Springtime gardening!

A friend visited us in our pool the other day! He swam around for about an hour, quacked at the dogs, and then flew away to rejoin his group.

Blossoms appeared on the apple tree we planted last year.

Our vegetables are growing well. Daniel has outsmarted the squirrels and birds by putting up netting.

The green beans have sprouted!

The bulbs are in full bloom.

My grandmother's plants have survived winter.

We welcome spring!

Eye Candy Friday

Don't you wish you were on this boat right now? Well, so do I. We took this photo on a hobie-cat in Hawaii. Beautiful! Down to business. I've got some good news, some bad news, some so-so news, depending on how you feel about gambling. This week Daniel and I made some enormous decisions.

1. We have chosen to go ahead with our Ethiopia adoption, knowing it may very well be up to 5 years before it is finalized, if ever. We had to make a decision because our FDL, dossier and home study have expiration dates, and time's ticking away. Bad news, we had to fork over another 5k in order to move onto the waiting list. I feel like I just drove to Vegas, strolled up to the roulette table and slid my 5k on red, if you know what I mean. We have no idea what's going to happen, and we won't know for quite a while. The whole thing could be a bust! But we just couldn't walk away from it all, with all the hard work we have done.

2. Since we have made this very risky/foolish/brave decision, and a baby may take many years to manifest itself, I have decided I need a distraction. For one year I have had sitting on my desk the following things: A graduate school application, writing samples, three recommendation letters, and college transcripts. They have been sitting on my desk because I have been thinking, "Anyday we will be having/adopting a baby. I can't work, go to graduate school and raise a child all at the same time!" So I have put off applying to graduate school for a year. Well, I just got a major bug up my ass this week and decided to go for it!!! Like my stepmom always says, the time is going to pass by anyway. You may as well be doing something productive. And she is so right. She is always right! So my application is sent, and I will hopefully hear by mid-summer if I will be entering the English MA program in the fall.

3. Decision No. 3, since I won't ever be carrying children in my body, Daniel and I have decided I need to take advantage of that by turning my flabby bod into a hot bod! We joined a gym in January, only 20 bucks a month, and I'm pumping iron hardcore! Besides wanting a hot bod, I need to do strength training since I'm premenopausal and don't want to get osteoporosis or heart disease. Boo to osteoporosis and heart disease!!! Will let you know how the hot bod thing is going as time passes. In the meantime, I'm trying to stay positive and looking for any distraction I can find. Any ideas?