looonng days

Yesterday was a long day when all was said and done, and today will be a bit long as well before I can get all settled in for the evening. But I have a fun weekend ahead of me when the day is finally done.
Yesterday the event was fine and I was able to get out of there around 6:10 or so, not bad at all. Made the 6:20 train and should have been home by 6:45 or so... but of course my train was delayed so that I didn't get home until after 7. It made for a tired Megan. Then I had to pack for tonight (going to see my Babwa!).

I'm definitely glad its the weekend.

Sorry again for the tiny posts... next week should be back to normal.

rain rain go away

So, it's a little dark out today... the temp hovering around 69-70 degrees. I'm actually really enjoying it. Maybe not the rain so much, but definitely the chill to the air. I love snuggling up under my blanket at night, and as we don't have A/C in the house, it was a looong blanketless summer for Trav and I. But the past few nights have been a real treat. We leave the windows open to get the breeze, and can snuggle together under our comforter. It is great.
Ahh, Autumn.


Anyway, back to work for me... I've cut the Inbox down by about half, but will only be in the office until 3 today. I have to cut out with another office mate to run a meeting we are holding in the city, nearby. So that makes it hard to get everything done. But hopefully by the end of the day tomorrow I will be caught up. :-)

shout out... that's right, I have priorities...

Sorry for the not-real-entry entries that I've been posting, and will probably continue to post for the next few days. One of my coworkers who was behind on one of her "duties" suddenly caught up, and as I am next in the chain, I suddenly have a inbox HUGELY full of stuff that I now need to take care of, like immediately NOW. So that unfortunately bumps up doing real work on my list of daily priorities, and drops blogging a space or two. Not enought to actually stop me, mind you... but enough to make my entries shorter. Anyway, I have plenty to do, so off I run... please excuse the lack of real coherent thoughts over the next few days, but rest assured, my boss will be out multiple days in the coming month... and as October is my favorite of all the months, I'm sure I will have much to talk about. And more time to do so.
In the meantime... just wanted to say:

"Hi Travis!! Love You!!"
I've recently discovered him to be a lurker... meaning, he actually reads me, but chooses to remain silent.
and
"Hi William!!"
Whom recently has been a lurker, but has spoken once again. :-) Thanks Bill.

Ciao

Update:

I think I have solved the problem of the missing pictures... hopefully now you can see them all below.

Lunch time!

wowee

If you look to the right, you will see that I have hit 2,000 views since I switched here to my new home at Blogspot. That's for continuing to check me out!!

is it a bad sign...

when I grab a Reese's, and just the sight of it is enough to make me so giddy that what escapes from my mouth is a maniacal HEHeeehehhehheee heee?
*insert weird looks from office coworkers*

This probably explains the incredible proportions that my ass has assumed... as fully documented by this weekend's bridesmaid dress fitting. Although honestly, I blame genetics a lot more. Don't blame the Reese's!


This past weekend was a nice one. Pretty relaxing overall... Friday night and Sunday we did almost nothing! And loved every minute of it. Relaxing, Sunday there was football basically all day. It was nice.
Saturday I had the aforementioned fitting. I met Megan at Mike's place and we headed off to dirty Jersey... only about a 40minute trip, to Kay's Bridal where Megan got her wedding dress and found the bridesmaid dresses she liked. I was the last to get my measurements taken, getting four busy girls together on a weekend isn't as easy as it seems... but finally all the measurements are in, so today the dresses are being ordered, and they will come in sometime in December. They look pretty similar to this dress, but in this color. It was a lot of fun (beside learning about the dimensions of my posterior... j/k), and I enjoyed spending the time with Megan. Now we have next weekend to look forward to... we are hitting up a Bridal show. It's fun having someone to plan with... I'm hoping to win some kick ass door prizes!! :-)
Ro & Pat came over Saturday night to chill with us for a little. We just lounged around and ate dinner together, talked a bunch, and watched some football. It was nice. Overall, it was a pretty laid back weekend.

Trav also agreed to let me have 5 bridesmaids... which I think is just the right number. So, without further ado... I present my bridesmaids:

Maid of Honor: Heather


Matron of Honor: Rochelle


Bridesmaids:
Megan


Megan (Trav's brother's wife)


Lauren M.



Yay for all my beautiful wonderful women!!

Trav also decided on his wedding party, but that is secret until he gets a chance to ask everyone. Shhhh... ;-)

Okay, back to work for me. Ciao!

there is always....

this version of the angie picture...




Give me a break, I don't have photoshop or anything on this comp, and its the best i could do with Paint. ;-)

as if...

As if I need another reason to LOVE Angelina Jolie (besides the fact that I want to be her when I grow up... plus 57% of college women want to do her, while only 52% want to do Brad)... here is one. You have to scroll to the end of the page to see it, but it is so sweet. She is my ultimate chicky too. :-)

Anyway, back to work... I have sooo much to do. My morning was slow, but just when I thought I would be cruising thru the day into the weekend, BAM, I get hit with a huge pile of paperwork. Bleech.

Have a good one folks!

It is 4:44 and I just got a chill

this is to be noted because good god I have waited all summer to regain the ability to get a chill, not just sit and be annoyed at the moistness of the summer megan and it doesn't matter that it is 86 degrees outside or that the only reason i got a chill was because of the fact that the people in this office building choose to keep our suite at the lovely temperature of sub-artic, but what matters is that it is autumn and i got my first autumn chill and i am happy about it.

:-)

lei sigh

AUTUMN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and soo many pictures.

Well, I'm not really in that much of a mood to write a big entry right now, but I have so many great pictures to post!! I think I will actually have to do two entries for them all... we will see. Lets start with the Phillies game Trav and I went to last week....

Here's one of us goofing off in the stands...

he's avoiding the camera, and my hair is looking fine. :-)

Here's the Phillies kicking some ass... see our man rounding to third?!

The new Park is nice... I hadn't been there before.

Now here are the promised pictures... Andy and Megan's beautiful wedding. Unfortunately, when I downloaded the pictures to our comp, I saw that a lot of them had not turned out very well at all. I was really really disappointed. Normally my camera does a real nice job... but I guess it wasn't ready to handle the "mood lighting" all weekend. Boo. But here are some that did turn out:

The two Megan's... the Bride and I at the rehersal dinner.

Here are the brothers... my sweet sweet fiance on the right, and Andy, the groom (his older brother), on the left.

Here's one of Trav and Anna Beth...

she was one of his best friends growing up.

Story: There was a family that had three kids, whos ages were the same as Trav and his brothers. They lived next to each other, so they always hung out, since each of the brothers had someone their age to hang out with, plus their moms were good friends. AB was the sibling Trav's age... so they basically grew up together.

She is a great girl!

Now the actual ceremony:

All the groomsmen lined up and ready to go.

Its hard to tell just how beautiful the room looked from this picture... but i actually had more luck in the next shot, which was sans flash...

However, here is the beautiful couple, starting their ceremony.

Another shot of the ceremony.

This is at the cocktail hour, the Groom's mom... my future mother-in-law is on the right in the pinkish dress (she looked gorgeous!!), in the middle is one of her best friends, Debbie, and on the left is Mrs. K, a close family friend - AB's mother (and a regular hoot to be around!).

Travis (isn't he handsome!) and I at the cocktail hour.

My dress look familiar?! :-)

The head table.

They had the most amazing flower arrangments!

Here is their first dance as husband and wife...

very sweet.

Megan and her father...

isn't her dress gorgeous...

Well, I guess that is all for now. It really was a beautiful wedding and a wonderful weekend. And surprisingly I got all the pictures I really wanted into this one entry!! Woo!

Now, it is time for me to get back to work. Hope you enjoyed.

Happy first day of Autumn Everyone!!!!!!!!

I absolutely love this time of year.

Ciao!

triumphant return

Well, it was a great weekend... our ride out on Thursday went so much faster then anticipated. The fact that it was a thursday and not a friday helped a great deal I'm sure. Andy and Megan's house is beautiful... we stayed there Thursday night, got the tour. Two car garage, master bed with bath and walk in closet, another full bath on the top floor, with two other bedrooms and Andy's office, a half-bath downstairs with Megan's office, the living room, dining room, sitting room, and very roomy eat-in-kitchen. It's gorgeous.

Friday we woke up and had a relaxing morning. Trav took me to the mall so I could get my nails done, then we went out with Andy and his BM (Best Man) to pick up his new tux (the first one he got had wine stains on the shirt and a cigarette burn in the crotch!) which he tried on and approved, then headed to a different mall to get lunch and so Andy could pick up some black dress socks. Then it was off to the hotel. It was called the Bertram, and it was great. We had a relaxing day, and then Trav headed to the rehersal ceremony and I bummed around. Then everyone headed to the rehersal dinner, which started off with hor d'vours (sp?), then a great sit down meal... I finally got my lobster ravioli, and Trav had this orgasmic steak filet! Mm. Then there was drinking and socializing, and I officially asked Megan to be one of my bridesmaids, to which her responce was to jump up and down, followed by a emphetic (and very Megan) "uhhh, yeah!". Lol, it was very sweet. Then it was back to the hotel (they hotel shuttled us back and forth), when I went to bed (hey it was already about 11:45-12midnight) because the exhausting week finally caught up with me, and Trav hung out in the hospitality suite with other wedding guests until 4 in the a.m.!

Saturday I woke up around 10 and wandered down to breakfast... lots of family (Trav's) and friends to sit and eat with (or not eat, because the breakfast buffet was rather cold by then!)... then headed back up to the room and awoke the sleeping giant around 11. Trav showered, and we relaxed until 12 when we headed down to the Sushi Bar (in the hotel) for lunch. Very good! Then it was back up to the room when Trav took a nap, and I read until he had to get dressed and ready for the guys pictures at 3:00. They took the guys shots, and the girls did their shots after that, and I just relaxed and got ready very slowly before heading down for the ceremony around 5. It started at 5:30 and it was gorgeous. There were 2 ushers, 6 groomsmen, and 6 bridesmaids. The bridesmaids wore strapless dark red (almost like a burgundy or wine color) dresses, and the groomsmen wore tuxes with black vests and cream shirts, Andy's vest was cream. Megan looked gorgeous! She wore a strapless oyster colored gown (an off-white color, almost with a hint of silver), with a corset type ribbon closure on the back, and beautiful rhinestone detailing. They had 2 violinists and a cellist playing the bridal party in, and when it came time for Megan to come down the isle, she was led in by a bagpipe player! It was very cool. He also played to lead Andy and Megan out when the ceremony was over. I will have to post pictures (hopefully I will download them tonight!) to show you how beautiful the room looked... I just can't describe it. The whole thing, setup, ceremony, vows, blessing of the hands, it was all just beautiful and romantic. It was wonderful.

After that we headed out to a lobby area (not the main lobby) outside of the room where the ceremony was held and had the cocktail hour while they got pictures taken, and then the room was reset for the reception. So we just went right back in the same room then, which was nice... didn't have to go far ever. The reception started with the bridal party being introduced, then Megan and Andy cut the cake right away, and then it was dinner time. After that was the first dances, then the floor was openned up and after that it was all drinking and dancing and socializing. Very fun. I kind of wish Trav had stuck around to dance with me a little more... but it was still fun.

After that was over, we said goodnight to the newlyweds and headed up to collapse in bed. When we got up for breakfast the next morning, Andy and Megan had already left for their honeymoon (they were shuttled to the airport at 6a.m.!)... but they had set it up so that there was a brunch for everyone at the wedding. People came and left as they got up, so it was never more then 25-30 people there at a time, which was a nice change since their wedding had been so large. Then Trav and i packed up, checked out, and got on the road by 11:30. We made great time again, and were home by dinner. Overall, it was a wonderful weekend. We had a great time, and everything went smoothly.

Now the happy couple is on their honeymoon. They started off flying to a place outside of San Francisco, where they spent a few days touring vineyards and drinking wine, and then down to Maui, where they can enjoy the ocean and the sun. Not too shabby.

Okay, so here is my little disclaimer: I love my future Brother-In-Law, and I adore Megan and think of her like a sister. I want nothing but the best of them, and think that they deserve every good thing that comes their way. I also know that life isn't fair, and just because you are a good person, basically decent, well that doesn't mean shit...

That being said.

Now my issues... I have to go off for a minute or two, and you just need to forgive me.

First off, I'm so jealous of their house. It's huge. Out here it would cost a small fortune... lets just say about 5x what trav and i paid for our place. Out there it doesn't cost nearly that, but it is still more then what we could afford. It's more beautiful then our house will ever be, and I can't help but be jealous... if only because now I don't want them to see out house. I'm embarassed. I'm embarassed at the size of it, at the shape it's in, at the mess we've left it. Next to their house, ours is a pit, and I'm frankly ashamed to let them see it.

Secondly, I know that it isn't a competition... but our wedding will never be as gorgeous as theirs. Everyone had such a good time, and everything was just so beautiful... and ours just won't be able to compete. Are people going to be disappointed when they come to ours next year? When they see what ours is and remember what Andy and Megan's was, will they think less of us? Will they think less of my parents for not being able to buy us a wedding? She got her dream wedding, and we can't even seem to afford a mediocre one. We're having little luck finding a reception site that is within our budget, that isn't a shithole. We aren't that picky either, it's not like we are looking for the damn Four Seasons or something. We just don't want a Firehall either.

Then, of course, there is the honeymoon. Something that we are pretty sure we won't have. We just don't know how we will have the money left for it when we are done paying for the wedding and reception themselves. Travis assures me that we can go on a trip for our anny some year... but really, we are never going to be rolling in the dough, and once we put this off, it will be harder and harder to rationalize spending the kind of money that a big trip entails. I wasn't looking for a trip around Europe or something... but I wanted to go somewhere fun and new. I wanted that week away with my new husband somewhere warm and enjoyable.

Okay, I will stop now. This isn't a "Let's Feel Sorry For Megan" website... I just wanted to get it out, so I wouldn't have it all trapped inside anymore. I get frustrated and angry... feeling like, why don't I deserve a nice wedding? I know "deserving" has nothing to do with it... but its hard not to feel like that. I know that the important thing is the marriage itself, and not the party on this one day... but still, you want that day to be special. You want something that you can remember fondly.

Anyway.

I have to get back to work.

Sorry that my return entry kind of dissolved into bitterness...

I will post happy pictures ASAP.

to tide you until a real post

Democrat - You believe that there should be a free
market which is reigned in by a modest state
beaurocracy. You think that capitalism has
some good things, but that those it helps
should be obliged to help out their fellow man
a little. Your historical role model is
Franklin Rosevelt.


Which political sterotype are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

score.

So tomorrow I will be, notably or not/noticably or not, absent. I will be leaving a little early from work today so that Trav and I can head out to Ohio for his brother's wedding. It should be a great weekend... we are looking forward to seeing everyone and being there for Andy's big day. It will also be interesting for me to watch them introduce his new wife, as her first name is Megan also. Maybe its just me, but i have the feeling it will be a little odd to hear someone else walking around with what, in a years time, will also be my married name! But she is so awesome, so I am proud to share a name with her.

Anyway, as excited as I am about leaving work early and about the weekend in general, I'm not so excited about the 7 hr. trip out there. Bleh. Way too long of a car ride. But what can you do. Hopefully everyone else will enjoy their weekend as much as I think Trav and I will.

Okay, back to work for me... I will have plenty of pictures (& most likely stories) to share upon my return I'm sure.

Heeeerrrreeee's....... ME

So, two of my co-workers aren't here today, two of co-workers that I really really like, two of the co-workers that deal with my bosses poop, and make it not so smelly for the rest of the office. They are not here, so I am on poop duty alone. I'm not a big fan... especially since there is a board meeting here today, and therfore I have to look composed and put together, and not like my head is about to explode and I want to lock my boss in his office.
:-)

So I blog...

Questions from Barry:

1. What ingredients do you prefer in chicken salad?
I actually am just now starting to be accepting of the whole "something" salad thing. Only about 6 months ago did Travis get me to start eating pasta salad... and I still only eat my tuna with mayo and nothing else so get away from my tuna with that celery you sicko... Ahem.
So, to answer your question. I have never actually had chicken salad, and therefore do not know what I would want in it. Presumably not celery.

2. Do you think Europeans are cooler than us? qué?
Um, for the most part yes (please stop the hate, i'm so not anti-American). They tend, as a whole and very stereotyping to the whole of the world, to be more cultured then Americans. They speak more languages (I mean each person, not just the whole of Europe with its 500,000 countries)... most speak English and the language of their next closest country neighbor, on top of their native language. Sure this makes some of them arrogant pricks, but hell, so are a lot of Americans. They don't walk around bragging about being the leader of the free world, and they get a hell of a lot more vacation days.
I want to take a month off.

3. Will you spank your kid(s)? qué?
Hmm. This is a tough question... I don't think I will... I honestly don't think that hitting your child is the best way to go, all it proves is that you are bigger then them and shows them that hitting is punishment and so they should go ahead and hit if someone has wronged them, or that mommy is a hipocrite if thats not true. I'm much more a fan of strict talking to's, taking away of toys, and losing of priviledges. That being said... I think that a little tap to the top of the hand when your kid is being a real hell-baby and throwing things etc, won't kill them.


Okay, now I have to be productive. Hopefully I haven't made too many enemies with my answers today!

91101

I sort of glossed over the anniversary of 9/11. I think a lot of people did... I mean, for every year that passes, it gets easier and easier to forget. Especially with something like Katrina happening in the now. But now I wanted to take a moment to remember.

I was a sophomore in college, and I was in Trav and Jon's common room getting ready for class. I all out lived in the frat house at that point... went to sleep there, woke up there, got ready in the mornings there, showered there, came back there from my classes, ate my meals there... it was my home. We had a routine in that room, and were used to each other. It was great times.

For some reason the TV was on that morning... normally it never was that early in the day. We would sleep as late as possible, then dash off to our first class, so morning TV didn't happen. But that day it was on, and as I came out of Trav's personal room I saw the smoke pouring out of the first tower hit. At that point it was still confusion about what had really happened... was this a mistake? I called to Jon that there had been a plane crash, and he gave some sleepy reply.
Soon all was clarified however, as I stood there, the second plane hit. I remember just being completely shocked. It was a weird feeling, like watching a movie. Something like that just didn't feel real.

I called out to Jon, who was still in his personal room that he had to come see this, that he would never believe what was happening. He didn't until they replayed the second hit. I just sat there, unable to look away. Travis came back at that point, all the classes in progress were being dismissed, the rest (for the day) cancelled. He sat down to watch too... and then we remembered George.

One of Travis' fraternity brothers and friends, George, had a brother who worked in the city. Who we thought (but hoped not) might actually work in one of the towers.

Then the towers starting collapsing.

We went down the hall to George's room, and one look at his face was enough. He was frantic, trying to reach his parents, his siblings, anyone who could tell him anything about James. We tried to calm him down, and eventually we had to turn off his TV for him. He didn't want to watch, but he couldn't stop.

The rest of the day was a blur. No one could talk about anything else, think about anything else. Lehigh gets students from all over, but a majority from PA, NJ, and NY. A good number of those students have parents, siblings, or friends that work in NY. Numerous students lost people that day, or knew people that lost people. Too many (a good handfull) lost both parents.

Another large contingent of Lehigh students are International... and while our big draw is Asia, we also have a large number of Middle Eastern students. They were afraid to leave their rooms, afraid of how people would react... they were just as innocent as the rest of us, but no one was thinking clearly at that point.

As days went by you found that life continued, and that you just had to go on doing your thing, because the world does not stop turning for grief. Eventually the dynamic of school life returned to a semi-normal state. But for many students, many people across the country, their lives were forever altered. About a week later, George had to face one of the hardest realities of his life: James Andrew Gadiel was one of the thousands of people killed on 9/11, not making it out of the towers.

So, I wanted to write this post... while now we have new victims to think about (those homeless and abandoned by Katrina, those lost in Iraq, etc), the 9/11 victims are not forgotten 4 years later. They will not be forgotten 20 years later.

Tribute in Lights
From the 9/11 website.

2nd round

From I Need A Permanent Vacation (don't we all), a little game for my fun readers. I'm a little scared of the results, but we'll see how this goes, or who even "plays":

Here are the "rules":
1. Ask me 3 questions. Any 3, no matter how personal, private or random.

2. I have to answer them honestly. I have to answer them all.

3. In turn, post this message on your blog and answer all questions asked of you.


So I open the floor to you... and I'm honestly curious to see what I will be asked.

a comic or two (not mine, so they are funny), and my questions/answers

(both of these are from the amusing and biting website The Catch Penny)
And an oldie, but goodie (please don't spam-hate me here... it's not my creation, nor do I hate Jesus, those who love Jesus, nor those who don't love Jesus... its just a joke):

Now my questions/answers in answer to this post...
From Ro:

1. How early do I need to tell you where we are going and what we are doing for your bachelorett party? (Keep in mind that I have you booked friday night starting at 6 pm until Monday night ending at 10 pm on the weekend of 9/1/06-9/4/06)
It's really up to you. I know when I am needed, which is one of the most important things... so you can tell me now, or you can tell me on Friday Sept. 1, 2006 at 6pm. Keep in mind that since I'm clearly spending the night somewhere, you might want to let me know a few days in advance so that I can pack appropriately. (So maybe you can't tell me on Friday the 1st at 6... but Wednesday night would be fine.)

2. What does your ideal male hotty look like?
I'll skip the easy answer of: Just like Travis... even though he does have a lot of my ideals. ;-)
Let's see, my ideal hotty. I love blue eyes, and brown hair, and a nice body. A six-pack is great! I also love the "bad-boy" look, even though I'm not so keen on the "bad-boy" attitude anymore!! Honestly, my ideal is less about specific parts and more about how the guy carries himself, and how comfortable he is in his own skin.

3. Preference: mostly naked man in boxers, briefs, or some type of thong thing?
Hmm... I'm actually a fan of the boxer-briefs... I think they are kind of sexy. But I would take boxers over briefs, and DEFINITELY over thongs Anytime!


This is kind of fun. More questions later, if i get them!

From I Need A Permanent Vacation (don't we all), a little game for my fun readers. I'm a little scared of the results, but we'll see how this goes, or who even "plays":

Here are the "rules":
1. Ask me 3 questions. Any 3, no matter how personal, private or random.

2. I have to answer them honestly. I have to answer them all.

3. In turn, post this message on your blog and answer all questions asked of you.


So I open the floor to you... and I'm honestly curious to see what I will be asked.

Crazy story...

Survivor Story: 6-Year-Old Leads Five Toddlers, Baby To Safety

In the chaos that was Causeway Boulevard in New Orleans last Thursday, one group of survivors stood out: a 6-year-old boy walking down the road, holding a 5-month-old, surrounded by five toddlers who followed him around as if he were their leader.

They were holding hands. Three of the children were about two years old, and one was wearing only diapers. A three-year-old girl, who wore colorful barrettes on the ends of her braids, had her 14-month-old brother in tow. The 6-year-old spoke for all of them, and he told rescuers his name was Deamonte Love.

Thousands of human stories have flown past relief workers in the last week, but few have touched them as much as the seven children who were found wandering together Thursday at an evacuation point in downtown New Orleans. In the Baton Rouge headquarters of the rescue operation, paramedics tried to coax their names out of them; nurses who examined them stayed up that night, brooding.

Transporting the children alone was "the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, knowing that their parents are either dead" or that they had been abandoned, said Pat Coveney, a Houston emergency medical technician who put them into the back of his ambulance and drove them out of New Orleans.

"It goes back to the same thing," he said. "How did a 6-year-old end up being in charge of six babies?"

So far, parents displaced by flooding have reported 220 children missing, but that number is expected to rise, said Mike Kenner of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which will help reunite families. With crowds churning at evacuation points, many children were parted from their parents accidentally; one woman handed her baby up onto a bus, turned around to pick up her suitcase and turned back to find that the bus had left.

At the rescue headquarters, a cool tile-floored building swarming with firefighters and paramedics, the children ate cafeteria food and fell into a deep sleep. Deamonte volunteered his vital statistics. He said his father was tall and his mother was short. He gave his address, his phone number and the name of his elementary school.
He said the 5-month-old was his brother, Darynael, and that two others were his cousins, Tyreek and Zoria. The other three lived in his apartment building.

The children were clean and healthy -- downright plump in the case of the infant, said Joyce Miller, a nurse who examined them. It was clear, she said, that "time had been taken with those kids." The baby was "fat and happy."

"This baby child was terrified," he said. "After she relaxed, it was gobble, gobble, gobble."

As grim dispatches came in from the field, one woman in the office burst into tears at the thought that the children had been abandoned in New Orleans, said Sharon Howard, assistant secretary of the office of public health.

Late the same night, they got an encouraging report: A woman in a shelter in Thibodeaux was searching for seven children. People in the building started clapping at the news. But when they got the mother on the phone, it became clear that she was looking for a different group of seven children, Howard said.

"What that made me understand was that this was happening across the state," she said. "That kind of frightened me."

The children were transferred to a shelter operated by the Department of Social Services, rooms full of toys and cribs where mentors from the Big Buddy Program were on hand day and night. For the next two days, the staff did detective work.
Deamonte began to give more details to Derrick Robertson, a 27-year-old Big Buddy mentor: How he saw his mother cry when he was loaded onto the helicopter. How he promised her he'd take care of his little brother.

Late Saturday night, they found Deamonte's mother, who was in a shelter in San Antonio along with the four mothers of the other five children. Catrina Williams, 26, saw her children's pictures on a web site set up over the weekend by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. By Sunday, a private plane from Angel Flight was waiting to take the children to Texas.

In a phone interview, Williams said she is the kind of mother who doesn't let her children out of her sight. What happened the Thursday after the hurricane, she said, was that her family, trapped in an apartment building on the 3200 block of Third Street in New Orleans, began to feel desperate.

The water wasn't going down and they had been living without light, food or air conditioning for four days. The baby needed milk and the milk was gone. So she decided they would evacuate by helicopter. When a helicopter arrived to pick them up they were told to send the children first and that the helicopter would be back in 25 minutes. She and her neighbors had to make a quick decision. It was a wrenching
moment. Williams' father, Adrian Love, told her to send the children ahead.

"I told them to go ahead and give them up, because me, I would give my life for my kids. They should feel the same way," said Love, 48. "They were shedding tears. I said, Let the babies go.' "

His daughter and her friends followed his advice.

"We did what we had to do for our kids, because we love them," Williams said.

The helicopter didn't come back. While the children were transported to Baton Rouge, their parents wound up in Texas, and although Williams was reassured that they would be reunited, days passed without any contact. On Sunday, she was elated.

"All I know is I just want to see my kids," she said. "Everything else will just fall into place." At 3 p.m. Sunday, DSS workers said good-by to seven children who now had names: Deamonte Love; Darynael Love; Zoria Love and her brother Tyreek. The girl who cried "Gabby!" was Gabrielle Janae Alexander. The girl they called Peanut was Degahney Carter. And the boy whom they called G was actually Lee -- Leewood Moore Jr.

The children were strapped into car seats and driven to an airport, where they were flown to San Antonio to rejoin their parents. As they loaded into the van, the shelter workers looked in the windows; some wept. The baby gaped with delight in the front seat. Deamonte was hanging onto Robertson's neck so desperately that Robertson decided, at the last minute, to ride with him as far as Lafayette.

Shelter worker Kori Thomas, held Zoria, 3, who reached out to smooth her eyebrows. Tyreek put a single fat finger on the van window by way of goodbye.
Robertson said he doubted the children would remember much of the helicopter evacuation, the Causeway, the sweltering heat or the smell of the flooded city.

"I think what's going to stick with them is that they survived Hurricane Katrina," he said. "And that they were loved."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9230423/

His Disfunction is My Disfunction, That's how We Roll.

It's funny how these things just come to you. I was sitting here doing my work when a conversation from last weekend came back to me, and I just had to laugh (and therefore share).

Travis and I are in the car, driving home from my grandparents. We were talking about the day, and about the reception sites we saw. He gets distracted by the radio and can't remember what he was about to say, when he comes out with this:

Travis: Oh honestly, I have no more brain bananas.

Me: I think I missed that, it sounded like you said brain bananas.

Travis: Yup, and I think they are all gone.

I am staring at him as if he has brain bananas growing out of his ears, and am suddenly seeing it for the very first time. Who is this man? Honestly? But he remembers what he wanted to say, so the conversation continues.

Later he has trouble with another thought.

Travis: Yeah, someone definitely stole my brain bananas.

I think I've been sharing too much dooce with him, because that sounds exactly like a Leta thought. Honestly.

just a few words (nitwit, oddment, blubber, and tweak)

I hate the DMV. It is a horrible place created simply to make decent, hardworking people want to poke their eyes, or whomevers eyes are in the immediate vacinity, completely out of their head.
The DMV, and their forms, and their idiotic way of doing EVERYTHING, makes me cranky... it stresses Me Out, AnD ThErE ARE ONLY TWO WEEKS TO AUTUMN AND THIS IS MY HAPPY F*IN TIME OF YEAR AND I SHOULD NOT BE STRESSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay... deep breathe.

I thought everything was resolved with my old car, but apparently I was much to hopeful. First there was a problem with proof of insurence stuff (now hopefully rectified), then a problem with forms (on its way to being rectified). Now I would like to banish everyone in the DMV to that special place once reserved for IRS agents and terrorists.


On a happier note, I thought I would post some cute pictures from Jen and Kim's wedding (the one I babysat for), which are from Jen & Kim's photo page.

Look at those adorable sisters! And here is the whole Wright family.

Now two of the cute couple.

Don't they just make the sweetest newlyweds? I think so, especially is the very artistic (we'll ignore that it was raining, because it is just too cute) umbrella shot. So sweet. They just brightened my day a little, and I thought I would brighten yours with them since until now I was a little, um, sour.

Okay, back to work.

i stole

this from Chattababy:

For Bush

We heard you loud and clear Friday when you visited our devastated city and the Gulf Coast and said, "What is not working, we're going to make it right." Please forgive us if we wait to see proof of your promise before believing you. But we have good reason for our skepticism.Bienville built New Orleans where he built it for one main reason: It's accessible. The city between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain was easy to reach in 1718.

How much easier it is to access in 2005 now that there are interstates and bridges, airports and helipads, cruise ships, barges, buses and diesel-powered trucks. Despite the city's multiple points of entry, our nation's bureaucrats spent days after last week's hurricane wringing their hands, lamenting the fact that they could neither rescue the city's stranded victims nor bring them food, water and medical supplies.
Meanwhile there were journalists, including some who work for The Times-Picayune, going in and out of the city via the Crescent City Connection. On Thursday morning, that crew saw a caravan of 13 Wal-Mart tractor trailers headed into town to bring food, water and supplies to a dying city.

Television reporters were doing live reports from downtown New Orleans streets. Harry Connick Jr. brought in some aid Thursday, and his efforts were the focus of a "Today" show story Friday morning.

Yet, the people trained to protect our nation, the people whose job it is to quickly bring in aid were absent. Those who should have been deploying troops were singing a sad song about how our city was impossible to reach.

We're angry, Mr. President, and we'll be angry long after our beloved city and surrounding parishes have been pumped dry. Our people deserved rescuing. Many who could have been were not. That's to the government's shame.

Mayor Ray Nagin did the right thing Sunday when he allowed those with no other alternative to seek shelter from the storm inside the Louisiana Superdome. We still don't know what the death toll is, but one thing is certain: Had the Superdome not been opened, the city's death toll would have been higher. The toll may even have been exponentially higher.

It was clear to us by late morning Monday that many people inside the Superdome Would not be returning home. It should have been clear to our government, Mr. President. So why weren't they evacuated out of the city immediately? We learned seven years ago, when Hurricane Georges threatened, that the Dome isn't suitable as a long-term shelter. So what did state and national officials think would happen to tens of thousands of people trapped inside with no air conditioning, overflowing toilets and dwindling amounts of food, water and other essentials?

State Rep. Karen Carter was right Friday when she said the city didn't have but two urgent needs: "Buses! And gas!" Every official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency should be fired, Director Michael Brown especially.

In a nationally televised interview Thursday night, he said his agency hadn't known until that day that thousands of storm victims were stranded at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. He gave another nationally televised interview the next morning and said, "We've provided food to the people at the Convention Center so that they've gotten at least one, if not two meals, every single day."
Lies don't get more bald-faced than that, Mr. President.

Yet, when you met with Mr. Brown Friday morning, you told him, "You're doing a heck of a job."
That's unbelievable.

There were thousands of people at the Convention Center because the riverfront is high ground. The fact that so many people had reached there on foot is proof that rescue vehicles could have gotten there, too.

We, who are from New Orleans, are no less American than those who live on the Great Plains or along the Atlantic Seaboard. We're no less important than those from the Pacific Northwest or Appalachia. Our people deserved to be rescued.
No expense should have been spared. No excuses should have been voiced. Especially not one as preposterous as the claim that New Orleans couldn't be reached.

Mr. President, we sincerely hope you fulfill your promise to make our beloved communities work right once again.

When you do, we will be the first to applaud.

Times-Picayune an open letter, published 9/04/2005

I'm appreciating more and more the little things, as your realize that these people don't have food, water, clothes, a safe living environment, or any of those everyday things that we consider "necessities" (toilet paper, cutlery, sheets, towels, etc).

As another blogger put it, boring isn't always bad.

Sorry for the multiple entries on Katrina, but (please pardon the expression) now that the flood gates have been opened...

I'm sure I'll have ordinary things to write about soon.

Anderson Cooper, you are my hero

From The Rebellion of the Talking Heads

Last night, CNN's Anderson Cooper abandoned the old persona to throttle Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., in a live interview.

"Does the federal government bear responsibility for what is happening now? Should they apologize for what is happening now?" Cooper opened.

As if campaigning before the local Democratic Ladies' Club lunch, Landrieu sing-songed back, "Anderson, there will be plenty of time to discuss all of those issues, about why, and how, and what, and if." She went on to thank President Bush, President Clinton, former President Bush, Senators Frist and Reid, and "all leaders that are coming to Louisiana, and Mississippi, and Alabama," for their help.

Her condescending filibuster continued: "Anderson, tonight, I don't know if you've
heard—maybe you all have announced it—but Congress is going to an unprecedented session to pass a $10 billion supplemental bill tonight to keep FEMA and the Red Cross up and operating."

Cooper suspended the traditional TV rules of decorum and, approaching tears of fury, said:

Excuse me, Senator, I'm sorry for interrupting. I haven't heard that, because, for the last four days, I've been seeing dead bodies in the streets here in Mississippi. And to listen to politicians thanking each other and complimenting each other, you know, I got to tell you, there are a lot of people here who are very upset, and very angry, and very frustrated.

And when they hear politicians slap—you know, thanking one another, it just, you know, it kind of cuts them the wrong way right now, because literally there was a body on the streets of this town yesterday being eaten by rats because this woman had been laying in the street for 48 hours. And there's not enough facilities to take her up.

Do you get the anger that is out here? …

I mean, I know you say there's a time and a place for, kind of, you know, looking back, but this seems to be the time and the place. I mean, there are people who want answers, and there are people who want someone to stand up and say, "You know what? We should have done more. Are all the assets being brought to bear?"

Landrieu kept her cool, probably because she's in Baton Rouge, while the stink of corpses caused Cooper to tremble in rage all the way to the commercial break.

Honestly, I think it's about time someone said all that... we don't need to hear how great the politicians are for doing their jobs in this matter. It's your job, so do it!
Really. You would think that this would be obvious.

Anyway, I'm glad someone (multiple people, as referenced in the article) had the brass balls needed to not beat around the bush, and just let them have it.

time flies

First off, I would like to promise everyone that I will be popping out no babies for years to come. Despite the yearning, I have experienced possibly the best birth control in the form of 3+ years of working with quadruplets (from 1yrs to when they were 4 years old). Believe me, the only thing that keep me from losing my mind on the days that they were horrible was the fact that I got to go home. I know that it is not a cake-walk, and that with my own kids I don't get to go home at the end of the day. I'm definitely wanting to enjoy being married to Travis for a few years before we bring another person into the mix. At that time I will be overjoyed to finally get the chance to be a mother... but don't worry, we are waiting.


That being said, I will move on to other things.
First the blaise, my weekend. It was great. Every week should involve a three-day weekend. Saturday we visited 2 reception sites, one of which was the right price, but the wrong place, the second of which was the wrong price, but the right place. We had a great time visiting with my grandparent's though, and Travis got along well with my Uncle Dick & Aunt Lori, whom he hadn't met before. Exciting news (for me, at least) is that Lori has offered, and we have accepted, to make our wedding cake. :-) Both my Aunt and Uncle are chefs, and Lori's specialty is cakes. So I know our cake will be wonderful, it won't cost us a dime, and best of all it will be exactly what we want it to be.
Sunday we had dinner with Mike and Megan, which was amusing as always. And Monday we worked on the closet, finally getting it all painted, before heading over to Pat and Rochelle's to give them their wedding video (another finally). It was a nice and relaxing weekend, because while we did a lot, it was spaced out. Plus, it was great to feel really productive. All we have to do tonight is hang up the rods in the closet, and then we can start adding our clothes!
On top of that, a family friend offered their house for our wedding ceremony. They happen to live about 10 minutes from Lehigh, which is one area that we are looking in. A definite possibility.


So, I was thinking this morning about what I wanted to write today. I realized that I haven't really commented on Katrina. I realized that I don't know that I really do want to comment on Katrina. The whole event, and everything surrounding it, starting with the evacuation, thru everything since... well it is horrifying, and depressing, and is a true example of everything both good and terrible in the nature of man, and the nature of nature. Life will go on, but I honestly don't believe this country will be the same for it.
That being said (apparently my cliche for the day), there are some people out there that I feel have a much better way with words when it comes to this disaster, so I will point you to them, and you can see how I feel (or how it feels, in one case).
Blurbomat, I Lost Everything, okay that is all I could find right now, but that will do. I don't want to be thinking about this anymore right now anyway. It just gets to be too much. The looting, the dying.


Okay, perhaps it is time to call it a day. I have plenty to do before 5 anyway. Ciao.

the baby yearn

The baby yearn has surfaced again... as it always does, and I just keep telling myself to get a grip. But seeing the adorable pictures of Brenna (over at Lehigh Baby), and reading Heather's monthly mommy newsletter (an adorable letter she writes to her babe every month, to tell her how she has grown), not to mention the other cuties I read about daily (the "Lil' Poop", Waterboy, and of course Chattababy)... well it just comes roaring back.

Just have to count down until Trav and I are actually married... then count down the required 3 years that Travis will probably want to wait before he will even consider a baby. Ho-hum.

I almost cried when I read this one quote in Harry Potter #6... just because of the fact that at the time I was baby-jonesing:

"And Harry saw very clearly... how people who cared about him had stood infront of him one by one... all determined to protect him; but now that was over. ...He must abandon forever the illusion that the shelter of a parent's arms meant nothing could hurt him." (p. 645)

I don't know that I would ever want my child to come to that conclusion...

But anyway, that's enough of that.

I'm just happy that it is friday, and that there is a 3-day weekend stretching out ahead of me. Wish me luck with these reception sites. I know there is one our there for us.

3 weeks more

Three weeks to go until autumn is finally here... that excites me in ways that you don't even know.

Yesterday I finally got my new work computer. Which I was informed I would get about 4 weeks ago... and now it is finally here and hooked up, hallelujah. The old one was a piece of crap, which froze up constantly, and showed me the blue screen of death more times a day then I spend hours at work. Finally I can work in piece without fear of computer malfunction. :-) It is a good day.
Unfortunately it meant I was rather unproductive yesterday because our tech guys took a 2 minute process, and turned it into an all day event. Thankfully that is over.

Yesterday also seemed long because of the fact that Travis had off. Although the boy was very productive, and in fact finally made good headway on our closet project that we've been "working on" since we moved into the damn house. He finally got all the ancient wallpaper stripped off and sanded the whole thing down. Now we just have to paint it, hang the bars, and we have a closet!!


This weekend (3 blessed days) we will be heading up to upstate PA (Scranton area) to check out two more reception places, and to visit with my gram and pop. All have the potential to be wonderful, exciting times... or to make me want to poke my eyes out. I'm hoping for the former.
We are also planning to finish the closet... we'll see about that.


Two weeks and Trav & I will be heading to Ohio for his brother's wedding. I'm excited to see the excess. It should be gorgeous. I adore his brother, so I'm honestly looking forward to this.


Honestly I don't have much more to say right now. I'm not in a bad mood at all, but I think I'm just a bit tired/out of it today. I almost forgot to wash my hair in the shower this morning. I had to go back in the bedroom 3 times for things I forgot. Thank God it is almost the weekend.

Okay, more work.