In some ways I feel like I've just gotten to Moscow. In other ways, I feel like I've been here forever. It's weird. And maybe a lack of sleep -- we've had no downtime whatsoever. We've had such an amazing variety of experiences -- some good, some not so good. Maybe that's just life? I'm sad my journey will soon be over. Mom often says, "we may not pass this way again." It's so very true in life, but it's also hard sometimes to live in the moment like you want to -- not look ahead to joyful reunions with people you missed back home or look back and think about how you could have seen and done more. Just be. Be in that time and place and forget (almost) everything else.
I miss home. I've been homesick everyday for my precious ones. It's been hard here. Hard without them. I feel I will have come away with a lot as a person, but Andy and Annabelle are my everything. The experience is not the same. Perhaps means less in some ways without them there to share it with me.
Annabelle saw the ferris wheel in downtown Houston and said "open up fennis wheel". She calls a ferris wheel a fennis wheel. It is so cute! Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Annabelle got a Sponge Bob candy dispenser for Christmas which had candy in his santa hat. Annabelle flipped up his hat and asked "Sponge Bob, do you have candy in your brain?" It was hilarious and precious. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
We got Sarah back. Someone in the neighborhood found her. We are so relieved. I cried like a baby when Andy told me someone called and he was going to pick her up.
Annabelle kept asking me where Sarah was, and I told her "she's on a journey." When she asked when she'd be back, I told her, "cat business sometimes takes a long time."
Thankfully, it only took five days for Sarah to complete her "cat business" (and for us to find her). We feel a prayer was answered.
Funny story. When Annabelle saw Sarah she said -- very matter-of-factly -- "You're back."
I guess these things don't register as hard on a toddler. Andy and I were so upset.
Later, Annabelle patted Sarah and said, "we got a net to catch you ... it's outside!" (The "net" she was referring to is actually a humane cat/varmint trap we bought to try to catch her.) Now we have a 50-dollar cat trap and nothing to try to catch. It's been used and the box was thrown out, so we are thinking about donating it to the animal shelter to rent out to people. (All the traps were rented out when we visited or we would have rented one!)
Anyway, all's well that ends well. She's home. She's home!
Now we're wondering: "Who ate the cat food that we left in our half-open garage last night?" The world may never know.
Where to start? I can't even begin -- and that's saying something for me.
Our cat, Sarah, is lost. She slipped out of the house and we can't find her. We're desperately sad and worried for her welfare.
Christmas is just closing in on us and I feel so unprepared. Because we are.
Annabelle participated in her first Christmas program earlier in the week and she was so cute. I cried my eyes out when she walked in the church and all the way through her class' rendition of "Away in a Manger," complete with hand gestures. It was the most adorable, precious thing.
Please join me in a prayer for Sarah's safe return and that, wherever she is, she is OK.
As an aside, I am disgusted at the results of my dear, dear "Dancing With the Stars." Two of the best performers weren't even in the finals. And Donny is just a huge suck up who won because he is popular, not because he was the best (who knew?! I guess that says something about the show's demographics!). It almost makes me not want to watch next season.
I am Geneen, and I approved this message. (Andy said he does too.)
Annabelle told me today I needed a haircut. To her, a "haircut" is putting your hair up. I normally put her hair in ponytails or pigtails everyday and, you know how it goes, you throw your own hair into a chip clip or do the ponytail too. So today, I actually had my hair down and Annabelle noticed.
She said, "Your hair long."
"Yes," I said.
"You need hair cut. ... Hair band."
(Then I laughed to myself about hair bands and moved on.)
*
In other news, I swear, some days, some months it feels like the entire world and everyone in it is against you. I feel that way right now. :-(
Sometimes you hear a song at just the right time. Today was one of those times. May I recommend "Wonderful" by Gary Go.
The person that you were has died You've lost the sparkle in your eyes You fell for life -- into its traps Now you wanna bridge the gaps Now you want that person back
And all your ammunition's gone Run out of fuel to carry on You don't know what you wanna do Cause what you want does not want you If what you want does not want you And you've got no pull to pull you through
Say: "I am." Say: "I am." Say: "I am wonderful."
If what you've lost cannot be found And the weight of the world weighs you down No longer with the will to fly You stop to let it pass you by Don't stop to let it pass you by You've gotta look yourself in the eye
Say: "I am." Say: "I am." Say: "I am wonderful."
Cause we are all miracles wrapped up in chemicals We are incredible Don't take it for granted, no We are all miracles Oh we are.
I haven't felt much like chatting lately. Not that I am ever chatting, it's just me posting. Or, sometimes, Andy. I feel somewhat glum.
But Annabelle did tell me she liked a song today, so I thought I would share her music choice of the day with you: "Forever Young" by Alphaville. Random happenstance that we heard that song today and she told me, "I like this music." So here ya go. Old school alternative or something like that. And weird video.
New pix online. If you have a Flickr account be sure to sign in. I am not sharing all of my pictures with the masses, so you will miss some if you don't. Ask me if you have issues getting a flickr account. You shouldn't. It's free and easy. But if you do, let us know.
And last night I thought Mya on "Dancing With the Stars" was awesome. Kelly Osbourne is my favorite, but she isn't the best.
We have to remember: God has a plan for all of us, we just have to believe in it and trust it. That He's in charge. That what is meant to happen, will. That what we hope for isn't always what's meant for us. Or, as my yoga teacher long ago said: Maybe it's not what you want, but what you need. I think about that all the time. Anyway ...
Amidst it all, we are blessed to have family and friends who love and support us. We'd be nothing without them.
The Thrashers did win tonight -- in spectacular fashion. Three players had two goals -- three players could have had hat tricks ... awwww! It almost makes up for all the struggling we've had to do lately. Almost. And I guess that's the value of sport and movies and, seemingly mindless entertainment isn't it?
It's been hard traveling without Annabelle. I don't know what I am going to do when I go to Moscow!
There's so much to talk about, but I wanted to get this out there for family. Here are the proofs from Anna's portraits for school. If you want one of these, let me know. Obviously it would not have the watermark.
From the church hall you can see into the beautiful courtyard, which, right now, is full of all kinds of pumpkins and gourds. Looking out the window she said, "I want to touch a bumpy pumpkin."
Before her nap, we were reading on the couch and she slid down to the floor, gave a big sigh and said, "Oh Neptune!" (Which is something one of the characters in Spongebob says.) It was hilarious.
Her Mothers Day Out is going OK. I still have a hard time leaving her -- even though it is just for three hours, two times a week. She is interacting with other kids and learning to share and clean up and stuff like that. I just never imagined how hard it would be to let her go for that tiny amount of time. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
My old friend Kim got married yesterday and it was a joyous occasion. It was wonderful to see her so happy. She's been through a lot since the high school days, having had a stroke (and brain surgery!) just a few years out of college and dealing with the long-term ramifications of that. But Kim always pressed on and pressed through the difficulties she faced. I am so proud of her and so happy for her.
Do you ever feel like a failure? Does it ever seem like the smallest task is impossible? Whatever the reason, I feel that way lately. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Posted a bunch of pictures of Annabelle in the Photo Albums, so take a look. Here's one of many cute ones.
In other news, Annabelle seems to not like her dance class anymore. I can't quite understand it. She loved it the first three times she went. Now it's crying and fit-throwing from the moment she even sees the building. I've watched every class and as far as I can tell, nothing negative happened. Why is she doing this? I don't know. But as of our last (of three) visits, which resulted in crying and screaming, I've decided that it's just not worth it. For whatever reason she doesn't want to go. Nevertheless, she has to be out of the house and in the world for small bits of time, so Andy and I decided to put her in a Mothers-Day-Out thing (here they call it pre-school, even though it is a mere three hours, twice a week at a church).
Anyway, the horrible dreams have already started. The day after I signed her up, I dreamed some terrible things. In my career I've read so many scary stories that it's just bubbling up in my subconscious I guess. Anyway, wish us luck. Pray for good things for Anna if you happen to be one who prays.
That's about it from here. Andy and the cat are crashed out on the couch. I think I want to crash too.
One of Annabelle's favorite phrases is still a classic: "I can't like it." Also popular, "I can't want to." But today, we were going through some clothes and I held up a shirt and Annabelle said, "I can't wear it."
"Why?" I asked.
"It's not cute."
I am not sure if she even knows what she is saying, but Andy heard her from upstairs and cracked up. We both died laughing.
She did love the one with "buttons on!" And demanded we put it on her immediately, which we did. So maybe she is already -- at the tender age of 2 1/2 -- developing her idea of what is cute and what isn't? I don't know, but it was really funny.
We were eating lunch at Saltgrass today and Annabelle was enjoying her sundae when I decided to eat a spoonful of it. As I was swallowing the tasty treat wheb Annabelle looked up at me and said "I want that back, put it back!". It was hilarious! Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Annabelle played with finger paints and this is just some of the very messy results. At one point she turned to me and said, "I painted myself."
In other news, I can't sleep. I've been having horrible dreams. I need to start working out again. Seriously. I just want to forget all of the things that are happening and go back to "normal." (Whatever that means, right?) There's lots to say, but it's best unsaid I am sure. So I will just go try to sleep.
Annabelle has started asking questions. I wondered when that was going to happen -- and I am excited for the challenge. Let's see what I know! Ha ha! She was asking me "what is this?" "What is that? " All day today. It was quite exciting.
We had a busy day so far. We took a bubble bath (twice! I am a sucker for the word "please, please!" as spoken by a child). Played with ponies. Finger painted. Played with bubbles. Watched the "Jelly Fish Jam" episode of "Spongebob" just one-too-many times. And so much more! Whew! I am tired already.
I keep telling myself what Bob Marley sang, "Everything's gonna be alright, Everything's gonna be alright, Everything's gonna be alright, Everything's gonna be alright, Everything's gonna be alright."
Au Contraire Monsieur Voltaire, We Know Where One Angel Dwells
It is not known precisely where angels dwell - whether in the air, the void, or the planets. It has not been God's pleasure that we should be informed of their abode. - Voltaire
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It's a fact. We've lived in other states and nowhere else I've ever been will you hear Rush being played in restaurants, at gas stations, all over the radio, in grocery stores. I love that about my fellow Texans because Rush is a lot like Texas: Bigger than most people realize and constantly bucking trends and telling the rest of the world to deal with it. (As an important aside, I am talking about the band, not the loathesome individual who shames the noble name of "Rush." Please send your hate mail and letters in defense of said person elsewhere.) Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Annabelle danced like a fairy princess today. Her class has two other girls in it and they get lots of personal attention. I think she really, really enjoys it. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
