce, and I’ve tried them all.

 

In the south, barbeque is taken very seriously. My dad would drive 100 miles on dirt roads to some tin-roofed shack in the back of nowhere to get some good barbeque. In later years he perfected the art of grilling the Boston butts, then he liked to put them on an old wooden table and hack the meat up with an axe. You haven’t lived until you’ve had axe-cut barbeque.

 

We ate a late dinner and didn’t do a movie. At this moment, Bruce and Michael are watching a show on the Food channel about a barbeque competition.

 

I’ve had a lovely birthday.

Back from the Wilderness

Bruce and the kids got back from camping yesterday afternoon about 1.

 

Michael smelled like a mixture of smoke and dirt, all afternoon. Finally about 5:30 I persuaded him to take a bath. He loves to take bubble baths but sorta hates to admit it, of course. He at first refused bubbles, but when I added a few, from his liquid soap, he was pleased, I could tell.

 

Alesia spent all afternoon putting her photos on the kids’ computer and making a slideshow. She didn’t smell like smoke, which was a great thing.

 

Bruce recounted the tales of their adventures. Yesterday morning, he took the kids hiking. You can hike part way up the trail and see the big waterfall. Bruce stopped to rest, and Alesia wanted to climb the 400-something additional steps to the top. Bruce was tired and said no. He said they exchanged a few words, but she acquiesced to his wishes. He thought he was in good shape, but he wasn’t ready to climb like that. He was amazed at how agile she was, and nicknamed her “Ninja girl.”

 

Michael said he didn’t sleep at all the first night, but slept the second night. Bruce had a tent with air mattresses. It looked pretty comfy. I could tell yesterday afternoon when we were having quiet time during Mother’s nap, that Mike was overly tired. He slept like the dead last night.

 

Bruce said a raccoon got into their food the first night and ate all their doughnuts. He said he heard a rustling and woke up and shone a flashlight on the coon, and scared it. He had lifted the top of the doughnut carton and eaten the doughnuts one by one. Mr. Coon didn’t return on the second night.

 

From the photos, the campsite looked really nice. Bruce said he didn’t realize until they got there that each site has electricity and running water hookup. The enclosures are large, too.

 

Since Bruce is leaving either tonight or in the morning, we did my birthday celebration dinner last night at a little Thai restaurant in Tucker. It’s called Mai Thai, and has sushi as well as Thai food. Everything was very good. Mother doesn’t like Chinese food but she is OK with Thai. She was able to get some scallops. I had seafood cooked in a clay pot, including some very tasty calamari. I like it if it’s not overcooked, and this wasn’t. The mussels were a bit chewy, though.

 

I keep forgetting this is a holiday weekend. I went to the bank yesterday morning and the lines were unreal. Tomorrow is my birthday. I don’t have any big plans. A friend of Alesia’s is in town and we will get together with her and her mom at some point over the weekend, but that’s the only plan.

 

Hard to believe I will be 47. Yikes…

I'll Be Happy When

I feel a rant coming on.

I checked out Adoption Under One Roof [see link at side, I'm too mad to hyperlink] and saw a story about Tom Cruise having to defend his adopted children. He has tabloids saying all the time that he loves his biological child more than his older adopted kids. Grrrrr!!

I am no huge Tom Cruise fan. I think Scientology is nutty and he needs to hush up about it.

However, he doesn't deserve to be hassled over his love for his children. That's hitting below the belt. That's scummy, sleazy, despicable journalism.

I checked out a cute blog called Mama's Losin It and she has some fun writing prompts. I chose #3, I'll be happy when__________.

I'll be happy when journalists stop distinguishing between bio and adopted celebrity children. Rosie O'Donnell, Tom Cruise, Jamie Lee Curtis - why can't journalists refer to their children without using the word "adopted"? Why does the word "adopted" have to be inserted? I guarantee you, this irritates them as much as it does me.

I never realized until I became a mom that I could or would love my adopted daughter as much as a bio child but God, in his infinite wisdom, showed me differently. He showed me that your heart can and WILL love a child 100%, without reservations, regardless of whether or not that child came from your body. Every parent I know with adopted and bio kids will tell you this same thing. You love each child because they are YOURS. Biology doesn't mean diddly. [If you hear an adoptive parent say differently they have no business being a parent at all, IMHO.]

Maybe I didn't go through the discomfort of carrying my kids in my body, I have to admit that, but I carried them in my heart for way more than 9 months. I spent many uncomfortable hours scrambling to find the money to adopt them, stuffed into uncomfortable airplane seats [20 hours each way for Alesia's 3 trips, 14 hours for Michael's two trips], lost a LOT of sleep, and, on top of everything else, had to contend with people telling me I was crazy to adopt older kids. Pregnant women rarely have to deal with that nonsense. 

[You want to know more? Read Adopting Alesia: My Crusade for My Russian Daughter. [No, this rant is not just to push the book.] 

No, a child is a child is a child, whether they share your DNA or not. The heart doesn't make two kinds of love, bio and adopted. The heart knows only that love is love, and a child is a child. If I accomplish nothing else in my life, if I can cause one naysayer to recognize the truth of that, I will feel I've accomplished something.

I love my kids as much as one human can love another. What's even more beautiful is that they love each other.

Tom Cruise, you tell those tabloid journalists to go to hell. They're idiots.