My Thanksgiving ABC's

I am thankful for...

A- Adoption. A miracle for families.
B- Blogs. I find keeping one very therapeutic, and reading others very entertaining.
C- Crayons. My favorite way to go back to childhood.
D- Diet Coke. Yum. And Davin, of course. :)
E- Our Environment. We all need to do our part to preserve it for our children.
F- Friends, Family, and Faith.
G- Green grass. It is a sure sign of spring!
H- Home. I am thankful to have a warm bed to lay my head each night.
I- Imagination. I love to drift off into daydreams.
J- Juno. My favorite movie to date.
K- Koivisto’s and Kangas’s. Our two loving families.
L- Laughter. It does the body and mind good.
M- Music. Yet another therapy for myself.
N- Noodles & Co. Their mac n’ cheese is outta this world!
O- Organ donors. Are you one?
P- Personalities. What makes each of us unique.
Q- Quilts. They keep us cozy warm.
R- Rainbows. God’s beautiful promise to all of us.
S- Sunshine. Possibly my favorite thing in the world.
T- Target. Shopping therapy. Hm, I need a lot of therapy, don’t I? :)
U- Understanding. Something we can all strive to be better at.
V- Volunteering. A fulfilling way to spend my time.
W- Wishes. I make on every time I see 10:26 on a digital clock. Wanna hear that story? :)
X- X-rays. They found Davin’s blood clot.
Y- Yin and Yang. A balance of all life.
Z- Zoos. Who doesn’t love monkeys?

Wishing everyone a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving!

WARNING: Babbling about Vegas!

Vegas is not typically the place to go to relax. Far from it, in fact. There are lights, noise, and endless action. But if you want to escape from reality and turn your brain off, so to speak, it may be the perfect destination. And, if you stay at a luxury hotel, you can even fit in some of that ultimate relaxation when you need it. My destination: The Bellagio. Aaaah. The place is unbelievable! Talk about guest luxury! Even as the lowest ranked guest (me), I still felt like I was living like a millionaire. Although, when I think about it, I am sure millionaires only stay in full suites with a bowling alley or a basketball court. Or is that just celebrities? Either way, that's over-kill. But cool. Really cool... Back to my low-level status at The Bellagio. Here are some points worth mentioning. Most I hadn't experienced or seen before, some I have, but either way, it pretty crazy:

*I was always greeted as Ms. Kangas, whether it was at the front desk, calling house keeping, or passing the elevator guard.

*Yes, there was a man at the elevator lobby to make sure only guest used the room elevators.

*There were many sets of elevators. The set for my floor included six elevators for 11 floors. Do the math- I never had to wait for more than a few seconds.

*The drapes were electronically controlled. How lazy is that? You just lay in bed and open or shut the drapes.

*A HUGE soaking tub, and a walk in shower that could fit five people. If you really wanted it to...

*The bathroom alone was as big as my bedroom at home.

*The fully stocked mini bar. Oh, funny story. I was nosing through the mini bar, picking stuff up and looking at them and putting them back. I was putting back a first aid kit (I think $12 for a couple bandaids, 1 ibuprofen, 2 aspirin, and alcohol wipes), when I felt a click. Turns out the entire mini bar is on a sensor, and any time you take something out your room is automatically charged. Oops. I called the front desk (answered, Good afternoon, Ms. Kangas. How may I help you?), and they cancelled all the charges I accidentally made. I roughly totalled it up- well over $100 it would have cost me for the few items I looked at. Again, oops.

*Nightly turn down service. Sweet. Nothing like coming back to your room to have it all cleaned (and I thought I had kept it clean!), you bed turned down, relaxing music playing, and a mint on your pillow. Now that's what I'm talking about!

I'm sure there is more I'm forgetting right now...

The botanical gardens were, as always, amazing. I have this one picture. Either you will find it cool, or, like me, you will find it disturbing. While making your decision, keep in mind that the dude's eyes moved and blinked. And his eyebrows moved up and down. Eew! Oh, and there were TWO of them.

What else is there to tell??? Other than losing money, of course. The first day I sat in the sun by the pool. LOVED that! I did a lot of shopping at Miracle Mile at Planet Hollywood. And by shopping I mean looking at stuff and wishing I hadn't wasted my money in the casino. :P Oh, the second day I sat in with a focus group. We watched a potentially new (never gonna make it!) television show. About a deep sea fishing competition. SO much fun! :P Then the other ladies and I got to talk about how incredibly boring it was, and say that we would never watch it. Except one girl said she might because one of the guys was cute- but only if he took his shirt off. After about 90 minutes of being there I walked out with a $85 check- YAY! That was my way of redeeming my casino loss. :) By last night I was Vegas-ed out so I took a bath and watched TV and went to bed at 9:00. Nine o'clock in Vegas- just when people are getting ready to hit the town. Hey, I had to get up at 5:00 a.m. Plus, a girl can only take so much Vegas.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now I am sitting in Salt Lake City on a three hour layer over. I know I've been really babbly, but I haven't been on here since Saturday- that's a LONG time for me. I could have gotten on at the hotel, but they charged $13 for the Ethernet cord. Ha!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, you can wake up now. I'm done. :D

My sweet sister!

Last night Davin came home from my parents with a gift in hand from my little sister, Mary (age 9). This is what the attached note says:

Dear Laura & Davin

I am very depressed that happened to you but I am glad it is over with. Here is something that will warm you up Hot Cocoa. I made it at lady-bugs. It has how to make it on the tag. You can make in the winter time if you want or right now.

Love, Mary

How sweet is she? (:

Later I talked to my mom and she said that Mary was worried about Davin coming to help my brother with is math. She said, "But how will he get in here with a wheelchair?" When my mom told her Davin was feeling good and could walk Mary said, "Oh, that's a relief." I love her! :D

Today I am thankful for...

*Davin not having to give himself injections anymore- he hates needles! He had a doctors appointment today, and although there will be a lot of monitoring for several months, he feels good, and can go back to work. (He goes stir-crazy at home) Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers.

*Sisters. Thank you, Leanne, for the card and cd. I think this music is going to become part of my life. For sure.

*My healing elbow. No more physical therapy appointments! I will continue doing my exercises and add weight as my arm strengthens.

And two more very important things:

*Peggy's blog, and

* the Ted Danson Hot Name Game
Between the two I have laughed more in the past day than I have in months! Although Davin doesn't check out the blogs, he is also thankful for them- he says he is happy to hear me laugh again. :)

My all-time favorite youtube video!

Charlie Bit Me!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OBlgSz8sSM

BANNED!

My former boss chick's husband (also my former boss) just called Davin to tell not to come to his hair cut appointment this week. Davin and I are to not go to the salon anymore. Hm, wonder what lies my boss told about me for us to get banned? And, even then, what does Davin have to do with it? ????

FYI: My last post still trumps this one!

Old*er* people rock!

So I started volunteering today at the hospital. I walked for 4 hours straight. I never sat down- I loved being so busy! My assignment consists of transporting patients, bring visitors to patient rooms, and delivering flowers. All fun stuff! My shift is from noon to 4:00. Since I work during the day I am working with all retired folk. Everyone, of course, is really nice. But there is one pair of ladies I'm keeping an eye on- I can tell they will make for quality entertainment! They both work at the welcome desk. One is a volunteer and the other is a paid employee. The thing is- they have the exact same job. The volunteer clearly despises the employee, and the employee is really good at pulling her rank and acting smarter. I heard a few snide comments here and there, and a lot of eye rolling. I wanted to laugh so hard- I had to turn away once because I thought I was going to bust it! The eye-rolling was the best!

Now, I'm assuming that it was truly funny, because in the past few days I've found humor in the strangest of places. :D

That's the wonderful side of my life. On the other side, I am facing a long, ugly fight with my former employer. I've been told to walk away, but I can't. This will just happen to someone else. And I can't let that happen.

But for now I'm relaxing after a 4-hour walk (I wonder if I'll be sore tomorrow?), and gonna watch NCIS and The Mentalist with my hubby, who is home and well!

Have a good night, everyone!

P.S. I heard a rumor that Adam L. has lurked about my blog- make yourself known! Otherwise you're never gonna get a Christmas present! :P

It's the little things...

My "Service Engine Soon" light went off on my way home from the hospital tonight. YAY!

"Thank you, God. That was very kind."

...I felt this news was definitely blog-worthy. :)

A few of my favorite things

33) My favorite color is blue. Primary, Crayola blue.

34) My favorite book is "Catch Me If You Can" by Frank Abignail. Fascinating true story. The movie does not live up to the book.

35) My favorite movie, currently, is Juno. AWESOME!

36) I favorite candy is strawberry twizzlers. And chocolate!

37) My favorite season in spring.

38) My favorite sound is a baby laughing. :)

Insanity kicking in...

Funny story.

Davin's in the hospital. That's not the funny part. He has pneuomonia and a blood clot in his lung. He actually feels quite fine. We came into the ER last night because he had a sharp pain in his back and had trouble breathing. He thought it was a muscle spasm and would be sent home with a relaxant. Nope. They found pneumonia. And a blood clot. So they admitted him and put on antibiotics and blood thinners. I started driving home a little after one o'clock a.m. Davin was feeling good when I left. I was thinking about how it had been a stressful day, but Davin was fine and everything would be okay. Just as I was thinking that, *DING* the "Service engine soon" light came on in my car. I started laughing. And laughing. And laughing. I pictured God saying "So, Laura, how you handling life now?" I laughed the rest of the drive home. The car ran fine and no gauges went nuts.

"Just fine, God. I'm doing just fine. Thank you."

By the way, there is no ding when a light comes on in the car, but I am certain I heard it anyway.

:)

#32

32) I LOVE the sunshine!

It's sunny today...

Thank you God!

How could I not blog about this day!

I really had planned on taking a long break. Then today happened. And there is just no way I can't NOT blog about it- it's just waaaay to good. And by good, I mean really crappy, but outrageous enough to talk about. I'm gonna tell about my day going backwards- that way I can promise it will end on a really GOOD note!

I got fired from my job. Wait, that's not the good part- the good part is how it happened. I went into the salon to buy some product and as I was paying for it my boss says- loudly, across the salon- that I no longer get my discount. She was cutting a client's hair at the time. It went something like this:

Boss: Oh, Laura doesn't get a discount anymore.
Me: Really? I thought you had said it was okay.

Oh, I should explain. I have been out of work for about two months due to an elbow injury. A WORK injury. I initially filed workers comp a over a year ago when it happened, but quit after the first couple appointments because it was a pain and we have good insurance. So when I had to have surgery I had a talk with my boss to see that I could still work when it healed. She said it wouldn't be a problem. After I had surgery I told her that I didn't know how long the recovery would be, but I didn't foresee being able to massage this year. Again, no problem.

Back to convo (across the salon in front of a client):


Boss: Well, I'm not going have you come back.
Me: Really? I thought you had agreed to let me come back after physical therapy.
Boss: Well, you never told me how long you will be out, so I'm going to find another part time therapist.
Me: I told you it wouldn't be this year- they can't give me an exact date.
Boss: Well, I looked in the employee handbook and it says that after two months I can let an employee go.
Me: Yes, of course you can let me go. I'm just surprised- I thought we had this worked out.
Boss: I've been thinking about it for about the past month, and I'm not going to have you come back.
Me: Wow. That's a wonderful way to find out.

End of convo. She goes back to her client.

What the...?!?! She picked the wrong girl to mess with! Especially after my last few days! So, I left, then called and left a message for her to call me. I called back 30 minutes later and she was gone. I asked what time she was coming in tomorrow, but she's gone for the weekend. Her and her stupid quilting. So I ask for her phone number. The receptionist said "You cannot tell her I gave it to you. She doesn't want to talk to you". What the...?!?! Nothing like talking about it to other employees, not to mention being a big coward. So I called and left a message- something like this:

"Hey, it's Laura. I left you a message, and I know you got it. We need to talk about what happened today. I think it was complete bullsh**, and we need to sort it out. If you don't want to call me, please have Jeremy. I will expect to hear from one of you on Monday."

My tone was very professional (other than the one swear word)- not angry.

I said I would end with a good note. Earlier in the day I spent a few hours at the hospital training to be a volunteer. I am scheduled to do it one shift a week. However, with my surgery, getting fired, and not having a baby, I can pick up shifts every day! For real, I think it is something I will really enjoy doing.

Another good note: I will not take being fired (I saved them workers comp, and I have extremely loyal clients). So the incident lit a fire in me. I haven't felt this energized in weeks!

Hope you're all having a wonderful day!

Taking a break

For some reason I constantly find myself looking for things to blog about. I always want to keep things updated. However, trying to find ideas is too much right now. I'm taking a break from my blog until I can sort things out.

Peace out.

I love my husband!

Obviously. But this is what he did for me today: Right when he came home from work he fished down Mr. Smily Stupid Balloon from the ceiling, and tied him, SECURELY, to a chair. He always knows just what I need. Thanks for the punching balloon- I love you, Davin. :)

Trump this...

I just wrote a big long thing but decided it can be summed up to this:

I got dumped today by my shrink.

Yup.
Seriously.
No shit.

I know some of my posts lately have been less than cheery, and, trust me, I aim to be a happy person, but this was the cherry on top of my shitastic day. (Thanks, J, for the term shitastic)

It's snowing in my yard!

I'm giving it until noon to melt. If it's still on our property, I'm heading out with my hair dryer and taking care of it myself!

Poor Mr. Happy

This is what happened after Davin took a couple swings at the balloon. :D

What would you do?

So, if your husband walked in with this at the end of what was a crappy day what would you do?

A) Jump up and give him a hug

B) Start crying- the gesture was incredibly sweet

C) Say "Can I punch it?"

I realize A or B would be ideal responses, but of course, I went with C. If you know anything about me by now, it is that I say what I am thinking. And, dang, that giant grinning balloon was just asking for a fist in its face. Later, when Davin went to hockey, that is exactly what it got. Over and over and over. Let me tell you, it felt GREAT. Seriously, if you have some built up emotions, punching a helium balloon will make your day. It's loud, and it just feels GOOD. You may say I'm still feeling cynical. But, hey, it's how I deal. I felt much better after.

Oh, and what an awesome husband I have. When I asked if I could punch it, he wasn't hurt- he thought it was a good idea!

I wonder...

Do you ever think that God plays your life a certain way for the sole purpose of entertaining the angels in heaven? Follow me...I can't quite figure out why our adoption journey has been so bumpy. Today I was thinking about it and I thought maybe, just maybe, God is using us to entertain the angels. It's like one day He thought "Hey, everyone! Come gather on this cloud over Isabella Avenue. We're gonna have some fun!" Then he dangles a potentional adoption situation in front of us, and all the angels are on the edge of the cloud, waiting to see our reaction. We get all excited and the angels cheer. Then God says, "Now watch.", and he yanks the situation away. The angels gasp! They hold their breathe waiting for our reaction. ...this next part was my mom's input... All the angels pull out signs with our names on it and chant for us "Come on, Laura, you can do it!" We cry. The angels cheer to encourage us. We cry some more, but pick ourselves up and move ahead, our heads held high. The angels roar with excitement! ....back to my input... God then leads the angels to another cloud to play with another family. But just when we're getting back into a normal routine, He gathers the angels back above us and dangles another situation...it goes on...and on...

So, what does this story tell you? A) I'm feeling a bit cynical, but B) Angels are cheering us on! Thanks, Mom, for putting the angels on our side! In my version, they were just laughing. But I'm sure when God brings us our baby for real, the angels will throw a big party!

I should add: I truly do think things are meant to happen. If the reason we were brought into Oliver's life was to help his mother realize just how much she loves and needs her son, and nothing else, than I can live with that. She is an amazing person, and I know our Nik is going to have a wonderful life.

Oliver, our Nik

He was born on October 31st. He weighed 6 lbs 6 ozs and was 20 inches long. His mother said he is doing very well, and she can't imagine how she would have given him up for adoption. I don't blame her. He's absolutely perfect, isn't he? We are thankful she made this decision before we met this little guy. Davin and I are crying tonight. We just want to hold him. But everything happens for a reason, right? Forget politics, this is what life is all about- little miracles like this baby.

Moving on!

23) If I could afford it, I would go to college for the rest of my life- I love to learn!

24) I LOVE music- almost anything but heavy metal. I'm usually listening to indie rock. Reggae is super fun- reminds me of Jaimaca! Rap is awesome for working out!

25) I do NOT like Christmas music before Thanksgiving.

26) I have a big mouth- figuratively. Sometimes I say things before thinking. Gets me in trouble sometimes. Yikes.

27) I love hockey. I grew up in a hockey family. I wish I could afford season tickets for the Wild- oh, that would be SO cool!

28) I wish I loved dogs 'cause they are so dang cute! But I don't. (Sorry Elizabeth) Because....

29) I'm a clean freak. Not to be confused with a neat freak- my house is usually messy. I just don't like to be dirty. I know all dogs aren't dirty, trust me, but it's just a weird thing about me...

30) I wish I could snap my fingers and I wouldn't have to pee anymore. My bladder is the size of a pea and going to the bathroom is just a pain in the a** sometimes!

31) I wish I could snap my fingers.

My faith, in the open

I have an enormous faith in God. It is He who carried Davin and through many dark days. I pray to Him every night, and thank him for all he has given us.

I think people confuse this with "church". Currently, I do not have a church that I attend. Davin and I have always been pretty private when it comes to religion. However, since we are hoping to have children soon, I am looking for a church to join, as we want our children to grow up in faith, just as we did. It's hard. There is a church on every corner. How do we know where we will be comfortable? I pray to find that place.

That's all.

Can we unite?

Confession: I voted for John McCain. However, I never had a doubt in my mind that Obama was going to win. I know many republicans are disappointed right now, but it's time to move forward. Although we can celebrate A LOT of freedoms as American's, this country has a lot of issues to conquer right now. The only way we can "fix" our "problems" is if president-elect Obama follows through on his word to work with both parties. I am hopeful that he will. Our part is to get over our differences and the bitterness the campaigning brought up, and unite as a nation. Can we do that? Pretty please?

How's this for an undecided voter?

I walk into the city hall to vote today. I still wasn't sure who I wanted to vote for, but I was sure that once I was in the booth I would know. So I walk, ballet in hand, up to the booth and look at the choices I have. This is when I expected my "gut" to kick in and tell me who to vote for. ...Nothing. Dumb gut- couldn't even count on it! So I proceed to fill out my votes on the rest of the ballet and the came back to the presidential candidates. I closed my eyes and put my finger on the paper. I opened my eyes and placed my vote where my finger landed. ...that would have been funny, hey? :D Actually, my gut gave me a little hint and I was able to finish the ballet.

Really, how does one go to vote and have no idea who to vote for??? I had educated myself, weighed the pros and cons of each candidate, and I still didn't know. I am okay with my vote, because I am okay with either candidate being president. I think both can offer some really good things for our country. I also worry about some things with each candidate, but in the end I think our country will be refreshed with a new president.

Right now I maintain that our country is great. However, if Mickey Mouse wins this election I am moving to Canada.

A new day

Okay, so I've put off posting for a couple days because I had nothing good to say. You know the saying "if you have nothing good to say, then say nothing at all...". Well, that's how the last few days have been. But today starts new...

First: Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers. I'm sorry I don't know all of you- even some that I know I should know...your comments are very kind- thank you! P.S. I made my email accessible through my blog.

Second: It's election day!!! This means no more icky ads! And, more importantly, our country can move in a new and refreshing direction. I look forward to the changes our new president will bring to our great nation!

Last, but not least: It is sunny outside, and I get to spend time with my nieces!

I know this month is going to be rough at times- I will always be wondering if Oliver is born and healthy. I will have my days of feeling sad. But today I am going to push those tears back, and be happy to be with nieces- they always put a smile on my face!

Peace out.

A sad day

I am going to try my best to keep this blog cheery and upbeat. However, I also said I am going to be myself, and let's not kid ourselves, nobody is cheery every day. So why is today tough? Well, it's November. The baby boy we thought was going to be our son is due to be born on November 21st. We grieved the loss when the birth parents first changed our mind, but I'm realizing the loss is going to felt all over again when he is born.

We were going to name him Nik. We had his room all ready for him. All his clothes were washed. His ultrasound picture was in a frame on his dresser- I kissed him good night every night. One day I a went to pick up a bundle me that I bought on craigslist. I came home and put a load a load of Nik's clothes in the wash. I left for Target to buy bottles. On the way I called my sister Leanne and we were talking about how everything was going so well. I had just gotten an email from the birth mother two days before. She had met with her lawyer and she expressed how happy she was to have found Davin and I to raise her baby. While I was talking to Leanne our adoption counselor called. I said I would call her when I stopped. A few minutes later Davin called me. The agency had gotten an email from the birth parents and they had changed their minds.

Just like that it was over.

After the anger passed (it lasted a few days), I talked to Stephanie (the birth mother), and I felt somewhat better. She felt sincerely sorry. I won't go into why things changed so suddenly, but it was something we could understand. They wanted the ultrasound pictures back. Originally, I was so angry and I thought there was no way I was going to part with them. But time passed and I packed them up along with a gift we had gotten for Nik, and sent them back. Stephanie said she would let us know when Oliver (their name) is born. They will send us a picture.

Back to today...I have been feeling sad. I've cried- a lot. I have a feeling this is going to be a tough month.

Thanks for letting me vent. It helps.

6 more things

17) I am a massage therapist. Kind of. I'm out of commission due to elbow surgery about six weeks ago. Practicing massage therapy keeps me grounded. I can be completely stressed out, and the moment I walk into a massage, I feel calm. It is the one and only thing that makes me feel 100% calm. That and vicodin...aw, I could use a vicodin right now...kidding. Kind of. :)

18) I cannot make a decision to save my life. I went to buy a purse yesterday and once I narrowed it down it took me 45 minutes to decide between black and brown. But the red one was kind of fun...I went with black, but I still might change my mind and exchange it.

19) My motto in life is Live, Laugh, Love

20) I am not a morning person. At all. I need a good hour to myself with my diet coke and the computer or tv to wake up. Don't talk to me or open any blinds until that 60 minutes passes. Davin is sometimes too cheerful in the morning, so I snarl at him, and he usually backs down.

21) M&M's, fresh strawberry twizzlers, and diet coke can turn a bad day good.

22) I love the show "The Office". So much so that it should have been #1 on my list. Even if someone normally does not watch television, they should make the time to watch this show. It's less than 25 minutes of your day if you watch it online.

Jack-Jack Pozack

He's my sister Leanne's babe. You can't be around him and not smile. This shot was taken last Christmas. Cory (Leanne's hubby) got a pipe from Davin- Jack thought it made a good toy. :)