Offerings

So by now you've probably figured out that I did not achieve my goal of posting Puerto Rico pictures. Yeah....those are still a work in progress. Soon though! I promise. :)

In the meantime, to tide you over, I offer some pictures from trick-or-treating this afternoon (yes, I know it's not Halloween yet but I don't make the rule in this neighborhood) AND a bonus video!

First Trick or Treat

It's SUPERMAN!!!

Faster than a speeding bullet...

There was a coooold wind while getting that candy

Raisinettes...yummy!!

Blah

I haven't posted in a while but I can't really think of anything to say. :(

Rob and I got back from PR Monday night and it was IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINCREDIBLE!!! One of my naptime goals this weekend is to get some pictures up so I'll try to be quick about it! ;) The resort was so fabulous that we very much want to go back as a family in a few years. They have a lot of things available for young children to do and, in fact, there were a number of families around when we were there.

Probably the highlight of the weekend for me was snorkeling. I'd never been before and it was so COOL! I loooooooooooooved being able to see things under water that I'd only ever seen before on NatGeo or Discovery channels. We saw sting rays and some really cool fish. Some others in our group went scuba diving (which is SO my next goal now!) and saw a shark, huge sea turtles and an octopus. Other than that whole shark part I was super jealous and wanted to get even closer to the coral and marine life. Next time.... *sigh*

Other than the trip I just don't have much going on. Gavin's going through his terrible two's a year early so that's been "fun." I read somewhere that right around a young child's half birthday they just have all these meltdowns and are much harder to deal with. Um, yeah, that's so Gavin right now. I'm ready for him to be done with this phase!!

Any hoo...I'll be posting pics soon! I promise!! (Oh, and I think trick or treating is on Sunday so we'll have more pics from that too of course)

Things to remember

Yesterday marked 10 years since Matthew Shepard was beaten to death simply for being who he was. Things like this, I think, are worth remembering. Some of the things that make this country so cool are the freedoms we are allowed; the freedoms soldiers have died to protect, but that's another post for another day. ;) It's ok to disagree with a person's lifestyle. It's not ok though to hate something so much that the hatred progresses from the thing to the person and then explodes.

I'm not posting this to be labeled as a "hey, let's make love, not war" type of person. Some of my very best friends are gay. I love them. They are some of the most real, wonderful people I've ever known. They're wonderful. And I don't care for their lifestyle, but I still love them. I don't think anyone should hate people because they don't like their lifestyle. It's clear what hatred can do.

I'm not sure what else to say except for what's on a t-shirt I have from being on costume crew for The Laramie Project: "It's about hate...it's about hope...it's about Laramie."

I totally stole this

I whole-heartedly admit I stole this from my brother's blog but I read this quote and thought it was so profound I wanted my own fan club to read it too:

Irritability is immaturity of character. If you are subject to being cross and unpleasant with others for no apparent reason, you need to come face-to-face with the fact that you are thinking too much of yourself. After all, your feelings are not the most important thing in this world.

- Lawrence G. Lovasik

Like my brother, I too am subject to an irrational temper (just ask Rob). And after having a boss talk to me a couple of times over the years about my attitude, I work very hard to keep in mind exactly what this gentleman ends with. It's not all about me.

Still bored

I am so bored and actually Googled a survey!! *sigh* Somebody help me.

When's the last time you ran? High school PE class

Do your jeans have rips, tears, and holes in them? If they do then they become gardening jeans

What are you dreading right now? Rejection

Do you celebrate 420? Huh??

Do you get the full 8 hours of sleep a night? Um, I think I usually get about 7-8 hours

If anyone came to your house on your "lazy days" what would y'all do? Talk, watch movies, eat...you know, hang out!

Who last grabbed your butt? My husband

Have you ever been on your school's track team? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...ooohhh, funny..

Do you own a pair of Converse? Nope

Did you copy and paste this survey? Yep

Do you eat raw cookie dough? Not really. I like hot baked cookies better than cold dough

Have you ever kicked a vending machine? I don't think so.

Don't you hate it when the radio ruins good songs by playing them over and over? If it's a good song, I like to hear it. If I'm tired of the song I (brace yourself for this concept) change the station. *GASP*

Do you watch Trading Spaces? Now that Paige Davis is back, yes.

How do you eat oreos? Dunk the yummy sandwich into milk for about 5 seconds and then eat it just before it's soggy enough to fall into the milk. Great...now I'm craving oreos!

Have you ever stayed online for a very long time waiting for someone? Who would I wait for and where?

Are you cocky? I am arrogant about some things.

Could you live without a computer? Yes I can continue existing without a computer. My life would not end. I'd feel very isolated and alone though. I'd buy a lot more stamps.

Do you wear your shoes in the house? I'm ashamed to admit I do. I would like to have the NO SHOES rule but that doesn't seem to enforce to well at my house

Who or what sleeps with you? My husband and that's it. Our bedroom is a pet-free zone.

At what age did you find out that Santa wasn't real? Not sure...I think I was 8.

How many phones, house phones and cell phones are in your house? We have 2 working cell phones. That's it.

What do you do when you're sad? Cry. Go for walks. Talk to my mom or husband. Blog about it if I can.

Who would you call first if you won the lottery? Rob (duh)

Last time you saw your best friend? This morning (Rob, again the duh)

Are you in high school? Uh no

What jewelry are you wearing? Wedding rings, Mommy ring, and a really fabulous pair of silver and brown bead earrings. Love long earrings!

Is anyone on your bad side now? Don't think so. Should someone be?

What's the first thing you do when you get online? Usually check e-mail and Google Reader to see what's going on with people and world at large

Do you watch Grey's Anatomy? Alas I do not

How do most people spell your name? Gina (GRR for that one), Jeanne, Jeane, Jeana, Geanna, Jenna, Jena....and a few other variations but those are the most popular

Would you wear a boy/girlfriends clothes? I wear Rob's sweatshirts on occasion if I'm cold and mine are all dirty or not readily available

Where do you work? At a school

What are you doing tomorrow? Working

Is Justin Timberlake becoming the next Michael Jackson? Eeeeewwwwwwwwww

Favorite name for a girl? Not sure

Favorite name for a boy? Gavin. :)

Will you keep your last name when you get married? I'm already married and no, I did not keep my maiden name

When was the last time you left your house? 6:47 a.m.

Do you return your cart? Yup

Do you have a dishwasher? God Bless dishwashers!

What noise do you hear? My space heater and Summer's End by 2002

Would you survive in prison? I don't think so

Who is the youngest in your family? Of my family before I married, it was me. In the next evolution of my current family, Gavin's the youngest and I am *sniff* the oldest. :(

If all of your friends were going on a road trip, who would most likely overpack? Me.

Do you know anyone with the same name as you? I've met a few other Jeanna's out there

What's the last thing you purchased? Some items at the store

Do your siblings ever pay for stuff for you? Not anymore

What brand are your pants right now? Old Navy

Ever been to Georgia (the state)? Yes actually! :) (Yay Shelley and Joe!)

What irritates you most on the internet? Pop ups, slow-loading pages and sounds on websites

What brand is your digital camera? Nikon

Do you watch movies with your parents? When I'm visiting, sure

What song best describes your life right now? Omg I have no clue

Do you own expensive perfume/cologne? Define "expensive"

Are you taking college classes right now? Nope

Do you like sushi? Yummy!

Do you get your hair cut every month? Eh, no

Do you go online everyday? Pretty much.

Bored

Work has been really slow lately. We've had some turnover in the office, new leadership in place and a more focused vision of what we want to achieve in the next year and the result has ultimately been less work coming in. Combine that with the woman we hired to replace the previous person I worked with (aka My Other Half) is just as organized, detailed and on top of things as I am and you have the situation I'm currently facing: an empty inbox and nothing to do but answer a phone that doesn't ring much.

I'm not really complaining exactly. I enjoy the quiet but I do want to earn my keep. I want to make sure my presence is necessary and justified. When it gets like this too many days in a row I get nervous and concerned that I'm obsolete or something.

I hope it picks up soon. I'm about ready to break out my book and just start reading because I just have nothing else to do!

Perspective

I saw something a week or two ago and though I don't obsess over it, it keeps coming back to mind: "Pro-Choice does not mean Pro-Abortion."

I have to stop and think about that. I feel similarly but from a different perspective. I am pro-life. I've always been pro-life. I was never the kind of person who would stand outside a clinic and scream at women but neither I didn't understand how women could be so "unfeeling" and "uncaring" to abort her child. Now before anyone reading this gears up to scream let me say that I've grown and evolved from this thought process, especially now that I've been pregnant and had a child myself.

My pregnancy, although fine, was not pleasant compared to others. And once I went into the hospital to have Gavin, things were really not so great but I won't rehash the particulars. A few weeks after the birth, a friend asked me about the experience and if it was hard and I said something that I hadn't realized I'd intended to say: "If I'd had Gavin 100+ years ago, we both would have died." I had pre-eclampsia. Gavin got stuck and wouldn't come out. Without today's technology we would have died. Wow. That's an incredible and humbling statement.

He may not remember this but I talked with Rob once about the possibility of a difficult pregnancy/labor/delivery and if we would have had to choose between me or our child. Without thinking (remember I've been pro-life forever) I just said that my baby should live. Rob was quick to disagree with me on that. He would choose me and hope to have more children some day. I remember leaving that conversation still quietly disagreeing with him but now I've had more time, more experience, to think and to re-evaluate.

The results? I'm still not sure. But I know that I'm not quite so quick with my answers. I am still pro-life. I think I will always be pro-life. But to me that means the life of the unborn child AND the life of the mother. So maybe my response to the initial phrase that lead to my ramblings is "Pro-Life does not mean Anti-Choice." It really is all a matter of perspective for some people.