Thursday, April 30, 2009

The Ell.en Show

Yesterday we went to a taping of the El.len Deg.eneres show. So fun!

We started the day out early. I had read online that the earlier you got there, the better your seat. That turned out not to be the case, but we hit the road early hoping it was true. After DeAnn met up at our place, we swung by and picked up my good friend Carla and off we went.

We made pretty good time, even though the navigation system steered us wrong(either that or Joe didn't follow it correctly, which happens sometimes :). Anyway, Carla called her Dad because he used to work in Burbank(where the show is taped) and he got us going back in the right direction. Just goes to show sometimes you need a real life person over a computer to get some things done the right way!

Once we got there we were told we would have to wait until 1:30 to get in line to get our number(which was also our ticket in). Thus the whole getting-there-early plan kind of failed.

Oh well. We were so excited it didn't matter! We strolled around a little bit and took lots of pictures.

Right when we got there we saw these kids(well, teenagers) sitting on a bench outside the studio. They were all wearing Ell.en t-shirts and holding signs. As I walked by they shouted to me "We met Ell.en!" I was like "Really?" "When?". Apparently she had pulled up to the studio in her car about 5 minutes before we got there and when she saw their signs she got out of her car and said Hi to them! Just the first instance of bad timing that we would experience that day. We chatted with them for a few minutes and I took a picture of them because they were cute. They had been there since 3:00 a.m.! Total Ell.en fanatics! They let me take their picture. When we got into the studio they were front and center in the audience! The one holding the "Tony will you go to Prom with me" sign actually got El.len to ask Tony if he would go with her and he said Yes! (Tony is the D.J. on the show). They are going to send a camera crew with them and everything! Pretty cool.


After that we went back to the "holding area" and sat on the benches and waited until it was time to line up to get our numbers. We ended up waiting over an hour before they said we could line up.

At around 12:50 they announced that we could line up so I went to get in line, since the reservation was in my name.

Waiting in line to get our numbers

When I signed up online to request tickets(about a month and a half ago), I had no idea that the date I had chosen would be around the 1000th taping. From watching the show earlier in the week, we knew that the date of our taping was going to be the 999th show, with the 1000th show being taped on Thursday and airing on Friday.

Well there was a bunch of rumors in the ticket line that today's show would actually be the 1000th show, since there had been 2 tapings on Tuesday(when normally there is only one). So we were kind of getting excited that we might actually get to see the taping of the 1000th show. There was supposed to be a big hoopla and a lot of giveaways for that show so it would have been cool if the rumors had been true.

After about 40 minutes I got my numbers (47-50) and I joined the rest of my group back in the holding room. It was only 1:30 at this point, and the show wasn't due to tape until 4:00!

We thought we had a good chance of getting decent seats in the studio, as our numbers were so low. Yet another thing we would be wrong about!

As we were waiting they gave out these surveys with questions on them. Where are you from, have you ever been to the show before, etc. It also asked if you had any special talents or tricks you might want to share with them, to which we all answered "No!"

Another question on the survey was "How has the current economic crisis affected you?" I put a little information down about Joe losing his job and such but I didn't go into great detail or anything.

Well a few minutes later one of the show staff was making an announcement that they were going to ask some people to come with them so they could interview them a little more about the answers on their surveys and next thing I know they are calling both mine and Joe's names! So they take us to the back of the lot and have us all line up and tell us that our answers to the economic crisis question had touched them and they wanted to interview us! Joe was kind of mad. I had filled out both of our surveys and he was like "What did you write?". I told him I only wrote the truth and that he should chill out because maybe it meant we were going to win something!

They broke us into groups and got our names and numbers and then told half of us to go back in the holding area until they could come and get us to interview us. The other half of the group they kept there.

So back to holding area we went to wait. And wait. And wait. They didn't come back to get us so I was a little bummed. I think Joe was relieved. He said he didn't want to be on t.v. talking about how he had lost his job. He said he would have been embarrassed. I can understand that but if it meant we were going to win some money or something, I would have done it!

Finally they started lining us up to go over to the studio. I don't know what the rhyme or reason was to the numbers because even though ours were pretty low they lined up a bunch of people and took them over to the studio before us.

The studio was across the street and they had us get into groups, lined up in numerical order and cross the street together like a bunch of cattle.

Once across the street we entered the building and went through airport-like security.
Once through security they lined us up in what they call the "Riff Raff" room(which is basically the overflow room). The Ell.en shop was in there and they told us we had time to look around and buy stuff then since it became very crowded after the show. We browsed a bit and bought a t-shirt and then got back into line.

Finally they started filing us into the studio. It was freezing cold in there! And much smaller than it looks on t.v. We were a little disappointed in our seats. They were all the way on the left side(facing the audience), and not even half way down. It didn't even look like the camera swiveled that far over so I'm not even sure if we could be seen on camera at all.

The warm up guy came out and some blaring dance music started playing and he had us up and dancing right away. That was fun for about 4 songs. Then it started getting tiring! But the dancing continued for a good half hour before the show even started taping! By the time El.len came out I was exhausted! She did her monologue and then of course she started dancing. She went right by us and down the aisle but we were so far in that I didn't get a close up look at her.

It was about this time that we realized this show was indeed the 999th show and not the 1000th. Bummer. We were still hopeful that there would be some sort of giveaway, as we had been talking to people in the holding area who had been there before and each time they had been given some cool prizes for attending.

After Ell.en stopped dancing and sat down in her chair they showed some of the show's funniest moments leading up to the 999th show and then they went on location and she called the family who won Ell.en's Stimulus Package on the phone they brought the money machine to her house and let her get all of the money out of it. Then it was time for the first commercial break.

After the break the first guest was Ry.an Reyn.olds, who is in the movie Wol.verine right now. He was funny but overall I wasn't that impressed.

Next she had on a little girl who composes music and plays the piano. Her name was Em.ily Bear. She is obviously some kind of child prodigy and she was amazing. She talked with El.len for a few minutes and then played a breathtaking song on the piano that she wrote. It was so beautiful it almost brought tears to my eyes.

Between each guest and during the commercial break they would start up with the music and get us all dancing again. It was starting to get old at this point. During these times El.len would just sit in her chair or stand on the stage while 8 or 9 people tended to her. Going over cue cards, refilling her water, touching up her makeup. At this point I was beginning to dread the commercial breaks because I was tired of dancing and it was LOUD!

The last guests to come out were Joan and Mel.issa Riv.ers. They had been on the Celebr.ity App.rentice and Mel.issa had just been "fired". They were pretty funny and very entertaining.

The last thing she did was announce that an audience member was going to win a thousand dollars then they announced who it was and she got to go up on stage and talk for about one minute about why she needed the money.

And then it was over. They told us as we were leaving we could take a tram over to another lot and go to the Warn.er Br.os store. Since it was rush hour traffic time, that's what we opted to do. It was a small store so we stayed about ten minutes and then the tram brought us back to the parking lot where our car was and we left.

We were kind of bummed that there were no giveaways at all, seeing as though the 1000th show was being taped the very next day and she had been advertising tons of giveaways for that.

We stopped at Chip.otle on the way home for dinner, since we were starving and didn't want to sit in traffic.

Here's some pics



Picture of the entrance to the Warner Bros. parking structure. Fascinating for you, I'm sure :)


Hanging on the outside of the studio.

We had a lot of fun in front of this poster, taking pictures. We looked like such tourists!










More posters hanging on the outside studio walls.

Back in the holding area
Joe was obviously feeling a little loopy by this time, making it necessary to re-take the photo.
That's better






Dinner at Chipo.tle in Burbank


DeAnn
and Carla have more pictures that I'll have to get from them so I can post them too.


All in all it was a very fun day and I would do it again if given the chance.

I bought a "Laugh. Dance. 1000." T-shirt, which I fully intend to modify with my Cricut and some t-shirt transfer tape to say "Laugh. Dance. 999." Heh.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Catch Up

I’m not feeling the blog lately.

I’ve been busy. I am bored. I feel blah.

Add to that the fact that I made a promise to myself that I was NOT going to write anything depressing here anymore and that leaves me with not a lot to say. (Our situation has not changed. Joe has not found a job. We have not received unemployment. We do not know where we are going to live-Oops! Wasn’t going to talk about that stuff. Moving on.)

The Samurai exhibit was cool. We had a good time. I don’t think either of us has ever been to the opening of an exhibit before. Even if it was just a little museum down the street, it was kind of neat to get all dressed up and attend. They even had food! I know. I doesn’t take a lot to excite me.

Friday Joe and I got to have dinner with one of my most favorite bloggers ever. This in itself is quite a feat, seeing as though she lives all the way over on the East Coast and I never dreamed we would actually ever get to meet in person! She happened to be out our way for a family event and we made plans to meet for dinner.

Everything about the evening was awesome. Awesome conversation, awesome food, awesome person (as I knew she would be). I can’t post any pictures or tell you her name, because she likes to keep her identity on the down low (unlike me, who puts every little bit of my personal life out on the internet for you all to read). She said it would be o.k. if I linked to her blog though.

Her blog is Journeywoman. I have been following for what seems to be a long time now. We’re both DTC in the same month for China, so it is at least 3 years. Maybe more. She is smart and funny and sometimes a bit cynical (which I love) and we have been through so many of the same experiences trying to build our families that as soon as we sat down I felt like I had known her for years. Which I guess I have, in the way that reading someone’s blog makes you feel like you “know” someone. All in all, it was a wonderful night and I am so grateful that she took time out of her trip to meet up with us.

Thank you Journeywoman!

Saturday I had lunch with my Dad, then Joe and I headed over to the tennis courts to hit a few balls around. (Tennis balls people!) I wish I could say all of this tennis is improving my game, but sadly that isn’t the case. It is, however, helping with my goal of exercising more, so it’s all good.

Sunday Joe and I spent all day starting a (much needed) remodel on my Dad’s bathroom. We got one coat of paint done and it is looking better already. Next weekend we need to put one more coat of paint on, then install a new toilet and vanity. I was so sore on Monday I could hardly walk. Who knew that painting was such a workout? Certainly not me. I suppose that speaks volumes about how bad of physical shape I’m in. I’m trying to remedy that, K? More on that another time.

Lastly, yesterday when Joe came to pick me up from work (Yes, we are still sharing a car. Yet another thing I don’t want to talk about), he brought the mail with him and in it was a lovely package from Rhonda over at Rhonda and Company. I had the pleasure of meeting Rhonda and family at the Northern CA Adopters picnic that M3 had last spring.
In the package was a lovely lifebook that she had received a duplicate of when she adopted her beautiful Lizzie and she gifted it to me. It is beautiful and I love it! I don’t have any pictures of it yet(because I suck), but take my word for it, it is bee-yoo-tee-ful and it was so nice of Rhonda to think of me. Pictures to come.

Thanks Rhonda!

Well I think that catches you up on my fascinating life over the last few days. I have droned on long enough here at work when I am supposed to be working so I’d better sign off.

Oh yeah, tomorrow I am going to a taping of the Ell.en Degen.eres show and I am super excited about it! Full report on Thursday.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Busy

I have been just so busy this week. I feel like I haven't been home at all. Go, go , go.

No time to blog! Or catch up on my favorite shows either. And barely check Face.Book(Gasp!)

I missed Thankful Thursday now for the last two weeks. Must remedy that.

We're headed out in a few minutes to go the opening night of Art of the Samurai at a local museum. Joe loves him some Samurai stuff(what's up with guys and Samurai?).

Hopefully things will slow down this weekend and I can get caught up.
Gotta Run! The Samurai are calling :)

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Disneyland with Donna and Lauren Elizabeth

Today I had the pleasure of meeting up with fellow blogger Donna, along with Joe(Donna's husband) and sweet daughter Lauren Elizabeth at Disneyland.

Donna wrote on her blog last week that she was planning a trip down my way, so of course I had to invite myself along. I can be pushy like that :)

Ironically, it was almost 2 years ago to the day that a bunch of us bloggers/waiting Mommas/friends all met up at Disneyland.

Lauren opening the box I made for her at lunch time

Showing off her bracelet. This was taken about one second before she tried to rip it off of her arm. Ahhhh.............2 year olds :) Perhaps when she is a little older she can wear it.

Opening and closing the gate is almost as fun as riding a ride!We went on the "Winnie the Pooh" ride. I'm sure it has a better name than that.




It was really cute.

There was virtually no line to see Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore, so afterwards we hopped in the line for that.





Eeyore went on a potty break right when we got there. Figures. I love Eeyore.

Lauren found a new friend inside one of the shops



I did get one shot of Donna and Lauren and I, but it didn't come out very good so I'm hoping Joe(Donna's Joe) got a better one of us with their camera.


Thanks Donna and Joe for letting me come and hang out with you for a couple of hours. I had a fantastic time and Lauren is such a sweetie!





I lost track of a couple of the waiting mommas who went on that original trip with us in 2007. I would love to hear how you all are doing and if you have received your referrals yet.

So Kim, or Hailey, if you are reading this, drop me a line!

Friday, April 17, 2009

Happy Birthday Mom

I still miss you. I will always miss you.




My Mom would have been 76 years old today.


Today is my good friend Kayce's birthday too. Happy Birthday Kayce! I know you are having a fabulous time camping!

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Fur Babies

I bought this bed for the dog(Gizmo) at Christmas time.
Gizmo loved her bed, and all was right with the world.



Recently the cat(Kitty) decided it was quite a comfortable bed too.
She decided Gizmo should share the bed with her.


Gizmo was not happy.

Gizmo decided she would voice her displeasure about the situation to Kitty.

Kitty opened up a can of Whoop A** on Gizmo.

Gizmo put up a good fight.

But in the end, Kitty won.
And all was right in in the world again.

For Kitty.

Gizmo has decided that the couch Daddy sits on is quite comfortable too. :)

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Wacky Wednesday



What Kind of Superhero Are You?


You Would Be a Crafty Superhero




You are naturally curious and even a bit of a snoop. You like to have dirt on everyone - both enemies and friends.



You need a lot of freedom in your life. You like to do your own thing, and you don't fit into any normal mold.



Through lots of life experience, you understand the world well. You can often predict what people will do before they even think of doing it.



You tend to feel apart from the rest of the world. You don't really fit in, and you don't try to!



You are a true intellectual. You are thirsty for knowledge, and you are curious about the world.

What Kind of Superhero Would You Be?

That's kind of funny, seeing as though I like to be "crafty". Heh. Not much going on today. Did a little Spring cleaning this morning. I was hoping to go for a hike later but it's kind of chilly and very windy outside so I'm not sure if that will happen. It's supposed to get considerably warmer towards the end of the week, which makes me happy because I have been longing to go sit by the pool and soak up the sun and read a book. Hopefully Sunday.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

An Easy Way to Thank A Soldier

I found this over at Life As I Know It and thought I would pass it along:


A fellow Soldiers’ Angel is wanting to help her returning adopted soldier and his family win a vacation at a dude ranch. They are no longer winning and need our help.

Here is Roselle Portin’s email to Chuck:

My name is Roselle Portin.

I have a favor to ask of you. Your consideration of this would be
greatly appreciated.

I am a member of Soldiers Angels. My family and I have been blessed
to receive Kxxxx Xxxxxxxxx as our adopted soldier. Through the
program we write to him, send care packages and keep him in our
thoughts and prayers every day. He has a family in NY that he will be
returning home to soon.

I wanted to do something very special for Xxxxx upon his return. In
order to do this I entered a contest to win a family dude ranch
vacation in Idaho. The kids went door to door, we asked our church
family for help, we asked everyone at school, everyone we came into
contact with throughout the day and all our friends and family for
help. We were winning. Now we are not. My family will cover air fare for
the Family but we cannot afford the ranch if we don’t win it.

I was wondering if you had a network of people that would be willing
to help me out in this. It is VERY easy to vote. No personal info is
required and it only takes a minute.

Here’s how it works.
1. go to www.redhorsemountainranch.com
2. click on ‘win a family dude ranch vacation’ under Guest Story
Contest
3. click on Roselle Portin and VOTE.
The contest ends April 15th.

I know it’s a big favor. I just wanted a really special way to send a
very big ‘thank you’ to Xxxx and his family (he is not aware of
this). If you could help I would be so thankful.

Please let me know what you decide.

Thanks for your time and all you do,
Roselle Portin

It literally takes a couple of seconds and requires NO REGISTRATION or giving of personal information. I did it. Hope you will, too.





This link
will take you directly to the voting page. Please go vote!

Monday, April 13, 2009

Feeling somewhat better, Book Giveaway, Last Chance for the Kreuer Fundraiser

Well that was quite a title.

Thank you for all of your nice comments. I was in a serious funk pretty much all weekend. Sometimes I have days that are just hard. I have been trying not to let them spill over to the blog but sometimes they do. Like Carrie says in the comments, it could always be worse. That is very true. I need to remember that.

Joe was able to pick up a day job for tomorrow that pays quite well. I can't tell you how much relief this brings me. Yes, it is only for one day and it isn't a ton of money, but every little bit helps right now.


Changing gears, Stephanie is having a book giveaway over at her book blog and I entered it because I have been wanting to read the book she is giving away and I would love to win a signed copy. So go check it out! The book is "Comfort Food" by Kate Jacobs.

Time is running out to hclp with the Kreuer Family Fundraiser. 3 more days until the drawing. I am excited because I'm going to win the camera! If I keep saying it, it could come true.

I'm going to go dust off the Wii Fit and see if a little Yoga helps me de-stress enough to get a good night's sleep.

Manic Monday

This is not a happy post. I had a tough weekend. Skip it if you want to.



You know that phrase "Good Things Come to Those Who Wait?"

Lately I find that I strongly dislike that phrase(I am trying not to hate things. I strongly dislike them instead).

There are so many things that I have been waiting on in the last few months.

I am tired of waiting. I'm ready for the good things to come already.

A few things I am sick to death of waiting for:

I'm tired of waiting for Joe's unemployment check. It has been 11 weeks since he filed for unemployment. Aside from a form stating they have received his application, we have heard nothing. We can't afford to wait much longer.

I am tired of waiting for Joe to find a job. He needs to find something. Anything. Now.

I am tired of having no money. We are living on the least amount of money we have ever lived on in our entire marriage(seriously). Less than when Joe was a student. It sucks. I just want to go to Tar.get and throw things aimlessly in the cart without having the calculator on my phone on, adding up the totals like I have to do now when I go grocery shopping. Heck, I wish I could just go to Tar.get, period. I don't even step foot in the place because I know I can't buy anything.

I am tired of staying up until all hours of the night worrying about how we're going to pay the bills, where we're going to move, and how we are going to update our adoption paperwork with the income that we currently have and my husband having neither a job nor health insurance.


I am tired of sharing a car with my husband(yes, my husband's car is on the fritz again. Don't ask.)


I'm tired of all of the holidays that keep coming and going without a child in our lives. I love seeing the pictures of all of my friend's kids dressed in their Easter dresses at their Easter egg hunts but I want to post a picture of Me, with my kid, in her Easter dress. I have serious doubts that day will ever come. Another Mother's Day is just around the corner and I am dreading it already. Mother's Day for an infertile person who has lost their Mother is not a fun day at all.

I am tired of crying myself to sleep at night.

I am tired of waiting.

Very very tired.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Friday, April 10, 2009

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Thankful Thursday

I have the post vacation blues.

I cried in the car on the way home from the airport last night. My poor husband. Here I have been gone for 5 days and he is happy to see me and I am crying in the car because I wasn't ready to come home.

I am the best. wife. ever.

I was not feeling thankful today. And yet I do have things to be thankful for and I need to focus on them right now.

Perhaps in doing so I will snap out of my funk. So here goes.

I have no pictures to go with them today. Just a list. It will have to do.


--I am thankful to have time off for Spring Break. I know this is unusual, working in an office.

--I am thankful to have had such a wonderful and safe trip.

--I am thankful for my husband. He brought me flowers yesterday when he came and picked us up and he was completely understanding about the tears.

--I am thankful to have a job.

--I am thankful that the migraine that plagued me almost the whole time I was away seems to have subsided for now.

--I am thankful for cozy new flannel pajamas. It was chilly when I got home last night.


--I am thankful for my bed. I always sleep better in my own bed than in any other. As soon as I got home I put on my cozy new pajamas and climbed into my warm bed.



What are you thankful for?

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

A Perfect Day

Yesterday I was able to meet up with some very good blogger friends.

The forecast called for rain so we weren't sure at first where we would be meeting but the weatherman got the forecast all wrong(shocker) and it was a beautifully sunny day. It was so sunny that it turned downright hot, so we moved our little party to the pool where the kids swam and the adults sat by the pool talking and enjoying the sun. I could have stayed there forever!


The grandparents hanging out on the bench guarding the rice krispy treats that Kayce brought. Yum!

This park had the coolest spinning aparatuses(for lack of a better word)

Ro and Ree spinning. The like to spin fast!
Ree taking a little break on the large circular spinning apparatus(there has to be better names for these things).

Ro and Ree in the pool.
I think I can stand on this if you hold it still for me. Can you help a sister out?

Swimming is serious stuff!


Grace with her friend "Little Lemur". This little guy kind of took the place of Bunny as far as coming with us for the rest of the trip.

Grace pronounces it "Leet-le Leee-mer", which of course prompted me to say
"Say hello to my Leetle friend". Over and over and over again. It's still funny. To me :)
I didn't take a whole bunch of pictures because frankly I was having too much fun.

All day long we kept checking my phone to see if Lisa had gotten her referral and then right when we were getting to leave we saw that she had. Yippee!!

Thanks M3 and Kayce for such a wonderful day. The next time we meet Kayce will have her little one with her. Soon! :)

Monday, April 06, 2009

Filoli Gardens

Yesterday we went to these beautiful gardens which are about 20 minutes from Lisa & Scott's house. I almost feel bad posting these pictures because Joe would have loved this place so much. We will definitely be returning the next time he is here with me. I think the pictures speak for themselves. Beautiful.


These are in no particular order, simply because I was lazy. Most of these were taken with my purse camera. A couple of them mixed in with the rest were taken with my sister's fancy smancy camera. I can't remember which ones. I am quite happy with the way they came out with my camera though.

Filoli Gardens

























Tomorrow I'll post pictures from today. I spent the day with some awesome blogging buddies, sitting by the pool and watching the kids swim. It was a perfect day and I wish I never had to leave.