JellyBelly's Next Steps

I have an e.B.a.y. addiction. Now I don't think that I need a support group, but in the past I've had to ban myself from going on the website for weeks at a time. I love finding deals. For example, I got a brand new Betsey Johnson dress (with tags!) for $40! Last winter I got three pairs of Banana Republic pants for $70! And just last week I got gorgeous, all leather boots for $101!

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy shopping, but not at malls since we always run into students and I don't like crowds. I also get really frustrated since I can never find clothes that fit me or shoes that are both comfortable and stylish. It is so much easier to sit on my couch and search for good deals AND I feel such a sense of accomplishment when I win an item at a good price.

Shoes have always made me feel better. I admit that I may have a few too many pairs, and that we're going to have to find a very large house with many, many closets in order to properly store every pair. We're planning to have our basement finished this winter and I spent a lot of time imagining my new shoe storage so I can see every pair in their glory. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.

I'm just a little OCD!

Which brings me to my next steps: this morning when Aunt Flo and her red army came marching in with a vengeance I had to think about something else other than being barren.

Since attending my cousin's daughter's baptism last Sunday I've been thinking more and more about adoption. Seeing my dad holding little M and watching him fall completely in love with her made me think that my crazy parents would be accepting of any child, as long as it was ours. Even before we discovered the Marguerite Bourgeoys Family Centre I knew that adoption was an option for us, I just never felt ready to do any research. So this morning after mass I opened up my laptop and searched out domestic adoption. I read until I was too hungry to concentrate and when Mr. JB got home (he was helping one of the Knights of Columbus move a couch) I told him what I was up to. As usual he was 100% on board -- honestly, I really lucked out in the husband department!

So I'm putting out the question to the bloggosphere: Where do we go from here? Should I go to the library and do research? Do I contact the various organizations (the Children's Aid Society and the Catholic Children's Aid Society, thus far) that I read about this morning? Should I go to the various adoption groups on the internet? I'm a bit lost. The one thing that I do know is that I want to pursue domestic adoption since I don't know if I could handle the stress of international adoption, nor do I want to go into deep debt in order to bring a child into our lives. I welcome any suggestions please!

As for the D.irect E.nergy update: we finally had hot water restored last Saturday at about 6pm and after more complaining we had heat last Sunday at 11pm. We also had a personal visit from the Director of Planning and Logistics on Wednesday night since I made such a big stink and contacted media (yes, if you contact the press these people move SUPER fast). Not only did the company take full responsibility and cover the cost of the new venting (which was $420), the guy also brought me flowers. He also said that after our situation the directors took to the phones at the call centre in order to see firsthand what the customer was going through and that they would be reviewing their practices. We also got his card so if we have any future issues with our hot water/furnace they will be at our house ASAP. Don't mess with the JellyBelly!