Pictures from the past

With the help of my Aunt Carol (my mom's sister), I recently had the pleasure of reuniting with my Uncle Steve...my mother's younger brother. He lived with us for a short period of time when I was younger, then moved to Arizona (where my mom was from) and took care of my grandparents. He was kind enough to send me some pictures of relatives I never got to know, some still living, some that have passed away. The one I love is actually of my family (not pictured are my father and my yet unborn brother Shawn):

That's my Uncle Steve, my half sister Brenda, my brother Shane, Mom, me, half sister Donna, and my brother Shad. I was probably 5 in this picture. Too bad I can't get away with hot pants like that now!

Love ya Aunt Carol and Uncle Steve!

Waiting for the Abominable Snowman....

There is a pseudo- "blizzard" rushing through the Portland area right now. It's probably the closest thing to a blizzard we will ever see around here. I am perfectly happy staying in my PJs all day long, sipping a warm chai latte, surfing the net, catching up on my DVR programs, and being plain-ass lazy. :) Meanwhile, from the time we got up at 7:30 this morning until noon, Glen was very antsy...he ended up shoveling the walkway, chopping wood, and anything else to keep himself busy. We are polar opposites when it comes to this! So around 1:00, he drove over to his sister's boyfriend's house to, of all things, play Rock Band. It's now 5:30, and we've gained probably 4 inches of snow since he left! I hope he can get home safely.

On baby-making news, nothing to report, except I am at cycle day 29 with no signs of ovulation. :( My average ov day is day 16, so obviously, I am very behind! I am learning a lot about my own body, so that is the best part about the temping/charting/testing. For several months, I have questioned myself as to whether I really want to have a baby now, or if I just like the idea of having a baby. I cried when I tested negative last month. I guess I'm ready!

We just found out that good friends of ours in California who had a very difficult time getting pregnant the first time (and were successful in 2006!) have just found out they are pregnant again! We are so happy for them. If anything, I have learned from several friends not to worry too much...patience, though difficult, actually is a virtue!

I'm in the middle of my 7th week (4th set) of invisalign braces...they are better than I thought they would be! I am starting to notice my top teeth getting straighter and my bottoms feel less crowded when I floss. This is cool.

Unwanted Vacation

I only worked one day this week. Thanks to bursts of snow and ice in the mornings , schools overreact and close, then the snow melts by afternoon...they cancel, our clinic closes=no work for Stacia. Instead, if I want to pay my mortgage, I get to use my PTO hours to make up for hours of lost work. Not counting Christmas day, New Year's day, and the day after both of those. 64 hours total. Merry Christmas to me.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

Four inches: on our patio set UNDER the deck cover. Leave it to those lovely Easterly Gorge Winds to whirl and whip the snow around to any/everywhere. It's hilarious how Portland practically shuts down when this kind of weather arrives. Our clinic shuts down when the local school district cancels school, so I get a snow day home from work tomorrow. The higher-ups say they don't want our patients risking their safety to make it to a non-emergency medical treatment, but it's obvious that they don't want to pay to keep the doors open, especially when in all reality most patients will cancel anyway. Good thing I had some vacation saved up. I'd rather use it for a REAL vacation, though. Or maternity leave when that time comes.

Tech LOVES the snow...he even played "ball" with it. It took him a few times to realize that this time he could actually EAT the ball.





Last week, we got up early on Saturday to catch a few sales at Macy's in downtown Portland...it's funny, but around the holidays, the REALLY interesting people come out of the woodwork. Thank heaven I have a steady job, because I would starve to death trying to make a living being an entertainer:

(I was ready for him to pull out the Michael Jackson glove, but never saw it. :)

That day, we also drove out to Sandy to pick out a tree. Reindeer Tech helped me to decorate it:

And my lovely husband kindly cleaned up.......(it's ok to be jealous!)

I'm a new aunt!

As of December 3rd, I am an aunt for the umpteenth time...I've lost count, simply because I have 3 older 1/2 sisters who have mutliple children. I am a full-blooded aunt to 4 now. :) Her name is Brooke Lauren. It's a beautiful name that I would love even more if part of it weren't OUR name. Lauren is the name that Glen and I have had picked out for our first daughter since before we even got married. They picked it out 4 months ago. Now it's going to my "No" name list. Sad day. I feel a bit guilty about my resentment, but bite me. That's what I get for being the oldest child and the last to have one of my own.

A Sad Story

http://www.mattlogelin.com/if-you-havent-been-here-before/

That's the blog my eyes have been glued to for over a week now. I've officially read the whole thing from start to finish. It's not an easy read, considering the subject material, the author's creative shortening of sentences, his constant use of "the" in front of the name of every geographical place he mentions....but it's worth the read. Be forewarned, it is sad. I have cried many a tear reading about his thoughts and experiences since losing his wife the day after their first daughter was born. Take a look---it has allowed me to really enjoy every moment I have with the one I love--I think you'll feel the same.