Happy Halloween!

Or happy Reformation day or whatever you are celebrating today. So for those of you who do not live in SoCal or have never been here in October let me tell you that we do not have a typical fall season. October is know for the Santa Ana winds and temperatures in the upper 80's to 90's for three or four days at a time. Then the wind will blow again from the ocean and it will be quite chilly (for us, like in the upper 50's low 60's).

So two weeks ago Jill and our niece Maddie carved some pumpkins. They had a great time. It was the first time Maddie had done this and she had some mixed emotions about it but it was fun. Enjoy the following pictures:




So the pumpkins are carved and placed on our front steps. The next day we had some Santa Ana winds and it got hot.

WARNING: SCIENCE CONTENT (from Wikipedia)
Santa Anas are a type of f fohn wind, the result of air pressure buildup in the high-altitude Great Basin between the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains. This air mass spills out of the Great Basin and is pulled by gravity into the surrounding lowlands. The air circulates clockwise around the high pressure area bringing winds from the east and northeast to Southern California (the reverse of the westerly winds characteristic of the latitude). It is often said that the air is heated and dried as it passes through the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts, but according to meteorologists this is a popular misconception. The Santa Ana winds actually form during autumn and early spring when the desert is relatively cold. The air heats up due to adiabatic heating while being compressed during its descent. While the air has already been dried by orographic lift prior to reaching the Great Basin, the relative humidity of the air declines rapidly as it descends and warms in its final stages as it passes over the Transverse and Peninsular Ranges. The air is then forced down the mountain slopes out towards the Pacific coast; the air mass is further heated by compression as it drops in altitude before reaching the Los Angeles Basin and western San Diego County at typical speeds of 35 knots. The southern California coastal region gets its hottest weather of the year during autumn while Santa Ana winds are blowing. During Santa Ana conditions it is typically hotter along the coast than in the deserts and the humidity plummets to less than 15%. As the Santa Ana winds are channeled through the mountain passes they can approach hurricane force. The combination of wind, heat, and dryness turns the chaparral into explosive fuel for the infamous wildfires the region is known for. Wildfires fanned by Santa Ana winds burned 721,791 acres in two weeks during October 2003.



So our poor pumpkin spent the next week baking in the sun and I noticed that it was not doing well. Then the next day I found the following sad jack-o-lantern looking up at me from the porch:



I guess thats what we get for living in SoCal and I wouldn't have it any other way. Have a great day and don't eat too much candy!!

Not a lot of time here so lets get this post rollin'

So I am woefully behind in an online, go at your own pace class I am registered for this semester. It is a basic intro to research class and it has one major flaw in my book--you have to go at your own pace and my current pace for this class is zero. I have to hustle my bustle to get it done before the semester is over. I have sequestered myself the rest of the morning to get three of the nine lessons done. I think it can happen, it is only a one unit class so with some effort I can be done in a few weeks.

One of the reasons I am behind in the above is that my other classes are taking a big bite out of my time. Hebrew is awesome but takes mucho amounts of time. I am getting a strong A right now but to keep that up I end up spending lots of time with my nose in my book and listening to the vocab in the car. So far so good. My class in Historical Theology is fun as well. There is a lot of reading but having the love of history in me, I find it fascinating. We took a test this week. Four questions, two hours...go!! I took the whole two hours and I have know idea if what I wrote was exactly what the professor will be looking for. I did pull out the big boy vocabulary and I used "elucidate" and "milieu" as well as a few others.

On the adoption front. I know I haven't posted about this in a while and there has been a reason. Jill and I have done all the classes, filled out all the paperwork, jumped through all the hoops, etc. We though that was the hard part, but we were wrong. The next process is not only tough mentally but also emotionally. The process goes like this. Our social worker works as our advocate and interacts with social other social workers who try to match us for potential placement of children. Usually once the social workers have gotten together they give us a call and give us some information and ask if we want to continue. If we agree they gather all the paperwork and make a presentation. All the details or problems try to get worked out and hopefully a connection is made. It is hard to not get your hopes up when you get that phone call. And let me tell you it is also hard when you know you need to say "no". We have been matched and unmatched a few times and each time it is very hard. For now we just wait for another phone call and start the process again. We covet your prayers not only for us but for the children that will be placed in our home and also for those who will not. More updates on this to come...

That is about all for now, I have to get back to homework. Talk to you all soon.

here you go...

Some of my friends and family have been giving me a hard time for not updating lately. So here you go. Just some pictures from disneyland....

Even Better...

Ahhhh the wonder of the pharmaceutical industry. I feel better today. I can even hear a bit out of my ear today. Still in some pain but not nearly what it was a few days ago. I just wish I had time to sleep in and not worry about anything for a few days. I fell asleep at my desk this afternoon. It is either: a)the ear infection, b)the Hebrew vocab, c)the pain pills, or d)all of the above. I think I will take D for $200 Alex. Thanks for the calls and emails wanting to know how I am. I feel loved. Got to go study my Hebrew vocab cards. I have another quiz in the morning...

Better...

I received four, count 'em, four prescriptions from the Dr. yesterday. Well she isn't technically a Dr. She is the Nurse Practitioner who saw me at the Urgent Care office. I feel slightly better but not much. I did go to class this morning, and I think I am going to regret it. I just popped two pain pills and it is off to beddiebye for me. I will give you an update tomorrow if I have a chance. Until then...

Pain

I have the most wicked ear ache of my life. I stayed home all day and tried not to move. I finally took some pain pills. I am going to the Dr. in the AM. OUCH!!! I hope I can sleep...