Monthy Readings...

As I was going back through my previous posts, I saw (and remembered) that I would post my books that I had read for the month.
Well, one of my New Years Resolutions, again, it to read a book a month.
Well, actully it is to read one Fiction and one Non-Fiction book a month. That will be kind of hard for me, but I am going to try.
So here is so far...

January - I read (well, finished reading) Goblet of Fire. This had to be my favorite Harry Potter book. It go through every emotion and it is where things begin to go bad. I love it.

Now I have a few books going, actully.
1- Bridge to Terabithia - I thought I would read this before I went to see the movie. very quick and short and I already know 2 things 1- the movies is very loosley based on the book and 2- something bad happens to one of the charachters....it is good so far...=) This is the book I read at lunch at work.
2- Life of Pi - this is taking me a bit to see where the story is going. Actully, I cannot yet tell where it is going. He has discussed a family friend and the guys swimming career, the life of animals living in zoos and now he is talking about religion. Not sure I can see yet where this is going. It is alright, though, not going to put it down. This is the book I read while I am working out at the gym.
3- For the non-Fiction I hope to finish (For Feb) You on a Diet. I am really enjoying it. The scientific workings of my mind love how they are explaining fat and how ones gets fat and everything. Very easy read and hopfully it will sink in, or at least scare the crap out of me so I eat better because I am parionid! I read this watching TV on the couch at night.
4- Japanese Folktales. Short stories of very easy to read cute folktales from Japan. I read this while I am on the computer waiting for things to load (dial-up, don't-cha-know!)

I think my next Fiction read will be to start the Narnia series again. After going to go see Epic Movie (don't see it in the theater unless it is free!) then watching The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, I want to relive the whole series again.

After that, not to sure...

I think that is it....hows that for a reading update? =)

Just me,
Fran =)

This rocks!

The garden center I work at - Grossmans Country Nursery rocks!

Here, check this out...I am not the only one to think so...
Today's Garden Center

Yup, we are #1 in the northeast!
We are in the top 5 in the US!

Like I said....

We rock!

Just me,
Fran =)

Cuteness!

Look what I caught them doing!
Merlyn and Jeffrey

Nursery pics...

The closet with the few clothes we do have and some diapers and wipes we got...

Our current crib. It is second hand and and when we finally put it together we noticed it was missing a screw. I did register for a new one...

Another crib view with some of the items I have in it, sheep and 2 blankets

Here is another picture of the sheep and blanket. I got both of them for Christmas.

Here are 3 pictures of the suncatchers I got as JoAnn Fabrics - Dragonflies, of course!

Our new bookshelf in the nursery to hold all the adoption, parenting, pregnancy and children books we have.

The bureau with the changing pad and a lamp with, what else, dragonflies on it.

sorry Pats fans...

It is all my fault.
Whenever I pay attention to any of their games except for the Superbowl, the lose.

Guess what I did tonight...
Colts - 38
Pats - 34

Yea, I watched some of it...and cared...
and thats what you get every time!

Sorry!

Just me,
Fran =)

Baby Stuff...

Check this out, and buy stuff from it...
Our Baby Registry!

Yea, I know, I know, we have already registered somewhere. Yea, true, but the Target registry only lasts a few months after your 'due' date, and you cannot change that date...and this Babies R Us one last 12 months past the due date, WHICH you can change at anytime...=)
And, shopping around, they have the best prices on most things!

SO, enjoy!

Oh yea...on Friday we will be offically 'Pregnant on Paper'!

I think that is it for now...*shrug*

Just me,
Fran =)

Another reason to love Rochester!

For Christmas John's boss gave us some tickets to a Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra performance.

We went tonight and it was amazing!

The pieces were:
Wallingford Riegger
Dance Rhythms, Op.58 (scroll down and click on the sample link)

Sergei Prokofiev
Concerto No. 2 in G minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 63

Felix Mendelssohn
Symphony No. 4 in A major, "Italian," Op 90(scroll down and click on the sample link)

Johann Strauss
On the Beautiful Blue Danube, Waltzes, Op. 314 (I hope that link works for everyone!)

On my goodness it was so good!

The Riegger was so bouncy and a great way to start.

The Prokofiev was the low point for me. It was the main piece of the night with the RPOs concertmaster (violinist Juliana Athayde), but I lacked flair and energy for me. I did, however, enjoy the bass and plucking work in it. That was enough to keep me awake for the 26min of it.

Mendelssohn was amazing, vibrant and happy.

But the best of the night by far was the Blue Danube. So great I wanted to get out of my seat and dance, or at least learn how to waltz in the near future.

Rochester rocks!

Just me,
Fran =)

Pictures!

ENJOY!


The sunrise on our first day in Maine!



Merlyn chillin' at John's parent's house



John's mom re-enacting opening up the necklace we bought her. I missed the first time.



John's Aunts, Uncles and a couple cousins with their (fictious) Forunier University shirts on. They now can say that the went to F.U. (thats the joke of the gifts)...



Christmas with the Fournier's, a WEE bit crazy!



Colton and Merlyn



John and Colton



Brian!



Rob (blurry sorry)!



Tina (blury, sorry!)!



Hez!



An interesting moss spot on a rock wall



A very old grave surrounded by moss, it felt great to walk on!



I saw SO many different pictures at the top of the graves. Some had roses in their hands like this one, some had chains and some had weeping willow tree over an urn and there were many others! I decided I am going to do a book of all of them, very interesting! I want to know what each one means!



I thought that this was very interesting looking, though a little sad



Veterian's flag holder



Danville's Ye Old Cemetary



John and Merlyn at my dad's both ready to go home



Merlyn at my Dad's looking very unimpressed and ready to go home



The house were I grew up, just a WEE bit different



The house were I grew up, a little over grown


Merlyn getting scratched by Gannon and Acadia

Adoption, Christmas, Family and Friends...

Only one more piece of paper to get to the agency.
We got a call from the social workers intern today. She said she was calling to have us come in and sign our homestudy (meaning we have been approved) but she noticed that they STILL did not have the letter from my doctor. So I call my doctor (AGAIN!) and they will be mailing it out (again) today.
The problem there was that our original social worker left and the medical paperwork addressed Attn her. So they got lost in the shuffle I think. But it was not big deal. Everything happens for a reason, it just means that our child is not being shuffled into place by the fates, or well, our life is shuffling into place at the right time to welcome OUR baby =)

Our trip east was wonderful!
Merlyn was so good, very happy to be able to run around off leash. But by the end he was READY to go home.
Seeing everyone was so great. John's family is always so amazing. WE have seen them a few times when they visited us out here, but we had not seen his sister or nephew in a long time. We also were able to make it to the crazy Christmas Eve festivities with his moms family. That is always not a good place for a wallflower-type person like me! But even that, as loud as it was, was wonderful!
Seeing my dad and step-mom was wonderful! Just talking about old times and learning about what has changed or what is going to change in the area where I grew up is so great! I spent one morning going to some of our old cemetaries in Danville and taking some pictures, that was great. I also got up the courage to stop in the house where I grew up and see how the man has changed it. When I was there, I had a barn where the horses and goats were kept (3 14x14 stalls, one 14x20 stall and 14 5x10 stalls). Now he stripped that bare and he is teaching Buddhist meditation there. I think that that is just really awsome, actully. Very different, but very awsome!

John was also able to catch up with some of his college (PSC) friends, too! He was able to see Rob and Tina (hopefully soon to be married!), Hez and her husband Mike, Shawn and best of all Brian! Now they are all friends of mine, too, but John has known them longer than I. So that was really awsome too!

And, of course, we had to stop in and see the wonderful Eva, Brian, Gannon and rashy-Acadia!
Though that visit was not as long as planned, we all wanted to go home (Merlyn more than us).

So...I think that does it for an update! Hows that? =)

Oh yea...I will post all the pictures in my next post...=)

Just me,
Fran =)

Get my thoughts together...

Just a quick post...

I AM going to have a couple larger posts (hopefully I'll get to them today) to update everyone on a few things (Christmas at home, adoption and some pictures)...

So check back again in a while!

Just me,
Fran =)