This is my last blog for the year 2006, and I couldn’t tear myself away from the television to write it before now. My family just watched the San Francisco 49’ers beat the Denver Broncos, thus completing the last of four dominoes that needed to fall to allow the Kansas City Chiefs to be in the playoffs. It was a tense, close game, won in overtime, but I sure have some happy guys around here right now. They can’t talk (they are hoarse) but they are happy.

Amy joined us tonight for dinner. She has been over to the house... more

Two days left in the year 2006… and I am sitting at my main PC with my left foot propped up on my desk, still trying to drain the nasty stuff from my toe. Of course, this position aggravates my ½ century old back…. Sigh. But all in all, I have MUCH to be happy about. My folks headed back to snowy Colorado yesterday and somehow managed to land in Denver in spite of the second huge snowstorm that threatened to shut down DIA. We had a wonderful time while they were here. They both look good and more rested than they did in October.... more

My dad’s grandfather immigrated from Prussia when he was 17 years old.

I totaled our car on my birthday in 1983, or thereabouts. I swerved to miss a dog and hit a telephone pole instead…

I was recovering from hepatitis when I turned 21, and was not allowed to consume any alcohol. So my soon-to-be-husband put Tab in a wine bottle and served it to me. My first legal drink was at our wedding rehearsal dinner.

I used to work for Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlors. (I think they are gone now!) We built giant sundaes... more

More random bits of information about me…

I wear a bite guard at night because I grind my teeth.

I spent years, and years, and years, and years enduring orthodontia, back when it most certainly wasn’t “cool.” I wore head gear in junior high! I made the orthodontist remove my permanent lower retainer right before my wedding!

I used to be able to slalom water ski.

I won the Girl Scout cookie award for selling the most cookies.

I once got knocked out when a horse slipped and fell over backwards... more

I was born in Frankfort, Indiana; the third and last child in my family. (I say they quit when they couldn’t improve on perfection…my dad says they quit because they were so shook up!)

I grew up with a dog named Cindy who was the same age, year for year, that I was. She died when I was 16.

I first met my husband when I was in 7th grade. He knew my older sister because they both played French Horn in band.

I dated my husband’s best friend when I was a freshman and my husband, his long-term girlfriend, and... more

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! I started off my day-after-Christmas morning by visiting the doctor... I have had an infected big toe off and on for a few weeks, but I thought the round of antibiotics I took a couple of weeks ago to treat bronchitis had also cleared up the toe infection. But not so…even after soaking my foot repeatedly throughout the holidays, it still exploded last night, keeping me awake and swelling up my poor little toe. So I’m on yet another round of antibiotics and typing on my laptop with my feet up… (By... more

Well, its official, Ben will be joining us in about two weeks. I just couldn’t see bringing him home with me on Tuesday, as crazy as things are right now. I need to be able to help him integrate with 3 other dogs without the added bonus of Christmas chaos and a houseful of extra people. But he sure is a cutie! And my husband knows it is not a bad idea to scratch my itch with a dog instead of another child…

But there certainly are other kids out there moving around over the holidays. I heard a really pathetic story from... more

It is really late and I was gone all evening to the first meeting of a new photography club, so even though I needed to, I hadn’t planned on blogging tonight. But I checked in on other blogs before heading off to bed and happened to catch Adrienne’s blog about her new addition, Pepper. And I had already planned to respond to Michelle’s blog about should I adopt again or not? So let me tell you what I... more

I posted a few days ago about my family’s response to Amy’s consistently unmotivated approach to Christmas and other family celebrations. I mentioned there had been a few exceptions. I have also mentioned recently that I have been unpacking boxes (still) and trying to get a few things in order. Today I ran across one of those “exceptions” and I thought it was only fair and fitting that I shared it. I know I do a lot of whining about Amy, but most of you understand my whining is born of frustration and many lost hopes and dreams. On the... more

Less than three weeks until Christmas… And how are all you folks doing with your difficult, non-reciprocal kids during this “joyous” time of year? Although Mother’s Day is probably the hardest, Christmas ranks as the second most difficult holiday to share with emotionally disturbed, angry, traumatized and wounded kids.

Amy arrived as a 21 month old, so she doesn’t remember any holidays before joining our family. As the years passed, she watched Stephanie and Kyle sell potholders, do extra chores, and make things in order... more