A nut-a close up, with the good camera, and a suprise

So, Julie Macker and I are in Simpsonville again for another 2 days of Montessori training. We have become obsessed with a sushi restaurant name Blue Fire Grill. Most incredible food. Tonight we got our favorite waitress, Laura Lee. We order our sushi, ednemame, and Sapporo. Yum in all areas. And after a while another couple comes and sits in the Laura Lee's section, right behind us. They brought a weird little aura with them, too and was quickly confirmed, I noticed the older gentleman (60+) gave Laura Lee some nuts out of his pocket and asked her to give them to the chef to sprinkle on his talapia. She takes the nuts and goes to the kitchen. Later she comes back to our table with disbelief on her face. She said her manager cracked open the nuts and a freaking green condom came out! Insanity! I, of course, asked her if she any of the nuts left over. Scrool down to see what came out of the nut she gave us! Craziness. Who the hell would do that? What part of his internal conversation would allow for that?

More canoeing pics

Noah and his mom and dad, Wren and Chris.





One of Talia's better pictures...You can at least recognize who it is!

Canoe trip

Our adoptive family group went canoeing on the Congaree river on Sunday. Talia, grandma and I went since I had to have another adult with the 4 year old. This is Talia's new best friend, Noah. We've gotten together for a few play dates but obviously not enough! Noah grabbed her hand and wanted to be within 1 foot of her all day. So dang cute.

Playdough madness

So cousin Nicky brought an playdough set. I looooove playdough. The kids attended for quite a while. Talia ended up making footprints, knee prints, and shoes with it. Always out of the box.

More lake pics

Family fest at the lake

Elias is practicing winking to get the ladies...Wow.


We were off doing something when these guys came out having raided granddad's closet.


And of course Bella had to get dressed up like Granddaddy, too!

House (98%) Ready!

After 1400 sq feet of carpet and vinyl, we are ready! There are still a few boxes to put away, but supposedly our house went on MLS today. I even took yesterday off and worked for 12 hours cleaning and doing. Jorge came over and painted like a master painter (just to touch up), mom sewed curtains for the bathroom upstairs and Janet made this place shine. It looks amazing. Yes, everyone says "Makes you wish you weren't leaving" which is true in a way. Yes, the house looks fantastic, but that's not why we are leaving. We want to be near my sister, and closer to our life, which seems to be in West Columbia and Columbia.

Does this ever work?

I got three of these when I stayed at Simpsonville in the Holiday Inn Express. Always on Friday morning, so obviously Thursday night is someone's mission night. Always the same message. Do these work? Does anyone say yes, that's the kind of Jesus I want? I use to listen to Unshackeled at 2am back in college-always coming home from a show from Chapel Hill or Durham. Many years I tried to find some info on that show, and finally I've located it thanks to Google. I just looked at it again and it is no wonder that I stayed away from church for so long...all the negativity and pain and death and affliction that programs like these use as "selling" points. Something to ponder, but dang, at 2am a good (dah dah dah dah-that's old fashioned kid organ music) stor y made the drive a little faster.

Sniff

Just when my flowers are reaching peak pefection...All lucious and thriving and beautiful...I decide to sell. I hope this is a deciding factor for a couple...They will not get my yard art.

Cold, hard truth

Bugs are weird. That's the cold, hard truth. This is one of our writing spiders that we have inhabiting our yard (and I've just asked it to kindly leave.) I've seen spiders. I've seen spiders' webs. I've seen bugs caught in the web of a spider and devoured. I haven't seen this mammoth of something wrapped in web and sucked dry. Whoa. It appeared to be a flying creature-perhaps a butterfly-that had the misfortune of flying the wrong way. Now, if I was a spider and something larger than me got caught in my house, I'd turn the other way and let it escape. I know my limits. Nooooo, this spider just wraps it up, licks her lips and begins dinner. When I saw it, I guess half the insect body fluid was gone and the spider's abdomen was expanding. Crazy. When it was done, she kicked it to the curb. I found the dry, empty carcass on the shrub below. I showed my agent..not exactly as excited about nature as I was.



Now I don't have a creepy story to share about this, but I was working in the yard today and this dragonfly (whom I love) landed on the fence, and stayed. I thought, I wish I had a camera since it was just hanging out. I got closer and closer and it just sort of stared and blinked at me. Cute. It hung out so long that I had the crazy idea to just go get my camera. It was still there! It actually left twice during its photoshoot but returned. If it actually landed on me, then I might be freaked out. Many people know that I once read the Native American belief that if you see a dragonfly nearby, that is a sign that you are working on a problem or have some sort of issue in your life. So what does "permanant residence" mean?

More drama

Our neighbor Liv loves to put on productions...She and Talia were using Talia's little clothes...


A bow...


Princess Tatarina!

Crossing Fingers

We offered a contract to this house on Thursday, but the owners (our third cousins) want to wait until we officially have our house on the market before deciding anything. We are getting carpet and vinyl tomorrow and Tuesday, and a being cleaned on Wednesday. Hits the MLS on Thursday. Someone can buy it on Friday! I can dream.

Takes a special kind of man

To run around with his balls hanging out...That's what those red things are hanging from the trailor hitch...Sorry the pictures are blurry. The back of the window says "Fear This." Heck yeah we'll fear this...Fear catching something. Bet there's dismembered deer parts in that there cooler...

What are we doing?!

This is completely brought on by us, but we are trying to sell our house again. Last weekend we spent yet another weekend at my sister's house, who lives in West Cola. At one point I "ran home" for some food for dinner and it took over 45 minutes! Then my sister tells me a house on the street adjacent to hers is for sale. We ride by, we like, we look online and it is owned by my 3rd cousin! Talk about a small world! Mike and I talk, we contact an agent who's card we've been saving for months and months and we start the ball rolling. Actually the agent, Ginny Sadreameli, sold the house to us 6 years ago (my chemo brain had her filed away as Gena so took a few moments to put two and two together). We've seen the house near my sister's and we really like it. It is an older ranch style house with a 1040 sq ft basement! Hello art room and storage! When we viewed the house on Friday I left a note for Jim and Louise, asking them to call me since I haven't seen them in sooooo long. When I first moved to Columbia 15 years ago they took me out for dinner and actually cooked dinner once in that very house, but I don't remember. So I am trying to figure how to tweak reconnecting with family and working a deal for the house that doesn't screw up the reconnection. So, we are packing and simplifying and cleaning and chunking stuff...We are going to put down new carpet and vinyl in the master bath, so hopefully we can get this house sold! Since we tried unsuccessfully last year to sell the house, I am a bit worried right now. But, I'm hoping everything goes as it should. We are planning to do everything we can exactly as Ginny says so we can get it sold!

Adoption. No news.