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Painting

We're trying to think of (or create) positives out of the hellish week we've had. One is that now that I'm not pregnant, we can paint the house and not worry about the fumes. So yesterday, on impulse, we stopped by Home Depot to look at paint swatches. We ended up with one called Camel, which is the greenish, yellowish beige you see above (that's our bedroom, above).It goes perfectly with the bed set we ordered from JCPenney's (above). Together with the furniture mom bought us from Costco (Kona; below), we should be living in style once it all arrives (which should be soon!).Then today, we went to Bed Bath and Beyond and got the window coverings (Versailles by Arley, below). We need to let the hems out a couple of inches before we can actually hang them, but I think they're going to be beautiful. I'm so proud of us for being productive! On the other hand, domestic productivity has left Ken behind with his classwork, so that's not good. We can't win!

On the how we're doing front, time is helping to lessen the sting. I've gotten a lot of comfort from the Grief & Loss message boards at BabyCenter.com. Miscarriage is such a common thing, but it's a downer and often very private, so people don't really talk about it in "regular life." So having people to communicate with who are experiencing the same thing, or have in the past and have gone on to have healthy babies, is very helpful. In fact, I really don't like talking about it with people who haven't gone thru it. Grief is universal and we've all felt that, but beyond that, the connection stops ... unless you've been there. Been here. Funny how things happen in life that, unexpected moments, that change you forever. For better or worse. Not sure which this is yet. Maybe both.

Thank you!

Thanks to those who sent beautiful flowers. The bouquet on the left is from the Hogan Foundation (thanks for the poem, Mr. Hogan; such a literary talent!). And the planter box below is from my work. For those who are following, we're doing OK. I haven't felt much like chatting, so I've mostly been ignoring the phone, but we appreciate your emails and prayers. We'll be 'round again soon.

It's Over

Well, unfortunately, our pregnancy is over. We went for our 11/12-week OB appointment this morning, and the baby apparently stopped growing about a month ago (a few days after the last appointment) and there was no heartbeat. I'm scheduled for a D&C this afternoon. So, the baby news will be on hold for a while...

Borat

We saw the new movie "Borat" as a screening before it was released, and we were absolutely horrified with it. Ken, who, like most men, retains a bit of teenage boy in his soul, liked it more than I did, but he was nonetheless horrified by its crassness. Now to learn that it was more of a fake documentary than a scripted movie, and that most of the participants were unaware that Borat was a fictional character, makes me absolutely sick to my stomach. Especially disgusting is the way people in other countries who are poor and have less experience and knowledge about slimy Hollywood antics were taken advantage of. I mean, paying a poverty-stricken Romanian villager $4 to let a cow use their already-modest living room as a toilet is outrageous. I hope somebody comes up with a way to gut 20th Century Fox for this. People are going to see the movie just to see what all the hype is about, but I hope a greater sense of decency creates a painful backlash for them. Comedian or not, Cohen is just as guilty, if not more so, than anyone else. Hurting people is NOT funny. We're supposed to look out for widows, children and the poor, not use them for our selfish gain. The whole thing is so disgusting that I feel physically sick. Sooner or later, they will be punished, I believe God's punishment will be the most fair, whatever He may choose.

Phoenix

Somehow we managed to leave Phoenix with no actual pictures of US after our weekend visit with Kent and Pam. They took a couple on their camera, so we're looking forward to getting copies of those. However, I did manage to get a surprisingly good shot of the gorgeous sunset (view from their back yard). Nice, huh?

Simi School Fair

The day after our costume party at The Place, the band headed over to entertain fair-goers at the Simi school harvest fair. Fun was had by all, Ken reports.

Harvest Fun

The annual harvest party at The Place this year was a '70s theme (Ken went as a '70s rocker and I went as someone in her 70s who'd misinterpreted the invitation, thinking it was a shindig for seniors in their 70s). Ken had some funky teeth he'd make when he worked at the dental lab, which made it look like he'd been doing too many drugs and not flossing. I had biker shorts stuffed with every pair of pantyhose I own, plus a few bathing suits and even a nightgown. Made for a convincing spare tire. Both outfits were a hit. Ken also played in the band; they've been practicing classic 70s rock tunes for a couple of months now, and were fantastic. I'll try to post video when I figure out how to make it a reasonable size.

Wow

This site knows some really important stuff about people. Scary and amazing.

Baby Blog

For the latest on the baby stuff, visit The Littlest Adams. Though I probably should just include it on this blog, because we probably won't talk about much else. But I'll try. :o) Things are going good at the new place. I say good vs. great, only because we're still living amongst boxes and have no time to unpack. We have one more small load to pick up from the old house, too. Seems like it takes so bloody long to get every last crumb, lamp, shoebox and bottle of Soft Scrub out. But, on the other hand, they've approved demo on the place, so at least I don't have to clean it!

We Passed the Test!

In hopes of finding out who actually reads our blog, we thought we would post some major news and wait for the response. The rest of the slackers who don't bother to keep up will just be out of the loop for a while! (Yes, we have told our parents...)

Final Walk-Thru at Brookshire

We did our final official walk-through at Brookshire today. We were surprised to find a white kitchen sink. It was never presented as an upgrade option, but we just sorta figured it'd be stainless with the stainless kitchen package. Not so. Upgrading to the SS sink is an additional $1,150, so I think we're going to make do with white for now and change it later ourselves. Cheaper, plus I can pick what kind of sink I want, rather than accepting the single model the design center makes available (a 50/50 split one, which isn't my favorite anyway). Other than that, we LOVE how the tile, granite and cabinets flow together, and the "rain" glass in the doors is really pretty. Now we just have to decide what to put up there that looks nice ... boxes of Rice-a-Roni and cans of Vegeburger just don't seem like display items.

So that's it. We pick up the keys Wednesday. Gosh, it's been forever, and yet it went by so fast. Weird. Just like life. We were planning to paint this weekend before we move in, but because there are a lot of drywall things that have to be fixed, we need to hold off on painting til they're done. That could take up to 30 days. So, we'll finish packing this week and plan to have the movers come either Sunday, Monday or Tuesday next week. Our friend Chad is going to go in with us for the move since he lives close to us and is in the unit below at Brookshire. Convenient. It won't be a 50/50 split because he has less stuff, but every bit helps (both of us!).

The master bathroom vanity. We're really pleased with the way the marble, cabinets and tile flow together. I can't wait to start moving things in; it's like the first day of school � exciting!

The "Great Room." Can't wait to get the furniture in here to see how it works! The carpet is whiter than I remember, so we'll have to get a really colorful ottoman and some fabulous window coverings, then decide what color to paint the walls. Those elements will totally change the room.

Michael and MeeRa

Michael and MeeRa came over Sabbath so we zipped over to Malibu for some beach time. The weather was perfect and the dolphins were feeding near the shore, so it was a delightful afternoon (followed by a gluttenous supper at our favorite local Mexican restaurant...yum).

Wonder who lives in those houses?

Light as a feather...

Giddy-up!

The Most Recent

Seems like I haven't posted in a long time, but not because things aren't happening. I guess I associate posting with photos, which I haven't had many of lately. We've been shut out of the condo until the final walk-thru, so I don't have any new pics of that.

We signed our loan paperwork today. I can see how, for people who don't regularly deal with loan documents, it would be a really intimidating process. But since I see many loan packages as a notary signing agent, this deal was old hat. I knew where to look in the fine print to see what I wanted, where to sign this and that document, etc. Very easy. So, we'll find out our walk-thru date when we stop by the sales office Sunday; we are scheduled to "close" on Wednesday, Sept. 27. WOW.

We successfully completed day 1 of our yard sale. Sunday will be the big day, I'm sure. We sold a bunch of the big stuff (laundry machines, elliptical machine, BBQ and patio furniture) to friends, which is great, because we can keep using them until we move and not have to handwash clothes for three weeks. That would suck.

The bad thing is that since we paid 1.25 points on our loan to buy down the rate, we're getting back about $4K less at closing that I originally calculated. Bummer. But so goes it.

In other news, Ken is doing great in school and enjoying it. Even a shock to him! I still love my job and Brady is doing great. In fact, he just did a "poopy dance" and sang a song with daddy. Good times.

We just got back from a big meat supper at Bandits. I had prime rib and can now feel my arteries hardening as I type. And all my energy has gone to my gut to process this gluttonous meal, so I'm ready for bed and it's only 8:25. Oh well, I got up two hours earlier than usual this morning, so my body thinks it's 10:25. Sure. That sounds good. OK. Goodnight, then.

It's been a year since I worked with the 15 Hands Rescue Sanctuary and its associated projects, so it was a treat today to get out to their new facility. I did a trail-by-fire orientation to working with one of the groups from Casa Pacifica. It was a lot of fun, despite the freakish heat. So I think I'll be going out on Friday afternoons for the next eight weeks to help with this series of groups. This photo is the view from the barn area overlooking the Conejo Valley. Our (current) house is almost smack dab in the middle of this photo at the bottom of that hill in the distance. Cool; kinda like being in an airplane.

Went to visit Michael and MeeRa at their new house in Loma Linda last weekend. The house is really cute and in a nice neighborhood, so I'm sure they'll be really happy there. It was wonderful to see them again (I think we haven't seen them since the wedding May 28). Ken ended up getting sick, so he didn't go over with me. He's looking forward to a visit sometime soon.

Wasting time...

A) Four jobs I have had in my life
1. waitress at a steak house in Destin, Florida
2. secretary in the journalism dept at Southern Adventist University
3. magazine editor (one in Sacramento in the late 90s; one in LA area now)
4. in-house graphic designer at a copy shop in Sacramento

B) Name 4 movies you would watch over again
1. Liar, Liar
2. Bruce Almighty
3. Ace Ventura, Pet Detective
4. Mrs. Doubtfire

C) Four other places I have lived:
1. Niceville, Florida
2. Collegedale, Tennessee
3. Pohnpei, Micronesia
4. Sacramento, California

D) Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. Grey's Anatomy (ask again next month after the season starts)
2. Prison Break (though it's getting pretty far-fetched this season)
3. Bringing Home Baby (pretty much everything on TLC)
4. Oprah/Dr. Phil

E) Four places I have been on vacation
1. Hawaii
2. Germany (young, so I don't remember much)
3. Nebraska
4. Guam

F) Websites I visit daily:
1. Google.com/iWon.com personalized homepages
2. Yahoo! Answers
3. Craigslist.com
4. CostCo.com (I'm addicted!)

G) My favorite foods (in no particular order):
1. Thai (massaman curry, anything with rice noodles)
2. Italian (all of it!)
3. Chinese (spicy eggplant, curry tofu)
4. Everything else (I'm a pretty easy eater, unfortunately)

H) Four places I would like to be right now:
1. Nebraska (haven't seen my best friend in TOO long!)
2. Florida (haven't seen my other best friends in TOO long!)
3. Scuba diving someplace tropical (Pohnpei, Caribbean, Fiji, etc.)
4. Exploring someplace I've never been (Australia? Asia?)

We went to the condo for a quick looksie this evening. We're 30 days from closing, so things are really moving along. Here's the outside as of today. We're excited about the two palm trees in front of our windows. It's really going to be a nice-looking place.

They have the marble on the bathroom counters now. Also hard to see because of the protective covering and lack of light, but you get the idea.

Here's the chandelier that will hang over the dining table. That's the plan, anyway. We didn't have a choice of fixtures, but we like this one, so that's good.

Here's the corner of the granite. Using flash makes it look brighter than it really is, so I used natural light for this, which caused the blur. But you get the idea of the color, anyway. Lots of gold and green with flecks of black, gray and off-white. Everything will look different once the carpet and lights are installed. They have the tile down in the kitchen, entry and baths now, but it's covered with corrogated paper to protect it so it's hard to see.

I went for an official visit to our condo today. The cabinets are installed, as you can see. But the granite isn't in yet, which is what we're really excited about. They also put the wrong glass in the two cabinets (it should have a "water" texture). But they'll fix that. Our closing has been moved to end of September, so they're really moving along fast. I imagine they'll have the granite in by the end of the week. We can't do another walk-thru next Sunday because we'll be in Ontario for union constituency meetings, and starting in September they're locked up (to protect the floors). We'll have our offical final walk-thru a week before closing. Once we close, we'll probably spend a few days painting before we move in. I just bought four books from Home Depot (painting, decorating, windows, coloring) to give us some good ideas. I am currently being oppressed by allergies or a gross head cold, which is quite miserable, so I may just curl up with these books and a stack of sticky notes. We also learned where our assigned garage will be; it's just around the corner and it's on a wing where one car can park directly in front of the garage door, so that will be wonderful for visitors. We're getting excited!

Here's the outside of our unit as of this evening. It's getting there! Our cabinets are sitting in the unit in their boxes, so the next time we visit (a week or 10 days, at least), they should be installed; maybe with the granite. Yay! Our closing date has tentatively been moved up to end of September, so we may be in sooner than we thought. Exciting ... and SCARY! But mostly exciting. Can't wait!

Here's Ken standing amongst the cabinetry. :o)

Mr. Picassohead

Mr. Picassohead is by far the coolest website I have seen in a very long time. Create your own painting!