Christmas Parade

Tonight was the annual Christmas Parade here in town. I was really looking forward to going. I came home after work to change into warmer clothes and eat something before I went. Lena wanted to play so I stopped to play fetch with her and then we were playing on the couch. The next thing I knew I was waking up and it was 10:00. I fell asleep and slept through the parade!!!! I guess work wore me out today!

So now that it's time for me to go to bed I am wide awake. That's a bad deal. I guess I'll surf the net for awhile and do some house work and maybe I'll be able to fall asleep again later....

Jessie

Addictions

I have to admit that I have a few addictions. Darby calls me on it from time to time so I guess I'll just admit it to the world.

My first big addiction is playing tetris on my phone. I seriously play all the time! I play so much I have to charge my cell phone two to three times a day. I also play so much that two of the keys on my RAZR are coming off because they are the ones I use the most. That fast drop key is almost gone completely. Pretty bad that I will have to get a new phone because of it.

I think now the tetris thing has become a comfort thing. I used to tear up paper during meetings as a way to keep my hands busy. Now I put my phone on silent and play. I also play when I'm watching tv which really drives Darby nuts. So tetris is a bad deal for me.

My other addiction is all Darby's fault. She is the one that told me about bidz.com and got me hooked. If you haven't gone to bidz yet you should proceed with caution. Once you start it's very hard to stop. But I've gotten a ton of jewlery cheap because of it. In fact I have enough jewlery being shipped to me I could probably open my own jewlery store. Pathetic but oh so true...

Jess

Thanksgiving

Wow Thanksgiving was great this year. On Thursday, Heather and I went to have Thanksgiving with my Dad's side of the family and we had a wonderful time. We played a game called Fact or Crap and we laughed like crazy. Fun game but lots of crap! :-) The family time was fun and I was ready for some laughing so that made me very thankful!

Friday I headed to Tulsa for Thanksgiving with my Mom's side of the family. Again I had a wonderful time. The food was amazing the family was great and I did lots more laughing. I already posted about the fun with Parker. Well there was fun to be had with lots of people, not just the Amazing PMan. My cousin Todd and his wife Sara were able to come in from Chicago. Their little boy Elliot is just adorable and his sister Evelyn so "pretty". She has great self esteem for a 2 year old. This was the first time I've seen Elliot in person and he is 10 months now. He looks just like his Daddy.

I really had a great time with my family. It's very hard for me to leave them. I cried when I left today and I cried when they called to check on me as I was driving home. I just love them so much. What is really great is that when I am with them I feel like my mom is around a little bit. It's funny how much I crave being with them because I feel her but then leaving them makes me miss her more. It's just hard to love so much because then the leaving is hard. But it won't be long till I'll see them again.

Here are some pics I got over the weekend. Too many cute kids. I'm so hoping that next year I'll have a little one to have pictures of too. I can't wait for my baby to meet all my family. Whatever baby I get will be so loved.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Parker's Post

Parker has to be one of the most amazing young men I have ever met. And luckily he happens to be my relative! I'm a lucky girl. His birthday was on Thanksgiving this year and what is really strange is that ever year I get more and more thankful for him!

Last night Parker really wanted me to stay the night at his house. He wanted me to be his "guest"! He is absolutely the best host in the world. Parker informed me as soon as I got to his house that I could do anything I wanted and have anything I wanted. I think I'm going back to his house often. It's pretty rare when I get everything I want! So since I got to do anything I wanted I became addicted to his Nintendo Wii and played that for hours! I also got to have as many kool-aid jammers as I wanted. Needless to say I barely had one finished when Parker would bring my next one. I had a lot to drink!

Parker not only kept me fed and watered but he also provided hours of entertainment and he let me be a part of his movie making ventures. If he ever gets on the big screen I hope he remembers me and sends me some money or some kool-aid jammers.

I promised Parker that he would end up on the blog. So here is some video of his crazy robot dancing. I love you Parker boy!!!!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Catch Up

Wow it's been a week since I've blogged. I'm bad! Yes I've gotten your phone calls and emails. I'm not dead, I'm just really busy and blogging has gone to the bottom of the to do list. But I promise I will get caught up this weekend. I took lots of fun pictures at Thanksgiving and have some stories to tell so I will get caught up!

I haven't posted the Blogging Biggest Loser results and I get a big BOO for that. But the most important thing to know is that Natalie is the Biggest Loser of the whole sheebang and the biggest loser of the week with another pound lost. That puts her at 15 pounds lost so far! GO MISS NATALIE!!!! Please give her visit and a big congrats on all her hard work!

Okay I've got pictures to sort through and edit and then I'll get more up!

Jessie

Wacky Week

What a wacked out week. It has flown by and I feel like I've gotten nothing accomplished. It's been pure chaos at the office and I'm working all weekend so no break until Turkey Day. That sucks but it will make Thursday feel wonderful!

I honestly feel like my brain is fried and I can't even think of anything to blog about.....

8 Random Things

Good old Natalie tagged me for this meme.

Now….here’s the rules. When tagged, you must link to the person who tagged you. Then post the rules before your list, and list eight random things about yourself. At the end of the post, you must tag and link to eight other people. It’s fun. Give it a shot. It's also a great way to get to know other bloggers.

1. I didn't learn to ride my bike without training wheels till I was like 12 years old. Lame I know. I hate bikes! Mainly I hate falling off the bikes, hence the training wheels.

2. I can't whistle. When I was a child I used to make the "whoot whoot" sound to mimick a whistle. Again lame but at least I was creative.

3. For some reason any plant that I put in my office at work dies. Right now I have a pot of dirt with sticks poking out of it as all the leaves have died.

4. I want to live in Alaska for a brief period of time before I die. Not a long time just awhile.

5. There is only one brand of underwear that I like. I'm not telling you what kind but I'm picking about panties.

6. I don't like staying the night at other people's houses. I'll do it but I would much rather be at my own house or a hotel. I just feel funny about being in people's space.

7. I haven't been on a date in so long! I was thinking about this the other day and it's really depressing! So if you know any single, employed, non alcoholic, kind, christian men that don't have a criminal record send them my way.

8. This is crazy but on my list of 100 things to do before I die I have run a marathon written on it. What's so funny about that is that I'm a fat kid that hates running. For some reason I think I want to run the marathon but not have to train or move from my couch.... is that possible.

So that's my 8 random things. I'm not gonna pick 8 people to do this. If you read this and want to do it leave me a comment and I'll link to ya.

Jessie

Vacation Over

My time off work has come to an end! It was hard to go back to the office today but I survived. I have so much to get caught up on. I love getting time off but hate the going back. My desk gets scary when I'm away!

Tonight I worked late, Shocking I know. Then I came home and watched a weeks worth of Days of Our Lives that I had on the DVR. I don't ever watch the whole episodes. I probably watch about 20 minutes of an hour show. I fast forward through the people I don't like. I know that's bad but why waste time on folks and stories you don't like. I just stick with the good parts and skip the rest.

While I was watching my soap I guess Lena got bored. She chewed all the way through my cell phone charger cable. Not a good deal! That dog kills me. She is almost 2 years old yet she still acts like a puppy. I just don't understand it!

Google That

Tonight I was checking my visit stats. I always like to look to see how people find my blog. Today someone found my blog by googling "Darby's Boobs". That's hilarious to me!!!! Darby is my best friend and I actually did a post about some guy staring at her boobs and that led someone to my blog. Too funny! So Darby your boobs may make us famous some day or at least it will bring more visits to my blog! I knew I loved you for a lot of reasons. Had no idea your boobs were one of them. :-)

Jess

GARTH GARTH GARTH

This week is Garth Fest in my little world. Went to the show on Wednesday night with Aunt Betty and we were so close to the stage! I've never been that close in my life. We were in the third row and could see EVERYTHING! I loved the concert. He played for 2 hours and 15 minutes and was amazing the entire time. I can't believe he can play that long and be so high energy but he pulls it off. We didn't sit down or stop screaming the entire show. My ears and throat still hurt and it's time to do it again tonight! I'm so psyched. Betty, Donna, Darby and I are going to tonights show. I have a feeling it will be just as good.

Jessie

Mom's Birthday

My Mom's Birthday was on Wednesday. The picture above was from her birthday three years ago. It's the last birthday she had here on earth. Last year to celebrate Heather and I took balloons to the Cancer Center and handed them out the to patients receiving chemo that day. This year Heather and I couldn't be together so I just went to the cancer center alone. There were only 9 people there this time but I gave them all balloons and they really got a kick out of it. I had fun doing it too. It's such a nice way to be able to do something in memory of mom and also make others feel a little better. So happy second birthday in heaven mom!

Jessie

African Footprint

On Tuesday night my friend Molly and I drove 2 hours to see African Footprint perform. It was totally worth the drive! I was so impressed. African footprint is a group from South African and they are so talented and entertaining. You really need to visit their website and see where they are touring. If there is a show anywhere close to where you live you just must go! I LOVED IT!!!!

If anyone in my family is reading this and still hasn't gotten me a Christmas present I would love to have the African Footprint CD! The show was a great mix of singing and dancing and I loved the music. I'd like to be able to listen to it whenever I want. The thing I love about African music is that it's so fast paced and it just makes ya happy inside. I don't know if it's the drums or what but I love it.

Jessie

Blogging Biggest Loser Week Eight

Wow time is flying by! We are already to week eight of the blogging biggest loser competition! Miss Natalie is our biggest loser again this week. Natalie is rocking it out! She lost another 2 pounds. I'm impressed!

We also added another member this week. So welcome to Darby. She started off with a 1 1/2 pound loss so that rocks too!

Hope you all have another great week!

Jessie

Today

Today is weigh in day so don't forget to let me know your gains or losses for the blogging biggest loser competition. I for sure won't get the totals up tonight. I have a busy day at work and then tonight I am going out with a friend and won't get home till late. We are going to an African dance show so it should be fun but it's a couple hours away so it will be a late night. But starting tomorrow I"m on vacation so that rocks!

Jess

Confession

I have a confession to make. I can't believe I'm going to admit this to the world. It's been my dirty little secret for quite awhile now. But I'm obsessed with Dog The Bounty Hunter. I've been watching his show for years. I DVR every episode. It's not so much Dog that I love but his oldest son Duane Lee. I have a secret wish that Duane Lee will fall in love with me through the screen and come and sweep me away from the plains of Kansas and love me Hawaiian style for the rest of my life. So I watch and I wait and I love that they kick ass and take names. And I dream of having my own sand bag shooting gun and pepper spray foam. It's sick and lame but it's the truth.

And now Dog has ruined my dream. He went and made all those racist comments to his stupid son Tucker and now the show is canceled. And too top it off he is a racist and that is never cool. So now I'm sad and my dream is ruined. Who will I love on TV now. Who will sweep me away. Who will pepper spray people and catch the bad guys? Dang it Dog what were you thinking. Didn't he know I needed Duane Lee. Didn't he know that the whole world is watching and now he looks like a total jack ass! Hasn't he heard of Imus????

So that's my sick confession. I'll keep watching the repeats and praying that Duane Lee will come find me...

Jessie

Halloween Fun

Halloween is my favorite holiday and last night proved to be fun so I was a very happy girl. While this house is not in a high trick or treat area I did get some wonderful little ghosts and goblins stopping by. Mainly my friends kids but I love them and gave them tons of candy! So here are some pics of the cutest trick or treaters I know! There are also a few pictures proving that I'm a fool for kids and that I may come back as a dragon in my next life....

Adoption Month

November is Adoption Month! It's an exciting time to celebrate all types of adoption. At work we are trying to finalize as many adoptions this month as possible. And we are going to have a big adoption party for all the kids that have been adopted this year. That should be fun stuff!

At the adoption support group here in town they have asked me to share my story of meeting my birth family. I've never really done that in front of a group before but I'm excited to do it. I think we have a pretty cool story.

When I was 15 I decided that I wanted to meet my birth family. I mainly wanted to know who they were, what they looked like, and if they were okay. I talked to my mom about it and she was cool with it so we went and met with the lawyer that arranged my adoption. We met with him from about 3:45 to 4:15. I told him what I wanted and explained that I understood it could take a long time to find them but that I wanted to try. He agreed to make some calls and get back to us.

After we left his office we went and ran some errands and got home about 5:45. There was a message on our answering machine from the lawyer saying that he talked to my biological grandmother and that she and my birth mom would be calling me at 9:00 that night! WHAT????!!!! That was fast. Talk about shocked!

That first phone call with them was pretty awkward. I tried to explain to my birthmom Karla that I really loved my parents and they were great. I didn't need her to be my mom but I needed some answers and I needed her to be my friend. She was really understanding and open to that. I think she was more nervous about talking to me then I was to her. She has since told me that she was afraid I wouldn't like her. That first conversation was on a Monday and that next Friday they came to meet me in person.

That was Valentine's Day in 1996! Seems like forever ago now. The day of the meeting I was so nervous my stomach was upset. So my mom picked me up from school early and we hung out together. We went and got a balloon bouquet for her hotel room that said "It's a Girl" and then sat around waiting for them to show up.

It was so weird the first time I saw Karla. She and I looked a lot alike. It was really strange to look like someone, be related to someone and not know them. We had a good first visit and we have stayed in touch since then. She and my mom had a good relationship with one another and were pretty close. That made the whole process so much easier.

Getting to know my biological family has not been easy but it's been worth it. It's an evolving relationship that changes over time. Sometimes it's easier than others but it does take work on everyone's parts. It so odd to be with people that are your "family" but they don't know you. Everything is different when I'm with them. They celebrate differently, they interact differently, and they are just really different from my regular family. It's always wonderful to see them but at the same time it also wears me out. I have to try harder when I'm with them. When I'm with my real family it's just comfortable. They have known me my whole life and there is no explaining. It just is.

So even though it is weird, it's good. And even though it takes work, it's worth it. Now I have answers to my questions and I've had the opportunity to have a relationship with all the people that care about me. So it's worked out and it's evolving and I'm enjoying the ride.

Jessie

Blogging Biggest Loser Week 7

Well this week there is no blogging biggest loser. No one in the competition lost any weight! At least we all stayed the same. Maybe next week will bring some big weight loss. Good luck!

Jessie