The 24-Day Passport

When we made our rapid rise from #9 to #4 the week of July 4th, we started thinking that we might better get-on ordering WB's passport. We've been hearing horror stories of 14-20 week waits and the lines are just getting longer. Since both parents have to be present to apply for a minor child, we went and knocked it out while on vacation, July 9th.

About a week ago, we received the little State Department notice stating they received the application and it was being processed. We got online instructions on how to check the status which I just threw into the mail pile, thinking I'd check it next month sometime. Well, my dh got a little curious today and logged on to check it. Imagine our surprise.....

"We have finished processing your passport, and it has been mailed to you.

You requested delivery by regular mail. Passport Agencies use Priority Mail. This means you should receive your passport on or about 08/01/2007."

How crazy is that? I mean, we did pay the extra $70ish bucks to expedite, but I was still thinking it would be November at the earliest! Amazing!

(Of course, I am now falling into the category of believing everything I read. It's not in my hand yet, but I'm a believer!!)

Saving Grace

Seriously....seriously!!! I can't stop playing with my Webkinz! It wasn't enough that I basically took over my son's poor little dog, I had to go out and get a little pig for myself. (Still hoping for a little girl...born in the Year of the Pig!) Anyway, I've been rather absent from blogging because I CAN'T stop playing with my virtual pet! I can say that my boy loves this silly obsession almost as much as me. It is absolutely priceless to see him at the desk, logged on, while I'm sitting on the bed with the laptop, and listen to him giggle as he invites me to his virtual house to play and sends me webmail. But, my playing doesn't end there!!! Nooooo, the web site goes down every night at 11:00 pm for daily maintenance and that is probably my only saving grace because there is no telling how late I'd stay up if they let me keep playing!

SERIOUSLY! What does this say about me? Never mind...I really don't want to know.

Speaking of Saving Grace...(TNT Monday nights) I had such hopes for this new series but I was really disappointed. Being that it is supposed to be set in my hometown and deal with folks I deal with on a daily basis...I seriously wanted to love it. I SO wanted it to be good. But it wasn't...it was bad...pretty bad. Now, I watch a TON of reality TV and I'm up till all hours every night clearing off my DVR, (before, during and after playing with my beautiful pig, Wiggles) but I had NO IDEA what was "legal" on real TV these days. It is a pretty racy show...I could get past that if the story line was just good. I do love the idea of "Earl, the angel of last chances"...but it just didn't work. I'll give it another go next Monday...it got pretty good reviews...but I don't guess I'm gonna be seeing much of Holly Hunter around town.

OK...gotta go let my pig jump on the trampoline, feed her some dragon fruit, hunt for gems, got to the employment office and do the sandwich maker job (since that is the only job that I seem to be able to master enough to get paid), redecorate her room and put her to bed before they pull the plug at 11:00.

"Hello, my name is Leigh...and I'm addicted to a child's game...."

Reflections on A Great Weekend

Today...after years of prodding...WB rode independently for the first time!

(Relieving some of my parental guilt.) See, I think we put him on a bike too early (with training wheels) and he "bit the dust." He really hasn't wanted much to do with a bike for the last three years because of his fear of falling. He would back farther and farther away from the bike every time he saw one of his peers in the neighborhood riding without training wheels. Lately, he even confessed that he was "embarrassed" that he couldn't ride. Well...not anymore...he's a rider!! Woo Hoo!!

Finally, my discovery of the week...Webkinz...why hasn't anyone ever told me about them? We went to a birthday party on Friday night and the kids got like three of them. They are stuffed animals with web ids that you adopt. You log on to the website and create a home and environment for your virtual pet. You earn web dollars by answering quiz questions and playing games, and then you use the web dollars to build and decorate a room for your pet. You feed him, buy him toys and landscape his backyard. They are SO cool!! We picked up one for WB today at the mall...$10.00...for a stuffed creature and a year of Internet play. Meet Cinnamon...the latest addition to our family.

I'm So Over Myself...

Thanks for all the birthday advise. Funny thing is, even being Queen for the week doesn't help...I am a true birthday fruit. Granted there are historical reasons why the day is hard, but again, I'm just glad it is over for a year and I can get back to "normal." Time to move on...I'm over myself! LOL!

Why Are Birthdays Always Such A Disappointment?

Let me start of by stating right upfront, this post is gonna have a healthy dose of whining...so, those with low tolerance levels should simply move on down the blogland road...

Why is my birthday ALWAYS the most disappointing day of the year? Is it just me, or do other women have this problem? I have a decent husband...he's generally good for a card, flowers and a decent gift. There is usually some good food involved too....food that I didn't have to fix. Of course, I generally have to put on the choke-chain, grab the lease, and lead the creature to the counter to purchase the right item.

Now, you may be saying..."at least you got something", and I do realize this is more recognition that some receive, but it's not just about the stuff. That is the crazy thing...everything could be perfect...a day of fabulously wonderful Hallmark moments and still there will be SOMETHING missing. It is physically impossible for me to have a "good" birthday...all day...start to finish. It hasn't happened since I was ten. What is up with that?????

Today just sucks...I wish I could skip 7/11 every year. I don't mind getting older. I am "OK" being 43, I just hate today. In spite of the fact that I was greatly humbled by ten random emails from old friends or coworkers (many I haven't thought of or spoken to in months) wishing me a Happy Birthday. How is it they know my birthday? What does it say about me that I can't even tell you what month any of these folks were born in? And, in spite of the fact that this morning, my boys presented me with cards and a lovely framed picture of them from our recent vacation. (It should be noted that the frame said, "Blessings...don't forget to count them." I should give JB some credit for trying a subliminal message.) And, of course, he knows he doesn't have a "snowball's chance" of a decent day if I don't see a present the second my eyes open! He's learned that lesson the hard way!

So...I am going to bed because...guess what? Tomorrow won't be 7/11...it's gonna be 7/12...a brand new day...a day that isn't the anniversary of my birth...and I'm gonna be HAPPY, content, and overloaded with counting the many blessings I have in my life! I won't be able to post tomorrow, because I'm gonna be too busy being thankful...I'm just not there yet tonight...

Is it midnight yet?????

She's Back...

We had a wonderful vacation, but we are SO glad to be home! (It took us 16-hours to make it home in the post-4th weekend traffic!) If you are ever in the Florida panhandle, I highly recommend Rosemary Beach. We spent a week there in a gorgeous rental house (google "Under the Rosemary Sun" for a tour) with our dear friends, the Joneses. My dad popped in for a couple days of sun too. (The rain in Oklahoma has him rather pale this year and he needed a "fix"...he's the only 69 year old I know that diligently "works" on his tan! LOL!) This picture was at dusk on the 4th...and, no, we really aren't burnt!

Besides being a great week for my family, last week was a super week for movement on our waiting list. We've made the meteoric rise from #9 to #4! Woo Hoo! I haven't even had a chance to get out into the blog-world and congratulate all my cyber friends on their REFERRALS!!! I'm off to do that now. But, in the event I miss you (or if you have changed to password protection and I can't get to you)..."Congratulations...may your G&R's be right around the corner!!"