Just A Laugh

I was pulling things off my Flip this weekend and found this video. It was taken while I was visiting Pug Mama a week or so ago. Apparently, Jussy's family told him he had a girlie sounding laugh and he needed to man it up. This is what he came up with. But he sprung it on them out in public somewhere with no warning. Just broke out with it. That's what makes it about 100 times funnier. You can imagine the looks on their faces at the time. Totally cracks me up. So enjoy the laugh.


By the way... I'm really behind on catching up with everyone's blogs. In case you were wondering why I haven't been commenting. I'm not sure I can recover. It may be time to resort to the "Mark All As Read" and start fresh. So if I missed some really spectacular news along the way, maybe you could drop me an e-mail and point me in the right direction. ;)

Emerson Day!

Congratulations T & J!
She's beautiful & perfect!!
I couldn't possibly be any happier for you both.

13 Years Today

Every May 23rd I remember this tragic day. Those memories are always there. But I only allow them out to really feel them on May 23rd. Tonight as I was reflecting, I pulled out the old newspaper articles. I'd forgotten about this photo.A reporter snapped it of me in a moment that should have been private. Just as a sergeant told me two of my squad mates had been shot. My emotions overruled my training in that moment. Thirteen years have passed .... but seeing this photo made me feel like I was standing in that same spot hearing those words all over again.

The events of this day changed my life, changed the way I look at the world, changed me. I was so young and so new to the job. Maybe that's why no matter where I am or what's going on in my life, I always pause on May 23rd and remember.

My New Toy

Tonight I decided to bring my cell phone out of the dark ages. I was super sick of texting without a keyboard. And since my internet filter at work blocks a lot of blogs and Face-book, I was like a fiend without a fix for 8 WHOLE HOURS every day! Wait... how old am I? Texting, blogging, Face-book? WTF?

Anyhoo.... I stuck with Ver-izon and went with the Crackberry. I don't need no stinkin' Iphone, right Alison? LOL! Check out my snazzy Hot Pink plastic hard cover. Sexy, no? :P So forgive me, peeps, if texting is slow and full of typos this week. This new fangled device is gonna take some getting used to.

I have a Friday tradition of starting the weekend properly with a cocktail... or two. ;) But since I was running errands this evening, I had to resort to pajama happy hour at Casa De K. So tonight, in celebration of T & J's safe non-quarantined arrival in China, I chose their special concoction perfectly dubbed by Robin as the "Paradise". It reminds me of that place I love every time I sip one.

Happy Friday, y'all!

Down To 92

CC-AA sent out a batch of referrals today through March 14th, 2006. Woo Hoo!!! That's good news for several reasons.

First off... they were supposed to arrive around the first week of the month. (That's not the good news part. LOL!) But due to the panic over the swiine flu, the CC-AA was rumored to have halted new referrals. Nothing like being stuck in limbo when you're already 3 years into the process!

I tried to remain optimistic and not worry. But deep down... I was trying to control the freak out. I did pretty good keeping it stifled. Because the *ONLY* thing that has kept me hanging on and remotely sane (I said "remotely"... LOL!) has been the knowledge that babies were still being referred every month. Much slower than when I started this process, of course. But the program was still moving forward. So for the whole thing to stop.... scared the shit outta me and threatened to topple the fragile state of sanity I live in. LOL! So good news... the line is moving again!! Can I get a Halle-lu-yer?!

Secondly it's good news cuz I have exactly 3 months worth of LID's ahead of me in line. 92 days to be exact. Still forecasting a late 2010 referral based on the rate they've been referring for the last year or so. It's also good that they seem to be doing a good steady pace of kicking out March 2006. March 7th and the 14th are very big number days. Meaning a lot more people than normal had their dossiers logged in on those dates. So there was fear they'd make those dates only 1 day batches. The fact that they haven't is progress, I think. It's NOT A SPEED UP... as some people want to think. But steady forward progress without further slow down. I'll take that and be grateful at this point.

For those in my family and my non-China adoption friends who don't normally stalk the Rumor Queen site like I do and may want a cute little Chinese baby fix ... here's a link to blogs with new referrals. They should all have pics posted soon.

My mind has been wandering all day as I drift to thoughts of our princess who is probably right now still enroute to China. I'm looking forward to news that she and J have arrived safely and all passengers are fever free. China is now taking the temperature of folks upon arrival and has been quarantining anyone showing signs of illness AND everyone else on the plane, too. Swiine flu precautions that they are taking VERY seriously. Go ahead and click this link. It's an interesting read. I'm so very excited and can't wait to see them finally get their baby girl! Oh what a happy day that'll be.

Also hoping for good news for my Pug Mama as she awaits news of her Travel Approval. Holding out that there's still a chance for her to travel with her agency group which includes her LID twin, Luna. They're scheduled to go on June 4th. Please please pretty please CC-AA. These girls need to go together. Maybe if we all concentrate really hard we can telepathically send a message to whoever needs to sign off on her document and will them to get it done! Okay everybody... start now. Concentrate... concentrate..... :)

Lazy Linkage Re-cap

I'm finally home after my travel adventures last week and let me just say I had a *Fab~U~Lous* time. Going to work today really sucked. I totally miss my girls.... and their rockstar families.

Colleen and Tracy already blogged most of the highlights of our trip to Paradise .... so there really isn't much more to tell. Plus I realized once I got home that I didn't take many pics. So for the sake of not repeating stuff I'm just linking it. LOL!

For Colleen's take on it click right here and for T's version go here. Here's the surprise part in case you missed it. I'm still bummed that my moment can't be shown cuz of the skimpy bikini chase. You'll just have to take my word for it.... it was hysterical!! Oh and lots of gorgeous party pics are here. That party was So Much Fun and all the sweet little details that Michelle put together were just beautiful. I also got to sneak in a quick visit with the fantastic Mali and her superhero mom, Alison. Loved seeing them again, too.

After my fast and furious partying in Paradise, I jumped a plane headed to Georgia for phase two. With the help of Big Daddy, we pulled off what can only be called one of the best surprises in the history of all surprises! If you haven't seen Pug Mama's reaction click right here for it. It was absolutely awesome!!

BD worked hard on the set up of this one. I could see that mischievous twinkle in his eye with the practical joke he was about to spring on his wife. He convinced PM that his friend and the friend's wife were staying the night. On the way from picking me up at the airport, BD called her and pretended like his friend had stopped off at the store (so she wouldn't think he was talking in front of them). He said he unexpectedly had to go to work the next day so she'd have to entertain the wife for awhile. Let's just say PM didn't react well to the news of that awkward situation with someone she'd never met before who would also be interrupting her normal weekday routine. Sorry PM ... but we laughed our asses off over that. So when I walked in the door she was beyond shocked and confused. Classic!

PM and I spent a leisurely few days just totally chill-axin. It was great! We just hung out together like girlfriends who live right next door to each other would. We talked, we laughed, we ate, we watched Idol and critiqued the performances, we stalked RQ for news, we picked the kids up from school every day, we schlepped around in our comfy pants and sweatshirts, we cooked out on the grill, we swam in the pool, we read trashy gossip magazines, we hung out with the kids. I enjoyed it so much that I extended my trip a couple extra days at the insistence of the Pug kiddos who decided I needed to be there Saturday for the boys soccer game and Wink's 8th grade dance. I'm glad I stayed... even though the soccer game got rained out unfortunately. It was a very refreshing, relaxing week .... that I think both PM and I needed.

No wild partying like my Paradise girls are known for. In fact, sit down for this Col and T.... PM and I didn't even have a single cocktail. Not a one. I know... totally shocking, right? But it was just the recovery I needed since I woke up with the puking hangover from hell on the morning I was leaving Paradise. We thought I'd contracted the sw-ine-flu until Colleen remembered we'd spent several HOURS enjoying cocktails in the hot tub the night before. Which is apparently not a good idea. I can attest to that from personal experience. LOL! It took me days just to get re-hydrated.

I'm so very very very happy I got to go down to Paradise for this last girl's party weekend before Emerson's arrival. And I'm grateful for the time I got to just chill with the PM family. These fabulous women, their kids, and their husbands are some of my favoritest peeps in the world. I hate that we don't get to see each other very often because of the distance.

And let's face it... the times... they are a changing. Things will be different soon. For all of us. It'll be much more difficult to be spontaneous with our baby girls in tow. But I have no doubt we'll somehow make it happen. When I remarked to PM that I had hardly any pics of the week, we realized it was because we've all moved into a different place since getting to know each other. We're no longer just "bloggers" focused on photo documenting our time together for blog material. We're not even "China adoption" friends anymore. We're simply just "friends". Really great friends who truly love each other and enjoy spending time together. And I'm thankful for each and every one of them. :)

Surprise Part II

I didn't fly home. Instead I ended up here. Hee Hee..... me so sneaky. :)

Surprise!!

Later tonight there will be a rockin' party to celebrate the impending arrival of Emerson Grace. About a month or so ago, a plan was formed in order for me to attend as a surprise to T. There were several girls who tried to get down here but, unfortunately, it just wasn't able to happen for one reason or another. But yesterday I hopped a plane and flew to Paradise. Another benefit of being single and still childless. Might as well take advantage of that freedom while I still have it, right?

I had a couple of accomplices, otherwise this never would have come together. T's wonderful neighbor and friend, Michelle, was a huge help in working out the details. And of course, J (her hubs) was in on it, too.

She was shocked when I walked in the door!! It was absolutely freakin' awesome! I had my new Flip recording the reaction..... unfortunately, that footage is under lock and key. Sorry, y'all. The princess was out sunbathing in a skimpy, strapless bikini (cuz that's what they do down here in Paradise) just prior to my arrival. Not only that but her agency had called at nearly the same second with her TA. So as soon as she saw me with that camera screaming "SURPRISE" she took off running .... to avoid the camera AND so she could hear what her agency rep was saying.....and she hid in the bathroom. It was good stuff but she refuses to let it be shown on the world wibe web..... so I have to honor her wishes.

What she doesn't know is that she's in for another surprise in about an hour. No worries... she won't read this before then. She's out shopping and J is running errands while the boys and I hang out at the pool. So stay tuned. Hopefully, that Flip recording will be viewable. ;)

*Update: Pulled off another awesome surprise with Colleen's arrival!!! Check out T's blog for that video ...... which luckily is viewable by the general public. LOL!

My Bad Dream

I didn't sleep well last night. I had The Dream again. I've had it off and on for my entire police career. Which is now in it's 14th year...... so that's a lot of Dreams. I've never kept track of how often it comes. Maybe I should. Maybe it means something. Maybe it has something to do with other things going on in my life at that moment.

The Dream is always the same at it's core. But the scenario is usually different every time. It starts with me at work. I'm in my uniform confronting a bad guy for whatever reason. I'm always by myself without a partner or back up. The situation turns ugly. The bad guy produces a gun. He fires at me. Sometimes I get hit. Sometimes not. What is consistently the same in every Dream is that when I pull my weapon to return fire.... it doesn't work. Either I pull the trigger and I just hear a click. Or the trigger is too hard and I don't have the strength to pull it. Or sometimes the gun just breaks in my hand and won't fire.

Sometimes it seems like this struggle goes on for a long time before I finally wake up. The good thing is that I have yet to actually die in The Dream. Maybe I wake up before that happens. I don't know. But what I always remember and feel so vividly is that struggle with my gun. The disbelief that it won't work. The confusion in not knowing what to do to make it work. The fear that I can't protect myself.

Anyone care to analyze this? I can already interpret this so many ways. My subconscious fear of failure? Mistrust in relationships? Too much stress? The natural fear that anyone in law enforcement feels but has to stuff down in order to do our jobs effectively? I guess it has to come out somewhere, right? Hmmm...... interesting stuff.

I bet if I were to take a poll of police officers this is probably a pretty common Dream amongst us. Maybe I should Goo-gle it and find out. LOL! I do hate The Dream though. I hate that it upsets me and interrupts my sleep. And I hate that every time I have it I'm left wondering if it's meant to be a sign. Is it a premonition? Is today The Day? I'm almost ashamed to admit that for a few days following The Dream I'm always a little more cautious at work. Today turned out okay. I didn't get shot. We'll see how tomorrow goes.

Okay... relax people. That was a joke. Oooo... I guess it won't be funny anymore if tomorrow really is The Day. The Grim Reaper will be the only one laughing then, eh? Sorry GM... just kidding. You can take a joke, right? Have I ever told you how great you look in that hooded cloak? It's very slimming. Heh heh... :P

Oh My....

I spent a little time this evening catching up on my DVR'd shows from last week. Can I just tell you how excited I was when I saw this gorgeous hunk of smokin' hot delicious-ness was on Friday's O-prah?I spent the entire episode with my eyes glued to the screen. Those smoldering eyes. That perfect smile. Those chiseled biceps. That adorable Aussie accent. He's definitely bringing sexy back. In a big big way.
And did y'all know in his new WoLverine movie he's nakey? That's right. Not a stitch of clothing on him. As he escapes from somewhere, throws himself over a waterfall and then runs across a field. Several minutes of Hugh-Jackman in all his beautiful glory. That alone is worth the price of admission.Although maybe I'll wait for it to come out on DVD. That way I can pause and rewind to my hearts content in the privacy of my own home. ;)

Finally Friday

My plans for the evening include a few cocktails with friends
after a particularly craptastic week.
Hope your Friday is off to a good start, too.
Enjoy your weekend!