Happy 4th!!!

Now that we live in the same state as our mother's we are heading out tomorrow for the obligitory long weekend visit. E has a four day weekend so we have some extra time to kill. We are only spending Sat. and Sun. with his brother, wife, nephew, and mother then we are coming home. We still have a lot of work to do in the house and maybe this weekend I will be able to get my new dining room table.

I love my mother-in-law for the wonderful man that she raised in E. His other two brothers are, for the most part, very nice too. Both are in long term, satisfying relationships. I just love E. He is a fantastic husband and father. His mom, C, and his dad, J, divorced when E was 1. J moved to Michigan and E and his brother only saw him a handful of times during their childhood. I can't even begin to calculate the amount of child support that they boys never saw. So, C raised the boys on her own. She had her mom and dad nearby to help and E feels very satisfied his childhood.

As much as I respect what she has done with the boys, visiting them is always a little uncomfortable. They live at the bottom of the Okefenokee Swamp in northern Florida. E's mom is a believer in nature and I lovingly refer to her as The Swamp Witch....cuz she kinda really is. She fits the bill by being a small statured woman, surrounded by cats (about 30), raspy voice (from 40 years of smoking), she reads Tarot, and she has been known to wish unfortunate events on people that occured. She insists that the house not infringe on the woods that they live in. For example, no trees get cut down, no flower beds planted, and the lawn rarely gets mowed. We won't discuss the roach problem before my brother-in-law and his wife moved in with her.

They had to move in with her you see, because one year she got sick. And none of her boys called to see if she was OK. She was determined to die there as a lesson to the boys I guess. So, the dutiful oldest son moved out there so that if she got sick again they would be able to help her. She cut down on smoking....now she only smokes outside when she isn't sucking off the oxygen tank. Eh, what are you gonna do?

So, we are off for the weekend. I can't wait to come home.

Happy 4th Everyone!!!!

Sitting On the Nest

I am officially under the care of a civilian doctor. I didn’t know that doctor’s were friendly and listened to your concerns!! I love my doctor in case you can’t tell. He was very concerned about my back pain and my infertility both which have plagued me my entire adult life. Probably in some parallel universe they are related.

He seemed distressed that I was on day 60 of my cycle and that my abdomen was severely distended and tender. He did bloodwork to confirm the diagnosis of PCOS, which the diagnosing doctor did NOT do. He cannot, however, prescribe Clomid so he sent a referral out through our insurance. I told him my back pain is not primary for me right now so we are waiting to begin a pain management regimen.

I expected a good 3 weeks to hear anything about a referral so imagine my surprise to get a call saying that I had been referred to a civilian! RE. The only daunting part of becoming a patient of theirs it that I had to go through the past 10 years of my medical records and pull out everything pertinent to my infertility. But I did it, I filled out their forms, got the 2 reports that I needed from E’s med. file and sent it off to their office in Pensacola. I’m currently waiting for the nurse to look through the papers to schedule an appt.

I am optimistic about TTC again. At the same time, I feel….guilty about leaving adoption on the back burner. E and I discussed in depth our feelings on our drive down here. I am still pulled to adoption.

I made the mistake of looking at the national database of available children. So many of them had severe medical problems. I wish that I had the strength to explore that but I don’t want to make myself vulnerable to falling in love with a child only to have to turn them away because I can’t provide what they need emotionally.

I also feel that now, I am not in the same genre that most of my other bloggy friends are. I was so grateful to have connected with the families who were in the same situation that I was. Now, they are moving on and I kind of took a detour. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t begrudge them in any way. I am ecstatic that these loving mothers are getting the opportunity to share their love with children. I just feel like, in some way, I chickened out.

Happy Birthday

Dear Lana,

Today is your first birthday! You will never know how badly we wanted to spend it with you. In fact, you will never how deeply you touched our lives and still do every day. There are so many things that I wanted to teach you and my deepest wish is that your family will be able to teach you those things instead.

Even though you can’t be with us, you are still a daily part of my life. I think about you every day and love you deeply. Some day, I hope that you will get to love a child as much as I love you and that somewhere in your soul you will discover all of the love that I have sent you over your whole life.

While I think of you everyday, I wonder when the pain of losing you will start to feel better. I see little girls your age all the time and it always makes me wonder what you are doing, what you are eating, and whether you are laughing..

I am not the only one who misses you. Dani asks all the time about you. She says she is sad that you didn’t come home with us. We told her that you stayed with your family in Russia and we are happy that you have a home. She wanted a baby sister badly and it’s hard for her to understand what happened. Over time, she will probably forget and stop asking. I look forward to and dread that time. I like talking about you even if I don’t have any memories with you.

I do have one memory, the first time that I saw your face. I gasped because you were so perfect. You had a look in your eyes that to me was searching and unsure of the person who was looking at you. Maybe you had just woken up and didn’t want your picture taken. Either way, I fell in love with you in that instant, much in the same way that I fell in love with Dani the moment she was born.

I could go on and on about how much I love you; it will never cease. To me, that’s how I know that I am your mother although a very different one that you hold in that role now.

I hope that when you get older, you look at the stars and feel love. That you smell a flower and feel loved. That you ride a merry- go- round and feel loved. That you laugh and feel loved. Even if you cry that you feel loved.

Because you are.

Happy Birthday.

Love,
Mama

Travel days 2 & 3

Ok, we are in our house, we have internet. Half of our boxes are unpacked and I have lost steam. So, I will continue the Canada Saga.

Our second day (4/27) was pretty uneventful the first half of the day. Sometime after lunch we started seeing really big piles of poop along the road and I thought it was very odd that there were horses around because there we NO people. Then we happened upon a buffalo sign. A buffalo sign? Yes. Not long after, we rounded a bend in the road and saw this.

Pretty cool huh? Later on getting to dinner time E is driving and he says, “Bear!!” And there is a bear running along the woods. It was so awesome. It must have come out of hibernation a few days ago. We barely recovered from the shock of the bear and we see a small herd of elk. It was a good day. That was the night that we stopped at the Liard River Hot Springs. There was a really cute lodge that we got some good grub at. It was so nice inside and they said they had a pet room that we could have the dog in. So we decided to stay.

Thank goodness we did because the next ‘town’ was 3 hours away and the next morning as we drove through it, it wasn’t even open. See, in the Yukon and British Columbia, from September to May, most roadside amenities are not open because there is no business during the winter. So if you are planning a trip on the AlCan, plan your stops in larger cities so that you can at least fill up your gas tank.

On day 3 (4/28), we started the morning driving through and around Sheep Mountain. Aptly named because of the huge herds of Dall Sheep that live on the slopes. It’s amazing when you look at the mountain and wonder why there are those odd clumps of snow on the hill. Then you realize that they are SHEEP!! The little things amaze me.







After we came off sheep mountain we spotted this little poser.












Oh, and they really are more afraid of you, than you are of them. (that's a caribou running alongside our van)

By the end of the day we made it to the city of Dawson, a.k.a. the end of the Alaska Highway. I kind of wish that I did buy a bumper sticker commemorating the event but, there’s no turning back now.

Moving with the military is FUN!!

I have been putting off telling you all about our trip from Alaska to Canada cuz you know, I’ve been so busy…. sitting by the pool, tanning, and eating at every fabulous restaurant in town. Let me say first off, thank you all so much for your words of encouragement regarding my Mom. It really meant a lot to me and it solidified my position on how important stability is. Thank You.
Now, onto our first day of travel. E had his out processing appointment at 10 am. Now, when military members leave one base for another, they are given a checklist of all the places that they need to clear to get taken out of their systems. No problem….unless there are offices not on the list. Like dental, immunizations, immunizations for your dependents. So, E goes to his appt.

No dental records.

So we drive to the clinic to get his records. He was so ticked, he just dropped his stuff on the floor and came out. He didn’t bring a copy of his orders. Thankfully, they gave him what he needed anyway.

We go back with his dental records.

No immunization clearance.

So, we go back to the clinic to get his records.

While he is in there, he gets a copy of Dani’s records because ‘we need them for the border’. He can’t get mine because he doesn’t have a release form.

So, I go in and get my records.

We go back with our records in hand, and E finally gets all his documents sealed.

It is currently 12:00. An appointment that should have taken 30 minutes TOPS took two hours because their ‘checklist’ has not been updated.

So, we finally leave the base and are 2 hours behind. We hoped to get to Whitehorse by the evening but got to Haines Junction instead which was about 4 hours east of Whitehorse. But we made it out of Alaska and into Canada.

I don’t think that anything spectacular happened on that first day. We were just really glad to be on the road. Oh, and they never asked to see our shot records.

I love my mom... I really do

My shakable faith is not only grounded in spirituality. My childhood had a lot to do with my faith. Looking back, and being a parent, I realize how important it is to a child to be able to depend on their parents. My parents divorced when I was 13. My mother worked long hours and subsequently developed Epstein Bar Syndrome which ultimately led to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. So, for my teen years, she slept and my dad was kind of estranged.

I quickly learned that if I needed my mom for something she would either forget what I needed, or else she would give me access to what I needed; i.e. her ATM card, a signed check, the grocery list, keys to the car. To a normal teenager it would seem like the ultimate freedom. To me it was very lonely. There were several milestones during my teen years that I didn’t feel I could share with my mother. Cheerleading competitions, dances, buying a prom dress (which I didn’t nor did I attend the prom), my boyfriend, sex, homework… things that now I wish I had been more persistent instead of letting her rest. Add in managing my siblings and I felt more isolated. So, over time, I learned not to rely on my mother, because even though physically she was there, she really wasn’t.

I can deal with that, it’s the past, I’m a responsible parent, and I am available to Dani. I’m very proud of that. But now, and this makes me angry, Dani is going to learn soon that she can’t rely on Grandma. Last week, my mother told me that they missed us too much and they had to come up to visit, just for a night. They would be here on Wed. (today). Since I don’t rely on my mother, I didn’t tell Dani. I did not want her to look forward to Grandma coming, and it not happen (she was devastated last year when Grandma and Grandpa did not make for her birthday as promised). There have been so many things that we have told her would happen and they didn’t, like welcoming a sister. I didn’t want to add one more disappointment. Besides, I figured I would tell Dani today that they would be here and it would be a huge surprise.

I called my mom this morning to ask what their plans were and, hold the revolution of the Earth, they are not coming today. But she was going to call so that we weren’t waiting until the last minute. Maybe she forgot that today was Wed. because I feel that the last minute would have been last night, not a few hours before we expected them to arrive. I’m glad I called and that I didn’t tell Dani they were coming. I’m also glad that we didn’t reserve them a room because we know how responsible my mom is with money and waiting until the last minute.

I'm a big tease

Dani in the pool? Nay you say? Ha! I say. She is offically a water baby. I conquered her fear by teasing her into thinking I would let her hold onto the railing on the steps. I let her get close then pulled her back and said, "No, you can't grab that railing!" Which is a game that we play daily, "No, you can't brush your teeth; get dressed; eat that sandwich; or anything else that I want you to do." Reverse psychology? Yeah, I'm a pro.

Now she jumps in, will wear floaties, and we even held hands and swam to the rope that designates the deep end. I can't believe how much she did so quickly. I think for the past couple of weeks she has been watching all of the other kids in the pool and once she trusted me that I wasn't going to let her flounder, she was ready to go. I'm really proud but very exhausted. She wants to be in the water all the time. I guess I created a monster.

Next, I want to teach her the doggie paddle.

And I need some help. I am really tired of eating in restraunts. I want to cook. Does anyone have any meal ideas that I can put together on paper plates using a microwave? My waistline will thank you.

It's almost baby blue

Announcing the structure that is putting E and me in the ranks of the millions of Americans in debt: Our new house!!!

Financing in is the work and closing is scheduled for the 5th of June. Not only is it very charming on the outside, it seems that it was built for me on the inside. It's not the dream Victorian house that I want someday, but it is the perfect Florida cottage house that I love. It has a huge backyard complete with swingset that Dani loves. The owners even allowed the dog to come over and play in the backyard. They are really nice people. There seems to be some issues with the type of loan that we got, but everything should work out fine. It seems to be upsetting our realator more than anyone else.

We have been in the hotel for a little over a week now. Today was E's first day at work so Dani and I are stranded. I suppose if we had to be stranded on an island, it can't get much better than this. Dani says she wants to play at the pool. Again. For like, the 4th day in a row. She won't even get off the steps, but it's much better than when we first got here. She would only put her feet in then.

As for my "plan". As soon as E has us processed into the base and our medical records are delivered to where they need to be I am going to discuss/demand that my doctor prescribe Clomid for me again. So we are going to try to conceive again. Hopefully I can schedule something with the doctor soon because I expect my period to start anytime in the next 4 weeks. Hahahha.

Dani is doing OK. As mentioned she loves 'swimming'. She is slightly stressed and clingy but that's to be expected. She is really excited about our house and that she will start Kindergarten this fall. The school bus picks the kids up at the end of our soon-to-be-street. How suburbian is that?!

Well, she is begging me for sunblock so we can go outside.

Greetings from the state of Confusion... err... Florida

We have officially arrived. The past two weeks seem like a blur.... going by at approximately 70 mph on average. We had a great trip considering we had to drive across 2 countries. We spent 4 nights with E's dad who he hasn't seen since 1993 or so. It was only the 4th or 5th time that he has seen his dad since the age of 1. We found out that he and E's mom only knew each other for 3 days before they got married. There's a lot of story there evidently. During the drive getting there E and I realized that it was similar to meeting his birth father if he would have been adopted. E has really grown into an amazing man and father without his dad's influence so I can't really complain. It was nice meeting him and his wife and their son. It was odd playing with his brother's kids and realizing, 'Hey, I'm their uncle/aunt!!' I'm really glad that we went. It was like meeting old friends and there wasn't near as much drama as I thought there would be.

As for Florida, it seems to be muggier and hotter than I remember. By a stroke of luck, the temporary housing on our base was full so we are able to stay off base. We picked the Ramada Resort... on the island.... on the beach. Yeah, it's a good life. Our room is on the pool side on the 3rd floor. We have a big man- made waterfall out our balcony. Dani wants to go to the pool to put her feet in. That's it, just her feet. We went for a walk on the beach last night, found a dead jelly fish. The sand on the Emerald Coast is unrivaled; almost as white as snow. I forgot how beautiful it is here.

Lots of happenings in the adoption world it seems. I'm really happy for those of you are on first, between, and second trips. Congrats to Jen for finding out your region. That is exciting. Like Margaret I feel a twinge of jealousy for the people who are moving forward with their adoptions.

E keeps asking me, "What has your experience having or not having children taught you?" It always ticks me off a bit. I just want a family, which I do have and I'm very grateful, but I feel like there are 2 spots that are empty. I want them filled, and I want it done yesterday. That's the thing, I want what I want.... however, when you do that, all you get is wanting... nothing actually happens. I told him that I regretted giving up too soon, and I really think that I did in both cases. One miscarriage- gave up. One lost adoption- gave up. So, we have a new plan tentatively. We need to get settled in before we can put it into action but it feels good to have a plan. Better happen soon though because I ain't getting any younger. I don't do patience.

Check, Check, 1 - 2 - 3

Ok, we are in a part of Canada that believes in the internet. We are at the furthest point in British Columbia in a town called Dawson Creek. It is the beginning of the Alaska Highway, or for us, the end. It has been a long 3 days. Hopefully we can get to Calgary or close tomorrow because we want to take a day off from traveling to visit the Calgary Zoo. Dani will have a blast. She has been great on this trip. She is just having a little trouble with sharing the CD player in the van. We are trying to swap out one of her CDs with one of ours... you know, so that we don't have to listen to sing a long songs for the whole trip. It's working pretty good, but she doesn't like our music. Go figure.

I have one thing to say. Canada is beautiful but it is really nice to be in a town with more than 10 buildings. We stopped at Liard River Hotsprings last night and had a fantastic time soaking after our long days driving. We have seen some great wildlife. We even saw a BEAR last night. It was soooo cool!!! We've seen dozens of caribou in the higher mountains and dozen of deer in the lower forests. We've even seen a few mountain sheep on the highway. They are so cute. Well, E wants to use the computer and I have hogged for an hour now so I will let him have a turn. Thanks for still checking in with me!!

Congratulations Lisa and Derek!!! I'm so glad that you got to meet your Sweet Gherkin!!

The Eve of Destruction

Well, this is it. Well, tomorrow is it. The movers will be here at 9am to start tearing my house apart. Our cable and internet boxes will have to be turned in before the mad packers get ahold of them, so this will be my last post at home. We will still be up here for another 6 days cleaning and repainting. Next Wed. will be our first day of travel. I don't know how often I will get to check in. We aren't planning on being in FL until the middle of May.... so I may not have any friends left.... but I'll check in as often as I can!!! I promise!!! I'm not needy or possessive at all... honest... You all will still love me anyway right!!! right?

Lisa I am so excited for you and D and your trip. I hope everything goes amazing for you. I also hope that the rest of the Russian Posse gets past many hurdles in the next few weeks and will all be on their way to the other side of world SOON!!!

We are looking forward to our trip. By the 29th we hope to be in Calgary and stop early for the day to spend at the zoo. I think it will be a nice break after 3 1/2 days in the van. After that our next big stop will be Michigan where I will meet E's dad, step-mother, and extended family. E has not seen his dad since '92 and they just started talking last fall... so we are in the beginnings of new relationships. By the time we end our visit in Michigan we will only be a few days from Ft. Walton Beach.

I am trying to get the courage to ask my mother NOT to meet us in Michigan to drive the rest of the way with us. Help!

So, everyone, here I will 'pause' until I can stop by again. I can't wait to let you all know how our 4000 mile trek across the continent went. Have a great spring everyone!!!

Happy Easter.... I think

What a quiet week in the blogging world…. I mean really quiet. I think everyone has a case of blogger’s block. I know I do. I can only write about how frustrating moving is so many times before it starts to drive me crazy.

I haven’t really had any interesting thoughts this week. I have wondered about something though. I hope I don’t offend anyone, but I will be the first to admit that I am ignorant in the realm of religion. What is the significance of Easter? Is the main point that it is the commemoration of the rising of Christ?

I was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness so everything that I remember about holydays as I grew up was the isolating feeling that I didn’t belong anywhere because I couldn’t participate with the festivities. No Valentine’s exchanges, no egg hunt, no trick-or-treating, or birthdays. I think I was about 9 when I realized that we had a long break from school during the winter because it was Christmas. Other children in my class would ask me what I got for Christmas and I had no idea what they were talking about. I think once I actually asked, “Santa who?”

This upbringing has made celebrating holidays very stressful for me. I like holidays because of the fellowship shared between friends and family, but I don’t understand the symbolism of the holidays, specifically religious holidays. I think that I would have been fine as an adult, not celebrating holidays, but now that I am a parent I don’t want to isolate Dani. I don’t want her to feel like she doesn’t belong anywhere. I hated that feeling. At the same time, I don’t want to overcompensate. I want her to at least have the choice of what she wants to celebrate. Maybe that’s what I miss the most about my childhood…. I didn’t have a choice.

Religion is such a huge responsibility for a parent. There is a lot of pressure to make the right choice in your religion so that your children will grow up with faith. I don’t want to be a hypocrite but I don’t want to leave Dani without any foundation at all. It’s very conflicting and confusing.

So, Happy Easter everyone, or Spring, or Passover.

Well, I feel sheepish

Nevermind. I see it clear as day now.

Question to the Masses

I'm trying to put my new profile picture on my blog, but I can't figure out how to do it. Do I need to put a tag in the template? If so, where?

Confession

I have a secret…. Have I told you? I’m slightly neurotic and maybe a little OCD.
I have been burning all the candles that I can in the past couple of weeks trying to use them up because the movers will not pack burnt candles and I can’t stand to throw away a perfectly good half-used candle. I am currently burning a Sugar Cookie candle which I’m not too fond of. It is so sweet smelling that it bothers my throat a little and it makes me hungry. Next on the list are Fields of Grass and Pomegranate.

I have already started putting signs on things that we will not take with us to Florida that read ‘Do Not Inventory/Pack’. I guess just in case we forget.

Oh, and that handy dandy moving folder? I should have gotten a file cabinet. As of now it contains E’s out processing paperwork, the dog’s vaccinations, birth certificates, marriage certificate (an apostilled version at that… what else am I going to use it for), our passports (again, I may as well use them), wills, and E’s VA certificate. Still to be added are documents for our van, several copies of E’s orders, the dog’s medical certificate, and a plethora of other oddities. This reminds me, I need to get the dog to the vet. Like Jen, I need to make lists for everything so that I don’t forget something important.

Here’s a story, once a very, very long time ago, newly married to my ex, I had to go to our nearest military installation to get my dependent military ID issued. He was currently at basic training in Texas and I was in Pennsylvania. He had sent me the form I needed and I rallied a friend of mine to drive down to Carlisle, PA from our town of Mansfield, PA. It was about a 5 hour drive if I remember correctly. Anyway, we get to the post, find the personnel center, and sign in to get my picture taken. They just needed my dependent form…. Um… yeah…. The one I left at home, 5 hours away. The person in the office called the base my husband was at and he got pulled out of whatever training they were doing. He was told there was a situation with his wife, that scared the poop out of him. Muahahhaha. They did a new form and faxed to where I was and I got my card. But I was really irritated at myself for being so stupid. My ex didn’t let me forget it either, but that’s a story for another day.

So, I may be a little neurotic, but I’m programmed that way.

I Loves Me a Good Mystery

I have always been a fan of stories or occurrences that give me the chills. I would have loved to listen to ghost stories around the campfire if my parents had allowed me to join Girl Scouts or done anything fun. I love watching documentaries about Loch Ness, Bigfoot, aliens, and ghosts. I think I’ve seen them all three times.

I’m currently reading Fingerprints of the Gods which plays with the theory that the culture who built that Egyptian pyramids are closely related to the culture who build the South American pyramids. There are a lot of really interesting correlations.

I know this sounds really silly, but I would love to go to Scotland and watch Loch Ness for a day. I would also love to solve the mystery of Stonehenge. I would also, just once, like to see a ghost. I wonder sometimes what it’s like to be psychic.

In fact, I was thinking the other day about psychics and how much power they really have. There is a theory that what you think you create. So, I wondered if, when psychics have a ‘vision’, they in fact create it. They have faith in what they see. In reality don’t we have the most faith in the thoughts that we think of ourselves? I know I do. Maybe I’m psychic. Pretty scary considering I can’t create the things that I most want in life… or maybe what I really want is to create the disappointment. Life really is a mystery.

What's on My Mind

Thank you everyone who gave me advice on being home owners. I really appreciate it. I got a boost of confidence that I was on the right track. Now I have to figure out how to see what schools in the area are good. We are dealing with Florida here, I don’t expect Harvard material but Dani is starting Kindergarten in the fall and I want to make sure she starts out right. I know that parents are the biggest influence in education but I want the school to do its part too. Has anyone considered home schooling?

When Dani was born, I planned on home schooling. I never wanted to let her out of my arms. Now I can’t wait for preschool days. She goes MWF in the afternoons. Not that she’s a bad kid, quite the opposite, but she is very demanding. It’s one of the reasons that I’m sad that she doesn’t have a sibling. She gets really lonely and bored and I’m just not fun to play with. Besides, I’m really excited for her to start school because then I invest in me a little bit. Take some classes, explore my hobbies, and decide which familial route we want to go. There’s a lot that I’m thinking about.

Have I mentioned how much stress there is in moving? It’s really frustrating and what makes it worse is that I am a planner and E is a ride by the seat of his pants kind of guy. I made a folder with all of our papers relating to our move. I was so proud of myself that I made it and when I showed it to him; he shrugged and said, “That’s cool.” He wasn’t nearly as excited as me.

I think spring has finally sprung. The creeks are starting to melt and it’s so nice outside. My left shoulder is killing me, but my driveway is clear and dry!

I am in love with a low carb cheesecake recipe that I found here. I’m not crazy about the crust but the custard is very good. It’s not as rich as a traditional cheesecake which I usually find overwhelming, and I feel like I’m indulging. I also have a really good pizza recipe. The crust is like a cheese quiche instead of bread, if there is interest, I’ll post it with the appropriate references of course.

To Buy or Not To Buy

Our big move is about 6 weeks away now. I have started giving away the furniture that we aren’t planning on taking, our fish are gone and the tank is broken down, I started shampooing the carpet in the toy room and I’m weeding through clothes that won’t go with us. It feels good to be moving on. I still don’t know which route we will go in adding to our family. I am kind of enjoying not having to think about it until we get settled in.

Speaking of settling in; I know several of you are homeowners or previous homeowners. E and I are strongly considering buying a house when we get down there (we have been checking available houses for several months). The problem is we have no idea what we are doing. I don’t know what questions to ask a realtor or what a lender will require of us. The good thing is that E is eligible for a VA loan which will allow us to buy with no down payment. We are not looking for our dream home because neither of us wants to settle there permanently but we want something nice. I’m just tired of living in someone else’s house. We have lived in base housing at every assignment. So far we have been really lucky with neighbors and things like that, but they aren’t really my own place. I can paint the walls, but everything needs to be in original condition when we leave which means painting them back.

The other selling point is that if we live off base, E will be given a housing allowance which will cover our mortgage payments. So really, we would have a house for free. When E gets new orders we just resell the house and pretty much get all of that money back in profit.

Here are my concerns:

Is it just me or is the real estate market very high?

What should I be looking for in a house?

What would be warning signs in a home/realtor/lender?

We will be living in hurricane alley… is buying a home there a good idea?

Are there things that you wish you had known when you bought your houses?

Should I be concerned about resell value?

How do we build equity?

What is the average interest rate?

How on earth is a mobile home valued over $100K? I mean, that’s a trailer, right?

Am I asking the right questions?

Ice Park 2006

Here they are, the long awaited photos of the World Ice Art Championships.
*Disclaimer- These photos may not be sold. They are the original works of the artists.
*Note- Click on the photos for a full screen view.
The sculptors for this event came from around the world. Russia, China, Vietnam, and several American states. They started working in these sculptures in mid January and the park is open through the end of March. I've never put multiple photos in a post, so my order is completely backwards. Enjoy!


I wanted this to be the last picture because it is the most AWESOME. I thought that is was fitting in with Rhonda's Iditarod photos. This sculpture is in commemoration of the dog known as Balto who was in one of the sled teams that brought penicillian to the residents of Nome, Alaska during a diptheria outbreak. The bravery of the dogs and mushers saved the town. The Iditarod is the annual race to commemorate that journey.
This sculpture is enormous. It stood about 30 feet high. It was fantastic. My favorite by far.







Dani loves mermaids. I think we will have a Barbie Mermaidia birthday party for her this year. The mermaid here is reaching inside an oyster for a pearl. My Dani is on the left and my neighbor's daugher on the right. You can see how huge that sculpture is compared to the girls. The artist also made his own fence. You can see in the foreground a coral fencepost holding the rope.













This is a fantastic sculpture from China. The warrior on the right is fighting a dragon. This photo doesn't do the work justice. It was fantasic to see in person. The flames from the dragon's mouth are actually catching the coattails of the warrior's robe. The dragon is also coiled and it was really an awesome effect.




If any China waiting moms are checking in, this is China's interpretation of spring. The figure in the middle is rowing a boat through the ice and there are several animals surrounding her. This sculpture was probably 20 feet wide.



This is a humming bird. Most of the sculptures have multicolored lights behind them to amplify the viewing at night. I haven't seen them at night, but I imagine it is beautiful. Ice sculptures are a common site around Fairbanks. In the winter, most businesses will commission a sculptor to create a work of art in front of their business. It's really a unique place to be.









This is of an otter diving down for fish. You can see the lines in the otter, those are different blocks of ice. The ice used in this competition is cut from a specific lake in Alaska, I'm not sure where. It is used because of the exceptional clarity in the ice.














We had a really fun day. The weather cooperated with a nice, balmy 28 degrees. We met our neighbors and their 4 year old and 5 month old. My neighbor had a hard time navigating through the walkways. This is Dani walking through the maze. E took this pic from an ice platform that overlooked the maze. It was really awesome.

Random

I have been absent lately. Been a little busy... well, not really, but any blogging time that I have I end up playing Zulu Gems on Yahoo! Games. I'm addicted to that game. I don't think it's possible to win, but I still can't stop playing it. I get addicted to a new game frequently.

I've also been working on chipping the ice from my driveway. Our driveway has to be 'free and clear of snow and ice' when we have our final house inspection the end of April. Chances are break up will be here by then, but I don't want to risk it.

We went to the World Ice Art Championship Ice Park on Sunday and I have some beautiful sculptures that I want to share with all of you. E is the camera genius and I need him to put all the pics on the computer before I can put them up.

I'm also making lists and going to briefings with E getting ready to move. I'm trying to get Dani's preschool to take our fish so that I don't have to flush them all; the healthy ones anyway. Oh, and I'm sure you are all on the edge of your seats about our goldfish. The poor thing continued to float upside down for a week and I couldn't stand it anymore. E took it outside and buried it in the snow.

I went off my low carb diet for a week and gained back almost 5 pounds. But I'm blaming the Girl Scout Cookies. They are too damned yummy. So, I am back on it. Hopefully the carb withdraw will shock my body into losing again. I plateaued for 4 weeks without any more loss so I got frustrated.

Going to try to take Dani to the gym with me today while I do a Pilates class. My neighbor asked me to go and she's bringing her 4 year old also. I figure I'll bring her Polly Pockets and she'll be a happy camper.

I had a stroke of brilliance this weekend. I have been really concerned on how to keep Dani occupied on a 4000 mile trip. I found read a long books on CD so we can just pop one in and she will be happy. I hope she doesn't get car sick looking at books.

Ok, I have also noticed how several of you have really cool site designs. I think it was Lisa who designed them? I would be interested in learning to do that too. Is it hard? What would be a good book to learn that from?

Pictures coming soon!!