Back from the Caribbean

Sunday I got home from the 7 night cruise to Jamaica, Grand Caymans and Cozumel. I had a good time overall. The bad thing was that I had sea sickness the whole time. Who would have thought as I am the daredevil girl in the family who loves roller coasters and all that jazz. I wish I could go back to Jamaica and Cozumel and stay and explore longer. I have also learned that it's hard to cruise with your parents who have their own issues (dad can't see in one eye and mom gets sick from the heat) so I was severely limited on what I could do. I also had to sleep on a top bunk attached to the wall. I got some great things. I did get to finish reading Harry Potter and I loved it! It was fun to talk to other passengers about the book. I will have to post pictures from the trip. The weather was warm but at least it wasn't raining. I heard it rained here the whole time. I also heard that they may not make it very far again in referrals for August. Oh well.

Update on the familia

I haven't posted about what has been going on in my family (my grandparents' situation) because it has been kind of in debate but recently it has been settled through mediation. Let's hope it sticks. I'm sad about the outcome, but I know it will be for the best. My grandparents will be going into a nursing home. My aunts and uncles are withdrawing their complaints to the state about my grandparents' care. There is still a lot of anger on the parts of a couple of my aunts and uncles but at least they are finally trying to do what is best for my grandparents. I'm glad they (my grandparents will be together) but I'm sad that it is in a nursing home. They can't care for themselves and their children are older and can't care for them (heck, I'm helping my parents out so I get it). I'm praying that the peace will stay for a while now.

I have to say that daytime TV has been a little bit disturbing. Does Maury Povich have anything else as a topic except the Who's Your Daddy/paternity tests? My goodness, these women/girls have been there multiple times looking for the correct DNA. Does that bother anybody else but me? Geez louise. In order to adopt as a single woman, I had to reveal a lot of personal, intimate information to my social worker in order to be approved. These girls are just popping out babies and they don't know who the daddy is. It is so sad that seems to be going on and nobody thinks twice about it. Times are a changing.

On a brighter note, I'm excited because I will be leaving this weekend for the Caribbean. Yippee! I plan on reading the whole week (Harry Potter is coming out on Saturday) and siteseeing when we pull into the various ports. Hope is going to doggie daycare/overnight camp. I hope it goes well for her.

Guess I won't be having my 15 minutes of fame after all

It has been one roller coaster week. Monday, as you know, I was notified that I had made it to the next round of interviews. I was on Cloud 9. I came crashing down when the producer e-mailed me the agreement that I had to sign before I could proceed (you had to sign before the interview, even though I had already been interviewed already). It was basically in another language but I was able to decode it with the help of my friend's mom. The bottom line is that when you sign these agreements, you basically sign away all of your rights. The company/network owns you and they can portray you in any way they see fit. I understand that this is a standard sort of contract/agreement. After really thinking about it, I had to politely decline the offer (even though part of me still wanted to do it) because I didn't want anything to come back and bite me in the proverbial booty. I have too much to lose (i.e. adoption and my job). I know I made the right decision. So, you won't be seeing me on TV. It's probably better. I have this feeling they would have made me, the sweet librarian into some sleazy vixen which is silly.

Tomorrow is the court date. I hear my aunt finally got served (she had everything closed up tighter than a tick). I'm praying it goes well and the judge makes the best decision for my grandparents.

On a brighter note, I get to leave for the Caribbean in a week. I'm going on a cruise for a whole week. YEA!

Transformers, Court, and Dallas here I come...

Yeah, you're probably wondering about this entry's title. My mind is a jumbled mess right now. So, I guess I need to start at the beginning (suddenly, The Sound of Music Do Rey Mi just popped into my head...it's my A-D-D). I spent today helping my aunt take my grandmother to the foot doctor. I don't know how she does it on her own. That wheel chair seriously stressed my triceps (at least I think so). They are already sore from taking it in and out of the car. I have a lot more respect for her for what she does. She really does a good job taking care of her and I know how incredibly hard it must be that it's your own mother. We are going to court on Thursday and I found out today that the aunt that "kidnapped" my grandfather has locked up her gate so that they cannot be served court papers. They know about the hearing because they took my grandfather to visit my grandmother at my grandparents' house (where my grandmother is living) and according to the lady who stays with my grandmother, they (my aunt, her husband and my cousin) were nosing around my grandmother's house and they were checking out the papers that had been served to my grandmother. According to my aunt who is the primary caregiver of my grandmother, my grandmother is pretty ticked off at my grandfather and is calling him an old fart and that it will come back and bite him in the butt. So...because of all the stress today, my sister, her kids and I went to see Transformers this evening. That has been my favorite movie of the summer thus far. It was so action packed. I absolutely loved it. A line that hit home for me was when the Josh Duhamel character says that a perfect day for him is when he finally gets to hold his daughter for the first time (I totally can relate to that line...I think most of us can who are waiting for our children). It was really good. See that movie and definitely do not waste your money on Licensed to Wed (YUCK!) Now, here comes the next connection, Dallas. I just got home from the movies and I get a phone call. It's California and they want me to come to Dallas because I have made it to the next round for that new game show. I really would rather fly than make that 4 to 5 hour drive from where I live, but it'll cost me about $220 roundtrip. I'm really not wanting to do that. So...it looks like I'll probably be driving to Dallas on Sunday. I'm going to see if I can talk my friend D into coming with me because I really don't want to drive by myself. So, if things go well on Sunday, you might see me on TV this fall. We'll see!

Peach & Berry Picking

My best friend, her baby girl Holly, and I went to Fredericksburg to go blackberry and peach picking. It's not my normal thing but I had a blast. I had no idea that peach picking was hard. You have to really check out the peach looking at its color, making sure it doesn't have yucky stuff or isn't too hard. There are these bees or something seriously buzzing all around dive bombing you. Sandra found a gorgeous peach and on it was a ladybug. It's a good sign. I'm one day closer to my daughter.

We're out of Review!

YEE-HAW! May 2006 is out of review...Congrats my fellow May DTCers. It's one step closer to our children. My next step is contacting my agency and getting my homestudy updated so I can renew my I-171 paperwork. Can ya'll see the light at the end of the tunnel?

I tried to post yesterday but my connection was not working with me. I hope everybody had a great 4th of July (Happy Late B.day America!) As I got older, it became one of my favorite holidays because I was able to spend it with my favorite people, this year, my parents, sister, niece and nephews. I BBQed burgers and hot dogs and made ice cream with the assistance of my niece. I figured out last night that the reason why I loved the fourth so much is because it means family and I love mine very much. My dad even mentioned that he hopes that maybe next year there will be a little one running around the back porch. I hope so too, daddy. I really hope so.