Wordless Wednesday: 8-18-10

Just Another Day

Him: Can I fix stroganoff?

Me: Sure. Make sure you clean up your mess.

Him: Uh.. okay.

Then he proceeded to open and nuke a can of beefaroni.

Wordless Wednesday: 8-11-10

Vacating Summer

This has been an interesting summer "vacation," to say the least.

David will be graduating from high school in a little less than a week, and will head for MEPS a few days later as he prepares to join the Navy.  We'll know after that when he'll ship off to basic training.

The past six weeks have been long, and I am tired.  School starts at 7:15 a.m., and ends at 6:30 p.m.  And that's for only two classes.  Hats off to these kids who can suffer through two five hour classes back-to-back.  So, because of the school's schedule, my day begins at 6:10am when I wake up.  I get home around 7:00 pm, and will cook dinner if I feel like it.  Otherwise, we each fend for ourselves.

The good news is that David's making decent grades and should graduate with no problem.


I'm taking the advice I received in a comment to a previous post and making a list of the things I would like to do with the next few years, God willing.  What I'm learning during that process is that I am NOT a "list" kinda guy, and never have been.  I'm fairly spontaneous for a Libra, but have a tendency to over-think parts what I'm about to do beforehand.   But I'm having fun creating this list, as it's bringing back memories of some pretty funny stuff I've managed to accomplish without such a list.  I'll try to collect my thoughts on those stories sometime, and maybe share them here.


Even though I love being the age that I am in the time that we live, I think I might be missing the spontaneity of being young and carefree.  Is this the first sign of a mid-life crisis, or am I just needing a break from being the only parent on duty for the past few years?

Wordless Wednesday: 8-4-10

Orthodox Dormition Fast

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the fast of the Dormition of our most Holy Theotokos, the Mother of God, begins today and ends with the Dormition Feast on August 15. 

To my Orthodox brothers and sisters, may you have a blessed fast.

Holy Mother of God, please pray for us.

Happy Anniversary!

Today marks the 49th anniversary of my parents, who married at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Washington, DC, on this date in 1961.

Wow.  49 years.  I pray that God grants them many more!  


For those who think couples don't stay together anymore, and for those who think Orthodox weddings last longer than the actual marriage... think again!    

Wordless Wednesday: 7-28-10

The Voices Inside My Head

In a conversation about how our relationship will change as he becomes and "adult child," I shared with David that while he won't have to "listen to" me once he's moved on, there will be times that he'll want to, and that--in fact--he will still hear my voice even though I'm nowhere around him.

"I don't think that will happen," he said.

"Sure it will.  You'll hear my voice again even after I'm dead," I assured him.

And I believe that.  I still hear the voices of the people I've had in my life at some point every single day.  In fact, it was my friend, Carrie, who had told me a similar story where she assured her son that she will always be in his head, and that he will always hear her voice.  When I said those words to David, it was her voice I heard in my head.

Even when doing something as simple as loading the dishwasher, I hear my godmother (God rest her soul) reminding me to "load it from the back, first."   Of course, as a teenager, I thought she just wanted me to do things her way, but now that I have a dishwasher of my own, it makes perfect sense that you would load the back of the dishwasher first so you don't have to reach over knives and dirty dishes to try to wedge just one more plate into the back of the thing.

The last thing I ask myself before purchasing anything is "Do I really need this?" just like my mother asks herself when considering any "impulse" buy.  In fact, I usually answer the same as she does, which might explain why I still don't have that 42" flat screen TV I've been eyeballing at Best Buy.

When I drive a car with a stick shift, I still hear my father teaching me how to drive one:  "Clutch it, brake it," and when something ahead of me causes me to bring the car to a screeching halt, it's his blood-curdling scream that I hear telling me to "STOP!"

I don't know what my voice will be saying inside David's head in the years to come, or whether he'll even recall the exact words that I used when I said them.  Hopefully, the voices inside my own head have given me the right words to share with him to help guide him once he's on his own, and that he'll experience the same comfort I do in knowing that the people whose voices I've clung to are always with me.

Wordless Wednesday: 7-21-10

Looking Ahead: What's Next?

With my son's upcoming graduation from high school this summer, and his subsequent enlistment in the Navy, I've been thinking a little about where I go from here.

For nearly seven years, virtually everything I did has been centered around taking care of things that needed to be taken care of for either him or for work.  There's been very little time for socializing, which I've enjoyed when I've had the opportunity to join in the fun, and very few breaks from being the parent-on-duty.  I know it's not like my life has been this way for eighteen years or anything, but it's been this way long enough that I wonder what I will do when my time is my own again.   

In a recent conversation with my mother, I said "What will I have to talk about when my life isn't like this?"  Her response was "You will tell me about the trip you took, or whatever you did because you wanted to do it."

I suppose she's right.  I'm just having a difficult time remembering what it was I used to do when my life wasn't like this.  I guess it comes back to you, or you start over, or you get another pet so you have a reason to come home, or you find a new hobby, or you take a trip, or you sink yourself into an organization that makes you feel "needed"...

If you had a bird who left the nest, what became your new "normal?" 

Wordless Wednesday: 7-14-10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZa7hU6tP_s&feature=related

Adoptive Parent Casting Call

I've been contacted by High Noon Entertainment regarding a documentary series they're working on featuring adoptive couples, single adoptive parents, pregnant women considering adoption, and those going the surrogate route to becoming parents. 

From the e-mail I received, it appears that they're quite interested in making sure single adoptive parents are represented in this "docuseries," but because my story is so far along, as my child is about to become an "adult" after seven years with this single dad, I thought I would pass the link along to those of you who are either in the process of adopting, or who have recently adopted a child.

To apply, click on this link: 
http://www.highnoontv.com/casting_apply_new.php?application_id=11

If you're selected to share your experience and your story, please let us know so we'll know to watch for you!  

Wordless Wednesday: 6-30-10

Daddy and Me

To celebrate Father's Day, Adoptive Familes Circle online recently conducted a "Daddy & Me" photo contest.  It's been several years since I've submitted anything to these publications for consideration, but I still enjoy checking up on them to see how other families are doing and seeing the pictures that have been entered into the contests!

I thought you'd enjoy seeing the photos of the winners and runners up!