Congratulations, Rick!

"Does not want kids. Does not believe in higher powers. Pro-abortion-rights, anti-idiocy. Has sick, sarcastic sense of humor. Handle with care - kid gloves not necessary, pigskin leather gloves advisable." Would save me a lot of time.

Maybe that should be the OKCupid profile I've been trying to write.

Why not? It would get straight to the point.

The "best years of my life" as far as my body is concerned were my late teens and twenties before I became disabled and while my memory was like a steel trap. However, the best years of my life as far as my emotions and the rest are concerned are now and later. I get better at handling life with each passing year. Better at appreciating it.

Spidra, what a great way of putting that. I think that's probably true for a lot of us, in our own ways.

Re: the question of kids, I've been thinking about this a lot since Mark's brother died. Both Mark and I want kids; we haven't settled on any particular number, and obviously we can't really even think about what it would mean to have more than one until, well, we have the first one. But I have found myself lately really drawn to the idea of having several kids. I've always loved being part of my dad's big family (he was one of six kids), and my mom has always resented the fact that she was an only child, so there's a strong correlation in my mind between a bigger family and more happiness/security. And now, on top of that, losing Joey means that Mark is now his parents' only child, and that's a really lonely feeling for him. I can't help thinking that if he had another sibling, that would be a huge help to him, not just now but in the future. So I want our own kids to have what he doesn't.

I am aware, of course, that until we get started on trying to have kids, all of this is based on lots of thinking and zero experience. I also hope it doesn't sound like I'm trying to argue that everyone should have big families; I'm just talking about my own feelings. Or, in other words:

As for more than one? I think it's the same as having one in the first place. You either feel like it's right for you or not right for you.

Want them very much. Always have, always will. But unless I fall in love pretty dramatically or win the lottery in the next year or so its increasingly unlikely they will be biological children.

This is pretty much agonizing.

When Joe and I first started dating I wanted 7 kids. He didn't run away (yay!) but later on down the road he started bargaining children for pets. "How about 4 kids and 3 dogs?" which was pretty cool by me.

Although, by that math, I should be able to have 6 dogs now.

Aims: [link]

How many dogs are equivalent to a camel?

This is the sweet girl I really want: [link]

Depends on the size of the dog. Or the camel. I'd be happy with one.

You should totally claim your right to a camel.

I know that I want kids. I've put some thought into maybe adopting or being a foster parent at some point if I don't have any biological kids, but I've still got nine years until I'll be the age that my grandmother was when she had her first kid, so I figure I've still got some time to figure out the whole marriage and kids thing. The idea of being pregnant kind of freaks me out -- my own body is weird enough, and I'd have to learn how to deal with another one inside me?

ION, I drove to the university today and got most of my paperwork filled out. I still have a few more things that I'll need before I can get paid, though. I also got my ID card and my parking permit. This late in the summer, there weren't that many options left for what kind of parking permit to get, but I got one that lets me park in a garage that's reasonably close to my classes. I also went grocery shopping, so now I have food.

Stop helping her!

Look, we've got one kid, one (dumb) dog, and two cats...one pure evil and the other one is actually two cats masquerading as one cat in a big 35 lb. cat suit. So, three cats.

And, Aims, if we get a camel...all I'm sayin' is I'm not "walking" it.

I will go to Lowe's and get a massive, industrial-sized pooper scooper for you, though.