Table for Eight

Bam, age 15. Jay, age 17. Jr., age 12. Papaya, age 13. Lu and Zu, ages 8 and 9. (Eating Spaghetti Tacos.) A little over 18 years ago, Dave and I "turned in" papers to apply for the adoption program with our church. You see, w e weren't able to have kids, and we just wanted SO badly to have the chance to be parents--t o share a family and grow together over the years. During that first year of waiting, I can remember asking The Universe to "please just let me be a mom to one sweet baby." Just one. I promised I'd never ask for another favor. Just. This. One:  Please help me be a mom to one sweet baby. I'm thinking now that God has a pretty good sense of humor because Dave and I have not one, not two, not three ... but six children.  It's incredible when I think about it. Sincerely, I look at each one of our kids and think, "When did all of this happen? How did all of these babies get here?" (PS: Th

Lately, I've felt like life is moving at Sonic-Speed.  So, I thought it would be a good week to slow things down. --No unnecessary shopping. --No speaking engagements. --No telling the kids "hold on a few minutes." --Less time indoors on the computer and TV. --Fewer phone calls, emails, and texts. --And more time to j ust BE. I. Can't. Wait. It's a Mother's Day Staycation. Woo Hoo! (PS: I'll be back to blogging Friday, May 11th--in time to pay tribute to my mom, Dave's mom, our g-mas, and the other special moms in our lives!) Jr. and Zu at the lake near our home.

(c) CBS, Monty Brinton, 2011. If you thought Kat was SHOCKED last night as she left Tribal Council, you should take a look at her Ponderosa clip. Oh my! I nearly cried watching it: there's so much raw emotion there. http://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/video/2230126736/survivor-one-world-kat-arrives-at-ponderosa Did you watch last night? Here are some of my thoughts about last night's episode: 1. The women left in the game are so S-T-R-O-N-G. This is such a tough physical and mental game--and all of the remaining women seem so strong! They each really do seem great for Day 30ish in the game (they are thin, I know). I'm impressed as I watch them make decisions and participate in challenges. It's inspiring to see strong women play Survivor. I love it. 2. I love Kat. Kat is hilarious. She does remind me a little of Fabio (as others have said). At times, I don't get her AT ALL (crawling to her cousin?), but overall, I love her. She's endearing, sh

(c) CBS, Monty Brinton, 2011. Tonight's Survivor is going to be a good one.  Not only are we going to learn if the original Salani alliance was able to stay SOLID from Day 1 (by voting out the last male--Tarzan), BUT we also get to see the remaining players' loved ones visit the island! This is always one of my favorite episodes; I feel like you learn more about the players when you see/meet the person they chose to visit them in the game. I mentioned this before, but on our season Whitney, Cochran, and myself had family members fly out to the game for this visit--because at the time the families needed to travel, we were still in the game. BUT shortly after our loved ones landed in Samoa, we were each booted. So, sadly, we weren't able to see our loved ones. (Being on the jury includes being sequestered from outsiders--so no family visits. That ensures there isn't outside influence in your final million-dollar decision.) So, my point! I love that fam

(c) CBS, Monty Brinton, 2011. My posts have been a little hit and miss as of late. Sorry! I've had a cold for the last 10 days and it's just literally knocked me out. But, I think I've turned the metaphorical corner: I woke up today feeling better, not worse !  Yup! I can actually hear out of my right ear this morning, AND I'm only coughing every 20 minutes, instead of every 10. That's progress, I tell ya. Now, what else is going on in the world? I feel like Rip Van Winkle. Let's see ... 1. It's May Day! And lemme tell you, I've been waiting for this holiday ever since Savaii circled that May Pole last summer! (PS: After I post this, I'm going to Google "May Day" because I no longer remember what it represents.) 2. Survivor One World is tomorrow night. I can't wait to see if Tarzan eeeks through another Tribal Council. Will the women really stay solid until the end? I'm not so sure. I think they'