Texas Here I Come!

Our Journey to Adoption

2011-12-11T19:22:00.001-06:00

This is a difficult post to write. It is impossible to convey the hopelessness and confusion that accompanies trying to do something that you feel you were put on this earth to do - "multiply and replenish the earth". I have always known that I would be a mother. That is the one thing that has comforted me through all of this. My impatience frequently gets in the way (that is my nature).

Edward and I have planned on having children from the start - no waiting for us! We figured we were already too old to hold off (oh, how young we were!). We both wanted a large family (and that may still be in the cards for us - who knows?). We both also figured it would happen pretty quickly. Other family members were getting pregnant right and left, and we were sure that we would soon have children joining the throngs of new cousins. We went through one round of new cousins, then two, then three, then four. But for us, still nothing. We went to several doctors, who helped us out in various ways, but we still did not achieve our end goal of becoming pregnant. Fertility procedures are not fun - mix together vulnerability, romance on a schedule, and drugs that make you crazy hormonal - and you're going to end up a mess, physically and emotionally.

There came a point where I could not do it anymore. We were exhausting our savings, I was losing hair (literally) and was a total emotional basketcase, and I could not handle the disappointment one more time. So we stopped. My hair grew back (Whew!), my sanity was restored, and adoption became the right thing to do. We had already begun the process, so we now put ourselves 100% into getting ourselves approved.

Now that we are approved, we pray daily that the right child will enter our lives. We have so much to offer and KNOW that we will be good, loving parents. We know that Heavenly Father has a plan for our family, and we trust that in His time, our family will be made complete.

How We Became "Us"

2011-12-11T17:59:00.000-06:00

Since this is my blog, you will rarely see anything on here from Edward. He's got his own webpage, which you can see from the link on the side of this blog. So for Edward's perspective, please go to his webpage!

Get settled in, this is a little lengthy:
After serving a mission for the LDS Church in Puerto Rico, I returned to school at Utah State University. I really wasn't sure what to do when I graduated, but figured I'd go find a job in the school district that my parents lived in. One day during one of my education classes, they announced that some representatives from a school district in Texas would be doing a presentation to recruit student teachers. My interest was piqued, so I went to the meeting.

At the meeting, they described this glorious place where everybody who student teaches gets a job, the students are this AMAZING mix of cultures, and the pay was almost twice as much as a beginning salary in Utah. Rational me knew it was too good to be true, but poor me was thinking that a guaranteed job with a double salary sounded too good to pass up! So I called my parents and asked if they thought they could help me do this. They said sure (I'm still not sure why), and six months later I moved myself out to Texas.

It was too good to be true, that's for sure, but I do not regret my decision to move. I had many learning and growing experiences and I feel I have a deeper understanding for the hardships that many people face as a result of poor choices or disintegrating culture.

My first week there, I was assigned to an FHE (Family Home Evening) Group at church. This is a group of single people who get together on Monday evenings to have gospel discussions, play games, eat, and FLIRT. Edward was my FHE "brother", and we immediately became friends. I was impressed with how easy-going and non-judgmental he was towards others. But I didn't think of him "like that". We continued like that for about a year (just hanging out with groups of friends). Then one night in the fall of my second year teaching in that scary school district, he tried to get a group of friends together to go star-gazing. I was the only person who would go, so the two of us went looking for an open field (the only one we could find was where they had torn down all the trees to put in houses, and it was right next to the airport - we didn't see many stars to say the least). On the drive, I witnessed a side of Edward that I never knew existed. This was an extremely thoughtful, intelligent man who had obviously given much study and pondering to many questions and issues.

We had a great time star-gazing, and I was positive he would ask me out on a real date for the following week. I waited, and there was no phone call. I kid you not, I waited for TWO MONTHS for Edward to call me back, and he never did. Oh, I saw him at church and at FHE, but he never called for a date. So I gave up and moved on.

The following spring, several friends were getting ready to go float down the Guadalupe River and invited me to go along. I was way too busy to go, but agreed. Edward was in the group, and we stopped for a pit stop in a small town. Edward needed a hat, so I volunteered to venture into Wal-Mart with him. By this time I was SO over him and his lack of call-back skills. Then he tried on a cowboy hat and I totally melted. Pathetic, right? I spent the rest of the weekend shamelessly trying to get his attention (I even conveniently fell asleep at the campfire so that he would have to set my tent up for me). Needless to say, by the end of the weekend, we were an item!

Only problem is, I was leaving in two days for Utah, and I was planning on staying there for almost two months! We ended up talking on the phone for hours each evening, and by some momentary lapse of intelligence, I invited him to my family reunion. We had only been dating in person for 2 days and he purchased a ticket to fly out and meet my family! It was insane. I spent the entire family reunion trying to avoid him as I sorted out what it was that I wanted. Poor Edward - it's a good thing he's so patient! We got engaged the day before he flew back to Texas. What a sweet moment that was - the moment when we both just KNEW that this was right. We were married 5 months later and have never looked back.

We've Been Approved For Adoption!!!

2011-12-11T17:05:00.000-06:00

It's hilarious to think that I almost didn't check my email Thursday night. I had to stay late at school for a PTA Meeting and didn't get home until 8:00. What with it being so late, my plan was to avoid getting any emails from church (that sounds really awful, doesn't it?). ANYWAY, just on a whim before I went to bed, I went ahead and checked my email (even though I knew I was going to regret it). I saw an email from our caseworker, and figured we had something ELSE missing that they had never told us we needed. I opened the email and almost laughed! Seriously, at this point my expectations are pretty low. The email said we were approved and that our profile was already online. For a few minutes I just sat there and wondered if someone was playing a joke on us. So I immediately checked online, and sure enough, there was our profile!

And to think I almost didn't check my email. . .

SUPER Fun

2011-10-08T20:44:00.000-05:00

Today was Super Saturday at church. It was Super Fun. I thought since our door mat says this (and yes, it really does say this):

that maybe I could provide something inside our home for those brave enough to cross the threshold of terror:

I know, cute, right? And it's not always a pumpkin. There are about a gazillion (no, I am SO not exaggerating) different blocks for different holidays to switch out. All I have to say is it had BETTER be cute after all I went through to make the thing!

And just because I love it (and just dusted and polished it) here it is again with My Precious for your viewing pleasure:

It's Football Season!

2011-09-11T21:04:00.000-05:00

We are not exactly football enthusiasts. And we don't exactly like UTSA all that much either (even though they are being gracious enough to offer Edward a diploma in December). But their very first game EVER?!?!? Oh yeah, we were SO there. I have to say, the best moment of the entire game was when they announced the temperature inside the Alamodome. "76 degrees", the announcer decreed. That was the loudest and most enthusiastic cheer the crowd gave the entire game! Heat waves are so much fun. ANYWAY, here is a chronicling of the fun we had last Saturday at UTSA's first football game. And yes, we won. (I say we, because since UTSA won, I will claim them). Please excuse the pictures - we forgot the camera, and were forced to use Edward's crummy phone camera.

Riding the bus shuttle - I will always do this from now on. Curbside pickup and dropoff, no fighting the crowds!

Oh wait, did I say no fighting the crowds??? I take that back.

There's "our" team playing in superb awesomeness.

We had to take this picture six times before we got one where we didn't look deformed.

Halftime show. I'm posting this one just for my marching band fiend of a niece, Bekah.

And it just wouldn't be football without orange and blue no-face guys.

Comfort Food

2011-08-28T20:45:00.000-05:00

I had about 1/3 of a jar of spaghetti sauce that had been sitting in the fridge for almost two weeks. I thought I ought to use it before it got fuzzy, so we made pizza tonight! I LOVE homemade pizza. I would eat it every day if I didn't have to make the dough. And no, I will not buy pre-made dough. It's just not the same. Here is the deliciousness that was our meal:

I can barely contain myself! Does this picture look slightly fuzzy?

Maybe it's just my creepy eyes that throw things out of focus.

Slices so thick, you're jaw unhinges.

Mmm. . .

Aren't you jealous you're not eating at our house tonight?

Where the Heck Have You Been?!?!

2011-07-29T23:13:00.000-05:00

So, so, so, so sorry I have not posted in over two years. It may take another two years for anyone to discover that I've posted again. . . Still not sure if I have the motivation to keep this up consistently, especially since school starts in three weeks, but here goes nuttin'!

TOP 10 REASONS WHY I HAVEN'T BLOGGED IN TWO YEARS:

1. I teach kindergarten. 'Nuff said.
2. I teach kindergarten.
3. I spend my evenings planning lessons so I can teach kindergarten.
4. I spend my evenings moaning about the parents of the children I teach kindergarten to.
5. I'd rather be eating.
6. I hate blogger.com.
7. I teach kindergarten.
8. I can't think of anything new to write about - this happens when all you eat, breathe, and dream is kindergarten!
9. I can't post pictures of my kindergarteners.
10. I have no life (see the above 9 reasons for why).

On a happier note, I am excited for school to start (to a degree!). It is THE BEST to watch those little guys trying to walk in a straight line the first few days. They spread their legs way apart, and hustle down the hallways like cowboys with vertigo! Can't wait to meet my new class. .

By the way, while I was busy updating my blog tonight, Edward let me know that I was not to scream or kick or throw a fit. He was serious. He knows me well.

Summer Fun Part I

2009-07-06T16:08:00.001-05:00

I am extremely new to the whole slideshow thing, so here's my first shot at it. Not that great, but at least you can see my pictures, I hope! We've had a great 1st half of our summer - camping in the Hill Country in Texas, which was stinking hot, then the 4th of July with Edward's family in Houston, and his grandmother's 90th birthday party. It was good to see so much family!

Piano Recital Fun

2009-06-13T13:21:00.000-05:00

Today was my spring piano recital! I just thought I'd post a picture of me and my students (minus 6 of them), so you all could see what an adorable bunch of kids I teach. They all played beautifully, and I had a great time.

My New Job!

2009-05-25T14:04:00.000-05:00

I realize I haven't posted in over 5 months, and that I should play catch up, but there isn't really much to catch up on. This winter was pretty monotonous. Work, school, eat, sleep. . . The usual!

Our recent exciting news is that I was hired to teach Kindergarten in the fall at the elementary school I currently work at!!! I am VERY excited. It is hard to get a position in this district right now. They won't even hire anyone outside of the district until they have placed all the displaced teachers - those are teachers who work for the district, but their positions no longer exist and their contracts are still valid (there are at least 100 of them in the district right now). So for me to get this position is a BIG deal. It's all about who ya know. . .

That news will make this summer a busy one. Edward will be going to school all summer long. In June I will be attending staff developments up the whazoo and teaching piano lessons. Good times!Other than that, here are some random pictures from the last few months that show a little of what we've been doing:

Bluebonnets in Washington County

Visiting the Irelands and new baby Amy

Having fun with the nephew

Fun temple trip

What Marian Needs. . .

2008-12-17T21:38:00.000-06:00

This post is for my sister, Jen. She googled her name followed by the word "needs", and posted the top 10 results. Since I am such an unimaginative blogger, I figured I might as well do it too! Here is what I need, according to Google (all wise and powerful):

1. Marian needs a proper physician. ( don't I know it)
2. Marian needs a man (Edward's working swing shift this week, and I work days - I won't see him for 3 days.
3. Marian needs a hero.
4. Marian needs help. (This goes without saying)
5. Marian needs to prove that she is still valuable????
6. Marian needs a business loan, maybe.
7. Marian needs to deal with her coeliac disease once and for all. (Wikipedia says this is a disease of the small intestine - diarrhea, failure to thrive, fatigue - hahahahaha!)
8. Marian needs donations of money, food, clothing, toiletries. (All donations welcome!)
9. Marian needs to be known for something.
10. Marian needs. (Enough said)

SOOOOOOOO Sorry!

2008-10-25T13:21:00.000-05:00

Okay, okay, okay, I'll update my blog!!! Sorry it's been so long - life has just been an absolute crazy mess since July - but a good one. Here's why I haven't posted in a bajillion years:

1. I got a job working at an elementary school as an instructional assistant for autistic kids. I hated it the first 3 weeks. Now I can't imagine life without someone autistic in it! ;) I sure love those kids - they are definitely chosen children of our Heavenly Father.
2. In addition to the job, I have 20 piano students, who I teach after school. I have a blast with these kids. We're having our very first recital in December.
3. Edward started school at UTSA (University of Texas at San Antonio) this fall, and he dominates the computer ALL the time (luckily, today he is off on some church service project and the computer is free).
4. Since my weeks are so busy, I have to do all the errands, cleaning, church calling stuff on the weekends, and blogging just isn't top on the list.

Despite all the busy-ness, we have had lots of fun moments. Here are some highlights since I laste posted:

The South Texas Corn Maize!!!

Edward's sisters and their families came out to visit for the weekend. Only in Texas do you go to a corn maze in the fall where the corn is STILL growing!

Cutie-pie (the niece, of course - hehe)

Fun with the fam in Idaho

Edwards (31st!!!!!!!!!) birthday

Shhhhh - don't tell him you know his age!

Out to eat at Tucano's in Orem

SOOOO Full!

The whole gang in Idaho

Yellowstone - we did this last year, too.

I promise I will try to post more often!!! Have a Spooktacular Halloween!

Secrets

2008-07-03T16:10:00.000-05:00

It's time I told the truth. I have a serious addiction to Sesame Street. Sad, I know. I don't even have any kids. Below are some of the reasons I think it is so great. I mean, they get the best performers on that show! Watch and see if you don't get hooked too. . . .

Diana Krall

James Blunt

Marian saves the day!

2008-06-20T12:44:00.000-05:00

Earlier this week while at work, I went to clean a few dishes. I picked up the scrub pad and found

THIS:

A GIANT scorpion!!!!!

Okay, so it wasn't exactly GIANT, but it was still almost 2 inches long. AND it was in the sink with the dishes. Having never encountered a scorpion before, I did what any sane person would do: I called my husband and begged him to come kill it for me (he only laughed at me and told me to kill it myself). So what did I do? I covered it with a bowl and tried to ignore it(of course, I dropped the bowl on it 'cause I wasn't about to put my hands down there). Boy, that made it mad! It's little tail curled up (see picture above) and it started hissing or whatever it is that scorpions do. So then I found some wasp killer and sprayed it with that. Didn't kill it (getting madder all the while). Finally, I threw a paper towel over it and mashed it up with a potato masher. I'm pretty sure that killed it. But not completely. It stayed still long enough for me to get up the guts to pick the mashed up paper-towel thing and throw it in the trash, at least. Phew! That was a close one.

Is There Anything Better Than Bluebell?????

2008-06-01T14:42:00.000-05:00

So I might be considered a fanatic, but I am in LOOOOOOOOVE with Bluebell Ice Cream. Maybe I should marry it! So I thought today I'd share my "Ode to Bluebell Ice Cream" with ya'll!

Bluebell, oh Bluebell, I love you so,

From the Great Divide to Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

Your flavors are so varied,

It's a good thing I married

A man who loves you as much as I.

Your founders were so clever,
I hope that I never
Disgrace them by buying generic.

So I'll grab myself a cow
And go eat some right now
You're the best thing since apple pie!
(which tastes great with Homemade Vanilla, by the way!)

Tagged. . . AGAIN?

2008-05-05T15:39:00.000-05:00

Okay, here goes. And I WILL try to post more often, so my blog doesn't look like a haven for tags.

Four places I go over and over:

H-E-B

The library

The tiny gym in our apartment complex

The fridge - haha!

Four people who email me:

LDS Gems Daily Quote

Amy (okay, it's a mass mailing, but still it comes to me)

Bank of America low balance threshold warning

Julia

Four of my favorite foods:

Apple Crisp

Bluebell Ice Cream

Homemade Pizza

Frosty's

Four places I'd rather be right now:

Anywhere!!!

At my sisters' house (doesn't matter which one)

Camping

Sitting by the pool (technically I COULD do that one if I really wanted to, but it's cloudy outside - no fun in that!)

Four movies I could watch over and over again:

Enchanted

Raising Arizona

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (the black and white version)

Flushed Away

Four people I think will respond (this is a tag invitation):

Meagen

Christina

Erica

Karalenny

What We Found When We Took A Drive In The Country. . .

2008-04-26T17:20:00.000-05:00

Castroville!!! Contrary to popular belief, this town is not populated by Cubans. Actually, we found this awesome state historical landmark (cleverly named "Landmark Inn"). Here are some pics of the coolness of this place.

Edward napping on a tree.

The Old GristMill (and Edward)

Huck Finn!!!

Marian practically falling into the river (those rocks were sharp!)

The Medina River Dam - gorgeous (the river of course)

We found yummy blackberries (Edward claims they're called "Dewberries", but I didn't see ANY dew on them). Is it illegal to eat food grown in a state park?

I got tagged . . . sigh.

2008-04-04T22:07:00.000-05:00

Just kidding, Aunt S, I really am glad to do this. :)

I'm supposed to list 5 things that no one knows about me. This is going to be difficult. I'm quite transparent. Umm. . .

1. I am still homesick for Puerto Rico. Seriously, you'd think after 5 years I would get over it or something, but no, every day I still have little pangs for "mi patria".

2. I teach private piano lessons. Nobody knows this, because I just started. I just signed up my 5th student, and I have SOOOO much fun. It's exciting to be doing something that I'm passionate about again.

3. I make breakfast for my husband every morning. This is no small feat, since he leaves the house between 6 and 6:30 every morning, and I am SO not the morning person.

4. I jog 6 1/2 miles every day. Yeah, you wouldn't know it. But I do.

5. I have a hummingbird feeder(and 2 hummingbirds that visit it). This is as close to pets as Edward will let me get. I LIVE for these birds! ;)

Okay, now here's the part where I tag someone else. I tag. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sarah Jane (hopefully she reads my blog!)

Spring Fever!

2008-03-27T21:49:00.000-05:00

So Edward's sister and her 3 boys came to visit us for Spring Break. Talk about a full house! I am glad they don't mind all sleeping in the tiny living room. They are really good sports. Here are some highlights from their stay:

The SAS Shoe Factory
It stands for San Antonio Shoe. Go figure. This is the awesomest place in all of San Antonio. I would recommend it to people before the Alamo. No joke.

Hey there hot lips!

Cute Momma and Cute Baby

The factory tour bus comes complete with SAS Shoe leather upholstery. Pretty cool! Isaac thought so anyway.

My precious new nephew. He's gorgeous, isn't he?

The Texas State Capitol in Austin.

The Austin city skyline (really not that impressive - Houston's is WAAAAAY cooler).

A tribute to the United States of Texas!

Just thought we needed a picture with the state senators from 2001.

My ONE WHOLE picture that I took at SeaWorld (my batteries died), and he's looking bored out of his mind. Amazing.

I am already scheming for an excuse to go see these guys again. We had a great time!

Dumb Dog

2008-03-10T16:39:00.000-05:00

We had new neighbors move in upstairs yesterday. They have a dog. I really don't like dogs that much. This one barks at you from the balcony as you walk towards the building, and you can hear it clearly through the ceiling. We'll see tonight if it likes to bark while everyone's sleeping. I figure I can use it as leverage, though. This way the new neighbors will never complain about my piano, right? It couldn't possibly be any louder than that blasted dog. Sigh - I can't wait until I have my own house.

Free Stuff

2008-03-05T14:28:00.000-06:00

So the military is great - everything is free. EVERYTHING. Our housing, the doctor, prescriptions, and my new favorite - SEA WORLD!!! Plus we get discounts just about everywhere we go. As long as we have no shame and are willing to flaunt our military-ness around, we can get a couple bucks knocked off just about anywhere we go. It's pretty cool. Here are a few pictures of some of our recent CHEAPO excursions:

The U.S.S. Lexington in Corpus Christi

It took us 4 hours to tour this ship - and Edward made sure we didn't miss any of it.

Selena Statue

Okay, the military didn't provide this one, but what person in their right mind would give up an opportunity to remember Selena?!? Plus it was free, too. If you're wondering about the weird angle, there was an old latina abuela with her granddaughter worshipping the statue on the other side. I had to wait until they weren't looking to strike a pose. I'm such a blasphemer. Selena Vive!

The Air Show at Randolph Air Force Base

This isn't Edward's base, just another of the bajillion military bases in San Antonio. Because we're military, we didn't have to wait in line, we just drove right into the base and parked on a random street and walked right into the show. It was AWESOME! And it was free.

Edward's Bum

Always free.

He's gonna kill me for adding this one! Heehee