I made it!

Well, I made it through National Blog Posting Month! I did post everyday this month - sometimes even twice a day. I can't say I had many outstanding examples of writing or deep thoughts to share with the world but it was fun to blog that consistently for once. I hope I can keep up some of the consistency even if it isn't everyday. If you liked the increase in posting, why don't you give my ego a boost and let me know and I'll try to keep it up. (Naturally, if you didn't like it let me know and I'll be sure to take that into consideration!)

In other news, it ended up being a busy weekend with the holiday travel and some church work but it all worked out. And given that my ultrasound tomorrow was smack dab in the middle of the day it seemed easiest to take a day off and take a break from the long weekend. And since I have some freelance deadlines this week it will give me a chance to work on that as well.

Also, I get to go to ChristmasFest, St. Olaf's holiday choir service, and I'm looking forward to it. I haven't missed a year since I graduated (a minor miracle), so technically since before I went to St. Olaf as I was in it for four years as well. It is a sign of Advent for me and will forever be may favorite part of the Christmas season. I feel so lucky to get to go again this year.

There are so other exciting aspects of the week as well, and lots of little appointments and stuff so it will be a crazy week. It all starts with the ultrasound tomorrow which has me excited and just a little anxious as well. I want so badly for everything to be looking good that it get me worked up even when there is no apparent cause for worry, but given my normal state I'm sure this is mostly a reflection of my own normal way of thinking. I am working on it though.

Home again

What can be said about a day on the road mostly. It mostly was just that - travel, mostly passive on my part as Mr. Goat did all the driving. But when he gets to do the driving I get to do plenty of thinking (and a fair amount of sleeping too). I think this was an emotional trip for me. With Gramma moving and the whole first-great-grandkid-in-my-belly thing it made for some interesting thoughts. It seems official that we are no longer simply kids and grandkids but have moved officially into the realm of adulthood. And life it changing, with BIG changes on the way, and it all seemed a little scary and sad this weekend knowing all these changes were coming soon, and soon like NOW. And natrually change is good but there is some bittersweet emotions watching the changes, even knowing that they are things you 1) wanted or are 2) necessary.

These are still uncompleted thoughts but that's what the trip brought out of me today. So much of what is happening is wonderful and I'm thrilled to be headed that way but today it was all a little scary. (Not to mention hormonal I imagine!)

The games people play.

We are still here at Gramma's and are heading back home tomorrow to be back for church on Sunday. Nevertheless, it has been a fun trip. Gramma is in the process of moving to her new condo so the place is strewn with packing supplies and nothing is where it normally is but that is fine. It will be weird to come visit Gramma and not have the same house there (with its quintessential seventies decor).

But it has been a fun few days with lots of game play. Mr. Goat and I have played with siblings, parents, grandparents, and distant relatives. And naturally all of them have been different games so far.

Games played so far:

Phase 10
Bridge
Apples to Apples
Sheepshead
Ticket to Ride
Euchre

There are a few noticable absences in the last few days however. I have yet to corner my dad for a game of cribbage or backgammon, and the annual turkey bowl with the neighbors was cancelled this year due to a death in the neighbors family. But the games have continued and it is a wonderful party of the tradition of the family.

It is a tradition that I hope Zy-Goat will be pleased to partake in. It is one of my favorite parts of both my family and Mr. Goat's.

P.S. Speaking of Zy-Goat there are just a few days left to leave your guess on the poll. We find out on Monday!

Happy Thanksgiving!

A quick note on Thanksgiving morning. (Boy there is decidedly creepy Thanksgiving clip art out there, so no picture for you guys today!)

I am so thankful this year. I'm thankful for my friends and family and all the opportunities before us, even when they seem scary. I'm thankful for Mr. Goat and Zy-Goat and the chance to make a family in this world.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Many blessings to you and yours this holiday!

Halfway there!

We are all the way there to Gramma's and had a lovely late dinner with her, and my Sister and family tonight. Naturally we did have an hour an a half delay in traffic where we went about 8 miles total, but other than that the trip was fine. I got everything really important done at least.

In other news, we are now halfway through our pregnancy! Amazingly enough we are at 20 weeks. With the ultrasound on Monday and becoming much more aware of a baby actually moving in my belly it is a shock to realize that we are moving along so quickly.

That's it. Its late and we still are going to play a late night no-holds-bar Ticket to Ride game so good night and Happy Thanksgiving!

Bad attitude

There is so much to do before we head to Thanksgiving tomorrow and it has me in a funk. I put in the work and finished my work so I am ready for Sunday but now there is stuff around the house too and I'm starting to prioritize. But the problem with prioritizing is that I'm still slacking on some of the things that I really should have done. Here is the list and where I'm headed...maybe it won't look so bad if I write it all out! And maybe it will keep me from rummaging around for chocolate or something instead.

To Do:

• Drop off the keys at the cat sitters. DONE!
• Do all the laundry. DONE!
• Clean up the dining room table/papers.
• Vaccuum living room.
• Straighten and spot clean bathroom. DONE!
• Put laundry away. DONE!
• Finish the dishes. DONE!
• Find pants that I still fit into. DONE!
• Pack for the trip. DONE!
• Stop by the bank on the way out of town. DONE!
• Find and pack some healthy snacks for the long trip.
• Remember that this is a Thanksgiving trip and to be thankful for all I have even if I don't finish the list.

In a week.

Well, it is going to be a crazy week. In just one week it will be Dec 1st - which seems odd enough given that I could have sworn it was just like Halloween or heck, Labor day. Also this week we will drive several hundred miles to enjoy Thanksgiving with the family - or at least one part of the extended family but I'm still really excited about it. I am less excited about the 9 hour car trip - but more excited about the fact that gas is under $2.00 and hopefully will stay for the next 5 days.

Also, one week from today is our BIG Ultrasound. I know that I've had some thought either way about whether or not we would find out the sex of Zy-Goat but right know we are a go to know. (This could change multiple times in the week but who knows). Naturally, since we'll know in a week I figure I should have a poll and people can tell me their guesses. I will *maybe* post a picture when I get home tonight to add your guessing but I may give up in depression before I find one worth posting. Other info you might want...last time we were at the doc Zy's heart rate was 150. It seems to me that I am carrying low so far but it is hard to tell with the extra layers.

Hmmm. Any other info you want to may a semi-informed totally-in-the-dark guess? You can leave me questions you want answered before you guess if you'd like or the reasons why you guessed the way you did in this post, but don't forget to click on the poll too.

I should say two more things.

1. Mr. Goat and I both have the same hunch at the moment and I'm curious if I'll be right or not. But I won't tell you which way our hunch lies.

2. Zy-Goat could end up being the first demure member of the extended Goat clan and decide not to reveal him or herself. So we'll just see what there is to see, provided we are given a good view.

Random Thoughts - Sore Loser addition

Thank you for your new vs. used advice. Feel free to add anything that comes to mind. I have to confess that I'm feeling a bit sleepy right now (despite my nap this afternoon) so I am having a hard time coming up with something to blog about - so, lets go with random thoughts.

* Can I tell you how excited I am for a two day work week! Very, very, very excited! It will be fun to see the family too and sleep in a king size bed.

* Fantasy Football was HORRIBLE today! My teams bombed at a level previously unheard of. I'm trying not to be a sore loser about it but it is hard because I really like winning.

* Likewise Chris and I went to play Bridge tonight and lost gloriously, fresh off of our win from last week. It is a fun date night but today the cards (and my brain) didn't really go our way. Again, I really do like winning but I just need to get over it.

* On another positive though, I did manage to get to the gym three times this week. I should do more but it was better than the week before and was what my energy level could do.

* I am highly amused by all the people at church and in daily life who upon finding out that we are pregnant congratulate us and then start laughing a bit crazily. I know enough to know that I really have no idea what I"m getting into but the manaically laughter is odd.

* I played the trumpet in church today. I played ok but my lung capacity is definitely compromised due to the presence of Zy-Goat. I'm willing to make this compromise though!

* I need to work on my veggie quotient in coming weeks. It is a hard one for me. Also, eating every three hours. I'm just not wired that way...its a constant struggle.

* I finished the Twilight Series and book 4 was my favorite. The story came together much more for me then. In a way the 4 books really are one large book (more like the LOTR trilogy - though Twilight is in no way as amazing as the LOTR). Getting to book 4 made me enjoy it much more however.

* Although it also makes me want to read Harry Potter again. I have too many library books out to indulge that right now though.

Old vs New

Mr. Goat and I are just starting the search for all the baby gear needed for a kid these days. I'm sure we'll be polling you experts out there often in the coming weeks to help figure out the best things but first and foremost we have one important question....What can you get used and what should you really try to get new? Obviously clothes are easily reused for kids but what about cribs, strollers, car seats etc. Any advice on what can be good for used items and where to look for them would be great. We are trying to face the reality that we are going to have to live frugally for a while - particularly until Mr. Goat finds a job so I want to start getting a sense of what we really need. But I also don't want to cut corners in a way that is a risk or irresponsible either.

P.S. We did get the Baby Bargains book - thanks for the earlier tip.

P.P.S. We hope you all will appreciate your Macaroni picture Christmas gifts this year :)

10 minutes to spare

Whew what a day. The state swim tournament was fun, even if my SIL didn't get to the finals. And Wicked was AWESOME! Of course I'm a musical loving geek so I fit right in. It was definitely worth tracking down tickets. The cast was impressive too - some good comedic timing too. Yay!

More tomorrow when I don't have such a time constraint!

Let the weekend begin

I was at work late tonight -which was annoying but also good because I finished some necessary stuff so i don't have to worry about it as I go into my weekend! Since I work all the Sundays I typically I have Fridays and Saturdays off.

Last weekend I didn't get Friday so I had a one day weekend and now I'm finally prepped for a full two days off! Tomorrow I get to go watch the HS state swim meet. My SIL is swimming - Go Sister Goat! And tomorrow night we have tickets to Wicked! I am so excited to take in a good musical.

Saturday should be good too. I'm just glad for two work free days. And that next week is a short week doesn't bother me either. Woohoo!

One final thought

The kids tonight were so squirrelly and I had to talk to numerous kids about behavior, appropriate language, fighting, etc. There were moments of slightly raised tempers. If Zy-Goat is now hearing things I hope Zy does not remember my angry voice instead of my calm voice. Maybe I should be reading some books to my tummy now to make up for tonight. I don't know.

19 weeks

Holy cow. I am now 19 weeks pregnant. Which is just kind of mind-boggling. Here is what babycenter says this week...

How your baby's growing:Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

I have to say that I'm still fluctuating between feeling huge and feeling barely pregnant. If I have been able to feel Zy-Goat it is still not regular enough to tell for sure. Rather it feels like someone is playing tidal wave (like I used to in the bathtub as a kid) in my torso. But if there are any kicks or nudges I can't really tell yet.

In the meantime, the acne continues, as does a really lovely dose of fat transplanting, so while I don't particularly look too pregnant (to me, Mr. Goat sees it differently) I do seem to be widening and growing from all possible angles. Yuck.

I think I am really struggling with being naturally larger and pregnant. I don't feel too pregnant, I don't look too pregnant, and I'm just glad that most people know at this point because I don't think there is much physical evidence to tell people yet. It is yet another frustrating reality of being a larger person in the world. Added to that the reality of needing to eat and still struggling with the what and when of eating some days it gets very hard to deal with. A naturally my hormones are still playing a part in this as well I know. Naturally this struggle also means I have yet to get the courage to post any belly pictures on here. I may when I actually look pregnant but we'll see.

But I shouldn't complain. I'm almost halfway there and for all intents and purposes it has been remarkably painless so far. I haven't had morning sickness and I have had nothing too extreme on any other issue either. So really, I've been lucky.

It is amazing to almost on the downward slope of this pregnancy. Next week will be half way there and that is assuming Zy-Goat goes full term. The thought that we are headed toward an actual child now just blows the mind. And there is so much to do, as we haven't done much of anything to prepare yet. Yikes!

On the one hand time could speed up and on the other it could slow WAY down for me. I'm sure it won't do either but I do hope that the rest of this first half and the second half of this pregnancy is as easy as the first, at least maybe until that labor part - I don't expect that will be easy even if I wish it to be so.

Just because

I have to confess that it seems like a very odd week is shaping up. There are some productive things and good things going on and some bad. And since it seems weird to deal with it I'm going to post a random quiz early today and spend the evening going to the gym, running errands, and probably watching Biggest Loser and doing some cleaning. If you haven't visited Emilie please do so, as she is very much in my thoughts at the moment.

But to fulfill my blogging requirements here is a random quiz I found floating around the blogs. I like it because it is only two questions long, which is perfect for random momentary distraction.

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are an Ingrid!

You are an Ingrid -- "I am unique"

Ingrids have sensitive feelings and are warm and perceptive.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Give me plenty of compliments. They mean a lot to me.


• * Be a supportive friend or partner. Help me to learn to love and value myself.


• * Respect me for my special gifts of intuition and vision.


• * Though I don't always want to be cheered up when I'm feeling melancholy, I sometimes like to have someone lighten me up a little.


• * Don't tell me I'm too sensitive or that I'm overreacting!

What I Like About Being an Ingrid

• * my ability to find meaning in life and to experience feeling at a deep level


• * my ability to establish warm connections with people


• * admiring what is noble, truthful, and beautiful in life


• * my creativity, intuition, and sense of humor


• * being unique and being seen as unique by others


• * having aesthetic sensibilities


• * being able to easily pick up the feelings of people around me

What's Hard About Being an Ingrid

• * experiencing dark moods of emptiness and despair


• * feelings of self-hatred and shame; believing I don't deserve to be loved


• * feeling guilty when I disappoint people


• * feeling hurt or attacked when someone misundertands me


• * expecting too much from myself and life


• * fearing being abandoned


• * obsessing over resentments


• * longing for what I don't have

Ingrids as Children Often

• * have active imaginations: play creatively alone or organize playmates in original games


• * are very sensitive


• * feel that they don't fit in


• * believe they are missing something that other people have


• * attach themselves to idealized teachers, heroes, artists, etc.


• * become antiauthoritarian or rebellious when criticized or not understood


• * feel lonely or abandoned (perhaps as a result of a death or their parents' divorce)

Ingrids as Parents

• * help their children become who they really are


• * support their children's creativity and originality


• * are good at helping their children get in touch with their feelings


• * are sometimes overly critical or overly protective


• * are usually very good with children if not too self-absorbed

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

Something more important than Star Trek

Please go over and keep Emilie in your prayers as she is in the hospital right now.

Monday

It was a Monday. I am tired. Work. Gym. Dinner. That is all.

I was going to ask whether anyone was reading much anymore but with content like this who can blame them?

But, in an attempt to draw people to the awesomeness that is Geek Life....without further ado....

The New Star Trek Movie Trailer!

(Yeah, its ok to be excited even if you don't admit it out loud.)

Sneaking in under the wire

I'm sneaking in under the wire for Sunday but it has been a busy day. A few of the highlights...

1. Work went well this morning, no disasters, and it was confirmation Sunday which is always fun to watch. This is the first batch of kids that I taught in SS before they made it to confirmation so it was neat for me. A little surreal that I've really been there 4 years though!

2. The Packers destroyed the Bears. And the Vikings lost too, so we are all tied for first of the divison again. I'm glad to stay in the hunt.

3. My SIL is going to state swimming next week and it works out that we get to go...also we have Wicked tickets this week and I'm super excited about it.

4. I *may* have felt Zy-Goat move...but then again I don't really have the foggiest idea what I'm looking for. Still, 18.5 weeks is an exciting place to be. I finally can identify a little bump in the extra padding. Yay!

5. Mr. Goat and I went back to bridge tonight and we actually won the night! We won a half a master point. Go Team Goat! It is a bit redeeming since we are easily the youngest people in the room by like 20 years.

6. The key this time maybe? I actually had an early dinner and ate first. Turns out that food really helps a pregnant lady function. Who knew? :)

7. Thanksgiving is coming up and I'll get to see my Gramma and my sister and BIL and other family too. It will be fun and worth the drive.

So yay for happy news today. Even if it is all small stuff, but I'm glad for the small stuff today. But anyway, a busy week is coming up so it is time for bed! Night Blogland!

Breathing

Whew. That was quite a week. I'm finally decompressing after it and able to post things more than my desire for chocolate cake! I did have Monday off after a full week of work (Sat and Sunday included) the week before but since that was mostly spent running errands and doing important odds and ends it didn't feel restful. I'm also coming off a Thursday and Friday of working until midnight to finish a deadline for a new freelance project. I'm very excited about it but as deadlines kept changing the sudden due date caught me a bit off guard - and since I had full work days as well - well my pg self is TIRED!

I celebrated being done though by sleeping until 11am and then going to the Chocolate Extravaganza with Mr. Goat and some friends. They've had a crazy life for months now so it was nice to see them and the free tickets were great. There was loads of yummy chocolates and breads and candy stuff to try which was great. There was also a fair amount of wine and spirits which all the others enjoyed. I'll just have to settle for the chocolage today. And now I'm home. Mr. Goat and I finished up the homemade soup he made on Thursday which was yummy and I'm trully feeling decompressed right now.

I know the work starts all over again early tomorrow morning but at least for now I'm breathing normally. Maybe I'll even get to make it to the gym this week as I'm feeling bigger than ever right now - and not in a cute pg way, just in a bloated fat sort of way. Oh well, only one issue at a time right now. And today is about relaxing and reenergizing. And did I mention that there was actually sunshine today. Loved that, even if it got dark too quickly, but I suppose that is the price to pay for sleeping till 11am. And I don't regret it! :)

Geek^2

I was geekily excited to read that NASA and the Hubble Telescope had scored some new images of planets far, far away. So naturally I clicked on the CNN link to read about it and see the images. It was pretty cool. But I did have one concern, one which highlights my immense geekiness...


So is it just me...or do the pictures of the new planets remind anyone of the eye of Sauron? I mean I don't want to be alarmist or anything but it was a bit trippy to my geek sensibilities. I'm sure it is just infared light or something being picked up because of the distance...

And yet? I wouldn't trust any aliens from this planet right away...particularly if they looked like orcs. But again, that just might be me. :)

Just what the day needs

Streaming Video by Ustream.TV

Frazzled

Gray dreary day

Disagreeing opinions

A deadline

An event to plan

Crabbiness

Bad-for-you lunch

Daylight Savings Time sunset

No chocolate cake

Long night ahead

Wanting a nap

Blah

One more thing...

Lest you think that I am only defined by my craving for Chocolate cake...go listen to Keith Olbermann's take on the passing of Prop 8 in California. He says things very well and I wholeheartedly agree. In a world that has elected it's first African American President I feel confident that we will ultimately end up on the right side of this issue but until then we are in for a long bitter fight. Certainly the debate on same-sex marriage is in no way over, and I hope that in the future we all can stand up for all people's right to love the people they choose.

See....THIS is what I'm talking about.

What can a girl do?! I've had a bit of chocolate but it doesn't seem to help. I am going to try to resist until the weekend though. I won free tickets to the cities Chocolate Extravaganza. So there will be all sorts of decadent treats to try, and since I won't be able to partake of the free wine I might as well get my chocolate fix then. But just look at the lovely cakes above and say you don't crave it too.

I'm sorry, I'm mean, aren't I?

When I was in Seminary there was a restaurant nearby and whenever my parents visited we would go their for dinner. And they had this dessert...Bailey's Chocolate Mousse cake. Mom and I would always get this dessert. It was worth skipping dinner for if necessary. It was awesome. And then one day the restaurant had changed their desserts around and it was GONE. I never have been able to find its equivalent to this day. It was chocolaty and creamy and perfect. I wish I had a piece of that, but given the liqueur in it I probably couldn't have it anyway. It was a sad day when that dessert left the menu.

What does this have to do with anything? Well, simply that I take my desserts seriously. I don't crave them often necessarily but when I do...watch out! Since I haven't had too many cravings in this pregnancy to date I wonder if I should give in. But naturally, I don't NEED any chocolate cake. And there will be plenty of chocolate this weekend...sigh, I hope I can make it to the weekend. :)

Random Thoughts

I'm sitting here in the middle of doing laundry, dutifully heating up leftovers for dinner, watching the Biggest Loser and desperately craving Chocolate Cake (and yes it does deserve capital letters at the moment)...so how about some Random Thoughts.

* You know how you get a message from the doctor saying to call and you worry the whole time you are calling them back only to have a chipper nurse ultimately tell you (after being on hold for an excruitating 5 minutes) that all your tests came back negative and normal. :) And you are thrilled but it is like couldn't you just tell me that on the message so I can avoid the stress. LOL. In this case it was our quad screen blood test that came back normal. Woohoo! But it was a stressful few minutes.

* Seriously, I need some Chocolate Cake! Rwoarrr!

* After finishing Book 3 of the Twilight Series I am officially into the series. It is in no way equivalent to the Harry Potter Series, or the Lord of the Rings but it is entertaining. Now I just need to wait out the library to get book 4 and see how it ends. It is good but luckily I haven't fallen so hard that I have to buy the books. I do kinda want to go see the movie though ;)

* I know why I want Chocolate Cake too. I didn't have any of the cake leftovers at staff today (it was leftover from Confirmation retreat). There was german chocolate and red velvet and I didn't have any. At the time it was fine but now....CHOCOLATE CAKE!!!

* I got to have Monday off this week which was amazing. I ran some important errands and got to meet baby Solomon who is totally precious. However, since I did have Monday off today was a total scramble to keep up with the works week. Suddenly it all seems very busy and crazy. I'm working hard to keep up though and I know that Monday was worth it.

* I am really struggling about worrying about things I can't control. I've always been this way and this evening seems particularly difficult. I wish I could find a way to just let it go and trust that things will more than likely turn out ok and that even if they didn't I would deal with it the best I can and my support system would be there for me. And more often than not it isn't even serious things that I worry about, though I often take the "what if" game to extremes.

* Don't you hate laundry? I actually like laundry except for one thing - folding and putting away. Ugh, just awful. And Mt. Laundry is waiting for me. Woohoo!

* It is very strange to me to be eating so healthy and still getting bigger, and that bigger is good. Trippy is what that is. Of course I can always eat heathier....but then again, where is the Chocolate Cake!

* I'll just settle down and watch a Tivo-ed Dr. Who instead and try not to worry. Yay for Dr. Who!

A good message

From LutheranChik and a good reminder for us all...

Today bloggers around the globe are joining to educate readers and advocate on behalf of the world's refugees.

According to Amnesty International, there are approximately 14.2 million refugees worldwide, and an additional 24.5 displaced persons. Most refugees are in African and Asian countries.

What can you do? Organizations like Amnesty work to pressure governments into abiding by the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights, to fight the factors that create refugees in the first place and to ensure that refugees are treated with decency and dignity. You can read about Amnesty's work with refugees here . You can also support denominational aid agencies and other aid agencies that help refugees -- to see what Lutherans are doing in this regard, go to the Lutheran Immigration Relief Service website.

And, of course, bloggers out there can do what we love to do -- blog. Feel free to borrow my graphic.

As a child I remember coming home from school and when I asked my mom what she did that day she would sometimes respond "Oh I wrote the king of Egypt or some president of a country. When I would ask why she would explain that someone innocent was in prision and she was writing to help convince the government to let them go. I always remembered that and am glad that I can take this small step today to help people too. Even if my blog is unlikely to be read by any kings or presidents today.

Football woes

It has not been a good year football-wise so far. In my two fantasy leagues I've been losing pretty regularly. I'm in the middle of the pack in one and way near the bottom in the other. Frustrating. Just like the Packers one point loss to the Vikings this afternoon. Since I have a "mixed marriage," Mr. Goat was naturally pleased that the Vikings prevailed but it is always sad to see my Packers lose, particularly to the purple.

Oh well, as a Cubs fan as well I have plenty of experience with "Well there is always next year" and of course the season isn't over yet. In this case there is always next week, for at least a few more weeks still.

Go Pack Go! Get those Bears next week.

Double Take

Today I was at a Children's Ministry workshop here in town. It was a long day and mostly good but it did call for an early Saturday to go across the cities in time for things to start. I got there in plenty of time but I sure was tired. Maybe too tired?

In our first talk there was a little activity and in our workshops was the following question....

How many pennies have you handled in your lifetime?

Call it sleepiness or possibly hormones, but I did NOT read pennies in that sentence the first time I read it. LOL.

Although to my credit, I did think it was an odd question to be asking in a Children's Ministry workshop.

Friday Five: Funny Papers

From RevGalBlogPals...

After an exhausting election here in the states it's time for some spirit lifting! Join me with a nice cup of tea or coffee or cocoa and let's sit back and read the Funny Papers!

1. What was your favorite comic strip as a child?

Calvin and Hobbes - I just loved the trouble-maker child and his huge imagination. There were plenty of geeky references too. Here are some favorites.

2. Which comic strip today most consistently tickles your funny bone?

I'll pick two here. I love Get Fuzzy (see a geeky example below) but I also love the webcomic xkcd.com which combines math humor with ultimate geek humor in crudely drawn stick figures. So really, can you go wrong there?
3. Which Peanuts character is closest to being you?

Probably Charlie Brown, although I also identify with Linus. I love that they are both philosophers in their own right though.

4. Some say that comic strips have replaced philosophy as a paying job, so to speak. Does this ring true with you?

I agree to an extent but they are more like philosphy one-liners. I think it sometimes takes is a good way to show the ironies and oddities of humanity which is always good for people to be able to recognize.

5. What do you think the appeal is for the really long running comic strips like Blondie, Family Circus, Dennis the Menace as some examples?

Well, I don't think I'd pick these as my favorite long-running comics but I think there is a familiarity to the characters in the comics. I think particularly of For Better or Worse. And having something continue that you knew as a child can be grounding.

Bonus question: Which discontinued comic strip would you like to see back in print?

I want to see Calvin and Hobbes and Far Side come back, but also For Better or Worse which went back to the beginning and Fox Trot which is currently just doing Sunday comics and is on repeat for the others. I miss them all.

The new big question

We all know that there are always questions that follow you at any given point in your life. If you are single....are their any prospects? If you are dating....are you engaged yet? If you are engaged...when is the wedding? If you are married...when are you going to have kids? And now pregnant...(among others) are you going to find out the sex of the baby?

Now that is the question we are getting most often right now. I can tell you all this, we have our big ultrasound scheduled now for Dec 1st. I know people who have found out and people who haven't. So where are Mr. Goat and I leaning? Right now we are thinking about finding out but honestly I don't think we have a major opinion on the matter. I mean it is going to an amazing surprise regardless of whether it is in a month or 5 months.

Really I think we are planning to find out in order to plan well and because it seems more difficult to NOT find out these days. I could see not finding out if I felt strongly about the surprise, but since we don't seem to care that badly it doesn't seem like it is worth the effort to remind every nurse and doctor along the way that we don't want to know. Besides, then we can get lots of cute pink or blue clothing. I mean, I like green if baby has Chris' coloring green won't look good, and if it has mine yellow will be hideous so we might as well go gender specific.

And I do realize that there is still a chance to get it wrong on the ultrasound but I have to say, it is pretty exciting to know that in a month, if Zy-goat cooperates that is, that we'll know if we've got a boy or girl in there.

And as for that other question that we get...yep, we are thinking about names, and no, we aren't going to be sharing those!

So what did you do? Did you find out the sex of your baby or not? And why or why not? And did you just grow to hate the endless questions or were you tolerant because it was someone who hadn't heard about it yet?

Random thoughts on the morning after history was made.

* I'm still moved by the history made last night. Up until the results last night I'd hardly perceived of the historic nature of having an African-American as president. It didn't seem like a big deal to me, probably because I have very little sense of the real racism of our Nation's history. But after talking to those older than me, who have witnessed more of this nations civil rights growth I'm just stunned (in a good way) by what has been achieved. Not only has the candidate who I think is the better candidate won but history was made as well.

* I remain pleasantly surprised by the grace and dignity of John McCain's concession speech. I think he represented himself better in that moment than during much of the campaign.

* I was really dismayed by the boo-ing of McCain's crowd however. I remember being on the losing side of things for the last two elections and I don't remember quite so much hatred in the end. Of course I may be mistaken. I do know it is always easier to be a gracious winner than loser. Still I hope that they will give Obama a chance to prove himself.

* Likewise for those friends I have who are supporters of the GOP. I wouldn't think I'd need to ask them to give the admistration a chance after the last 8 years but some of the bitterness I've heard from them today is surprising to me. I don't remember being that acidic after the last too difficult elections. I remember being depressed but not taking it out on my friends of the other party.

* I thought Obama's speech was wonderful and am really looking forward to seeing him prepare to lead this nation and to take charge. There is a lot of mess to have to clean up but he seems prepared to do what needs to be done.

* And given that congress seems to be democratic as well it seems like he has a strong two years to get things moving in the right direction.

* All that is good, but there were some negatives too. The MN senate race is still too close and is likely to drag on into December which neither MN nor the candidates need. Bachmann and her anti-American propaganda has made it back into the house and while that is not surprising it is a bit sad. And then there are the gay marriage bans that passed throughout the country. It seems like we still have so far to go to reach equality on that issue and that makes yesterday bittersweet. Still I have to remain hopeful that we are moving in the right direction ultimately even given these setbacks.

* Finally, normally my Packer-sensibilities would prevent any purple clothes in the week preceding a Packer-Viking game week. However, given that today is a day for moving forward in a non-partisan way it seemed like a fitting color to where.

Yes we can.

Random Thought on a Historic Night

* Did anyone else vote and then triple check everything just to make sure they didn't fill in the wrong circle? I did. And I'm still irrationally concerned that I may have voted for the other guy unintentionally.

* I'm really surprised at some of the Republicans falling in the early elections. I mean, I haven't followed the races but it seems that Bush and his politics are going to have some major backlash in the congress.

* I know a few people in Grant Park in IL. What would it be like to be there if (and hopefully when) the first African-American President of the United States is declared. Unreal. Could you imagine?

* I'm guessing there are many others like me who can't be torn away from election coverage given the long delay in pizza deliver. *blush*

* I think Mr. Goat had a pretty quiet day as a poll watcher. I'm glad there were no major problems for people voting, but there is a little part that hopes for some drama!

* Look two posts in one day. Is anyone else just excited and unable to think about anything else?

From one to the other

Last night as I was watching the SNL Presidential Bash and trying to ignore all the campaign ads, a commercial came on that caught my attention. Lo and behold, it was not for a political candidate. Instead it was...Christmas music. Yes the Christmas advertising season has begun. Bring on the endless carols, materialism and whatever fad toy is the "it" thing this year. And it led me to wonder which is worse....all the political campaign ads, or the Christmas ones. Obviously there can be good examples of both but still.

So if you feel like voting one more time today, come drop by my poll and let me know which one will drive you the battiest. We may be out of the frying pan as it were but we've been dropped into the fire instead.

Merry Christmas? And don't forget to Vote!

One day more

Every time that the presidental election rolls around I'm awed, amazed and saddened by the vast amount of election ads, the bulk of it negative. As the election draws to the close I find myself on the eve of the election feeling a mixture of relief, anxiety and apprehension.

Relief because soon all the craziness will be over. Perhaps soon I won't be dragged into arguing with friends who don't agree with me. And I won't have to watch ad after ad that only disappoint my opinion of ALL the candidates. Yes, I have have strong opinions about this election but they all need to get better. No candidate is free of truth-bending and creative editing. And ultimately the world needs to sift through the crap to try to figure out what is going on and what is important.

But there is apprehension and anxiety there too. No doubt this will be a highly contested day. I'm sure that all the polling places will be crazy. I hope my Mr. Goat is able to stand up for all voters tomorrow as a poll watcher. I hope the electronic voting machines work. I hope the news stations don't start calling things with 30% of the vote counted. The TV will be endless speculative. And frankly, the thought of another 4 years of the way things have been going. I'm cautiously optimistic but there is definitely some worry in there too.

Regardless...no matter what your opinion, party or stance on the issues, go VOTE tomorrow! It is the American process and it will be 4 years until we get this chance again. I am hoping for change and not in maverick form, but I suppose I could spend 4 years in Grand Cayman if I had to. Either way...

Get out the Vote!

NaBloPoMo

Well, it is National Blog Posting Month and that means people are being asked to blog everyday for the 30 days of November. So this year I thought I'd try to play along. Since I've been having some writers block I figured it would be a good challenge. Yesterday's post on Mr. Goat's swearing in counted as number 1 and so here is two. If you'd like to play along come and join me. I'm not a stickler so I figure it is better late than never. :) Still I'm going to try really hard to keep up with this. So I'm sure that there will be some definite random thoughts this month. But given my natural propensity for the random I'm sure it will fit right in with the rest of the blog.

And since the election is coming very soon, I thought I also would share one of the funniest pro-dem video clips that I've seen in a while. Enjoy and I'll see you all tomorrow! And now...Hockey Mama for Obama!

May it please the court...or um, blogs...

Congratulations are due to Mr. Goat who on Friday morning was sworn into the Bar association of the state of MN. Joining almost 700 other lawyers, he faced the MN supreme court and former Purple-People eater, the Honorable Justice Alan Page. The sea of suits was impressive and more so knowing what they had to endure...law school, the bar exam, the WAITING. I am immensely proud of him and it was a proud day to watch him be sworn in.

Here is Mr. Goat signing into the Bar Association before the ceremony.

Also the day was special because if you have a family member who is a lawyer (and member of the Bar in good standing - see my lawyer language is improving) they can move that you be admitted to the bar. My father was able to come up and sponser Mr. Goat. I don't think it is every day that my father, who is mostly retired from law, gets to address a state supreme court and it was very touching to have Dad nominate dear hubby Mr. Goat.

Here are Mr. Goat and Dad together. I think it is fair to say that my dad had the coolest hair there...too bad you can't see the pony tail from this shot.

And here we are: Mr. and Mrs. Goat. And while I am not yet willing to say for certain that I am showing there does seem to be a bit more pregnancy-type fat than the normal fat of my stomach. Which I have to say I wouldn't mind seeing more of. Of course, it could still be wishful thinking too.

So 4 of 5 steps on the path to attorney-at-law are completed. The LSAT, law school, the Bar exam are all done. Mr. Goat is sworn in and a real attorney now. He can even officially give legal advice now. The last step...a job. I have faith that one will come as Mr. Goat has worked hard and is really going to be good at this whole law thing. Still, the last step seemed too fitting to pass up on Halloween, so enjoy...