The Gift

When I got home yesterday there was a package in the mail addressed to: “The Birthday Girl”.

When I opened up the package, this is what I found inside…

ANGEL OF PRAYER

The phrase attached to it said, “For those who believe in the power of prayer.”

My precious friend Eleanor sent this gift to me, and it really could not have come at a better time.

As I mentioned a few posts ago, this Sunday I will be yet another year older. And while I know that birthdays are a celebration of life, I have found myself dreading this one for more reasons than I have space to mention.

Maybe it’s because I had hoped these past 8 months would have brought me closer to what my heart so desperately yearns for, yet here I am ready to embark upon another year and I feel as though I haven’t even moved an inch.

And then, that wonderful gift came in the mail.

These few simple words, “believe in the power of prayer”, renewed my spirit and reminded me that my prayers DO NOT EVER fall on deaf ears. And even though sometimes I may feel like my prayers are not being answered (or at least not being answered within my time frame), I have to remember that the Lord answers prayers HIS way and in HIS time.

Proof of that very fact came today for another dear friend of mine named Lorrie, whose prayers were finally answered.

No, not in her time, but HIS, and HIS timing is perfect.

I must remember to have faith.

I must claim it, and...

BELIEVE!

"Let all that I am praise the LORD; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!"

Psalm 103:1-5 ~ New Living Translation

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

God Bless!

We've Got A Plan

No, not house plans, more like a plan of action.

This morning I went and had a CD (Cycle Day) 3 ultrasound just to make sure that my ovaries were all clear, as in...no cysts.

I still don’t understand why they had to make sure I didn't have something that I've never had before (i.e., cysts), but I dutifully obliged and went to my scheduled appointment nevertheless.

Let me just let you know right now that these next few paragraphs are probably going to be way TMI (Too Much Information), but you know me, I'm not one for sherking any details.

If you don't already know or haven't already figured out, CD 3 means the 3rd day of your menstrual cycle. Now, I don't know about you, but my periods go somewhat like this...1st day - spotting/light flow, 2nd day - medium flow, 3rd day - yep, you guessed it...

MOUNT VESUVIUS!

Figures, right?!

Anyway, I get to the doctor's office and I wait for the ultrasound tech to call me back. Before too long she summons me behind the waiting room door and asks me, "Tracey, do you need to use the restroom?"

Um, like, was that a trick question? I mean, am I just supposed to yank out my tampon in the ultrasound room and lay it up there on the counter?

So, of course, I reply, "Yes."

Let me just add here that the restroom is DOWN THE HALL from the ultrasound room.

Okay, I proceed to go to the restroom and remove the plugging apparatus from my wha-hoo and because of my volcanic flow, I manage to get a stain on my Spanx. Yes, I admit it, I have thunder thighs and these things are awesome, especially under a skirt.

Back to the stain, there I am with Spanx in hand and toilet paper between my legs. I inch my way over to the sink to get a dab of water to wash away the stain and instead I wind up soaking the whole left leg of the undergarment!

By now I'm thinking to myself that the ultrasound tech probably thinks I ate too much for breakfast and I am doing more in the bathroom than peeing and so I hurriedly stuff the Spanx into my purse and shuffle my way back down the hall looking like Carol Burnett playing Mrs. Wiggins as she enters Mr. Tudball’s office, and hoping and praying that the toilet paper wad does not fall out on the floor between the walk from the restroom to the ultrasound room.

Whew! I make it there without incident and I am told the usual spiel, you know the one…“undress from the waist down and place the sheet across you.”

No problem. Only what do I do with my toilet paper wad? I decide to crunch it up and hold it in my hand for the time being.

The ultrasound begins and like I told you, everything was a-okay in ovary land.

The tech leaves the room and tells me I am free to go when I get dressed.

There was no way I was going to repeat the Tampax Tango down the hall again so I decide to just do what I needed to do in the ultrasound room.

I did however, forget that my Spanx were wadded up and wet in my purse. Have you ever tried to put on a pair of soaked pantyhose? YIKES! The darn spandex was sticking to me so badly; it was like I had poured Elmer’s Glue on my thighs.

After that mission was accomplished, and upon getting ready to leave the room, I noticed a nice big ole’ stain on the paper on the exam table. So, I do what anyone would do, I proceed to tear off the paper just like the nurses do.

Guess what? I forgot that those darn things are attached to a roll. Needless to say, I yanked a bit too hard and managed to roll out about enough paper to fix a King size bed before I actually could rip it off.

I then took the super sized mound of exam room paper, my tampon applicator, and the toilet paper wad and I molded it into something like this...

and then stuffed it in the trashcan with no sign of “stain” anywhere, and then I got the heck out of dodge!

What a morning letmetellya!

Okay, so back to the plan.

My nurse called a few hours later and said that my doc wants me to start off with Clomid (UGH!, not that stuff again) and then I will go in next week to see how many eggs I’m cooking. The doc will determine if we will need to add an injectible follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), probably Follistim, depending on how I am progressing.

So my friends, we are now officially back on the active TTC (Trying To Conceive) bandwagon.

Wish us luck, but more than that, please pray for us as we begin this journey…again.

Tell Me Tuesdays, Chapter 6

I am a BUNKO player or BUNCO player depending on what part of the country you are from.




You know, it’s one of those toe-MAY-toe, toe-MAA-toe sort of things.

But, hey, no matter how you spell it, it’s lots of fun.

Yessireebob!

If you are not familiar with the game, quite simply it’s a dice game. Well, actually it is really a social event (for ladies only) and yes, it does include a game of chance, hence the dice.

It’s also a night to forget about dieting, stress, work, or anything else that would take your mind away from the fun of it all.

As one Bunko/Bunco player described in an article I read somewhere online…

“Imagine this. You drive up to a well-lighted home, climb out and enter. It smells of delicious food. Friends you've known for years and some you've just met welcome you warmly, hand you a soft drink and the free-flow of conversation begins.”

I can’t think of a better scenario, can you? Okay, well maybe if it involved lots and lots of chocolate and George Clooney perhaps…LOL!

Anyway, I’m not going to get into the details of how you play the game because from what I have heard, $17 million women play nationwide, so you can just imagine all of the different variations there are on the game…from dressing up in costumes to combining it with a beach get-away. It’s even played to raise money for charity too.

In all honestly, it’s more about the camaraderie than it is the game and how you play it or at least that’s the case for me. In fact, it’s one of those commitments I very seldom miss. ‘Cause you know, being the multi-tasker that I am, I can talk, eat M&Ms and roll the dice all at the same time.

We have a core group of twelve who play the first Monday of every month and leave husbands and children to fend for themselves that evening while we get-together to have a great time and hopefully go home with some extra moola in our pockets.

Some may call this a gambling, I say we are just paying for the privilege of enjoying good food and good fellowship with good people. Well, at least that excuse works for me…LOL! ;0)

Do you Bunko/Bunco? If so, why do you love it?

It’s Tell Me Tuesdays, so please share a comment.

You Gotta Wear...

SHADES!

No, SER-I-OUS-LY, you do.

After all, I wouldn't want you to be blinded by the glare of the stark whiteness of this...

There’s nada, niente...nothing!

Not even a hint of another line.

But, like I told you here, I am not a bit shocked by this snow white revelation.

Although it really does stink when your gut feeling is finally confirmed by a digital camera and even worse...in person.

And yes, I did the POAS (pee on a stick) samba. You know the one...where you twist it and turn it and flip it upside down.

Oh, and I looked at it in lamp light, fluorescent light, and day light.

Heck, I think I might have even done the hokey pokey with it too…LOL!

Nevertheless, it is what it is, and it is a…

BFN! (Big Fat Negative)

Okay enough of that. I mean after all, I can’t change it.

So…

Sometime the beginning of next week my dear sweet “Auntie Flo” will be here and rumor has it she’s gonna’ be staying with me a few days (as is usual).

And in some small way (and I’m talking very small…like…as in the size of a speck of dust), I am okay with it.

I mean at least with my next cycle I can officially get this trying to conceive show on the road again.

This time around we will be trying a different protocol…a more aggressive one.

In fact, I am praying that the next time you see me post a picture of a pee stick on this blog, it will have two beautiful pink lines.

And what about your shades?

Well, just leave them in the car because I am hoping that the two lines will be so clear that you won’t even have to squint to see them.

In the meantime, have a great weekend everyone!

God Bless!

"Getting to know you, getting to know all about you

...getting to like you, getting to hope you like me."

You probably already knew where this song lyric came from, but just in case you didn't, it's from the musical the King and I.

In fact, just click on the picture above if you want to hear the whole song.

Deborah Kerr is the actress, but Julie Andrews was the "voice".

Okay, I’m fessin’ up. I stole this blog post theme from here and she stole it from here and if you want to steal from me, feel free to because it’s actually a pretty neat idea.

After yesterday’s funky blue post of mine, I thought this would be a lot of fun to do (that is if you all will participate).

HINT: So puhlease, leave a comment would ya' ;0)

Okay here we go.

1. Who are you?
2. Do you have a blog? If so, please list it.
3. How did you find my blog?
4. What do you like most on my blog?
5. What would you like me to blog more about?
6. A totally random fact about yourself!

Can't wait to get to know you...

You Know What?

If I had a can of spray paint, this is exactly what I would say...

So, I guess I should go ahead now and apologize for a post that’s going to be in the “Debbie Downer” category.

I’m in a blue funk today.

Knowing my body the way that I do, I am pretty much certain that this month is a bust for me as far as being pregnant.

I don’t know why that even surprises me?

This morning I told a friend that at this stage of the game my chances of getting pregnant naturally (without fertility medications) are about as high as me winning the lottery.

Keep in mind that I live in Alabama.

Part of the Bible Belt.

Where there is no lottery available.

Yep, you get the picture.

However, with my fallopian tube blockage taken care of two weeks ago, thus clearing a path for the “swimmers”, I optimistically thought we had a good chance.

After all, I did get pregnant naturally with R.J. (okay, maybe the margaritas and mexican food played a part as well), but it’s not like my body doesn’t know what to do.

Yea, right.

It certainly does know what to do…it silently laughs at me every time I go and POAS (pee on a stick).

A lot of my funk may have to do with the fact that in 11 days I will be another year older…43 to be exact, and I feel like my TTC (trying to conceive) window is closing in on me.

I’m sure some people think that my TTC window closed a few years ago, but hey, I never got the maintenance man’s memo…LOL!

AN-Y-WAY...

Am I a little depressed today?

Yes.

Am I willing to throw in my TTC towel?

No.

Will I snap out of my funk?

Eventually.

Am I glad that I can share my feelings with all of you.

Definitely.

Will God ever let me down, especially when I am feeling defeated?

Never.

“Fear not; for I am with you. Be not dismayed; for I am your God. I willstrengthen you; yea, I will help you; yea, I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness.”
(Isaiah 41:10)

Tell Me Tuesdays, Chapter 5

I like pajamas.

Especially on weekends when I like can sleep a little later and stay in my pajamas as long as possible.

Confession…sometimes that’s all day. I mean who really wants to be fully dressed and wearing make-up just to sit on the floor to sort and fold laundry.

Oh, and don’t worry about dropping in on me on my pajama wearing weekends. Friends are welcome at my house anytime, but if they don’t want to see me in my p.j.’s then they probably need to stay away.

But, hey, if they are my friends, chances are they have already seen me in my pajamas at some point anyway…LOL!

Confession…every Christmas, I like for me, Michael and R.J. to be color coordinated with our pajamas.

Yep, it’s just another instance when the Type A comes out in me.

See…

And you know what else?

What’s nice about pajamas is that you can never have enough of them, they are comfy, non-restricting, and can sometimes last for years.

Confession…I still have (I did not say I still can fit into) some of the same p.j.’s I wore while I was a freshman in college. To be exact, that’s (eh, um) going on 25 years now…gulp!

Think about it.

What’s better on a rainy day than cozying up on your couch, clad in your pajamas, kicking back and watching a really good girl movie Disney DVD (after all, I do have a 6 year old…LOL).

Confession…I let my son stay in his pajamas on the weekends too. That is if he doesn’t have one of his many birthday parties to attend (honestly, his social calendar is about as full as that of any Hollywood teen idol).

What about you? Do you like to lounge around in your p.j.’s too?

It’s Tell Me Tuesdays so let me know if I’m not the only one who likes to have a one person pajama party.

Good Job!

Well, the first week of school is over and when I asked my son what he thought of first grade so far, he said, “Mom, it’s been a breeze!”

Sweet child of mine…all five days of it…LOL!

He is off to a good start though, evidenced by his week’s worth of smiley faces. It’s amazing how a simple stamp can affect one’s feelings about oneself. My son is just as proud as a peacock about his smile-o-rif-ic week.

Oh, if only the workplace operated on such simplistics.

In fact, I’m thinking about making such a suggestion here at my office to be implemented. No need for annual performance appraisals, just a daily smiley face or frowny face will get the point across loud and clear if I am doing a good job or not.

I mean, after all, performance appraisals are usually linked to some sort of merit or pay increase and when you are dealing with an economic crisis such as we are here in our state, whether you get a good appraisal or not still yields the same thing: nothing. At least with the smiley system you can feel good about yourself even if your bank account doesn’t get any bigger.

Or better yet, why don’t bosses/managers specifically make the time (every now and then) to just simply tell their employees, “Thank you for the work you do.”

It doesn’t need to be calculated to a number between 1 and 40. It doesn’t need to be checked off on a form with a pre-worded statement.

It just needs to be said and meant.

What's All The Hype About?

Twitter that is.

Now please don’t pick this blog post as the one you finally choose to leave me a comment on if you don’t agree with my Twitter assessment.

Trust me, I totally understand that what’s a wonderful thing to one person may not be for another. I mean, after all, just look at how many different types of cell phones and cell phone services there are out there…LOL!

Okay, back to Twitter.

Twitter's website explains that "Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?"

Seriously?

I struggle to find enough minutes in the day to keep up with my own immediate family, and the thought of keeping up with so many others via Twitter seems like it would be an overwhelming task.

Anyway, from what I can gather, Twitter’s main purpose is not just that you can tell the world what you are doing, but that you can do so in less than 140 characters.

Heck, I get miffed at Verizon every time I text and I get a reply back saying that only 160 characters can be transmitted per text message.

And Twitter is giving me 20 characters less than that?

Willnotwork4me4sure!

Oh, and the vocabulary is tricky too.

Twitter
Tweet
Twittering
Tweeting
Twitters
Twitted
Twit(s)

And what about the topic focus?

@RidiculousTwit - Going to the store, 2 minutes ago

@RidiculousTwit - Can’t find a parking place, 4 minutes ago

@RidiculousTwit - Found one, 1 minute ago

@RidiculousTwit - Need to answer cell phone, back in a few, 5 minutes ago

@RidiculousTwit - Store is really cold, 10 minutes ago

@RidiculousTwit - Wish I brought a jacket, 6 minutes ago

@RidiculousTwit - Maxi pads are on sale, 5 minutes ago

@RidiculousTwit - Should I buy with wings or without, 2 minutes ago

@RidiculousTwit - Need to use the restroom, 4 minutes ago

@RidiculousTwit - No toilet paper, 3 minutes ago

@RidiculousTwit - And I’ve got to poop, 2 secs ago


C’mon now!

Oh, and don’t even get me started on Facebook newsfeeds…UGH!

Have a great weekend everyone!

I Love My Blog

It’s true.

Oh sure, I love blogging, and I love reading other people’s blogs, sharing blog links and having a blog.

But, I love my blog. Really…I love it.

Oh, all right, I’ll just say it. I am in love with my own blog.

Perhaps it’s the newness of it all right now.

And, wow, Blogger.com, you sure do make this blogging thing easy. Just pick a template, type in some words, add a picture here and there, hit publish and VIOLA! there I am my blog is for all the world to see.

And you know what? I can’t wait to see my blog either. The blog that I love. Wait, did I already tell you that? Seriously, it’s the first thing I want to see in the morning kind of love and the last thing I want to see before I go to bed kind of love. And, while I’m being honest, it’s the let me check it during the work day kind of love too.

Sometimes I can’t stop looking at my blog. Just give me any excuse I can to check it. “Did that actually post correctly?” “Did I forget to do a spell check?” “Does my title fit the blog entry?”

What? Find an excuse to look at my own blog? Pathetic dontchathink?

I mean, is it not bad enough to want to continually look at my wonderful and fantastic work of non-fiction and satire I have created? BUT, to go ahead and admit that I actually do so? Well, my gosh, how weird is that???

I know, pitiful isn’t it?

And don’t even get me started talking about my relationship with stat counter. “How many visits today?” “Where did they come from?” “Any visits since I last looked 2 seconds ago?” “How do I get the counter to block my IP address so that I am not the visitor accounting for the last 25 hits?!”

Oh, oh, oh, and comments? Well, I’m the drooling little kid standing right up next to the table as the mom is cutting the pieces of cake at a birthday party. You know, I’m sort of like the Tim McGraw song…“I like it, I love it, I want some more of it!”

Is anyone out there relating to what I am saying? C’mon now, be honest. It’s not like we’re guilty of standing in front of a mirror staring at ourselves all day long, right?

After all, it’s a blog, just a blog.

But oh how I love my blog…LOL!

DISCLAIMER: "No representation is made that the quality of my blogging performed is greater than the quality of blogging performed by other bloggers."

Tell Me Tuesdays, Chapter 4

It's another Tuesday and time to share another tidbit of my life with you.

Hi, my name is Tracey and I am a scrapbooker.

Little did I know what a hobby obsession I had started when I innocently began putting pictures of my newborn son on pastel colored paper pages in a baby book 6 years ago.

And, let me tell you... scrapbooks can be addictive.

Once you make one, you will want to make more.

Then, the more you make, equals the more items you will want to put on the pages for decoration and detail, equals the more money you will spend.

But heck, you are artistically documenting your family memories, so what's a few hundred dollars here and there, right?!

Honestly, I really can't give you an exact amount as to how much I have spent on my scrapbooking, but I can tell you exactly how much fun and even relaxing (yes, relaxing) it has been to be able to do this over the years.

Oh, and my family loves to see the finished pages/scrapbooks, and of course, I like to show off my "books" to anyone who wants to see them too.

Speaking of scrapbooks...I just remembered...I FORGOT to get a picture of my son's teacher on his first day of first grade! Hmmm, think she'll mind if I ask her to wear the same exact outfit she wore yesterday? I mean, after all, I am preserving family memories...LOL!

What about you? Do you have a favorite hobby? It's Tell Me Tuesdays so let me know. I'd love to hear what you like to do.

First Day Down, 179 More To Go!

WOW! What a difference a year makes!

I am happy to report that there were no signs of first day of school jitters at all this morning. Well, none for R.J. that is...LOL!

In fact, he was all smiles:

So there you go. My son, the first grader. And it seems like only yesterday they were bringing him to me in my hospital bed for me to hold for the first time. My, oh, my how time flies!

Can't wait to hear how his first day went. However, knowing my son, it will be something like this...

Me: "So, what did you do in school today?"


R.J.: "Well, Mom, we ran laps and played tag in P.E., and I had chocolate milk, green beans and salisbury steak for lunch. Oh, and I had an ice cream sandwich too. And, I made some new friends. One named Sam and one named Jonah."


Me: "Okay, son that's great, but what did you do in class?


R.J.: "Hmmm, I really can't remember?"


Seriously, my son can recite entire dialogue scenes from Disney movies, sing verbatim the words to the Sponge Bob Square Pants cartoon song, list every ounce of food he eats for lunch and every activity he does in P.E. class, but for some reason, what he actually does related to classwork escapes him...LOL!


I've learned not to stress over this seemingly brief bout of amnesia he tends to have on a daily basis because thankfully his report cards and test results have shown me that yes, he really is doing work in class, and he's doing it very well.


Now, I just need to figure out how serving pizza, corn nuggets, and french fries on Friday meets the requirements of the five food groups!

You Know The Phrase...

This is the one. Also known as T.G.I.F.

I got to thinking about this phrase and I thought, "Why not flip it around?"

So today, I'm going to rephrase it as, "It's Friday, Thank God."

Seriously, I want to make a special point to thank God
TO-day...Friday, August 7, 2009.

I wish I could tell you that I remember to thank God all the time, but unfortunately I would be lying if I told you that.

Oh, I know I should do it, but I don't, and I know that's not right. I mean, after all, I have a whole bunch to be thankful for EVERY single day.

1. I am thankful that I am a child of God and I have the Lord in my life. Honestly, I don't know how I would have gotten through the past year without Him.

2. I am thankful for my husband and my son. Both of whom make me feel so blessed to have them in my life.

3. I am thankful for my family. It's so easy to take family for granted sometimes. But, I really do have a wonderful family and I'm so glad they are there for me...no matter what.

4. I am thankful for my friends, and that the Lord put such special people into my life. I really could put my friends in my family category because that's just how much they mean to me.

5. I am thankful for my health. Aside from my secondary infertility, I am fortunate enough to have not had any major health issues at all.

6. I am thankful for my job. Especially in this economy where sadly, so many people have lost their jobs or are being faced with the possibility of losing their jobs. Thankfully, I have a job that I love and I am still wanted and needed by my employer to do my job.

7. I am thankful to be alive. That I wake up each morning able to face another day and whatever comes with it.

I know there are so many more things in my life that I am thankful for, but for now, I will leave this short list with you.

I do want to ask a small favor of you though.

Hope you don't mind.

In the coming week, would you please take time out of your life to be thankful too. Stop and count your blessings and praise God. Consider the promises He has given us and the eternal reward that awaits us all.

And, let's all (that includes me too), try and remember to...

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

YIPPEEE!! There's a light at the end of the tunnel...or should I say end of the tube...LOL!

What I was hoping to be a short day on Tuesday turned into a long day after all. Hmmm, hospitals and long waits...surely you jest...ha! ha! However, despite the wait, I am happy to say that the tubal recanalization was a success (once again).

And, I so appreciate all of your prayers and well wishes. I cannot tell you how much that meant to me.

I would have posted yesterday, but since they gave me enough anesthesia to "knock a horse out" as my best friend and nurse told me later, I was told to take it easy for the next 24 to 36 hours...no driving, no strenuous activity, etc. I did as I was told and today, I feel like myself again thankyouverymuch.

Soooo, what's next for us on the baby making agenda?

Well, now that we have the tubal issue cleared up (or or should I say, cleared out), the rest of this month Michael and I will be on our own...no fertility meds and no IUI. If this month is not successful then we will be doing an injectible cycle with IUI in September.

I am excited, nervous, and a bit afraid about what the next few months may hold in store for us. Excited at the thought that we have a chance at getting pregnant again, nervous that we may not, and afraid that if we are successful we will lose yet another pregnancy to miscarriage.

Despite all of those feelings, I am going to take the words of Joel and Victoria Osteen to heart, and share them with you as well:

Today, I encourage you to do what Abraham did and go against all the odds; hope on in faith anyway. Keep believing. Keep praying. Keep moving forward. Don’t focus on the impossible circumstances, focus on the God who makes the impossible possible! Keep looking through your eyes of faith because He has blessing and victory in store for you!

And with that, this little light of mine...I'm gonna let it shine!

God Bless!

Just Another Tubal Tuesday

Instead of my usual Tell Me Tuesdays post, today is Tubal Tuesday...LOL!

In just about 30 minutes, we are off to the hospital to get my fallopian tube unblocked (hopefully).

You can read my post here about what brought us back to the point of needing to unblock my tube...A-GAIN.

Needless to say, I didn't sleep very well last night. Guess it was just nerves. I tossed and turned and finally, I just got out of bed and went to the couch and turned on the T.V. It was really all I could do seeing as how I didn't want to wake my hubby any earlier than I had to, especially since we have to be at the hospital by 6:30 AM. Yes, that's right, 6:30 AM.

Anyway, I didn't have anything else to do so I decided to go ahead and post to my blog before we head out. After all, I had already ironed my clothes and given myself a home pedicure last night. Because you know, I didn't want nasty crusty feet heels to be seen by the hunky monkey of a doctor/radiologist today.

I know, I know, don't ask me why I'm was caring about my feet when the doc is going to have my netherlands in his face and not my feet, but it made me feel better nonetheless. Plus, I just got this awesome OPI nail polish and I thought it would go really well with that swanky gray-ish, blue-ish, white-ish hospital gown I'm going to be wearing. See, it's one of those "goes great with anything colors" (and yes, that is a toe ring tan line on my second toe on my right foot):

Oh, one more thing, before I go, I want to introduce you (if you don't know about it already) to MckLinky and Blog Hop. Just click on the link at this end of this post to join in and link up...it's just that easy.

This week's Blog Hop theme is ENCOURAGEMENT, and it reminded me of the following quote:

"When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place." ~ Unknown

So, even when it looks like everything is stacked against me and things aren't necessarily going my way...I just remember that the Lord promises to be with me no matter what and with Him I can tackle anything...He helps me hold on...He is my encourager.

And, He is your encourager too. God Bless!

Click here to enter your link in the blog hop and view the entire list of entered links...

Back To School

School starts in last than a week!

Must go and buy last minute school supplies!

Must go and buy school clothes!

Must go and buy school shoes (aha, a real excuse to go to the shoe store…LOL!)!

Must beg all of my blogger friends for donations to pay for all of the above! (Just kidding)

Seems like the summer just began. Where did it go?

Growing up in the north, we didn't start school until after Labor Day (in fact, I thought that was how it was everywhere). Here in the Heart of Dixie...not so.

I've come to find out that in Alabama the whole issue of when to start school is a very sensitive one. So much so that believe it or not, this issue has even been fought out at our state legislature.

The education community feels that setting a school calendar is a decision best left up to individual school systems and their local communities. The tourist industry feels that starting school any earlier than Labor Day cuts into the state's sales and lodging tax revenues...revenues that ultimately are used for education, but in their opinion, wind up being considerably less than they should be because the summers are cut short due to an earlier school start date.

So far, the education community has won the fight, but the battle no doubt will continue when the next legislative session begins. Me, just tell me what day you want my child to be there for the first day of school and we'll be there.

I can still remember last year so clearly and his very first day of kindergarten. I had been talking up "big boy" school all summer long and how great is was going to be. We had gone to the orientation, knew who is teacher was going to be and even saw his classroom. I thought to myself, "This is going to be a breeze. I won't even shed a tear when he goes to school. I mean, after all, he has been in day care since he was 9 months old."

WOW, did I ever get a shocker!

That first day of school came and R.J. took his place outside of his classroom waiting to go in. We gave him a big hug and kiss and told him how proud we were of him, not to worry or be afraid, and to have a great day. He said, "Okay, I'll see you guys later." With that, I rounded the corner and burst into tears. I remember the principal putting her arm around me and telling me everything would be fine.

Sure, it'll be a breeze - - my foot...LOL!

You would think that because we have already done the first day of kindergarten thing I wouldn't be nervous or anxious about it. Besides, I should be more nervous and anxious about my medical procedure that I am having done tomorrow, right? But, no...instead, I am already anticipating the melancholoy I am going to feel next Monday when once again my son is dropped off for his first day of school.

I know, I know, we are moving onto the next stage...first grade. It's a natural progression. It's just that sometimes I feel like the years are slipping away so fast, and I know I can't stop it from happening. Neither should I want to. But I do...he's my baby after all.

So in just six short days from now, we'll be there to witness this next milestone in my son's life. And by we'll, I mean, Me, Michael, my Mom and my Dad (Mimi and Boppa to R.J.). Together, we will all be there to give him hugs, watch him wave goodbye and happily walk into his classroom. Then, I will turn the corner, burst into tears and wonder who I can call at the Chamber of Commerce and tell them I want to sign on for helping to delay the start of school next year...LOL!

Who Would've Thought?

If you read my post from yesterday, you already know that July 31, 2009 was the due date of my second angel baby. What you all didn’t know was that day was also the date for the pre-op stuff for my tubal recanalization that is set for this upcoming Tuesday.

How ironic is it that I was actually at the very same hospital that I would have been at to have my baby, but instead I was there for a completely different reason. Honestly, I didn’t even realize the irony of the entire situation until I left the hospital.

Then, I got to thinking about how many times I have actually been to the hospital in the past 16 months in our efforts to conceive…Hmmm, let’s see:

Ten IUIs, two HSGs, two D & Cs, two Tubal Recanalizations one Laparoscopy, and a partridge in a pear tree…LOL!

In fact, when the nurse who was taking my information at the hospital yesterday, she asked me if I had any medical/surgical procedures performed within the last 2 years. I literally let out a huge, gut splitting belly laugh.

Surely, after writing down my monstrous list of procedures and dates performed she figured out the reason for my outburst, right? If not, well then I’m absolutely sure she attributed the depth of the laughter to the fact that when she asked me if my weight listed on the computer screen was still correct, I asked her during which procedure? Dear Lord, I hope she didn’t think I was laughing at her.

Note to self: Find same nurse at hospital next Tuesday and bring cookies with an apology note for acting like a complete hysterical clown during pre-op.

Wait, on a serious note though, maybe I need to contact the Guinness Book of World Records to see if there’s a most attempts at the same hospital, hoping to get pregnant, why I’m not getting pregnant, pregnant no more, record to be broken. Because if there’s not one already…I should be a shoe in!

Believe me, I know there are many of you out there on your own personal trying to conceive journeys who have been through the same and even more or even worse than what I have been through. I want to let you know that I’m with you, I get it…I totally understand the frustrations and the emotional roller coaster ride of it all.

And yet, we still get off the ride and get right back on hoping that next time there will be a prize waiting for us when we get off.

If nothing else, I think we ALL at least deserve to be noted in the Guinness Book of Records for the largest amount of sheer dedicated determination, dontcha’ think?

Good luck and God Bless each of you!