It's been a while

I know I have used the title before especially since lately my posts are very far and few between. I guess that is because life gets in the way.

So whats been going on - well the adoption process is going well as you can read about here. We are working on the profile that will be on the agency's website and in their profile book where expected parents will be able to select couples to meet who potentially will raise their baby. Lots of more questions to fill out and we need to dig though our pictures to include so they can see who we are.

On work front things have been insanely busy with deadlines. Ours kept moving and thus creating more work for me since I am one of the few that still has sites where new data comes about every month. Hopefully things return to normal soon. I am also in the interview process for a new position in the company that is a step up but also would keep me home 90% of the time (unlike the 2% I am now). I had my first interview last week and figured since my boss is behind me, actually she has been asking me to do this since last year I have a good shot.

Well I need to run, finish making breakfast then 6 loads of laundry, packing since I head out again tomorrow, get things set up for Germany (19Apr-3May), work on the adoption profile and all this in the next 14 hours. So glad its not busy or anything. Will try to be on here more than less but then I have said that before ....

Anyone still there?

So much for my new years resolution of posting more often - last post was May 19 that's like 2 months ago wonder if anyone is still reading this old blog.

So what have I been up too??Besides napping with the puppy????

Well things are well with the new job, just had my eval talk today and it the company is very happy with me :) now lets hope that translates into more $$$$$.

Grumpy and I did find a property we like and closed on it last week. 5.7 acres in the country but only 30min from the beach. Its partially cleared which is great as we can put the trailer right on in. We still have to get a well dug, power hooked up and sewer installed per the country's rule if we want the to leave the trailer there which kind of sucks. We were planning on doing it just not right away but then we also didn't realize they want an arm and leg for the damn well. Either way I can't wait until we got it all done and can enjoy weekends with the pups. Grumpy was out there today putting up no hunting allowed signs up so the deer can have a safe haven. I am sure the pups will love running wild out there but because there are hunters I told Grumpy I'd put the pups in pink tutus so they wont be mistaken ;)

We have friends coming from Germany next week so we've been trying to get some ground in this chaos also known as our house but don't seem to make much headway - oh well I never said I was a housewife.

I have been moonlighting as a guest writer on a new blog - if you haven't yet hop on over to The Clumsy Eater and check it out. I often have to eat out while on the road which lets face it I am on the road every week - I send in my reviews for the places I find on my trips. So check it out as there are more things reviewed than just restaurants.

In other news hubby and I decided to check more seriously into the whole adoption thing. Its not gonna be anytime soon we know especially here in VA and us not having the kind of cash one needs for private adoptions or adopting from another country but we figured it can't hurt to get the process started. We haven't given up the hope that somehow we get to experience the joy of pregnancy and all the fun associated but figured our child is out there somewhere. Since we usually don't do things the easy and conventional guess we shouldn't expect having children to happen that way seems our stork is going to work a little harder. I probably wont post to much about the process since the whole baby issue usually gets me super upset and super angry. But if there are news no worries it will be announced we are guessing it will take somewhere around 2 years assuming they'll even find us worthy which with my current job and travel schedule is still a big IF.

So I better get back to chores I am leaving Monday for Arkansas and fly from there to NYC to pick up my friend and godchild.

Hubby took picks from of the land and I'll think I'll create an album for the land so you guys can see how it comes along

Gee January is not yet over and I broke the post at least once a week resolution already missing last weeks post. In my defense the week was nuts.

It started with a 3am wake up call on Monday to head to Wheeling WV from there it was off to Buffalo after i finished in Wheeling Tuesday afternoon. The drive was interesting started of with rain as I headed north switched to freezing rain, hit some heavy fog along I-90 by lake Erie and then snow toward Buffalo. I worked crazy hours all week in Buffalo - the weather was awesome freezing cold and snow. I had to dig out my car every day :) Yes I loved every second of it.

Since i had to be back in upstairs NY Monday I stayed the weekend instead of going home for less than a day. So Saturday I went up to Canada to hang with Julie and to give my charity contribution. Yep cut off all the hair its currently on its way to Locks for Love to hopefully make a nice wig for a child some day.

Sunday I hoped back on I-90 to Rochester where I had dinner with a friend before watching the Steelers beat NY at the hotel. While no football fan as a wife of a die hard Steeler fan it was my duty to watch and text comments to Grumpy during the game.

After working Mo-Tue in Rochester it was back to Buffalo for a day and then finllay heading home Wednesday night. One of these days I'll have to have Grumpy film the greeting ritual that goes on when i get back from these trips. The puppy fell all over herself trying to say hello.

Since i am driving to Florida next week the baby will get to come with me. I can't wait this way i got someone to fight over the blanket with :) I'll get to hang out with Ms Jin and JDC too and they'll get to meet Boo.

So now its past my bedtime. Grumpy and I went to see Green Hornet tonight in 3D but it wasn't much to write about.

I think I left my Brain at the hotel ..

So if you a linked to me on Facebook this is the status update you just saw




I seem to be scatterbrained today. First the stupid car keys then the computer.

So i am not getting home till after 1am tongight which totally sucks as i have so much crap to do with my mom coming Sunday, us leaving next Saturday. Nevermind the part were work is trying to test my limit as if I am not busy enough my boss "volunteered" me to help someone which in this case entails in me doing a site visit in St Louis for them - where a site all of a sudden enrolled a ton of patients. I need to be there at least 4 days just to do a basic review. ARRGGGGG. Here goes my hope that next year will be a little calmer.

I am so looking forward to our vacation next week. All inclusive resort (including BOOZEEEEE) I am so not leaving the bar that's built in the middle of the adult only pool for the week we are there. Bought sun protective clothing so i wont burn :)


Alright lets see what else i can forget till I get home

Philadelphia

Just some random pics I snapped on the way to Thomas Jefferson University - where my site is located.

A cold, a mouse and lots of work

Those are the reasons why I haven't been around the blog sphere. The cold came on last weekend and I have been miserable all week. I am slowly feeling better still coughing. It didn't help that I had been gone since Monday and just got back last night. I didn't even bother to unpack my bag - my room in vegas is more of an appartment and has a washer/dryer so I am going to do my laundry there on Sunday after I get in. Yes you read right I am leaving again Sunday till Friday. Poor Grumpy he has to be by himself again for a week. I do think he doesn't mind it too much because he can have the control of the remote control and eat seafood while I am gone.As for the mouse - well Cleo killed one a couple of weeks ago and Grumpy went ahead and set a trap behind the faucet since he saw a mouse runing along the wall there. So I walk into the kitchen today to fix some lunch when I see this blur - I look and there is a tail hanging out of the trap - twichting. Well that killed my appetite. Called Grumpy so he could come home and get rid of the dead mouse as I was not going back in there with the tail still hanging out. The good thing about his new store is that its right around the corner so he actually did come by quickly and got rid of the thing. My appetite didnt come back until dinner time.

Well I better get some stuff done around the house. I have Au pair things to deal with all afternoon tomorrow and 9am Friday is when I head toward the airport.

I am kind of pissed that I dont get to enjoy my pretty roses. I realized half way to Charlottesville that I should have taken them with me so I can enjoy them in the hotel - maybe my cold would have been better had I got to look at them. But no and by the time I get back from Vegas they will have passed on :(

Speaking of Grumpy - he got to go and see his Steelers play the other week - took a bunch of pics. So look for a post with him being the ghostwriter.

Bummer

I am so bummed out. I finally got the word that I'll be in Vegas next week but when I looked for flights to get Grumpy out there too - no luck unless we want to pay $400+ dollars (for a little more than 36h in Vegas)! We couldn't use the stupid companion ticket because it requires 14 days advance purchase and while I could use my miles there was no flight that could get him back on Friday to one of 3 fricken airports???? I am so mad his b-day is Friday and it would have been fun to celebrate into it in Vegas. I mean I'll be there every 4 weeks so he can come on one of the other trips but still.... I was looking forward to spend some time away with him and now I'll be bymyself in the big fancy vacation hotel vs the normal business hotel I would stay in.

Viva Las Vegas

Just got the email that the Vegas gig went through. I talked to one of the sites and am trying to go out there in two weeks. It would work out awesome since its the week Grumpy turns 40 and I'd take him with me and two of my au pairs will be in Vegas that week too. We'll see the one site I talked to had some scheduling problems. I haven't talked to the other one.

But anyways I will be in Sin city every 4-5 weeks so if anyone is heading out that way let me know and maybe we can meet up.

On other news we are waiting for the pool to arrive I can't wait it will be so much fun. Its an above ground so we should be able to get it up and running quickly. It comes with a volleyball net I am looking forward to have lots of pool parties at the house. We also got this hexagon cabana so we can hang out without being eaten by mosquitoes.

Tags, new toys and more

I have been terrible about blogging lately. Reading as well as writing. I don't know if it is the fact that I am glued to a computer most of the day or what. But I do have things to write about so brace yourself this will be a bit of a long post.

First things first - I GOT A NEW TOY. Isn't it cute????????? I am totally in love with it. Its the T-mobile wing. My company really wants us to go blackberry but I just can't go from smart phone to blackberry so after an hour or debating in the store the Wing is what I got. Its so great it even talks to me and tells me whats on my schedule and the titles and senders of emails. I love the touch screen (stylus included in the phone) but the hideaway keyboard makes emailing so much easier.

I also downloaded this new program I found - MyPersonalDiet. This program is great to keep track of calories and exercise. You enter your goal, pick a diet and then enter what you do and eat all day. It tells you after each entree if you need to lose calories or gain more. I ended up going to the gym twice the first day because it told me after dinner i had to burn 800 cals to stay on track. It has a lot of food preprogrammed but also lets you enter your own stuff. That feature is good for me since most of my foods / meals are not found in there. I tell you the program has been an eye opener to me you don't realize how much calories you truly eat and how much calories some of the foods have.

On other news I finally finished my wedding album and honeymoon album - or so I thought. I did finish the honeymoon one but as I went through my box of photos to decide on my next project I realized I still had stacks of wedding pictures. So when I go back to "craft club" later this month I will try to finally finish the wedding album - I mean its been 3 years!!!!!!!!!!

Lets see nothing much new from the job - still love it and I found out the other day that I get to have a new site in Las Vegas and I am to be the back up for one of the other girls in my team that is to have a Hawaii site starting late this summer. How cool is that, I get to go to Vegas once a month and potentially Hawaii everyso often!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now to the tags

Angel had tagged me eons ago - I can't find her post so I have to go by memory - it was to post a screen shot on what your desktop looks like so here it is - this is what the desktop of my home laptop looks like


Eternally Curious tagged me this weekend via comment. I am not sure for what the tag was but her latest is the 5 Things so I figured that shall be what it is.

List 5 things in my bag:
Wallet, PDA, T-mobile wing, pens, Garmin Nuvi


List 5 favorite things in my house (sorry there aren't enough favorites in my room):
my pets, my TV, my books, my magic bullet, techno gadgets


List 5 things I've always wanted to do:
skydive, vacation on a horse ranch, drive a motorcycle across the US & Europe, learn to scuba, go along on a mission to help the third world

List 5 things I am currently into:
scrap booking, blogging, working out, watching TV, reading

So there you have it. Anyone what would like to be tagged - consider your self tagged for either or both.

I am off to the gym I need to work off some calories so I can actually have dinner! After that its off to wash clothes and pack since I will be in Charlottesville most of next week.