blog moving....

So, I'm moving my blog.. not sure if I'll successfully import this whole blog. I'm trying to, but not very technologically literate, despite my increased tech knowledge of late. But in the meantime.. it's called "pressed but not crushed", and can be found at:

http://madcitycat.wordpress.com

Existing Normal

This popped up on our desktop tonight... we're not sure why. But it was too funny to pass up. And the answer is, yes, part of the existing normal I would like to replace... the part where we don't have any children to call our own. the part where Cathy still has narcolepsy and fibromyalgia... the part where some of my best friends still haven't received answers to their deepest prayers either... the part where people around us (and often ourselves) are in pain-physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

The part of existing normal I do not want to replace: my loving husband, my great friends, our two dogs (our own and our foster dog), our families, our church, living in Madison.... there are many things about the "existing normal" that I love and don't want to replace.

And for these, I am grateful.

Laptop Happiness

It's back... I'm so happy. This morning when I woke up I went to the desktop computer to check on the status of my repair/shipment... and I saw that it was in Madison!! Then, when we got to church, Theresa told me that she had signed for my package!! Joy, joy, joy...

I'm so happy.

Now if only I had more time to play on it... ah, well.. one can't have everything.

What's wrong with this picture?

I think I'm coming down with something. It's kind of scaring me, because I've never come down with this before.. some illnesses I know. I may not like them, but I know them: fibro, chronic fatigue, cold, flu, ear infection, malaria (ok, so that one I may not recognize since I had it so long ago), migraines.... but this, this is new.

I'm finding myself looking up facts about it on the internet...
I'm thinking about it throughout the day...
I'm actually excited about this...
I'm asking Jim questions about people involved...
And I can't wait for two weeks from now...

What is it? Football fever!
Yes, it must be a fever, because nothing else can quite describe why I'm suddenly interested in this game, and actually watching it on tv, even! Even though I'm from New England, and proud of it, I'm sick of hearing about the Patriots win, and am glad the Colts beat them tonight. Way to go, Colts!

But, GO BEARS!

Safe Passage/Hanley Denning

I was shocked and saddened yesterday to receive an email from Bowdoin College president saying that one of my classmates, Hanley Denning, was killed in a car accident in Guatemala City this week. Hanley and I were not best friends, but hung out in the same group of friends. She was so incredibly nice... really. People say that often after someone dies, but Hanley was probably on my top 10 list of nicest people ever. I had not talked with her since graduation in '92, but had recently heard about her, after Jim, Jo Ann and I returned from Guatemala...

While in Antigua, one of the world's greatest cities, we stayed at a place called "Lazos Fuertes" and while there we learned that that hotel gives all their proceeds to Safe Passage. Safe Passage is an organization that provides opportunities for kids living in garbage dumps, through education. We were so excited to be staying in a place that was so generous...

And when we returned from Guatemala, and I looked up Safe Passage on the internet, I learned that Hanley had founded and was the president of Safe Passage!

So I am sad today.. Rest in peace, Hanley. Way to live....

Still withdrawn

It's amazing how addicted I am to my laptop. I still miss it. I'm tracking its' repair progress everyday on email, and I can't wait until it's back!

The good part is that I'm not as consumed by the computer, because it's not as comfortable for me to sit at a desk as it is in a comfy chair somewhere, typing away...

Oh well.. such is the laptop-less life..

Laptop Withdrawal

A few short hours ago I left my beloved laptop at the Apple Store in Milwaukee to be sent out for repairs. The optical drive is shot. This is the second time the optical drive will be replaced on this machine, in about one year. Strange but true. Even the Apple people are a bit puzzled by this, but they assure me it's not the machine, it's the optical drive. This comes after I used a sermon illustration on Sunday in which I praised Apple, and spoke of how much I love Apple computers. Which is still true. In fact I love them so much I am having withdrawal symptoms right now. No shakes, yet, but that may come.

So I'm sitting at the desktop in our home office. The desktop is basically Jim's now, since we bought the laptop and I hog that. I've offered, but he seems to prefer the desktop.

Billy, my ProCare Genius, tells me that we should never call our portable computers "laptops" because that is misleading.. in fact, these machines should not sit on our laps, neither the Apple nor the other versions. But I still call it a laptop, because I do hold it on my lap sometimes.. but now, after learning a few things from Billy, I try to put some sort of hard surface under it. At least I backed everything up last night, which impressed the Apple guy today. (Scott, not Billy. Billy's my ProCare Genius, Scott's the Tech Genius.)

Anyhow, I digress. The point is, about three hours and counting... without my laptop. And I miss it. How will I manage without my great photo software? How will I manage when I'm having a bad fibro day and have to actually work on a desktop computer instead of working from bed? Now Jim and I have to get back to that archaic notion of sharing a computer!

Should be an interesting 7-10 business days.....

the latest...

MLK Jr. Day... we were going to attend the annual celebration at the Capitol, but I woke up with a killer migraine, which lasted all day. So, not much celebrating today. at our house... just a lot of laying in bed, which sounds nice until you can't move your head without it throbbing. But despite no celebrations here, I thank God for MLK Jr. and his legacy.

Wich is leaving us soon, to study at UW Whitewater. It's a great opportunity for him, and we're excited for him. It's a bit weird, seeing our Thai student leave! It was sad to see Shogo leave, and now Wich..

But we have another ESL student! Jihong, a Korean girl, arrived at our house last week, and we love her. So the house is not empty yet, and that's a good thing.

Adoption continues to lag and slow down. Some predictions are for our referral to arrive in May, other predictions are for the fall. I'm trying not to predict, but it's hard. It continues to be an absolute drag to wait and wait, and see that China's still slowing down and cracking down. Effective May 1, 2007 (so this does not include us), the following people can't adopt in China: singles, the fat, the depressed, those who have had cancer in recent history, and I forget what else. I'm told that occasionally this happens. And fluctuates... so it will likely change again. In the meantime, there are numerous couples and singles are waiting for our Chinese children....and waiting and waiting....

It has finally snowed in Madison! It's beautiful. Granted, Jim's the one who shovels, not me, so it's easy for me to be happy about snow... but it finally feels like winter! It's great. Hopefully tomorrow I will be up and out of bed, able to actually enjoy the snow.

Highs and Lows, 2006

I'm so behind on blogging it's pitiful. So in an effort to catch up just a little, I've been working on a list of 2006 highs and lows..

Lows:
-adoption delays
-lots of babies born in our life/pregnancies
-no summer trip to Vermont
-more adoption delays
-deaths of friends at Arbor and in Guatemala
-never cleaned out the garage, really
-very little snow-ick. Icky "winter" weather
-heart desires of Jim and me and of one of my best friends--not granted
-gained weight
-even further adoption delays

Highs:
-Wich and Shogo, our ESL students
-we got a laptop
-Chicago Cubs fired Dusty Baker
-began "Project 7000" (photo organization)
-we cooked a lot
-new friends
-saw the Harlem Globetrotters
-family visits
-saw old friends
-Entropy
-met more neighbors, got to know other neighbors more
-discovered our favorite coffee shop in Madison--Barriques
-trip to Guatemala

Christmas lights, Cookie dough, long walks....

Cathy's been too busy to post lately. So we dogs thought we'd add our two cents. It's been a good but crazy week or so here at the Stanley-Erickson home. Cathy's been decorating that Christmas tree with her hundreds of lights. In other words, hours away from giving us attention. That's not the good part. The good part is that both Cathy and Jim have been baking. It happens about once a year, and this is the season. We like it, because we usually get to lick the beaters, the spoons, etc.. and occasionally Cathy drops pieces of cookie dough for us. (Don't worry.. for those of you who might freak out at "dog germs", Jim and Cathy put these dishes in the dishwasher.)

Then, Jim and Cathy feel so guilty for not spending a ton of time with us, and so they take us for long walks. All good. All very good. There's a gift under the tree with the tag "Entropy", and there was one for "Abby", but Abby began to tear it apart, sensing it was a dog toy.. So Cathy hid it, and now we have to wait until Christmas Eve to find out what it is. Bother. Oh well, it's still all good.

We're signing off, because we hear a rattle in the kitchen... it might be more food. We'd better check it out.

Abby & Entropy

p.s. we wrote this a couple of weeks ago, but Cathy's just now posting it.. she's hoping to post more soon.