In adoption news...we are "matchable"!

Back when I was on The.Bump, a chat site that helped me get through some of my hardest years trying to conceive, I remember hearing about girls who were "matchable". As adoption was not something on my radar then, I truly did not understand what that meant, nor could I truly understand the girls' excitement. But now that John and I are "matchable", I get it.

About a month ago John and I finished our adoption profile book. It took many hours of hard work and editing, but we are really happy with how it turned out. I feel the book is honest and is hopefully something a birth mother and/or father can relate with. Only time will tell. Shortly after the profile book was printed I drove seven copies of the book down to our lawyer for him to start showing to birth parents. We will never know when our book is being looked at. While nerve wracking enough as that is, I am actually very glad I will not know it is being reviewed. I think that would be even harder.

On Friday (12/2/11) we had our home study. Jenny, from the county probate court, came to our house and spent 1 1/2 hours with us. John and I did not know what to expect, but she was very easy to talk to. We thought she would want to sit at the dinette table to quiz us and take notes, but rather offered we sit in the family room on the couch and just talk. John and I talked about our families, how we met, our work, and our wanting to start our family. Jenny played with Cider, Felix, and Bailey, all of whom made an appearance to welcome her in to our home. After talking for over an hour we gave her a tour of the house. It was funny how she commented on our color choices, the size of our rooms, etc., not on how many outlets still need to be child-proofed or what our fire evacuation route will be (do not worry, though, our fire evacuation is drawn up and on the side of our refrigerator, just in case). I am glad we liked her so much as she will be with us from now until our adoption is finalized, and will be the person to conduct future home studies once a child is placed in to our arms!

On Tuesday (12/6/11) we will head to court. For some reason, in our county, those who are ready to be placed need a pre-placement court hearing. I was unsure of what this meant, and Jenny told us that basically it is standing before the judge to have him "give us his blessing to adopt". So basically I have been psyching myself out over this home study and court date for nothing.

And now we wait. I try to tell everyone I know about us being "matchable". I hate knowing that I am bugging people, but the more who know, the better our chances of being matched within a year, as oppose to waiting two or three years. So if you are someone who has received an e-mail from me, joined our FB fan page, or has read/commented/liked my constant FB updates, I thank you. I certainly hope you do not tire of hearing from me, because we are just getting started!

Welp, another big step has been made

Today I hand delivered our signed adoption papers to the lawyer. I cannot believe it took us almost four months to complete (not entirely my fault, mind you...), but it is done. Our profile book is still in the works, but I hope to have that done here within the next week or two.

John and I went for our BCI/FBI fingerprinting and background checks last Monday. When dropping the papers off today our lawyer's admin told me they already received our results from that. And now they have all of our papers. :)

So what is next? Our paperwork will be submitted to the courts in our county for "Application for Appointment of Investigator" (aka: we will be assigned a social/case worker). We will then speak with him/her and set up our home study. Following that the case worker will submit his/her paperwork and John and I will then have to stand in front of a judge to become pre-approved as prospective adoptive parents.

Here's hoping that time flies now! I'd love for us to be "matchable" before the holidays start!!!

The one word that is clearly NOT in my vocabulary

I hate the fact that I have come here to b*!#@ about my job, when I'm lucky I have one in the first place, but I have to get things off my chest. And it pretty much all comes down to one thing:

I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO SAY NO.

There, I said it. One of my two biggest weaknesses (besides my weight, which is another stressor for another day's blog entry) is my inability to tell people no. I have always had a problem telling people no, whether it is a friend in need or a co-worker in need. I am THAT PERSON that when approached, no matter how big or small the project, I always say "Okay" and then kick myself later for opening my big, fat mouth. I always think about others first if it means someone else's happiness or sanity or whatever, which means my happiness, sanity, and whatever is clearly unimportant to me.

Well, my big, fat mouth has done it again. Without getting too much into things, in the spring I agreed to take on a 6th class this year ("normal" is five teaching periods) thinking that with lay-offs and budget cuts many in the department would be taking on a 6th class. After today, I remain the only schumck who is teaching six English classes. I had the perfect opportunity to put my foot down today and stick up for myself by getting rid of one of my classes and going down to only five classes, but as another co-worker was upset about a proposed schedule change, I said I'd keep the 6th class. So to make another co-worker's life a little easier, I have shot myself in the foot. I will now have four classes of freshman (100 students) and two classes of sophomores (35 students) while certain co-workers have MUCH smaller classes (that too is another blog post for another day) and all of my English co-workers have one less class than I.

So after calling my co-worker then calling the department chair to say I'd keep the class, the severity of what I had just done hit me like a ton of bricks. I then proceeded to have a MAJOR meltdown while on the way to meet other co-workers. (Thank you Colleen for listening to my blubbering on the phone! You are the best sister in the whole wide world!!!!!) When will I learn my lesson? And when will my co-workers and employer stop stepping all over me? I guess the only way to find out is to stick up for myself and just say no.

No.

No.

No.

No.

No.

No.

Check back in a few months to see if I have truly mastered the Art of Saying No.

Summer

"Summer" - This one word brings me so much relief. The knowledge that I have no papers to grade, no whining freshmen or sophomores, and no nagging parents for the next 74 days (yes, that is when I go back to work, August 22, 2011) makes me so incredibly happy. One does not truly "get it" until they either (a) become a teacher him/her self or (b) live with a teacher. Teaching is a very rewarding profession, but it is so incredibly stressful. With the current economy, stress of our current governor's less-than-caring attitude toward teachers (SB 5), and the pressures of preparing kids for the future, I can tell you that THIS educator is ready for my 74 day break...a chance to recharge my batteries, do things for me, and get ready for my 14th year of teaching.

What am I doing this summer, you wonder?
* Tomorrow John and I are going to meet with the adoption attorney for our "A to Z" meeting. If all goes well we hope to get the ball rolling ASAP. :)
* Sunday I head to Dallas, TX for the National Speech and Debate Tournament with my co-worker and four of our male debaters (I'm the only estrogen in the group). We will be gone a week.
* On my birthday I'll be in Cleveland celebrating the marriage of my co-worker and her sweet fiance. I can't wait for this day ~ my first Indian-Korean American wedding!
* Mom and I are taking a road trip together in early July to visit my grandparents. Sadly I haven't seen them since September and their memory is declining more and more each day. I hate Alzheimer's!!!
* On July 23 I get to stand in my best friend Lori's wedding to her sweet fiancee Jeff. I remember when the two met over 13 years ago.
* In late July John and I are headed to Arizona to meet our newest niece, Sofia (who, although not here yet, may be making her grand entrance into the world before July 6). John will be there for a week and I'm staying almost two weeks longer to help my sister-in-law care for Rebecca who is a rambunctious 1 1/2 year old.

Whew! That's enough, isn't it? So here's to summer!!! CHEERS!

A Return of Happiness??

I feel like it has been a while since I've had a real smile on my face, but it's there, you can see it if you look close enough. I promise. I wish I didn't have to wear a frown from time to time, but that's life, but I'm happy to see the frown disappear and the smile reappear. And I think I've figured out why the smile is back...

1. I have an AMAZING family. I really needed my mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, and mother-in-law lately, and they were there for me (not that this is a surprise, but sometimes I take it for granted). It seems that lately life has delivered me a nice tall, big glasses of lemons, and they've helped me to see the lemonade that can be made from the lemons I've been left with. So thank you...you know who you are. It is just nice to know that on good days and bad, happy or sad, I can call them or pop over unannounced and get the love and support that I seek. I only hope I am half as wonderful to them as they are to me!!!!

2. John is AMAZING. It is so hard to believe that we've been together for nine years now, married for six and a half years. While I wish we were able to get off the roller coaster of life once and for all, I'm thankful he is by my side the entire trip, holding my hand the entire time. It is so refreshing to know that our relationship is stronger now than ever before, and I am SO LUCKY to have him as my husband.

3. I have only 27 days left with students and I know I have a job for next year. With all of the recent lay-offs in the educational world and our unstable U.S. economy, I'm thankful that next year I'll be teaching a full schedule. I've never taught six classes before, but I'm ready for the challenge and rather thankful that I have a job to go to, as I know many friends who are without.

4. We are getting the opportunity to enjoy life. John and I just booked a trip to Arizona this summer to meet our niece Sofia who is due early July. John will be there for a week, and since I have the time, I'll be staying an extra 10 days. I hope the old adage isn't true that fish and relatives smell after 3 days, because then Colleen, Victor, and Kelli are going to need some SERIOUS odor repellent!

5. We are, after nine years of begging and pleading John, getting to go to the Happiest Place on Earth. I have booked a five night, six day trip to Walt Disney World in the fall. I am looking forward to our first vacation together alone since our Honeymoon in 2004, and I know as the time gets closer, John will get more excited too. He's never been, and it has been YEARS since I've been, so it'll be great for us to explore the parks together.

So if you see me around town, hopefully my temporary frown has permanently turned upside down, and I'll smile your way. I know good things are in store for me, and I'm ready again to put one foot in front of the other, and let the road less traveled take me wherever it goes.

Spring Break

I am officially on spring break, and while I had a rough day on Friday (rough afternoon with a student, and then the realization of how much work I needed to grade over spring break), I am now happy to have this coming week off.

What is spring break? It's a time when students get excited and teachers REALLY get excited. This week I get the chance to recharge my batteries. I look forward to sleeping in beyond 5:45 a.m. I look forward to having a cup of coffee, maybe even two if I feel like it. I look forward to reading a little, grading a little, and shopping a little. I look forward to time to cook dinners and try new recipes. I look forward to spending the day with my dog and cats. I look forward to going to lunch with friends if I want to, because I can. I look forward to not having to pee when the bell tells me I have to pee. I look forward to not checking my work e-mail.

I look forward to taking time this week to do things for ME.

A quick game...

Joining the ABC bandwagon. And like my sister said, who I stole ALL of this from, "All the cool kids are doing it right???"


A~Age: 34

B~ Bed Size: Queen

C~Chore you hate: Dusting

D~Dogs: One - my Cider girl

E~Essential Start your Day Item: Coffee

F~Favorite Color: Green

G~Gold or Silver: Silver, I guess?

H~Height: 5'4.5"

I~Instruments you play: Used to play piano.

J~Job Title: High School English Teacher

K~Kids: Yep...120 of them daily, in my classes. My own? Not yet. ;( Hopefully soon, though!

L~Live: Ohio

M~Mom’s Name: Nancy

N~Nicknames: Mama J (speech and debate kids call me that)

O~Overnight Hospital Stays: When I was a little girl, yes. Nothing recently, unless you count the time I stayed with John when he was recouping from his hip replacement surgery.

P~Pet Peeve: People who walk too slow in the hallway

Q~Quote from a Movie: "I feel like I'm babysitting, and not getting paid" - The Goonies

R~Right or Left Handed: Right

S~Siblings: Younger sister, Colleen

T~Time you wake up: 5:45

U~Underwear: Every day!

V~Vegetable you Dislike: Brussel Sprouts , asparagus

W~What Makes You Late: John

X~X-rays You’ve had Done: Teeth, knees, Hysterosalpingogram

Y~Yummy Food you Make: Weight Watcher's Baked Ziti

Z~Zoo Animal Favorite: I've stolen Colleen's answers: Monkeys - we could sit and watch them all day. Gibons, Gorillas, Chimps - they are all great!

Happiness

Today my sister-in-law, Colleen, called and asked John and I to be the Godparents to our niece Rebecca and our soon-to-be-known niece or nephew (Colleen is pregnant again, expecting #2 shortly after my birthday, and in just a week or so we'll find out the sex of the new bundle of joy). You should have seen John's face. He was so excited to be asked to be a Godparent. And to think that just a year ago we were slowly mending a very broken relationship with his sisters. I'm so glad we are where we are with his sisters. It is so nice to be back in their lives again and to have them in ours.

Did you know that apparently, in Arizona, Godparents must be a married couple? At least, this is what Colleen has found to be the case. Honestly, it is a bit disappointing as Colleen wants Kelli to be a Godparent as well, but the church won't allow it. (I think we should make Kelli one anyway!)

So that is my bit of happiness for today. I had a REALLY rough day at school today, so to get this phone call tonight put a smile upon my face. :)

A free Saturday

Speech and Debate season is in FULL swing, and L, the head coach, gave me today off. It's so nice, as the next three tournaments are the big ones..."Little" which qualifies students to the state tournament, "Bigs" which qualifies students to the national tournament, and the State tournament. Thankfully in February our tournaments go every other weekend, so in two weekends I'll be off again. Our national tournament is in Dallas, TX this June. I'm hoping I'll be attending that as well! ;)

Just wanted to quickly pop on and say hello. I'm enjoying a lazy Saturday at home. John and I went to our favorite morning breakfast spot, as we haven't been there in about a year, and had a great breakfast. Now I'm at home doing laundry and I'll do a little grading. Then later we're meeting some friends for bowling and dinner.

Not much is new in this year of 2011. I'm tired of snow. I'm stressed out at work. So, the usual stuff. We do have some exciting times coming up, so that is what is keeping me moving forward. I can't wait for spring and summer to get here for so many reasons!