Eight Glorious Years

Today, hubby and I celebrate eight years of marriage. In that time, we moved out of state, moved back, had two children, three dogs, four cars and one mortgage. Both of us changed careers, mine included going back to school almost full time.

We met the first time when a girlfriend of mine brought us to the pool hall to meet her boyfriend and friends of his. But it wasn't love at first sight. We wound up 'hooking up' with different people. We did go to prom, with other people, and I have the pictures to prove it!

When we met up again, it was between my freshman and sophomore year in college. I wasn't looking for anything, in fact, was convinced that I was going to marry the guy I left at school for the summer (boy am I glad that didn't pan out). But there was hubby on the eve of 4th of July as my girlfriend and I went out for afterhours. The rest, you can say, is history.

Happy Anniversary Honey,

I love you.

Belated Birthday Wishes...

Sunday, May 20 was both my mothers and my niece's birthday. We spent a lovely day Sunday at my parent's, sunning and swimming. On Saturday we spent a nice 2 hours in church watching this same niece get confirmed, then went back to my SIL to have a party. It was rather fun and I found some interesting things out about hubby when he was little. But that is a story for another time and another place.

For now, Happy Birthday Mama

and Happy Birthday Niece of ours...

Pretty Darn Cool

I got this email from a girlfriend. It's pretty darn cool!

It was a great run boys...

Tonight our beloved Phoenix Suns lost Game Six to the San Antonio Spurs.

I have to admit, I haven't been 'into' the Suns since the Barkley, Marjelre, KJ, Ainge era, and that was when I was in high school. Then the Diamondbacks came around and I was much more into baseball than basketball because I have a 10+ year history of playing softball, and the rules were second nature to me.

Then last year the Suns took off again. After listening to Tim & Willy talk to Laurel D'Antoni (coach's wife) and hearing their Suns songs, I started getting into Suns Basketball again. This season I made an effort to watch the games when I could. I wound up watching quite a few games because of the damn diabetes and not having much energy to do anything after a full day at school with the kiddos!

I've watched the last two years as we've made it to playoffs and I'll never forget my junior and senior year in high school when the Suns went to the finals against the Chicago Bulls (boo!). My best friend was from somewhere up in that area, not Chicago itself, but somewhere Midwest where there were no teams, so you had to pick the closest one to your state. So, she had been a Chicago Bulls fan for years. And I was a Suns fan. We had some real rockin debates (as much as two 17 year old females can about basketball!) about who was the better team and who would come out ahead. I'll also remember the three pointer made by (I'm stretching here...) Steve Kerr that was the nail in the coffin for the Suns. The town was devastated and my best friend... well, she rubbed it in the rest of the school year.

Gonzales, Attorney General v. Carhart et al

(warning, I ramble and may not always have coherent thoughts that flow well...)

This is more commonly referred to as the Partial Birth Abortion ruling upheld on April 18 by the Supreme Court. I came across this case in two different circumstances. I am taking a US Constitution Class to renew my teaching certificate and we were asked to pick a 'landmark' case and discuss. I had remembered from reading Bitch PhD some articles - here, here and here - regarding this case. So I looked it up to do my research.

Let me sidebar here for a minute. I am pro-choice. My religion is fanatically pro-life. (I guess I'm going to hell for that, but hey, let's just add that to the list of reasons why...) Although I don't think that I could ever go through an abortion, I do believe a woman has a right over her body and what she does or does not do with it. That's also why I believe in birth control. It's my body, my life and I'll make the decisions about what I'm doing with it. Another reason I am pro-choice is the consequences if Roe v Wade is overturned. Instead of having abortions done in a sanitary, safe place with a trained doctor, it'll be done back door and many more women will be harmed and possibly die due to a procedure that is not done correctly or regulated.

That being said, I went on to read the majority opinion written by Justice Kennedy. It can be confusing, but I found myself following it pretty well. Then I got to Section 1, Part A. It gave a clinical description of what happens during the procedure, then it gives a nurse's testimony. I thought I was going to throw up right then and there. I can't cut and paste what she said, you'll have to scroll down to read it in the opinion, and be warned, it is heart wrenching (at least to me.)

I have had a history of post partum depression. After my son, I was on medication for three years. Two months into this pregnancy, I got back on the medication because I was becoming a mess of emotions again and couldn't control myself. I didn't have problems getting pregnant with either of my children, although it took longer with Baby L than Little Guy. Other than the wildly fluctuating hormones, (and the damn diabetes) I had pretty normal pregnancies. There is no reason for me to go to pieces the way I did, except for the hormones. And even that didn't make sense to me.

I was sitting at the computer with Baby L in the swing next to me sleeping (the only time I can get schoolwork done is when the kiddos are sleeping!). She has a habit of jerking her arms out away from her body when she is startled, mostly in her sleep. So when I read what the nurse had to say, all I could think of was Baby L doing the same thing. It was heartbreaking. It disturbed me then, hubby could tell something was wrong when he came home, and it is still bothering me.

I have no problem with the concept of having an abortion in the first trimester. However, by the second trimester, things should be considerably set in motion. I know that some people don't know their pregnant right away, hell, it took me two months to figure it out with Baby L and we were actively trying to get pregnant. But to wait until after the third month to decide that the pregnancy isn't what you want? I don't get it. I can understand if it involves a birth defect, the test for Downs isn't done until the second trimester and then you have a decision to make. And in some cases, as noted above in Bitch PhD, it is necessary.

I guess my biggest wonder/concern/whatever, is that a person can 1) do the procedure, and do it over and over again (ie a doctor) and 2) the woman who has made this decision knowing and still making this decision (excluding life threatening cases).

I love my children, I love them to distraction. I probably spoil them too much, but they are my life. Even if we had gotten pregnant unexpectedly, abortion wouldn't be an option for us. I can see where for some, that would be an acceptable option.

This has caused some real conflicting emotions for me. While I am a firm believer in a woman's right to choose (abortion, birth control, etc), I am opposed to this procedure being done just because, or without a health risk to mother or unborn child.

In my little world, I don't think this ruling will touch me. At least, I hope this ruling will not have any opportunity to touch me. But for the women that this does touch, man, I wouldn't want to be in their shoes...

Summer Is Approaching

Summer is here. Not technically, I know, but nonetheless, it is here. I am eagerly awaiting this weekend when we are heading over to my mothers to swim. It has met our requisite 3 days of 100 degree + weather for us to go into the pool. Little Guy is chomping at the bit, we had hoped to go in the pool on Mother's Day, but it didn't work out. But this weekend we are partying for my mom's birthday in the pool.

Pools seem to be a staple here in Phoenix. We don't have a pool now, and I didn't have a pool growing up. We didn't get a pool until my mom and step dad bought the house that they live in now. I was a freshman in high school when that happened, so I only got one summer to relax in the pool until I had to work the summers away. Plus, I had a variance to go to school, so none of my friends lived close enough to come over on a whim to go swimming. I remember living at my friend Dani's house the summer between fifth and sixth grade. We were in that pool from morning till night, and then some.

We're going to have to move eventually, the house isn't big enough now that we have Baby L. I am bound and determined to have a pool. I feel awkward calling up friends and inviting myself over so we can swim. (Plus, I don't have a close enough friend where I can just go over and hang out) I want to do the inviting and have the parties around the pool. My mom says I'm insane, having a pool is a headache... but it won't be my headache, it'll be hubbies!