thirty years!

Thirty years ago today

(we were babies!)

Celebrating our 30th anniversary

For our 30th anniversary, we went out to eat at Black Angus, then we went to see the movie, "Michael Clayton." Ryan babysat for us. We had a nice evening. Can't believe it's been 30 years! We've certainly had our ups and downs over the years, but there is no one else I can imagine sharing my life with.

(Notice I've been posting pictures of myself? So far, I'm doing pretty good on resolutions #6! See http://sdandrews.blogspot.com/2008/01/new-years-resolutions.html)

Here's to another 30!

no friend like an old friend

Marianne Burns and I have been friends ever since we worked together at Advanced Development Group back in the early 90s (back when she was Marianne Cherrier). I was so thrilled when she and Matt (her husband) moved up to the bay area after we did. Marianne even got a job at the same company where I was working (okay, I had a little something to do with that). Once she had her son, Danny, she quit her job to be a stay-at-home mom and I missed my BFAW (best friend at work). Now that we have moved back to San Diego, I miss her even more. She's one of those people who, no matter how long it's been since you've seen them, you just pick up where you left off with no awkwardness--just fun!

So each year, over the holidays, the Burns family comes down to San Diego, and we have game night! We used to play Trivial Pursuit, but ever since Cranium came out, that has been our game of choice. This year we played Turbo Cranium!

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not competitive, -- what? I'm NOT! Winning is not that important to me. But I do have some ground rules when it comes to Cranium. No, really, winning doesn't matter to me, I swear!

Anyway, before the game starts, I lay out the all-important rules for my partner (with Marianne, it's just a refresher because we play this game all the time)--I don't hum and I don't draw. (but I will sculpt and I will do charades and spell). My partner has to agree to said rules before we start. They always do agree, though some are more reluctant than others, but hey, if they want to win, that's how it has to be. (Not that winning is important.)

Usually, we play at least two games, and sometimes we win one and the guys win won, but more often than not, we win both games. I can't remember a time when the guys won both games, but, it's not who wins or loses . . . No really, I don't care if I win or not!

Here are a few photos of our evening with the Burns family. I stole them off of Matt's blog because our photos didn't turn out. I thought it was so cute that he even took photos of our dogs!

OK, so here's Marianne drawing. I'm an excellent guesser. And she's an EXCELLENT drawer! We almost always get the cloodles right (even the ones where she has to close her eyes).

This task is new to Cranium. Someone has to be the puppet master and someone else has to be the puppet. If you only have two on a team, the puppet has to guess what the puppet master is having them do. Since I don't draw or hum, I agreed to be the puppet master. Here we are buttering toast and flipping pancakes and I don't remember the other thing, but Marianne guessed two out of three! Apparently, I'm also an excellent puppet master, but, whatever, it's just a game.

And here's Matt trying to act something out for Gene to guess.

Gene had no idea what Matt was acting out.

YES! But, whatever, it's just a game.

And it went on like this all evening. MARIANNE AND I WON BOTH GAMES!!! Woo hoo! But, it's really not about winning or losing, we just had a fun time. Of course, it is much more fun when I win, but, whatever!

Bristow and Bennett wanted in on the fun.

Dakota wasn't interested.

And the girls love seeing Danny, too! Poor Danny had to judge a dancing contest between Krista and Leah--a tough position to be in for sure! (I don't know who he picked--I never asked.)

Good times.

where does the time go?

With the girls' birthdays fresh in my mind, I've been thinking a lot about how much they have grown. It seems like just a couple of years ago that we went to meet Leah's social worker to hear about a little 3-year-old who was looking for a "forever family." After listening to him describe her and her background, he asked us if we were interested in meeting her. "Yes!" we answered without hesitation. It was then that he showed us this photo:

We could not believe our good fortune! What an adorable child! How could anyone neglect her? Look at those huge eyes! We were beside ourselves with joy. Less than two months later she was living with us. It took two long years before her adoption was final, but she was our daughter when we first saw her picture.

Of course, it hasn't been without its challenges. Leah didn't bond with us right away. She didn't understand what was happening to her. One time, out of the blue, she said, "It's almost time for me to go live with another family." We had lots of talks with her trying to explain how we were her forever family and she wouldn't ever leave us (for better or for worse). But she eventually settled in and became a real part of our family.

And look at her now! She has grown into an amazing teenager who never ceases to surprise and amaze us with her antics. No regrets!

Two years after Leah's adoption became final, Krista joined our family. We had requested a 4 to 6-year-old, but they'll always try to push the limits. Krista (or Angelina at the time) was barely two years old. We hesitated just a little, because we really wanted someone closer to Leah's age. But, we had given this whole adoption thing up to God, and who are we to question His wisdom. So, we met her and immediately fell in love. No turning back, we were hooked--again.

I have to admit, bonding with her was much easier, because she was such a cuddly little thing who loved to sit on my lap. "Up fay!" she would say in her cute little munchkin voice. I could never resist, and always picked her up. She and I would watch "Blue's Clues" and "Dora the Explorer" every day before nap time. She would insist she wasn't sleepy, but would inevitably fall asleep on my lap. So sweet and innocent.

This is a photo that her half brother sent to Ashley when she found him on MySpace. It is our only picture of Krista as a baby. It's such a crack up! I sure wish we had more baby photos of the girls.

And here she is at 10! Beautiful and smart, she's definitely going to be "somebody" when she grows up. No regrets!

I know I say this all the time, but. . .

I am definitely blessed.

Bristow

Just a cute picture of Bristow. Couldn't resist.

My Baby is 10!

It seems like only yesterday that a chubby little two year old came bounding into our lives, full of energy and curiosity, but it's been eight whole years, and now that toddler is ten! Still full of energy and curiosity, she's added such joy to our family. It's been quite an adventure watching her grow into the beautiful, talented preteen she is now.

We are anxious (and admittedly a little worried) to find out what her teen years will bring. Krista is a little firecracker. She can be the sweetest, most lovable thing one minute, and a little devil the next. There is no predicting what kind of mood she will be in at any given moment. And, while this can be unnerving (to put it mildly), there's no denying that it adds a little spice to our lives. She has so much potential, and we have such a huge responsibility to make sure her energy is channeled in the right direction. Achhh, the pressure!

Here are a few photos from our family celebration.

We had stuffed shells, asparagus, and crescent rolls for dinner (at Krista's request).

Ryan's card

Ryan's present (High School Musical cologne & magnets)

High School Musical PJs


A Horse WebKinz

Books from Ashley
(Notice she already changed into her PJs)


Leah with her birthday books from Ashley


Leah and Ryan having a contest to see who could swallow a whole cupcake first



Leah won


Not the best photo of Gene, but it was such a sweet photo of Krista, I couldn't resist posting it

Gene & Ryan

And now, we're moving on to the next year to see what adventures we will share and challenges we will face. I'm sure Krista will add excitement to whatever this year brings, just as she always does.

I am blessed.

It's Just Not a Party Without Ryan

Ryan adds drama and excitement to every celebration. It's amazing how the energy level gets bumped up several notches as soon as he walks in the door. The dogs are excited, and the girls become extremely silly. The other day I said, "Boy, Ryan, the stress level increases so much when you are here." His response: "STRESS level? - You mean FUN level!" I guess it's a matter of perspective. I don't know what we'll do when he goes back to Japan in a few months. Parties just won't be the same.

Here are a few photos of him at Krista's birthday celebration. I'll just let the photos speak for themselves.

Even the dogs love him - GROSS!

That's my boy!

Happy Birthday to Leah!

Leah is 14! She turned 14 on the 3rd (Thursday). It's amazing to me how fast the time has gone since she joined our family as a precocious little 3-year-old. She has grown into such an amazing girl. She's so bright and funny and talented. We are very proud of her, and we are so thankful that she is our daughter. I can't imagine life without her and Krista. We would be so bored!

Anyway, Ryan came over and we had tacos for dinner (Leah's request). Here are a few pictures from our family celebration.

Notice Krista's expression. I think she was more excited than Leah!





Ryan gave her an Elmo birthday card.

This is when she realized that this wasn't just another stuffed animal. It's a "Webkinz," which is actually a virtual Internet game. She was very surprised.

We all sang "Happy Birthday" in typical Andrews style while the dogs barked excitedly to join in the merriment.

(you have to click the "Play" button twice)

Once the dogs settled down, Leah blew out all 14 candles.

Ryan showing off his muscles.

And, as per my resolution, here's a photo of me (and Rye of course).

And, so, Leah's another year older. And, as she grows, she becomes more and more lovable. I can't wait to see what kind of woman she will be one day. In the meantime, I'm going to try very hard to enjoy her while she's still my little girl--okay, my big girl.

I am blessed.

New Year's Resolutions

Every year I say that I’m not going to make any resolutions. And, every year, I find myself thinking about fresh starts and making a mental list of all the things I need to improve in my life. I look back on the previous year and realize that I really didn’t accomplish much. As I get older, this is more and more depressing to admit. But, I’m still an optimist at heart. I still think that I can change even though history seems to contradict this idea. So, here it is, the first day of 2008, and I just can’t help making a few resolutions in spite of my resolution not to. Here’s my list:

1. This is ALWAYS my first resolution—lose weight. Unfortunately, the specific number of pounds I intend to lose each year has increased steadily over the years. This year, it’s a whopping 75! But I’ll be happy with 40. Of course, more importantly, I just want to feel healthy, so eating healthy and exercising more are wrapped up in this resolution, too. Right now, I’m feeling good about this one because I walked for 20 minutes this morning and drank 7 cups of water (yuck!) and I even ate oatmeal for breakfast! One day down, 364 to go. Ugghhh!

2. Number two is to get organized. My garage is jam-packed full of JUNK! I have boxes and boxes of stuff that I have not used or displayed in years. It’s really ridiculous. Today, I started by organizing my kitchen pantry. I keep going in the kitchen and opening the pantry doors and just reveling in my neatly organized shelves.

3. Gene and I want to get involved in church again. Not sure if it will be children’s ministry, but it probably will be. I do miss it. Of course, first we need to find a church. Details, details.

4. It would be really nice if I could finally figure out what I want to do when I grow up. I’m thinking seriously about getting a real estate license. If the housing market hadn’t taken a nosedive, I probably would have already done it. But I’m going to a seminar in a couple of weeks to find out if it would be a good move. Exciting stuff.

5. I need to do a better job of staying in touch with family and friends. I know, I know, you’re probably thinking, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” You all know that I’m really bad about not calling or writing. This blog was actually a step toward improving communication, but I realize that it’s not the same, so I have resolved to call people more often this year. Feel free to hold me accountable on this one.

6. Photogenic I’m not. In fact, if there were a word for “the opposite of photogenic,” that would be me. And, it’s not getting any better as I get older and fatter! But I am going to try really hard to let Gene take more photos of me. Maybe I’ll even post some here. This may seem like a silly new year’s resolution, but it’s something I’ve struggled with all my life. I just HATE seeing pictures of myself. Carla used to tease me about this, saying, “You’re going out in public looking like that, so why won’t you let people take your picture? A picture doesn’t change what you look like.” . . . WHATEVER—so I’m going to work on this.

7. Last, but not least, I am going to work (again) on being a kinder, gentler mom and wife. This one is self-explanatory, so I’ll just leave it at that.

So, those are my resolutions for 2008. What are some of yours?