Engagement Pics

Aw, why so sad Steve?

The lovely & talented Lindsay was kind enough to oblige us in taking our engagement photos.  A sampling of her wonderful work...

Giving back

For the first (successful) time, I had my blood drawn today & it went swimmingly.  I'm excited to do it again!  I don't think anyone can beat the feeling of knowing how much you're giving back to society.  This could save someone's life - pretty heavy stuff.

I've always been hesitant to give blood & I can remember the exact moment my hesitation was spurred.  While in college at the lovely & historic College of William & Mary, one of the philanthropic clubs held one of their many blood draws.  Being a good person (in my humble opinion) & wanting to give back to society, I make my way over the Student Union, signed up, answer all the necessary questions, & sit down in their comfy "lounge" chairs.  I'm ready to rock & roll.  A lady swings by & we chat while she preps everything for the blood draw.  No problemo, I'm feeling good - I've never had an aversion to blood.  Just ask my mother - while I was a youngster, I watched my dad sew up his foot after splitting it open on a dock tie-up.  Cool stuff.  I've got my arm out, she's giving it a good swab, out comes the needle...

And this is where it goes downhill.  I don't know if they hired this woman off the street, but she was the worst vein-finder-blood-drawer lady EVER.  She.could.not.find.my.vein.  OUCH.  So she's poking around my arm like I'm a pin cushion.  Then decides to switch arms.  Oh, ok, my right arm is now Swiss cheese, let's move to the left arm.  She finds a vein.  Holy shit, I wipe the sweat from my brow & force a grin across my face.  "Sure, no problem, I'm fiiiiiine."  Meanwhile, I'm praying to Allah, God, Jesus Cristo, the Sun God, Buddha, William & Mary...any deity or other-worldly figure that might bring me mercy.  So the blood finely starts flowing.

And then it STOPS.  

WTF.

She decides it's time to "adjust" the needle.  It might have felt better stabbing a dull nail into my eye repeatedly.  After what feels like an eternity (or the same length as an Economics class), which is probably only a matter of minutes, she makes the brilliant decision to stop what she's doing.  And says to me:

"Ok, so, you have extremely small veins & the blood has clotted, which means it will not provide enough blood for a full draw.  When it comes to drawing blood, in a "normal" person (um, am I not normal?), the needle is like a toothpick & the vein is like a drinking straw.  With your veins, the needle is like a toothpick & your vein is like a COFFEE STRAW.  You know, those little tiny coffee straws?  That's what your vein is like."

Oh.  Great.  Both of my arms hurt like hell & no blood to show for.

That was the last time I donated blood...until today!  Since that day at William & Mary, I've always made it very very VERY clear to anyone wielding a blood-drawing needle that I have VERY SMALL veins.  Today was no exception.  And it worked!  First time try & they found a big, puffy vein.  I filled my quotient quickly (they told me several times my blood was flowing very well - I was like proud mama bear) & after eating an unnecessary amount of Oreos - because, you know, I just gave blood & need the sugar (ha!) - was on my way back upstairs to my office.

It was a good feeling.  I wore my gauze bandage like a proud Girl Scout showing off her latest badge.  Sign me up for round two.

Miami Visit

Before making the trip to Cuba, we stopped in Miami for a few days to see family & do what Cubans do best...eat & drink.  A few snapshots of the weekend...

Stocking up before the family gathering.

Who let the crazy bandits in the back of the van?

I don't lay claim to him.

The Cuban version of crack.  Seriously.

Apparently it takes THISMANY people to carve a pig.  (Probably not, but the pig carvers do get first dibs).  A family affair.

There is no "waiting in line" at a Cuban pig roast.  Especially when you're family.  If you want some, especially the good pieces, you better shove yourself to the table & start digging in.

Inspecting Cuban treat bags put together by my lovely tia.

A dulce de leche treat.  That little thing is half the size of a yogurt container, filled entirely with dulce de leche.  I was on it like flies on...well, you get the point.

Last but not least, my favorite picture...

My grandpa, "Hot."  When I see him, I'll always be 8 years old &a he'll always be my strong grandpa who made me feel like the prettiest & smartest girl in the world.  I do no wrong in his eyes...the love of a grandfather to his only granddaughter.

He may be aging, but damnit, he still loves his pork.  :)

Debt

I hate debt.

And I hate feeling like my Master's degree was a waste because it left me with a hefty amount of debt (about the same as a really fancy car), but no high paying job to pay down the debt quickly or justify such a lofty education.  I fumbled through 9 months of unemployment & my now steady paychecks are quickly eaten by said debt.  I can write "MA" next to my name.  Whoopdee-freakin-doo.  If I hadn't gone for my Master's, I could be debt-free right now.  My paychecks wouldn't look so small at the end of the day.

Was it worth it?  Maybe eventually it will be.  I pray-hope-BEG it will be worth it.  I like money.  And I like having it, not losing it.

In today's rough & tumble economy, do you think higher education is worth the expense?

*Sigh*

Chicks!

I've been wanting chickens for some time, especially after watching the eye-opening movie "Food, Inc."  Fresh eggs & (some day) fresh chicken meat (after they've lived long, productive lives & no longer produce eggs) enticed us enough to make the leap.  Knowing how the chickens lived (free-range with plenty of exercise & fresh air), what they ate (bugs, grass, all-natural feed), & how they were treated (as spoiled as our pups) makes the decision worthwhile.  Chickens are fairly easy to raise - and they cost approximately $3/chick & a 50 lb feed bag costs about $15.  Do a little research & anyone can raise chickens.

"Athena," an Araucana - she's the biggest of the group (long story, but in some races, they have special groups for "Athena" & "Clydesdale" - runners that are at a higher weight than typical runners).

"Grubby," a New Hampshire Red - she ate the first bug.

"Fenway," a Plymouth Rock White - think of Plymouth Rock, think of Boston, think of Boston, think of Fenway

"Fosters," an Australorp - Australorp...Australia...Fosters!  It's a stretch, but I'm fairly certain the chickens aren't worried about their names.  She's by far our favorite - much more docile & sweet than the others.  The other three are friendly enough, but we picked them up at an older age than typical & I don't think they bonded to us as younger chicks usually do.  Foster seems to be the youngest, so it seems she was more willing to consider us her "parent."

A very curious Brewer.  Guinness cannot be left alone with them (a true bird dog), Brewer is curious but kind of scared, & Gidget could care less.

They've since grown quite a bit, but we haven't had a chance to take pictures.  I'm sure we'll be posting updates, especially after we finish the coop & move them outside in a few weeks (if the weather ever clears...).

Cuba!

Let's ignore the fact that I've been a horrible blogger recently...

Moving on to more exciting things:  Cuba pictures!  Follow the link to see some of our adventures - be warned, this is only a fraction of pictures taken between 6 people!  To see more photos, check out Dan & Linds' blog or Jorge & Linda's blog.

We had a wonderful trip.  Heartbreaking, fun, adventurous, heartwarming, joyful, exciting...to name a few emotions that cross my mind from the trip.  We met dad's family & I can't believe we might never have known these wonderful people (two of his older cousins from his mom's side & their families).  When we first met them, you would never have known we were in a different country, speaking two different languages, & never met before (or seen each other in 48 years, as is the case with Jorge & his two cousins).  Without a doubt, it was obvious we were family.

I hope we can keep our Cuba connection alive.  Someday, I hope we can make our way back to that lovely little island, especially to visit family.  It's true they're repressed, but they are very strong people & they appear to be very happy people.  They may not have much, but they're clean, friendly, & simply make do with what they have.  I won't go into a political discussion, but I hope, not-so-secretly, they don't become an over-commercialized island with a Walmart, McDonald's, & Holiday Inn on every corner.  Not that it will happen if the embargo is lifted, but right now, it's a beautiful place to visit & take a step back in time to a more low-key, relaxed, day-to-day way of life.  If only we could learn to live so simply.