So, I have been doing really great and Jarom and I have been more happy than ever. I know that I've only been on my birth control for 5 months but I told Jarom that I want to try to have a baby again. It is a big step after such a depression, but we have not wanted anything more than a child for quite some time now. Our original plan the in the last months was for me to lose weight but for us to do it together. I've always wanted to be a cute little pregnant lady...oh well. Anyway, Jarom supports my decision and we decided together that we will give it a try, even though we know we have quite an uphill battle trying to achieve our indeavor, but we are willing to try and give it a good shot. After this cycle of birth control is done, I will stop taking my pills and that will mark the beginning of our new journey to have a baby. Who knows, with twins in our family, maybe we will get two! Wouldn't that be great!?!

I've had names for boys and girls picked out for eight years, although I have to changes one around since I now have a cousin with one of the names I picked. They are names that are favorites but also commemorate the memory of loved ones lost...I've never shared that with anyone but Jarom.

Update on animals: They love having Jarom home. Last weekend when he went to Mud Lake with friends they were sad and I think they thought I drove him away again. They are just as sweet and loving as ever, though.

Hope has really come out of her shell. She has become so friendly and loving. She doesn't run from people anymore and allows them to pet her. She sleeps on our bed all the time and has taken up curling up with Jarom after we retire for the night. I really enjoy just watching her as I do all our babies.

Minnie has come out of her shell a little too, since being spayed. She still likes to run from everyone, but will allow Jarom or I to sit next to her and pet her for a minute is she is laying on the furniture. She purrs a lot now and will occassionally come ist by me.

The other day, I was sitting in bed reading and I had all four babies with me. There was a kitty on each side of me sleeping and purring away and the dogs snoring on the floor on my side of the bed. It really amde me feel loved, especially since Minnie doesn't really come around with the dogs in the same room. She is really a beautiful cat. Her and Hope chase each other up and down the stairs almost every night and you wouldn't believe the loud raucus it makes.

Jarom and I have grown a lot, not just in the last year but since we've moved back to Elk Grove. We have had a lot more time to spend together and we have been more like teenagers the last few months, just having a lot of fun with each other. We even created a "love" contract between the two of us with things we want to continue to do together or start doing and how often to do them so that we can continue to grow together and strengthen our bond. Too often we get wrapped up in the stupid things of the world and forget or take for granted each other in the process.

Onto other things, I'm reading Sepulchre. It is a book I wouldn't normal pick up and read. There is no love story in it, but mystery and suspense, ghosts and spirits good and bad. It is quite interesting and I can hardly put the book down. Before that I read, The Last Lecture and found it very insightful with great advice and point of views of a man suffering from terminal cancer.

I joined an online swapping group called Swap-Bot. My cousin referred me and i have been enjoyig myself. I've only just begun, but I have completed three swaps that I just need to mail. I'm almost done with the fourth and the fifth actually doesn't start until November. Mostly, there are craft swaps, paining, drawing, scrapbooking, embroidery, etc., but there are letter and book swaps and clothing swaps. It is really an awesome site. I started mostly with letter swaps, then an embroidery swap. The November one is a Winter Solstice swap, and I have a few ideas for things to do with that, but what I do in the end will be detern=mined by my swap partners profile and what they like. It has been fun!