Photo Friday: Breakfast!

This week's photo challenge over at Creating Motherhood : cooking and beverages.

I feel like I'm in the kitchen a lot these days--its been a challenge to figure out what Mr. O-man wants to eat and will eat. And I feel like I need to run 50 bajilion miles to work off the extra weight that has crept on, because I'M eating the the leftovers of what he won't eat.

But one thing the O-man and I do agree on food wise? Breakfast! We both love it, and enjoy our morning routine together.

Cooking

Beverage 

See what others have snapped for the challenge.

OH! And good news! US Air is sending me a refund check for my camera---Yeehaw! What camera do you have?  I need to go shopping!

Project IF 2010

How infertility impacted your “plans”/current choices/future decisions.

Mook often has to put up with me asking: "What if we hadn't decided to just throw out the birth control 3 1/2 years ago?" "What if we had waited longer to try and become parents?"

I'm just glad we decided to throw it out when we did. That's all I can really ever answer to my reminiscent questions.

Now I find myself adding a new question that plays in a constant loop in my brain. (Where is the OFF switch, by the way?!)

How will we afford to add to our family? And the afford part? That's a double whammy.

'Cause not only am I talking about the bank account, but at the cost of my health.

Just in the past two months, I've been given bad skin biopsy results, told the cyst on my head is now in my lymph node, and I seem to have developed severe allergies to things I have never had issues with in the past.

Is my body trying to tell me something?! Could it all be a coincidence. Of course it could--but the fact that I feel more like I'm 80 than just a month shy of 30 just makes me melancholy in all sorts of ways.

I do want to give the O-man a sibling. And would I change anything I went through to get him here? Absofreakinloutley not. But I also want to be here for many more years to come.

The whole experience of getting to where we are, and where we are headed is a challenge, to say the least. But I am thankful...and hopeful. Always hopeful.



To see more of this project go to:
Stirrup Queens, Bloggers Unite

For more information on infertility go to RESOLVE

Please help spread the word and educate others:

National Infertility Awareness Week

Below the streets of NYC

I can't tell you how happy I am that I took this picture with my phone, and not the camera that was stolen. 

Because this picture? The most important one I took the whole trip.

It's not of famous people sitting across from us on the subway.

It's not of a famous landmark.

It's just three random kids. They are from France, I'm pretty sure--since the game they were playing and the conversations they were having were spoken in the beautiful French language. 

You had the pretty 16ish-age-girl who was keeping her active 9ish-age-brother entertained with sing-song games, while she was trying to convince the aloof "Im too cool for this" 14ish-age-brother to join in.

But I didn't snap this picture because of their beautiful language, or the fact that they were playing fun games, or to create a "We're on the Subway in NYC!" picture.

I took the picture because they are siblings. 

Not only were Mook and I on the same track on the subway, but on the same mental track as well (ha! couldn't help the pun!) 

That subway ride from Grand Central Station to Battery Park was our first real serious discussion about our next steps. Seeing those kids interact, and know that we do want to give the O-man a sibling.

Our hearts are on the path to adoption. We plan on beginning the journey as early as the end of this year--and I already feel prepared since I have fantastic resource of women to turn to for advice and assistance. The first step for us will be a seminar or two...and of course a lot of bugging friends with questions!

We may not even be able to do much after attending the seminars--because unfortunately, finances will be the biggest hurdle for us. But knowing that Mook and I are both on the same page, and we both felt sooo at peace with our decision is enough for now. 

Those siblings will never know who we are, but we will always remember them for opening our hearts on a subway ride.

Bunch of Greatness!

Three years ago, the Braces Bunch was born! 

I had joined the blog world two months before, and was already seeing the incredible support offered by so many "strangers." Then, when I boldly asked for these "strangers" to share their identity and mailing address with me, twelve women willingly obliged. 

We kept the post office busy that first year! Notes, letters, care packages went across the miles--as far away as South Africa and Australia! Not only were we able to offer support on the blogs, but through writing hand written notes of encouragement. Something about opening the mail box and not seeing just bills and pizza coupons makes me feel giddy :)

Then we added more Bunchers...more letters, Secret Santa swaps, and even our very own video conference earlier this year! 

These women are truly my sisters. I am so thankful for each and every one of them!

Photo Friday: It's Electric!

Stupid hormones.

AF started today, so I'm freakin' crying as I post my pictures for this week's Photo Friday challenge, because my camera was stolen this week. I was flying back from the City of Brotherly Love (hah!) and was asked to gate check my bag...and that's the last time I saw my camera. I could care less about the actual camera, but that tiny blue memory stick...I want it back!

Thank GOODNESS I still have a camera on my phone so I can still snap some pictures!

This week's challenge: Cooking Oil and Electric Light Source

I was making pasta this week and had to quickly set the oil down on the closest surface (my windowsill) since O-man decided to get stuck under the kitchen table.
A well-placed "accident" for a picture!

The plug for my coffee pot. Uber-important, no?

See what others are sharing this week!

Photo Friday: Bowl me Over

Ohh how I love a photo challenge! If you have been around my neck of the woods for awhile, you may remember the attempt to bring Picture Pages back to life (and it was fun while it lasted!).

So I was thrilled to see that super-duper Calli is doing a Photo Friday. I have always loved taking pictures--and have dreams of getting a high tech mega camera one day, but for now, I'm making the best out of what I've got--and hey, its more about actually capturing the memory, right?

This week's challenge was: Bowls and Doorknobs. And it's up to you, as the photographer, to post your interpretation of those items.

My salad bowl from a dinner out with Mook

My doorknob from our hotel room

I've been spending the past few days with Mook on one of his business trips--we figured out a few weeks ago that I have only seen him about 30 days this year. That's just tough. So my in laws are hanging out with the O-man for a few days, and my other main man and I are doing a mini tour of the northeast.

Be sure to visit Calli @ Creating Motherhood to see the other Photo Friday submissions--they are so awesome to look at!