Friday, July 31, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
I puffy heart love my extended family
The Saturday night portion of our family reunion featured jello shots AND glow necklaces.
The Saturday night portion of our family reunion featured jello shots AND glow necklaces.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Thank you
Thanks to all of you who have sent in funds for Cute Grrl Who Loves Sushi--I've gathered just over $150 and it's still coming in--she asked that I send you all her profound gratitude.
Thanks to all of you who have sent in funds for Cute Grrl Who Loves Sushi--I've gathered just over $150 and it's still coming in--she asked that I send you all her profound gratitude.
The good, the really really good
A week from tomorrow, Unagi arrives for good. She has had an offer accepted on a fabulous house and we'll have a few weeks together before she starts her job and the rest of her family arrives.
Yay!
A week from tomorrow, Unagi arrives for good. She has had an offer accepted on a fabulous house and we'll have a few weeks together before she starts her job and the rest of her family arrives.
Yay!
Monday, July 13, 2009
A solicitation
Last night a close friend lost everything in an apartment fire. We had just finished moving the last of her very important things to her new place and had returned to her house (which she's selling to downsize--closing is in two days) for a last hurrah on her back deck around 7 p.m. I had just arrived home when she called to tell me that the apartment manager had called to tell her that her apartment building had burned to the ground. There is nothing left--computers, music, photos, clothing, it's all gone. She and her pets (who were still at her house, thank God) are safe.
I'm trying to help her in any way I can--one way is to open my paypal account to donations to her. If you can contribute even ten bucks, it would be very much appreciated. She is waiting to find out whether her insurance will cover this and, if so, to what degree. The Red Cross is helping, but their financial assistance is limited to $50, which as we all know doesn't go very far.
My paypal addy is dyetyke at gmail dot com. Please include "Fire" in the subject line and I'll make sure she gets the money.
Details on the blaze are here: http://www.wxyz.com/mostpopular/story/Fire-Races-Through-Ann-Arbor-Apartments/vK8Yi1OALEmtYNAFArFUCg.cspx
Thank you!
Last night a close friend lost everything in an apartment fire. We had just finished moving the last of her very important things to her new place and had returned to her house (which she's selling to downsize--closing is in two days) for a last hurrah on her back deck around 7 p.m. I had just arrived home when she called to tell me that the apartment manager had called to tell her that her apartment building had burned to the ground. There is nothing left--computers, music, photos, clothing, it's all gone. She and her pets (who were still at her house, thank God) are safe.
I'm trying to help her in any way I can--one way is to open my paypal account to donations to her. If you can contribute even ten bucks, it would be very much appreciated. She is waiting to find out whether her insurance will cover this and, if so, to what degree. The Red Cross is helping, but their financial assistance is limited to $50, which as we all know doesn't go very far.
My paypal addy is dyetyke at gmail dot com. Please include "Fire" in the subject line and I'll make sure she gets the money.
Details on the blaze are here: http://www.wxyz.com/mostpopular/story/Fire-Races-Through-Ann-Arbor-Apartments/vK8Yi1OALEmtYNAFArFUCg.cspx
Thank you!
Friday, July 03, 2009
And then there were kids
It's no secret to anyone who knows me even a little bit that I enjoy (most) kids. For a long time, I thought it was just toddlers, but then Small Friend O wasn't a toddler any longer and I still loved the hell out of her and she continued to think I'm quite excellent, so I had to broaden my category.
Small Friend O--she's done that a lot for me, really. Meeting and loving that child was the first time as an adult that I really considered the possibility that I might parent one day. It wasn't just that I love her so much, she'd flat-out ask me when I was going to be a mama, and on one memorable lunch outing, she sat across the table from me, all of five years old or something, and said, "Aunt Terri, have you ever thought about adopting a toddler? I was adopted as a toddler and it's worked out quite well for me."
Just before I met turtle, I'd started charting and I was up front with her about the fact that I was on the road to single parenthood. She could choose to stop seeing me, she could choose to date me and have nothing to do with whatever kid(s) appeared for me, or we could explore the possibility of having a family together. We went with option three, then crashed and burned in a most spectacular fashion. I didn't get pregnant. She changed her mind. She changed it back. I still didn't get pregnant. I spent a lot of money on Swim Teams. She spent a lot of money on other stuff. I didn't get pregnant some more. She fell out of love with me. I wanted to make it work. It didn't work, none of it worked, and we called it quits last fall.
As long-time readers know, in March I had a horrible bout of depression, one that included lots of suicidal ideation and during that week I came to grips with the fact that I couldn't parent. It simply wouldn't be fair to bring a child into a home where their only parent struggles so much at times with depression. There was a tremendous amount of grief and prayer for me during the process of realizing that there wasn't going to be a child in my home, much less children.
A few months ago, Unagi showed up. She'd been at the edges for a long time, but she was a friend. She had a husband. She had kids. She lived on the other side of the country from me. Eventually, I noticed, though no gift of my own because I am SUCH a bonehead about that stuff, that she was interested in me. I found out she was relocating after she finished her masters degree. I found out that she was divorcing.
You see where this is going.
In about six weeks, Unagi will have arrived in my town for good, her ex-husband (the Large Primate) will have arrived in my town for good, and the kids (the Small Primates) will have arrived in my town for good. Initially, the four of them will live in the house she's buying in my neighborhood. Ultimately, she will move in with me and the kids will be with us part of the time and with the Large Primate part of the time.
Yesterday, the very best part of my day was thrifting for some fall clothes for the kids. I found fabulous stuff for great prices, and Unagi loved what I chose. Today, I'm washing the clothes, putting them on the kid-sized hangers I had in the attic, and hanging them in what will be their room.
I can't parent alone. I think I can parent with two other adults who already love the kids about to join my family.
It's no secret to anyone who knows me even a little bit that I enjoy (most) kids. For a long time, I thought it was just toddlers, but then Small Friend O wasn't a toddler any longer and I still loved the hell out of her and she continued to think I'm quite excellent, so I had to broaden my category.
Small Friend O--she's done that a lot for me, really. Meeting and loving that child was the first time as an adult that I really considered the possibility that I might parent one day. It wasn't just that I love her so much, she'd flat-out ask me when I was going to be a mama, and on one memorable lunch outing, she sat across the table from me, all of five years old or something, and said, "Aunt Terri, have you ever thought about adopting a toddler? I was adopted as a toddler and it's worked out quite well for me."
Just before I met turtle, I'd started charting and I was up front with her about the fact that I was on the road to single parenthood. She could choose to stop seeing me, she could choose to date me and have nothing to do with whatever kid(s) appeared for me, or we could explore the possibility of having a family together. We went with option three, then crashed and burned in a most spectacular fashion. I didn't get pregnant. She changed her mind. She changed it back. I still didn't get pregnant. I spent a lot of money on Swim Teams. She spent a lot of money on other stuff. I didn't get pregnant some more. She fell out of love with me. I wanted to make it work. It didn't work, none of it worked, and we called it quits last fall.
As long-time readers know, in March I had a horrible bout of depression, one that included lots of suicidal ideation and during that week I came to grips with the fact that I couldn't parent. It simply wouldn't be fair to bring a child into a home where their only parent struggles so much at times with depression. There was a tremendous amount of grief and prayer for me during the process of realizing that there wasn't going to be a child in my home, much less children.
A few months ago, Unagi showed up. She'd been at the edges for a long time, but she was a friend. She had a husband. She had kids. She lived on the other side of the country from me. Eventually, I noticed, though no gift of my own because I am SUCH a bonehead about that stuff, that she was interested in me. I found out she was relocating after she finished her masters degree. I found out that she was divorcing.
You see where this is going.
In about six weeks, Unagi will have arrived in my town for good, her ex-husband (the Large Primate) will have arrived in my town for good, and the kids (the Small Primates) will have arrived in my town for good. Initially, the four of them will live in the house she's buying in my neighborhood. Ultimately, she will move in with me and the kids will be with us part of the time and with the Large Primate part of the time.
Yesterday, the very best part of my day was thrifting for some fall clothes for the kids. I found fabulous stuff for great prices, and Unagi loved what I chose. Today, I'm washing the clothes, putting them on the kid-sized hangers I had in the attic, and hanging them in what will be their room.
I can't parent alone. I think I can parent with two other adults who already love the kids about to join my family.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Tamika! PERSONAL!
Several weeks ago, now, I received the kind of email that all bloggers who are exactly like me dream about and hope for: A company contacted me and asked me if I was interested in reviewing sex toys on my blog. I asked them what was in it for me and when I found out that it's FREE SEX TOYS, you can bet that I said yes. That's what this post is, a sex toy review, so if you don't want to know this about me, skip it.
I sent them a short list of items I thought might be fun. They sent me this:
You can order one here.
It arrived in record time and I immediately tried it out--it's packaged with a satin drawstring bag and a little lipstick vibe that fits into the open part. The vibe did nothing for me--it's too small to pack much of a punch, either in the toy or on its own. The idea of getting the shaft to vibrate, though, was a good one, and I highly recommend using a better vibe to do just that.
The shape and texture are AWESOME for solo play. I really, really liked it.
My next step was to try it out with Unagi and get her input, so I packed it into my sneaker in my carry-on and off we went. At security at the Detroit airport, I knew something was amiss when they took forfuckingever to gaze at my bag through The Magic Television. Then I heard it: BAG CHECK ON ONE.
"Ma'am, I'm going to need to pat you down. Please put your arms out like this." I did so, and a small woman patted me down very carefully, finding (of course) nothing. She told me to stay where I was and walked over to The Magic Television, then took my bag to the end of the table. She unzipped the end pocket and pulled out a pair of sneakers, then three pairs of socks stuffed into one of them, then the satin bag out of the other. She held it vertically with both hands and looked at me.
"Oh! Personal?"
"Yes." I blushed.
"Tamika! PERSONAL!"
Tamika nodded, and said to her male colleague, "It's personal."
To which he replied: "You know, I thought maybe, but it was SUCH A WEIRD SHAPE."
By this point, I was laughing and told the woman who patted me down that I hoped she was grooving on this as much as I was. She smiled and said, "You have a nice weekend, now, hon," and winked. Cracked me up.
Unagi likes the toy, too, and is a particular fan of the little handle on the end of it. For me, it's not as good for couple play as solo, as I tend to like something a little larger when I'm not alone.
Several weeks ago, now, I received the kind of email that all bloggers who are exactly like me dream about and hope for: A company contacted me and asked me if I was interested in reviewing sex toys on my blog. I asked them what was in it for me and when I found out that it's FREE SEX TOYS, you can bet that I said yes. That's what this post is, a sex toy review, so if you don't want to know this about me, skip it.
I sent them a short list of items I thought might be fun. They sent me this:
You can order one here.
It arrived in record time and I immediately tried it out--it's packaged with a satin drawstring bag and a little lipstick vibe that fits into the open part. The vibe did nothing for me--it's too small to pack much of a punch, either in the toy or on its own. The idea of getting the shaft to vibrate, though, was a good one, and I highly recommend using a better vibe to do just that.
The shape and texture are AWESOME for solo play. I really, really liked it.
My next step was to try it out with Unagi and get her input, so I packed it into my sneaker in my carry-on and off we went. At security at the Detroit airport, I knew something was amiss when they took forfuckingever to gaze at my bag through The Magic Television. Then I heard it: BAG CHECK ON ONE.
"Ma'am, I'm going to need to pat you down. Please put your arms out like this." I did so, and a small woman patted me down very carefully, finding (of course) nothing. She told me to stay where I was and walked over to The Magic Television, then took my bag to the end of the table. She unzipped the end pocket and pulled out a pair of sneakers, then three pairs of socks stuffed into one of them, then the satin bag out of the other. She held it vertically with both hands and looked at me.
"Oh! Personal?"
"Yes." I blushed.
"Tamika! PERSONAL!"
Tamika nodded, and said to her male colleague, "It's personal."
To which he replied: "You know, I thought maybe, but it was SUCH A WEIRD SHAPE."
By this point, I was laughing and told the woman who patted me down that I hoped she was grooving on this as much as I was. She smiled and said, "You have a nice weekend, now, hon," and winked. Cracked me up.
Unagi likes the toy, too, and is a particular fan of the little handle on the end of it. For me, it's not as good for couple play as solo, as I tend to like something a little larger when I'm not alone.
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