King Family

I am a terrible blogger...

2011-10-16T09:39:00.000-07:00

I am so bad at keeping up with my blog. Maybe I need to *gasp* give up Farmville so I will have more time to devote to it. Farmville has become like a second job lately anyways with all the missions and things I need to beg my 'friends' for. It is turning into FrontierVille and that is why I ended up blocking that app on Facebook. UGH.
So, anyways. I was thinking of actually adding my 3rd kid to my blog. Then I was tossing around the idea of blogging at our family website instead...
So, I will just post some pictures of the cute new addition and see where that leads...OK...

Is it Winter, yet?

2011-09-01T19:49:00.000-07:00

Wow, I haven't blogged in soooo long...
Ok, so we are in Texas...and of course since we moved here, the state is experiencing it's worse drought like since the Dust Bowl years. No joke. We have had almost 100 days of 100+ degree days since May. We are miserable and the A/C is almost always running w/the thermostat set to 80 degrees. So we still break a sweat in the house.
Next week over night we may even have a couple temps into the low 60s. Wow. I can finally air out the house...LOL
Anyways, just wanted to update the blog. I am going to post some green cleaner recipes shortly, if anyone is interested. And then in the next few days, actual blog posts w/pictures of the third King baby. ;o)

Oregon/Steiner Family Reunion

2010-07-07T17:10:00.001-07:00

My Mom's family had a family reunion last month, June 25th-27th. It was up in Bend, Oregon at my Aunt Marji's. I followed my parents' motor home up I5 and I97. It was a long drive, but I have been on longer. It was great to see some family I haven't seen since the reunion at Yellowstone National Park in 2000 and some I last saw at my sister Nicole's Las Vegas wedding in September 2006.

I am posting some pictures I took of the kids and the scenery. We had an amazing time and I always love seeing my family. The kids really enjoyed themselves and they didn't watch one second of tv. Lol

The kids in the motor home…cute.

Some of the family sitting in the backyard.

Uncle Paul offering to help Maddie, but she has heard the story many times of when he dropped me when I was a little Girl. LOL

The kids loved playing in the snow in their flip flops.

All the above pictures are from when we took a picnic lunch to Paulina Lake and spent the afternoon exploring along the shore picking up pumice stones, obsidian, frogs, and pine tree saplings. We then went over to Obsidian Lava Flow, which is where we took the pictures of the kids playing in snow (IN JUNE)…and we went and saw Paulina Falls. We also stopped to take pictures of the volcanoes, also covered in snow. It was all very amazing and I think we all had an interesting time. The kids were climbing all over all the lava rocks and forest. They really wanted to go everywhere and see everything. I am glad we got to go, but especially I wanted them to experience time with a small portion of our VERY large family. And that is just my Mom’s side. ;o)

Thanks to Aunt Donna for the ONE group picture she posted on Facebook…Here we all are…

And here is a good one of Abby.

And another of Abby showing the kids a frog…

And more to come of Maddie’s camping trip w/her grandparents on Father’s day weekend up at Ice House reservoir.

More pics from S Lake Tahoe

2010-05-23T12:24:00.001-07:00

The kids loved the indoor heated pool

We took the kids to Kingsbury Grade to play in the snow

Leaving the ‘strip’, entering California side of South Lake Tahoe

Below are pictures on the way into Carson City, NV. We went there twice to shop.

I am too old for this…

2010-05-23T11:27:00.001-07:00

Well, as some of you have heard, while my husband was on leave from SandLand from May 2nd-May 17th…we were surprised to find out-----We will be having a third child. Apparently I am REALLY fertile and ONE night without protection does a baby make.

We are still in shock, as we were not planning on adding anything or anyone else to our family. One boy and one girl was more than enough for us. And then there is our 7 year old Doberman Pinscher, who gets crazier and crazier after each ‘little’ sibling comes along. ;o)

So, I have been trying to look at this as one of those times when it must be meant to be. Someone has a plan for us to be a larger family than just us 4. (5 including the dog).

I have no idea how we are gonna survive being outnumbered by our offspring, but we are pretty strong. People do it all the time. My parents did. The kids are already excited. Maddie wants to name the baby—if it is a girl---Tiana Jasmine…but I have already told her that we won’t be going there. Lol

This blog will be info on the kids and I living in California, status on the pregnancy, and our move back out to South Carolina---until October. I hope I can remember to update more often.

Our trip to S Lake Tahoe

2010-05-03T15:59:00.001-07:00

Rob flew in to Sacramento all the way from SandLand on 5/1/10. We drove straight to beautiful South Lake Tahoe…He will be here until 5/15/10. We are staying at a wonderful timeshare resort thanks to my dear friend and Military Sister, Lisa. Thank you again, Lisa. (@sunny4spirit)

My husband was so thoughtful and bought me a new digital camera for Mother’s Day. My Blackberry camera is acting buggy, so he gave it to me early. I am so lucky and he is amazing.

So, I took some pics while we were out and about in Carson City, NV and S Lake Tahoe, CA yesterday…

All the above pictures were taken in and around Carson City, NV.

We took the kids to the Nevada State Railroad Museum at 2180 South Carson Street, Carson City, NV.

The above pictures are of course, pictures of the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains and gorgeous Lake Tahoe. Heavenly Ski Resort is up the hill from where we are staying.

We are at Lake Tahoe Vacation Resorts by Diamond International until May 12th.

Rob got the kids some cowboy/cowgirl clothes, etc at the Boot Barn in Carson City yesterday and we dressed them up today. Below are some pictures of them looking absolutely adorable!

Maddie is really excited about her ‘Daddy boots’…they are her 3rd pair. Austin is wearing her 2nd pair. They were handed down to her by her cousin, Seth 2 summers ago. Austin will be getting his own brand new pair for Christmas this year. But he is the proud owner of his first pair of Wranglers and belt w/buckle just like Daddy’s. They look really cute.

(I will be updating as I upload the pictures from my sweet new camera almost every night).

Random Pics from California

2010-03-08T21:39:00.001-08:00

View Full Album

Here are some random pictures I just uploaded from my Blackberry—finally. I went and bought a data cable since I have NO IDEA where my original one went. I have LOTS more, but these are some of the ones I have taken since we got to California.

Brian was trying to pose Austin to like he was 30, sitting in his Lazy Boy with a beer. LOL

The day I turned 32…

Sleepy Boy

Austin, Me, Brody, Maddie

The Kids at the park

Austin is having a great time

Chatting w/Daddy on Skype

Maddie’s 1st pro hair cut

She begged me for side bangs

My Little Computer Geek

My new hair do. Side bangs grown-up style LOL

There will be many more entries with lots of pictures, but this is mostly for the family so I do not have to email them to each person individually.

Enjoy.

XXOO

Austin’s Nutty Birthday and New Bike

2010-02-22T11:22:00.001-08:00

On Saturday, February 20th, the kids and I and Grandma Theresa and Grandpa Joe went to celebrate Austin’s 3rd birthday at the Vacaville Nut Tree. We rode on an old train, the carousel and had lunch at Amici’s. The kids had a great time. Austin especially enjoyed the train. He has lots of Thomas the trains and train tracks. He lines them up all day long.

Grandpa Joe and Grandma Theresa gave him a bunch of awesome presents. Maddie’s favorite part was riding dirty in the backseat of their car (without seatbelts) around the corner to our truck. LOL

Below are some pictures from that day. And the others are pics of Austin’s ‘new’ bike. We used an old bike frame of Cousin Seth’s, added brand new handlebars, brand new training wheels and a new inner tube for the back tire. He so far can only ride it a couple feet forward before he hits the breaks accidentally. He will probably be riding it around like a crazy kid in no time. ;o)

Eating pasta at Amici’s

Austin on his ‘new’ bike

We are excited to be on the train at the Nut Tree

He was so excited and waited

patiently for the train to start.

Look, Mom. I am a lion. Rawwwwr.

Oooh, a monkey.

One Day at a Time

2010-02-21T22:12:00.001-08:00

Lately, that has been my motto. It seems the more I stress or worry about how far away October is…it makes it seem to take even longer to get here. It is taking a long time for April to arrive. The Hubby has leave for 2 weeks starting April 1st and I could not be any happier. We haven’t been together since the end of September. I have pictures on my phone of the day he left. I just can’t find my data cable for my Blackberry, I guess I better look harder or go buy one…

I have over 1,000 photos on my Blackberry---all taken since Maddie’s 4th birthday back in September. Wow! The ones we took last summer are on our Trojan virus-infected computer that is packed away in storage in Georgia somewhere. I hope we are able to get all those pictures back.

So…I will take it one day at a time and I will try harder to collect better photos and to ramble less. Lol

I have been working out with Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred and alternating doing the elliptical at the base gym with workouts on the internet/Comcast ONDEMAND. I am hoping to be quite a bit more toned when April 1st finally does come knocking.

I promise to keep you all posted.

Later…

It’s a Wonderful Life?

2010-02-03T22:36:00.001-08:00

Wow, it sure is hard to believe that we have been living in California for almost 5 months. We were living with my Sister from October 13th till January 1st. We decided it would be better for all of us if we moved in with my best friend, Christina. So far it has been amazing. Well, except for the kids all getting on each other’s nerves and fighting like cats and dogs. That part is so NOT amazing. The BFF’s son is named Brody. He is 3 weeks younger than Austin and he is ALL BOY. He is energetic and likes to pick on the kids because he knows they will scream and basically not fight back. He has quickly learned that he can torment them pretty easily. Sometimes I wish we had a hidden camera to capture all the crazy silliness that happens around here.

I feel bad for neglecting my blog and for not being able to post any pictures on here since before I moved to California. But, in all fairness, I didn’t have a computer I could use daily until I moved into the BFF’s house. And a couple days ago I got the go-ahead from the Hubby to purchase my very own shiny laptop for my birthday. As a gift from him. So, I ran out and got myself a shiny Passion Purple Dell Inspiron. I named her Lola and she is a beauty. She is ALL MINE. I turn 32 on Friday and I am even more excited now. I just wish the Hubby was here to share in my excitement. But we have to wait till April 1st to all be together again. He gets his 2 week leave then.

But this entry is just an update…there will be tons of pictures and info to come. So, if you are out there and paying attention. it is overdue.

Stay tuned…

Photos by SASSY

2009-09-04T10:15:00.000-07:00

Right around Easter, my friend Angelia, SASSY...took some pictures of the kids. We were at Azalea Park in Summerville. They were so adorable, yet I didn't think to post them here...so here they are.
And there are less of Austin because he wouldn't stay still for long, and he hardly ever looked at the camera. ;o)

Austin like to smile, but he didn't like to pose. LOL

Maddie was a model this day. Very cooperative.

A ferret happened to be at the park. LOL.

Austin thought he should pick it up.

My pretty girl.

Her fave past time...daydreaming & playing with her hair.

They saw a caterpillar.

Funny Boy!

You can't catch me looking @ that camera.

Awww...

His famous face.

Gotcha!

He really is ALL boy.

The face that everyone says looks

lie George Bush. haha.

I am holding him up and tickling him here.

The GOOD shot!

One of my faves.

The BEST one! ;o)

I hope to have her take some before we go to California, but we will see.

WOW!

2009-09-04T09:28:00.000-07:00

I have REALLY been neglecting my blog...I did attempt to blog our trip to Oklahoma, but there were so many pictures and I do not know of anyway that is easier to upload them to here, in the proper order. Maybe I should load them somewhere else and then link to them on here. We were in Oklahoma from July 26th till August 15th. Hubby had training there for Iraq. On his last day of class, August 14th, the instructor told the guys that Iraq was cancelled. So, when we came back, we told everyone it was over, all the training was really for nothing, and we were staying in Charleston--with all the cockroaches and the humidity.

The a couple weeks ago, the Air Force notified Hubby that they wanted him Iraq. This time Baghdad. Some important guy in the Air Force searched high and low for my Hubby. He sent emails looking for HIM. He wanted him to work with contractors. So, right now he is in Dayton, OH, getting MORE training. Then we will be headed to Macon, Georgia to some training. This time we get to tag along--again. ;o)

So, needless to say, I need to post all the pics from Oklahoma, some pics from since we came back...then Maddie's Bday is on Monday...then pics from Georgia. I have plans for my first Tweetup (Twitter Meet-up) with a chick who is pretty cool. Her name is Rebecca, @rawilliams08 on Twitter. So if it all works out, it will be so cool.

So, the plan is: Hubby goes to Iraq sometime end of Sept/early October. Report date was Sept 25th, but if I have learned anything by being a military spouse: THINGS CHANGE almost daily around here. LOL ...so they pushed it back a week or so. Then I am having my Dad fly out here to help us drive the almost 3,000 miles to California. I will be living there with my sister for the year he is in Iraq. Then, we trek all the way back to Charleston, SC to live with the cockroaches--again. That will be a year. *catches breath*...Then Hubby gets to choose almost wherever he wants to be. I have a feeling it will be TEXAS. LOL.

But I will keep everyone posted and I AM trying to upload all those pics here. They are on my Blackberry now...so as soon as they get to the computer, they will be here.
Until then...;o) HUGS

M.I.A Potpourri

2009-07-09T06:57:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I haven't been keeping up with my blog at all. Since EASTER!! Yikes! I have seriously become addicted to my new Blackberry and Twitter.com. Twitter is the easy way to blog short 140 character "stories". ;o) It is very fun.

Let's see what has happened since I last blogged here...

We kicked out the MIL. J/K, she moved to Arkansas to live with her boyfriend she met online. Within an hour of getting there she decided she could not and would not live there. (due to the rotten and run down trailer she was supposed to live in that had no room for her stuff) So, she calls her best friend in Ohio and decides to move back there. She and the boyfriend head to Toledo the next morning. I found this all to be very unneccessary and overly dramatic. But it is her life and her decision. But it would have saved a whole lotta money and anguish if done differently.

I am in the middle of potty training the Boy. He is doing really well. He even pooped in the potty 2 days ago. We took a picture. ;o) I took one of Maddie's first poop as well and posted it on the bathroom wall. It really helped her. This may seem crazy to some of you, but it works! They have a proud moment and it really sticks in their minds. So I would say he should be well trained by the time we go to Oklahoma...
We made up a song to help. It is sung to the Apples and Bananas tune....(I like to eat eat eat apples and bananas...)

I like to pee pee pee, peepee in the potty.

I like to poo poo poo, poopoo in the potty.

I drink my juice juice juice and peepee in the potty.

I eat my food food food and poopoo in the potty.

He likes to fill it in with whatever he is eating, etc. It is so cute! And I think it helps a lot. He turned 2 in February.

Which leads to my next update;

Daddy is in New Jersey now learning Iraqi langauge and about the plane he will be working on, etc. He comes home on July 23rd. Then the next day we are all (minus Cowboy the dog) driving to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Daddy has training there too. So we will ALL be there until about August 15th!! We are so excited! It will be one of our only family vacations, since usually Daddy hasn't been able to come with us when we go to California, or when I took the kids to Minnesota to see my Dad in 2007. So, this will be fun! It is also the last time we get to have lotsa fun before Daddy goes to Iraq...We plan on going to the aquarium, the zoo and the Air and Space Museum. ;o) The Air Force is paying since they are making Daddy go. So, they will pay us $.55 a mile to drive there and back, pay for the hotel room, and then about $44 a day for food just for him. I think we can live on that no problems. We will have a kitchen in the room, so we can cook like we do @ home.

And the last major update would be that me and the kids are moving to Abilene, TX after Daddy gets shipped off to Iraq. I thought about it long and hard. Since we are unable to get a home loan cuz our credit is sadly less than perfect and I don't really wanna take care of a house and property all by myself anyways...we will most likely live on base and build up our credit for that year. I plan on taking the kids to California a few times though while we are there. I want to go before Thanksgiving and come back after New Year's. We would bring the dog and I guess I would need to pay someone to look after the house, water plants, make sure the yard isn't trashy, etc.

And that is about it....oh yeah, I almost forgot. I had a bad case of cellulitis that is just clearing up. Had it for almost a month. I went to the base clinic and they told me it was IMPETIGO. So I was putting the cream on my face for like 5 days. It looked nasty, and it was very itchy and tight. I waited till I knew the base clinic wouldn't have anymore appts for the day and I called and asked to be referred to Urgent Care. I go later that afternoon and they tell me it is CELLULITIS . They gave me a shot of antibiotics in my BUTT and a prescription for more antibiotics. The clinic doctor, who looked like Martin Short and didn't make eye contact, told me : 'Well good thing it isn't cellulitis. Impetigo is on the surface of the skin and cellulitis is under the skin.' Yikes and YUCK. If it isn't one thing it is another, with my skin.

This is what it looked like after the

Urgent Care wrote on my face! LOL.

So it is just about cleared up. I haven't been able to use my Murad this entire time on that side of my face since the toner has alcohol in it. I did buy this cool stuff called Cuticura though. And it has nicely dried up my entire face and made it look quite pimple free and smooth. It costs about $2.50. Maybe that would be better since the Murad costs me $50+ dollars every 2 months. They are both antibacterial products. Most acne is attributed to bacteria in the pores. Which is also what caused my impetigo/cellulitis issues.

So that is all for today...if you made it this far you deserve a HUG HUG! Or you are a family member and just was looking for cute pics of the kids...BTW, I do have a ton I am gonna post here shortly...so stay tuned! ;o)

Until next time...

Slideshow for 4/21/09 Photo of the day

2009-04-21T14:17:00.001-07:00

There were so many photos from today that I thought I would post them all in a blog sideshow. Hope you enjoy seeing the kids...;o)

Egg Coloring and Hunting

2009-04-21T13:33:00.000-07:00

I allowed the kids to color their own eggs for the very FIRST time this year. They had a great time and got very messy. They even enjoyed putting candy in all the plastic eggs for the hunt the next morning. We did the egg coloring the night before Easter...and the neighbor boy; Maddie's fiance (she proposed) went on the hunt with them. LOL.

And the pictures are out of order...The top photo is the last photo and the bottom bottom is the first. ;o) Enjoy!

California here I come...

2009-04-09T11:17:00.001-07:00

...right back where I started from...

So, the kids and I will be moving to California when Hubby moves to Iraq in September. ;o)

I have had an offer to live in a friend's motor home in her RV parking at her house...my sister says we can live in her computer room which is open to the rest of the house...and I would be sleeping on a not so comfy futon. Both those options sound good to me, however. I just wanna spend the time with family and not think about drama or stress or sadness. I know I will be sad without my Hubby, but if I had to start life in Texas without him, I think I would be even more sad.

The BAH (housing allowance) will be good for us to save and help pay some bills. And maybe even save some towards buying our dream property. The property Hubby wants probably won't be available next September/October, but there will be something just as nice or nicer I am sure. And if we were meant to have that place, then it will be there waiting for us.

This is the one he really wants...

http://www.realestate.com/Property/18145012-10268-S-FM-1226-Hawley-TX-79525-11158377.aspx

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/10268-S-Fm-1226_Hawley_TX_79525_1107207246

31.6 acres of property about 20 miles outside of Abilene, TX. We have orders to Dyess AFB, TX in October 2010. It is a 4 bedroom, 2 bath, 2,432 sq ft double wide modular home. It is actually a nice looking place on a bunch of land. It is fenced all the way around with lots of trees. All for only $129,900. I would think if we could talk them down to about $115,000-120,000 then we could get a loan for $150,000-$175,000 and then make some major improvements on the land and buy some much needed furniture. I am tossing the furniture we have before we move.

I think we could get a better loan amount if we take this next year to pay off the bills and save. We are planning on getting a VA loan, so we don't have to save a down payment. But it is based on credit score for the amount and wages vs debt amount for the interest rate. I would like to get as much as possible for the amount of the loan, with the lowest interest rate and then in 5 years or so when our credit is even better, we can refinance.

Hubby wants THIS property and he wants it ASAP. ;o) Poor guy. It is calling to him I guess. I am just thinking about the credit part of it and the monthly mortgage amount. I am also considering that I can't handle 30+ acres without him. What if there is a fire? What do I DO with all that space??

So, here is all the info and we need to make a decision for our future. This decides what school district our kids will grow up in. This is where we will be FOREVER. We will eventually build a nicer, bigger home on this land and many other things. This is it for us.

As a SSGT, he would get $1,073 a month for housing. As a TSGT (if he ends up passsing the test he took in February) he would get $1,205. In California, using my sister or friend's address, he would get $1,688 SSGT and $1,910 for TSGT. Hmmm...the decision should seem very clear and in focus. ::sigh:: (http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/perdiem/bah.html)

And the more I look at it, the more I want it too. We just weren't very smart with our finances and credit score when we were single and also since we have been married. I am 31, he is 30 and we should be able to buy some land and a nice little house for the family. Is next year our year? Do we need to wait 5 more years till Rob's Mom can give us some money she says she will give us? Then when Rob retires from the AF will we be able to afford the mortgage? When will it be paid off? 30 years?

Maybe I am over thinking or over worrying about all this. But it seems that if I DON'T then no one else will or is even considering anything. Hmmm...

I just need one of these...

2009-04-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

I am really wondering what to do. Hubby goes to Iraq this September for a year and I am trying to plan and prepare for where the kids and I will live. I guess I made a mistake by prepping now since Hubby's Mother is upset at me for sharing my ideas with her. Yesterday I brought up the option of spending the year in California, mostly to collect the BAH (housing allowance) and to be closer to my family. Today she isn't speaking to me. She feels like I am kicking her out and trying to get away from her. That is not even close to what was part of my thought process. I even told her a couple times that she is family and I want to make sure she is happy. I know she wants to live with her boyfriend in Arkansas and she may or may not get married to him any time soon. But I think she should have the option of going to him and seeing how it goes. She can make her own decisions and I have thought for awhile that she doesn't really wanna live with us anyways. The kids love her and we love her, but what happens to us? Do I and the kids and MIL move to Texas and make a go of it until October 2010 and get all settled? Do I and the kids and Cowboy go to California and spend time with my family, save some money, and just enjoy being out there for a year? And that leaves MIL to be with the man she loves and not feeling obligated to take care of me and the kids?

I just don't know. It seems like a tough decision and either way I feel like it is too much to weigh and think about. We threw a bunch of stuff on the curb for large item trash day tomorrow. So we are starting to get things organized and thinking about what we want to keep and toss. I just didn't figure in that she would think I am tossing her aside in any way. But I want to do what will be best for my family any way I can. Sometimes being an adult can be tough and tiring. I have a headache. I wanna just go to bed and let someone else make the decision...but I know I can't. Grrr...

Stamp collecting, archery and ovaries...Oh my!

2009-04-01T17:48:00.000-07:00

I completed my last pre-screening item for the egg donation process. This morning I went down and got a psychological test and interview completed. Um...it it was rough. I am not gonna lie. It was basically a counseling session. I went to a shrink in other words. I talked about my childhood and my 'worst' life experience. I had to talk about my home life and she asked me if I was in any kinda of an abusive relationship. She asked me if I used drugs or alcohol to cope with my life. I also had to answer if I had ever paid for sex or had anyone pay me for sex. There were a lot of serious questions about my emotional health and life experiences. Then there was a standardized fill in the bubbles with a pencil test. It was over 300 questions and a lot of the same type questions. I had to answer how the questions related to me in four degrees; very true, mainly true, slightly true and not at all true, false. A few questions were:

My favorite hobbies are stamp collecting and archery. (WTH??)

I feel like someone is controlling my thoughts.

Someone is telling me to commit suicide.

I have a hard time keeping my thoughts straight.

So of course most of the questions seemed totally crazy...or were they? ;o)

That was just over two hours of my day and I won't even know if I am going to be compensated or even if it is for a purpose until someone picks my file. What if they want someone more German or less Norwegian? I am being discriminated against in a way. I know people want to make sure that their kid has the qualities that closely match the sperm donor or their background, I totally get that. But I want to be doing this for a reason. Will I be the last one picked for dodgeball? lol.

I feel pretty secure in my relationships and in how I am as a person. I am confident in many areas, but for some reason, sitting in front of a 'shrink' while she asks me personal questions about my life and how it made me feel, makes me uncomfortable. It made me nervous and wondering if what I said would make her write down something that will make the fertility clinic chuck my file in the shredder. It is kinda worse than a job interview. People will see all my info and decide if they want their child to have my characteristics and genetic makeup.

And she made sure to ask me how I would feel if the 'child' decided to contact me. Since I mentioned I was blogging about this experience she made me realize that posting this info for informational purposes might just lead to them lfinding me in 15-20 years or so. And I told her the truth. I wouldn't mind since all we would have in common is a little bit of DNA and I am not that person's 'mother'. Obviously this child will be cared for since people spend lots of money and try this process usually more than once before it works. So, they are wanted by the best situation possible. It makes me feel important to be a part of that process. I hope it works out for someone and IF they choose me, I hope they get enough viable embryos fertilized so they can make their dreams a reality.

So, all in all, it was a situation that I am glad I won't have to relive, but the hard part is coming. If they pick me, I have to give myself needles full of hormones for a few weeks. I may just faint. LOL. Or it will make me stronger. I will keep you all---if you are reading this--informed of the next steps in the process. Now I just sit and wait for news from the clinic. ::crosses fingers::

Here are two pictures of the awesome Ravenel Bridge which I crossed to get into Mount Pleasant via I26 to get to the psychological testing this morning....

Not my money...

2009-03-31T19:55:00.001-07:00

Well, this is NOT my money. And I am not gonna say whose it is either...But it is A LOT! Any guesses? And no, it isn't my friend who is a hooker...or a server, or a drug dealer....J/K. So don't try and guess. LOL. And, NO I didn't rob a bank. Haha. I just had to take a pic since I will prob never EVER hold this much cash in my hands again. Ooh, maybe next year I can get my tax refund all in $5s and $10s and roll around in it naked. Haha. That WOULD really be a photo op. Um, no.

Allergies and ancestors

2009-03-30T17:13:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the pollen in this area is horrendous...and I am not even joking a little bit. I have spent all day blowing my nose into a roll of toilet paper. Scratchy. Snotty. Yeah, so fun. Everything is covered in a yellow powdery film of pollen. So when I went to the geneticist for the 2nd step in donating my eggs (more on this later)...I had to tell them basically all I knew about my family and their genetic background. Like, had anyone had or died from cancer? How many brothers and sisters do my parents have? How many cousins? (there was no answer to this one since it is over 60 at least on my Mom's side...)
I thought they were gonna draw blood and test me for some weird genetic abnormality marker type thing. All they did was draw a graph with circles for females and squares for males and then she took notes on what I could tell her. It all took about 20 minutes. Very interesting and seems like not very concrete info to report back to the potential egg recipients. What if I didn't mention the type of cancer my paternal grandmother and aunt died of cuz I don't know? Honestly I do not have a complete genetic family tree completed. I barely know all my Aunts' and Uncles' names unless I write them all down. LOL. So on Wednesday is the psychological testing for over 2 hours...I will update on that and why I decided to do this in the first place...etc...

Botany Bay/Edisto Island Day

2009-03-29T16:45:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, without much thought or planning, I dragged the Hubby against his will and Grandma and the kids full of eager anticipation to a place a friend told me about called Botany Bay. It is near Edisto Island.

http://www.dnr.sc.gov/managed/wild/botany/description.html

It was released as a Public Wildlife Preserve last year and it is amazing. I am posting several pics of when we went and one I found through Google that is beautiful.

It is about an hour drive, past Hollywood, South Carolina and is very scenic. There are millions of shells all all over the beach and interesting dead Live Oak trees all over the sand and forest area. It looks like a hurricane came and uprooted all the trees and dropped them in strange places. The Hubby says that is exactly what happened. The shells reminded me of bones and they sounded creepy when stepped on.

Enjoy the photos, in my opinion it was a little too sunny for a good photo op. ;o)

Austin is still afraid of the ocean and Maddie wants to live there someday. LOL.

Ok...so...call me an Addict.

2009-03-29T07:26:00.000-07:00

So recently I have gotten into Twitter.com and I find it very addicting. I check it at least half a dozen times a day. And a friend I met on Myspace asked for her friends' URLs to Blogspot and I actually do not recall signing up but apparently I have been signed up since Sept 07. And all I have posted is a photo of Austin when he was a baby. LOL. Too funny. So here I am addicted to yet another online/social network type environment. Between Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Kaneva, and others, how do I have time to get anything done? Is there a support group for people like me? And do I even want help? LOL.