Did anybody watch diane sawyer with Randy Pausch last night? I had seen it before, but watched it again. You always pick up on something. The very last thing he said at the end of the lecture. He called it a head fake (associating it to football) and said this lecture wasnt for the audience, but for his kids. I was bawling!! He and his wife have amazing strength and wisdom.
Love you all.
Laura
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
The Last Lecture
Hello Good Friends:
This might be a bit of a morbid email, but I wanted to send anyway. So... as many of you know... Randy Pausch (author of the Last Lecture) died this past week of pancreatic cancer. If you guys haven't read his book... you need to.
On a similar note, Tony Snow, Presiden't Bush's Press Secretary also died this month from cancer (1955--2008). Below is his "testimony"... the point that both Tony and Randy make is not about dying but about living....
TONY SNOW'S TESTIMONY
This is an outstanding testimony from Tony Snow, President Bush's Press Secretary, and his fight with cancer. Commentator and broadcaster Tony Snow announced that he had colon cancer in 2005. Following surgery and chemo-therapy, Snow joined the Bush Administration in April, 2006, as press secretary. Unfortunately, on March 23, 2007, Snow, 51, a husband and father of three, announced that the cancer had recurred, with tumors found in his abdomen, leading to surgery in April, followed by more chemotherapy. Snow went back to work in the White House Briefing Room on May 3, but has resigned since, 'for economic reasons,' and to pursue 'other interests.' It needs little intro . . . it speaks for itself. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'Blessings arrive in unexpected packages, - in my case, cancer. Those of us with potentially fatal diseases - and there are millions in America today - find ourselves in the odd position of coping with our mortality while trying to fathom God's will. Although it would be the height of presumption to declare with confidence 'What It All Means,' Scripture provides powerful hints and consolations.
The first is that we shouldn't spend too much time trying to answer the 'why' questions: Why me? Why must people suffer? Why can't someone else get sick? We can't answer such things, and the questions themselves often are designed more to express our anguish than to solicit an answer.
I don't know why I have cancer, and I don't much care. It is what it is, a plain and indisputable fact. Yet even while staring into a mirror darkly, great and stunning truths began to take shape. Our maladies define a central feature of our existence: We are fallen. We are imperfect. Our bodies give out.
But, despite this, - or because of it, - God offers the possibility of salvation and grace. We don't know how the narrative of our lives will end, but we get to choose how to use the interval between now and the moment we meet our Creator face-to-face.
Second, we need to get past the anxiety. The mere thought of dying can send adrenaline flooding through your system. A dizzy, unfocused panic seizes you. Your heart thumps; your head swims.You think of nothingness and swoon. You fear partings; you worry about the impact on family and friends. You fidget and get nowhere.
To regain footing, remember that we were born not into death, but into life - and that the journey continues after we have finished our days on this earth. We accept this on faith, but that faith is nourished by a conviction that stirs even within many non-believing hearts - an institution that the gift of life, once given, cannot be taken away. Those who have been stricken enjoy the special privilege of being able to fight with their might, main, and faith to live fully, richly, exuberantly - no matter how their days may be numbered.
Third, we can open our eyes and hearts. God relishes surprise. We want lives of simple, predictable ease,- smooth, even trails as far as the eye can see, - but God likes to go off-road. He provokes us with twists and turns. He places us in predicaments that seem to defy our endurance and comprehension - and yet don't. By His love and grace, we persevere. The challenges that make our hearts leap and stomachs churn invariably strengthen our faith and grant measures of wisdom and joy we would not experience otherwise.
'You Have Been Called'. Picture yourself in a hospital bed. The fog of anesthesia has begun to wear away. A doctor stands at your feet, a loved one holds your hand at the side. 'It's cancer,' the healer announces.
The natural reaction is to turn to God and ask him to serve as a cosmic Santa. 'Dear God, make it all go away. Make everything simpler.' But another voice whispers: 'You have been called.' Your quandary has drawn you closer to God, closer to those you love, closer to the issues that matter, - and has dragged into insignificance the banal concerns that occupy our 'normal time.' There's another kind of response, although usually short-lived, an inexplicable shudder of excitement as if a clarifying moment of calamity has swept away everything trivial and tiny, and placed before us the challenge of important questions.
The moment you enter the Valley of the Shadow of Death, things change. You discover that Christianity is not something doughy, passive, pious, and soft. Faith may be the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But it also draws you into a world shorn of fearful caution. The life of belief teems with thrills, boldness, danger, shocks, reversals, triumphs, and epiphanies. Think of Paul, traipsing through the known world and contemplating trips to what must have seemed the antipodes (Spain), shaking the dust from his sandals, worrying not about the morrow, but only about the moment.
There's nothing wilder than a life of humble virtue, - for it is through selflessness and service that God wrings from our bodies and spirits the most we ever could give, the most we ever could offer, and the most we ever could do.
Finally, we can let love change everything. When Jesus was faced with the prospect of crucifixion, he grieved not for himself, but for us. He cried for Jerusalem before entering the Holy City. From the Cross, he took on the cumulative burden of human sin and weakness, and begged for forgiveness on our behalf.
We get repeated chances to learn that life is not about us, that we acquired purpose and satisfaction by sharing in God's love for others. Sickness gets us part way there. It reminds us of our limitations and dependence. But it also gives us a chance to serve the healthy. A minister friend of mine observes that people suffering grave afflictions often acquire the faith of two people, while loved ones accept the burden of two peoples' worries and fears.
'Learning How to Live'. Most of us have watched friends as they drifted toward God's arms, not with resignation, but with peace and hope. In so doing, they have taught us not how to die, but how to live. They have emulated Christ by transmitting the power and authority of live.
I sat by my best friend's bedside a few years ago as a wasting cancer took him away. He kept at his table a worn Bible and a 1928 edition of the Book of Common Prayer. A shattering grief disabled his family, many of his old friends, and at least one priest. Here was an humble and very good guy, someone who apologized when he winced with pain because he thought it made his guest uncomfortable. He restrained his equanimity and good humor literally until his last conscious moment. 'I'm going to try to beat [this cancer],' he told me several months before he died. 'But if I don't, I'll see you on the other side.'
His gift was to remind everyone around him that even though God doesn't promise us tomorrow, he does promise us eternity - filled with life and love we cannot comprehend, - and that one can, in the throes of sickness, point the rest of us toward timeless truths that will help us weather future storms.
Through such trials, God bids us to choose: Do we believe, or do we not? Will we be bold enough to love, daring enough to serve, humble enough to submit, and strong enough to acknowledge our limitations? Can we surrender our concern in things that don't matter so that we might devote our remaining days to things that do? When our faith flags, He throws reminders in our way. Think of the prayer warriors in our midst. They change things, and those of us who have been on the receiving end of their petitions and intercessions know it. It is hard to describe, but there are times when suddenly the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, and you feel a surge of the Spirit. Somehow you just know: Others have chosen, when talking to the Author of all creation, to lift us up, - to speak of us!
This is love of a very special order. But so is the ability to sit back and appreciate the wonder of every created thing. The mere thought of death somehow makes every blessing vivid, every happiness more luminous and intense. We may not know how our contest with sickness will end, but we have felt the ineluctable touch of God.
What is man that Thou are mindful of him? We don't know much, but we know this: No matter where we are, no matter what we do, no matter how bleak or frightening our prospects, each and every one of us who believe each and every day,lies in the same safe and impregnable place, in the hollow of God's hand.'
T. Snow
This might be a bit of a morbid email, but I wanted to send anyway. So... as many of you know... Randy Pausch (author of the Last Lecture) died this past week of pancreatic cancer. If you guys haven't read his book... you need to.
On a similar note, Tony Snow, Presiden't Bush's Press Secretary also died this month from cancer (1955--2008). Below is his "testimony"... the point that both Tony and Randy make is not about dying but about living....
TONY SNOW'S TESTIMONY
This is an outstanding testimony from Tony Snow, President Bush's Press Secretary, and his fight with cancer. Commentator and broadcaster Tony Snow announced that he had colon cancer in 2005. Following surgery and chemo-therapy, Snow joined the Bush Administration in April, 2006, as press secretary. Unfortunately, on March 23, 2007, Snow, 51, a husband and father of three, announced that the cancer had recurred, with tumors found in his abdomen, leading to surgery in April, followed by more chemotherapy. Snow went back to work in the White House Briefing Room on May 3, but has resigned since, 'for economic reasons,' and to pursue 'other interests.' It needs little intro . . . it speaks for itself. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'Blessings arrive in unexpected packages, - in my case, cancer. Those of us with potentially fatal diseases - and there are millions in America today - find ourselves in the odd position of coping with our mortality while trying to fathom God's will. Although it would be the height of presumption to declare with confidence 'What It All Means,' Scripture provides powerful hints and consolations.
The first is that we shouldn't spend too much time trying to answer the 'why' questions: Why me? Why must people suffer? Why can't someone else get sick? We can't answer such things, and the questions themselves often are designed more to express our anguish than to solicit an answer.
I don't know why I have cancer, and I don't much care. It is what it is, a plain and indisputable fact. Yet even while staring into a mirror darkly, great and stunning truths began to take shape. Our maladies define a central feature of our existence: We are fallen. We are imperfect. Our bodies give out.
But, despite this, - or because of it, - God offers the possibility of salvation and grace. We don't know how the narrative of our lives will end, but we get to choose how to use the interval between now and the moment we meet our Creator face-to-face.
Second, we need to get past the anxiety. The mere thought of dying can send adrenaline flooding through your system. A dizzy, unfocused panic seizes you. Your heart thumps; your head swims.You think of nothingness and swoon. You fear partings; you worry about the impact on family and friends. You fidget and get nowhere.
To regain footing, remember that we were born not into death, but into life - and that the journey continues after we have finished our days on this earth. We accept this on faith, but that faith is nourished by a conviction that stirs even within many non-believing hearts - an institution that the gift of life, once given, cannot be taken away. Those who have been stricken enjoy the special privilege of being able to fight with their might, main, and faith to live fully, richly, exuberantly - no matter how their days may be numbered.
Third, we can open our eyes and hearts. God relishes surprise. We want lives of simple, predictable ease,- smooth, even trails as far as the eye can see, - but God likes to go off-road. He provokes us with twists and turns. He places us in predicaments that seem to defy our endurance and comprehension - and yet don't. By His love and grace, we persevere. The challenges that make our hearts leap and stomachs churn invariably strengthen our faith and grant measures of wisdom and joy we would not experience otherwise.
'You Have Been Called'. Picture yourself in a hospital bed. The fog of anesthesia has begun to wear away. A doctor stands at your feet, a loved one holds your hand at the side. 'It's cancer,' the healer announces.
The natural reaction is to turn to God and ask him to serve as a cosmic Santa. 'Dear God, make it all go away. Make everything simpler.' But another voice whispers: 'You have been called.' Your quandary has drawn you closer to God, closer to those you love, closer to the issues that matter, - and has dragged into insignificance the banal concerns that occupy our 'normal time.' There's another kind of response, although usually short-lived, an inexplicable shudder of excitement as if a clarifying moment of calamity has swept away everything trivial and tiny, and placed before us the challenge of important questions.
The moment you enter the Valley of the Shadow of Death, things change. You discover that Christianity is not something doughy, passive, pious, and soft. Faith may be the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But it also draws you into a world shorn of fearful caution. The life of belief teems with thrills, boldness, danger, shocks, reversals, triumphs, and epiphanies. Think of Paul, traipsing through the known world and contemplating trips to what must have seemed the antipodes (Spain), shaking the dust from his sandals, worrying not about the morrow, but only about the moment.
There's nothing wilder than a life of humble virtue, - for it is through selflessness and service that God wrings from our bodies and spirits the most we ever could give, the most we ever could offer, and the most we ever could do.
Finally, we can let love change everything. When Jesus was faced with the prospect of crucifixion, he grieved not for himself, but for us. He cried for Jerusalem before entering the Holy City. From the Cross, he took on the cumulative burden of human sin and weakness, and begged for forgiveness on our behalf.
We get repeated chances to learn that life is not about us, that we acquired purpose and satisfaction by sharing in God's love for others. Sickness gets us part way there. It reminds us of our limitations and dependence. But it also gives us a chance to serve the healthy. A minister friend of mine observes that people suffering grave afflictions often acquire the faith of two people, while loved ones accept the burden of two peoples' worries and fears.
'Learning How to Live'. Most of us have watched friends as they drifted toward God's arms, not with resignation, but with peace and hope. In so doing, they have taught us not how to die, but how to live. They have emulated Christ by transmitting the power and authority of live.
I sat by my best friend's bedside a few years ago as a wasting cancer took him away. He kept at his table a worn Bible and a 1928 edition of the Book of Common Prayer. A shattering grief disabled his family, many of his old friends, and at least one priest. Here was an humble and very good guy, someone who apologized when he winced with pain because he thought it made his guest uncomfortable. He restrained his equanimity and good humor literally until his last conscious moment. 'I'm going to try to beat [this cancer],' he told me several months before he died. 'But if I don't, I'll see you on the other side.'
His gift was to remind everyone around him that even though God doesn't promise us tomorrow, he does promise us eternity - filled with life and love we cannot comprehend, - and that one can, in the throes of sickness, point the rest of us toward timeless truths that will help us weather future storms.
Through such trials, God bids us to choose: Do we believe, or do we not? Will we be bold enough to love, daring enough to serve, humble enough to submit, and strong enough to acknowledge our limitations? Can we surrender our concern in things that don't matter so that we might devote our remaining days to things that do? When our faith flags, He throws reminders in our way. Think of the prayer warriors in our midst. They change things, and those of us who have been on the receiving end of their petitions and intercessions know it. It is hard to describe, but there are times when suddenly the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, and you feel a surge of the Spirit. Somehow you just know: Others have chosen, when talking to the Author of all creation, to lift us up, - to speak of us!
This is love of a very special order. But so is the ability to sit back and appreciate the wonder of every created thing. The mere thought of death somehow makes every blessing vivid, every happiness more luminous and intense. We may not know how our contest with sickness will end, but we have felt the ineluctable touch of God.
What is man that Thou are mindful of him? We don't know much, but we know this: No matter where we are, no matter what we do, no matter how bleak or frightening our prospects, each and every one of us who believe each and every day,lies in the same safe and impregnable place, in the hollow of God's hand.'
T. Snow
Saturday, July 26, 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENN JO
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jenn Jo ok, you are making 38 sound ancient. I will have a glass of wine for you my friend. We are going out tonight to celebrate Whitney turning 9, now that actually makes me feel a little old. We are going to the Tigers game tomorrow which will be fun.
I talked to Stef the other day and we are bored with summer. Trying to entertain kids all day is exhausting. somebody is always bored with whatever plan we come up with. I am counting down the days until Art camp both happily occupied for the morning and then the ranch which we are all excited about.
Love to you all. We may be coming into town for Labor Day, John feels like he has stuff to do at Steves house to prepare for hunting which means I am going to have some free time that weekend.
Laura
I talked to Stef the other day and we are bored with summer. Trying to entertain kids all day is exhausting. somebody is always bored with whatever plan we come up with. I am counting down the days until Art camp both happily occupied for the morning and then the ranch which we are all excited about.
Love to you all. We may be coming into town for Labor Day, John feels like he has stuff to do at Steves house to prepare for hunting which means I am going to have some free time that weekend.
Laura
Friday, July 25, 2008
38 and counting
Big birthday tomorrow and my plans include driving to Crawfordsville with my husband in the morning to take some photos of some houses and driving Maribeth to the hospital. Atleast I will get to see the little precious bears.
Dinner tomorrow night with 2 couples for my birthday dinner. Should be good but sure would love a glass of wine.
Hope you are all doing great! Drop me a note or put up a blog to let us know what's going on.
Thanks Laura and Amy for my birthday cards and thank you Julie for the phone call!
Love you all.
Jen
Dinner tomorrow night with 2 couples for my birthday dinner. Should be good but sure would love a glass of wine.
Hope you are all doing great! Drop me a note or put up a blog to let us know what's going on.
Thanks Laura and Amy for my birthday cards and thank you Julie for the phone call!
Love you all.
Jen
Monday, July 21, 2008
Criminal Acts
Hi Girls - So here it is Monday and I had grandiose plans of getting up early, doing some yoga, drinking my coffee and reading the paper until my two offspring who have been attached to my hip since returning from Girls' Weekend would rise......BUT - I instead got to call the Sheriff's department for my husband who had not only his car, but his Dad's truck broken into last night. I love living in a somewhat affluent gated-community -- so worth it! So after quizing the sheriff's officer on how he would secure the crime scene and asking if he was sure he got all the prints and checked for all possible clues ---- he turns to me and says, "this is not CSI..." So now I am not in the mood I want to be, but I did read Laura's email and will try to control my reaction to all of this. The worst thing stolen was Sam's ipod which I spend ten million hours downloading for him. Thank God the Fantastic Van was securly locked up in my garage because I would have been beside myself if they had taken mine.
So it is 900 degrees and this pool cannot be built quick enough. My kids are so bored they can barely stand it but I am trying to be so frugal this summer because of the expense of this pool. I am so deseperate we even went to Wal-mart as a "treat" last week because I knew I wouldn't spend any money there! I keep telling Julie to put Clayton on a plane down here to occupy my kids for me but for some reason she won't do it....
Glad to hear the updates ---- gotta go play "Life" with the kids....how many days away is the next Girls' Weekend????
So it is 900 degrees and this pool cannot be built quick enough. My kids are so bored they can barely stand it but I am trying to be so frugal this summer because of the expense of this pool. I am so deseperate we even went to Wal-mart as a "treat" last week because I knew I wouldn't spend any money there! I keep telling Julie to put Clayton on a plane down here to occupy my kids for me but for some reason she won't do it....
Glad to hear the updates ---- gotta go play "Life" with the kids....how many days away is the next Girls' Weekend????
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Hello good friends
Julie, so good to see that you are on the blog. I feel for you with your parents.
Jenn, I am betting a girl, can you even imagine you with a boy? I have a hard time with that one.
All is well here. We had our first meal as just the 4 of us since July 3rd. Our first weekend home in awhile, so getting caught up and just enjoying being. Two more weeks of softball/baseball and then that is done.
WEnt to the western store to gear up for our trip to the ranch. Ok, John didnt even go, I cant talk him into boots. It was an expensive trip. I am hoping we are at the ranch when that bill arrives. Although Whit has already worn her boots out. She had on shorts and boots yesterday, she looked like Miley Cirus.
I did get some kick ass boots to wear with my purple cowboy hat and we all had to get a western shirt of course, so I may have a new western look for several years to get the wear out of my boots. You all know I do not spend alot of money on my clothes, so buying all this stuff was difficult, I had a lot of guilt all last night. I am working my way through it though.
Love to you all, talk soon
Jenn, we need a Maribeth update.
Laura
Jenn, I am betting a girl, can you even imagine you with a boy? I have a hard time with that one.
All is well here. We had our first meal as just the 4 of us since July 3rd. Our first weekend home in awhile, so getting caught up and just enjoying being. Two more weeks of softball/baseball and then that is done.
WEnt to the western store to gear up for our trip to the ranch. Ok, John didnt even go, I cant talk him into boots. It was an expensive trip. I am hoping we are at the ranch when that bill arrives. Although Whit has already worn her boots out. She had on shorts and boots yesterday, she looked like Miley Cirus.
I did get some kick ass boots to wear with my purple cowboy hat and we all had to get a western shirt of course, so I may have a new western look for several years to get the wear out of my boots. You all know I do not spend alot of money on my clothes, so buying all this stuff was difficult, I had a lot of guilt all last night. I am working my way through it though.
Love to you all, talk soon
Jenn, we need a Maribeth update.
Laura
Thursday, July 17, 2008
And then there were 3
Maribeth had her babies on Tues. night around 7:15 (about 1 minute apart). I was on my way to the gym when i got a call from Aaron saying they would be taking her in shortly. Obviously the gym thing had to wait. I headed over to the hospital and got to see here before she went in. The surgery took about 1 hour total from the time they got her spinal done to the time she went in to recovery. Afterward I got to go in to see her in recovery and no lie, there was a big tupperware bowl full of blood and placenta. Seriously people....why the hell does that have to be in there? Anyway I stayed until about 10:00 but didn't see the babies until last night.
All babies are in the NICU and doing fine. Baby B who is a girl and not yet named (there is a tally sheet up for Maura and Adelyn) is having a little trouble breathing so she is still on a breathing machine. The other 2 are not and are on whatever NICU babies are normally on. The doctors are speculating 2-4 weeks before they can come home. By the way, her other daughter is named Clara Leigh.....Leigh after me which I was totally elated about. Baby C is a boy and he is also not named although I think they are leaning toward Alexander Charles.
Maribeth just moved to postpartum today which is on the same floor as the babies. She is doing pretty well although last night she was having such severe pains that she was screaming out even with 4 people in her room. i got real queasy real fast....this does not look good. Anyway, apparently it was a combination of severe gas and her uterus moving around to get back in place....whatever - it all sounds bad to me. hahah! There has been no mention of when she will go home although I'm guessing it wil be early next week.
So all is right with the world and I am so thankful that her babies are doing so well. She has fought long and hard to have a family and now she has been blessed with three tiny, adorable babies. The funniest part is they all look a little different. One definitely looks bi-racial with dark hair, the other girl looks white but with dark hair and the boy looks indian with blonde hair.....I told them they have started their own little United Nations....haha
Will keep you all posted but for now everyone is doing great!
All babies are in the NICU and doing fine. Baby B who is a girl and not yet named (there is a tally sheet up for Maura and Adelyn) is having a little trouble breathing so she is still on a breathing machine. The other 2 are not and are on whatever NICU babies are normally on. The doctors are speculating 2-4 weeks before they can come home. By the way, her other daughter is named Clara Leigh.....Leigh after me which I was totally elated about. Baby C is a boy and he is also not named although I think they are leaning toward Alexander Charles.
Maribeth just moved to postpartum today which is on the same floor as the babies. She is doing pretty well although last night she was having such severe pains that she was screaming out even with 4 people in her room. i got real queasy real fast....this does not look good. Anyway, apparently it was a combination of severe gas and her uterus moving around to get back in place....whatever - it all sounds bad to me. hahah! There has been no mention of when she will go home although I'm guessing it wil be early next week.
So all is right with the world and I am so thankful that her babies are doing so well. She has fought long and hard to have a family and now she has been blessed with three tiny, adorable babies. The funniest part is they all look a little different. One definitely looks bi-racial with dark hair, the other girl looks white but with dark hair and the boy looks indian with blonde hair.....I told them they have started their own little United Nations....haha
Will keep you all posted but for now everyone is doing great!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
The baby looks like a speck of dirt in a bag
So I had my first ultrasound on Monday. I was a few days off cause I was just then 6 weeks. I was so queasy and uneasy about seeing this on the screen. I had had some spotting and cramping over the weekend and I decided that I was definitely having a miscarriage.
David went in with me on Monday and as this u/s tech is shoving the wand in unmentionable places she wasn't making a sound.......about 3 minutes into it I finally said "do you see anything?" she said "oh yes I do" and I said "well how about you give me an update as we go along so I'm not freaking out over here." and then David said to the u/s tech "and this is where she starts telling you how to do your job." I was a little embarrassed by myself but honestly lady I've never had a baby before and I just told you that I had some spotting and cramping over the weekend so your silence is just a little terrifying! Anyway when I finally looked I said "is that it?" she said "yep, there's the gestational sac and there's the pole." I said "looks like a bag with a speck of dirt in it." I'm guessing this lady rolled her eyes about 200 times.
Anyway my little speck of dirt had a heartbeat of 118 per minute (normal range for those of you who have forgotten). It's still really early and as you know, I'm old so please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I go through this first trimester.
In other news, Maribeth is at the hospital. Her contractions are 4-7 minutes apart but they want her to go as long as possible and as close to 34 weeks as possible which is next Monday. She is seriously about to kill somebody and I can hardly blame her. What I didn't say to her and wanted to was "you think this is painful? just wait to those little monsters are home." I'm a good friend so I didn't say that. hahahaha!!!!
Hope you are all well. Miss you. talk to you soon.
David went in with me on Monday and as this u/s tech is shoving the wand in unmentionable places she wasn't making a sound.......about 3 minutes into it I finally said "do you see anything?" she said "oh yes I do" and I said "well how about you give me an update as we go along so I'm not freaking out over here." and then David said to the u/s tech "and this is where she starts telling you how to do your job." I was a little embarrassed by myself but honestly lady I've never had a baby before and I just told you that I had some spotting and cramping over the weekend so your silence is just a little terrifying! Anyway when I finally looked I said "is that it?" she said "yep, there's the gestational sac and there's the pole." I said "looks like a bag with a speck of dirt in it." I'm guessing this lady rolled her eyes about 200 times.
Anyway my little speck of dirt had a heartbeat of 118 per minute (normal range for those of you who have forgotten). It's still really early and as you know, I'm old so please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I go through this first trimester.
In other news, Maribeth is at the hospital. Her contractions are 4-7 minutes apart but they want her to go as long as possible and as close to 34 weeks as possible which is next Monday. She is seriously about to kill somebody and I can hardly blame her. What I didn't say to her and wanted to was "you think this is painful? just wait to those little monsters are home." I'm a good friend so I didn't say that. hahahaha!!!!
Hope you are all well. Miss you. talk to you soon.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Finally - I figured it out...
Hi All! My in-laws are leaving for Ireland on Tuesday and were trying to set up their own blog - which forced me to figure out how to post on ours....
So sorry I missed Kristen's pool party -- You are all welcome to join me in our new pool when it is finished in mid-August - I can hardly wait!
Jen-Jo - I just have to tell you that I still have goose-bumps from when you called me with the news. I have been praying constantly for you and baby MARCHELLA STEFANIA SALEMME!
Miss you all so much girls - I read in a magazine that gabbing with your girlfriends keeps you young -- did I tell you all that?
Have a good week!
Love, Stef
PS - To the FC class of 1993 - I am in the process of convincing Sam that we all need to come to Indy for our 15 year reunion. I would love to see Franklin - maybe just go down for part of the game. I am thinking about bringing Cayla and Coy too. More on that development....
By the way - what are all of you reading right now? I have printed the book list and can't wait to get started!
So sorry I missed Kristen's pool party -- You are all welcome to join me in our new pool when it is finished in mid-August - I can hardly wait!
Jen-Jo - I just have to tell you that I still have goose-bumps from when you called me with the news. I have been praying constantly for you and baby MARCHELLA STEFANIA SALEMME!
Miss you all so much girls - I read in a magazine that gabbing with your girlfriends keeps you young -- did I tell you all that?
Have a good week!
Love, Stef
PS - To the FC class of 1993 - I am in the process of convincing Sam that we all need to come to Indy for our 15 year reunion. I would love to see Franklin - maybe just go down for part of the game. I am thinking about bringing Cayla and Coy too. More on that development....
By the way - what are all of you reading right now? I have printed the book list and can't wait to get started!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
The Good News
Jennifer, your news was awesome, I am so glad I got to see you and could hear it from you. It made driving from Michigan and the stay here even more special.
It was so fun at Kristens, we missed those of you who were not there. Kristen, thanks for hosting, your pool is fab. I wish I lived closer to use it more often.
Another family party today, Sat, and then heading home tomorrow. Gabs is going home with us for the week!! YIPPEE!
love to you all!
laura
It was so fun at Kristens, we missed those of you who were not there. Kristen, thanks for hosting, your pool is fab. I wish I lived closer to use it more often.
Another family party today, Sat, and then heading home tomorrow. Gabs is going home with us for the week!! YIPPEE!
love to you all!
laura
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Sunday may be the day of the Lord but it's also the day before Monday!
Have I told you all how much I actually dislike Sundays? Don't get me wrong. I love having the day off especially when it's so nice outside like it was today. I just don't like the dreaded feeling I have of going back to work - not because I dislike my job but because starting a new week that is going to last 5 days with no break is excruciating.
We had my parents over on Thurs. night and took them to dinner and then the fireworks at Broadmoor Country Club then they stayed overnight. On Friday, we had a cookout and David's parents came from Cincinnati. It rained....we did it anyway.
Saturday we went to the lake - David's brother has a lake house. David went tubing...he is very sore today. It stinks to get old. I just fished and rode around in the boat.
And today is Sunday.....laundry day, work in the yard day, do all the errands that you didn't get done because it was a holiday day.
Let's just say I am REALLY looking forward to seeing you guys on Thurs....
Hope you all have a great week!
hugs....
We had my parents over on Thurs. night and took them to dinner and then the fireworks at Broadmoor Country Club then they stayed overnight. On Friday, we had a cookout and David's parents came from Cincinnati. It rained....we did it anyway.
Saturday we went to the lake - David's brother has a lake house. David went tubing...he is very sore today. It stinks to get old. I just fished and rode around in the boat.
And today is Sunday.....laundry day, work in the yard day, do all the errands that you didn't get done because it was a holiday day.
Let's just say I am REALLY looking forward to seeing you guys on Thurs....
Hope you all have a great week!
hugs....
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