Baby Train Booked - Please wait for the next one to pass

As my friends and I near (and some pass) our 30s it seems like we're all on the same track and always have been.  Starting a few years ago, we saw the Marriage Train in the distance and urged our current boyfriends to buy us a ticket, loaded up an entire car, and all headed to the chapel.  We all discussed our futures with one another and began settling into the married life.  We stopped partying EVERY weekend and started having alone time and building a solid relationship with our partners.  Two years later, at the station together once again, we saw the Baby Train.  Ready to hop on for an unforgettable ride, we loaded on two by two into separate cars.  That is to say, everyone else loaded on.  Apparently, the train was booked, because when it left the station Hubby and I were still on the platform waving as all of our friends slowly disappeared.  That was a year ago.

This year, another Baby Train has passed, no ticket purchased, and we're in the distance waving goodbye. 

If any of you reading this have ever tried getting pregnant with no success, you know the heartache that is insued.  At first it seems easy; just like we learned in middle and high school, sex=baby!  Yeah right, it's not that easy.  And thus, the challenge begins.  With anxiety and excitement you begin with the First step: visit BabyCenter.com.  They give you an ovulation calculator to predict WHEN you will ovulate.  Perfect!  I've always wanted scheduled times to have intimate sessions with my husband! And yes, they do turn into sessions.  A few months later you take the Second step: Google "Why can't I get pregnant?".  This of course leads you to several "accredited" websites, I mean they do say Dr. at the top!  You read these and you are given a multitude of reasons as to why you may not have conceived.  Most leading to paranoia as some are life-threatening illnesses. Move on to the Third step, ask pregnant friends how they did it; I mean after all they are pregnant!  They tell you, "I did a handstand" or "You have to do it this way" or you get a sentence that starts "This might sound weird, but you should" and at that point you stop listening!  The funny thing is that you will TRY all of these weird, bizarre tactics and when they don't work, go back to your friends and ask them if you did it right!  Fourth step, cry every time you get your period (okay it's not really a step, more of a symptom, but whatever!).  Fifth  and Final step, you begin wondering what you will do if you can't get pregnant naturally.  Will you just keep trying, will you try IVF (In Vitro Fertilization), will you adopt?  Some of you might find the fifth step to be a big jump, but like all the Doctor websites say, "When you decide you want to get pregnant, you want to get pregnant like yesterday."

So yesterday: it came and went and there was not room on the train.  Another yesterday, another train and we're still sitting at the station waiting for a ticket.  However, I do have faith that there is a train in the distance, maybe I just can't see it through the pregnant women and babies clouding my view; I know it will come with an available spot, and when it does I will welcome the unforgettable ride that awaits!

I'm dating Harry Potter!

Okay, so the title is a little misleading; but after spending the last few months curled up on the couch with Harry Potter books and movies, I think I can officially say that we have a new found relationship. You might ask why I began reading a series that was released over a decade ago and my answer is simple. 
In my Honors English II class earlier this year, my students were responding to a quote up on the board.  I called on a student to discuss his response.  As he began talking about Harry, Dumbledore, Voldemort, Ron and Hermoine, I can honestly (and sadly) say that I was not following him. Once he finished, awaiting what he thought would be a congratulatory set of comments, I stated, "I'm sorry but I have no idea what you just said or what you're talking about."  Needless to say, the class erupted with statements like, "You've never read Harry Potter?  But you're an ENGLISH TEACHER!" and "What do you mean you've never heard of Dumbledore?"  I suddenly felt ashamed that I didn't know about these characters and events that my students were raving over.  After several more minutes of uproars regarding my lack of knowledge about Hogwarts, the Dark Lord, and "The Boy Who Lived", I promised my students that I would read the Harry Potter series.  My homework assignment began in late November.  Because I promised to finish the series before the end of the semester, I have spent countless nights curled up on my couch reading about the amazing wizard and his friends and as they work together in overcoming Lord Voldemort.
If you know me, you know that I do not watch a movie based on a novel until I have read said novel.  The same applied to all of the releases of Harry Potter movies; I never saw them because I hadn't read the books.  However, this has worked out perfectly for me!  As I have finished each book, I have then watched the movie on a night when the hubby isn't home.  This has allotted me several "date nights" with Harry and his friends. 
As an adult, I must say that I have truly loved reading this series and watching the movies.  And I must say, I will definitely be in line with all of the other crazed fans when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows II comes out.  The only downfall is that on this "date" it won't be just me and Harry!